Torture by Proxy

In a New York Times article today, entries from FAA logs confirm the allegations made by Maher Arar, a 35-year-old Canadian engineer, who is suing the United States. Maher says American officials took him as he changed planes in New York and transported him to Syria where he was held for 10 months in a cell and brutally beaten with a metal cable.

...federal aviation records examined by The New York Times appear to corroborate Mr. Arar's account of his flight, during which, he says, he sat chained on the leather seats of a luxury executive jet as his American guards watched movies and ignored his protests.

The Justice Department is challenging the assertion Mr. Arar was sent to another country, specifically Syria, for interrogation. Why Syria? If Mr. Arar is Canadian, why not deport him to Canada? Perhaps Syria has persuasive methods of interrogation.

The tale of Mr. Arar, the subject of a yearlong inquiry by the Canadian government, is perhaps the best documented of a number of cases since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in which suspects have accused the United States of secretly delivering them to other countries for interrogation under torture.

In papers filed in a New York court replying to Mr. Arar's lawsuit, Justice Department lawyers say the case was not one of rendition but of deportation. They say Mr. Arar was deported to Syria based on secret information that he was a member of Al Qaeda, an accusation he denies.

The term rendition is used to describe the action of taking someone and deporting them abroad for interrogation. Justice Department lawyers argue the act was one of deportation, not rendition.

But, once again, why Syria? Also, notice how often we read about "secret" information or sources that if divulged would compromise national security or the investigation. Here's a typical response:

Charles Miller, a Justice Department spokesman, said the government had no comment on the case. The administration has refused to cooperate with the Canadian inquiry into Mr. Arar's case and has asked a judge to dismiss most of his lawsuit, saying that allowing it to proceed would reveal classified information.

I don't know about you, but I want facts. There seems to be too much secrecy with this administration.

Again, from the article:

If the plane was used to move Mr. Arar, it is the fourth known to have been used to transport suspected terrorists secretly from one country to detention in another.

Among the three identified in previous news reports is one owned by a company apparently set up by the Central Intelligence Agency, according to The Washington Post. Another, first described by The Chicago Tribune, is an ordinary charter jet that was also used by the Boston Red Sox manager between missions ferrying detainees and their guards to Guantánamo, with the Red Sox logo attached to the fuselage or removed, depending on who was aboard.

As for who was using the aircraft during the time of his apprehension, it seems as if someone's privacy is more important than getting to the bottom of who was responsible for transferring Mr. Arar to Syria:

Nigel England, director of operations for Presidential [Presidential Aviation, operators of the Gulfstream III jet reported to have transported Mr. Arar, is a charter company in Fort Lauderdale, FL], said he would not divulge who rented the Gulfstream that day or discuss any clients.

"It's a very select group of people that we fly, from entertainers to foreign heads of state, a whole gamut of customers that we fly and wouldn't discuss one over the other," he said.

It is not clear how much support the Canadian government is going to receive in pursuing this lawsuit. Most likely, very little.

Why isn't any of this making headlines? Shipping off individuals to countries that will do the dirty work for the US, who knows how many individuals were affected and what cruely was inflicted upon them. This is not the first of such revelations. and this will likely not be the last.

Shame on the government.

Shame on us for not doing more to hold those responsible accountable.

Technorati Categories: Human Rights, Prisoner Abuse, War

Soccer Thoughts and the Death of Childhood

Yesterday, I watched my seven year-old son play soccer. Out in the open air, at dusk, with the wind blowing lightly. A beautiful evening in the making, both from the aesthetic pleasure of the natural surroundings and the joy of watching youth at play.

Normally, my son is more interested in what's on the ground and busy being care-free during the game. But, for some reason, yesterday was the day when he realized he is a member of a team, which counts on his active participation, and can make a difference in the game. He ran, he tried his best, he assisted his teammates, and he scored. Out of the blue...

After the game, I softly told him how proud I was of him. I could tell it was a beautiful evening for him too.

Today, I think about how many fathers have instead had to watch their children die because of the bullets and bombs of an occupying force. The Iraqi father having to hold his daughter's lifeless body after a bomb "missed its target". Or, a Palestinian father having to deal with the news of his daughter's head being shattered as she sits at her desk in school, the result of an "errant bullet" from an Israeli sniper.

Until each and every father considers what it would truly mean to have to watch your child or hold your children as they lay dying, helpless to save them, these cowardly acts will continue to occur without their due vocal responses.

