Monday, August 31, 2009
The Last Samurai
Every Tuesday and Wednesday they go to each others houses, and if there is a single person or someone is having a trouble at home would bang one another. They are bunch of filty people.
I shall be among the brave soul not bunch of losers.
Akbar GANJI and Canada's Tour
Monday August 31st, 2009
Akbar GANJI took part, in 1979 fiasco, and individual like him purged voice of justice in Iran in order to secure Islamic Republic in Iran. The regime, in Iran, began to form its muscle under banner of Revolutionary Guard Corp as a mean to eradicate any form of potential threat. Obviously, Akbar GANJI as a loyal and dedicated individual began to work for the Revolutionary Guard because he was pioneer of Islamic Republic in Iran, and wanted his prodigy to last long in Iran. The regime in Iran began to return the favor to Mr. GANJI once he proved his loyalty to the establishment in Iran as Mr. GANJI was promoted to the most sensitive branch of the normative control model of the regime which is Ministry of Intelligence and National Security , and this secret service of the regime in Iran would be equivalent to Gestapo.
It has been for sometimes that the regime in Iran is using same dirty trick as the Gestapo by pretending that one of its member was defected to the allied forces. It was a common practice by the Gestapo that one of its member would flee Germany under disguise of defector and would join to the allied forces, and would pass false information to the allied forces. Of course, the allied forces would assume that the defector passed right information to them. The allied forces would act upon those information and eventually would end-up in a dead end street. Today, the regime in Iran is using the same trick as the Gestapo did. Mr. GANJI works for the notorious Ministry of Intelligence and National Security, whose hands are tainted in blood of innocents, he pretends that the regime in Iran needs to reform itself, and once the regime in Iran would alter its dynamic, there would not be any more problem with the Islamic Republic in Iran. Moreover, Mr. GANJI appears at some functions, and gives his input about Iran by incorporating one political philosopher's theory on the regime in Iran.
Recently, he is on Canadian tour as he is traveling from one major city to another city, and is spreading propaganda about the normative control model of Islamic Republic. According to Shahrvand magazine which is a commercial magazine and has no scholastic value, it published Mr. GANJI's input about the regime in Iran on page 27 vol.17/No1045. Friday August 28th, 2009. According to the magazine Mr. GANJI researched Max WEBER's books about dictatorships {this commercial and obviously pro-mullah magazine used Arabic word which was incorporated in Persian language saltanizem}. This whole idea that Max WEBER was against dictatorship was a fallacy because scholar WEBER endorsed the idea that a state had total legitimate right to monopoly on violence.
As a result, it would be unclear what kind of books Mr. GANJI {this Gestapo} usedto reach to his conclusion. On a different note, he may would like to inform public that where the money is coming from for him to sustain his life in US, and his family in Iran?
c.c. contact@akbarganji.org
c.c. shahrvand
Updates on Video Showing Bobby Blythe Watching Student Savagely Beat Man
In April of 2009, former Karate instructor and Marine Bobby Joe Blythe uploaded to a social media website a video that shows the savage beating of a man in his former dojo 25 years ago in 1984. There the languished for several months in relative
Updates on Video Showing Bobby Blythe Watching Student Savagely Beat Man
Date: December 13, 1984
Dumfries, VA
United States of America
obscurity until August of 2009, when an unknown individual uploaded the video to their Youtube.com account with a sensational headline claiming that the video showed the beating and potential murder of a mentally challenged man at the hands of a black belt karate instructor in 1984. During the first few days of the video's presence on Youtube.com, it got a relatively normal number of hits until a concerned viewer began to circulate the video to various other social media websites in hopes that someone could identify the victim and bring his assailant to justice. Within a few more days, the video received hundreds of thousands of views and began to circulate furiously throughout the internet, going viral and garnering a removal from the Youtube website. It has continued to spark massive interest as well as multiple attempts to bring more light to the video via investigations by several websites.
The video starts out relatively tame by internet standards, with Karate instructor Bobby Blythe explaining to his students as well as visiting spectators that the unidentified man was present to demonstrate to "spiritual movements". Also present is a black belt and former marine by the name of Willie J. Dennis. The unidentified man explains that he is a "Shintokan priest" and that he is going to demonstrate what he knows. Mr. Blythe, who speaks with an underlying sarcastic tone throughout the beginning of the video, states to those presence that the man is " a master who has no master", a remark to which the man quips "my master is Jesus Christ". Mr. Blythe then mockingly asks the man if he was taught martial arts by Jesus Christ but before the man could answer he cuts him off.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Bible-James 1:1-27
1 James, a slave of God and of [the] Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes that are scattered about:
Greetings!
2 Consider it all joy, my brothers, when YOU meet with various trials, 3 knowing as YOU do that this tested quality of YOUR faith works out endurance. 4 But let endurance have its work complete, that YOU may be complete and sound in all respects, not lacking in anything.
5 So, if any one of YOU is lacking in wisdom, let him keep on asking God, for he gives generously to all and without reproaching; and it will be given him. 6 But let him keep on asking in faith, not doubting at all, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and blown about. 7 In fact, let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from Jehovah; 8 he is an indecisive man, unsteady in all his ways.
9 But let the lowly brother exult over his exaltation, 10 and the rich one over his humiliation, because like a flower of the vegetation he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its burning heat and withers the vegetation, and its flower drops off and the beauty of its outward appearance perishes. So, too, the rich man will fade away in his ways of life.
12 Happy is the man that keeps on enduring trial, because on becoming approved he will receive the crown of life, which Jehovah promised to those who continue loving him. 13 When under trial, let no one say: “I am being tried by God.” For with evil things God cannot be tried nor does he himself try anyone. 14 But each one is tried by being drawn out and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then the desire, when it has become fertile, gives birth to sin; in turn, sin, when it has been accomplished, brings forth death.
16 Do not be misled, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect present is from above, for it comes down from the Father of the [celestial] lights, and with him there is not a variation of the turning of the shadow. 18 Because he willed it, he brought us forth by the word of truth, for us to be certain firstfruits of his creatures.
19 Know this, my beloved brothers. Every man must be swift about hearing, slow about speaking, slow about wrath; 20 for man’s wrath does not work out God’s righteousness. 21 Hence put away all filthiness and that superfluous thing, badness, and accept with mildness the implanting of the word which is able to save YOUR souls.
22 However, become doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves with false reasoning. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word, and not a doer, this one is like a man looking at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself, and off he goes and immediately forgets what sort of man he is. 25 But he who peers into the perfect law that belongs to freedom and who persists in [it], this [man], because he has become, not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, will be happy in his doing [it].
Suffering of Iraqi intellectual as a result of corruption and disorder spreading in his country:
Sunday August 30th, 2009
Correspondent from Iraq
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
John Barrasso-Senator
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John Barrasso - United States Senator, Wyoming
Tune in!
