bodhi
2007-02-28 12:25:14 UTC
Bush is Funding al-Qaeda, Making Him an Unlawful Combatant
By Dave Lindorff
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/18985
It was always clear that the $21 billion in Iraq reconstruction funds,
most of which disappeared into Iraq (much of it was in the form of
bales of $100 bills), didn't just vanish.
Given the number of veterans of the Iran-Contra scandal operating in
the Bush White House and Pentagon--many of them convicted felons or
unindicted co-conspirators in that baroque criminal scandal from the
Reagan presidency--it seemed obvious that such easy cash would end up
being funnelled into secret wars and secret military projects, as well
as other nefarious activities.
Now we learn from ace investigative reporter Sy Hersh, speaking on CNN
that Bush and his criminal crew have been using this illicit, stolen
cash to fund covert attacks on Iranian targets, and that much of the
money has been going--get this--to Sunni jihadists linked to Al-Qaeda--
the very people we're fighting in Iraq!
This is surely taking that old saw, "the enemy of my enemy is my
friend," to the extreme! First we let Osama Bin Laden escape from Tora
Bora, and now we're funding him and his allies, supposedly to attack
our new enemy, Iran. It's enough to make you queasy. Osama must be
laughing all the way to the bank. First we set him up, when we wanted
him to attack the Soviets in Afghanistan. Then he turned on us and
attacked us. And now we're back to supporting him again.
No wonder when Congress passed a bill creating an office of inspector
general to check on all that vanishing Iraq cash, Bush furtively
issued one of his "signing statements" saying that the new inspector
would be barred from examining any funds that involved the Pentagon--
effectively nullifying the law!
Now, it should be pointed out that under anti-terrorism legislation
submitted by the administration and passed into law by the Congress,
providing aid to Al-Qaeda or to organizations in any way linked to
terrorism is a federal crime and classifies the perpetrator as an
abettor of terrorism and even as an "unlawful combatant," subject to
loss of citizenship rights, and suitable for rendition to Guantanamo
or some other secret torture hell-hole.
I suppose the proper thing at this point would be for some patriotic
prosecutor or some general to march into the White House and haul the
president off to be waterboarded until he lays out all the details of
his treasonous actions. (Sure he is the president and is immune from
prosecution, but if he's an "unlawful combatant," none of that
applies. The president has declared this to be so.)
For make no mistake: secretly providing money to terrorist
organizations that are daily attacking Americans in Iraq, in order to
ignite a new war against Iran, especially at a time that the US
military is stretched beyond the limit in Iraq, is nothing short of
treason. Even viewed in a more minimalist way, absconding with public
funds and diverting them to illegal purposes is criminal fraud.
If Congress does not jump on this immediately, its members will have
betrayed their oaths and the nation.
These are dangerous times. We are being led by bloodthirsty men drunk
with power and the people who are supposed to be standing up to them
are afraid to lift a finger.
The time is fast approaching when the only way America's beleagured
and abused troops will be able to defend themselves will be by laying
down their arms--or perhaps turning them on their demented leaders.
----------------
namaste;
bodhi
http://psychedelictourist.blogspot.com
By Dave Lindorff
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/18985
It was always clear that the $21 billion in Iraq reconstruction funds,
most of which disappeared into Iraq (much of it was in the form of
bales of $100 bills), didn't just vanish.
Given the number of veterans of the Iran-Contra scandal operating in
the Bush White House and Pentagon--many of them convicted felons or
unindicted co-conspirators in that baroque criminal scandal from the
Reagan presidency--it seemed obvious that such easy cash would end up
being funnelled into secret wars and secret military projects, as well
as other nefarious activities.
Now we learn from ace investigative reporter Sy Hersh, speaking on CNN
that Bush and his criminal crew have been using this illicit, stolen
cash to fund covert attacks on Iranian targets, and that much of the
money has been going--get this--to Sunni jihadists linked to Al-Qaeda--
the very people we're fighting in Iraq!
This is surely taking that old saw, "the enemy of my enemy is my
friend," to the extreme! First we let Osama Bin Laden escape from Tora
Bora, and now we're funding him and his allies, supposedly to attack
our new enemy, Iran. It's enough to make you queasy. Osama must be
laughing all the way to the bank. First we set him up, when we wanted
him to attack the Soviets in Afghanistan. Then he turned on us and
attacked us. And now we're back to supporting him again.
No wonder when Congress passed a bill creating an office of inspector
general to check on all that vanishing Iraq cash, Bush furtively
issued one of his "signing statements" saying that the new inspector
would be barred from examining any funds that involved the Pentagon--
effectively nullifying the law!
Now, it should be pointed out that under anti-terrorism legislation
submitted by the administration and passed into law by the Congress,
providing aid to Al-Qaeda or to organizations in any way linked to
terrorism is a federal crime and classifies the perpetrator as an
abettor of terrorism and even as an "unlawful combatant," subject to
loss of citizenship rights, and suitable for rendition to Guantanamo
or some other secret torture hell-hole.
I suppose the proper thing at this point would be for some patriotic
prosecutor or some general to march into the White House and haul the
president off to be waterboarded until he lays out all the details of
his treasonous actions. (Sure he is the president and is immune from
prosecution, but if he's an "unlawful combatant," none of that
applies. The president has declared this to be so.)
For make no mistake: secretly providing money to terrorist
organizations that are daily attacking Americans in Iraq, in order to
ignite a new war against Iran, especially at a time that the US
military is stretched beyond the limit in Iraq, is nothing short of
treason. Even viewed in a more minimalist way, absconding with public
funds and diverting them to illegal purposes is criminal fraud.
If Congress does not jump on this immediately, its members will have
betrayed their oaths and the nation.
These are dangerous times. We are being led by bloodthirsty men drunk
with power and the people who are supposed to be standing up to them
are afraid to lift a finger.
The time is fast approaching when the only way America's beleagured
and abused troops will be able to defend themselves will be by laying
down their arms--or perhaps turning them on their demented leaders.
----------------
namaste;
bodhi
http://psychedelictourist.blogspot.com