What if it were your seven year-old son or daughter? Your one year-old baby? Put yourself in their shoes for just a brief moment and let it all sink in.

Look at your children when you go home tonight. Really look at them, their innocence, vulnerability, the fountain of life which is beginning to spring forward. Then, imagine them lifeless, unable to return your hugs or kisses. Gone forever.

Such a condition exists, and has existed for quite some time, for the Palestinian people. It now also exists for the Iraqi people.

When will the fathers speak in defense of all children. Be a man. Not the man who has to kick someone's ass to make his point. Be the man who stands up for victims of abuse, defenseless individuals, those who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and pay physically for their bad luck.

Most importantly, be a caring human being. Care for the situation of another human being. Do it today, for at some point in the future it may be you and your family needing the help.

Technorati Categories: Human Rights, Iraq, Middle East, Palestine, War

Abuse at the Hands of the Protector

For years America was viewed internationally as a beacon of hope, where those who were looking for a better life would be welcome and be afforded an opportunity to make a better life. America was the protector of the weak, the beaten, the abused. Now, once again, there is more evidence of America being the abuser.

First, it was the photos of the abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Proof of the maltreatment, the humiliation and disrespect for human dignity as experienced by Iraqi prisoners (many being held without being charged of any wrongdoing).

Then, first-hand accounts of civilian abuses at Fallujah, the killing of innocent civilians at a wedding party, the cold-blooded shooting of a wounded Iraqi hidden in a mosque and captured on film for the world to see.

Now, more evidence is released to further prove the degree to which American forces have used excessive force during detentions. What is becoming evident is the extent to which the Geneva Convention has been repeatedly violated.

In the UK Independent Online daily, the article "Fresh details emerge of Iraqis' abuse by American soldiers", evidence for the case against violations of human rights by American forces continues to build:

Damning evidence of American soldiers abusing detainees at another prison in Iraq was made public yesterday. It details how prisoners were "systematically and intentionally mistreated" at a military base in Mosul, culminating in the death of one. Nobody was court-martialled over the abuse.

An investigation by a US officer after a prisoner's jaw was broken found that inmates were hit with water bottles, made to do exhausting physical exercises until they collapsed, deprived of sleep, subjected to deafening heavy metal music and had cigarette smoke blown into sandbags they were forced to wear as hoods. One soldier said troops "always harassed the hell out of detainees"; another said that at times "the detainees would get so scared they would piss themselves".

The investigation was triggered by the case of Salah Salih Jassim, 20, who had his jaw broken in detention. He was not a suspect but had been arrested along with his father, an officer in Saddam Hussein's Fedayeen militia. Mr Jassim was held in a room with 70 other prisoners.

Unfortunately, it is very unlikely anyone at the top will be held accountable for any of these actions. It will be the bidders for those truly responsible which may pay some price.

Technorati Categories: Human Rights, Prisoner Abuse, War

DeLay and Congress Care about Terri Schiavo

Tom DeLay is a caring politician, or so he would like you to think...

From US Newswire, DeLay: Terri Schiavo Receives One More Chance; House Sends Schiavo Legislation to President for Signature:

"Tonight we have given Terri Schiavo all we could: a chance to live," DeLay said. "After four days of words, the best of them uttered in prayer, Congress has acted, and a life may have been saved. Democrats and Republicans, congressmen and senators all deserve respect and gratitude for their commitment to giving Mrs. Schiavo the chance we all deserve."

Let's see, where to start...

Congress has given Terri "a chance to live." Perhaps Congress should have applied the same compassion for the people of Iraq.

Tom, like many of his conservative ilk, can't pass up an oportunity to slide in a religious reference:

"After four days of words, the best of them uttered in prayer,..."

Applying the filter of religious overtone makes it sound like such a benevolent action. Here we clearly see the way those in power use religion within a political forum to take the edge off, to mitigate, the true implication of the message: we (the government) will continue to take more and more control over the individual rights until there are none left or only those we choose to leave for you.

And, we should be ever so thankful for the government stepping in and setting up the opportunity to legislate the right to life:

"...congressmen and senators all deserve respect and gratitude for their commitment to giving Mrs. Schiavo the chance we all deserve."

Bottom line: The politicizing of Terri Schiavo's situation is a totally insensitive act and completely disrespectful to Terri and her family. Whether the individual be Terri, her husband, or her family, this is none of the government's business.

