Photographs taken by a Marine intelligence team have convinced investigators that a Marine unit killed as many as 24 unarmed Iraqis, some of them "execution-style," in the insurgent stronghold of Haditha after a roadside bomb killed an American in November, officials close to the investigation said Friday.

The pictures are said to show wounds to the upper bodies of the victims, who included several women and six children. Some were shot in the head and some in the back, congressional and defense officials said.

One government official said the pictures showed that infantry Marines from Camp Pendleton "suffered a total breakdown in morality and leadership, with tragic results."

The case may be the most serious incident of alleged war crimes in Iraq by U.S. troops. Marine officers have long been worried that Iraq's deadly insurgency could prompt such a reaction by combat teams.
posted by Kevin at 10:44 PM

I loathe the people who have created this monstrosity. I want the criminals who lied and cheated and pretended and twisted and perverted reality - and those who rationalized their crimes - so they could send over 2400 servicemen and woman to their death, nearly 18,000 to come home torn - some never to be whole again - thousands more to suffer mental damage, and tens of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians to be swept into the garbage can of "collateral damage," to pay. These bastards and their apologists should be stripped naked and forced to walk the main streets of America, allowing every city and town that has lost a loved one to injury or death in this shameful catastrophe to heap on them the scorn they deserve.
posted by Kevin at 10:36 PM

I love it:

Lawyers for AT&T accidentally released sensitive information while defending a lawsuit that accuses the company of facilitating a government wiretapping program, CNET News.com has learned.

AT&T's attorneys this week filed a 25-page legal brief striped with thick black lines that were intended to obscure portions of three pages and render them unreadable (click here for PDF).

But the obscured text nevertheless can be copied and pasted inside some PDF readers, including Preview under Apple Computer's OS X and the xpdf utility used with X11.

Related: Cryptome Coverage
posted by Kevin at 10:21 PM

Deconsumption is finding good ones:

No-bid contract money-pits, drug money, petro-dollars, money-laundering schemes, off-shore hidey-holes, safety-deposit boxes full of gold, numbered Swiss bank accounts, artificial money creation, the outrageous use of credit, Enron-style boondoggles. . . . If you add in all these shadow sources of revenue, NOW the booming U.S. economy makes sense. Holy sheep dookie. "That means that corruption and nepotism and cronyism and bribes and embezzlement and money-laundering and drugs are holding our economy together!"
posted by Kevin at 3:26 AM

I've been quietly watching the Joe Cell phenomenon for a few weeks, lurking in private discussion groups, noting developments. Instead of fading away, it's gaining momentum. In the groups, people are saying this is working.

Now, before you squeal like you're stuck in a fence and send me a hot email about why this can't work, along with a copy of your doctoral dissertation on thermodynamics, just relax!

I'm not saying that it's working. I'm not saying that it's not working, either. And yes, I know how nuts it sounds, and yes, I know about the _______ <--- fill in the blank with the free energy scam of your choice.

How is the Joe Cell different?

It's totally open source. The people working on it are just individuals trying to see if there's anything to it. To me, it seems like the Joe Cell is going to be declared BS or not BS pretty soon. It would be nice to have more eyes on it when that day comes, one way or the other.
posted by Kevin at 2:25 AM

The "mystery" of Porter Goss' resignation last month as CIA Director is apparently directly related to the huge seizure in Mexico several weeks earlier of over 5.5 tons of cocaine, according to government documents recently obtained by the The MadCowMorningNews.

After Goss's surprise resignation last month he told reporters his reason for resigning was "just one of those mysteries," offering no other explanation for his sudden departure after almost two years on the job.

