Afghanistan, Turkey, Iraq, Heroin, Sibel & Gonzales

(Just abstract junk pieced together incoherently)

From here:

Afghanistan leads again in heroin production - The Washington Times: Nation/Politics:
"Afghanistan has re-emerged since the U.S.-led war as the world's leading source country for opium and heroin — rapidly returning to levels of the 1990s, when it produced about 70 percent of the world's illicit opium supply, a U.N. report says. "

To here:

New Milford Drug Rehab New Milford,Connecticut Drug Rehab Treatment Drug Alcohol Rehabilitation Treatment Centers:
"Sources Drug Situation: Heroin has now equaled crack cocaine as the greatest drug threat in Connecticut. Heroin is a significant problem in the suburban areas of the state as well as the urban areas. Located between the drug distribution centers of New York and Boston, Connecticut is an important transit and destination area for drugs. Interstate 95, the major north-south route on the East Coast, extends along Connecticut’s southern shore through Stamford, Bridgeport, New Haven, and New London. It connects New York City with Boston and continues to the U.S.-Canada border. Interstate 91 extends from New Haven north to Massachusetts, Vermont and the U.S.-Canada border. These interstates intersect in New Haven and form what is known by law enforcement as the New England Pipeline.

snip

Heroin: Demand for heroin is increasing dramatically in Connecticut. It is easily accessible selling at remarkably low prices and high-purity levels (an average of 70-80% purity by DEA laboratories.) Abuse remains widespread, affecting both suburban and urban areas. Hispanics, specifically Dominican groups are largely responsible for the street distribution of heroin in Connecticut. Colombian and Dominican narcotics traffickers are the primary suppliers of high-quality heroin to the street dealers. Dominican violators usually acting on behalf of Colombian traffickers, serve as mid-level heroin distributors. The heroin is primarily being transported into CT from New York City, usually entering the region via one of the major interstates, in automobiles equipped with hidden hydraulic compartments or “traps.” Throughout New Haven, CT, the demand for heroin in varying sizes and amounts is ever present. Up until recently, the heroin was readily available in pre-packaged bags stamped with logos. Lately, however, bags of heroin have been seized without any logos or markings."

But it has it has a long road to travel before it hits the local streets:

Sibel Edmonds wrote a fantastic White Paper recently called "The Highjacking of a Nation- Part 2" which basically laid out the facts of her case for all to see.

In a chapter titled "The Real Lords of the Poppy Fields" she noted that

1. most of Afghanistan's heroin & opium is processed and trafficked through Turkey
2. "Heroin trafficking is also the main source of funding for the al-Qaeda terrorists "
3. Turkey is a haven for (Al Qaeda’s) sources of funding.

Sibel then notes that

"It is puzzling to observe that in reporting this major artery (Turkey) of terrorists’ funding, the U.S. mainstream media and political machine do not dare to go beyond the poppy fields of Afghanistan and the fairly insignificant low level Afghan warlords overseeing the crops."

I was therefore curious to see how the World Bank's recent report on the heroin industry would deal with Turkey's role - particularly given that Paul Wolfowitz and most of the other neocons have substantial financial incentives in supporting Turkey.

The dog didn't bark. Again.

Read on here.

I highly reccomend you read both Lukery and both part 1 and 2 of Sibel Edmonds pieces to get a clearer picture.

Stuff like this makes me wonder why the Bush administration is sacking all of those State Attorney's across the nation (The Gonzales 7, or 11 if you can find them all?) saying things like: "They don't chase after illegal aliens enough!" Looking at some of their records you might see some interesting drug trafficking prosecutions.

Humberto Garcia:

June 15, 2005

Copyright © 2005 EFE. All rights reserved.

SAN JUAN (EFE) -- A grand jury indicted 81 people of different nationalities, including Colombians, Dominicans, and Puerto Ricans who allegedly participated in drug-trafficking and money-laundering activities, U.S. District Attorney for Puerto Rico Humberto Garcia said Tuesday.

In the so-called Operation Malloca, 39 people were arrested after a U.S. grand jury issued the indictments of nine drug organizations linked to the Colombia cartel, Garcia said.

He noted that eight of them were Puerto Rican, 16 were Colombian, and 13 Dominican. The group also included two individuals from Cuba and Costa Rica, respectively.

Garcia added that the indictment doesn't include people who will also be arrested in New York and Canada. Drug Enforcement Administration agents are expected to participate in the operation.

The district attorney said these groups funneled money from Puerto Rico, Florida, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic into international and domestic accounts in the U.S., Colombia, and Venezuela.

Garcia also said these groups face 10 years to life in prison and a fine of up to $4 million.

