Dis Able Danger

* amongst all the Able Danger noise, lets not forget this: "Mr. Weldon said he was basing his assertions on similar ones by at least three other former intelligence officers with direct knowledge of the project, and said that some had first called the episode to his attention shortly after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001" (link)

* weldon also wrote a letter this week to the 911commissioners about Able Danger. i cant make head nor tail of the whole scenario. this piqued my interest tho:
"Questions remain to be answered. The first: What lawyers in the Department of Defense made the decision in late 2000 not to pass the information from Able Danger to the FBI? And second: Why did the 9-11 Commission staff not find it necessary to pass this information to the Commissioners, and why did the 9-11 Commission staff not request full documentation of Able Danger from the team member that volunteered the information?" (link)
would lawyers always make that decision? if not, does he know that it was lawyers who made the decision? is he pointing the finger at someone?

* "Senior Pentagon officials have opposed the release of photographs and videotapes of the abuse of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, arguing that they would incite public opinion in the Muslim world and put the lives of American soldiers and officials at risk.
(General Myers said) "It is probable that Al Qaeda and other groups will seize upon these images and videos as grist for their propaganda mill, which will result in, besides violent attacks, increased terrorist recruitment, continued financial support and exacerbation of tensions between Iraqi and Afghani populaces and U.S. and coalition forces,"" (link)
apparently we have to hide the truth, because it is propaganda.

* here's the ACLU press release: "In a court declaration that was also unsealed today, former U.S. Army Colonel Michael E. Pheneger, a retired military intelligence expert, responded to the government's "cause-and-effect" argument that release of the images would spark violence abroad. "Our enemies seek to prevent the United States from achieving its objectives in the Middle East," he said. "They do not need specific provocations to justify their actions." Noting that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Richard B. Myers, has estimated that insurgents average 70 attacks a day, Col. Pheneger added: "The attacks will continue regardless of whether the photos and tapes are released.""

* "The Fort Lauderdale bank-fraud indictment represents only one of several potential legal serious legal problems for Abramoff and Kidan that stretch from South Florida to the Northeast.
Police have also been questioning them about the gangland-style hit on Konstantinos ''Gus'' Boulis, the rag-to-riches Greek immigrant who sold his fleet of casino ships to the Kidan-led group in September 2000." (link)

* "Federal prosecutors investigating corruption at an Illinois state pension fund have subpoenaed records concerning more than $4 million in fees that the Carlyle Group is paying to the new treasurer of the Republican National Committee. The subpoena calls for documents related to the group and Robert Kjellander, whom was named Treasurer of the RNC over the weekend. He headed President Bush's re-election campaign in three states. " (link)

* "The new head of the Transportation Security Administration has called for a broad review of the nation's air security system to update the agency's approach to threats and reduce checkpoint hassles for passengers.
... includes proposals to lift the ban on various carry-on items such as scissors, razor blades and knives less than five inches long. It also proposes that passengers no longer routinely be required to remove their shoes at security checkpoints... The proposal also would allow ice picks, throwing stars and bows and arrows on flights." (link)
ummm - does that mean the boxcutter story was bollox? and all lost productivity about the shoe-nonsense? sorry about that.

* huffingtonpost - all sheehan, all the time