I apologize for my last post. Sometimes, I can be an asshole.
On Fri, Nov 16, 2012 at 11:37 PM, Keith In Tampa <[email protected]>wrote: > Hah! > > Nothing here to dispute! Raimondo is an idiot, there is nothing even > remotely truthful in his article, and you posted this to a political forum > group! > > That, in itself.....That you would post ANYTHING that Justin Raimondo > writes, speaks volumes. > > That Plain Ol' Thinks it's a "Great Observation" also says a lot... > > > > > > On Fri, Nov 16, 2012 at 11:56 PM, MJ <[email protected]> wrote: > >> >> As is typical ... Keith spews a bunch of fallacy -- complete with his >> standard pictures -- but FAILS to actually refute anything. >> >> Regard$, >> --MJ >> >> "One of the painful signs of years of dumbed-down education is how many >> people are unable to make a coherent argument. They can vent their >> emotions, question other people's motives, make bold assertions, repeat >> slogans -- anything except reason" -- Thomas Sowell. >> >> >> >> >> At 05:27 PM 11/16/2012, you wrote: >> >> Geesh what an idiot.....Talk about taking things out of context, >> Raimondo is the King, and of course, folks like MJ and PlainOl follow right >> in line....."Astute!" "Good Observation!" "Brilliant"! "Must be >> Neo-Cons!" >> >> Idiocy, Moonbattery, Crackpottery all rolled into one. >> >> >> >> >> >> On Fri, Nov 16, 2012 at 10:54 PM, plainolamerican <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> we find similar catalytic elements of a definitely neoconnish >> complexion >> --- >> good oberservation >> >> know the enemy >> >> On Nov 16, 1:53 pm, MJ <[email protected]> wrote: >> > Why Paula Broadwell Sent Those EmailsIt wasn’t jealousybyJustin >> Raimondo, November 16, 2012 >> > When it comes to grandstanding, few politicians can outdo SenatorsJohn >> McCain and Lindsey Graham. A few hours before the President’s first press >> conference since the election, this duo hadone of their own, demanding a >> "Water-gate"-like special congressional investigation into the attack on >> our BenghaziCIA secret prison"consulate." As ifat least threecongressional >> committees looking into the matter isn’t enough, they want another one – >> just to make sure it comes to the right conclusions. >> > And what are those conclusions? It’s the same Fox News party line that >> we’ve been hearing since Day One: according tothe wingnuts, the President >> and his administration deliberately withheld military and security support >> from the "consulate," and ordered rescue teams to stand down while >> Ambassador Chris Stevens, and three others, were sacrificed on the altar of >> the President’s reelection campaign. >> > You may ask: why would Obama, then-CIA chief Gen. David Petraeus, and >> the Pentagon pull such a deadly and heinous betrayal? Although it is never >> said out loud – except bythe nuttiestof the wingnuts – the clear >> implication is that the White House is inhabited by traitors. It all makes >> perfect "sense" if you fervently believe the President is a secret Muslim. >> > For those whose ears aren’t quite attuned to the dog whistling of the >> Fox News/Karl Rove media combine, we haveCharles Krauthammer, who gives >> essentially the same tired old story a conspiratorial twist (with a dash of >> scandal): the administration, he avers, was holding the knowledge of his >> affair with Paula Broadwell over Petraeus’s head, supposedly forcing him to >> testify at a Sept. 13 congressionalbriefingthat the "Innocence of Muslims" >> video was a significant factor in the Benghazi attack. Obama isn’t just a >> secret Muslim, you see: he’s a blackmailer, too. >> > It’s truly a sickening and singularly unconvincing narrative, not least >> because these three stooges of the War Party –McCain,Graham, >> andKrauthammer– all hailed the US intervention in Libya, while criticizing >> the President for being too "late and slow" about it. Whenradical >> Islamistsalliedwithal-Qaedawere installed in Tripoli and Benghazi by NATO >> air power andmobs of howling savageson the ground, the War Party – >> personified by this tiresome trio – were over the moon. Now they’re >> complaining about the consequences of our great "victory" – "it’s a good >> day for Libya, America, and the world," Krauthammer crowed at the time. But >> was it? >> > When it comes to the Benghazi attack, all parties agree on one thing: >> the security arrangements provided for the CIA station/consulate were >> inadequate.Unarmed security guardsemployed by an obscure UK-based firm >> nobody had ever heard of, and the "protection" afforded by theFebruary 17 >> Brigade, a key militia group that led the uprising against