The decision whether to artifically feed someone who has been in a vegetative state for years is a private decision to be worked out between family members. Since it appears there are conflicting positions between Terri's husband and her family, this is a very interesting case especially since the government has made this into a high-visiblility cause to begin the legislative discussion.

Today, a US District Court judge has decided not to overrule a state judge's decision to disconnect the feeding tube (Judge Won't Order Schiavo Tube Reinserted):

Howard Simon, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, praised the ruling: "What this judge did is protect the freedom of people to make their own end-of-life decisions without the intrusion of politicians."

Terri Schiavo has been in a vegitative state since 1990. She can breathe on her own, but she has relied on a feeding tube to keep her alive. Although doctors say Terri is in a "persistent vegetative state with no hope of recovery", her parents believe she can recover with treatment.

I feel for the family who wishes to bring Terri back, her husband who wants to free her from the condition under which she has been in for 15 years, and the rest of us for not protesting against the government's intervention in individual matters.

Technorati Categories: Government, Individual Rights, Life,Religion

DeLay of DaLand

Tom DeLay, the United States House of Representatives Majority Leader, from Sugar Land, Texas, putting your tax dollars to work...

From DeLay's Dirty Dozen:

Here are 12 recent highlights from DeLay's illustrious career:

Delay Raises Corporate Cash for TRMPAC: DeLay is embroiled in a scandal in Texas for his active participation in illegally funneling corporate funds to assist state political campaigns. DeLay's political action committee, Texans for a Republican Majority (TRMPAC), is under criminal investigation for using corporate money to finance Texas campaigns. DeLay has tried to distance himself from the group, but documents show DeLay "personally forwarded at least one large check" to the group and was "in direct contact with lobbyists for some of the nation's largest companies" on TRMPAC's behalf. [Source: NYT, 3/10/05; Salon, 10/04/04]

Delay Bribes Congressman to Vote for Medicare: DeLay has admitted offering to endorse Sen. Nick Smith's (R-Mich.) son Brad, who was running for Congress at the time, in exchange for Smith's "yea" vote on the Medicare bill. His actions violated House rules and earned DeLay a "public admonishment" from the Ethics Committee. Smith originally alleged – and then retracted after pressure from House leaders – that DeLay also offered a $100,000 bribe for his vote. DeLay extended the role call on the Medicare bill for nearly three hours in order "to avoid an embarrassing loss." [Slate, 10/1/04; WP, 10/1/04]

Delay Uses Taxpayer Money for Partisan Stunt: The House ethics panel rebuked DeLay for using government resources to help locate a private plane he thought was carrying Texas Democratic legislators. DeLay was trying to force the legislators back to the capitol so he could push through his "bitterly disputed congressional redistricting." The ethics report cited House rules that bar members from taking "any official action on the basis of the partisan affiliation...of the individuals involved" and said DeLay's behavior raised "serious concerns under such "standards of conduct." [WP, 10/7/04]

Delay Pays for Golf Tournaments with Cash Meant for Kids: DeLay used a children's charity, Celebrations for Children Inc., as cover for collecting soft money from anonymous interest groups, some of which was used for "dinners, a golf tournament, a rock concert, Broadway tickets and other fundraising events" at the Republican convention in New York. Because the money was supposedly for charity, companies wishing to curry favor with DeLay were able to do so without revealing themselves as campaign donors. Federal laws governing tax-exempt charities allow no more than an insubstantial portion of a group's revenue to be spent on activities other than the charity's main stated purpose. [CBS, 11/14/03; WP, 3/24/04]

Delay Promises 'Seat At Table' for Donor: In one of its three public rebukes, the House Ethics Committee cited the belief on the part of executives at an energy company, Westar Energy Inc., that a $56,500 contribution to a political action committee associated with DeLay would get them a "seat at the table" where key energy legislation was being drafted. DeLay also participated in Westar's golf fundraiser at The Homestead resort in the summer of 2002, " just as the House-Senate conference on major energy legislation ... was about to get underway." [WP, 10/7/04]

Delay Takes Money from Texas Prison Company with Legislation Pending: DeLay "took a $100,000 check from a private prison company" – the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) – at a fundraiser for his children's charity, the DeLay Foundation for Kids. CCA – whose 20-year history has been "fraught with malfeasance, mismanagement, and abuse" – was part of an ongoing lobby for a bill that would privatize up to half of Texas's jails. DeLay is known for wielding major influence over the Republican-led legislature that will decide on the matter. [Knight Ridder, 11/30/04; Texas Observer, 6/6/03]

