COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Curveball, the Man Who Cost the US 20,000 casualties and $1 Trillion


Defector admits to WMD lies that triggered Iraq war




• Man codenamed Curveball 'invented' tales of bioweapons
• Iraqi told lies to try to bring down Saddam Hussein regime
• Fabrications used by US as justification for invasion
The defector who convinced the White House that Iraq had a secret biological weapons programme has admitted for the first time that he lied about his story, then watched in shock as it was used to justify the war.
Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi, codenamed Curveball by German and American intelligence officials who dealt with his claims, has told the Guardian that he fabricated tales of mobile bioweapons trucks and clandestine factories in an attempt to bring down the Saddam Hussein regime, from which he had fled in 1995.
"Maybe I was right, maybe I was not right," he said. "They gave me this chance. I had the chance to fabricate something to topple the regime. I and my sons are proud of that and we are proud that we were the reason to give Iraq the margin of democracy."
The admission comes just after the eighth anniversary of Colin Powell's speech to the United Nations in which the then-US secretary of state relied heavily on lies that Janabi had told the German secret service, the BND. It also follows the release of former defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld's memoirs, in which he admitted Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction programme.
The careers of both men were seriously damaged by their use of Janabi's claims, which he now says could have been – and were – discredited well before Powell's landmark speech to the UN on 5 February 2003.
The former CIA chief in Europe Tyler Drumheller describes Janabi's admission as "fascinating", and said the emergence of the truth "makes me feel better". "I think there are still a number of people who still thought there was something in that. Even now," said Drumheller.
In the only other at length interview Janabi has given he denied all knowledge of his supposed role in helping the US build a case for invading Saddam's Iraq.
In a series of meetings with the Guardian in Germany where he has been granted asylum, he said he had told a German official, who he identified as Dr Paul, about mobile bioweapons trucks throughout 2000. He said the BND had identified him as a Baghdad-trained chemical engineer and approached him shortly after 13 March of that year, looking for inside information about Saddam's Iraq.
"I had a problem with the Saddam regime," he said. "I wanted to get rid of him and now I had this chance."
He portrays the BND as gullible and so eager to tease details from him that they gave him a Perry's Chemical Engineering Handbook to help communicate. He still has the book in his small, rented flat in Karlsruhe, south-west Germany.
"They were asking me about pumps for filtration, how to make detergent after the reaction," he said. "Any engineer who studied in this field can explain or answer any question they asked."
Janabi claimed he was first exposed as a liar as early as mid-2000, when the BND travelled to a Gulf city, believed to be Dubai, to speak with his former boss at the Military Industries Commission in Iraq, Dr Bassil Latif.
The Guardian has learned separately that British intelligence officials were at that meeting, investigating a claim made by Janabi that Latif's son, who was studying in Britain, was procuring weapons for Saddam.
That claim was proven false, and Latif strongly denied Janabi's claim of mobile bioweapons trucks and another allegation that 12 people had died during an accident at a secret bioweapons facility in south-east Baghdad.
The German officials returned to confront him with Latif's version. "He says, 'There are no trucks,' and I say, 'OK, when [Latif says] there no trucks then [there are none],'" Janabi recalled.
He said the BND did not contact him again until the end of May 2002. But he said it soon became clear that he was still being taken seriously.
He claimed the officials gave him an incentive to speak by implying that his then pregnant Moroccan-born wife may not be able to travel from Spain to join him in Germany if he did not co-operate with them. "He says, you work with us or your wife and child go to Morocco."
The meetings continued throughout 2002 and it became apparent to Janabi that a case for war was being constructed. He said he was not asked again about the bioweapons trucks until a month before Powell's speech.
After the speech, Janabi said he called his handler at the BND and accused the secret service of breaking an agreement that they would not share anything he had told them with another country. He said he was told not to speak and placed in confinement for around 90 days.
With the US now leaving Iraq, Janabi said he was comfortable with what he did, despite the chaos of the past eight years and the civilian death toll in Iraq, which stands at more than 100,000.
"I tell you something when I hear anybody – not just in Iraq but in any war – [is] killed, I am very sad. But give me another solution. Can you give me another solution?
"Believe me, there was no other way to bring about freedom to Iraq. There were no other possibilities."

36 comments:

  1. Aaahhh the genius of our Rulers and Masters!

    They always have more information that they are not sharing.

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  2. In a sane society there would be some people hanging from lamp-posts, today.

