Archive for September 13th, 2007
9/11: Audio Proof That Bombs Were Planted In The Buildings!
Amazing US: Dell Computers and Axis of Evil, beware before purchase one
The campaign is due to Dell’s demand that its products not be handed over to citizens of some countries, including Cuba, the daily Folha de Sao Paulo said Wednesday in its online edition.
According to the report, Brazilian nuclear physicist Paulo Gomes of the Federal Fluminense University (UFF) tried to purchase two computers for his laboratory two weeks ago.
He was asked to sign a document vowing not to use them in the production of weapons of mass destruction and not to hand them over to citizens of countries hostile to the US.
By IANS
Thursday September 13, 11:11 AM
Rio de Janeiro/San Francisco, Sep 13 (DPA) A group of Brazilian physicists have launched a campaign among the country’s academic community to boycott the US computer giant Dell.
The campaign is due to Dell’s demand that its products not be handed over to citizens of some countries, including Cuba, the daily Folha de Sao Paulo said Wednesday in its online edition.
According to the report, Brazilian nuclear physicist Paulo Gomes of the Federal Fluminense University (UFF) tried to purchase two computers for his laboratory two weeks ago.
He was asked to sign a document vowing not to use them in the production of weapons of mass destruction and not to hand them over to citizens of countries hostile to the US.
‘We will not transfer, export or re-export, directly or indirectly, any product(s) acquired from Dell to Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, or any nationals thereof, or to any other country subject to restriction,’ Dell’s export compliance document states.
The export compliance document is a standard US government requirement designed to prevent sensitive equipment from reaching hostile hands.
But the demands angered the Brazilian physicist, who refused to sign the document.
‘I do not have to justify my actions before anyone, and I am not obliged to follow US policies. I am a buyer. I am not receiving a donation. Besides, I have ties with Cuban physicists and I will not renounce those,’ Gomes said.
The physicist said he would return the two computers as long as Dell refunds the full purchase price and sends a letter to the Physics Institute at UFF justifying the restrictions.
Dell spokeswoman Amy King told DPA that the company is obliged to follow US laws and regulations regarding exports and would not comment on specific cases.
Gomes sent a report on the controversy to Brazilian Minister of Science and Technology Sergio Rezende and to the Brazilian Physics Society (SBF), which, according to the scientist, will recommend to its members that they stop buying Dell computers.
We’re losing in Afghanistan too
We’re losing in Afghanistan too
Contra Donald Rumsfeld’s rosy assessment, the country looks a lot like it did on Sept. 10, 2001.
By John Kiriakou and Richard Klein
September 13, 2007
Former Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld says in the current edition of GQ magazine that the war in Afghanistan has been “a big success,” with people living in freedom and life “improved on the streets.”
To anyone working in the country, there is only one possible, informed response: What Afghanistan is the man talking about?
In reality, Afghanistan — former Taliban stronghold, Al Qaeda haven and warlord-cum-heroin-smuggler finishing school — feels more and more like Sept. 10, 2001, than a victory in the U.S. war on terrorism.
The country is, plain and simple, a mess. Al Qaeda and its Taliban allies have quietly regained territory, rendering wide swaths of the country off-limits to U.S. and Afghan forces, international aid workers and even journalists. Violent attacks against Western interests are routine. Even Kabul, which the White House has held up as a postcard for what is possible in Afghanistan, has become so dangerous that foreign embassies are in states of lockdown, diplomats do not leave their offices, and venturing beyond security perimeters requires daylight-only travel, armored vehicles, Kevlar and armed escorts.
Fear reigns among average Afghans in Kabul. Street crime, virtually unheard of in Afghan culture, has increased dramatically over the last three years as angry, unemployed and often radicalized young men settle scores with members of other tribes and clans, steal and rob to feed their families and vent their frustration with a government that appears powerless to help them. Taking a chance by eating in one of Kabul’s handful of restaurants or going shopping in one of the few markets left is a new version of Russian roulette.