Watch Senator Barrasso on FOX News tonight, Friday, August 28 during the 8 p.m. (MT) program, "On the Record with Greta Van Susteren."
John Barrasso-Senator
August 28, 2009 |
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Robert Mendez-Senator
Welcome to the Menendez Message!
Volume 5, Issue 7 - August 28, 2009
Video introduction and update from Senator Menendez
In this issue:
* MAKING HEALTH CARE MORE AFFORDABLE AND ACCESSIBLE
* AN EMINENTLY QUALIFIED SUPREME COURT NOMINEE; THE PROMISE OF AMERICA FULFILLED
* PROTECTING OUR COMMUNITIES FROM GUN VIOLENCE
* LEGISLATION TO BAN TEXTING WHILE DRIVING
* FULL SPEED AHEAD FOR THE MASS TRANSIT TUNNEL
* URGING BETTER IMPLEMENTATION OF HOME LOAN MODIFICATION PROGRAM
* PRESERVING OUR JERSEY SHORE
* MODERNIZING GREAT FALLS HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANT
* FINANCIAL REGULATION NEEDED TO AVOID FUTURE ECONOMIC CRISES
* RELEASE OF NEW JERSEY NATIVE BEING HELD IN PAKISTAN
* HELPING ENSURE THAT U.S. MILITARY ASSISTANCE TO PAKISTAN IS USED TO FIGHT EXTREMISTS
* CONTINUING OUR FIGHT TO REUNITE SEAN GOLDMAN AND HIS FATHER
* PREVENTING A REPEAT OF THE GROUND ZERO PHOTO OP FIASCO
* STANDING UP AGAINST POWER LINES ON OUR PROPERTY
* ENDING SLOT AUCTIONS AT NEW JERSEY-NEW YORK AIRPORTS
* HONORING VIVIAN STRINGER FOR HALL OF FAME SELECTION
* HOME ENERGY EFFICIENCY
* BOB'S BILLS
o PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN & TEENS ONLINE
o ENSURING HOUSING FOR THE LOW-INCOME DISABLED
o HELPING LAW ENFORCEMENT QUICKLY FIND MISSING PERSONS
o NEW LEGISLATION TO SPUR THE USE OF NATURAL GAS VEHICLES
o INCREASING ACCOUNTABILITY AT FINANCIAL REGULATORY AGENCIES
o STRATEGIC BOOST IN ASSISTANCE TO LATIN AMERICA
o ATTACKING DEADLY DRUG RESISTANT STAPH INFECTIONS
o PROVIDING WOMEN ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE FOR THEIR UNIQUE NEEDS
o HOME VISITATION PROGRAMS TO HELP BREAK THE CYCLE OF POVERTY
o NATIONAL EDUCATOR WORTHY WAGE DAY
Please note that you can also follow my work in Congress via YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. Click on the icons below to be directed to each of the sites.
MAKING HEALTH CARE MORE AFFORDABLE AND ACCESSIBLE
In the greatest nation on earth, access to affordable health care too often just doesn't exist. This applies not only to the 47 million Americans who have no health insurance at all, but also to the millions of middle class families - working families - who do have health insurance but find that the care they need is either too expensive or is denied by their insurer.
Sadly, things are getting worse. As health insurance companies continue to report record profits, insurance premiums that families pay keep rising. Under the status quo, it is expected that within seven years, one out of every three dollars New Jersey families earn will be eaten up by the cost of their employer-sponsored health insurance.
It is also important to point out during this economic crisis that health care reform is actually reform for our nation's budget as well. Under the current system, not only do we all foot the bill for the emphasis on emergency care instead of preventative care, but there is plenty of misspent money, including $177 billion that subsidizes insurance companies.
The Senate Finance Committee is one of the committees in charge of health care insurance reform. As a member of that committee, I am working to help create a system that reduces costs and increases choice in health care.
It is important to remember the word “choice” – as in, if you like what you have, you can keep it without being forced into any other insurance plan. Another choice I support is a strong public option, which can provide real competition in the health insurance system to help drive down costs and keep insurers honest. This would be available under a newly formed health care “exchange” for those who don’t have employer-provided health insurance – it would be a marketplace that would allow families to choose their health insurance from a number of private insurers and a public plan option.
Reforming our health care system would be a generational achievement for two reasons - it has taken generations to get this close to serious reform, and it would put our families and our nation on sounder footing for generations to come.
» Click to submit your ideas regarding health care reform
AN EMINENTLY QUALIFIED SUPREME COURT JUSTICE; THE PROMISE OF AMERICA FULFILLED
I applaud President Obama for his brilliant and historic nomination of our newest Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor, and I applaud my Senate colleagues who reviewed her tremendous record and voted to confirm her. I believe that Judge Sotomayor - one of the most experienced and proven nominees in our nation's history - is eminently qualified to successfully take on and perform her new role. Throughout her distinguished career, including appointments from both Republican and Democratic administrations, Judge Sotomayor has shown a vast knowledge of the law, displayed the proper temperament and gained a breadth of experience that makes her an ideal nominee. I was proud to vote in favor of her confirmation. Judge Sotomayor's confirmation is the promise of America fulfilled.
» Click here to read the press release
PROTECTING OUR COMMUNITIES FROM GUN VIOLENCE
I was proud to help lead efforts to defeat a Senate amendment that would have allowed other states' concealed weapons laws to trump New Jersey's stronger gun safety laws. In a country where the second leading cause of death for our youth is gun violence, this amendment would have been doubly dangerous. It would have benefitted criminals, not their victims, by making it easier for people hiding a gun to stroll into a school, a playground or a crowded stadium. And it would have trampled the rights of the people in our state to make our own safety laws, which are based on a different and unique experience from states in which gun laws are lax. For families who don't want to have to worry about who might be hiding a gun every time they take their kids to school, go to the supermarket or go to work, this was a big victory in the name of safety.
» Click here to read the press release
LEGISLATION TO BAN TEXTING WHILE DRIVING
Studies have shown over and over that texting while driving is incredibly dangerous --even more dangerous than drunk driving-- and it's time to take action to prevent the tragic accidents that result. I have joined with three colleagues to introduce legislation that would ban anyone from texting on a cell phone or other personal electronic device while operating a moving vehicle. This includes not only people driving cars on our roads but also people operating trains and buses for our mass transit systems. The Avoiding Life-Endangering and Reckless Texting by Drivers Act ("ALERT Drivers" Act) would require states to bar the sending of text or email messages while operating a vehicle - or risk losing federal highway funds, similar to the federal ban on drunk driving.