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  3. Mr al-Janabi, who had previously maintained his claims were true, made his admissions in a series of interviews in Germany, where he has been granted asylum He said he had told a German official, who he identified as Dr Paul, about mobile bio-weapons trucks in 2000. The BND identified him as a Baghdad-trained chemical engineer and approached him in March that year looking for information about Saddam's regime.
    "I had a problem with the Saddam regime," he said. "I wanted to get rid of him and now I had this chance."
    Mr al-Janabi portrayed the BND as gullible and so eager to elicit details from him that they gave him a Perry's Chemical Engineering Handbook to help communicate.
    "They were asking me about pumps for filtration, how to make detergent after the reaction," he said. "Any engineer who studied in this field can explain or answer any question they asked."

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  4. If we dropped Corporate Taxes to 20%, And "Collected" the Damned Taxes, we would be over half-way to balancing the budget.

    The single most devastating part of our tax code is the section that allows Corporations to Delay paying taxes on "foreign" profits until the money is "repatriated."

    The simple fact is, The Fucking Money is NEVER "Repatriated."

    It stays in China, Europe, etc, Forever, and is INVESTED THERE.

    When Microsoft decided it DID want to make an "investment" in the U.S. it Borrowed $6B, rather than bring part of its $36B "cash" home, and pay taxes on it.

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  5. The story is pathetic.

    There was going to be war one way or another and these statements were justification but by no stretch of the imagination the reason for the wars. Its sad that the media does such a horrible job reporting the actual stories.

    More than 100,000 civilian Iraqis have been killed and over 5000 American soldiers among the American losses.

    This pathetic man lied to get asylum, lied to American authorities to please them because his lies were exactly what they wanted to hear.

    The justifications for the war were pathetic from the very beginning, just look at Powell. I can't.

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  6. Our "Economy" was around $1.2 Trillion in Jan.

    We collected $3.6 Billion in Corporate taxes.

    That is Three Tenths of One Percent.

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  7. It was a war to secure the oil flow.

    Any moron could see that from day one.

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  8. They wanted exactly what they got: an American Army sitting right in the middle of the Persian Gulf Oil Patch.

    They just spent way more in lives, and treasure than was necessary.

    Had to keep up appearances, you know. Stay with the meme.

    "freedom for the girls," and all that.

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  9. There was, I thought, only one truly interesting part of Obama's budget.

    He wants to develop those very small nuclear reactors.

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  10. …thirty years late.

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  11. "Remnants?"

    "hundreds?"


    Yep, sounds "massive" to me.

    :) :) :)

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  12. Well, we have kinda, albeit temporarily, caught a bit of a break.

    Somehow, the smartest men in the world have overestimated "demand" in middle America, and built more supply into Cushing than it can get "out."

    This seems so unlikely as to almost be deemed, "impossible." HOW did that happen?

    I can only come up with one possibility. But, first, you have to understand that No One develops an Oil Field, be it tar sands, conventional, shale, or whatnot, without first having the pipelines in place to move the product.

    Also, you have to take into account that it takes several years, possibly as many as four, or five under good circumstances, to plan, develop egress, procure supplies, hire people, and Build a pipeline.

    That means the smartest people in the world are getting bit, right now, by decisions made 5, or more, years ago.

    SO, what is the Major, perhaps, unanticipated change from 5 yrs ago? A slower economy? Yeah, that's probably part of it; but, remember, we're still cooking along quite a bit faster than we were in 2005 (about when these decisions would have been being made.)

    What else?

    ETHANOL.

    In 2005 very little ethanol was being used. There was a Renewable Fuel Standard in place, but it seems quite likely to me that they might have thought they could slow down, and then Kill that anti-oil abomination.

    I don't think they ever dreamed that they would lose 10% of their Demand to Ethanol; But, they have.

    Eventually, they will figure out how to get some of that Canadian Oil to the Sea, but, until then, enjoy the "cheap" gas, and thank biofuels.

    At least, that's my idea du jour. :)

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  13. Naw, the pubbies ain't the party of stupid.

    That asshole congressman lost his job sending a shirtless pic to a 5-10, 190lb woman with a record of identity theft, fraud, and general all-around worthlessness.

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  14. Infinity (pool) running on empty:

    Fixer-Upper With Hot and Cold Running Rumors

    LOS ANGELES — An unfinished mansion on 22 acres in the Hollywood Hills, occasionally used by gangs, Satanists and drug users, is on the market.

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  15. So what have you got against tall women, Rufus?

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  16. Them tall wimmin can kick your ass; that's what. :)

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  17. Chisum commented:

    Oh, a Michelle Obama look-alike.

    Does this qualify as a fetish?

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  18. mos' specially them tall, mean, one hunnerd an' ninety pounders.

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  19. “It just blows you away what you hear from these people,” he said.

    “Like it is owned by the Devil.

    I am a man of the Lord. There ain’t no Devil here.

    I salted this house and also had my Indian friends come over and burn sage.”

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  20. This bar needs salting!

    "Energy has a habit of collecting in your home.