Goss' resignation appears to be connected to the unprecedented withholding by the Federal Aviation Administration of the registration records for the DC9 (N900SA) which more than six weeks ago was caught carrying a cargo of five-and-a-half tons of cocaine, neatly packed into 126 identical black suitcases at a jungle airstrip in the Yucatan.
posted by Kevin at 11:23 PM

Never before in our country's history have both the president and Congress been so out of touch with most Americans. Never before have so few of our elected officials and corporate leaders been less willing to commit to the national interest. And never before has our nation's largest constituent group -- some 200 million middle-class Americans -- been without representation in our nation's capital.
posted by Kevin at 10:44 PM

I thought TeenScreen was a hoax, at first. Nope. It's real:

Schools are implementing screening tools like Wested, and TeenScreen and a host of other programs to identify kids with problems.. even if they don't really have one. And no one seems to take notice that these programs were funded in part by the pharmaceutical industry in order to get more customers and sell more medication. Additionally, databases are being set up to keep track of information. Parents are being coerced into putting their children into treatment. Some lose custody and their children become wards of the state.
posted by Kevin at 10:21 PM

Well, if Iran couldn't/wouldn't do it, maybe Russia will!

The Russian Trading System, Russia's premier stock market, announced Monday that it would start trading in gold, oil and oil products on June 8.

The announcement comes in the wake of President Vladimir Putin's state of the nation address May 10, when he said Russia, as a leading oil exporting nation, should establish its own oil exchange to trade crude and petroleum products for rubles.

"The first trading in contracts for gold will commence in Russia on June 8," the RTS said in a statement.

The stock exchange also said it would start trading in futures and options on oil and oil derivatives, including Urals brand, diesel fuel, jet fuel and fuel oil. Trade will be in rubles based on prices calculated by the Platts agency. The settlement period for a contract is one month and the minimum security guarantee on a contract is 10% of its overall value.

The derivatives section of the RTS, known by its Russian acronym Forts, will trade futures and options on gold in rubles based on the London Stock Exchange evening fixing rate. The settlement period for a contract is one month and the minimum security guarantee on any contract is 5% of its overall value.

The statement said RTS would collect a 1-ruble commission for each concluded contract.
posted by Kevin at 10:04 PM

GW, as you guys may have noticed, sent $25 at the beginning of the month. She's back with another $25 at the end of the month! Thanks, GW! She writes:

What a timesaver. All the stuff I'm interested in is covered on your site, from encroachments on our Bill of Rights to chook tractors. One stop shopping -- woo hoo. My family and I are awaiting permanent residence [in New Zealand] and are headed to the South Island. Will do some WWOOFing first and then purchase a rural property.

That's great news, GW! Cryptogon reader and contributor, DG, is headed to the South Island as well. Becky and I will have to get down there at some point. We're all the way up in the Far North, near Kaitaia.

Then we have Mr. MW. Month after month, he sends contributions. For years, he has supported Cryptogon, making sure it stays freely accessible to all. Thanks, MW.

I get emails from people all the time thanking me for Cryptogon. Don't thank me! It's people like GW, MW and the people you see on the right side of the screen in the 'Support Received' column each month who make Cryptogon possible.

Because of the incredible outpouring from you guys, Becky and I decided to begin the process of ditching Telecom completely and switching over to a satellite Internet provider called Farmside.co.nz.

In order to get the Farmside connection for only NZ$90 per month, including installation and hardware, we were required to join one of three farming organizations. We went with Combined Rural Traders, even though we live in the North. We have to deposit NZ$200 with them, which is fully refundable if we decide to end our membership.

So, in May, donations to Cryptogon have gone toward:

* The purchase of Bill Mollison's Tagari collection, an invaluable library of permaculture books

* Our shares with CRT, an organization dedicated to helping farmers stretch their precious dollars

* And the second month of broadband satellite service with Farmside (because, as CRT members, the first month is free)!

Cryptogon contributors have clearly upped the ante! Support at these levels tells me that people want to see results, and they're willing to shell out cold hard cash to help. As such, these contributions are helping Becky and me build a small farm that will hopefully serve as an example that others would like to follow. That would be a good thing, in our opinion.

You know the old saying, "It's better to light a candle than curse the darkness." Over the years, Cryptogon has been mostly about cursing the darkness. Becky and I, however, are glad to have your help in lighting more candles.
posted by Kevin at 5:07 PM

I wonder if the intended recipients of these laptops have access to clean drinking water...

