HomelandSecurityLeader.com

From Al Jazeera

Iraq’s prime minister has for the first time publicly called for a US troop withdrawal timetable.

Nuri al-Maliki said on Monday that a military agreement the two countries are negotiating should include provisions for the withdrawal of American troops.

In a meeting with Arab ambassadors in the United Arab Emirates on Monday, al-Maliki said Iraq had proposed a short-term interim memorandum of agreement rather than the more formal status of forces agreement the two sides have been negotiating.

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From Reuters.com, by Daren Butler

Istanbul - Four Iraqi men are suing U.S. military contractors who they say tortured them while they were detained in Abu Ghraib prison, according to lawsuits being filed at U.S. federal courts on Monday.

The lawsuits allege the contractors committed violations of U.S. law, including torture, war crimes and civil conspiracy.

The scandal over the treatment of detainees at Abu Ghraib unleashed a wave of global condemnation against the United States when images of abused prisoners surfaced in 2004.

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From U.K. Telegraph  by Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent

American military intervention in Muslim countries has bred a generation of “angry young men” vulnerable to al-Qa’eda recruitment, a report from a leading security analysis group has said.

The Senlis Council, which has an extensive network of researchers in Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia, said frustration with war and unemployment was underpinning the insurgency against western forces

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From IHT.com, by Scott Shane
In a makeshift prison in the north of Poland, Al Qaeda’s engineer of mass murder faced off against his Central Intelligence Agency interrogator. It was 18 months after the 9/11 attacks, and the invasion of Iraq was giving Muslim extremists new motives for havoc. If anyone knew about the next plot, it was Khalid Shaikh Mohammed.

The interrogator, Deuce Martinez, a soft-spoken analyst who spoke no Arabic, had turned down a CIA offer to be trained in waterboarding. He chose to leave the infliction of pain and panic to others, the gung-ho paramilitary types whom the more cerebral interrogators called “knuckledraggers.”

Martinez came in after the rough stuff, the ultimate good cop with the classic skills: an unimposing presence, inexhaustible patience and a willingness to listen to the gripes and musings of a pitiless killer in rambling, imperfect English. He achieved a rapport with Mohammed that astonished his fellow CIA officers.

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From IHT.com, by Andrew E. Kramer

Four Western oil companies are in the final stages of negotiations this month on contracts that will return them to Iraq, 36 years after losing their oil concession to nationalization as Saddam Hussein rose to power.

Exxon Mobil, Shell, Total and BP — the original partners in the Iraq Petroleum Company — along with Chevron and a number of smaller oil companies, are in talks with Iraq’s Oil Ministry for no-bid contracts to service Iraq’s largest fields, according to ministry officials, oil company officials and an American diplomat.

The deals, expected to be announced on June 30, will lay the foundation for the first commercial work for the major companies in Iraq since the American invasion, and open a new and potentially lucrative country for their operations.

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From Al Jazeera 

Al-Maliki had said last week that talks with the US on the long-term pact had reached a “dead end”

A controversial deal on the long-term US military presence in Iraq will not include immunity for US contractors working in the country, the Iraqi foreign minister has said.

Speaking exclusively to Al Jazeera, Hoshyar Zebari said on Monday that the US had accepted the demand and it would be stated explicitly in the agreement.

“There would be no immunity whatsoever for private contractors because of what we’ve gone through with them in the past and because of the sensitivities for the Iraqi people,” he said.

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From Blackwater Release, By Dana C. Richardson

The Blackwater Worldwide Defense of Liberty Medal recognizes employees and independent contractors of Blackwater Worldwide and other Prince Group companies who are killed, wounded or have demonstrated extraordinary bravery and courage in the service of their country.

On May 23rd 2008, Blackwater Worldwide held the first of a series of award ceremonies aimed to honor the dedication and service of Blackwater personnel wounded in action. 10 private security contractors received recognition during the ceremony at Blackwater Worldwide Headquarters in Moyock, North Carolina. Erik Prince, CEO and founder of Blackwater, presented medals and an award certificate to each contractor. More than 300 people attended this ceremony including Blackwater employees, special guests, community members, along with medal recipient’s friends and family members. The guest of honor was WWII veteran, Lt Col. Richard Suehr and his wife Ruth Suehr. The event was a quiet one as this was not a public recognition of sacrifice as the names of the recipients that were honored were not released to the media.

