Ex-Feds Blast 9-11 Panel and Bush

[dqueue]

Government agencies roasted for screw-ups in war on "terror"

This Village Voice article begins:

WASHINGTON, D.C.—A group of 25 former federal employees directly involved in the government's counterintelligence and counterterrorism programs held a press conference here this morning to lambaste both the 9-11 Commission and the Bush administration for failing to hold government officials accountable for failures leading up to 9-11.

The ex-employees, from the FBI, CIA, FAA, Customs, and the Defense Intelligence Agency, had firsthand knowledge of their agencies' activities in counterintelligence and counterterrorism. Bogdan Dzakovic, a former special agent at the FAA, said he repeatedly sought to warn his superiors of mismanagement and the dangers of terrorism, but to no avail. He was a leader of a "Red Team" at FAA, engaged in preparing for terrorist attacks. But he said the security measures in his agency were "little more than window dressing," and quoted one frustrated colleague as saying, "The FAA is so screwed up I don't know where to begin."

...

The 25 signed a letter to Congress—organized by Sibel Edmonds, the former FBI whistleblower who is blocked from telling what she knows by a Justice Department gag order—citing "intentional actions or inaction by individuals responsible for our national security, actions or inaction dictated by motives other than the security of the people of the United States."

The 9-11 Commission's final report, the letter added, "deliberately ignores officials and civil servants who were, and still are, clearly negligent and/or derelict in their duties to the nation. If these individuals are protected, rather than held accountable, the mindset that enabled 9-11 will persist, no matter how many layers of bureaucracy are added, and no matter how much money is poured into the agencies. Character counts. Personal integrity, courage, and professionalism make the difference. Only a commission bent on holding no one responsible and reaching unanimity could have missed that."

[steely]

1. This is cool - the back door scenario seems very real.

Of course "they" will blame Kleinman for not turning in her badge.

Go Sibel!

[BeFree]

2. Sounds to me like

.....A Conspiracy Theory.......

Jeez, haven't these people got anything better to do than cook up some kind of conspiracy theory?

Everyone knows that it happened just like they said and the 9/11 Commission told the whole story.

Can't believe DU lets this kind of stuff slide by......



yeah, sarcastic

[Katherine2]

11. Why is this not on the news

when a bunch of lying swift boat yahoos get a ton of coverage? Are we living in a parallel universe?

[cthrumatrix]

18. you KNOW why.... it's called corporatism...that owns the media & govt

[ima_sinnic]

3. kick! this is great! (nt)

[Eloriel]

4. Great find! Thanks. n/t

[WillyT]

5. Do We Know Where They Met, Who Was There (Media) ???

Was it video taped? If so, who has it???

Looked in C-Span videos... not there.

Anybody know???

:shrug:

Thanks for posting this - BTW!!!

:yourock:

[glitch]

6. Yes - and what members of the "press" decided to pass on the conference nt

[Thurston Howell IV]

7. 911 Commission Report was a bit of a whitewash

And the media and Congress ate it up. This may help rectify the situation. Hope it gets some airplay. Go Sibel!

[yardwork]

8. A BIT of a whitewash?

Yeah, you can say that again.

[Thurston Howell IV]

32. OK, more than a bit...

It was a whitewash. I didn't read the actual report (just read the news reports on it), so I was hedging. I did see some of the commission hearings, and they avoided tough questions and important follow-up. Jim Thompson was particularly bad. Perhaps he stood out for me since he had been governor of my home state, Illinois.

[WillyT]

9. It Almost Had To Be, If They Wanted Unanimity !!!

Who know what deals they struck in order to attain that goal. Leaving out Siebel Edmonds for starters.

:shrug:

[colonel odis]

25. every time i see that picture of that old man pulling that girl's hair,

it makes my blood boil.

does anyone know who he is?