I am not saying that this is proof, but it might be interesting to see where any recent Heroin busts might lead to concerbning these bush appointments. Think about it. It might all be the tip of the iceberg in another Iran-contra "drugs, money, weapons" circle-jerk that the GOP, and Neocons in particular, seem to love so much.

AND YES! I know! Conspiracy theory stuff. But these are the Neocons we are talking about, after all. And this is exactly the sort of thing Sibel Edmonds has been trying to warn us all about all along.

Libby Trial Winter Blowout

Yesterday I noted that "Only a Neocon child could think that building a case on lies would help him when he is being charged with perjury..." In the Bloggers coverage of the defense resting their case, etc., our favourite court reporters note that the defense actually apologized before the court for the fact that Libby did not testify:



They also offer a lot more important insights into the happenings of the lying Bush administrations' favourite infantile perjurer turned scapegoat named Scooter.

RECAP:
Regardless of what results the jury comes back with, what we have learned thus far is that Libby is a liar, Armitage was the earliest leaker on public record, Rove was an early leaker("I heard that too!"), and that both Cheney and Bush authorized the leaks (if we are to believe anything a child named Scooter's lawyers' stated in his defense?), and that while all of them, and more (including some reporters and other Bush admin. enablers that did not testify in the trial portion), committed and/or participated in the cover-up of an act of treason, AND that none have been charged with the real crimes that led to Libby's perjury.

And we also learned that MTP with Tim Russert is Cheney's favourite place to screw the pooch because of Russert's sympathetic rear, err, I mean ear.

If I missed anything or got any of that way too wrong in that quick recap (I am just going by memory and shooting from the hip here) feel free to correct me. Needless to say, Firedoglake will likely give you a better recap of all of this.

HIV: Can You Picture A Cure?

Nature is reporting further discoveries in how HIV behaves with antibodies:

Medical researchers have found a chink in the constantly shape-shifting armour of the HIV virus. The discovery could be a significant step forward in the ongoing quest for a vaccine.

The AIDS virus evades the immune system because most of the proteins that cover the surface of the virus constantly change their structure. But researchers have now identified a site that doesn't change, and shown how an antibody can bind to it. If the body could be stimulated to produce its own copies of this antibody before infection, then in theory, it would allow it to attack the otherwise elusive virus and prevent infection.

"For a long time people have been asking whether an HIV vaccine is even possible," says Peter Kwong of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Bethesda, Maryland, who led the research. "What this finding says is that it's not just a dream — there is this site of vulnerability."

It may look like something that kids would scribble on a piece of paper with their crayons but it really may be another clue in finding a cure to HIV:

The structure of an antibody
bound to an HIV protein,
giving hope for a vaccine.

For those of you that are more scientifically inclined, they go into more depth on this and other possible steps towards finding a cure for HIV that have resulted because of the original X-Ray image scientists captured, and that the scribble above is based on:



As a HUGE side note:
Take a look at the search results on the word "WIKI" on a search of Nature's site. (Most of them are "premium articles" for subscribers) Everything science appears to be going Wiki for conveniences' sake, showing that DemFromCT's "Flu Wiki" may really have been a pioneering standard for modern science.

AND NO! I don't mean the Flu Wiki was meant for scientific research, but it does allow for the sharing of ways to deal with an influenza pandemic:

Just a Bump in the Beltway, The Next Hurrah and Effect Measure blogs announce the launch of a new experiment in collaborative problem solving in public health, The Flu Wiki.

The purpose of the Flu Wiki is to help local communities prepare for and perhaps cope with a possible influenza pandemic. This is a task previously ceded to local, state and national governmental public health agencies. Our goal is to be:

• a reliable source of information, as neutral as possible, about important facts useful for a public health approach to pandemic influenza
  
  
• a venue for anticipating the vast range of problems that may arise if a pandemic does occur
  
• a venue for thinking about implementable solutions to foreseeable problems
  

No one, in any health department or government agency, knows all the things needed to cope with an influenza pandemic. But it is likely someone knows something about some aspect of each of them and if we can pool and share our knowledge we can advance preparation for and the ability to cope with events. This is not meant to be a substitute for planning, preparation and implementation by civil authorities, but a parallel effort that complements, supports and extends those efforts.

While we will continue to administer and maintain the Wiki, we are turning the wheel over to the community, to take it where the road leads us. There is a bit of a learning curve to driving this rig. We hope you will find the instructions sufficient to get started. You’ll soon be learning on your own.

This was a novel approach to sharing information on how to deal with this issue at the time. An idea that could, and should, be replicated with shared input from scientists, doctors, and emrgency services providers for many different and varied emergencies that require coordiantion and input from "everywhere."

Only an idiot Neocon could fuck things up this badly

Only a Neocon child could think that building a case on lies would help him when he is being charged with perjury...