For U.S. officials and diplomats, Kabul is simply a prison. Embassies are completely closed to vehicular and even foot traffic. Indeed, at the American Embassy, the consular section issues visas only to Afghan government officials. If an average Afghan wants a visa to the U.S., he or she must travel to Islamabad, Pakistan, to apply. To allow Afghans to stand in line for visas at the embassy in Kabul would invite terrorist attacks or attract suicide bombers.
Consider that an American Embassy staffer going to the U.S. Agency for International Development office across the street is required to use an underground tunnel that links the two compounds. Even though the street is closed to all traffic other than official U.S. or U.N. vehicles and is patrolled and guarded by armored personnel carriers, tanks and Kalashnikov-carrying security personnel with a safety perimeter of several blocks, the risk from snipers, mortars or grenades is ever present.
Working in Supermax Afghanistan makes the USAID’s performance all the more heroic. Since 2003, the agency has overseen the investment of more than $4 billion in Afghanistan, has built more than 500 schools and an equal number of clinics and has paved more than 1,000 miles of roads, all while suffering about 130 casualties at the hands of the Taliban and Al Qaeda.
By some measures, Afghanistan should be a feel-good story by now — the Taliban is, officially at least, out of power, Al Qaeda has been chased to the wilds of the Afghan-Pakistani border and U.S. forces are on hand to consolidate and solidify a peaceful new order.
But the truth is very different. By any measure, this remains a “hot” war with a well-armed, motivated and organized enemy. Village by village, tribe by tribe and province by province, Al Qaeda is coming back, enforcing a form of Islamic life and faith rooted in the 12th century, intimidating reformers, exacting revenge and funding itself with dollars from massive poppy cultivation and heroin smuggling. As Al Qaeda reestablishes itself, Osama bin Laden remains free to send video messages and serve as an ideological beacon to jihadis worldwide. The country’s president, Hamid Karzai, meanwhile, is in effect little more than the mayor of Kabul.
The war in Afghanistan is a political and military one-step-forward-two-steps-back exercise. The work there isn’t just unfinished, it is more dangerous and less certain than policymakers in Washington and talking heads in New York studios can imagine. Those suggesting otherwise are either naive or flacking a political agenda.
John Kiriakou, now in the private sector, served as a CIA counter-terrorism official from 1998 to 2004 and recently returned from Afghanistan. Richard Klein, a former State Department official, is managing director for the Middle East and Arabian Gulf at Kissinger McLarty Associates in Washington.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-klein13sep13,0,2966378.story?coll=la-opinion-rightrail
US BrainWashing: Iran accused over attack on US Iraq base
A US general today accused Shia militants backed by Iran of executing a deadly rocket attack on a US military headquarters in Iraq as George Bush prepared to ask Americans to give his war strategy more time.
The US claims such rockets are supplied to Shia extremists by Tehran.
Camp Victory Blast Wounded 11, Killed 1
U.S. military officials say a rocket used in an attack on Camp Victory can be linked to Iran. The blast wounded 11 and killed 1. (ABCNEWS) By JONATHAN KARL
Sept. 12, 2007
Share U.S. military officials in Iraq tell ABC News that a rocket used in an attack on coalition headquarters at Camp Victory Tuesday was made in Iran. Officials say the rocket, which narrowly missed its target, was fired from an area of Baghdad controlled by Shia militia leader Moqtada al Sadr.
Officials say it landed so close that it shook the windows of the al Faw Palace, which houses the operational headquarters of U.S. forces in Iraq. The top two American military officials in Iraq — Gen. David Petraeus and Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno — both have offices in the building. A video teleconference of senior officers was abruptly halted as officials rushed outside to see what was hit.
Officials say Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner, the spokesman for U.S. forces in Iraq, will display fragments of the 240mm rocket — complete with Iranian markings — at a press conference in Baghdad Thursday.
“We want to show the link between the Iranian weapons and the damage they are doing,” said a senior U.S. military official in Baghdad.
The official said the rocket was fired from Baghdad’s West Rashid neighborhood. The area is controlled by Sadr, who is known to have ties to Iran.
The rocket traveled more than two miles, triggering the air defense system at Camp Victory, which tracked the rocket shortly after it was fired but did not respond quickly enough to stop it.
