-Caveat Lector- from: http://www.aci.net/kalliste/ <A HREF="http://www.aci.net/kalliste/">The Home Page of J. Orlin Grabbe</A> ----- The Perils of Caffeine Ron Brown: The Chinese Connection Met with arms dealer same day dealer attended White House coffee? LITTLE ROCK (AP) -- FBI agents investigating Democratic Party fund-raiser Yah Lin ``Charlie'' Trie sought evidence that Commerce Secretary Ronald Brown met with a Chinese arms dealer the same day that the dealer attended a White House coffee with President Clinton, according to court documents unsealed today. Trie faces federal charges in the campaign fund-raising probe. Agents searched his Little Rock home in October 1997 after obtaining a search warrant that alluded to a Feb. 6, 1996, meeting attended by Brown and Wang Jun just weeks before Brown's death. Trie, a central figure in the controversy over foreign-linked campaign donations to Democrats, arranged for Wang to attend a White House coffee with President Clinton the same day. Wang's company, Poly Technologies, has been implicated in smuggling of arms into the United States. He is identified as an adviser to the Chinese government in the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee's report on its investigation into illegal campaign fund raising in the 1996 election. Wang's visit to the White House was previously reported and Clinton has said it was inappropriate. Previous reports, however, did not mention a meeting the same day between Brown and Wang. Brown was a major player in Democratic politics. He was killed in April 1996 when the military transport he was aboard crashed into a mountainside in Croatia. Thirty-four others aboard the plane as part of a government trade mission also died. The reference to a meeting between Brown and Wang adds a new twist to the investigation into fund-raising irregularities. Trie, a longtime friend of Clinton and a former Little Rock restaurateur, is scheduled to go on trial May 17 on charges he made and arranged illegal contributions to the Democratic National Committee to buy access to Clinton and other top officials. The indictment also claims Trie obstructed justice by ordering an employee to destroy documents subpoenaed in 1997 by a federal grand jury and by the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee. Trie asked a judge to unseal the court file Thursday, claiming that an FBI agent mislead the court in an affidavit that prompted a judge to issue a warrant for a search of Trie's local residence. Trie's lawyers said he had learned in late March or early this month that, contrary to FBI Agent Daniel J. Wehr's affidavit, Wehr did not participate in an interview of Dia Maria Mapili. The longtime employee of Trie told agents she was instructed by Trie in 1996 to get rid of fund-raising-related documents stored at his home and garage office. Agents seized computers and accessories, records, books, business papers, photographs, mail and other documents in the search of Trie's home, according to court papers that U.S. District Judge George Howard Jr. unsealed Friday. Associated Press, April 23, 1999 Information Warfare NATO Expands the War to Journalists by Rod Pounsett By targeting Yugoslav television facilities, knowing it would be killing journalists, NATO has crossed a significant line concerning the rules of war. Although it may not be part of the Geneva Convention, it has been common practice, especially where there has been no formal declaration of war, that journalists have been able to report conflicts on both sides of a battle line without fear of being regarded as legitimate enemy targets. NATO argues that Yugoslav's media is part of the war machine because it is involved in propaganda. But Milosevic could, therefore, argue that any national broadcasting service within NATO countries, either wholly of partly funded by a government, is a legitimate military target in this conflict. It could also now justifiably target any journalist delivering commentary which is unsympathetic to the Yugoslav regime and in support of NATO action. This would presumably include such operations as the part UK government funded BBC world service, the U.S. government funded Voice of America, the heavily subsidized French national broadcasting service, similar operations in Germany and many other NATO states. Judging by comments made by the Yugoslav government information service, many private sector broadcasters would also be considered part of NATO's propaganda machine. And if Milosevic begins to rate these targets as importantly as NATO obviously does, he may well be ordering his military to draw up plans to hit back. With Belgrade's limited ability to conduct air strikes outside its territory, any such planning would have to include clandestine terrorist strikes. There could also now be an increased threat to the safety of any western journalists still remaining in Yugoslavia, especially those who have been reporting from Belgrade, like CNN's Brent Sadler and the BBC's John Simpson. Also this NATO action surely brings into question claims that the West defends freedom of speech. There can never be true freedom of speech if it is conditional upon the opinions being expressed, as NATO seems to be saying. Following the strikes on the Yugoslav TV center NATO spokespeople were claiming that eliminating these sorts of targets was considered part of the overall strategy to destroy Belgrade's ability to wage war on the Kosovo Albanians. When asked to be more specific in their justification, the questions were dodged. NATO is claiming that it wants to stop Milosevic's telling lies to his own people. But clearly this latest tactic to silence Yugoslav media is really an attempt to stop Milosevic's propaganda machine which is reaching audiences outside his own country. In this way it is undermining public and political support for the NATO action outside Yugoslavia. That makes these political targets rather than military. Targeting Yugoslav media is a mistake by NATO leaders, like many of their other decisions in respect to this Kosovo crisis. It will not lesson public support for Milosevic or lesson anger against NATO within Yugoslavia. In fact it could have exactly the reverse effect. This is not a third world backwoods country without technical know how and initiative. Other ways will be found to keep up the information flow to the Yugoslav people and to the outside world. And now Milosevic will be able to show pictures of even more innocent civilian victims of the NATO air strikes. These are not military broadcasters NATO is killing. They are working journalists and technicians just like their counterparts around the world who will not take kindly to this new addition to NATO's target list. NATO could soon be confronting a new propaganda machine from within as western journalists speak out in support of their targeted colleagues. Central Europe Online, April 23, 1999 ----- Aloha, He'Ping, Om, Shalom, Salaam. Em Hotep, Peace Be, Omnia Bona Bonis, All My Relations. Adieu, Adios, Aloha. Amen. Roads End Kris DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