* sigh *

How much better off would children be, in general, if the resources that went into making these cheap laptops were instead used to design and build inexpensive, village sized solar water distillation units?

After all, what's the leading cause of death in the world?

It's not a cheap laptop deficiency:

The World Health Organization says that every year more than 3.4 million people die as a result of water related diseases, making it the leading cause of disease and death around the world. Most of the victims are young children, the vast majority of whom die of illnesses caused by organisms that thrive in water sources contaminated by raw sewage. VOA's Jessica Berman has more on the story.

A report published recently in the medical journal The Lancet concluded that poor water sanitation and a lack of safe drinking water take a greater human toll than war, terrorism and weapons of mass destruction combined.

According to an assessment commissioned by the United Nations, 4,000 children die each day as a result of diseases caused by ingestion of filthy water. The report says four out of every 10 people in the world, particularly those in Africa and Asia, do not have clean water to drink.
posted by Kevin at 4:07 PM

It's a quiet mountain community, but some residents claim something's happening in the sky that's making them sick --

Mystery clouds and unusual contrails ...

Is it a weather experiment on a massive scale?

In a Channel 4 News investigation, Paul Moyer looks into why some say the government is manipulating the weather.

Watch "Toxic Sky?" at 11 p.m. Tuesday. Look for the Web report on NBC4.tv on Wednesday at 9 a.m.
posted by Kevin at 1:17 AM

Interesting post over at Deconsumption on collapsing global stock markets, the bursting real estate bubble and "the emerging water industry."

In any strategic relocation plan, the primacy of water cannot be understated. Water quality and availability should be at the top of your list when considering a property purchase.
posted by Kevin at 6:03 PM

Cryptogon receives $65!

Thanks to samadhisoft.com for choosing to host with Blue Host via Cryptogon!

I've exchanged many emails with DG, the person who just signed up. He's a long time Cryptogon reader and contributor. He's a wise dude, and I'm sure the rest of the Cryptogon community will be interested in his work.

Related: Hosting With Blue Host
posted by Kevin at 4:29 PM

They can't disappear this now, but I saved it locally anyway:

A file detailing aspects of AT&T's alleged participation in the National Security Agency's warrantless domestic wiretap operation is sitting in a San Francisco courthouse. But the public cannot see it because, at AT&T's insistence, it remains under seal in court records.

Related: Whistle-Blower's Evidence, Uncut
posted by Kevin at 9:57 PM

Sustainable war, endless death.

The part about the Bush regime being concerned about a Democrat shutting down the carnage is laughable.

But it's good to laugh. Laughing is healthy! Oh, yeah, and maybe this massive arms order from Russia will vanish too. HA HA HA. Get it? Some conspiracy theorists might wonder where "the terrorists" were getting their brand new AK-47s from!? HAHA. Stupid conspiracy theorists. One more, one more: The arms will be used to fight the Afghan drug lords!!! HAHAHA! Get it? Get it? HAHAHA!

Why aren't you laughing?

American defence officials have secretly requested a "prodigious quantity" of ammunition from Russia to supply the Afghan army in case a Democrat president takes over in Washington and pulls out US troops.

The Daily Telegraph can disclose that Pentagon chiefs have asked arms suppliers for a quote on a vast amount of ordnance, including more than 78 million rounds of AK47 ammunition, 100,000 rocket-propelled grenades and 12,000 tank shells - equivalent to about 15 times the British Army's annual requirements.

The Bush administration is said to want the deal because of worries that the next president could be a Democrat, possibly Hillary Clinton, who may abandon Afghanistan.

...

Defence specialists said Russian arms chiefs at first "fell about laughing" because they thought the order was a joke when it arrived this month.

But with the Americans said to be pressing for a price and earliest delivery date, the request is being rapidly processed and exports could begin before the end of this year.

The "decade's worth" of ammunition will give the Afghan National Army a vast arsenal to deal with Taliban or drug warlords if Washington withdraws its troops.