Qaddafi in >> Benghazi and was being "trained" by the CIA, were all the protection they >> had. Perhaps the State Department was confident the February 17 gang would >> defend them if attacked. The only problem was that the Brigade, itself a >> radical Islamist outfit, did nothing while theAnsar al-Shariagroup – >> another, even more hard-line Islamist "militia" – stormed the diplomatic >> compound, and, later, the CIA station a mile or so away. Indeed, the >> consulate "guards"alerted the attackersas to the whereabouts of Ambassador >> Stevens and his staff, who had fled to the nearby CIA station after the >> initial assault. >> > Those "guards" came from a small outfit known asBlue Mountain Security. >> This was mainly a travel company catering to adventurous tourists until the >> "liberation" of Libya, when they managed to get around Libyan regulations >> on foreign security providers by partnering up with a "local" security >> organization. Except it wasn’t at all local:the Eclipse Groupis a shadowy >> organization run by Iran-Contra co-conspirator and neocon loonyDuane >> Clarridge, who boasts of running his own "private" CIA. It was this group, >> which just happened to have a license to operate in Libya, that gave Blue >> Mountain access to the Libyan security market. >> > Isn’t it funny how neocons turn up in the weirdest places? All you have >> to do is probe a bit beneath the surface of practically any foreign policy >> disaster, and there they are, like bugs scittering away in droves the >> deeper one digs. >> > Speaking of neocons, we nowknow the identityof the Shirtless Guy, the >> FBI agent whose dogged pursuit of the source of those "harassing" emails >> led to the exposure of Petraeus’s affair with Paula Broadwell and the CIA >> chief’s downfall:"The agent, Frederick W. Humphries II, 47, is also >> described by former colleagues as relentless in his pursuit of what he sees >> as wrongdoing, which appears to describe his role in the F.B.I. >> investigation involving Mr. Petraeus. Suspecting that the case involved >> serious security issues and was being stalled, possibly for political >> reasons – a suspicion his superiors say was unjustified – he took his >> concerns to Congressional Republicans. >> > “Fred is a passionate kind of guy,’ one former colleague said. ‘He’s >> kind of an obsessive type. If he locked his teeth onto something, he’d be a >> bulldog.’"Humphries, a former Army captain and military intelligence >> officer, is a friend of Jill Kelley, the woman whose "cyber-stalking" >> complaint triggered the investigation that eventually uncovered the >> Petraeus- Broadwell liaison. Hereportedlybecame so "obsessed" by the case >> that his superiors forbade him from getting involved in it, and so he went >> around them: to the Republicancongressionalleadership, which spilled the >> beans to the top guns at the FBI. From there it went to DNIJames Clapper, >> who insisted Petraeus resign. Humphries was convinced "the case was being >> stalled for political reasons," according to theTimes: >> anearlierTimesaccount attributed his impatience to his "worldview." >> > What "worldview" is that? TheTimesdescribes his "conservative political >> views," and a look at his background should give us a few clues.To >> beginwith, he was instrumental in the investigation that foiled the >> so-called Millennium terrorist plot of 1990. Current headlines describe him >> as a "hero." However, other cases in which he figured prominently paint a >> definitely unheroic portrait of a man consumed by hatred of Muslims. In >> 2007, Humphrieswent afterYoussef Megahed, a USF student arrested in South >> Carolina while on a road trip with a newly acquired friend, Ahmed Mohamed. >> They had been pulled over for speeding and the police found suspicious >> items in the car: PVC pipes filled with potassium nitrate. Mohamed said >> they were "model rockets," while the government admitted they were "low >> explosives." >> > The two were charged with illegal transportation of explosive materials >> and possession of destructive devices, but neither was convicted on those >> counts. However, Mohamed got a 15-year sentence for a Youtube video >> explaining how to convert a toy car remote control device into a detonator. >> Megahed was acquitted of all charges, but the fanatical Humphries pursued >> him, and hewas re-arrested, this time on suspicion of posing a “terrorist” >> threat. "We felt that Mr. Megahed was willingly providing assistance to Mr. >> Mohamed, who is a self-professed terrorist," averred Humphries at the >> trial. What was the evidence against Megahed? As Megahed’s lawyerput >> it:"The only