On Aug. 29, Sadr made a pledge that his Mahdi army would suspend offensive operations against coalition forces. The official said the rocket attack shows that the Mahdi army “is not honoring Moqtada al Sadr’s pledge of honor” to suspend offensive operations.
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=3593296&page=1
Mark Tran and agencies
Thursday September 13, 2007
Guardian Unlimited
A US general today accused Shia militants backed by Iran of executing a deadly rocket attack on a US military headquarters in Iraq as George Bush prepared to ask Americans to give his war strategy more time.
One person was killed and a dozen injured in the incident, which happened when a 240mm rocket hit Camp Victory, a sprawling base near Baghdad international airport, two days ago.
The US claims such rockets are supplied to Shia extremists by Tehran.
Major General Kevin Bergner said the rocket was launched from the Rasheed district of west Baghdad, which he said had been infiltrated by the Mahdi army militia of the radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
“The attack used a 240mm rocket, which is a weapon that these groups have received from Iranian sources in the past and recently used in other attacks against coalition forces,” Gen Bergner told a news conference in Baghdad.
The latest accusation against Iran came as an influential Sunni tribal leader who opposes al-Qaida was killed in a bomb attack in Iraq.
Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha and two of his bodyguards were killed by a roadside bomb, Colonel Tareq Youssef, the supervisor of Anbar police, said.
Abu Risha led the Anbar Salvation Council, an alliance of clans that turned against al-Qaida and went over to the Iraqi government and the US military.
US officials have described the rift between Sunni tribes and al-Qaida in Anbar province, in western Iraq, as one of the most significant developments of the war.
The latest setback to the US military effort came just hours before Mr Bush’s address to the US public. In a 15-minute speech, he is expected to cite the threat from Iran as a reason for maintaining a heavy US troop presence in Iraq.
The speech comes after two days of congressional testimony from his top officials in Iraq, General David Petraeus and the ambassador, Ryan Crocker.
With his approval ratings near historic lows, Mr Bush is expected to acknowledge frustration with the war while yet again appealing for more time.
While pointing to what he sees as progress on security, he will insist that any troop reductions will depend on continued improvement.
Underscoring the importance of Mr Bush’s televised address, the White House said it had gone through more than 20 drafts.
Without the votes to push for a timetable for withdrawal, congressional Democrats are expected to focus on efforts to change the emphasis of the US military in Iraq from combat to training.
However, they appear resigned to the fact that Mr Bush will keep a large number of troops in Iraq for the rest of his presidency.
Gen Petraeus recommended a withdrawal of 30,000 troops by next summer, bringing troop numbers back to 130,000 – the same level as before the “surge” began in February.
Mr Bush is expected to accept that recommendation while maintaining a hard line on Iran. Gen Petraeus said a further decision on troop levels would have to wait until next March.
Iran has already emerged as an increasingly important rationale for a lengthy and important military presence in Iraq.
The US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, yesterday said Washington saw the task of stabilising Iraq as not simply improving security within its borders but “to begin to have American forces in lower numbers turn to other responsibilities”.
She said “the territorial security of Iraq” with regard to its neighbours – especially Iran – was among them.
“Iran is a very troublesome neighbour,” Ms Rice told NBC’s Today show. Tehran has said it is prepared to “fill the vacuum” if the US leaves Iraq. “That is what is at stake here,” the secretary of state added.
Mr Crocker echoed that message in an interview with the Washington Post, in which he claimed Iran now had a “fairly aggressive strategy” on the ground in Iraq.
He said Tehran’s increased support of extremist militias contributed to the near unravelling of Iraq last year, adding that it was now trying to create a force like Hizbullah, the Iranian-backed Shia force in Lebanon, to advance its long-term interests in Iraq.
In a briefing at the National Press Club in Washington, Gen Petraeus said arms supplies from Iran, including 240mm rockets and explosive devices, “contributed to a sophistication of attacks that would by no means be possible without Iranian support … the evidence is very, very clear”.
As part of its campaign against Iran, the US is starting a drive for a third round of sanctions against the country.
The Post reported that the US will host top officials from Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany next week for discussions on a new UN resolution following Iran’s refusal to suspend uranium enrichment.