Libby lawyers rest in CIA leak trial:
"The change in who would testify prompted U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton to reverse course, too. He told defense attorneys that if Libby didn't testify he would not allow some classified information to be presented to the jury as Libby's defense team had planned.

'My absolute understanding was that Mr. Libby was going to testify,' Walton said, recalling why he had agreed months ago to allow some classified information into evidence. 'My ruling was based on the fact that he was going to testify.'

Walton's decision blocked Libby's plans to call three CIA briefers Wednesday to testify about the classified national security issues Libby faced in mid-2003, when CIA operative Valerie Plame was named in the media."

If you are a juror in this case: You have to be taking the Judges statement pretty seriously here when you are considering the credibility of the soon to be criminal Neocon Libby.

If you are the judge in this case: You have to be thinking about this blatant contempt for the legal process when you hand down a sentence at the end of it all.

Talk about double-fucking yerself there little Neocon scapegoat.

Nadler Speaks Truth to Power on the Floor of the House

Representative Nadler speaks a little truth to power on the floor of the House:

Crooks and Liars:
Nadler from the Floor: “Enough already!”:
"The Iraq War is President Bush's war. The President deceived the American people and Members of Congress when he made the case for war. Every reason we were given for invading Iraq was false. Weapons of Mass Destruction? Not there. Saddam Hussein working hand-in-glove with Al Qaeda? Not true. And the more information that leaks out, the more apparent it becomes that these were not mistakes, but deliberate lies.

I ask you: if the President had gone to the American people and said we must invade a country that poses no imminent threat to us, and sacrifice thousands of lives in order to create a democratic government in Iraq, would we have assented? I think not.

And as the President now says to us that we should continue indefinitely to expend American blood and treasure to support one side in a sectarian civil war, should Congress continue to consent? I think not.

We need to say 'Enough already!' Enough with the lies, and the deceit and the evasions! Enough with the useless bloodshed. We must protect our troops and ensure their safety while they are in Iraq"

C&L has the video up on it...

Why is the GOP afraid to debate Iraq on the floor?

Think Progress Has the latest on why the GOP is afraid of debating the issue of Iraq on the floor...



They are affraid of the fact that they will lose the debate on almost any issue concerning Iraq. Talk about playing politics with soldiers lives. They know they can't defend their positions so they try to run and hide from them.

How do the childish GOP, led by Shadegg and Hoekstra, want to try to frame the debate?

Rather, the debate must be about the global threat of the radical Islamist movement. No radical Islamist leader, including Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahari, and Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi, has ever claimed that the goal of radical Islam is Iraq alone or if they succeed in Iraq this war against us would end. In fact, Robert Kagen recently wrote a piece for the Washington Post entitled “Grand Delusion” noting many politicians’ desire to wish the war away. He notes that those who call for an end to the war don’t want to talk about the fact that the war in Iraq and in the region will not end, but will only grow more dangerous if and when we walk away.

Thanks to the liberal mainstream media, Americans fully understand the consequence of continuing our efforts in Iraq — both in American lives and dollars.

Firstly, they will try and say that leaving now will create chaos... But no mention of the fact that everyone already knows that our soldiers presence is at the heart of the cause of the chaos. And whether we leave now, in 2 years, or even in 5 years, there will be chaos there. That is what these GOP twits don't understand. Secondly, they will blame the SCLM for, you know, telling Americans enough of the truth for them to figure these facts out on their own.

Go ahead you Neocon GOPee-ons... Shift the debate and lose that argument too. These GOP talking point idiots are afraid of their own disastrous shadow that they have cast across the entire Middle-East.

Six months ago, we launched a groundbreaking new index that asked more than 100 of America's top foreign-policy hands if the United States was winning the war on terror. Their answer? No. Now, surveyed again today, this bi-partisan group sees a world that continues to grow more dangerous and a U.S. national security strategy that is failing on several fronts. In the second FOREIGN POLICY/Center for American Progress Terrorism Index, these experts warn that not only is another attack imminent, but that the United States may be distracted from the threats that matter most.

Everyone knows Neocon and GOP policy has failed on every front... STFU and bring the soldiers home. Quit playing politics with American soldiers lives.

The Repeated Escalations

The CT Post has statements up from local Reps as they are forced to show their true colors and take a stand, either with the failed bush administrations "stay the course" policy OR against it.

Here is where Rep. Chris Murphy stands:

Rep. Chris Murphy, D-5, said that the resolution is the "cleanest, clearest statement" that Congress can provide expressing its opposition to the escalation plan.

"There is obviously a lot more to say than what is in the text of this resolution, but the focus of this debate needs to be on sending a clear message to President Bush that Congress has joined the military establishment, foreign affairs establishing and the public in opposing his plan," Murphy said.

