A spokesman for Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta has declined the request of multiple defense attorneys to “broadcast all open proceedings” of the upcoming trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammad and four other men at Guantanamo.
The Defense lawyers reminded Panetta that the reputation of the US has been suffering substantially due to the worldwide perception that US officials are simply trying “to cover-up torture at Guantanamo and CIA black sites.”
The current approach to the trials are called “bare-minimum” by the defense counsel and if they are continued without any changes, including broadcasting the proceedings on air for the world to see, than, “it will loudly confirm the widely held perception that the United States is indeed trying to cover up their own wrongdoing.”
Currently, the open proceedings of the trial will be broadcast on CCTV to the public at one very little place of our very large country; Fort Meade, Maryland. Seven other locations have been selected for CCTV viewing of the trial, however these seven other sites will only be open to victim family members, survivors, first responders, their families and media.
Please read the letter below to be reminded that there are people in positions of power who care about the honesty and integrity of our collective future.
Unfortunately there are other people in higher positions that don’t.
by Bob Graham and Sharon Premoli source: Huffington Post Sep 15, 2012
The passage of time since September 11, 2001, has not diminished the distrust many of us feel surrounding the official story of how 9/11 happened and, more specifically, who financed and supported it. After eleven years, the time has come for the families of the victims, the survivors and all Americans to get the whole story behind 9/11.
Yet the story of who may have facilitated the 19 hijackers and the infrastructure that supported the attacks — a crucial element of the narrative — has not been told. The pieces we do have underscore how much more remains unknown.
Did the hijackers execute the plot alone, or did they have the support of forces other than the known leaders of al-Qaeda — a network even — that provided funds, assistance, and cover?
It is not merely a question of the need to complete the historical record. It is a matter of national security today.
If a support network was available to the terrorists before 9/11, why should we think it has now disbanded or been rolled up? It may still be in place, capable of supporting al-Qaeda or other extremist groups that hate America — of which there are many.
This is also about justice. Thousands of Americans, who suffered unimaginable loss, have been denied their day in court in part because evidence of support was either never gathered by law enforcement or remains locked away, sealed as “Classified.”
Milo is the host of Touch, a daily program from 5:00-6:00 PM Pacific on The Bridge, 95.1 FM in Guerneville. Milo has invited me (Brian Romanoff) to be a regular guest on his show to try to bring more light into the events of 9/11. I appreciate the opportunity and I hope you enjoy the show.
Today we have a varied and general discussion regarding 9/11.
I also bid the listeners a farewell in my last broadcast for a while.
The ACLU is suing the Obama administration under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), seeking to force disclosure of the guidelines used by Obama officials to select which human beings (both U.S. citizens and foreign nationals) will have their lives ended by the CIA’s drone attacks (“In particular,” the group explains, the FOIA request “seeks to find out when, where and against whom drone strikes can be authorized, and how the United States ensures compliance with international laws relating to extrajudicial killing”). The Obama administration has not only refused to provide any of that information, but worse, the CIA is insisting to federal courts that it cannot even confirm or deny the existence of a drone program at all without seriously damaging national security; from the CIA’s brief in response to the ACLU lawsuit:
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What makes this so appalling is not merely that the Obama administration demands the right to kill whomever it wants without having to account to anyone for its actions, choices or even claimed legal authorities, though that’s obviously bad enough (as I wrote when the ACLU lawsuit was commenced: “from a certain perspective, there’s really only one point worth making about all of this: if you think about it, it is warped beyond belief that the ACLU has to sue the U.S. Government in order to force it to disclose its claimed legal and factual bases for assassinating U.S. citizens without charges, trial or due process of any kind”). What makes it so much worse is how blatantly, insultingly false is its claim that it cannot confirm or deny the CIA drone program without damaging national security.
Milo is the host of Touch, a daily program from 5:00-6:00 PM Pacific on The Bridge, 95.1 FM in Guerneville. Milo has invited me (Brian Romanoff) to be a regular guest on his show to try to bring more light into the events of 9/11. I appreciate the opportunity and I hope you enjoy the show.
Today we follow-up on last week’s discussion of the events of September the 11th, 1973 in Chile, and the US backed interference with Chilean politics and society. A military coup took place in Chile on 9/11/73 and General Augusto Pinochet ruled the country for the next 17 years. Startling events took place in Chile that were known and backed by the CIA and covert operations by the Nixon administration, especially through people like Henry Kissinger. Pinochet would eventually set up DINA, a Chilean CIA that hunted political critics throughout South America, Europe and even the US.
On September 21, 1976 a car-bomb went off in Washington DC, killing Orlando Letelier and US assistant Ronni Moffit, who were both critics of the brutal Pinochet regime. Before 9/11/01 Letelier’s assassination by DINA was considered the worst case of international terrorism on US soil. The man responsible, Michael Townley, was a CIA agent or asset along with the head of DINA, Manueal Contreras. At all points of covert activity, we can assume that Henry Kissinger was aware of what was going on via the CIA or DINA.