[WillyT]

10. Kick !!!

:kick:

[lovuian]

12. These are True Americans !!!

This is what it means to be an American

I agree with them 9/11 commission in History will be shown as a Huge Bush coverup

[Bundbuster]

13. Drip...drip...drip

[Richardson08]

20. 455,000 HAL stock options

[Pallas180]

14. "Hear Me Roar - I Am Woman" - That Sibel is something else!!

:bounce:

[KansDem]

19. I whole heartily agree!

Sibel Edmonds, the former FBI whistleblower...is blocked from telling what she knows by a Justice Department gag order

That's OK, Sibel, Ashcroft makes me gag, too!

[truthspeaker]

15. kick

[dqueue]

16. The letter is really compelling

AntiWar has posted the letter in its entirety.

Go, Sibel! What may we do to help this woman?

[Minstrel Boy]

23. An excerpt from Sibel's letter:

Omission is one of the major flaws in the Commission's report. We are aware of significant issues and cases that were duly reported to the Commission by those of us with direct knowledge, but somehow escaped attention. Serious problems and shortcomings within government agencies likewise were reported to the Commission but were not included in the report. The report simply does not get at key problems within the intelligence, aviation security, and law enforcement communities. The omission of such serious and applicable issues and information by itself renders the report flawed, and casts doubt on the validity of many of its recommendations.

...

Even before the Commission began its work, many honest and patriotic individuals from various agencies came forward with information and warnings regarding terrorism-related issues and serious problems within our intelligence and aviation security agencies. If it were not for these individuals, much of what we know today of significant issues and facts surrounding 9/11 would have remained in the dark. These "whistleblowers" were able to put the safety of the American people above their own careers and jobs, even though they had reason to suspect that the deck was stacked against them. Sadly, it was. Retaliation took many forms: some were ostracized; others were put under formal or informal gag orders; some were fired. The Commission has neither acknowledged their contribution nor faced up to the urgent need to protect such patriots against retaliation by the many bureaucrats who tend to give absolute priority to saving face and protecting their own careers.

...

The Commission, with its incomplete report of "facts and circumstances," intentional avoidance of assigning accountability, and disregard for the knowledge, expertise and experience of those who actually do the job, has now set about pressuring our Congress and our nation to hastily implement all its recommendations. While we do not intend to imply that all recommendations of this report are flawed, we assert that the Commission's list of recommendations does not include many urgently needed fixes, and further, we argue that some of their recommendations, such as the creation of an "intelligence czar" and haphazard increases in intelligence budgets, will lead to increases in the complexity and confusion of an already complex and highly bureaucratic system.

[dqueue]

17. kick...

kick... this needs attention. i have a busy day today, but would love to get this out and about to the media.

[KeepItReal]

21. Kick...It's the incompetence, stupid!

<eom>

[0007]

22. Hear ye, hear ye, hear 'ye

"It is unrealistic to expect that government workers will defend the public if they can't defend themselves. Profiles in courage are the exception, not the rule. Unfortunately, current whistleblower rights are a cruel trap and magnet for cynicism. The Whistleblower Protection Act has turned into an efficient way to finish whistleblowers off by endorsing termination."

[dqueue]

24. A little more press

Insight on the News picked up the story in this article today. Of course, not much in the way of major media coverage...

[WillyT]

28. This Is Killin Me... It Was A PRESS CONFERENCE, What Press ???

:grr::shrug::grr:

[Just Me]

26. Introducing some real American heroes!!!

I hope they never, ever give up and keep up the pressure!

:bounce:

[dansolo]

27. Isn't this what Cheney was warning us about

Cheney said that we shouldn't revert to the pre-9/11 mindset, when it looks like we never left it in the first place.

[WillyT]

29. HAS ANYBODY SEEN MORE ON THIS ???

:shrug:

[KoKo]

30. No....and please post it in GD Forum...I've seen nothing about this!

More DU'ers will see it if you post it in GD...and we all need to know about this, because the whore press isn't covering it.

[WillyT]

31. If I Find It, You've Got It !!!

And in GD too!!!

:hi:

[wiggs]

33. Nice! Scary. kick all week. nt