How the Pentagon Planted a False Hormuz Story
WASHINGTON — Senior Pentagon officials, evidently reflecting a broader administration policy decision, used an off-the-record Pentagon briefing to turn the Jan. 6 U.S.-Iranian incident in the Strait of Hormuz into a sensational story demonstrating Iran’s military aggressiveness, a reconstruction of the events following the incident shows.
The initial press stories on the incident, all of which can be traced to a briefing by deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs in charge of media operations Bryan Whitman, contained similar information that has since been repudiated by the Navy itself.
Then the Navy disseminated a short video into which was spliced the audio of a phone call warning that U.S. warships would “explode” in “a few seconds”. Although it was ostensibly a Navy production, IPS has learned that the ultimate decision on its content was made by top officials of the Defense Department.
The encounter between five small and apparently unarmed speedboats, each carrying a crew of two to four men, and the three U.S. warships occurred very early on Saturday Jan. 6, Washington time. But no information was released to the public about the incident for more than 24 hours, indicating that it was not viewed initially as being very urgent.
The reason for that absence of public information on the incident for more than a full day is that it was not that different from many others in the Gulf over more than a decade. A Pentagon consultant who asked not to be identified told IPS that he had spoken with officers who had experienced similar encounters with small Iranian boats throughout the 1990s, and that such incidents are “just not a major threat to the U.S. Navy by any stretch of the imagination”.
Just two weeks earlier, on Dec. 19, the USS Whidbey Island, an amphibious warship, had fired warning shots after a small Iranian boat allegedly approached it at high speed. But that incident had gone without public notice.
With the reports from 5th Fleet commander Vice-Adm. Kevin Cosgriff in hand early that morning, top Pentagon officials had all day Sunday, Jan. 6, to discuss what to do about the encounter in the Strait of Hormuz. The result was a decision to play it up as a major incident.
The decision came just as President George W. Bush was about to leave on a Middle East trip aimed in part at rallying Arab states to join the United States in an anti-Iran coalition.
That decision in Washington was followed by a news release by the commander of the 5th Fleet on the incident at about 4:00 a.m. Washington time Jan. 7. It was the first time the 5th Fleet had ever issued a news release on an incident with small Iranian boats.
The release reported that the Iranian “small boats” had “maneuvered aggressively in close proximity of [sic] the Hopper [the lead ship of the three-ship convoy].” But it did not suggest that the Iranian boats had threatened the boats or that it had nearly resulted in firing on the Iranian boats.
On the contrary, the release made the U.S. warships handling of the incident sound almost routine. “Following standard procedures,” the release said, “Hopper issued warnings, attempted to establish communications with the small boats and conducted evasive maneuvering.”
The release did not refer to a U.S. ship being close to firing on the Iranian boats, or to a call threatening that U.S. ships would “explode in a few minutes”, as later stories would report, or to the dropping of objects into the path of a U.S. ship as a potential danger.
That press release was ignored by the news media, however, because later that Monday morning, the Pentagon provided correspondents with a very different account of the episode.
At 9 a.m., Barbara Starr of CNN reported that “military officials” had told her that the Iranian boats had not only carried out “threatening maneuvers”, but had transmitted a message by radio that “I am coming at you” and “you will explode”. She reported the dramatic news that the commander of one boat was “in the process of giving the order to shoot when they moved away”.
CBS News broadcast a similar story, adding the detail that the Iranian boats “dropped boxes that could have been filled with explosives into the water”. Other news outlets carried almost identical accounts of the incident.
The source of this spate of stories can now be identified as Bryan Whitman, the top Pentagon official in charge of media relations, who gave a press briefing for Pentagon correspondents that morning. Although Whitman did offer a few remarks on the record, most of the Whitman briefing was off the record, meaning that he could not be cited as the source.
In an apparent slip-up, however, an Associated Press story that morning cited Whitman as the source for the statement that U.S. ships were about to fire when the Iranian boats turned and moved away — a part of the story that other correspondents had attributed to an unnamed Pentagon official.
On Jan. 9, the U.S. Navy released excerpts of a video of the incident in which a strange voice — one that was clearly very different from the voice of the Iranian officer who calls the U.S. ship in the Iranian video — appears to threaten the U.S. warships.
A separate audio recording of that voice, which came across the VHS channel open to anyone with access to it, was spliced into a video on which the voice apparently could not be heard. That was a political decision, and Lt. Col. Mark Ballesteros of the Pentagon’s Public Affairs Office told IPS the decision on what to include in the video was “a collaborative effort of leadership here, the Central Command and Navy leadership in the field.”
“Leadership here”, of course, refers to the secretary of defense and other top policymakers at the department. An official in the U.S. Navy Office of Information in Washington, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue, said that decision was made in the office of the secretary of defense.