It would allow Kabul to defend its borders against outside interference but could also be used for offensive operations against neighbours such as the old enemy, Pakistan.

"This is a request for a price indication from the Pentagon to the Russians," said an arms source connected to Russia. "After that comes back they will look at their budget and turn it into an order - and it will be an order of huge magnitude.

"The operations and planning staff at the Pentagon came up with numbers for their wish list.

"The final order may be more or may be less but the broad aim is to spend the budget while they can. They want to stack the country up with ammunition.

"It's the equivalent of buying yourself a plane to fly to Le Touquet for lunch and you get yourself a 747 jumbo instead of a light aircraft."

All of the material will come from Rosoboron Exports, the sole state intermediary agency for Russia's military exports.
posted by Kevin at 8:41 PM

I used to read lots of Skolnick's stuff, even though his allegations were usually not verifiable. If you can tolerate his writing style, his massive body of work is worth looking through:

Mr. Skolnick's most spectacular victory came in 1969, when he found that two judges on the state Supreme Court accepted a gift of stock in a Chicago bank from a defendant whose case they were to decide-and for whom they ruled favorably.

Skolnick's findings led to a blue-ribbon investigative commission and finally to the resignations from the court of Chief Justice Roy J. Solfisburg Jr. and Justice Ray Klingbiel.
posted by Kevin at 5:39 PM

Yeah, but now we have the Plunge Protection Team. That thing will save us!

Right?

CONDITIONS in the financial markets are eerily similar to those that precipitated the "Black Monday" stock market crash of October 1987, according to leading City analysts.

A report by Barclays Capital says the run-up to the 1987 crash was characterised by a widening US current-account deficit, weak dollar, fears of rising inflation, a fading boom in American house prices, and the appointment of a new chairman of the Federal Reserve Board.

All have been happening in recent months, with market nerves on edge last week over fears of higher inflation and a tumbling dollar, and the perception of mixed messages on interest rates from Ben Bernanke, the new Fed chairman.
posted by Kevin at 4:08 AM

No hookers?! What the hell kind of bribery case is this?

A congressman under investigation for bribery was caught on videotape accepting $100,000 in $100 bills from an FBI informant whose conversations with the lawmaker also were recorded, according to a court document released Sunday. Agents later found the cash hidden in his freezer.

At one audiotaped meeting, Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., chuckles about writing in code to keep secret what the government contends was his corrupt role in getting his children a cut of a communications company's deal for work in Africa.

As Jefferson and the informant passed notes about what percentage the lawmaker's family might receive, the congressman "began laughing and said, 'All these damn notes we're writing to each other as if we're talking, as if the FBI is watching,'" according to the affidavit.
posted by Kevin at 4:00 AM

UPDATE: The Entire Thing Is BS

UPDATE: The producers have taken down the clip pending verification of Macbeth's story. I had requested access to Jessie Macbeth, the day this story broke, to ask the questions the producers should have asked in the first place. I was told I would get the chance to ask those questions.

It turns out that lots of other people had a few questions for Jessie Macbeth.

I got this email this morning:

From: randyro - comcast - net
Subject: removing Jessie Macbeth interview from our site
Date: May 23, 2006 12:34:12 PM PDT


I just got off the phone with Iraq Vets Against the War (IVAW), who have asked us to remove the Jesse Macbeth interview from our site. Lambert will remove it as soon as he gets home, this evening, which is as soon as we can do it. (Lambert spent hours getting it up on the site just last night--before that it was only on Terry, on our man in Vancouver,'s peacefilms.org site. Terry is removing it from that site as well.)

IVAW is going to put some kind of statement up on their website, they are formulating it now.

Here's what has happened:
We met Jesse at a rally where he, along with other IVAW members were holding an IVAW banner, giving speeches as IVAW members, and talking to the press. We made arrangements to interview him the next day, which formed the basis of the piece we did. The piece went out on our show, and Terry put the interview part up on his peacefilms.org website.

