NYDN: Kabul guys had trial wired (Idema-Boykin link)

[lostnfound]

Democracy Now! covered this today (GOOD STUFF!)and showed some of the videos; you can watch it online at democracynow.org.

Article by Juan Gonzalez in today's New York Daily News: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/wn_report/story/234746p-201641c.html

<snip>
Not only did the tape show the Americans arriving at Kabul Airport and routinely handing their passports to customs agents, it showed a group of prominent Afghan leaders who greeted them at the terminal.

<snip>
After all, Caraballo filmed everything the group did. There were tapes of Yunus Qanuni, a former government official and current presidential candidate, praising Idema and offering him help in hunting terrorists.

There were tapes of Idema calling the Washington office of Lt. Gen. William Boykin, the undersecretary of defense for intelligence, and complaining to Boykin's assistant Jorge Shim about the FBI plastering wanted posters of Idema all over Kabul.

<snip>
On the tapes, a man who identifies himself as Shim's supervisor is heard telling Idema, "We passed all your information" to two Pentagon divisions. The supervisor then says: "We were trying to protect our boss. ... We are trying to put a fire wall between your efforts and him."

<snip>

[jayfish]

1. I Thought We Kicked The Taliban Out Of Power. -NT-

Jay

[lostnfound]

2. Are you insinuating that Boykin would just fit right in? nt

[jayfish]

3. Not Really... But Now That You Mention It,...

he most definitely would. I'm saying that (from my reading the article) that the trial was a sham in the best traditions of a totalitarian (see Taliban) state. They basically rammed these guys through their "system" not because they were guilty scumbags, but because they had evidence that implicated BushCo. in their operation. Now having said that I also believe that if these guys are guilty of torturing Afghanis then they should be punished, but they should be allowed to defend themselves. If they take BushCo. down in the process... so be it. That's what democracy and freedom are about to me.

Jay

[seemslikeadream]

4. Green Beret J. K. Idema -- Just who the hell is this guy

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=125&topic_id=9558&mesg_id=14241&page=

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=125&topic_id=9558&mesg_id=14463&page=

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=125&topic_id=9558&mesg_id=18255&page=

[DoYouEverWonder]

5. I don't know but I bet Kevin Costner

will play him in the movie.

[lostnfound]

6. One more kick in case you missed it.

I'm surprised at the lack of interest this has gotten (even though none of us bought the official line about Idema to begin with.)