That decision involved a high risk of getting caught in an obvious attempt to mislead. As an official at 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain told IPS, it is common knowledge among officers there that hecklers — often referred to as “Filipino Monkey” — frequently intervene on the VHF ship-to-ship channel to make threats or rude comments.
One of the popular threats made by such hecklers, according to British journalist Lewis Page, who had transited the Strait with the Royal Navy is, “Look out, I am going to hit [collide with] you.”
By Jan. 11, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell was already disavowing the story that Whitman had been instrumental in creating only four days earlier. “No one in the military has said that the transmission emanated from those boats,” said Morrell.
The other elements of the story given to Pentagon correspondents were also discredited. The commanding officer of the guided missile cruiser Port Royal, Capt. David Adler, dismissed the Pentagon’s story that he had felt threatened by the dropping of white boxes in the water. Meeting with reporters on Monday, Adler said, “I saw them float by. They didn’t look threatening to me.”
The naval commanders seemed most determined, however, to scotch the idea that they had been close to firing on the Iranians. Vice-Adm. Kevin Cosgriff, the commander of the 5th Fleet, denied the story in a press briefing on Jan. 7. A week later, Comdr. Jeffery James, commander of the destroyer Hopper, told reporters that the Iranians had moved away “before we got to the point where we needed to open fire”.
The decision to treat the Jan. 6 incident as evidence of an Iranian threat reveals a chasm between the interests of political officials in Washington and Navy officials in the Gulf. Asked whether the Navy’s reporting of the episode was distorted by Pentagon officials, Cmdr Robertson of 5th Fleet Public Affairs would not comment directly. But she said, “There is a different perspective over there.”
Copyright © 2008 IPS-Inter Press Service
who is wagging who?
Sometimes I am not sure whether to just feel sorry for America or to be outright ashamed to be an American.
who is shagging who?
and, oh what has happened to the truth?
inquiring minds want to know.
Truth? Truth ain’t an American family value. This appears to be a Facist nation, best we get over it and get on with it.
Veteran ‘66-68
GULF
OF
TONKIN!!
That the general American populace continues to be so easily and willingly deceived speaks volumes of how cowed and sheeplike they have become. The Corporate media are nothing more than the blunt tip of the club the Bushco neoFascist’s weild against their own ‘democracy’.
Despair, resignation and disgust. That’s all I feel.
Go to hell America.
Since WAR is what we do, the ever-present danger that peace may break out must be combatted by any means necessary: say ANYTHING and keep saying it. Since most of the media are part of our war economy, it is up to us to bring this courageous reporting by Gareth Porter and Inter Press Service to the attention of all out friends, as well as our Senators and Reps. Let’s get on the phone! HAIL CODE PINK!
You have to ask, why would a real threat radio ahead a warning “I’m going to blow you up, so get ready”.
I’m sure most of you heard the recording and laughed how poorly this was thought out.
FOX listeners believe!
When people ask me if I am an American I saw I am Swiss. I was born in the US but that was an accident of birth. I choose a country that is far from perfect, but doesn’t go around invading soveriegn nations.
Now, everyone, go look in your local paper, your local paper’s website, TV, or other news source to see if this story, from a perfectly legitimate news wire source, and see if this stunningly important story is there.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - nothing as this post.
Sigh. Stop blaming America, please.
America is one of the many victims in this nonsense. Perhaps the biggest victim.
A very few, very powerful people orchestrate this stuff, not “America”. America is being used. Or consumed, to be more accurate.
Find the common ground in those who are hidden from view. If you can’t see the issues where Ron Paul, Ralph Nader, and Dennis K come together, you won’t see the scam.
Don’t let your loyalty to a direction on the left/right axis blind you to what’s going on. The marginalized, on both sides of that so-called spectrum, know and speak the truth. Which is why they’ve been marginalized.
I’d love to see an independant ticket of marginalized right and left wingers, united, win the presidency, and stop the awesome theft of the whole freaking world’s wealth by a handful of barely visible humans. The extreme right is starting to consider this. How about you guys???
John Freeman - I agree.
NMBill - Government shouldn’t be in the business of fabrication, but even so your comment shows so clearly how amateurs are running amok in the highest echelons of DC - what does that say about this country?
This is an embarrassment to the Navy and something has got to give soon because it is so much easier to start a war than it is to end one particularly when leadership is corrupt to the core.
As Thomas Jefferson said: “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants”
When all the Countries of the world see this after Little George is trying to get them to sanction Iran… Well now they know that they are dealing with not only lying War Criminals but Frat Brat amateurs..
Are we winning or what!
There’s the elites that run this country and do this sort of crap for whatever reason. Maybe their budget is up for approval. Or maybe they want another war.