» Click here to read the press release
FULL SPEED AHEAD FOR THE MASS TRANSIT TUNNEL
I was thrilled to help break ground on the new mass transit tunnel that will cross the Hudson River. This project - the largest mass transit project currently underway in the nation - will create jobs in these tough times and for years to come, help save time and money for commuters, and help clean the air we breathe. I am proud to have helped secure federal funding that has allowed this project to become a reality, I was pleased that President Obama's budget included $200 million and it was exciting to be with U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood as he announced the signing of the work agreement that commits the federal government to full support of this important project. As the chairman of the Banking Committee's Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation and Urban Development, I will continue to work vigorously with transportation officials to ensure that we have the investments necessary to get the tunnel completed.
» Click here to read the press release
URGING BETTER IMPLEMENTATION OF HOME LOAN MODIFICATION PROGRAM
Successfully implementing the administration's loan modification program should be at the top of our list of housing priorities. The foreclosure crisis has not only devastated millions of families, but it is the root of our global financial crisis that has eliminated millions of jobs and forced many more families to struggle. If we can help keep responsible families in their homes, we can help solidify our economy and protect their neighbors' investments, as well. The low rate of participation in and lender cooperation with loan modification programs meant to help struggling homeowners modify the terms of their mortgages is particularly concerning. To address this issue, I urged both Secretary Geithner and the» CEO's of 20 major mortgage companies to review and revise their loan modification efforts to achieve the program's goal: To help American families and reduce the number of foreclosures.
» Click here to read the press release
PRESERVING OUR JERSEY SHORE
Maintaining and replenishing the Jersey Shore is an issue of economic security for our state and for families in our coastal communities, not to mention an issue of preserving our national treasures. When the administration released its federal budget proposal earlier this year, I was pleased to see a policy change to allow beach replenishment projects to compete for funding. It was disappointing, however, that the guidelines imposed by the Office of Management and Budget for these projects have allowed crucial shore protection projects to go unfunded. Only $52 million were allocated for beach replenishment projects nationwide, an amount the Army Corps of Engineers needs for beach projects here in New Jersey alone. In addition, only one beach replenishment project in New Jersey received funds through the budget. Together with other New Jersey lawmakers, I am working hard to make sure the policies preventing projects from receiving funding are adjusted. To that end, we secured approximately $26 million for New Jersey beach replenishment projects in the Senate and will continue to fight to ensure that this vital funding stays in the final bill that becomes law. It is imperative in these difficult economic times to ensure that our local economy and natural treasures are protected.
» Click here to read the press release
MODERNIZING GREAT FALLS HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANT
I am proud to have created the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants program in Congress in 2007, and to have helped secure $73 million for New Jersey cities, towns and counties in the recovery package. As part of that funding, I helped announce that Paterson will modernize the Great Falls hydroelectric plant. These upgrades would include planning for increased electricity generation and making the facilities more energy efficient with solar panels and other improvements. The more we can harness the power of water, wind and the sun for our energy needs, the better we can lay the foundation for economic security in the 21st Century. We need to continue to aggressively look into the job creation, energy cost savings and environmental benefits of clean energy projects, like the planned modernization of the hydroelectric plant at Great Falls.
» Click here to read the press release
FINANCIAL REGULATION NEEDED TO AVOID FUTURE ECONOMIC CRISES
Millions of families are facing the toughest times they've ever experienced - that is in large part a direct result of banks being allowed to conduct risky transactions with little or no concern for the potentially devastating consequences. We have to make sure real accountability is in place for Wall Street so that families don't again end up paying the price for risky financial schemes. The White House's recently announced proposal to address this issue is certainly a good start. However, I think we can provide even more accountability and protections in areas like systemic risk, so that we can head off major threats to our economy before they are realized. As a member of the Senate's Banking Committee, I look forward to working with chairman Dodd to produce strong financial accountability in any legislation that moves forward in Congress.
» Click here to read the press release
RELEASE OF NEW JERSEY NATIVE BEING HELD IN PAKISTAN
Many New Jerseyans were filled with concern during the ordeal of John Solecki -- the head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and native of Demarest, who was held captive by an extremist group in Pakistan. It was a huge relief for many in our state when we finally got word of his release. Having worked with his family through my capacity on the Foreign Relations Committee to push for his freedom, I know how much they love John and how sweet their reunion must have been. When he was finally freed, it was a beautiful day for John and his family.
» Click here to read the press release
HELPING ENSURE THAT U.S. MILITARY ASSISTANCE TO PAKISTAN IS USED TO FIGHT EXTREMISTS
Almost eight years of support and more than seven billion in American taxpayer dollars for Pakistan's military have not prevented the Taliban and al Qaeda from regrouping along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The fight against these extremists is crucial for our national security, which is why we have to certify that our support is in fact doing what we intend it to do and is not being used for other purposes. Beyond the national security implications, this is also a matter of responsibility with taxpayer dollars. I was proud to help successfully attach an amendment to the Department of Defense authorization bill that passed the Senate last month to help ensure that military assistance for Pakistan is actually being used for its intended purpose: To fight the Taliban and al Qaeda.
» Click here to read the press release
CONTINUING OUR FIGHT TO REUNITE SEAN GOLDMAN AND HIS FATHER
A Brazilian Supreme Court judge's decision surprisingly suspended a lower court order that would have reunited 9-year-old Sean Goldman with his father, David Goldman, of Tinton Falls. Just when it appeared that the agonizing wait would finally be over and this case would reach a happy conclusion, yet another hurdle was put in the way. David should know that those of us who have taken action to help his cause will not cease our advocacy - we are continuing to express to the Brazilian authorities the importance of adhering to the Hague Conventions and allowing David to regain his rightful custody of Sean. At the heart of this case is family, and this New Jersey family deserves to be reunited.
» Click here to read the press release
PREVENTING A REPEAT OF THE GROUND ZERO PHOTO OP FIASCO
In response to the mishandled photo opportunity involving Air Force One flying near Newark, Jersey City, the Statue of Liberty and Lower Manhattan, I called on the relevant federal agencies to improve their system of notification to local law enforcement, governors and congressional delegations. The exercise, which caused unnecessary alarm and anxiety, was not only reckless and insensitive to those of us who live in this area, it also revealed a serious lack of national security protocols required to respond to a real attack or natural disaster. On behalf of all workers and residents in Lower Manhattan and here in New Jersey, I insisted on answers about the notifications given to local officials in a letter to Defense Secretary Gates, then White House Military Office Director Louis Caldera, Acting Federal Aviation Administration chief Lynne Osmus and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.
» Click here to read the press release
STANDING UP AGAINST POWER LINES ON OUR PROPERTY
New Jersey has been eyed as prime territory for new transmission lines coming from coal country to New York City, the Northeast and the Mid Atlantic regions. Under this legislation, a New Jersey family could be helpless to fight new high-powered transmission lines that are proposed for placement in their backyard or other protected areas. Furthermore, transmission lines would be used to transmit electricity generated from dirty fossil fuel sources instead of being used expressly for electricity from clean renewable energy sources. As a member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, I have been a strong opponent of electricity transmission policy that would deny local residents and property owners a say in the process, and I will continue to fight it.