The enrichment procedure can lead to the production of nuclear weapons, but Tehran has persistently denied having any such intention.
KOUCHNER PREND SES ORDRES DU GOUVERNEMENT ISRAÉLIEN, EN PUBLIC
Américaine Associated Press (AP) a apparemment été la seule à révéler comment Bernard Kouchner prend ses ordres directement, et en public, de la ministre israélienne des Affaires étrangères Tzipi Livni.
La scène s’est déroulée mardi après-midi au cours d’une conférence de presse conjointe avec Tzipi Livni, à l’occasion de la tournée de Kouchner en Israël.
A un moment donné, indique AP dans son compte-rendu, un journaliste israélien a interrogé Bernard Kouchner à propos de la plainte de la Syrie, selon laquelle des avions israéliens ont pénétré l’espace aérien syrien la semaine dernière.
Alors, poursuit AP, « Tzipi Livni a été vue en train de griffonner un message, et de le transmettre au ministre français ».
Et ce dernier, indique l’agence, « a affirmé qu’il n’était pas au courant de l’affaire ».
Ce qui est bien entendu un mensonge. La Syrie a publiquement accusé Israël, depuis une semaine, d’avoir violé son espace aérien, la version de Damas étant que les avions de chasse ennemis ont pénétré le pays en passant au dessus de la Turquie, et qu’ils ont rebroussé chemin après avoir rencontré les systèmes de défense anti-aérienne ; la Turquie a confirmé qu’il s’était au minimum « passé quelque chose », après avoir découvert, sur le sol turc, des conteneurs de carburant vides, provenant de chasseurs israéliens, et a publiquement demandé des « explications » à Israël.
Israël n’a pas démenti le raid, tout en diffusant, sous la main, des bruits « de source sûre » à des journalistes complaisants, comme la reporter de CNN Christiane Armanpour, faisant état d’un raid « réussi » sur des cibles militaires en Syrie (il serait par exemple question du bombardement « de matériels nucléaires stockés par la Corée du Nord en Syrie », ou bien encore de l’attaque d’un convoi d’armes iraniennes destinées au Hezbollah libanais, aucun commentateur ne prenant la peine de relever que la Syrie et l’Iran n’ont pas de frontière commune !).
Et dans le dispositif de propagande et intoxication choisi pour cette opération, la ministre israélienne a estimé que la serpillère Kouchner serait des plus utiles en se taisant. Elle le lui a signifié. Il s’est exécuté. comme un bon chien à sa memere.
Voir aussi les articles :
http://eldib.wordpress.com/2007/06/09/kouchner-glucksman-membres-du-pnac/
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Commentaire : Qui viendra nous libérer de ces crapules ?
Ma portée vous dépassera toujours, que voulez vous.
Il y a pourtant des faits:
- Nicolas Sarkozy est le commanditaire des rafles effectuées par son amis albinos le gestapiste Boutefeux;
- Nicolas Sarkozy est l’artisan d’une politique raciale telle que la France n’en a pas connu depuis 60 ans;
- Nicolas Sarkozy dévoie la justice en l’instrumentalisant et en en faisant des tribunaux populaires confondant jugement et lynchage;
- Nicolas Sarkozy construit des hopitaux-prisons pour un parquer ses opposants, comme en leurs temps les potentats soviétiques;
- Nicolas Sarkozy a trahit son pays en le critiquant et en l’humiliant en l’alignant sur le gouvernement terroriste et criminel des USA;
- Nicolas Sarkozy, par son inconpétence notoire qu’il essaie de masquer par des diatribes anti-bce, est en train d’isoler notre pays en Europe;
- Nicolas Sarkozy a fait de la France la risée du monde entier par son volontarisme infantile et ses déclarations prétentieuses dont il n’a pas l’étoffe;
- Nicolas Sarkozy bafoue les Institutions de notre pays, viole le principe de la séparation des pouvoirs, s’est entouré d’une cour de nullités incompétentes qui mène notre pays à la ruine (R. Dati, Kouchner, la liste est trop longue, prenez celle des ses zélateurs….)