Delay Blocks Legislation for Partisan Vendetta: In 1999, DeLay received a "private rebuke" for threatening retaliation against the Electronic Industries Association when the trade group named a Democrat to head its Washington operation. To punish the group, DeLay stopped two uncontroversial trade bills that would have benefited the EIA and told the association it would lose all GOP access unless it hired a Republican instead. The group still hired the Democrat, but a little later, the EIA quietly hired a former House Republican staff member who promptly showed up at a fundraiser for DeLay's ARMPAC. [Texas Observer, 2/4/00; Slate, 12/5/98]

Delay Takes Shady Donations for Legal Defense Fund: The list of recent donors to DeLay's legal defense fund includes two lawmakers placed on the House Ethics Committee this year (they replaced conservatives who were purged for being critical of DeLay), and corporations implicated in DeLay's alleged fundraising violations. Corporate donors include Bacardi U.S.A., the rum maker that has also been indicted in the Texas investigation, and Reliant Energy, "another major contributor to a Texas political action committee formed by Mr. DeLay that is the focus of the criminal inquiry." In December, DeLay was forced to return funds from registered lobbyists because those contributions violated House ethics rules. [NYT, 3/13/05; Time, 3/13/05]

Delay Leaves Ethics Behind On European Vacation: DeLay enjoyed a luxurious vacation at the Four Seasons Hotel in London in mid-2000, paid for by an Indian tribe and a gambling services company, both of which opposed gambling legislation DeLay voted against two months later. The payment was funneled through lobbyist Jack Abramoff, best known for teaming up with right-wing religious fundamentalist Ralph Reed to close down a Texas casino operated by the Tigua Indians in 2002, then persuading the tribe to pay the two of them $4.2 million to lobby Washington lawmakers, including DeLay, to reopen it. According to expense accounts obtained by the Journal, Abramoff financed DeLay and DeLay's staff's stay at the Four Seasons hotel to the tune of $4,285.35. The total reimbursement for expenses in London was $13,318.50. [WP, 3/12/05; Raw Story, 2/25/05; WP, 9/29/04]

Delay Leaves House Rules Behind on Asian Vacation: DeLay accepted an expense-paid trip to South Korea which, in direct violation of House rules, was paid for by a South Korean lobbying group. The Korea-U.S. Exchange Council, a group registered with the Foreign Agents Registration Act, was created with help from DeLay's former chief of staff. The cost to send DeLay, his wife and three of his lawmaker friends to Seoul for three days was $106,921, the fourth largest cost for any single trip taken by lawmakers between January 2000 and September 2004. [WP, 3/10/05]

Delay Kicks Ethics out of House: DeLay and his allies in the House have sought to cripple the House Ethics Committee. The committee, which rebuked DeLay three times last year, was purged of its most "responsible" members last month and is currently "paralyzed" by a proposed rules change that "would prevent the committee from launching any investigation without the support of at least one Republican-a restriction designed to protect the majority leader." [WP, 2/5/05; WP, 10/7/04; Time, 3/13/05]

Delay Tries to Change Rules to Protect Power: DeLay was the driving force behind the decision by House leaders to abandon an 11-year-old party rule that "required leaders to step aside temporarily if indicted." The idea was dropped only after rank-and-file lawmakers complained "the party was sending the wrong message." [NYT, 11/18/04; WP, 3/11/05]

Technorati Categories: Politics

NeoCon Heading the World Bank?

All signs are pointing to the NeoCons in Washington continuing to place their people in positions where their agenda can be pushed onto the rest of the world. The lates is an announcement made Wednesday, March 16, by the White House to nominate John Wolfowitz to lead the World Bank.

Not very surprising is the response from the international community, both financial and humanitarian groups, to the nomination of the Iraq War architect.

From the CBC News article World reacts to Wolfowitz nomination with skepticism and alarm :

Wolfowitz, nominated Wednesday by U.S. President George W. Bush, is widely seen as a key instigator in the American push to topple Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. International organizations worried about the nominee's hawkish politics and questioned whether he is the right man for the job.

"As well as lacking any relevant experience, he is a deeply divisive figure who is unlikely to move the bank toward a more pro-poor agenda," said Patrick Watt, policy officer at British charity Action Aid.