Remember: The attacks of 9/11/01 in the US may indeed have been completely averted, if not significantly altered had the CIA not intentionally allowed known criminals into the country without telling the FBI.
Available as a live-stream every Monday 5:00-6:00 PM Pacific at the website provided below:
All might be fine and dandy had the media given us a mere peep of the other 9/11 related news of that week: British Prime Minister David Cameron’s visit to the 9/11 memorial.
A graphic of a web search result made by long-time 9/11 activist and new author Jon Gold points out the sad disparity in news coverage of the 2 events:
(click on image for full size)
There are about 4,860 news articles relating to David Cameron and his visit to the 9/11 memorial on March 14th.
Compare that to the 5 (five) news articles to the Judge’s decision to keep Saudi Arabia out of the court room for 9/11 related events.
I have had my third run in with Norman Solomon, an anti-war activist and media critic who is running for Congress. I have compiled 2 of my run-ins along with some historical context in the video below. I hope you like it and find it interesting.
Norman Solomon has a history of avoiding 9/11, even silencing it.
Now he is running for Congress to represent the 2nd District of California, right where I live.
Detailed investigation reveals unexpected connections among people who played critical roles related to the attacks of September 11, 2001. Earlier articles have covered some of those connections with respect to the World Trade Center (WTC) and the official reports which were produced to explain the WTC events.[1] This article will begin to outline a wider set of connections that encompasses more aspects of 9/11. Readers may find that, with respect to the 9/11 attacks and those who were responsible for protecting us from terrorism, it is a small world after all.
Barry McDaniel came to the WTC security company Stratesec, in 1998, to become its Chief Operating Officer. In the years before 9/11, Stratesec had contracts to provide security services not only for the WTC, but also for United Airlines, which owned two of the planes hijacked on 9/11, and Dulles Airport, where American Airlines Flight 77 took off that day.
At the WTC, McDaniel was in charge of the security operation in terms of what he called a “completion contract,” to provide services “up to the day the buildings fell down.”[2] McDaniel came to Stratesec directly from BDM International, where he had been Vice President for nine years. BDM was a major subsidiary of The Carlyle Group for most of that time. When Barry McDaniel started at BDM, the company began getting a large amount of government business “in an area the Navy called Black Projects,” or budgets that were kept secret.[3]
author: Jimd3100 source: 9/11 Blogger Nov 17, 2011
“Do the orders still stand?” — Military aide to Vice President Navy Capt. Douglas Cochrane
Was there a stand down on 9-11? In a sense yes, but there is no evidence that a stand down order was issued. There would be no reason for VP Cheney to issue a stand down order, since he issuing a shoot down order, would have the same effect. I will proceed to show this as a fact along with the disturbing fact that the President of the United States, and the Secretary of Defense, both deserted their posts in a time of war. These two individuals who are the only ones authorized to issue shoot down orders of civilian aircraft, created the stand down, by deserting their posts, and then further disgraced themselves, and their offices, by lying to the American people.
Condoleezza Rice — National Security Adviser Dick Cheney — Vice President of the United States Donald Rumsfeld – Secretary of Defense George W Bush – President of the United States
Capt. Douglas Cochrane(Navy) – Military aide to Dick Cheney “Cochrane was selected to serve as the Naval Aide to the Vice President in Nov. of 2000 and served Vice President Richard B. Cheney until Dec. 2002.” “He was commended by President George W. Bush for actions as Naval Aide and Vice Presidential Emergency Action Officer, on and about Sept. 11, 2001.” http://mayportmirror.jacksonville.com/military/mayport-mirror/2010-10-27…
Vice Admiral Edmund Giambastiani (Navy)– Military Aide to Donald Rumsfeld “Special Assistant to the Deputy Director for Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency – He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Mitre Corporation.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Giambastiani
Lt. Col. Thomas F. Gould (USAF)- Military aide to George W Bush “March 2000 – March 2002, U.S. Air Force military aide to the President, The White House, Washington, D.C.” http://www.af.mil/information/bios/bio.asp?bioID=14866 “I was there to ensure that the commander in chief had direct access to his military commanders, specifically in the realm of if we were under a nuclear attack I would present the president with his options,” Gould said. http://santamariatimes.com/news/local/features/remembering_911/vandenber…
Before President Bush stepped into the classroom he was already told a commercial airliner had flown into the WTC. He was told this by Rice. This is confirmed in his own book, by Rice, and the 9-11 commission released notes.
“Then Condi called. I spoke to her from a secure phone in a classroom that had been converted into a communications center for the traveling White House staff. She told me the plane that had just struck the Trade Center tower was not a light aircraft. It was a commercial jetliner.” “I was stunned. That plane must have had the worst pilot in the world.” Page 126 http://www.amazon.com/Decision-Points-George-W-Bush/dp/0307590615#reader…
A large number of new entries have been added to the Complete 9/11 Timeline at History Commons describing important events that took place on the day of 9/11, while other new entries add to the growing body of information about 9/11-related training exercises.