- Nicolas Sarkozy prétent régner par l’arbitraire policier qu’il encourage, et utilise les exagérations médiatiques de la délinquence pour assoir son pouvoir à l’intérieur;
- Nicolas Sarkozy a renforcé la présence française en Afghanistan, présence inutile, scandaleuse et terroriste: la guerre là-bas, qu’on le veuille ou non, est illégale et illégitime, c’est une guerre d’agression et d’invasion.
- Nicolas Sarkozy est un traitre qui voulait aller faire la guerre en Irak; les munichois sont effectivement ceux qui ne se sont pas opposés aux nazis américains au moment ou ils envahissaient la Pologne.. oups, l’Irak….
- Nicolas Sarkozy veut servir de supplétif aux américains pour faire la guerre en Iran. Les munichois et les traitres sont ceux qui ne s’opposeront pas par les armes à ces visées terroristes de ce petit homme de main des basses-oeuvres américains.
On pourrait dire bien des choses encore. C’est une perte de temps: on ne convainc pas un électeur de Sarko: soit c’est un fasciste convaincu, et impossible de le faire changer d’avis; soit c’est un imbécile de l’espèce la plus pure et dure, incapable de raisonnement et dépourvu d’intelligence comme d’esprit critique, et encore une fois, impossible de lui faire parvenir à comprendre ce qui pourtant est évident pourvu que son QI dépasse celui d’un flic ou d’un tourteaux…
US Dollar Vulnerable to Interest Rate Cut, China Dumping US Bonds
US Dollar Vulnerable to Interest Rate Cut, China Dumping US Bonds
Posted by Bill Bonner on Sep 12th, 2007
As the dollar falls, so does the wealth of dollar holders – particularly Americans. We checked this morning and found the dollar had dropped to over US$1.38 per euro. Last week, we paid US$5 for a cup of coffee in London. And the price keeps going up.
Why is the dollar falling?
Speculators, investors, and central bankers have figured out that the US government and the Bernanke Fed will not protect the dollar – not when millions of Americans are having trouble making their mortgage payments. The US money supply is increasing – nearly five times faster than GDP growth. And now, fearing a Japan-style deflation, the Fed is likely to cut rates later this month.
The Chinese have one of the largest dollar piles in the world.
“Is China quietly dumping US Treasuries?” asks Ambrose Evans-Pritchard in the English press.
“A sharp drop in foreign holdings of US Treasury bonds over the last five weeks has raised concerns that China is quietly withdrawing its funds from the United States, leaving the dollar increasingly vulnerable.”
The report continues:
“Data released by the New York Federal Reserve shows that foreign central banks have cut their stash of US Treasuries by $48bn since late July, with falls of $32bn in the last two weeks alone.
“‘This comes as a big surprise and it is definitely worrying,’ said Hans Redeker, currency chief at BNP Paribas. ‘We won’t know if China is behind this until the Treasury releases its TIC data in November, but what it does show is that world central banks are in a hurry to get out of the US. They don’t seem to be switching into other currencies, so it is possible they are moving into gold instead. Gold is now gaining momentum across all currencies and has broken through resistance at 500 euros,’ he said.
“Two top advisers to the Chinese government gave strong hints in August that Beijing should use its estimated $900bn holdings of US Treasuries and agency bonds as a ‘bargaining chip’, words taken as an implicit threat to trigger as US bond crash if provoked.”
The Chinese have denied it, of course. But betting against the U.S. dollar has been one of the surest gambles you could make over the last 35 years. Now, it is probably still a good bet.
Bill Bonner
The Daily Reckoning Australia
http://www.dailyreckoning.com.au/dollar-vulnerable/2007/09/12/
Barksdale Revisisted – Did the USAF Lose a Nuke ? Someone, operating under a special chain of command within the United States Air Force, just stole a nuclear weapon.
By: Chuck Simpson
Barksdale Missile Number Six deserves far more public attention than it’s received to date. Missile Number Six is potentially the major story of at least this year.Until 1968 under the Airborne Alert Program, informally called Operation Chrome Dome, the Air Force routinely kept about a dozen strategic bombers with nuclear weapons flying at all times.