We need a unified opposition of everyone from any political point of view that opposes this crap. Have a very basic simple agenda to clean up our elections, clean up our government and return to a government of the people, by the people and for the people.
Why did they try it now after being debunked by their own intelligence? Well the economy is sliding into recession and the only way they can try to revive it is start another war. All the recent incident proves, especially to the followers of this idiot we call a president, is that Bush is now the laughing stock of the world, especially Iran!
Nice to know my rule of the last 20 years still holds true. If it comes from the Pentagon, its a lie.
I think I’m batting about 1.000 using that rule, unfortunately.
If it comes from the Pentagon, its a lie! Someone get Bart Simpson to write that on the board a 1000 times until everyone gets it.
Bush did score a victory against whales–letting the Navy use sonar that kills whales.
If the Japanese had Bush he would surely deliver them more whales than a whaling ship could.
Lot’s of lies, Lots unreported in the US mainstream press . . .
PJD: I hate to be the one to hip you to this, but Inter Press News Service - well vetted and accepted by folks like us - is not a “perfectly legitimate news wire source” here in Americkkka. The American corporate elite, which basically owns every major media outlet in this country, also contains every company our military - and for that matter militias of many other countries too - “contracts” to. If you see this story reach the mainstream press, or even the AP newswire, it will be because someone at the Pentagon fell asleep on the job and let it get through.
Bottom line: the independent, non-corporate press is now the press of the people. We should only put the other stuff on and/or read it for entertainment’s sake.
This story is more fodder for impeachment, if you ask me. I’m quite sure that if we dig hard enough, we can implicate Chaney on this one. After all, where has he been?
COMarc, you said: There’s the elites that run this country and do this sort of crap for whatever reason. Maybe their budget is up for approval. Or maybe they want another war.
That`s just about it. They want to acquire yet more wealth. They get the govt. to print up a whole whack of money, and direct it into their hands. That devalues everyone else`s money, but still increases the elite`s share of the world`s wealth.
War is the perfect vehicle for this, as no-one dares speak against the flow of magic money that is created, as it is clearly created to `defend freedom`.
Counterfeiting with Impunity. On a grand scale.
Big_Money; I’ll stop America bashing when you stop killing. Deal?
Money doesn`t kill people, people with a lust for money are more than happy to, though.
What’s with the stop blaming America crap? I didn’t see any comments that were blaming America. I see people who are ashamed to be an American because of the people in power who claim to speak for all of us. That, in my opinion, is something to be ashamed of. The fact that we can’t get more people voting in a “democracy” (really a republic) is shameful. Our representatives, for the most part, do not represent the will of the people. They even flaunt this by saying that they don’t follow the “whims” of polls. It doesn’t matter if a growing majority holds an opinion, it is simply not valid. I find it strange that during election time polls are extremely important and incessantly discussed by babbling idiots but don’t matter anywhere else. Unfortunately, a ridiculously small percentage of Americans have any idea what’s going and the effects of our actions on the rest of the world. I understand the “don’t blame America” act, and it would be best if we could single out every “bad apple”, but the tree is so rotten I don’t think we can save it without hacking off entire limbs.
No risk in getting caught at this sort of thing. Congress now takes the executive’s criminal conduct for granted and accepts it as the new standard.
@ Big_Money January 16th, 2008 12:31 pm who wrote America is one of the many victims in this nonsense. Perhaps the biggest victim.
Playing the victim card does not work. I believe it is the apathy of Americans that allow this nonsense to continue, and so ultimately, Americans are responsible.
It is only a few percent of voters who support the likes of R Paul and D Kucinich. Yes, I hear your arguments about media marginalization, but that is not the reason for American apathy, merely a symptom.
buffalo_ken wrote This is an embarrassment to the Navy and something has got to give soon
Unlikely. Until Congress withholds funding for the Navy’s next aircraft carrier or sub will the Navy (and other military services) become accountable for their actions.
WTF, Apathy is certainly one of the key enablers. Apathy leads to incuriosity, which leads to ignorance, which leads to bliss.
Maybe Paul and Kucinich can`t and won`t win, but they need to be heard. A truly free press would jam reality down the throats of the Apathetic. But by not even mentioning these fine men or their positions, the well-controlled MSM paves the way to bliss. Works real good.
BTW, not playing victim as a card (I`m Austrian/Canadian), but trying to point out that directing one’s frustration against a Nation rather than the forces that are destroying it won’t even slow the destruction…
Another part of the lie is that there are no international waters in the
Strait of Hormuz!
Having been in the Navy I can’t tell you how embarrassing and dumb this whole setup is. The guys were probably on the starboard side of the ship waving, pointing, and laughing at these Iranian turkeys. It gets boring out at sea and something like this is considered welcome entertainment. The ship was at the ready to take care of business if necessary.