Erik Prince presented “The Blackwater Worldwide Defense of Liberty Medal” to each of the ten independent contractors. The front of the medal features the Blackwater logo, which exemplifies Blackwater’s core values and principles, surrounded by the inscription “Service in Defense of Liberty.” The back of the medal is a rendition of the central stained glass window of the Blackwater Chapel, depicting Michael the Archangel with the raised sword, stepping on the head of evil personified, with the inscription, “Sérviam,” which is Latin for “I will serve.” The Blackwater Worldwide Defense of Liberty Medal recognizes employees and independent contractors of Blackwater Worldwide and other Prince Group companies who are killed, wounded or have demonstrated extraordinary bravery and courage in the service of their country. The medal symbolizes the extraordinary fidelity and essential service of those employees and independent contractors who are an integral part of our nation’s “Total Force,” regardless of whether or not they serve under the Department of Defense and who otherwise contribute to the defense of liberty. “I thank each and every one of you for your many sacrifices and for your distinguished, selfless service,” Erik Prince stated.

These men exhibited extraordinary heroism and sustained serious injury while serving under contract to the United States government and Blackwater Worldwide. Part of their citation read, “Their gallantry, leadership and commitment to mission accomplishment greatly contributed to the success of America’s diplomatic and military efforts to defeat terrorism worldwide. Their services and sacrifices are in keeping with the finest traditions of national service and reflect distinct credit and honor upon their selves, their family, Blackwater Worldwide, The United States of America, and their fellow teammates.” After the ceremony, guests and employees talked and shook the hands of the men who were wounded, offering their words of thanks for their sacrifices. Several award recipients stated they felt honored to be able to come home alive, and served their country. Others stated that it was nice to receive recognition for their battle wounds, but they would rather be with their teams overseas and serve their country again.

Freedom and liberty are not innate rights; they are great gifts that have to be earned, protected and defended at all costs.” President Bush once stated, “….men who knew the cost of freedom and were willing to pay that cost so others could live free.” More than 750 contractors have been killed in Iraq, according to Department of Labor statistics, and almost 8,000 injured. The figures include Americans, Iraqis and other nationalities employed under U.S. government contracts. Many served side by side with American troops, lived in the same harsh conditions, and braved small arms and mortar fire along with roadside bombs. Wounded contractors and military soldiers have similar problems dealing with injuries that include searing grief, difficult recoveries and unanswered questions.

From ATimes.com, by Kaveh L Afrasiabi

“So foul a sky shall not clear without a storm,” wrote William Shakespeare in the play King John and, indeed, the deafening saber-rattling against Iran by the United States and Israel increasingly reveals a coming storm that will likely dwarf the magnitude of the Iraq war, in light of Iran’s military prowess and ability to strike back throughout the Middle East.

The US’s and Israel’s decision to escalate the threat levels against Iran, reflected in President George W Bush’s statement in Europe this week that all options remain on the table, has been matched by an equally resolute defiance by Iran. As a result, the growing anxiety over a summer war with Iran threatens to send already rocketing oil prices to unimaginable levels.

This is not “new realism” in US foreign policy, as US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice self-congratulatingly narrates in the latest issue of Foreign Affairs [1], but rather a new level of American “dumb power” that harms its own self-interest by the pursuit of warmongering policies.

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ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT OF PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH

Washington, Jun 10 - Dennis J. Kucinich of Ohio
In the United States House of Representatives
Monday, June 9th, 2008
A Resolution

INDEX

Article I
Creating a Secret Propaganda Campaign to Manufacture a False Case for War Against Iraq.

Article II
Falsely, Systematically, and with Criminal Intent Conflating the Attacks of September 11, 2001, With Misrepresentation of Iraq as a Security Threat as Part of Fraudulent Justification for a War of Aggression.

