Pentagon Denies Request by Lawyers to Broadcast Guantanamo Trials to World

Brian Romanoff      Nov 27, 2012      Nor Cal Truth

A spokesman for Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta has declined the request of multiple defense attorneys to “broadcast all open proceedings” of the upcoming trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammad and four other men at Guantanamo.

The Defense lawyers reminded Panetta that the reputation of the US has been suffering substantially due to the worldwide perception that US officials are simply trying “to cover-up torture at Guantanamo and CIA black sites.”

The current approach to the trials are called “bare-minimum” by the defense counsel and if they are continued without any changes, including broadcasting the proceedings on air for the world to see, than, “it will loudly confirm the widely held perception that the United States is indeed trying to cover up their own wrongdoing.”

Currently, the open proceedings of the trial will be broadcast on CCTV to the public at one very little place of our very large country; Fort Meade, Maryland. Seven other locations have been selected for CCTV viewing of the trial, however these seven other sites will only be open to victim family members, survivors, first responders, their families and media.

Please read the letter below to be reminded that there are people in positions of power who care about the honesty and integrity of our collective future.

Unfortunately there are other people in higher positions that don’t.

MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE

Bob Graham: Re-Open the 9/11 Investigation Now

by Bob Graham and Sharon Premoli      source: Huffington Post    Sep 15, 2012

The passage of time since September 11, 2001, has not diminished the distrust many of us feel surrounding the official story of how 9/11 happened and, more specifically, who financed and supported it. After eleven years, the time has come for the families of the victims, the survivors and all Americans to get the whole story behind 9/11.

Yet the story of who may have facilitated the 19 hijackers and the infrastructure that supported the attacks — a crucial element of the narrative — has not been told. The pieces we do have underscore how much more remains unknown.

Did the hijackers execute the plot alone, or did they have the support of forces other than the known leaders of al-Qaeda — a network even — that provided funds, assistance, and cover?

It is not merely a question of the need to complete the historical record. It is a matter of national security today.

If a support network was available to the terrorists before 9/11, why should we think it has now disbanded or been rolled up? It may still be in place, capable of supporting al-Qaeda or other extremist groups that hate America — of which there are many.

This is also about justice. Thousands of Americans, who suffered unimaginable loss, have been denied their day in court in part because evidence of support was either never gathered by law enforcement or remains locked away, sealed as “Classified.”

Eleven Years Later

Tuesday, September 11th, 2012

Eleven years later and the world has no sense of justice for the 9/11 attacks.

We were lied to by U.S. officials: We don’t know the truth.

It will be up to you, it will be up to me, it will be up to us all to find justice. We must continue to ask questions, seek answers and pursue accountability

Thank you to all who have inspired me to continue to pursue justice.

My condolences to everyone for the events of 9/11/01, most especially the family members of victims.

To a hard-earned, potentially much brighter future,

Brian Romanoff

Please Sign: A Statement for 9/11 Justice

Aug 7, 2012   source: Jon Gold   Petition Website: I Petitions

To America, and the world.

We were lied to about 9/11. About the financing of the attacks, about foreknowledge of the attacks, about the air response that morning, and about many other aspects of the 9/11 atrocities.

Each investigation into 9/11, including the Joint Congressional Inquiry, the PENTTBOM investigation, the CIA IG, the DoD IG, the 9/11 Commission (especially the 9/11 Commission), and other investigations each had their own version of corruption and compromise.

Because we don’t have subpoena power, access to all of the documentation, and access to all of the people that we would need to speak to, it is impossible for us to determine what actually happened that day, and who was ultimately responsible.

That being said, there are many provable lies and omissions concerning what we were told.

Therefore, we believe there is no justification for the “Post-9/11 World,” and everything that entails.

No Justice: Statement of September 11th Advocates Regarding Guantanamo Bay Military Tribunals

source: Jon Gold    May 4, 2012

It would seem that the U.S. Government found itself in a conundrum when they allowed prisoners, like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM), to be tortured in secret prisons around the world.  Once tortured, any confession or testimony from KSM, or others, could not be deemed reliable.  Furthermore, the focus of the eventual proceedings would become a trial about the practice of torture, instead of being a trial about alleged terrorist crimes.  That would have been untenable for the U.S. Government, which wants to avoid any and all accountability for their own crimes of torture.