» Click here to read the press release
ENDING SLOT AUCTIONS AT NEW JERSEY-NEW YORK AIRPORTS
Recently, the Obama Administration decided to end the plan to auction slots for the prime flight departure times at airports in the New Jersey-New York area. I had fought against these auctions, and this was welcome news for our state and our region. I commend Secretary LaHood and President Obama for their work to end this misguided experiment.
From the time President Bush announced his plan to withdraw flight slots from airlines flying in the region and auction them to the highest bidder, I denounced the plan as counterproductive and potentially very expensive for families in our region. The FAA should instead modernize its equipment, adequately staff its control towers, and expedite new technology to increase airport capacity. I look forward to working with President Obama and Secretary LaHood on what will hopefully be more sensible air travel policy that will make air travelers a priority.
» Click here to read the press release
HONORING VIVIAN STRINGER FOR HALL OF FAME SELECTION
I was thrilled to learn of the selection of Rutger's women's basketball coach, Vivian Stringer, for induction into the basketball hall of fame and pleased to place an official statement in the Congressional Record honoring her. During her 38-year coaching career (14 at Rutgers), Stringer has amassed 825 victories, 30 seasons with 20 or more wins, 22 NCAA tournament appearances, four Final Fours, and an Olympic gold medal as an assistant coach. But Vivian Stringer has served, above all else, as a teacher to each of her players and role model for young women. Her life and legacy is a source of pride and inspiration for all New Jerseyans.
» Click here to read the press release
HOME ENERGY EFFICIENCY
As we work toward stabilizing our economy and cleaning the air we breathe, increasing energy efficiency can play an important role. Together with Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Charles Schumer (D-NY), I was proud to help announce the introduction of new legislation encouraging families and property owners to improve their homes' energy efficiency. The Energy Efficiency in Housing Act would help consumers save money on home energy costs, create jobs for local contractors, and limit pollution that contributes to global warming.
» Click here to read the press release
BOB'S BILLS:
PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN & TEENS ONLINE
As the Internet and wireless devices play increasingly important roles in the lives of everyone, including children and teens, dangers such as "sexting" and "cyberbullying" become increasingly prevalent. Together with Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), I introduced legislation that would support and develop programs nationwide to educate schoolchildren, teachers and parents about keeping the Internet safe for children and teens. The School and Family Education about the Internet (SAFE Internet) Act will create a grant program to support existing and new Internet safety education programs that meet guidelines based on the cybersafety strategies found to be most effective.
» Click here to read the press release
ENSURING HOUSING FOR THE LOW-INCOME DISABLED
I introduced legislation with Senator Mike Johanns (R-IN) aimed at ensuring that low-income disabled Americans have access to affordable housing options. The Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act would bolster the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's program that increases the availability of affordable housing for persons with disabilities and helps provide them with rental assistance. It is often hard for those who are disabled to find affordable housing that allows them to live independently, and that is particularly true during these tough times. We are working to help ensure that disabled members of our communities can keep a roof over their heads and can get some relief for their personal finances. We can do this by helping to increase the availability and reduce the cost of their housing.
» Click here to read the press release
HELPING LAW ENFORCEMENT QUICKLY FIND MISSING PERSONS
All parents know that being unable to find your child for even a few seconds is terrifying, and we can only imagine the dread that accompanies having to report a missing person. We need to give parents and law enforcement every tool available to locate and safely recover missing persons as quickly as possible. Along with Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Mel Martinez (R-FL), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and 10 other colleagues, I introduced legislation (S. 1301) that would make a federal investment in the A Child is Missing program, which assists law enforcement efforts with locating missing persons quickly by generating 1,000 calls every 60 seconds to phone numbers in the immediate area. With this legislation, we can help ensure more missing person cases ultimately have happy endings.
» Click here to read the press release
NEW LEGISLATION TO SPUR THE USE OF NATURAL GAS VEHICLES
We saw last summer how the wild fluctuations in oil prices helped to wreck our economy, and we've seen how pollutants from dirty fuels are wrecking our planet. Our economic crisis has shined a spotlight on the urgent need for alternative, cleaner and cheaper sources of energy that we don't have to import. By making it easier and less expensive to own a vehicle that runs on natural gas, we can help families save money on energy, create new manufacturing jobs and clean our air. To help reach this goal, I was joined by energy-independence advocate T. Boone Pickens to introduce new legislation that would boost the use of vehicles running on natural gas by extending and increasing tax credits for natural gas vehicles and refueling stations. The bill is co-sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT).
» Click here to read the press release
INCREASING ACCOUNTABILITY AT FINANCIAL REGULATORY AGENCIES
With legislation to implement stronger financial regulations on the horizon in Congress, I introduced a bill that would increase accountability at the financial regulatory bodies through stronger inspector generals. We not only need to make sure that we have stronger financial regulatory agencies to act as cops on the beat for consumers, we also have to make sure that those cops on the beat are doing their job.
» Click here to read the press release
STRATEGIC BOOST IN ASSISTANCE TO LATIN AMERICA
I was proud to introduce legislation that will provide $2 billion in assistance over a five-year period to the countries of Central America, South America, the Caribbean, and Mexico. This funding, which is in addition to current U.S. assistance programs in the region, will be specifically directed toward building the institutions of governance to improve economic conditions, reduce poverty, and develop renewable sources of energy to strengthen the social and economic infrastructure of countries in the region.
» Click here to read the press release
ATTACKING DEADLY DRUG RESISTANT STAPH INFECTIONS
The devastating drug-resistant staph infection known as MRSA has affected hospital patients, first responders, schoolchildren and other individuals in public places across the country. In response, I have updated and reintroduced legislation to combat the spread of the infection. The Worker Infection Protection Act would create a new Occupational, Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard to protect employees who are exposed to drug resistant infections, such as MRSA.
» Click here to read the press release
PROVIDING WOMEN ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE FOR THEIR UNIQUE NEEDS
With health care reform taking center stage in Congress, I introduced legislation intended to ensure that women have access to health care providers who understand and are focused on health issues unique to women. The Women's Medical Home Demonstration Act would establish an unprecedented program that gives women access to a "medical home" - for instance a physician or federally-qualified health center - that can manage their total health care and focus on their unique health care needs.
» Click here to read the press release
HOME VISITATION PROGRAMS TO HELP BREAK THE CYCLE OF POVERTY
Home visitation programs provide care and information to families, help break the cycle of poverty and improve the health and well-being of low income children and families. Together with Sen. Robert Casey (D-PA), I introduced legislation to expand proven home visitation programs. The Evidence-Based Home Visitation Act would provide states and public and private entities with funding to establish or expand home visitation programs proven effective through rigorous testing.