I saw a UFO once.
Does anyone here give a shit?
Never mind.
The Pentagon today released a video and audio tape that appears to confirm its charge that Iranian fighting kites swarmed US war planes near the Iran/Iraq border, and their controllers radioed a threat to blow the planes up.
The US says the video, released by the US Airforce and taken from the flight recorder of a US war plane, shows Iranian fighting kites which threatened to destroy US planes in the border area. The video shows fast fighting kites blocking the flight path of US airplanes. A man’s voice saying, “I am coming to you… You will explode in a few minutes,” is heard on the audio portion of the tape.
The Pentagon said that two of the Iranian kites dropped their tails directly in the flight path of the airplanes, “If those had gotten sucked into the engines, it would have been all over for those planes.”
One useful lesson from this “speedboats in Hormuz” incident is that BOTH SIDES carry cameras, shoot video and audio, and can upload to the Internet. Modern technology may help us avoid some needless escalations of types that might have been easier to spin wildly in earlier times.
There are many reasons we are not “safer” in a modern world. Videos as evidence in international incidents might emerge as one little step forward though.
Another lesson (to media) may be to slow down and think twice before airing too quickly another similar “production” released from DOD.
SWALLOWED WHOLE by Barf Spritzer (the man from Israel), CNN and the entire melodrama-machine that enables empire to live beyond its decrepitude….
It was better than a Paris Hilton day long news item David. Gotta sell that “Head On apply directly to the forehead” ya know.
WARLOVERS’ QUARREL: “REGIFT” GULF O’ TONKIN?
“…And I am dumb to tell the crooked pose
…how a Pose is a pose is a po$e…”
–Thomas Stein
WHOO NU?
AND JUST IN TIME FOR VALENTINE’S DAY TOO
($MOOTH OPERATORS ARE STANDING BY)
ON-MESSAGE $weet-Nothing$
from GOPeteredPrinciple Military-Industrial-Strength
DONOR WHISPERER$
$EE NO EVIL…
‘FILIPINO MONKEYBUSINESS’ CHAPTER & VERSE:
ALIBI bull & the 40 (PNAC Gallery) THIEVE$…
MARTIAL PLANNERS: FREEMARKAPUPPETEERS–DUH-FACTOR TEN
~Scary Wankster, False Flagstir?
“Gulf prankster possible message source”
“…the transmission could have come from a radio heckler, widely known among mariners by the ethnically insulting term “the Filipino Monkey.”
…Filipino Monkey is a name used by mariners around the globe for someone who uses his radio for unnecessary or inappropriate transmissions…”
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080114/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iran_us_navy
“Politics” @ http://artistgeneral.com
YouTube - Artist General: Ghost in the War Machine (Who Ya Gonna Call)
so I went to cnn.com to see if this was covered. it wasn’t anywhere to be found (and I did try!).
even more depressing was the page one lead headline picture/story:
“Simpson Bail Doubled:
A Nevada judge doubled O.J. Simpson’s bail to $250,000 today after learning he never paid any money to a bail bondsman when he initially was released.”
you’ve got to be kidding me! that’s news, and a lying government, drooling over the opportunity to nuke an unthreatening, sovereign nation isn’t?
Obviously capitalist globalization with its free market defenders do practice lies and treason as they do in the market and with the people. They have no shame no values no humanity, anything that gets them what they want, their goal justifies the means: inhumanity, torture, distortion to control the world’s resources.
Why is not the sold out media make a big deal about the truth about the Strait of Hurmoz plan coming to light and exposed? Even though this is an idealistic expectation given the history of mass media.
I have seen video of the 5th Fleet in full armada formation steaming through the Persian Gulf. If that is not terrorism, what is it?
Arrogance? Yeah, that too.
Those outboard motorboats could not even keep up with those destroyers and cruisers. The warships are heavily armored and huge, but they also go like hell. They don’t care how much fuel they burn, our grandchildren will be paying for it.
You would need a boat at least as good as the one Rodney Dangerfield had in Caddyshack just to keep up with American warships. The outboards the Iranians had in the video I saw would not be able to stay with those warships for more than a few minutes, and if they approached too close, the wake of the big ships would capsize them.
Like others have written above, this shows that the people running the government in D.C. are not just evil, they are stupid.
Here is another interesting article regarding truth and fiction. The dust just doesn’t want to settle does it?
http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_alan_mil_080112_twenty_five_u_s__mil.htm
(A thanks to don_alejandro for this link)
What will be next? A major clash with the ever dangerous Togo? When will Bush just go away?!?!?!?!
buffalo ken,
Thanks twice! (I know, bad English) First for the earlier quote from Thomas Jefferson, and secondly for the above link. Please read Ken’s link, CD’ers.
