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UNCOVERED! Connections between Dick Cheney's Energy Task Force, 9/11 and Peak Oil
(Michael C. Ruppert, FromTheWilderness)
When, in May 2001, the conservative legal watchdog group Judicial Watch filed suit to see the records of Dick Cheney's National Energy Policy Development Group (NEPDG), it was the first to protest the unheard of secrecy at the energy task force. As the White House stonewalled, the Government Accounting Office (GAO) filed suit the following February. . . . The controversy boiled throughout 2001-2002. It was a crisis which – absent the war on terror – might have been one of the biggest constitutional crises of all time. It might still be. . . . One of the administration's bets was that, in the wake of 9/11, the NEPDG records would be forgotten. . . . They lost that one. . . . Hints as to what was discussed in the secret task force – empanelled immediately after Bush took office in January 2001 – are now on the table. They strongly suggest that inside the NEPDG records lay the deepest, darkest secrets of 9-11. The motive; the apocalyptic truth that would compel such carnage and hairpin the course of human history; the thing that no one ever wanted to know; the thing that makes it utterly believable that the US government could have deliberately facilitated the attacks of September 11th, stands on the brink of full disclosure. . . . The likelihood that those truths might soon be revealed is serious enough that two weeks ago Dick Cheney found it convenient to go duck hunting with Justice Antonin Scalia who will hear arguments in the case this spring. . . . for the US government to have facilitated and orchestrated the attacks of 9/11, something really, really bad must be going on. . . . There are so many inconsistencies, proven lies, conflicts of interest, and contradictions in the Bush administration's accounts of 9/11 that the sheer multitude of them – in a rational world – would have brought the government to a halt long ago. But this is not a rational world. . . . It is full of people – on both sides – who are not behaving rationally. . . . Herein lays the motive behind the US 's eagerness to quietly and wrongly implicate the Saudi government in 9/11. A closer look at the maps obtained by Judicial Watch explains why. When placed side by side the maps reveal that 60% of the world's recoverable oil is in a “golden” triangle running from Mosul in northern Iraq, to the Straits of Hormuz, to an oil field in Saudi Arabia 75 miles in from the coast, just west of Qatar, then back up to Mosul. Sixty per cent of all the recoverable oil on the planet is an in area no larger than the state of Indiana. . . . Is it surprising then that the overwhelming majority of US military deployment since 9/11 is in this region? How easy would it be for the US military, already surrounding it, to occupy this area in the event that the Saudi monarchy became unstable? . . . The simple fact, as described in the opening quote from Michael Klare, is that to secure imports equivalent to the amounts consumed by China and India means taking that oil away from China and India, or some other mix of countries. The question is, from whom? . . . “With the choice Russia faces, the political and economic dynamics of Northeast Asia stand to be profoundly shaped for years to come.” . . . Russia has 60 billion barrels (Gb) of proven reserves, a 690-day supply for planet earth and there are no more significant quantities of oil to be discovered anywhere inside or outside of Russia . World oil discovery peaked in the 1960s and has been declining ever since. The human race now uses four barrels of oil for every barrel found and the gap is widening each year. What remains to be discovered is gong to be of a lesser quality, much more expensive to obtain, and more expensive to refine. . . . When will the price spikes come? Within six months to a year of the 2004 election. Not – if George W. Bush can prevent it – before then. . . . The coming showdown over the NEPDG records is probably the single most important battle that can be fought to learn the truth of 9/11 and the one overriding mandate that is now driving human history.

. . . Read more!


posted by LoZo 3:57 PM

 

'LORD' HUTTON WAS IN NO WAY AN OBJECTIVE PERSON
Hutton, let us not forget, is so committed to the due process of justice that he was more than willing to serve as a "Diplock" judge i.e. acting as judge & jury in the 1970s in Northern Ireland, and listed as a so-called "legitimate target" by the Provisional IRA.

Hutton was born into Ulster's protestant ruling class, was educated at an all-boys boarding school, and has defended his class interest consistently through his life.
His early career in Ulster saw him acting as QC for the MOD during an inquiry into the 'Bloody Sunday' massacre. He cleared the MOD and Army of any wrong doing. Following this he developed a close, friendly relationship with the MOD.

Many rumours that he's a leading Freemason have not yet been corroborated, though other 'Huttons' have often figured in the histories of the lodges. Certainly concern has been shown over the years about the number of Judges who are Masons, particularly those in Ulster where Masonry is rife. Hutton's successor as Lord Chief Justice NI was investigated as a possible Freemason and member of the related semi-masonic Orange Order.