» Click here to read the press release
NATIONAL EDUCATOR WORTHY WAGE DAY
Sixty percent of children under the age of six spend at least part of the day in non-parental care, but early educators earn an average annual salary of less than $19,000, and only one-third have health insurance. On behalf of these important individuals who help in our children's development, I authored a resolution that would acknowledge the tough compensation situation they face and would put the US Senate on record in support of the goals and ideals of National Early Educator Worthy Wage Day. If we can improve early educators' pay, it helps the development of our children and helps lay the foundation for long-lasting economic security in the 21st Century.
"Jesus Taught Me" Video on YouTube Apparently Shows Brutal Beating and Murder of a Man 25 Years Ago
In February of 2005, when three former employees of PayPal.com created YouTube, they did so in order to make it easier for the masses to exchange videos with each other. In the almost five years that have followed, the site has become the third most visited site on the internet with over
"Jesus Taught Me" Video on YouTube Apparently Shows Brutal Beating and Murder of a Man 25 Years Ago
Date: August 23, 2009
129 million visitors per day. According to Alexa.com, an internet traffic ranking website, roughly 20% of the world's internet users visited the site yesterday. There has been a lot of controversy that surrounds the site in regards to the videos that are posted but I'm sure none of the founders of Youtube.com thought that the site would serve the purpose it did on August 23rd, 2009 as on this day a video was posted by a user that purportedly shows the savage and brutal beating and potential murder of a mentally challenged individual at the hands of a black belt karate student some 25 years ago on December 13th, 1984. If only the creators of YouTube knew their creation would serve a purpose more grave and serious than anyone could have ever imagined.
The video which is six minutes and nineteen seconds long takes place in a Karate dojo on December 13th, 1984 around 7 pm according to the video. In the beginning of the video is seen a young man probably in his late teens or early twenties who is speaking to a Karate Sensei by the name of Bobby Blythe. The young man is attempting to demonstrate for Mr. Blythe as well as several other individuals, the "spiritual movements taught to him by Jesus Christ." In the beginning of the video, Mr. Blythe can be seen explaining to his students in a seemingly mocking and sarcastic nature, the reason for the young man's visit to the dojo. The young man, whose identity is unknown, explains to Mr. Blythe as well as a Willie J. Dennis that he will demonstrate some of the "movements" he has been taught by Jesus. The young man clearly states that he isn't interested in sparring with Mr. Dennis, an ex-marine and black belt in Karate but merely wants to demonstrate some "Katas" or choreographed patterns of movements he has learned.
Taraneh Mousavi
Taraneh Mousavi (~1991-?) (Persian: ترانه موسوی) was a young Iranian woman who reportedly died after being sexually abused while in custody after being arrested for protesting the 2009 election results.
Most information about her comes from Iranian blogs and Internet sites and has not been verified. Mousavi was reportedly arrested at a protest rally close to the Ghoba mosque in Tehran on June 28, 2009. Reports are unclear as to whether she was participating in the rally. Some weeks later, according to one Iranian blog, her mother received an anonymous call from a government source informing her that her daughter had been hospitalized for "rupturing of her womb and anus in ... an unfortunate accident". She could be found at Imam Khomeini Hospital in the city of Karaj, just north of Tehran. Another site reportedly has stated that Mousavi "was mentally and physically abused" in Evin prison. The site reported self-described witnesses as saying nothing about her death but that a person matching "her physical description and injuries" had been treated at the Imam Khomeini Hospital, but was unconscious both when witnessed and when later "transferred out of the hospital." On July 17 one the blogs reported that the day before, her family were informed "that a burned corpse matching Taraneh’s description had been found in the desert between Karaj and Qazvin," and that they should keep quiet about the incident.
In the US, a Republican Senator publicized the incident in a speech on the Senate floor.
Doubts have been raised as to the veracity of the story. Mehdi Jami of Newsbann first raised questions about the absence of any evidence of the story being true. This was then picked up on by QLineOrientalist, who argued that the story as presented by a clique of three bloggers with a "high degree of coordination between them" and was riddled by unresolvable internal contradictions. For example, the burned body was supposedly identified by a security official, but it is unclear how a burned body would have been identified as belonging to Taraneh Muslavi by people who, presumably, were not looking for her.
Newspaper Issue September 01st, 2009
Monthly Newspaper Issue September 01st, 2009
Sexual Assault while in Custody of Mullah
The Islamic regime's henchmen that they come in form of Revolutionary Guards, Besiji (militia), and plainclothes that they are receiving clear instruction from on of the sign of gods/ayatollahs to engage in sexual abuse of their prisoners because these henchmen know very well that as long as they are involved in any form of brutalities against Iranian, they would be able to last long in Iran. Obviously, these culprits are not normal individuals because act of sex did not occur between victims and culprits for sexual gratification reason, but imposing their own wills on the victims, and proven to the victims had no power, will nor controlling the situation. In addition, these individuals are prone to violence, and all forms of deviant behaviors.
Therefore, the key elements of the Islamic Republic and culprits are totally sick in their brains. Just look at Revolutionary Guards Akbar GANJI, and Mohsen SAZEGARA. They have no problem of being deceitful to others. Last, and all elements of Islamic Republic are corrupt to their bones, and shall be brought before just justice.
Silence of Humanitarian International Communities Despite Outcry in Iran
There is one single question which strikes a person right on spot for hearing the news of brutalities in Iran that how come Humanitarian International Communities are dead silent about human rights violations in Iran? Answering the above question with another answer that why should Humanitarian International Communities do anything for Iran?
It was a few weeks ago, when Turkey seized $18 billion dollars US from one Iranian as he claimed that it was his money, and was on a business trips. Indeed, he was on a business trips. The Islamic Republic in Iran, funnel those money to Humanitarian International Communities, and ask them to be silent with regard to human rights violations in Iran. For example, Shirin EBADI was invited by Law Society of British Columbia, and she gave a glorious speech about Pahlavi Dynasty. She never mentioned anything about current affairs of Iran that how regime was cracking down on dissidents without any kind of mercy. As she began to travel to University of Victoria, and spread more propaganda about reform movement in Iran as a light of hope at end of the tunnel. Quite frankly, Law Society of British Columbia, University of Victoria or any other entities do not care what is happening in Iran. As long as, Iran has oil, and Iran's budget is given to non-Iranian, everything is good in Iran. Even, it was Neda's fault for being in street, and taking part in riot.