In order to bypass potential discussion of torture, the latest Chief Prosecutor for the Military Commissions, Brig. General Mark Martins, found a willing witness in Majid Khan, a fellow GITMO inmate to KSM.  Khan himself was not involved in the 9/11 plot.  He supposedly got his information from time spent behind bars at GITMO with KSM.  Kahn will be allowed to give this hearsay evidence against KSM in return for a reduced sentence.  However, Khan’s sentencing won’t take place for four years.  It seems the Prosecution is pinning their hopes and dreams on Khan’s upcoming performance.  None of this lends credibility to an already suspect system.

Additionally, with campaigning for the upcoming Presidential elections heating up, the timing of this latest attempt at justice for 9/11 is exploitive at best.

###

Patty Casazza

Monica Gabrielle

Mindy Kleinberg

Lorie Van Auken

Bin Laden Photo Release: We Are Damned if They Do, Damned if They Don’t

Brian Romanoff      Nor Cal Truth     Apr 28, 2012

The Bin Laden saga continues.

Almost one year ago exactly, Obama came onto live TV late at night to announce that Usama bin Laden was killed in Pakistan raid by US Marines.

Nor Cal Truth covered the story from the day it happened.

I still don’t understand why we were told that dumping the body was in tradition with Islamic law. I also don’t understand why there were so many versions of events out in those early days. Sure, the basic story stayed the same; Pakistan, bin Laden, Marines, raid, 9/11 – but details of shoot-outs (or not), female hostages (or not), an armed bin Laden (or not), who could see what and when (or not) at the White House and other tidbits of info were flipping like a coin at a football game.

Remember when US Senators fell for a faked dead bin Laden photo?

On the matter of a dead Usama bin Laden, many people in the US and the world were unimpressed and even critical of Obama for not showing any photos of the newly deceased bin Laden.

Freedom of Information Act requests were filed by major Media and lawsuits from other groups were put in motion to gain access to the dead bin Laden pics. Unfortunately, information is not free or available in many cases with our Government – even with legal requests ( no matter what Obama has promised in the past).

Obama and team did not release the photos.

Why not?

10 More Years in Afghanistan for US: 1 in 2 New US Graduates are Jobless or Underemployed

Brian Romanoff       Nor Cal Truth      Apr 23, 2012

In news that should have been, the US and Afghanistan have reached a new deal for the taxpayers of many countries, pledging at least 10 more years of “support.”

The actual text of the agreement has not been released, however the NY Times reports that the agreement will cover concepts such as “..economic development, institution building… and regional security.” The agreement was called “sweeping by design, with few details to bog down negotiators” by the New York Times. Few details and a sweeping design sound like something that passes 2nd grade drawing class, not geo-political planning and manipulation.

The sad reality of other current US news paints a clear picture of the upcoming situation for many: 1 of 2 new graduates are finding jobs that pay at least a living wage. 1 of 2. Half. Living Wage. The AP reports:

Broken down by occupation, young college graduates were heavily represented in jobs that require a high school diploma or less.

In the last year, they were more likely to be employed as waiters, waitresses, bartenders and food-service helpers than as engineers, physicists, chemists and mathematicians combined (100,000 versus 90,000). There were more working in office-related jobs such as receptionist or payroll clerk than in all computer professional jobs (163,000 versus 100,000). More also were employed as cashiers, retail clerks and customer representatives than engineers (125,000 versus 80,000).

According to government projections released last month, only three of the 30 occupations with the largest projected number of job openings by 2020 will require a bachelor’s degree or higher to fill the position — teachers, college professors and accountants. Most job openings are in professions such as retail sales, fast food and truck driving, jobs which aren’t easily replaced by computers.

Is this the new era that will be pursued by the representatives of the US? And what do The People say about this?

If this is how it is going to be, call me when this era is over: I might be out on this one.

 

 

 

Book Review by Dr. Paul Rea: ‘9/11 Truther: The Fight for Peace, Justice and Accountability’

by Dr. Paul Rea   Apr 17, 2012

Jon Gold, 9/11 Truther: The Fight for Peace, Justice and Accountability. Foreword by Cindy Sheehan. ePublishPartners.com, 2012.