While Chris Murphy makes sense, nincompoop Chris Shays is saying he is against staying the course but, in typical GOP Bush admin. shill fashion, is voting for stay the course since he won't even consider supporting a non-binding resolution against this re-repeat of temporary mini-escalations.

Just how much of this is dressed-up "Stay the Course!" BS? Take a look at this graph showing troop levels past, present and future (If the incompetent bush gets his way):

Note: Proposed Surge Assumes 20,000 Troops (Graph H/T Tparty)

WHOA! Is this a familiar pattern? And someone out there representing CT supports this rinse and repeat policy? Sure enough, Bush can always count on Joe Neocon Lieberman:

During his campaign last fall, U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman claimed he was ready to carefully scrutinize the president's policies on Iraq. Safely re-elected, Lieberman is as enthusiastic as ever about Bush's policies and plans for escalation.

Well, Shays is off in Neocon "Torture is Sex" territory again, and against supporting the will of Nutmeggers just like his bedmate Lieberman.

And the GOP wonders why they are losing ground in Connecticut year after year? They need to take a hard look at how they are consistantly putting Neocon wet dreams ahead of the wishes and concerns of their constituants.

Whackamole Revisited

A while back many of us were ripping on McCain for originally suggesting sending more troops and pointed out the fact that the Generals were telling the McCains and Lieberman's of the world that this could never work.

McCain has repeatedly said that he would like to see another 20,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. As General Abizaid explained, McCain’s plan runs counter towards our goal in Iraq — specifically, the Iraqis taking responsibility for their own country. Abizaid said, “It is easy for the Iraqis to rely upon to us do this work. I believe that more American forces prevent the Iraqis from doing more, from taking more responsibility for their own future.”

McCain makes a good point with his "whackamole" comment, but clearly the only other thing that McCain is correct in when he talks about sending 20,000 more troops to Iraq is at the end of the video where he says, "I don't know where the troops are going to come from."

Well McCain and Lieberman's ESCALATION of targets, err, soldiers are starting to hit the streets of Baghdad in this newest Neocon strategery and, aside from stretching our military forces to the breaking point, this is what they are finding there:

American officers, interviewed at the sprawling Camp Victory base at the western edge of the capital, also acknowledge they are finding little in their initial searches of Baghdad neighborhoods _ suggesting either they received faulty intelligence or that the massive publicity that preceded the operation gave militants time to slip away.

OR, perhaps, suggesting that the Iraqi insurgents have decided that, considering this newest repeat of temporary mini-escalations, they will continue to play whackamole.

The definiton of insanity is doing the same things over and over and expecting different results. How many more rounds of "Stay the course WHACKAMOLE" does McCain, Lieberman and bush get to play with our soldiers, and Iraqis, lives on the line before we get to rightfully define them by their repeated actions?

Buh-Bye

I hope that this will be enough to hold off the idiots for now...

Sorry for any inconvenience that whomever illegally accessed my account may have caused.

Science/Nature | 'Doomsday' vault design unveiled

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | 'Doomsday' vault design unveiled:
"The final design for a 'doomsday' vault that will house seeds from all known varieties of food crops has been unveiled by the Norwegian government.

The Svalbard International Seed Vault will be built into a mountainside on a remote island near the North Pole.

The vault aims to safeguard the world's agriculture from future catastrophes, such as nuclear war, asteroid strikes and climate change."

Let's be honest here... At this point there can be NO DOUBT that they are protecting the WORLD from the USA and its enemies.

A BIG thank you, in advance, to our European friends with intellectual foresight. You are the modern day "Noah's Ark", and the neocons missed the boat...

Report Says Pentagon Manipulated Intel, Report Depicts Pentagon That Purposely Manipulated Intelligence Before U.S. Invasion of Iraq

OK...

Report Says Pentagon Manipulated Intel, Report Depicts Pentagon That Purposely Manipulated Intelligence Before U.S. Invasion of Iraq - CBS News: "A 'very damning' report by the Defense Department's inspector general depicts a Pentagon that purposely manipulated intelligence in an effort to link Saddam Hussein to al-Qaida in the runup to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, says the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

'That was the argument that was used to make the sale to the American people about the need to go to war,' said Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich. He said the Pentagon's work, 'which was wrong, which was distorted, which was inappropriate ... is something which is highly disturbing.'"

Let's be honest here: Why only ask this question several years too late?

We knew this as fact for eons, and yet YOU ask this question only now? C'mon Levin...If you were being honest, this would have been the first question out of your mouth given the facts, not the last.

There is always something to be said for misleading the truth. Fuck you... Too little, too dishonest. Oh yeah... And too late, after the fact as per usual, that is.

Where were you when we pointed out this fact BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER the illegal invasion?