Last spring, Lt. Col Bowman spoke to a peace group that I belong to, and it was one of the three best speeches I have ever heard. The man is dynamic!
Disinformation is SOP for the US Defense Dept.
During two different consulting gigs in Bahrain (2005 and 2006) I lived 3 blocks from the base where the 5th Fleet is moored. Because of the base, there is now a “strip” running north-south in the Juffair district that is–with the exception of one Lebanese restaurant–entirely US fast food joints–McDonalds, DQ, the whole nasty crew.
The quality of life in Bahrain has gone down because of the sailors, and the danger level has gone WAAAY up as there are only two ways off the island for most folks: the bridge to Saudi which was paid for by the Saudis and would be closed in the event of an incident, and the airport.
The US has no business basing their sailors in the gulf. Sooner or later the whole area will explode.
Thanks, asshole US government.
How to cripple a US aircraft carrier.
First, get a speed boat. Pack it to the gunnels with Semtex, C-4, TNT, whatever. Wire an impact detonator with a 2 second delay. Mount a recoiless rifle under some false deck planking at the bow. strengthen the bow to act as a penetrator. Head out at night, no running lights. Head for the bow of the carrier, swerve slightly to one side, fire the recoiless rifle to make a small hole in the hull, then ram the boat into the carrier’s hull.
Boom. (Bear in mind that a .25 pound block of plastique will reduce a midsize sedan to confetti. And aircraft carrier hulls are not those of battleships.)
Watch the now striken carrier sink to the bottom.
WTF January 16th, 2008 1:05 pm: “Playing the victim card does not work. I believe it is the apathy of Americans that allow this nonsense to continue, and so ultimately, Americans are responsible.”
Agreed.
The problem in the US is that Americans all too easily make some sort of distinction between themselves and “the government” when in fact they elected these people (and by not voting they have allowed certain officials to become elected). That government represents Americans: all of them, on the left the middle and the right. there are no alibis.
I think it was Franklin that said something to the effect of “Here’s your Republic, if you can keep it.” Americans haven’t been “keeping it” for a long time, using apathy & cynicism as an excuse to let “that government” do what it wishes.
Most of the blame goes to the government, yes, and the corporate media has a large role to play also, certainly. But long before any of this, it took the apathy, indifference and irrepsonsibility of American people to allow things to get this bad. The government, like it or not, is an extension of the American populace– they represent each and every one of those Americans, whether they like it or not. Americans aren’t just innocent victims here…
With freedom comes responsibility. I don’t see many Americans really a damn about torture, war crimes, the environment, etc. etc. etc. There are some that DO give a damn, but sadly, that does not appear to be the norm.
DANIEL DAVID
unfortunately, videos can be altered/edited……………
Coco: True. Especially with todays CGI technology…
WTF and DISSIDENT, I think this article can serve as an illustration as to how America or The American People are not very responsible for the actions of those who control their government.
The lie is pushed so hard. Then the truth is hidden at all costs (and money is no object). Most Americans are busy with lives, careers, educations, families, hobbies, fetishes, compulsions, and actually do try to be “informed”. But you’d have to be some kind of hard-core news digger (like everyone here) to find the factoids they don’t want you to see. You can’t expect each American to be as diligent as you, can you?
What kind of freedom is that?
It is all a matter of definitions and who writes them. Iran : A large power hungry state (all overpopulated nations are power deficient), bristling with weapons and fanatical soldiers (standard human religious and army training), which would impose a islamic calaphate over the whole world (maybe if there was no one else around). Has lots of oil which should be properly owned by the USA: A nation of naive consumers of the worlds resources and mass media (believe anything from TV), defending their natural interest in ownership of everything in the rest of the world, as it dies slowly of climate catastrophe and environmental degradation. Due to lack of political interest and real democratic participation, is now ruled by Israel: Natural rulers of the USA and everything else. Gods own people (GOP). Every one else is a Palestinian: Legally none-humans that can be kicked off their land when it is needed by GOP and shot dead or herded into concentration camps. Arab: Remnant pre-industrial people corrupted by oil revenue, western decadence, and western arms salesmen. They should be helped by the USA taking their sources of corruption away from them, hence occupation of Iraq: Wait until the oil runs out. Turkey: Wants to be European by conquest of Kurdistan. Pakistan: A mess, standing in line for USA invasion. Afghanistan: Army warfare training ground. Ideal location for most world powers, currently rented by the west. Close to oil and all the other trouble makers.
THE PENTAGON WAR MACHINE. . .THE BAY OF TONKIN ONCE AGAIN!!!
“Filipino Monkey” …treating another of our few allies with respect!!
It’s not just the guy’s with tinfoil hats with unsupported conspiracy theories. Taxpayer funded employees working night and day to lie to the taxpayer.