Once Dahr sent out the link to the video, there was a LOT of attention on the video. Right away it came under attack for being lies, a fake, jesse was never a soldier etc. This was a "swiftboating," in my opinion, and similar to the attacks leveled against the Vietnam generation of veteran who came back from the war and tried to bring their experience out to the public. (It was these sorts of attacks which prompted VVAW to hold the now-famous Winter Soldier investigations, where they got many vets to testify about their experiences.)

Some big media people were interested in our video and the Jesse story but they, rightfully so, wanted verification of the story, so they could run with it. After all, the news these days is about a Marine squad who are accused of exactly this same behavior. Jesse's story would clearly show the Marine story to be common policy, rather than a squad of loose cannons in an otherwise proper war. So it is BIG news, if it can be subjected to the extra-normal journalistic scrutiny needed for really big stories.

Jessie, a troubled youth, who joined the army to avoid further prison time, and who has suffered from severe PTSD after serving in Iraq, with resultant criminal convictions, isn't a great witness. I knew all this when we did the interview, but felt that his story rang true, had lots of details, and that we should go with it, because I know that the soldiers who can tell these sorts of accounts are the most likely to have mental problems, precisely because of the experiences they had. ALL the My Lai massacre soldiers went crazy, it goes with the territory.

Big media backed away from the story, because Jesse does have mental problems and a marginal life. Much pressure has been leveled at IVAW. Jessie told me on the phone yesterday that "Stars & Stripes," the military newspaper, called him and told him that the Pentagon was denying that he had ever even been in the military. In the face of this, IVAW asked Jessie yesterday to verify his military service etc, and Jessie did fax them some VA paperwork and his DD214, but they felt that there were discrepancies in his DD214, enough so that they don't think they can vouch for him without further verification.

So they are, as I mentioned before, formulating a public statement about the situation. What it will say, I don't know, but it sounds like they may distance themselves from Jesse. And their national coordinator called me, asking us to remove the video from the website (which implies we should also stop distribution of it).

Without the blessing of IVAW, we can't really keep the video up. IVAW is all over the video in the lower thirds, etc. and Jesse is identified right up front as a member of that organization, which he has been for quite some time. I still feel that Jesse's story is true, but we don't have the ability to verify any of this, and we have to respect IVAW's wishes, and their greater ability to verify what can be verified.

So, we will remove the video from our site, and Lambert will put up a notice saying we have removed it at the request of IVAW, pending their further investigation, directing people who want more info to the IVAW site.

We may see this play out in a big way yet, not the least of which may be for the right wing to attack us for having a story that IVAW won't back. This is all unfolding as I type this, and I have no idea where it will all lead, but be aware that there is a lot of attention on us as a video collective. Jesse just called to tell me that NBC has contacted him and they are doing a big "smear" story about all this. So stay tuned. Meanwhile, I was just on a 3-way call with Jesse and another one of the national IVAW leadership, who seemed to think they were going to keep working through this, that they weren't going to distance themselves from him, etc, so there seems to be two opinions among IVAW leadership on how to proceed. Jesse has promised to provide the original of his DD214, which his case manager has, as well as details about his unit, names of other soldiers in the unit, etc to help with the verification. Nonetheless, it was the IVAW national coordinator who called earlier, asking us to take down the video, so we have to do it.

Earlier in the week, before this all came up, I sent the Jesse piece, carried first on IP#193, out to our stations again, as IP#201, because the Marines story is back in the news. I guess I have to ask our various locations to hold the show, if possible.

Randy

Stay tuned.

Former U.S. Army Ranger and Iraq War Vetran, Jessie Macbeth:

"When we were doing the night raids in the houses, we would pull people out and have them all on their knees and zip-tied. We would ask the man of the house questions. If he didn't answer the way we liked, we would shoot his youngest kid in the head. We would keep going, this was our interrogation. He could be innocent. He could be just an average Joe trying to support his family. If he didn't give us a satisfactory answer, we'd start killing off his family until he told us something. If he didn't know anything, I guess he was SOL."
posted by Kevin at 4:33 PM