One predictable result was crashes and incidents. In 1968 the Department of Defense published a list of 13 serious nuclear weapons accidents that occurred between 1950 and 1968. In 1980 the list was revised to include 32 incidents through that year.
Notably, the Pentagon has not acknowledged any accidents since 1980. This alone highlights the importance the Pentagon is placing on the recent transportation of nuclear weapons from North Dakota to Louisiana.
Through 1968, several reported incidents involved plane crashes or malfunctions, beginning with the crash of a B-29 near Fairfield, California in August 1950. The resulting blast was felt 30 miles away.
In July 1950 a B-50 crashed near Lebanon, Ohio. The high-explosive trigger for the nuclear weapon detonated on impact. The blast was felt over 25 miles away.
In May 1957 a nuclear weapon fell from the bomb bay of a B-36 near Albuquerque, New Mexico. Parachutes malfunctioned and the weapon was destroyed on impact.
In October 1957 near Homestead, Florida a B-47 crashed. The nuclear weapon was burned.
In March 1958 a B-47 accidentally dropped a nuclear weapon near Florence, South Carolina. The high-explosive trigger detonated on impact.
In November 1958 a B-47 crashed near Abilene, Texas. The trigger of the nuclear weapon exploded upon impact.
In July 1959 a C-124 crashed near Bossier City, Louisiana. Both plane and nuclear weapon were destroyed.
In October 1959 a B-52 with two nuclear weapons was involved in a mid-air collision near Hardinsburg, Kentucky. One weapon partially burned.
In January 1961 a B-52 broke apart in mid-air near Goldsboro, North Carolina. Two nuclear weapons were released. The parachute on one weapon malfunctioned, and contamination was spread over a wide area. The uranium core was never recovered. Daniel Ellsberg reported that detonation was a very real risk because five of six safety devices failed.
In that month near Monticello, Idaho a B-52 carrying nuclear weapons exploded in mid-air. No information was made available as to the weapons.
In March 1961 a B-52 with two nuclear weapons crashed near Yuba City, California.
In January 1964 a B-52 carrying two nuclear weapons crashed near Cumberland, Maryland.
In January 1966 a B-52 carrying four hydrogen bombs crashed after a mid-air collision near Palomares, Spain. Two weapons exploded on impact, with resulting plutonium contamination. A months-long program was undertaken to locate and extract the other two weapons from the ocean. Major policy changes were taken under consideration.
In January 1968 a B-52 carrying four hydrogen weapons crashed and burned near Thule AFB in Greenland. Explosives in one bomb detonated, spreading plutonium contamination. Apparently, the other three weapons have never been accounted for.
Following large public protests Denmark, which owns Greenland and prohibits nuclear weapons on or over its territory, filed a strong protest. A few days later the Secretary of Defense ordered the removal of nuclear weapons from planes. After that order was issued, all aircraft armed with nuclear weapons were grounded but kept in a constant state of alert.
In 1991 by Presidential order, nuclear weapons were removed from all aircraft. Bomber nuclear ground alerts, during which nuclear weapons are loaded onto bombers during test and training exercises, were halted. After that time, all nuclear weapons to be delivered by plane were permanently maintained in secure storage facilities.
August 30, 2007
All of which makes the transport of nuclear weapons in combat position on a combat plane so newsworthy.
On August 30, for the first time since 1968, nuclear warheads in combat position were carried by an American bomber. Numerous international treaty provisions were violated in the process.
That Thursday, a B-52H Stratofortress flew from Minot AFB in North Dakota to Barksdale AFB in Louisiana while carrying twelve cruise missiles. Either five or six of those missiles were armed with nuclear warheads.
Cruise Missiles
The missiles on the B-52 were AGM-129 Advanced Cruise Missile units, specifically designed to be launched from wing pods of B-52H planes.
A total of 460 units were manufactured by Raytheon. A total of 394 units are currently maintained by the Air Force. Apparently, 38 are to be modernized and upgraded in Fiscal Year 2008 and the other 356 are to be decommissioned pursuant to the 2002 Moscow treaty.