Article III
Misleading the American People and Members of Congress to Believe Iraq Possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction, to Manufacture a False Case for War.

Article IV
Misleading the American People and Members of Congress to Believe Iraq Posed an Imminent Threat to the United States.

Article V
Illegally Misspending Funds to Secretly Begin a War of Aggression.

Article VI
Invading Iraq in Violation of the Requirements of H. J. Res114.

Article VII
Invading Iraq Absent a Declaration of War.

Article VIII
Invading Iraq, A Sovereign Nation, in Violation of the UN Charter.

Article IX
Failing to Provide Troops With Body Armor and Vehicle Armor.

Article X
Falsifying Accounts of US Troop Deaths and Injuries for Political Purposes.

Article XI
Establishment of Permanent U.S. Military Bases in Iraq.

Article XII
Initiating a War Against Iraq for Control of That Nation’s Natural Resources.

Article XIIII
Creating a Secret Task Force to Develop Energy and Military Policies With Respect to Iraq and Other Countries.

Article XIV
Misprision of a Felony, Misuse and Exposure of Classified Information And Obstruction of Justice in the Matter of Valerie Plame Wilson, Clandestine Agent of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Article XV
Providing Immunity from Prosecution for Criminal Contractors in Iraq.

Article XVI
Reckless Misspending and Waste of U.S. Tax Dollars in Connection With Iraq and US Contractors.

Article XVII
Illegal Detention: Detaining Indefinitely And Without Charge Persons Both U.S. Citizens and Foreign Captives.

Article XVIII
Torture: Secretly Authorizing, and Encouraging the Use of Torture Against Captives in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Other Places, as a Matter of Official Policy.

Article XIX
Rendition: Kidnapping People and Taking Them Against Their Will to “Black Sites” Located in Other Nations, Including Nations Known to Practice Torture.

Article XX
Imprisoning Children.

Article XXI
Misleading Congress and the American People About Threats from Iran, and Supporting Terrorist Organizations Within Iran, With the Goal of Overthrowing the Iranian Government.

Article XXII
Creating Secret Laws.

Article XXIII
Violation of the Posse Comitatus Act.

Article XXIV
Spying on American Citizens, Without a Court-Ordered Warrant, in Violation of the Law and the Fourth Amendment.

Article XXV
Directing Telecommunications Companies to Create an Illegal and Unconstitutional Database of the Private Telephone Numbers and Emails of American Citizens.

Article XXVI
Announcing the Intent to Violate Laws with Signing Statements.

Article XXVII
Failing to Comply with Congressional Subpoenas and Instructing Former Employees Not to Comply.

Article XXVIII
Tampering with Free and Fair Elections, Corruption of the Administration of Justice.

Article XXIX
Conspiracy to Violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Article XXX
Misleading Congress and the American People in an Attempt to Destroy Medicare.

Article XXXI
Katrina: Failure to Plan for the Predicted Disaster of Hurricane Katrina, Failure to Respond to a Civil Emergency.

Article XXXII
Misleading Congress and the American People, Systematically Undermining Efforts to Address Global Climate Change.

Article XXXIII
Repeatedly Ignored and Failed to Respond to High Level Intelligence Warnings of Planned Terrorist Attacks in the US, Prior to 911.

Article XXXIV
Obstruction of the Investigation into the Attacks of September 11, 2001.

Article XXXV
Endangering the Health of 911 First Responders.

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From DefenseNews.com, by Antonie Boessenkool (via Blackwater Newswletter)

Honeywell International is facing a lawsuit by the United States claiming that the company knew Zylon Shield, which Honeywell made and sold as the as the key ballistic material in bullet-proof vests, degraded in hot and humid conditions but didn’t tell the maker of the vests, Armor Holdings, or the United States.

However, a Justice Department spokesman said the vests weren’t used for the military, but for law enforcement only, mostly police and sheriffs’ departments.

The Justice Department said it is suing Honeywell under the False Claims Act, alleging Honeywell had scientific data showing that Zylon Shield quickly degraded over time, especially in hot and humid conditions, and that Honeywell knew that made vests made with Zylon unfit to use.

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