Hutton also acted for the UK government in Strasbourg when the European Court was investigating the state's mistreatment of detainees in Northern Ireland.
Later in his capacity as an English Law Lord he once again demonstrated his affiliations with the MOD, or at least their chums in MI5, by presiding over the Shaylor Inquiry, where the whistleblower's revelations about MI5's incompetence and criminality were condemned.

The MOD itself has also been associated with a high degree of Masonic involvement.

In short, when Blair appointed Hutton, he knew he was a friend of the MOD. With the apparent 'dodgy material' in the Dossier coming from the JIC who respected at face value what they were told by SIS / MI6 and their 'reliable sources,' the finger of suspicion must now fall on Whitehall and their friends.

There is now even speculation that Kelly's death was more than suicide, with MOD, Police and even Masonic complicity seen here too:

http://debateusa.com/featured/jrarey.htm
http://www.freemasonrywatch.org/operation_mason.html

. . . Read more!


posted by LoZo 9:21 PM

 

The future of British journalism is very bleak
(Greg Palast, January 28, 2004)
He did not say, "hello," or even his name, just left a one-word message: "Whitewash." . . . It came from an embattled journalist whispering from inside the bowels of a television and radio station under siege, on a small island off the coast of Ireland: from BBC London. . . . And another call, from a colleague at the Guardian: "The future of British journalism is very bleak." . . . However, the future for fake and farcical war propaganda is quite bright indeed. Today, Lord Hutton issued his report that followed an inquiry revealing the Blair government's manipulation of intelligence to claim that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass murder threatening imminent attack on London. . . . Based on the Blair government's claim, headlines pumped the war hysteria: SADDAM COULD HAVE NUCLEAR BOMB IN YEAR, screeched the London Times. BRITS 45 MINS FROM DOOM, shrieked the Sun newspaper. . . . Given these facts only a sissy pacifist, a lunatic or a Saddam fellow traveler would fail to see that Prime Minister "Winston" Blair had no choice but to re-conquer it's former Mesopotamian colony. . . . But these headlines were, in fact, false, and deadly so. Unlike America's press puppies, BBC reporters thought it their duty to check out these life or death claims. Reporters Andrew Gilligan and Susan Watts contacted a crucial source, Britain's and the United Nation's top weapons inspector. . . . Whatever reading of the source's statements, it was clear that intelligence experts had deep misgivings about the strength of the evidence for war. . . . The source? Dr. David Kelly. To save itself after the reports by Gilligan and Watts, government, including the Prime Minister himself, went on an internal crusade to out the name of its own intelligence operative so it could then discredit the news items. . . . Publishing the name of an intelligence advisor is serious stuff. In the USA, a special criminal prosecutor is now scouring the White House to find the person who publicly named a CIA agent. If found, the Bushite leaker faces jail time. . . . Dr. Kelly, who had been proposed for knighthood was named, harangued and his career destroyed by the outing. He then took his own life. . . . There were no weapons of mass destruction, no nuclear warheads just short of completion, no "45 minutes to doom" bombs auguring a new London blitz. The exile group which supplied this raw claim now calls the 45 minute story, "a crock of shit." . . . Yet Blair's minions are proclaiming their vindication. . . . o M'Lord Hutton has killed the messenger: the BBC. Should the reporter Gilligan have used more cautious terms? Some criticism is fair. But the extraordinary import of his and Watts' story is forgotten: our two governments bent the information then hunted down the questioners. . . . And now the second invasion of the Iraq war proceeds: the conquest of the British Broadcasting Corporation. Until now, this quasi-governmental outlet has refused to play Izvestia to any prime minister, Labour or Tory. . . . As of today, the independence of the most independent major network on this planet is under attack. Blair's government is "cleared" and now arrogantly sport their kill, the head of Gavyn Davies, BBC's chief, who resigned today. . . . "The bleak future for British journalism" portends darkness for journalists everywhere - the threat to the last great open platform for hard investigative reporting. And frankly, it's a worrisome day for me. I'm not a disinterested by-stander. My most important investigations, all but banned from US airwaves, were developed and broadcast by BBC Newsnight, reporter Watts' program. . . . Will an iron curtain descend on the news?

. . . Read more!


posted by LoZo 7:53 PM

 

Meet Our New Saddam Introducing Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan
[The full text of this article is available from the UP!.]