Raytheon has publicly announced the AGM-129 missiles are to be modified to accomplish a “classified cruise missile mission”. This has widely been interpreted to mean conversion to bunker-busters, most likely for use in Iran. This widely accepted explanation is being used to explain why armed cruise missiles are being flown in American airspace.
Nuclear Warheads
The AGM-129 was specifically designed to deliver a W-80 nuclear warhead. The W-80 weapon has a variable yield capability, of 5 to 150 kilotons. For comparison purposes, the bomb used on Hiroshima was 13 to 15 kilotons, or equivalent to 13,000 to 15,000 tons of TNT explosive.
News Stories and Flawed Explanations
The story of the B-52 flight was first reported by Army Times, owned by Gannett, on Wednesday September 5. Gannett relied on information provided by “anonymous officers”. The story was picked up by Yahoo Wednesday morning, published by USA Today and The Washington Pos, and then quickly spread.
In response, the Pentagon quickly spread an official explanation.
The Air Force admitted to an inadvertent error: The intent was to transport ACMs without weapons. According to military officers, the nuclear warheads should have been removed before the missiles were mounted on the pylons under the wings of the bomber.
In the words of the Pentagon:
“There was an error which occurred during a regularly scheduled transfer of weapons between two bases. The weapons were safe and remained in Air Force control and custody at all times.”
For almost the first time in the history of the nation, the military has publicly and promptly admitted it “made a mistake”. This in itself is truly astounding.
To reinforce the military’s claim that a mistake was made, a system-wide stand-down was ordered for September 14.
That official explanation was quickly explained away. The mistake was made intentionally, so a “deliberate leak” of a secret operation could occur.
The CIA and the Office of Counter-Terrorism in the State Department explained that Barksdale AFB is a “jumping off point” for re-supply of the Middle East.
The “deliberate leak” was intended to serve as a veiled warning to Iran. This deliberately misleading explanation is evidently intended to lead the public or Iran or both to logically conclude the missiles are bound for Iran.
Bluntly, State and the CIA converted a whistleblower leak by true American patriots into a deliberate leak by official Washington, to scare Iran.
By this means Washington has led the public to forget or overlook the real issue.
To begin, the multiple official explanations reek to high heaven. They collectively read suspiciously like flimsy cover stories concocted in hasty desperation. And no amount of pretty lipstick will be able to make the official explanations pretty.
Transportation Violations
More conflicting explanations followed. These missiles are part of a group scheduled to be decommissioned. This would explain why they were shipped out of North Dakota.
But the missiles were not transported on their way to decommissioning. Missiles are normally decommissioned at Davis-Monthan AFB at Tucson. Nuclear weapons are decommissioned at the Department of Energy’s Pantex facility near Amarillo, Texas, accessed through Kirkland AFB in New Mexico.
And military policy requires minimization of the number of flights made with nuclear weapons aboard. So the weapons should not have been mounted on the missiles, flown to Louisiana, un-mounted and flown to New Mexico.
The mode of transportation is also a major issue not defused by official explanations. Per standard operating procedures, or SOPs, both missiles and nuclear warheads are transported primarily by air, in specially modified C-130s or C-17s. Under no peacetime circumstances do military SOPs allow transport of nuclear weapons mounted in cruise missiles mounted in combat positions on combat planes.
Department of Defense Directive Number 4540.5, issued on February 4, 1998, regulates logistic transportation of nuclear weapons.
By delegation of Commanders of Combatant Commands, movement of nuclear weapons must be approved by commanders of major service commands.
Commanders of Combat Commands or service component commanders must evaluate, authorize and approve transport modes and movement routes for nuclear weapons in their custody.
The Air Force is required to maintain a Prime Nuclear Airlift Force capability to conduct the logistic transport of nuclear weapons. Which should exclude use of bombers.
Under SOPs, combat planes with combat-ready nuclear weapons can only be flown on the authority of the Commander in Chief, the Joint Chiefs of Staff or the National Military Command Authority.
All of these transportation regulations were flagrantly violated on August 30.
Handling Violations
Violations of regulations concerning handling of the nuclear weapons in North Dakota are worse.