thing the government did and I think it’s important for people >> to understand this is they put on a supervisory FBI agent who testified >> about what other people investigated, and they put on a forensics computer >> examiner who basically said, ‘Here’s Youssef’s history on his computer,’ >> without giving context to either of those. And when we pointed out and were >> able to discuss what these two witnesses the actual context of the >> allegations against Youssef, it became crystal clear that there was nothing >> there. There was simply no basis to the charges against Youssef."In short, >> Humphries’s testimony and that of the "forensics expert" was pure innuendo, >> which is why the judge threw it out and freed Megahed. This should give us >> some idea of the "worldview" espoused by Petraeus’s pursuer.This storysays >> Humphries gave a talk on Afghanistan at the "FBI Citizen’s Academy," and >> that his friend, Jill Kelley – another key catalyst in the outing of >> Petraeus – also attended. Other news outlets areclaimingthey met there for >> the first time. In any case, the two became close – although theshirtless >> pictureHumphries sent her issaid to benon-sexual in nature – and when >> Kelley started receiving anonymous emails warning her to stay away from >> Petraeus she went to Humphries. He became convinced he had uncovered a >> grave security threat because the emailer seemed to have inside knowledge >> of the movements of both Petraeus and Gen. John Allen, the top US commander >> in Afghanistan. >> > Ms. Kelley is fast eclipsing Broadwell as the central player in this >> drama, whichmanyhave compared to a soap opera but which may in fact be more >> akin to a spy thriller. >> > Kelley, 37, is married to Scott Kelley, a surgeon at a hospital in >> Tampa, Florida: the couple lives in a $1.5 million mansion "a stone’s >> throw" away from MacDill Air Force Base, headquarters of CENTCOM. The >> daughter of Lebanese parents who came to the US in the 1970s "due to >> political disputes,"according toAl Arabiya, her family is Maronite >> Christian. Kelley wasdescribedby a onetime member of Petraeus’s staff as a >> "’self-appointed’ go-between for Central Command officers with Lebanese and >> other Middle Eastern government officials." >> > One can’t help wondering: which Middle Eastern governments? >> > Kelley and her husband moved to Tampa a decade ago, and she soon became >> the center of asocial whirlwindinvolving top CENTCOM officers, including >> Petraeus and Allen. Famous for herlavish parties, with white tents on her >> manicured lawn and valet parking, she was known as the unofficial "social >> liaison" for MacDill and the surrounding community. (Although if you were >> anything less than a colonel, you could forget about getting an invite to >> one of her sparkling galas). She worked hard at becoming a fixture, even >> getting a special pass to MacDill which allowed her to breeze in and out: >> the pass, as you might imagine, has since beenrevoked. >> > A sumptuous mansion, a Mercedes and a BMG in the driveway, a reputation >> as a socialite with rather expensive tastes – these insignia of wealth hid >> a miasma of debt, foreclosures, and creditor lawsuits that belied the >> glossy surface of her life. AsUSA Todayreports:"The $2.1 million purchase >> of a three-story office building downtown ended in foreclosure. The couple >> defaulted on a $250,000 line of credit and owe thousands on credit cards. >> > "Chase Bank sued for $25,880 in 2010. >> > "FIA Card Services sued in February for $79,876, including more than >> $75,000 in cash advances on a Visa Signature card. >> > "Regions Bank sued in August 2010 after the Kelleys failed to make >> payments on $250,000 borrowed July 19, 2005. The bank ultimately settled >> for $85,000 and required the Kelleys to pay $850 a month toward the >> debt."There was also a seeminglydubious cancer charityrun by Jill and her >> husband, which also lists her twin sister, Natalie, as an officer. Almost >> half the money raised went to expenses: no one knows where the other half >> went. More recently, Kelley attended the Tampa GOP convention, where she >> met a New York City businessman who was convinced by her that she could get >> him a no bid coal gasification contract with the South Korean government: >> the hook was herrelationshipwith Petraeus, which she said would guarantee >> the contract. He flew her to New York to discuss the details, but soon >> discovered she had no idea what she was talking about after she demanded >> an$80 millionpayment. >> > SisterNatalie Khawamis alsoquite the card: police records indicate at >> least half a dozen calls