MEMORISE THIS NAME: ISLAM KARIMOV [tip: "carry 'im off"]

HOPEFULLY THIS ARTICLE WON'T BE DUG OUT IN 10 YEARS TIME AS AN "AMAZING PREDICTION OF THE CREATION OF A MONSTER"

Introducing Islam Karimov, one of Washington's most recent allies in the War on Terror. The neo-Stalinist autocrat presides over Uzbekistan, a vast mineral and oil rich country strategically located in central Asia. A country where 1. dissidents are boiled alive. 2. having an Islamically sanctioned beard can get you arrested. 3. torture is widespread. 4. where human rights abuses are occurring on "a massive scale, financed increasingly by the American taxpayer. . . . Recognise anything here? . . . Essentially, the bases gave America a foothold in a globally strategic region and in a better position to compete with Russia and China for the great oil treasures of the Caspian Sea, which is believed to hold vast oil reserves comparable to those of the Middle East. . . . Yet, unlike the Middle East, transport of the black gold from the landlocked lake to the open sea is a major hurdle. Therefore, the primary issue guiding the politics of the region revolve around not ownership of oil, but control of the proposed pipelines by which the oil is transported. It's within this context that Uzbekistan has emerged as the key strategic state in the area. . . . According to the Human Rights Watch (HRW) 2003 World Report, Karimov's government violates, on a systematic level, basic rights "to freedom of religion, expression, association and assembly." It notes that Karimov has used the pretext of the "War on Terror", to pursue a campaign whose aim is to squelch opposition. Specifically, the government has arrested and tortured thousands of independent Muslims, including minors. HRW and other human rights organisations estimate 7-10,000 prisoners held on religious and political charges. Most recently, forensic evidence has been revealed suggesting that Karimov's government boiled to death two Muslim prisoners after they refused to stop praying. . . . for the first time in history a significant section of the population gets the chance to watch as a Demon is created, followed by the falling out, and then the Demonisation Process that will eventually begin again. . . . "If U.S. policy is to have any credibility in the Muslim world - indeed in the world at large - it must be based not on convenience, but on principle. In the 1980s, the U.S. made a similar deal of convenience with another Central Asian tyrant. His name was Saddam Hussein."
St. Louis Post Dispatch, Nov 8, 2003

. . . Read more!


posted by LoZo 8:23 AM

 

Big Brother Britain, 2004 Four million CCTV cameras watch public. UK has the highest level of surveillance
More than four million surveillance cameras monitor our every move, making Britain the most-watched nation in the world, research has revealed. . . . The number of closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras has quadrupled in the past three years, and there is now one for every 14 people in the UK. The increase is happening at twice the predicted rate, and it is believed that Britain accounts for one-fifth of all CCTV cameras worldwide. Estimates suggest that residents of a city such as London can each expect to be captured on CCTV cameras up to 300 times a day, and much of the filming breaches existing data guidelines. . . . Civil liberties groups complain that the rules governing the use of the cameras in Britain are the most lax in the world. They say that, in contrast to other countries, members of the public are often unaware they are being filmed, and are usually ignorant of the relevant regulations. They also argue that there is little evidence to support the contention that CCTV cameras lead to a reduction in crime rates. . . . Barry Hugill, a spokesman for the human rights and civil liberties organisation Liberty, said: "This proliferation of cameras is simply astounding. The use of CCTV has just exploded in the last few years, and what is terrifying is that we are alone in the world for not even having a debate about what it means for our privacy." . . . Professor Norris said: "We are the most-watched nation in the world. One of the surprising findings was how much more control there is in other countries, such as America and France, compared to Britain. . . . "Other countries have been much more wary about CCTV, because of long-held concepts such as freedom of expression and assembly. These seem to be alien concepts in here." . . . The use of cameras to film people in the street is banned in Germany, Canada and several other countries. But it is accepted practice in Britain, which is alone in not having a privacy law that protects people against constant surveillance. . . . "It is about much more than crime. It enables people to be tracked and monitored and harassed and socially excluded on the basis that they do not fit into the category of people that a council or shopping centre wants to see in a public space." . . . Over the past decade, the Home Office has handed out millions of pounds in grants to police forces and councils to install CCTV systems in the belief it will reduce and prevent crime. But Mr Hugill said: "All that CCTV does is shift the crime to another area for a bit, and then it returns. If you asked most people, they would rather see the Government spending the money on more police officers than on installing cameras, which do not appear to make much difference anyway."