Mahmoud AHMADI NEZHAD and Charles MANSON
There are many pictures of Iran's selected president Mahmoud AHMADI NEZHAD online, as some of his pictures are configured to Hitler. Whereas, AHMADI NEZHAD really looks, and act like Charles MANSON. There are plenty of video clips of Charles MANSON on YouTube, and you may want to select one randomly, and watch it, and there are close similarity between AHMADI NEZHAD and MANSON. They do not make any kind of sense, when they are just talking their own minds, and do not answer the questions which makes the conversation very hard because no one knows what would be said next. Of course, Iran has no gay, and Charles MANSON is an innocent man in prison.
Thank you
Long Live Pure Divine Motherland of Iran
Caesar WARRINGTON, Steve F, Correspondent from Iraq, Ex-Imperial Iranian Armed Forces, and Peyman
Destruction of the Parthian Kuh-e Khajeh is on the Increase
Destruction of the Parthian Kuh-e Khajeh is on the Increase
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| 27 August 2009 |
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LONDON, (CAIS) -- Despite frequent warnings by the experts, one of the most unique Parthian sites in Iran-proper known as the Kuh-e Khajeh (Parthian Ushida) remains in danger of total destruction, and the cultural authorities have not take any action to ensure its protection.
Speaking with the Persian service of ISNA on Wednesday, Rasul Haj-Mousavi, the director of Sistan’ Cultural Heritage Base (SCHB) said: “the daily destruction of the unique Parthian site has become very serious. [Saving] the site should become a matter of concern for Iran Cultural Heritage and Organisation (ICHTO), and [its protection] should be considered as a national programme.”
Haj-Mousavi said the two main difficulties that SCHB is facing are, “ICHTO would not follow the SCHB’s recommendation, when comes to prioritising the sites in the province for allocating the necessary budget, and also the lack of manpower. SCHB is a very large archaeological base, with no manpower.”
He recommended the protection of Khuh-e Khwajeh should become the priority and called for allocation of the whole of next years budget to save the site.
He added “a strong team of experts needed to conduct necessary work including surveying, cataloguing and damage-studies, which should lead to a restoration.”
As a sign of protest, Haj-Mosavi has submitted his resignation to ICHTO a few months ago, which was turned down. He submits his resignation for the second time.
In June 2006, Mohammadali Ebrahimi, the director of Sistan and Baluchestan province's Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department asserted that the area badly needs vegetation to neutralize the destructive impacts of the strong winds, which occur for four months of the year with speeds reaching 120 km per hour. Despite his warnings in August 2006 one of the eastern walls of the palace has collapsed.
While the Iranian heritage sites are in desperate need of funding in order to be rescued from total destruction, the Islamic Republic is spending billions of dollars of the Iranian assets every year in Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq. In June 2008, Iran Focus revealed that the regime spends $2.5B every year on activities in Iraq, in which a fraction of the money that is being spent for futile aims could be used to save thousands of heritage sites like Kuh-e Khajeh.
Historical Background (by Khodayar Bahrami):
Mount Khwajeh, also spelled Kuh-e Khajeh, Kuh-i Khaja, is a flat-topped black basalt mountain located 30 km southwest of the town of Zabol and is located on an island in the middle of Hamun lake, in the Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchestan.
The trapezoid-shaped basalt lava, situated 609 meters from the sea level, with a diameter ranging from 2.0 to 2.5 kilometers covering an area of 40,000 square meters, is the only natural height left behind the Sistan area. It is here we can find a citadel with palaces, fire temple, a pilgrimage centre and graveyard. Also there are number of small temples (possibly Mithraist or Anahit), known to the locals as the "Kouchakchal Ganjeh".
The Kuh-e Khwajeh historical complex is one of the most significant archaeological sites in Iran and the biggest model of unbaked mud brick architecture remaining in Sistan region, which dates back to the Parthian dynasty (248 BCE-224 CE).
The ancient site was identified by A. Stein, E. Herzfeld, and was investigated in part by G. Gullini in a short expedition conducted in the 1960. According to his findings the palace and the fire temple were already in existence in the Parthian period. The ruins on the southern slope, dates back to 1st century BCE and it is still known as Kuk-u Kohzadh.
Stein also discovered a Buddhist monastery at Mth. Khajeh in 1916. Roman Ghirshman pointed out that the art of Mth. Khajeh predates Gandhara art which disproves the widely accepted notion that Buddhism spread from Nepal or Eastern India, and it claimed that Mth. Khajeh was Kapilavastu, the birthplace of Gotama.
Stein's work clearly shows that Buddhism was born in Iran but was later nurtured in modern India, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
However, Khwajeh Mountain Complex is greatly respected by followers of the three faiths of Zoroastrian, Christianity and Islam and considered as a holy place. The mountain has been named after the mausoleum of "Khwajeh Mehdi", one of the sympathizers of Alavi rulers, which is situated on this mountain, often referred under its Islamic name Kuh-i Ushida.
The oldest and by far the most important structure of the site is an ancient fortress found on the eastern slope, referred to under various connotations such as Rostam’s castle, the Kāferūn castle, Kohan-Dež, etc.
Unique murals decorated the walls of the fortress, few of which have survived. Recently, a complete documentation of the site was carried out. In addition, partial restoration and fortification of the castle were conducted on its walls and arches.
Sistan, known as the birthplace of Iranian hero Rostam, has very strong associations with Zoroastrianism. According to Zoroastrian mythology, Lake Hamun was the keeper of the Prophet Zoroaster's seed. And when the world’s end is at hand, three maidens will enter the lake, and afterwards will give birth to the messiah known as the Saoshyant, who will then be the "final saviour" of mankind.
To comment on the news please visit the link above.
Libya: A Hero's Welcome
By Scott Stewart and Fred Burton
On Aug. 24, Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill addressed a special session of the Scottish Parliament. The session was called so that MacAskill could explain why he had decided to release Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, the former Libyan intelligence officer convicted of terrorism charges in connection with the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, and who had been expected to spend the rest of his life in prison. MacAskill said he granted al-Megrahi a compassionate release because al-Megrahi suffers from terminal prostate cancer and is expected to live only a few months.
The Aug. 20 release of al-Megrahi ignited a firestorm of outrage in both the United Kingdom and the United States. FBI Director Robert Mueller released to the press contents of an uncharacteristically blunt and critical letter he had written to MacAskill in which Mueller characterized al-Megrahi’s release as inexplicable and “detrimental to the cause of justice.” Mueller told MacAskill in the letter that the release “makes a mockery of the rule of law.”
The flames of outrage over the release of al-Megrahi were further fanned when al-Megrahi received a hero’s welcome upon his arrival in Tripoli — video of him being welcomed and embraced by Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi was broadcast all over the world.
For his part, Gadhafi has long lobbied for al-Megrahi’s release, even while taking steps to end Libya’s status as an international pariah. Gadhafi first renounced terrorism and his nuclear ambitions in 2003, shortly after the U.S. invasion of Iraq. In October 2008 he completed the compensation agreement with the families of the U.S. victims of the December 1988 bombing of Pan Am 103 and of an April 1986 Libyan attack against the La Belle disco in Berlin.