Dave Timms, spokesman for London-based World Development Network, called it a "terrifying appointment" that highlighted a lack of democracy in major lending institutions.

Wolfowitz's notoriety as a hardliner made it difficult to cheer his nomination to head the World Bank, said Nigerian newspaper columnist Pini Jason. He said it could a "bad omen" for the Third World.

"It is very likely that George Bush will want to link World Bank policies to his own vision of democratizing the world: Democracy according to the White House," said Jason, who writes for the Vanguard newspaper.

From the Financial Times article Shareholders' dismay at lack of consultation:

The lack of consultation before the announcement meant that European governments - who collectively hold about 30 per cent of the votes on the bank's executive board to the US's 17 per cent - were slow to react. "There are going to be a lot of very unhappy people, but they may be as upset about the process as about the person," said one European official. "They were supposed to consult us and there was no consultation."

Privately, European officials in Washington and bank staff have expressed concern that the US would put forward such a controversial candidate for the post. One concern is that his appointment would make it more difficult for the World Bank to operate effectively in the Middle East.

Many development campaigners were in no doubt. "We consider the choice of Wolfowitz utterly inappropriate to lead such a key institution," said Jeff Powell, co-ordinator of the Bretton Woods Project, a watchdog non-governmental organisation. "This appointment will only serve to confirm suspicions that the World Bank is a tool of US foreign policy."

One common concern was whether the White House was trying to turn the World Bank into an agency of the "war on terror", assuming a mission of democratisation and adopting political criteria for lending.

From a Reuters article Activists decry Wolfowitz choice, analysts divided:

Wolfowitz, No. 2 at the Pentagon, is a divisive figure in Europe and the Middle East for helping shape the Iraq war. Some said the U.S. choice, coming on the heels of the appointment of hawk John Bolton as United Nations ambassador, highlighted White House contempt for international diplomacy.

"If the Bush administration wanted to poke a finger into the eye of every nation on Earth, it couldn't have made a better choice," said John Cavanagh, director of the Institute for Policy Studies, a liberal think tank.

"Wolfowitz does not have an interest or knowledge about poverty and development problems. With him at the helm, the bank will be seen more and more as a tool of U.S. foreign policy, not a multilateral institution," wrote Alex Wilks, a Brussels-based activist whose Web site (www.worldbankpresident.org) tracked speculation over the presidency.

Columbia University economist Jeffrey Sachs also criticized Wolfowitz's lack of development mileage.

"We need someone with professional experience in helping people to escape from poverty. Mr. Wolfowitz does not have that track record. We need other nominees," he told CNN.

The decision is a very telling sign of how the current administration views itself and its actions above reproach. Regardless of the response from the international community, regardless of whether the individual may be the right person for the job, the administration is moved by a higher mission. Unfortunately for all of us, it is not looking good for those opposed to their view of "democracy".

Global Warming Signs

Global warming, once regarded as a cry by the Chicken Littles of the world, appears to be a reality. Not only that, but the pace of proof is increasing daily.

The latest proof of global warming lies in recent photographs of Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro where, for the first time in 11,000 years, the mountain top is visibly stripped of its snowcap. On RedNova, Global Warming Thaws Mount Kilimanjaro contains a recent photograph of the disappearing snowcap.

An article, Photos Show Climate Change As Ministers Meet In UK, from the Reuters World Environment News website, states how photos will be used to visually communicate the severity of the situation to the G8 country representatives meeting in London this week.

Another article, Himalaya Glaciers Receding Fast Due To Warming, reports how the rate of glacier retreat in the Himalayas is the fastest on the planet and threatens millions of people in China, India and Nepal with water shortages.

How long will the United States, the world's biggest emitter, and China, the fastest growing industrial power, be allowed to continue down their irresponsible paths? This is a global problem with only grassroots solutions. The corporate and political powers at the top will not change their ways until individuals make a financial statement negatively impacting the bottom lines of those who benefit.

Technorati Categories: Climate Change, Environment, Global Warming, Greenhouse Gases

The Secret History of the World

Back today after having to deal with rough surf last week, unfortunately not in the water!

One week ago Monday, 2/28/2005, I posted an article about The Da Vinci Code where I discovered a very interesting article (refer to Laura Knight-Jadczyk on Fulcanelli and the Da Vinci Code).