from Ms. Khawam concerning alleged prowlers, >> unwanted visits from supposed agents of her ex-boyfriend, and other >> domestic dramas. The boyfriendmay beherex-husband, or perhaps >> lobbyistGerald Harrington, a bigtime Democratic party contributor and >> military lobbyist associated with Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse >> and John Kerry. Khazam’s bankruptcy records indicate Harrington "loaned" >> her $300,000. In another weird twist, both Petraeus and Allen intervened in >> a child custody case involving Khawam and her ex-husband: both sent letters >> to the judge praising her to the skies. However, as theTampa Bay Timesput >> it:"The court had a different opinion. ‘Ms. Khawam appears to lack any >> appreciation or respect for the importance of honesty and integrity in her >> interactions with her family, employers, and others with whom she comes in >> contact,’ a judge wrote after a litany of hearings and psychological >> evaluations. ‘The court fully expects that Ms. Khawam’s pattern of >> misrepresentations about virtually everything, including the most important >> aspects of her life, will continue indefinitely.’"Harsh! >> > Millions of dollars in debt, Khazam moved into the Tampa Bay mansion >> with her sister. The two made a formidable team as they carved out a niche >> at the intersection of Tampa’s social elite and MacDill’s military brass. >> Kelley,saystheTampa Bay Times, was "determined to make her footprint" after >> moving to Tampa in 2003, and was apparently very clear on setting up shop >> as close to MacDill as possible. She "knocked on doors up and down Bayshore >> Boulevard, asking homeowners if their house was for sale. She wanted the >> prestigious address, and she got it. In June 2004, the couple paid $1.5 >> million for a 4,800-square-foot brick mansion with stately white pillars >> and a view of Hillsborough Bay, just six miles from MacDill Air Force Base." >> > They became renown for the untrammeled extravagance of their parties, >> where "there was always more than anybody could possibly eat," according to >> one guest. Behind the façade of wealth and self-assurance, however, the >> sisters were slowly sinking into an ocean of debt and accompanying >> litigation. >> > When we put what we know about the Kelley household together, we come >> up with a clear pattern and set of motivations pointing to an ulterior >> motive behind all this frenetic socializing and status-seeking: >> > 1) To say they were living beyond their means is a bit of an >> understatement: saddled with anenormous debt– the mortgage on their house >> was inserious arrears– one has to wonder where they got all the money for >> this constant round of entertaining. >> > 2) Jill Kelley made a "determined" effort to buy a house at a >> prestigious address minutes away from MacDill. She was very specific about >> where she wanted to live, almost as if she were setting up a "scene" – but >> to what purpose? >> > 3) Kelley waged an aggressive campaign to embed herself and her family >> into the social life of MacDill,cultivatingtop-ranking officers such as >> Petraeus and Allen, continuing her relationship with these two after they >> left the area. At every charity event, every "outreach" effort by MacDill >> to the local community,there she was, right in the center of things. Her >> whole life revolved around these activities: it was, in effect, her job. >> > 4) As Petraeus’sformer staff memberphrases her job description, she was >> a "’self-appointed’ go-between for Central Command officers with Lebanese >> and other Middle Eastern government officials." >> > Lebanon’s Christian Maronite community has along historyof persecution >> at the hands of Muslim radicals, and also one of political extremism in >> their own ranks. The violently anti-Muslim Phalangist movement, which >> engaged in several massacres, has its base in the Maronite community: they >> were the main pogromists atSabra and Shatilla. Allied with the Israelis, >> the Maronites fought – and continue to fight – against the Muslim majority: >> the links between the Phalangists and other Christian extremist groups and >> Israeli intelligence iswell-documented. >> > Enter FBI agent and anti-Muslim fanatic Humphries, on a crusade to save >> the West from infiltration, whobelievedthe investigation into the >> "harassing" emails was being suppressed by the Obama administration, and >> you have all the ingredients of a political and ideological vendetta aimed >> at bringing down not only Petraeus but alsoThat Secret Muslimin the White >> House. >> > A whole section of the loony-tunes right-wing in this country fervently >> believes the US government has beeninfiltrated by the Muslim Brotherhood. >> And their paranoia is completely nonpartisan:Frank Gaffney, of the >> vehemently pro-Israel Center for Security Policy, and the equally nutty and >> volubleDavid Horowitz– former New Leftist Black Panther groupie – turned >> right-wing conspiracy theorist – have both been pushing for years the crazy >> notion that theBushadministration was infested with Muslim fifth >> columnists. Their prime target: none other thanGrover Norquist, the >> libertarian anti-tax advocate who is married to a Palestinian woman, and, >> among his other subversive activities, helped found a free market institute >> aimed at the Islamic world. >> > If Humphries’s "worldview" was similar to or even shaped by these >> nutballs, then his actions make perfect "sense": after all, the >> investigation into the emails was faltering, in his view, and what else >> could it be but those evil fifth columnists who had squelched the probe? >> Yet he wasn’t going to relent: this one wasn’t going to get away like >> Megahed did. He would go over their heads, expose the terrorist conspiracy, >> and – as in the Millennium case – be hailed as a hero. >> > However, instead of going to the Justice Department, or the chair of a >> congressional intelligence committee, he turned to the Republicans, and >> specifically House majority leader Rep.Eric Cantor. It was the tag team of >> Humphries, Kelley, and Cantor who revealed Petraeus’s secret to the world – >> although Kelley didn’t count on the FBI going into her emails and there >> discoveringhundreds of pagesof email between her and Gen. Allen. >> > Which leads us to the question: why did Broadwell send the harassing >> emails,warning Allen off of Kelleyand telling the latter toback offfrom >> Petraeus? The sex-obsessed American media is naturally focusing on the >> salacious aspects of L’affaire Petraeus, but the reality is that neither >> Petraeus nor Allen was likely romantically involved with the Lebanese >> spitfire. I would suggest it wasn’t jealousy that motivated Broadwell, it >> was a desire to protect her lover – and Gen. Allen – from falling into a >> trap: instead, she set if off by her actions. This wasn’t a love triangle – >> it was a failed counterintelligence operation, and the end of a tragic love >> story in which the beloved was unknowingly betrayed by her lover. >> > We are now being treated to the spectacle of the whole "anti-terrorist" >> wingnut media machine pumping outthe narrativeof a craven and traitorous >> White House supposedly covering up the "real" story of what happened in >> Benghazi. In typical neocon style, this narrative – summed up by >> Krauthammer’s "blackmail" thesis – is not only a lie, it is the exact >> opposite of the truth. Far from being blackmailed by the administration, >> Petraeus was set up and hung out to dry by a murky cabal on the other end >> of the political spectrum. >> > I would note that at both ends of the twin scandals roiling official >> Washington – Benghazi and the Petraeus affair – we find similar catalytic >> elements of a definitely neoconnish complexion. Atthe Benghazi end, we have >> the Blue Mountain/Eclipse Group/Duane Clarridge connection, and on the >> Petreaus side we have the Humphries/Kelley/Cantor cabal, with hints of >> involvement by a certain "Middle Eastern government" thrown in for good >> measure. >> > Is that a coincidence, or >> > what?http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2012/11/15/why-paula-broadwell-sent-those-emails/ >> >> -- >> Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. >> For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum >> >> * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ >> * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. >> * Read the latest breaking news, and more. >> >> >> -- >> Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. >> For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum >> >> * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ >> * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. >> * Read the latest breaking news, and more. >> Content-Type: image/jpeg; name="Moonbat1..jpg" >> Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="Moonbat1..jpg" >> X-Attachment-Id: f_h9lvoxv40 >> >> -- >> Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. >> For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum >> >> * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ >> * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. >> * Read the latest breaking news, and more. >> > > -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more.