One new entry describes how, from 1998, the US Secret Service included computer simulations of planes crashing into the White House in its training exercises. Another notable exercise was held early on the morning of September 11 in the White House Situation Room, based on the scenario of a terrorist bombing in the Middle East.
Also relating to training exercises, new details have emerged about an FBI anti-terrorist unit that was stranded away from Washington at the time of the 9/11 attacks. The Critical Incident Response Group arrived in San Francisco the day before 9/11 for a week of training. Such was the unit’s importance that the White House made getting it back to Washington a priority in the hours after the attacks.
New entries describe two mistaken reports of hijacked aircraft on the morning of September 11. One of these aircraft was thought to be targeting NORAD’s operations center in Colorado. This incorrect information may have caused NORAD to close the massive blast doors to the operations center. The other aircraft was thought to be heading toward Air Force One as it flew President Bush away from Sarasota, and this may have been one reason why Air Force One suddenly increased its altitude.
Read Craig Unger’s book “House of Bush, House of Saud” alongside Russ Baker’s new book “Family of Secrets” and you will see that implicating the Saudi Royals is essentialy going to lead to implicating the Bush family syndicate.
The story below revolves around a Saudi royal family living in Florida that may have had some connections to 11 of the alleged 19 hijackers. – Brian @ Nor Cal Truth
WhoWhatWhy has found evidence linking the Saudi royal family to Saudis in South Florida who reportedly had direct contact with the 9/11 hijackers before fleeing the United States just prior to the attacks. Our report connects some of the dots first laid out by investigative author Anthony Summers and Florida-based journalist Dan Christensen in articles jointly published in the Miami Herald and on the nonprofit news site BrowardBulldog.org.
In early September of this year, Summers and Christensen reported that a secret FBI probe, never shared with Congressional investigators or the presidential 9/11 commission, had uncovered information indicating the possibility of support for the hijackers from previously unknown confederates in the United States during 2001.
Now WhoWhatWhy reveals that those alleged confederates were closely tied to influential members of the Saudi ruling elite.
As reported in the Herald, phone records documented communication, dating back more than a year, that connected a Saudi family then living in a house near Sarasota, Florida, with the alleged plot leader, Mohammed Atta, and his hijack pilots—as well as to eleven of the other hijackers. In addition, records from the guard house at the gated community tied Atta’s vehicle and his accomplice Ziad Jarrah to actual visits to the house. Although requiring further investigation, this information suggests that the house may have functioned as an operational base for the hijackers.
According to interviews and records examined by The Herald, Anoud and Abdulazzi al-Hiijjii and their young twins abruptly departed their home in Sarasota only days before September 11, 2001 and traveled to Arlington, Virginia, where they stayed briefly at another house owned by Anoud’s father, Esam Ghazzawi.
Cheney gave an order to shoot down any aircraft on 9/11 contrary to what the 9/11 Commission Report was left to believe. The order was still given way too late, but more importantly is who it was given by. It would be illegal for the military to listen to the VP for a shootdown order because only the President and Sec. of Def. Rumsfeld had the legal ability. Our military followed protocol. The importance comes because it is most likely that Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld knew this would be the case, and planned it to be such. Bush and Rumsfeld were impossible to be found or contacted in the critical moments where they might have stopped the 9/11 attacks…..where is the media folks? This story does not get to the meat of the matter. - Brian @ Nor Cal
Newly published audio this week reveals that Vice President Dick Cheney’s infamous Sept. 11, 2001 order to shoot down rogue civilian aircraft was ignored by military officials, who instead ordered pilots to only identify suspect aircraft.
That revelation is one of many in newly released audio recordings compiled by investigators for the 9/11 Commission, published this week by The Rutgers Law Review. Featuring voices from employees at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and American Airlines, the newly released multimedia provides a glimpse at the chaos that emerged as the attack progressed.
Most striking of all is the revelation that an order by Vice President Dick Cheney was ignored by the military, which saw his order to shoot down aircraft as outside the chain of command. Instead of acknowledging the order to shoot down civilian aircraft and carrying it out, NORAD ordered fighters to confirm aircraft tail numbers first and report back for further instructions.
Cheney’s order was given at “about 10:15″ a.m., according to the former VP’s memoirs, but the 9/11 Commission Report shows United flight 93 going down at 10:06 a.m. Had the military followed Cheney’s order, civilian aircraft scrambling to get out of the sky could have been shot down, exponentially amplifying the day’s tragedy.
Ten years after al Qaeda’s attack on the United States, the vast majority of the 9/11 Commission’s investigative records remain sealed at the National Archives in Washington, even though the commission had directed the archives to make most of the material public in 2009, Reuters has learned.
The National Archives’ failure to release the material presents a hurdle for historians and others seeking to plumb one of the most dramatic events in modern American history.
The 575 cubic feet of records were in large part the basis for the commission’s public report, issued July 22, 2004. The commission, formally known as the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, was established by Congress in late 2002 to investigate the events leading up to the 9/11 attacks, the pre-attack effectiveness of intelligence agencies and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the government’s emergency response.
Posted by Brian 