Well, today I found that the author has published a book, Secret History of the World, avaliable at QFG Publishing (www.qfgpublishing.com). Check out the following description:

If you heard the Truth, would you believe it? Ancient civilisations. Hyperdimensional realities. DNA changes. Bible conspiracies. What are the realities? What is disinformation?

Conspiracies have existed since the time of Cain and Abel. Facts of history have been altered to support the illusion. The question today is whether a sufficient number of people will see through the deceptions, thus creating a counter-force for positive change - the gold of humanity - during the upcoming times of Macro-Cosmic Quantum Shift. Laura argues convincingly, based on the revelations of the deepest of esoteric secrets, that the present is a time of potential transition, an extraordinary opportunity for individual and collective renewal: a quantum shift of awareness and perception which could see the birth of true creativity in the fields of science, art and spirituality. The Secret History of the World allows us to redefine our interpretation of the universe, history, and culture and to thereby navigate a path through this darkness. In this way, Laura Knight-Jadczyk shows us how we may extend the possibilities for all our different futures in literal terms.

With over 850 pages of fascinating reading, The Secret History of The World and How to Get Out Alive is rapidly being acknowledged as a classic with profound implications for the destiny of the human race. With painstakingly researched facts and figures, the author overturns long-held conventional ideas on religion, philosophy, Grail legends, science, and alchemy, presenting a cohesive narrative pointing to the existence of an ancient techno-spirituality of the Golden Age which included a mastery of space and time: the Holy Grail, the Philosopher's Stone, the True Process of Ascension. Laura provides the evidence for the advanced level of scientific and metaphysical wisdom possessed by the greatest of lost ancient civilizations - a culture so advanced that none of the trappings of civilization as we know it were needed, explaining why there is no 'evidence' of civilization as we know it left to testify to its existence. The author's consummate synthesis reveals the Message in a Bottle reserved for humanity, including the Cosmology and Mysticism of mankind Before the Fall when, as the ancient texts tell us, man walked and talked with the gods. Laura shows us that the upcoming shift is that point in the vast cosmological cycle when mankind - or at least a portion of mankind - has the opportunity to regain his standing as The Child of the King in the Golden Age.

About the author:

Laura Knight-Jadczyk, wife of internationally known theoretical physicist, Arkadiusz Jadczyk, an expert in hyperdimensional physics, draws on science and mysticism to pierce the veil of reality. Due to the many threats on her life from agents and agencies known and unknown, Laura left the United States to live in France, where she is working closely with Patrick Rivière, student of Eugene Canseliet, the only disciple of the legendary alchemist Fulcanelli.

Technorati Categories: Cosmology, Da Vinci Code, Fulcanelli, Holy Grail, Human Race, Mysticism

Trojan Horses, Fifth Column, and the American Empire

History is repleat with overt and covert examples of civilizations being brought down by attacks facilitated by internal infiltration. Two historical examples of are the Trojan Horse and the Fifth Column.

The Trojan Horse commonly used today to apply to virus infection techniques, is sourced to the era of the battle for Troy and how the city was compromised from within by the acceptance of the wooden horse left at its gate by the Greek army. From Wikipedia:

The Greek siege of Troy had lasted for ten years. The Greeks devised a new ruse - a giant hollow wooden horse. It was built by Epeius and filled with Greek warriors led by Odysseus. The rest of the Greek army appeared to leave whilst actually hiding behind Tenedos and the Trojans accepted the horse as a peace offering. A Greek spy, Sinon, convinced the Trojans the horse was a gift despite the warnings of Laocoon and Cassandra. Helen and Deiphobus even investigated the horse. The Trojans celebrated the raising of the siege hugely, and when the Greeks emerged from the horse the city was in a drunken stupor. The Greek warriors opened the city gates to allow the rest of the army access and the city was ruthlessly pillaged - all the men were killed and all the women taken into slavery.
Wikipedia entry: Trojan Horse

The trojan horse symbolizes those things which on the surface appear to be one thing, yet internally serve a completely different purpose.

Definition from Princeton University WordNet:

The noun "trojan horse" has 3 senses in WordNet.