9/11 Truther is an important book because it both renders leading personalities in the movement and also displays wide, well researched knowledge of many key issues.

As one of the first 9/11 memoirs, 9/11 Truther takes readers into the life of an activist, now 40, who’s been an important player on the East Coast and in the blogosphere. Jon Gold went to Hebrew school and took his Bar Mitzvah. Later, as he moved into “calling out” people he believed were hurting the movement with their wild speculations, Gold encountered vicious anti-Semitism. Consequences included high blood pressure, chronic depression, and, later, panic attacks (pp. 112-115). The book does not, however, explore broader questions of anti-Semitism in the 9/11 movement.

The first few dozen pages recount how Gold got into drugs, attempted suicide, and joined narcotics anonymous. Though the first 55 pages or so could strike readers as largely, perhaps overly autobiographical, they do capture key moments in the movement.

Unlike some “truthers,” Gold doesn’t claim to have “woken up” right away, almost before the smoke had cleared. After 9/11, he worked as a web developer and did the “patriotic” things, placing a small American flag on the company website.

Gold’s Entry into the 9/11 Truth Movement

By 2004, however, questions were piling up, eroding Gold’s belief in the Official Story. When he watched Kyle Hence of Citizens Watch question the 9/11 Commission findings, on C-SPAN, he felt immediate resonance: “They were asking many of the same questions I had been asking.” In an intense moment of self-confrontation, he felt “abused by the media and by the government. I [had] openly advocated killing people because of the lies I was told.”

The next year, led by 9/11 widows Lorie Van Auken, Patty Casazza, Mindy Kleinberg and Monica Gabrielle, a group of family members issued a statement questioning the “entire veracity of the 9/11 Report.” Along with bereaved father Bob McIlvaine, they mounted a cogent challenge to the corporate media which had uncritically accepted the Report. But the news media continued to afford scant coverage to their challenge. Two years later, Gold attended a preview of “Press for Truth,” which he believes is the “most important documentary of our age,” but which received almost no media coverage at the time. Nor has it received much since.

FBI Whistle-Blower Trying to Get Book Published

To learn more about this story, please visit Sibel Edmonds’ Boiling Frogs Post.

by Pete Yost   source: Associated Press    Apr 14, 2012

A lawyer for FBI whistle-blower Sibel Edmonds said Tuesday the bureau’s prepublication review office has adopted overly expansive restrictions that are preventing Edmonds from publishing a book about her life at the FBI.

Edmonds, once a contract linguist at the bureau, was fired a decade ago after complaining to FBI managers about shoddy wiretap translations and alleging that an interpreter with a relative at a foreign embassy might have compromised national security by blocking translations in some cases and notifying targets of FBI surveillance.

Edmonds sued for unlawful termination, but Attorney General John Ashcroft stopped her lawsuit by invoking the state secrets privilege. He said her claims might expose government secrets that could damage national security.

Attorney Stephen Kohn said his client’s book, “Classified Woman: The Sibel Edmonds Story,” contains no classified information, yet has been under review by the bureau for the past year. Bureau regulations promise reviews will take only 30 working days. In all, reviews can cover a dozen different factors, which may significantly delay the 30-day limit, said FBI spokesman Paul Bresson.

Sibel Edmonds Interviews Jon Gold, Activist and Author of 9/11 Truther

The full and complete interview of Jon Gold is only available to subscribers of Sibel Edmonds’ Boiling Frogs Post.

To become a subscriber of Boiling Frogs Post just click here.

source: Boiling Frogs Post  Apr 14, 2012

Longtime 9/11 activist and 9/11 Truth News contributor Jon Gold joins us to discuss his recently released autobiographical book 9/11 Truther: The Fight for Peace, Justice and Accountability. Mr. Gold shares with us the catalyst that put him on the path to 9/11 activism and truth seeking, the common obstacles and challenges encountered by devoted 9/11 truth-seekers, the many still-unanswered questions involving the terrorist attacks on September 11, and the importance of continuing the quest for truth and justice. His book is currently available at Amazon .