    It can be negative if a lot of fighting or arguing takes place or has taken place.

    All of this built up negativity can cause your life to begin showing signs of being out of balance. Things may feel out of control, and you can have a general sense of uneasiness about you. To remedy this, you should cleanse your home, room by room.

    By cleanse, I do not mean clean (although that helps too!). I mean cleanse in the spiritual sense. Here is how to cleanse a room."

    Read more: How to Cleanse a Room | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2112953_cleanse-a-room.html#ixzz1E4Emo5u1

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  21. “And this is where the Satanic stuff happened,” Mr. Morgan said as he led a visitor into a windowless room, pointing to a faded sketch on the wall. “You can see the image of a devil. And they had chicken feathers hanging on a wire.”

    Ralph Sanchez, the senior lead officer for the Hollywood Hills division of the Los Angeles Police Department, said the house was an anomaly for this part of Los Angeles. “You would not believe it: from gang members to Satanic worshipers,” he said. “You name it. The doors were pried open, no matter how many times we nailed them shut.”

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  22. Bridging a Gap Between Fear and Peace


    This mound of a bridge, which American officials estimate to be the busiest of all cross-border footpaths between Mexico and the United States, used to be just a simple connector between the shopping districts of Ciudad Juárez and El Paso. But these days, it has deeper meaning.

    At no time in recent history has the reality gap between the two cities been wider. By some estimates, El Paso is now the safest big city in the United States; Ciudad Juárez is among the most dangerous in the world. Murders dominate the headlines on one side, economic growth and car accidents make news on the other.

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  23. You'll never convince me that Mexico is not, now, a "Narco-State."

    The degree of lawlessness, and carnage now rampant in Northern Mexico could not possibly exist in a country with Mexico's GDP without Sponsorship at the very highest levels.

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  24. I get really tired of hearing how Calderone is a "good guy," and how he is "really trying hard."

    That just doesn't pass the "bullshit" test.

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  25. Rufus II said...
    CBS Reporter Brutally Beaten, Sexually Assaulted During Cairo Protests

    Ah, them Muzzies, just like you and me. Just wanting a little "freedom."




    Duh....

    I think Rufus has told us many times there is no difference between the two... Muzzie and Jew...

    Well BOY there is...

    How many western reporters have to be raped, murdered, kidnapped and beaten until they finally understand the entire israel - arab thing can be boiled down into a basic pretext...

    Ishmael verse Isaac

    Ishmael is a mean, petty & jealous brother...

    Isaac? Well he's not Ishmael...

    Read the story...

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  26. No, you're lying again. I've long said that I'm averse to ALL "religions," and, especially, to the "fundamentalist" zealots that push them.

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  27. Corporate Profits were $1.66 Trillion in the 3rd Qtr.

    That would be about $550 Billion/month.

    $3.6 B/$550 B = 0.0065 or

    2/3 of 1%

    Thass right, Bubba; the GE's of the world are paying less than 1%.

    Remember that when Lou Dobbs is ranting about the poor "over-taxed" Corporations.

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  28. I was at my bank today; there was a short line.

    There was just one lady in front of me, an Asian lady who was trying to
    exchange yen for dollars.

    It was obvious she was a little irritated . . . She asked the teller,
    "Why it change? Yesterday, I get two hunat dolla fo yen. Today I only
    get hunat eighty? Why it change?"

    The teller shrugged his shoulders and said,"Fluctuations."

    The Asian lady says, "Fluc you white people too"

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  29. Of course, if some of those profits are distributed as dividends They are taxed at 15%.

    So, while you're out there kicking, and scratching, and clawing to support your family, and paying Unk about 1/3 of what you can beg, borrow, and steal out of your employer, Warren Buffet sits on his lily-white ass and pays 15% on what he makes.

    Oh, excuse the fuck out of me, 15.65%. (Don't want to overlook the whopping 0.65% the corporation paid (unless it's Exxon - they didn't pay anything.)


    You didn't know how big a sucker you were, did you Bubba?

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  30. Edit: $1.66 Trillion is an annual rate. That means monthly profits are in the range of $138 Billion.

    $3.6/$138 = 2.6%

    Oh well, hell, I feel so much better now.

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  31. The Asian lady says, "Fluc you white people too"

    Tue Feb 15, 08:39:00 PM EST

    That was a howl!!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Rufus II said...
    No, you're lying again. I've long said that I'm averse to ALL "religions," and, especially, to the "fundamentalist" zealots that push them.


    You are confusing me with the brownshirted bartender, the Rat, I dont LIE...

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  33. The white guys hung in pretty good the first round, but Watson killed'em in the second.

    Computer does Jeopardy

    Answer: Barack's Andean pack animals

    Question: What are Obama's Llamas?

    ReplyDelete