Yet despite the conviction of al-Megrahi, the 2003 official admission of Libyan responsibility for the Pan Am bombing in a letter to the United Nations, and the agreement to pay compensation to the families of the Pan Am victims, Gadhafi has always maintained in public statements that al-Megrahi and Libya were not responsible for the bombing. The official admission of responsibility for the Pan Am bombing, coupled with the public denials, has resulted in a great deal of ambiguity and confusion over the authorship of the attack — which, in all likelihood, is precisely what the denials were intended to do.
The Pan Am 103 Investigation
At 7:03 p.m. on Dec. 21, 1988, an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated in one of Pan Am Flight 103’s cargo containers, causing the plane to break apart and fall from the sky. The 259 passengers and crew members aboard the flight died, as did 11 residents of Lockerbie, Scotland, the town where the remnants of the jumbo jet fell.
Immediately following the bombing, there was suspicion that the Iranians or Syrians had commissioned the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine General Command (PFLP-GC) to conduct the bombing. This belief was based on the fact that German authorities had taken down a large PFLP-GC cell in Frankfurt in October 1988 and that one member of the cell had in his possession an IED concealed inside a Toshiba radio. Frankfurt is the city where Pan Am 103 departed before stopping in London. Indeed, even today, there are still some people who believe that the PFLP-GC was commissioned by either the Iranian or the Syrian government to conduct the Pan Am bombing.
The PFLP-GC theory might eventually have become the officially accepted theory had the bomb on Pan Am 103 detonated (as planned) while the aircraft was over the North Atlantic Ocean. However, a delay in the plane’s departure from London resulted in the timed device detonating while the aircraft was still over land, and this allowed authorities to collect a great deal of evidence that had been scattered across a wide swath of the Scottish countryside. The search effort was one of the most complex crime-scene investigations ever conducted.
Through months of painstakingly detailed effort, investigators were able to determine that the aircraft was brought down by an IED containing a main charge of Semtex, that the IED had been placed inside a Toshiba radio cassette player (in a macabre coincidence, that particular model of Toshiba, the RT-SF 16, is called the “BomBeat radio cassette player”), and that the radio had been located inside a brown Samsonite hard-side suitcase located inside the cargo container.
Investigators were also able to trace the clothing inside the suitcase containing the IED to a specific shop, Mary’s House, in Sliema, Malta. While examining one of the pieces of Maltese clothing in May 1989, investigators found a fragment of a circuit board that did not match anything found in the Toshiba radio. It is important to remember that in a bombing, the pieces of the IED do not entirely disappear. They may be shattered and scattered, but they are not usually completely vaporized. Although some pieces may be damaged beyond recognition, others are not, and this often allows investigators to reconstruct the device
In mid-1990, after an exhaustive effort to identify the circuit-board fragment, the FBI laboratory in Washington was able to determine that the circuit board was very similar to one that came from a timer that a special agent with the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service had recovered from an arms cache while investigating a Libyan-sponsored coup attempt in Lome, Togo, in 1986. Further investigation determined that the company that produced the timers, the Swiss company MEBO, had sold as many as 20 of the devices to the Libyan government, and that the Libyan government was the company’s primary customer. Interestingly, in 1988, MEBO rented one of its offices in Zurich to a firm called ABH, which was run by two Libyan intelligence officers: Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi and Badri Hassan.
The MEBO timer, model MST-13, is very different from the ice-cube timer in the PFLP-GC device found in Frankfurt in October 1988. Additionally, the ice-cube timer in the PFLP-GC device was used in conjunction with a barometric pressure switch, and the IED used a different main charge, TNT, instead of the Semtex used in the Pan Am 103 device.
Perhaps the fact that does the most damage to the PFLP-GC conspiracy theory is that the principal bombmaker for the PFLP-GC Frankfurt cell (and the man who made the PFLP-GC Toshiba device), Marwan Khreesat, was actually an infiltrator sent into the organization by the Jordanian intelligence service. Kreesat not only assisted in providing the information that allowed the Germans to take down the cell, but he was under strict orders by his Jordanian handlers to ensure that every IED he constructed was not capable of detonating. Therefore, it is extremely unlikely that one of the IEDs he created was used to destroy Pan Am 103.
One of the Libyans connected to MEBO, al-Megrahi, is an interesting figure. Not only was he an officer with Libyan intelligence, the External Security Organization, or ESO, but he also served as the chief of security for Libyan Arab Airlines (LAA) and had visited Malta many times. The owner of the Mary’s House clothing shop in Sliema identified al-Megrahi as the man who purchased the clothing found in the suitcase, and Maltese immigration records indicated that al-Megrahi was in Malta on Dec. 7, 1988, the time that the clothing was purchased. Al-Megrahi left Malta on Dec. 9, 1988, but returned to the country using a false identity on Dec. 20, using a passport issued by the ESO in the name of Ahmed Khalifa Abdusamad. Al-Megrahi left Malta using the Abdusamad passport on Dec. 21, 1988, the day the suitcase was apparently sent from Malta aboard Air Malta Flight KM180 to Frankfurt and then transferred to Pan Am 103.
On Nov. 13, 1991, the British government charged al-Megrahi and Lamin Khalifah Fhimah, the LAA station manager at Luqa Airport in Malta, with the bombing. One day later, a federal grand jury in the United States returned an indictment against the same two men for the crime. In March 1995, the FBI added the two men to its most wanted list and the Diplomatic Security Service’s Rewards for Justice Program offered a $4 million reward for their capture. Al-Megrahi and Fhimah were placed under house arrest in Libya — a comfortable existence that, more than actually confining them, served to protect them from being kidnapped and spirited out of Libya to face trial.
After many years of boycotts, embargos, U.N. resolutions and diplomatic wrangling — including extensive efforts by South African President Nelson Mandela and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan — a compromise was reached and all parties agreed to a trial in a neutral country — the Netherlands — conducted under Scottish law. On April 5, 1999, al-Megrahi and Fhimah were transferred to Camp Zeist in the Netherlands to stand trial before a special panel of Scottish judges.
On Jan. 31, 2001, after a very long trial that involved an incredible amount of technical and detailed testimony, the judges reached their decision. The Scottish judges acquitted Fhimah, finding that there was not proof beyond a reasonable doubt that he was involved in the plot (the British government had charged that he had been the person who stole the luggage tags and placed the suitcase on the Air Malta flight), but they did find al-Megrahi guilty of 270 counts of murder. He was sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum sentence of 27 years.