A sophisticated computerized tracking system is used for nuclear weapons. Multiple sign-offs are required to remove the weapons from their storage bunkers.
The AGM-129 Advanced Cruise Missile was designed to carry nuclear weapons. No non-nuclear warhead is available for this missile. So the only possible error could have been loading nuclear warheads on the missiles instead of practice dummies.
The practice warheads have standard blue and yellow signs declaring “Inert, non-nuclear”. The nuclear warheads have at least three distinctive red warning signs. This error is therefore highly improbable, absent tampering with signage.
Nuclear weapons are transported from the storage bunker to the aircraft in a caravan that routinely includes vehicles with machine guns front and rear and guards with M-16s. All steps in the process are done under the watchful eyes of armed military police.
Rules require that at least two people jointly control every step of the process. If one person loses sight of the other, both are forced to the ground face-down and temporarily “placed under arrest” by observant security forces. All progress stops until inspections are made to assure the weapons weren’t tampered with.
All nuclear weapons are connected to sophisticated alarm systems to prevent removal or tampering. They could only be removed from the storage bunker by turning the alarm off. And the squad commander clearly would not have authority to turn off the alarm.
The Impossible Mistake
Bluntly, the mistake of loading nuclear weapons on a combat aircraft in combat-ready position is simply not possible to make. Safeguards are far too stringent and far too many people would be involved. Particularly given that the mounting was in violation of policy that’s been in place without exception for almost 40 years.
No discipline is expected to be meted out. The New York Times tried to imply the commanding general had been fired. Actually, the squad commander in charge of munitions crews at Minot was “relieved of duty pending an investigation”. He has not been removed from his position or disciplined. The crews involved have been “temporarily decertified pending corrective actions or additional training” but have not been disciplined. No mention has been made of the wing commander.
Note carefully: These actions amount to nothing at all. The wing and squad commanders are still in place and the crews can easily be re-certified.
Successful Confusion
Washington’s efforts to confuse the public have been successful. Attention has shifted from the crucial issue.
This news has already become non-news. The August 14 stand-down will momentarily become news, followed by announcements of more stringent restrictions, improved safeguards and additional training. The public always has been and always will be safe.
One of the major issues will be avoided:
Someone in an irregular chain of Air Force command authorized loading and transport of nuclear weapons.
The paramount issue will also be avoided, if necessary with repetition of the reassurance that the Air Force was in control at all times. The weapons were only missing during the 3.5-hour flight.
At Barksdale, the missiles were considered to be unarmed items headed for modernization or the scrap heap, and of no particular importance. They were left unguarded for almost ten hours.
According to one report, almost ten hours were required for airmen at Minot AFB to convince superiors that the nuclear weapons had disappeared. According to information provided to Congress, this time lapsed before airmen at Barksdale “noticed” the weapons were present. News reports will continue to overlook this fact also.
Even here the focus is on time. The number of missiles and warheads issue was overlooked.
Early news reports spoke of five nuclear warheads loaded onto the bomber. Apparently, this information was provided from Barksdale.
That number was later updated to six weapons missing from Minot, apparently based on anonymous tips provided to Military Times by people at Minot. This information has also been forgotten.
Conclusion
Six nuclear weapons disappeared from Minot AFB in North Dakota.
Five nuclear weapons were discovered at Barksdale AFB in Louisiana.
Which leads to my chilling conclusion:
Someone, operating under a special chain of command within the United States Air Force, just stole a nuclear weapon.
What next?
The answer has been provided several times, most recently by CIA Director and General Michael Hayden. On September 7, dressed in full military uniform, Hayden told assembled members of the Council of Foreign Relations:
“Our analysts assess with high confidence that al-Qaida’s central leadership is planning high-impact plots against the U. S. homeland.”
“We assess with high confidence that al-Qaida is focusing on targets that would produce mass casualties, dramatic destruction and significant aftershocks.”
An eye for an eye. Use of nukes will justify use of nukes. A perfect excuse to wage nuclear war against Iran.
I suspect Hayden is absolutely correct, except for his mistaken identification of the “central leadership” that is planning detonation of a nuclear weapon on American soil.
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