What a country!
BIG MONEY & JS: You raise important points.
How the Pentagon Planted a False Hormuz Story
They lie constantly about everything. They did 9/11. It’s not “a war on terror” our rulers are fighting, it’s “a war of terror”. If you look closely at most of the assassinations and at most terror events you will see governmental involement. A few years ago I wouldn’t have believed any of this. I know better now.
The people who could do something about it in congress just sit on their hands. Either being to stupid, bought off or extorted to do anything.
Wake up America,,,
Go to Google and punch in a Bush Corporation.
“Carlyle Group Abu Dhabi” Find out how the Bush Crowd
is buying America and selling parts of it to the Arabs.
@Daniel David January 16th, 2008 1:31 pm
“Another lesson (to media) may be to slow down and think twice before airing too quickly another similar “production” released from DOD.”
You seem to think that the media get it wrong accidentally. That definitely
is not the case. If anything, it confirmed to the media that in co-operation
with government, they know how to create the justification for war out of
thin air. That is their lesson. Practice makes perfect.
In the lead up to the Iraq war, it may not have been possibly to be sure that there
was not going to be some residues of chemical weapons that could have been held up
high and claimed to be the reason for the invasion. But it was simply not
possibly for anyone who bothered to get themselves informed to believe that Iraq
was a threat to us. Follow the link to my home page to see that.
If the media and the providers of election funds, were not in the hands of
the very rich who happen to own military contracts and oil companies, and
Zionsists like Rupert Murdoch and AIPAC…
If politicians were not beholden to these people …
If the media were actually trying to seek the truth, then we wouldnt be in this hole
that we are in now.
willo January 16th, 2008 6:15 pm
Welcone convert! You have taken the red pill.
I live here in the Northeast. It is true that our Government ‘leaders’ have been leading us down a path of destruction. It is also just as true that half of these jack-asses up here have held the flashlight for them. I know plenty of dumb-asses who could care less about the environment, peole’s lives (other than Amerikkkans)or anything else worthwhile as long as they can ride their winter crotch rockets (snowmobiles)in endless circles at 80+ miles per hour and burning gas by the tons. Yahoo!
Does anyone know what was in those ‘white boxes’ floating in the water? Did that info get released by the Hexagon? (How many points in the Jewish star? Pentagon department of Hexagon. Number of letters in Israel. Coincidence?)
I think they did this just so the Republican Candidates would have a reason to out do each other villifying Iran, beating their chests and rattling their sabers. Huckabees “gates of hell” comment, Thompson’s “70 virgins” comment, etc. Maybe they will recant in the next debate (hah, hah, hah).
Secretary of Defense Gates has been branded as the voice of reason and rationality in the Bush administration, reputedly pulling the creeps back from making some really, really stupid decisions. Now, according to this story, he was part of this ridiculous scheme to jazz up the country into taking action against Iran.
All these people need to be put into little boxes and shipped to Guantanamo to spend the rest of their lives naked and in isolation. Their families too, just to make sure they stay out of the gene pool of the rest of humanity.
They lie to me
They lie to you
They lie to our troops
Cut & paste everywhere
Revelation 16:
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
14 For they are the spirits of demons, working deceptions, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and to the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of Yahweh El Shaddai.
Has anyone out there read Naomi Klein”s The Shock Doctrine?
The world’s superpower is forever shopping for war. It (war) is a money-maker for the greedy elite, and it provides entertainment for them. They don’t call it “theater” for nothing.
step up! www.wexlerwantshearings.com The more people that sign up the better the chances of success.
When secretary gates served the reagan administration, he wanted to bomb nicaragua!
Corporations are based on greed, bureaucratic arrogance, lies, spin, secrecy, “unitary executives”, letting others take the fall, false advertising, industrials sabotage, spying, evading responsibility…
Unfortunately, when a corporatist government emerges, it takes on all the hallmarks of its corporate master.
I blame America. It’s my country and it’s run by guys with the mentality of 7th graders. The idiots who came up with this little news scam really should be kept after school for detention for a few weeks picking up garbage.
Anybody who was stupid enough to take this story at face value from “US government sources” shouldn’t be driving or allowed access to matches.
America is just gaza with more land if you’re not well off. They hate us for our freedoms; free to believe in lies, free to vote for pre-selected candidates, free to be homeless, free to die of untreated illness, free to threaten your neighbors with guns.
“Barely visible humans”‘ is that what they are? I see NOTHING humane about it.
“They hate us for our freedoms; free to believe in lies, free to vote for pre-selected candidates, free to be homeless, free to die of untreated illness, free to threaten your neighbors with guns.”
alien
5. residing under a government or in a country other than that of one’s birth without having or obtaining the status of citizenship there.