. . . Read more!


posted by LoZo 4:15 PM

 

Life After the Peak Oil Crash
Civilization as we know it is coming to an end soon. This is not the wacky conclusion of a religious cult, but rather the result of diligent analysis sourced by hard data and the scientists who study global ?Peak Oil? and related geo-political events. The situation is so dire that even George W. Bush's Energy Adviser, Matthew Simmons, has acknowledged that "the situation is desperate. This is the world's biggest serious question." . . . What is "Peak Oil"? . . . All oil production follows a bell curve, whether in an individual field or on the planet as a whole. On the upslope of the curve production costs are significantly lower than on the downslope when extra effort (expense) is required to extract oil from reservoirs that are emptying out. . . . For the past 150 years, we have been moving up the upslope of the global oil production curve. "Peak Oil" is the industry term for the top of the curve. The peak will last for a year or so, at which time we will go down the very steep downslope. The further we go down the slope, the more it costs to produce oil, and its cousin, natural gas. . . . When will Peak Oil occur? . . . A more realistic estimate is between the year 2004-2010. Unfortunately, we won't know that we hit the peak until 3-4 years after we actually hit it. Even on the upslope of the curve, oil production varies a bit from year to year. It is possible that the year 2000 was the year of peak oil production, as production has dipped every year since. . . . the president of Exxon Mobil Exploration Company, Jon Thompson stated: "By 2015, we will need to find, develop and produce a volume of new oil and gas that is equal to eight out of every 10 barrels being produced today". . . . Almost every current human endeavor from transportation, to manufacturing, to electricity to plastics, and especially food production is inextricably intertwined with oil and natural gas supplies. . . . Commercial food production is oil powered. All pesticides are petroleum based, and all commercial fertilizers are ammonia based. Ammonia is produced from natural gas. . . . Unfortunately, we are at a point where the demand for food/oil has been rising exponentially, and is expected to continue to do so. Oil (food) production, however, is about to drop dramatically. . . . When Peak Oil occurs, food production will plummet because of the cost of fertilizer will soar. The cost of storing (electricity) and transporting (gasoline) what little food that is produced will also soar. Unless you grow all your own food on your own local, self sustained farm, you will have to deal with the food shortage. . . . Thus, the aftermath of Peak Oil will extend far beyond how much you will pay for gas. Simply stated, you can expect: war, starvation, economic recession, possibly even the extinction of homo sapiens. . . . This is known as the post-oil "die-off". The term "die-off" captures perfectly the nightmare that is at our doorstep. . . . It is estimated that the world's population will contract to 500 million during the Oil Crash. (current world population: 6 billion) . . . We all may as well accept were going to die during the crash. However, if enough of us prepare, then at least a few should make it and humanity will rise once again. . . . What About Alternatives like Solar, Wind, Hydrogen etc? . . . Unfortunately, it is too late. It would take us a minimum of 50 years to develop a food delivery infrastructure based on alternative energies. Peak Oil is going to occur within five. Even if we stopped all wars, and committed ourselves entirely to energy alternatives such as solar, wind, hydrogen etc, the best we can hope for is to soften the fall. . . . Oil accounts for 40% of our current global energy supply. There are no alternatives to oil that can supply this much energy, let alont the amount of energy we require to feed a wolrdwide population that is increasing exponentially. . . . Ample evidence exists that we are in the first stages of the Oil Crash. In the last year (2003), the cost of food has risen 16%-25%. Health care costs have risen 15%. Education costs have risen 20%. These are often excluded from measures of inflation because they are considered "volatile". . . . As of 12/03 the "adjusted" unemployment, which has been squeezed out of as much meaning as conceivably possible, still hovers in the 6% range. However, if you factor in the quality of employment, then the real numbers are closer to 12%-15%. . . . The rolling blackouts experienced in California during Fall 2000, the massive East Coast blackout of August, 2003 and the various other massive blackouts that occured throughout the world during late summer of 2003, while not directly related to Peak Oil, are simply a sign of things to come. . . . If the year 2000 was the year of Peak Oil, it means we have very little time to prepare before things completley disintegrate. . . . In the context of Peak Oil, the wars in the Middle East are not wars of greed. Rather, they are wars for survival. . . . You can expect the U.S. to invade Syria, Iran and Saudi Arabia within the next 2-5 years. As you watch the news, you can already notice the hints are being dropped. "Iran has WMD" or "Syria isn't cooperating in the war on terror" or "Saudi Arabia is funding terrorism". "The war on terror will last for decades." The stage is being set so that the American public will accept these future invasions. . . . If we get Bush out of office, will that solve the problem? . . . Peak Oil is happening with or without Bush. . . . The President, his administration, and most of our legislators have been reduced to ceremonial figureheads for the energy and defense industries. These industries control both parties. . . . None of the presidential candidates except Dennis Kucinich have publicly mentioned Peak Oil even once. . . . In other words, regardless of who gets elected, we're on our own. . . . When food production plummets, the only way to control the population will be through the institution of a fascist style police state. The passage of the Patriot Acts are the foundation of that state. . . . Rather then developing a reasonable plan for handling the coming Oil Crash, out leaders have decided to make a last ditch grab for whatever recoverable oil is available by stealing it from the nations that have it. With control over the world's dwindling supplies of recoverable oil, they will have the ability to choose who lives and who dies. . . . If you aren't making over $200,000/year, our leaders don't care whether you live or die. As an example, 70% of our troops from the first Gulf War are now disabled with Gulf War Syndrome. The Reserve and National Guard troops that are now in Iraq have not been issued sidearms or bullet proof vests. Our lives mean nothing to our leaders. . . . Unlike past "end of the world" scenarios, such as nuclear war, biological terrorism, and of course Y2K, Peak Oil is not a question of "if". Peak Oil is a scientific fact. The only question is when. . . . If you are an optimist, you will deal with the reality of Peak Oil in a realistic way that optimizes humanity's chance of surviving Peak Oil and building a prosperous post-oil civilization. If you are not willing to deal with Peak Oil in this way, you are a fool who will be dead within 20 years. . . . How can we best deal with Peak Oil as a society? . . . Peak Oil is going to happen. People are going to die. We cannot stop it. But we may be able to minimize the amount of suffering while maximizing the chances of building a successful post-oil civilization if we immediately come together as a species and do the following:

1. Stop all wars and other nonessential economic activity. Dedicate all of our time and resources to developin energy alternatives.
2. Stop having kids. We cannot feed our current population. When the Oil Crash comes, the situation will go from bad to worse to nightmareish. More children means an increased demand for food that we cannot produce.
3. No more pets. They require food that needs to be used to feed people.
4 No more beef eating, as cattle raising is extremely energy intensive.
5. Drastically cut our energy consumption. This means eating produce that is grown locally, investing in hybrid cars, substituting bicycles for cars, limiting our purchase of consumer goods to those that are absolutely necessary, and no air travel unless absolutely necessary.

In every species, the "over adapted" members of that species tend to die off and be replaced by simpler versions. In the case of humanity, hyper-industrialized societies such as the United States will become extinct, while simpler, more peacefull societies will continue.

. . . Read more!


posted by LoZo 12:52 PM

 

Hawks push Bush to attack more countries and to consider France an enemy
(David Rennie, The Telegraph, 31 December 2003)
President George W Bush was sent a public manifesto yesterday by Washington's hawks, demanding regime change in Syria and Iran and a Cuba-style military blockade of North Korea backed by planning for a pre-emptive strike on its nuclear sites. . . . The manifesto, presented as a "manual for victory" in the war on terror, also calls for Saudi Arabia and France to be treated not as allies but as rivals and possibly enemies. . . . The manifesto is contained in a new book by Richard Perle, a Pentagon adviser and "intellectual guru" of the hardline neo-conservative movement, and David Frum, a former Bush speechwriter. They give warning of a faltering of the "will to win" in Washington. . . . Their publication, An End to Evil: How to Win the War on Terror, coincided with the latest broadside from the hawks' enemy number one, Colin Powell, the secretary of state. . . . Though on leave recovering from a prostate cancer operation, Mr Powell summoned reporters to his bedside to hail "encouraging" signs of a "new attitude" in Iran and call for the United States to keep open the prospect of dialogue with the Teheran authorities. . . . Such talk is anathema to hawks like Mr Perle and Mr Frum who urge Washington to shun the mullahs and work for their overthrow in concert with Iranian dissidents. . . . The book demands that any talks with North Korea require the complete and immediate abandonment of its nuclear programme. . . . As North Korea will probably refuse such terms, the book urges a Cuba-style military blockade and overt preparations for war, including the rapid pullback of US forces from the inter-Korean border so that they move out of range of North Korean artillery. . . . The book calls for tough action against France and its dreams of offsetting US power. "We should force European governments to choose between Paris and Washington," it states. Britain's independence from Europe should be preserved, perhaps with open access for British arms to American defence markets.

. . . Read more!


posted by LoZo 11:43 AM