1. fifth column, Trojan horse -- (a subversive group that supports the enemy and engages in espionage or sabotage; an enemy in your midst)

2. trojan, trojan horse -- (a program that appears desirable but actually contains something harmful; "the contents of a trojan can be a virus or a worm"; "when he downloaded the free game it turned out to be a trojan horse")

3. Trojan Horse, Wooden Horse -- (a large hollow wooden figure of a horse (filled with Greek soldiers) left by the Greeks outside Troy during the Trojan War)

Another example, is The Fifth Column. The term is used to identify a secret group which works to undermine the society while focus is on another external foe. Spies or sympathizers for a cause or group can infiltrate a country, government, or critical position and undermine the ability of that which has been infiltrated. Again, from Wikipedia:

Fifth column refers to any clandestine group of people which works covertly inside a nation to undermine its strength (psychological warfare) while the nation is simultaneously suffering an overt attack by a foreign power or another faction in a civil war.

The term was coined by General Emilio Mola in a radio address during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). As a Nationalist general, he sent four army columns to capture Madrid, which was being defended at that time by the Republican forces. The general referred to his hidden supporters inside the capital as his fifth column.
Wikipedia entry: Fifth Column

A Fifth Column is not necessarily restricted to human assets. Today, it could very well be technological and biological assets such as Ethnic Specific Weapons.

Okay, so now we get to what these mean to the American Empire.

An online editorial appearing at t r u t h o u t points out how America has gone through a series of stages where the global reach has been extended to the point of building an empire much like the Spanish and British empires. The article, "The Third Stage of American Empire" by William Rivers Pitt, presents the following observations:

The first stage of this American empire began with the Mexican-American war, but began to flourish at the conclusion of the Civil War. All the states east of the Mississippi River had been brought by force back under the rule of the federal government, a national taxation system had been established to provide revenues to that government, and the nascent outlines of what Eisenhower described as 'the military/industrial complex' had been built by the lucrative contracts handed out to arm, clothe and feed the military.

The transition between the first and second stages began on April 2nd, 1917, when newly re-elected President Wilson reversed his campaign theme of staying out of the European conflict and asked congress for a declaration of war against Germany. Previously, Americans had defined themselves in no small part by being separated from the troubles of the 'Old World.' When the doughboys shipped out, however, that line of demarcation was crossed.

Despite the eventual victory in Europe, the second stage took many more years to flower and flourish. American armies and navies were essentially dismantled in the aftermath of the 'War to End All Wars,' and the 1930s saw the near-collapse of the American economic system. The advent of and eventual victory in World War II not only cemented the second stage, but resurrected and forever changed the fundamental underpinnings of the American economy. From that victory to now, the American economy has been based centrally on preparation for and fighting of wars.

By the end of World War II, the influence of the American empire stretched throughout Europe to the borders of the new foe, the Soviet empire. Strongholds of the second stage could be likewise found in Africa, the Japanese mainland and many Pacific islands and, with the creation of the state of Israel, the strategically-vital Middle East. American corporations that had built the victorious war machine swam in an ocean of profits. The 'military/industrial complex' was about to become the dominant force in domestic and global commerce, conflict and social structure.

Contracts for the development and deployment of weaponry became profitable on an epic scale. The military/industrial complex came to own whole swaths of the American political spectrum on both sides of the aisle, and attached itself umbilically to the petroleum industry as a matter of basic expediency. One cannot fight wars without an abundance of oil and gasoline, and after a fashion, the means and the ends became indistinguishable.

When the Berlin Wall finally fell, when the Soviet empire finally imploded, the banner for this third stage was unfurled for all to see. For the first time in history since the apex of Roman rule, one nation and one government and one military ruled supreme over the known world. The movement conservatives, having lost communism as the main target for their energies and ire, turned inward and laid siege to their fellow citizens. The ultimate goal of this was to purge from debate and consideration anyone who did not approve of empire, and anyone who did not fit the Christian Reconstructionist mold they wished to build American society around.

The rise of George W. Bush, leader of the evangelical/political wing of American Christianity since 1996, to the office of the president has been the fulfillment of the dreams of movement conservatives. September 11 cemented their ascendancy. Now, permanent war and rule by fear are accepted without question. Now, the news media owned by the combine opens the public dialogue to these radicals while painting them as moderate, rational Americans. Now, the dominance of the military/industrial/petroleum combine is unquestioned. Now, the idea that America is engaged in a holy war has been widely disseminated.

So, what is the American Empire's trojan horse? Its fifth column?

The Neocons? The Military-Industrial Complex?

Could it be some group who, behind the scenes, is influencing the agendas of each?

Who could that be???

The Controllers


Technorati Categories: American Empire, Consortium, Fifth Column, Neocons