Listen to the preview Here

95.1 FM The Bridge: 9/11 – A General Discussion

Nor Cal Truth    Apr 9, 2012

Milo is the host of Touch, a daily program from 5:00-6:00 PM Pacific on The Bridge, 95.1 FM in Guerneville. Milo has invited me (Brian Romanoff) to be a regular guest on his show to try to bring more light into the events of 9/11. I appreciate the opportunity and I hope you enjoy the show.

Today we have a varied and general discussion regarding 9/11. 

I also bid the listeners a farewell in my last broadcast for a while. 

Lastly I mention some reading material for anyone wanting to know more about 9/11:  Disconnecting the Dots, Classified Woman, Black Banners and Mounting Evidence…..but I forgot to mention this one; 9/11 Truther by Jon Gold. 

 

Available as a live-stream every Monday 5:00-6:00 PM Pacific at the website provided below:

Chris Hedges on Challenging the NDAA in Court

source: Russia Today    Apr 4, 2012

Last week the case against the National Defense Authorization Act was presented to a judge in New York. One of the plaintiffs in the case has decided to sue the Obama administration claiming that by simply doing his job he could be arrested and detained indefinitely due to the nature of his work, reporting. Chris Hedges, columnist for TruthDig, joins us to explain how his day in court went.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsCiFnE14kA&feature=g-all-u&context=G2c54…

“The Book the Government Doesn’t Want You to Read is a Book Everyone Must Read”

source: Boiling Frogs Post    Mar 31, 2012

In this startling new memoir, Sibel Edmonds—the most classified woman in U.S. history—takes us on a surreal journey that begins with the secretive FBI and down the dark halls of a feckless Congress to a stonewalling judiciary and finally, to the national security whistleblowers movement she spearheaded. Having lived under Middle East dictatorships, Edmonds knows firsthand what can happen when government is allowed to operate in secret. Hers is a sobering perspective that combines painful experience with a rallying cry for the public’s right to know and to hold the lawbreakers accountable. With U.S. citizens increasingly stripped of their rights in a calibrated media blackout, Edmonds’ story is a wake-up call for all Americans who, willingly or unwillingly, traded liberty for illusive security in the wake of 9/11

A Limited Time Exclusive BFP Package

We are now offering a very limited number of advanced signed copies of Classified Woman to Boiling Frogs Post readers and supporters. In addition to the book you will receive a one-year subscription to Boiling Frogs Post and a copy of our recently released DVD containing our CIA Series, Bonus Episodes, and Jamiol Toon Gallery. All that for $100. Currently this offer is only valid for U.S. shipments.

Purchase at original source: http://www.boilingfrogspost.com/2012/03/30/the-book-the-government-doesnt-want-you-to-read-is-a-book-everyone-must-read/

Obama Takes Bush’s Secrecy Games One Step Further

by Glenn Greenwald     source: Salon    Mar 30, 2012

The ACLU is suing the Obama administration under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), seeking to force disclosure of the guidelines used by Obama officials to select which human beings (both U.S. citizens and foreign nationals) will have their lives ended by the CIA’s drone attacks (“In particular,” the group explains, the FOIA request “seeks to find out when, where and against whom drone strikes can be authorized, and how the United States ensures compliance with international laws relating to extrajudicial killing”). The Obama administration has not only refused to provide any of that information, but worse, the CIA is insisting to federal courts that it cannot even confirm or deny the existence of a drone program at all without seriously damaging national security; from the CIA’s brief in response to the ACLU lawsuit:

. . .

(click on image to enlarge)

What makes this so appalling is not merely that the Obama administration demands the right to kill whomever it wants without having to account to anyone for its actions, choices or even claimed legal authorities, though that’s obviously bad enough (as I wrote when the ACLU lawsuit was commenced: “from a certain perspective, there’s really only one point worth making about all of this: if you think about it, it is warped beyond belief that the ACLU has to sue the U.S. Government in order to force it to disclose its claimed legal and factual bases for assassinating U.S. citizens without charges, trial or due process of any kind”). What makes it so much worse is how blatantly, insultingly false is its claim that it cannot confirm or deny the CIA drone program without damaging national security.