8. adverse; hostile; opposed
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/alien
The US claims to the press that it’s operating in international waters when it’s actually operating in Iranian waters, i.e., the Strait of Hormuz. When it’s not trying to pull the wool over people’s eyes with “international waters” it’s claiming operation according to a 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which it hasn’t ratified. The US can’t ratify the treaty that it exploits because it requires giving up “intelligence” collection and “submarine” transit.
According to this article:
“The initial press stories on the incident, all of which can be traced to a briefing by deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs in charge of media operations Bryan Whitman, contained similar information that has since been repudiated by the Navy itself.”
What I want to know is, HAS THIS POLITICAL BIMBO BEEN FIRED YET?
That’s the bottom line, folks, because without the culprit being held accountable this same shit will happen over & over & over again until those asshole warmongers, Cheney/Bush, get the war with Iran that Isreal wants us to go fight for them.
Just take a look at this link and you will see why the Ireali/Zionist/corporate/ media tail wags the dog of American military (mis)adventures. Do you really believe these people can be un-biased, non-aligned, and ‘fair & balanced’?:
http://www.natvan.com/who-rules-america/wra.pdf
It all is more propagandistic & mis-leading than what most people have seen, or are complaining about. The first report I saw (on CNN, BTW) showed gunboats racing in from the left of the screen AND THEY WERE FIRING. I’ll repeat that just so no one misses it, AND THEY WERE FIRING.
The next screen showed the US warships on the right of the screen. What CNN wanted to propagandize us into believing was that our warships were actually being attacked, when by all accounts since then have no shots being fired.
Where is the congressional investigation of this entire incident, including media complicity? If CNN is proven complicit with politically appointed operatives within the Pentagon isn’t it time we pulled their broadcasting liscense to broadcast over “our” airwaves? At very least they should be censured, and made to publically & repeatedly apologize to the American people for fomenting war, and attempting to terrorize the public with a tactic of fearmongering.
Isreal wants war with Iran, but they want us in the US to bear the brunt, death, & expense. They are the influential chickenshit little guy, duping the dumbass big stooge America to be the schoolyard bully, and have us beat up anyone they order us to.
Enough is enough! Despite the ~$5 billion we ‘give’ of US taxpayer money to Isreal each year, Isreal is not America’s ‘friend’. Friends don’t manipulate, control, or use friends, now do they? Down with AIPAC, and let’s let Isreal fight their own damned wars (including the numerous conflicts they have initiated through ‘false flag’ operations). We’re sick of being played for fools!!!
PaulMagillSmith - Thanks for the above file. I’ve downloaded it and plan on reading it in full. Those pictures of the “rapacious monopolistic” Newhouses tell a story unto themselves.
These sick media moguls need to be just dropped altogether and that is what I sense happening particularly as the younger generations come to recognize that the only valid sources of information are not from the so-called MSM. The MSM is rapidly becoming a colossal joke and they will be their own destruction by virtue of their corruption. Anyhow, what is “main-stream” about perpetual lies and misdirection? How despicably presumptious of them to think they have some sort of calling to “direct” the masses. Assholes.
Just like the folks in DC they must think it is all a big game, all the while they cause untold harm and misery. I think it is time for some focused retribution upon specific individuals who perpetuate this suffering of innocence.
The only reason I like to check out the MSM sites is to try to figure out what the next set of lies and obfuscation is going to be. This requires a bit of speculation and reading between the lines, but when you couple this study along with review of many other sites such as Common Dreams, it becomes much easier to start connecting the dots and planning accordingly.
Peace,
Ken
And really if you think about it even if they decided to cut off useful sources of information on the internet, what will happen? Many folks will just stop getting national-type information altogether. Perhaps even stop watching TV.
Then what will happen. Well damn, we will spend our free time getting to know our neighbors in close proximity (or at least much more of this will be happening rather than all the hypnosis and sleepwalking encouraged by the MSM). I don’t know about you, but I think that would be a good thing. I love playing bridge, but there are just not enough card players these days.
Peace,
Ken
Petercschmid: The latter, shame. Most Americans have sat idly by and allowed themselves to be manipulated by their own odious government, which is so used to conning the sheeple with ease–playing on inate fear and greed–that it brazenly and openly lies, corrupts, tortures, and murders with complete impunity. We are, in general, a nation of ignorant, greedy, distracted, lazy, and apathetic dolts who now have the government we created and deserve. Feel sorrow for America? Never. People should pull out their copies–if they even have one–of the Declaration of Independence and read it, all of it. Maybe they’ll get a clue.
How many people will pay attention to this and how many will have completely forgotten it the next time it happen?
http://www.ryanhartman.wordpress.com
Thank you Inter Press for bringing us the news that our corporate media will not.