Although the case against al-Megrahi was entirely circumstantial — there was no direct evidence he or Fhimah had placed the device aboard the aircraft — the Scottish judges wrote in their decision that they believed the preponderance of the evidence, including al-Megrahi’s knowledge of airline security measures and procedures, his connection to MEBO, his purchase of the clothing in the suitcase that had contained the IED and his clandestine travel to Malta on Dec. 20 to 21, 1988, convinced them beyond a reasonable doubt that al-Megrahi was guilty as charged.
In a December 2003 letter to the United Nations, Libya accepted responsibility for the Pan Am 103 bombing. (In the same letter, Libya also took responsibility for the September 1989 bombing of UTA Flight 772, a French airliner destroyed by an IED after leaving Brazzaville, Congo, and making a stop in N’Djamena, Chad. All 170 people aboard the aircraft died when it broke up over the Sahara in Niger.) Nevertheless, the Libyan government continued to maintain al-Megrahi’s innocence in the Pan Am bombing, just as al-Megrahi had done throughout the trial, insisting that he had not been involved in the bombing.
Al-Megrahi’s reluctance to admit responsibility for the bombing or to show any contrition for the attack is one of the factors singled out by those who opposed his release from prison. It is also one of the hallmarks of a professional intelligence officer. In many ways, al-Megrahi’s public stance regarding the bombing can be summed up by the unofficial motto of the CIA’s Office of Technical Services — “Admit nothing, deny everything, make counter-accusations.”
Shadows
In the shadow world of covert action it is not uncommon for the governments behind such actions to deny (or at least not claim) responsibility for them. These governments also often attempt to plan such attacks in a way that will lead to a certain level of ambiguity — and thereby provide plausible deniability. This was a characteristic seen in many Libyan attacks against U.S. interests, such as the 1986 La Belle Disco bombing in Berlin. It was only an intercept of Libyan communications that provided proof of Libyan responsibility for that attack.
Many attacks that the Libyans sponsored or subcontracted out, such as the string of attacks carried out against U.S. interests by members of the Japanese Red Army and claimed in the name of the Anti-Imperialist International Brigade, were likewise meant to provide Libya with plausible deniability. Gadhafi did not relish the possibility of another American airstrike on his home in Tripoli, like the one that occurred after the La Belle attack in April 1986. (A number of Libyan military targets also were hit in the broader U.S. military action, known as Operation El Dorado Canyon.) Pan Am 103 is considered by many to be Gadhafi’s retribution for those American airstrikes, one of which killed his adopted baby daughter. Gadhafi, who had reportedly been warned of the strike by the Italian government, was not injured in the attack.
During the 1980s, the Libyan government was locked in a heated tit-for-tat battle with the United States. One source of this friction were U.S. claims that the Libyan government supported terrorist groups such as the Abu Nidal Organization (ANO), which conducted several brutal, high-profile attacks in the 1980s, including the December 1985 Rome and Vienna airport assaults. There was also military tension between the two countries as Libya declared a “line of death” across the mouth of the Gulf of Sidra. The U.S. Navy shot down several Libyan fighter aircraft that had attempted to enforce the edict. But these two threads of tension were closely intertwined; the U.S. Navy purposefully challenged the line of death in the spring of 1986 in response to the Rome and Vienna attacks, and it is believed that the La Belle attack was retribution for the U.S. military action in the Gulf of Sidra. The Libyan ESO was also directly implicated in attacks against U.S. diplomats in Sanaa, Yemen, and Khartoum, Sudan, in 1986.
Because of the need for plausible deniability, covert operatives are instructed to stick to their cover story and maintain their innocence if they are caught. Al-Megrahi’s consistent denials and his many appeals, which often cite the PFLP-GC case in Frankfurt, have done a great deal to sow doubt and provide Libya with some deniability.
Like Osama bin Laden’s initial denial of responsibility for the 9/11 attacks, al-Megrahi’s claims of innocence have served as ready fuel for conspiracy theorists, who claim he was framed by the U.S. and British governments. However, any conspiracy to frame al-Megrahi and his Libyan masters would have to be very wide ranging and, by necessity, reach much further than just London and Washington. For example, anyone considering such a conspiracy must also account for the fact that in 1999 a French court convicted six Libyans in absentia for the 1989 bombing of UTA Flight 772. The six included Abdullah al-Sanussi, Gadhafi’s brother-in-law and head of the ESO.
Getting two or more governments to cooperate on some sort of grand conspiracy to frame the Libyans and exonerate the Iranians and Syrians is hard to fathom. Such cooperation would have to involve enough people that, sooner or later, someone would spill the beans — especially considering that the Pan Am 103 saga played out over multiple U.S. administrations. As seen by the current stir over CIA interrogation programs, administrations love to make political hay by revealing the cover-ups of previous administrations. Surely, if there had been a secret ploy by the Reagan or Bush administrations to frame the Libyans, the Clinton or Obama administration would have outed it. The same principle applies to the United Kingdom, where Margaret Thatcher’s government oversaw the beginning of the Pan Am 103 investigation and Labour governments after 1997 would have had the incentive to reveal information to the contrary.
While the U.S. and British governments work closely together on a number of intelligence projects, they are frequently at odds on counterterrorism policy and foreign relations. From our personal experience, we believe that it would be very difficult to get multiple U.S. and British administrations from different political parties to work in perfect harmony to further this sort of conspiracy. Due to the UTA investigation and trial, the conspiracy would have to somehow involve the French government. While the Americans working with the British is one thing, the very idea of the Americans, British and French working in perfect harmony on any sort of project — much less a grand secret conspiracy to frame the Libyans — is simply unimaginable. It is much easier to believe that the Libyans were guilty, especially in light of the litany of other terror attacks they committed or sponsored during that era.
Had the IED in the cargo hold of Pan Am 103 exploded over the open ocean, it is very unlikely that the clothing from Malta and the fragment of the MEBO timer would have ever been recovered — think of the difficulty the French have had in locating the black box from Air France 447 in June of this year. In such a scenario, the evidence linking al-Megrahi and the Libyan government to the Pan Am bombing might never have been discovered and plausible deniability could have been maintained indefinitely.
The evidence recovered in Scotland and al-Megrahi’s eventual conviction put a dent in that deniability, but the true authors of the attack — al-Megrahi’s superiors — were never formally charged. Without al-Megrahi’s cooperation, there was no evidence to prove who ordered him to undertake the attack, though it is logical to conclude that the ESO would never undertake such a significant attack without Gadhafi’s approval.
Now that al-Megrahi has returned to Libya and is in Libyan safekeeping, there is no chance that any death-bed confession he may give will ever make it to the West. His denials will be his final words and the ambiguity and doubt those denials cast will be his legacy. In the shadowy world of clandestine operations, this is the ideal behavior for someone caught committing an operational act. He has shielded his superiors and his government to the end. From the perspective of the ESO, and Moammar Gadhafi, al-Megrahi is indeed a hero.