Fabricating a story of military action in order to get the United States of America into a war is a treasonous action against the country.
Any newspaper which doesn’t report an action of high treason is suspected of collusion in a conspiracy.
“You can’t expect each American to be as diligent as you, can you?”
Yes.
PAULMAGILLSMITH
‘where is the congressional investigation of this entire incident’?
my feeling is, that if impeachment of persons for crimes against humanity and leading a nation into a war based on lies is not forthcoming, then i doubt if any investigation/censure will ever take place for this ‘comparitively trifling’ incident.
Big Money made an interesting statement, I quote “I’d love to see an independant ticket of marginalized right and left wingers, united, win the presidency, and stop the awesome theft of the whole freaking world’s wealth by a handful of barely visible humans. The extreme right is starting to consider this. How about you guys???”
I would invite all of you who can see the plain and simple truth put forward by Ralph Nader, Dennis K. or a Ron Paul to also look at what the “Right” and the “Left” have in common. They both opposes many of the same issues, perhaps for different reasons but it is interesting that they have so much in common.
It’s called “Wag the Dog” for a reason. The only people inclined to believe such an obvious fabrication are the mangey muts who gravel to their masters.
I just finished watching a film by Alex Jones called, “End Game”, a must see for a number of people normally reading CD. It explains a lot and defines our enemies by name:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1625361/posts
Thanks for your comment, buffalo_ken, and I really appreciate the link you posted about the 25 military officers coming forward calling the government liars about 911. A ray of hope & sunshine in a bleak cloudy sky. We need to watch what happens to them. They are the true patriots and what “Support the Troops” is about. Any soldier who murders others, even under orders, when they know the orders are illegal and against the military code of conduct, deserve no respect or support.
PaulMagillSmith,
Thanks for the link.
As long as the American public continues living in ignorance and a lack of curiosity about current events and at least a general knowledge of U.S. as well as world history, the deceivers and manipulators win, and continue gaining more power and wealth accumulation.
Ignorance is not bliss.
I love those comments and links Paul and others provided. Thank you all, this thread is an example of how Common Dreams is a true learning site.
We didn’t elect Bush, is our only fair excuse for all of “we the people” being guilty or ignorant.
In my town, the left and right do have a lot in common. The Libertarians and the Greens get together, and the Ron Paul people converse with the Cynthia McKinney people.
And they all come to 9-11 truth things.
Right, peaceman, ignorance in a modern world is only laziness & stupidity. “Stupid is as stupid does”, or in this case what the lazy stupid person fails to do.
America is getting mugged just like the stupid ignorant person walking through Central Park not paying attention to what is going on around them. Wake up America! The pickpocket already purloined your purse, has one of your hands cuffed, and is getting ready to slit your throat.
Peter Sirois wrote: ” live here in the Northeast. It is true that our Government ‘leaders’ have been leading us down a path of destruction. It is also just as true that half of these jack-asses up here have held the flashlight for them. I know plenty of dumb-asses who could care less about the environment, peole’s lives (other than Amerikkkans)or anything else worthwhile as long as they can ride their winter crotch rockets (snowmobiles)in endless circles at 80+ miles per hour and burning gas by the tons. Yahoo!”
I too lived in the Northeast (Northern Maine) and each year the peace of my secluded cabin was shattered by the sounds of heavily padded, insulated out-of-staters on “crotch rockets” who burned tons of gas in SUVs to get some where they could become an annoyance to people who appreciated silence and simplicity. Restore the Draft and give everyone’s children the benefit of an education in Mideast Geography, Economics and PTSD. Welcome to Amerika, and greetings from New Mexico.
Just a couple of points:
1) Will anyone who has any knowledge give us the names of the top officials of the Defense Department so that we know who the enemies of the people are?
2) I assume that all those who are in top positions in the US Administration, Pentagon, State Department, Army, Navy, Air Force, etc. have at least a Bachelor’s Degree. My question is what kind of colleges and universities in the US produce these liars, cheats, and double-dealing warmongers? Why don’t these institution of “higher learning” just teach these people how to be human?
The USA is responsible for the media and criminal leadership it adopted, I saw all the flag waving and the bumper stickers after Bush and Co. organised 9/11, the Bush people knew exactly the response that false flag would bring, and they were right.
Even now Americans hero worship the military as though they’re also a victim when they volunteered to go out and do Cheney’s dirty work for him.
A country gets the government it deserves.
WARNING:
This article is incorrect, read the transcript here:
http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=4116
This is untrue:
The naval commanders seemed most determined, however, to scotch the idea that they had been close to firing on the Iranians. Vice-Adm. Kevin Cosgriff, the commander of the 5th Fleet, denied the story in a press briefing on Jan. 7.
I am going to email the author of this story.