Pre-9/11 Files Show Warnings Were More Dire and Persistent

[Octafish]

Pre-9/11 Files Show Warnings Were More Dire and Persistent


By DAVID JOHNSTON and JIM DWYER

April 18, 2004

WASHINGTON, April 17 — Early this year, the independent commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks played four minutes of a call from Betty Ong, a crew member on American Airlines Flight 11. The power of her call could not have been plainer: in a calm voice, Ms. Ong told her supervisors about the hijacking, the weapons the attackers had used, the locations of their seats.

At first, however, Ms. Ong's reports were greeted skeptically by some officials on the ground. "They did not believe her," said Bob Kerrey, a commission member. "They said, `Are you sure?' They asked her to confirm that it wasn't air-rage. Our people on the ground were not prepared for a hijacking."

For most Americans, the disbelief was the same. The attacks of Sept. 11 seemed to come in a stunning burst from nowhere. But now, after three weeks of extraordinary public hearings and a dozen detailed reports, the lengthy documentary record makes clear that predictions of an attack by Al Qaeda had been communicated directly to the highest levels of the government.

The threat reports were more clear, urgent and persistent than was previously known. Some focused on Al Qaeda's plans to use commercial aircraft as weapons. Others stated that Osama bin Laden was intent on striking on United States soil. Many were passed to the Federal Aviation Administration.

CONTINUED...

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/18/politics/18SEPT.html?hp

[skooooo]

1. man they are hammering away on Bush...

..think the press has had enough of his BS

[Octafish]

4. Even from Florida, no less!

Could there be hope?

This excellent column ran in the Sarasota Herald Tribune:

BUSH AND HIS CHANGING WORLD
A few follow-up questions

Barbara Peters Smith — Apr 17, 2004

As President Bush so-already-famously said in his prepared remarks before Tuesday's press conference about the situation in Iraq: "This has been tough weeks in that country." And while some of us worry that the world will place the blame for Iraq's sorrows squarely and exclusively on the United States, others worry even more that if we keep voicing these doubts out loud we will appear weak and namby-pamby to the world, thus undermining the efforts of our troops and our own security while turning everyone against us anyway for being scared as well as stupid.

So I'm happy to see some fresh signs that the world -- having been around a lot longer than us -- is not so undiscerning. When Osama bin Laden, or someone channeling his animus, extended an audio invitation for the nations of Europe to wash their hands of us reckless American infidels and side with him, they were uniformly and reassuringly prompt with their no thank yous. This was heartening, coming as it did the day after our president stunned just about everyone on the planet by unraveling decades of careful diplomacy in the Middle East to give his new best buddy, Ariel Sharon, the unreserved backing of this country to do whatever he might see fit in furthering Israel's manifest destiny as Sharon alone seems to understand it.

SNIP...

Going through it, I felt better that he used that line about changing the world only four times; it must have been my own conservatism that made it seem like more. And a much- discussed moment -- when he responded to a question about mistakes he might have made by saying he wished he could have had that submitted in writing so he could think up an answer -- did not seem quite so pathetic and awkward in print as it did on live television. But there were some passages that generated in me the fantasy that it might be possible to submit a few follow-up questions to the president -- in writing, of course:

"None of these acts is the work of a religion; all are the work of a fanatical, political ideology." Do you know how hard it has been, through all of human history, to tell the difference between those two strong motivations?

CONTINUED...

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040417/COLUMNIST41/404170477

[Leilani]

2. Kerry has a really big opportunity tomorrow

on Meet the Press.

He needs to make a comment on this.

[skooooo]

5. he'll do fine....

GO KERRY!!!!

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[Octafish]

6. You're absolutely correct. JK needs to be careful, though.

The BFEE turd Russert will absolutely try to hang the "playing politics" card on anything the guy says. I hope John Kerry comes across as having "the goods" on Bush and the Bush Organized Crime Family, which he has:

http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/

From the BCCI affair exsum:

SUMMARY OF LEGISLATIVE RECOMMENDATIONS

1. THE SUBCOMMITTEE RECOMMENDS THAT THE UNITED STATES DEVELOP A MORE AGGRESSIVE AND COORDINATED APPROACH TO INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL CRIME, AND TO MOVE FURTHER AGAINST FOREIGN PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIAL LAWS THAT PROTECT CRIMINALS.

2. THE SUBCOMMITTEE RECOMMENDS THAT THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT RECONSIDER THE POLICIES AND PRACTICES THAT LED TO ITS INEFFECTIVENESS IN INVESTIGATING AND PROSECUTING BCCI, AND IMPAIRED ITS ABILITY TO COOPERATE WITH OTHER INVESTIGATIONS OF BCCI BEING CONDUCTED BY THE FEDERAL RESERVE, NEW YORK DISTRICT ATTORNEY, AND THE SENATE.

3. THE SUBCOMMITTEE RECOMMENDS THAT THE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY AND STATE DEPARTMENT UPGRADE THE TRACKING OF FOREIGN FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND ACTIVITIES, AND THE DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION CONCERNING SUCH INSTITUTIONS.

4. THE SUBCOMMITTEE RECOMMENDS THAT THE CONGRESS CONSIDER WHETHER ADDITIONAL OVERSIGHT MECHANISMS ARE NECESSARY TO ENSURE THE CIA'S ACCOUNTABILITY ON THE PROVISION OF INFORMATION.

5. THE SUBCOMMITTEE RECOMMENDS THAT FEDERAL AGENCIES IMPOSE NEW REQUIREMENTS ON FOREIGN AUDITORS TO PROTECT U.S. INTERESTS IN ANY CASE IN WHICH ANY SUCH AGENCY IS RELYING ON AN AUDIT CERTIFIED BY A FOREIGN AUDITOR. AT MINIMUM, THIS SHOULD REQUIRE FOREIGN AUDITORS WHOSE CERTIFICATIONS ARE USED BY INSTITUTIONS DOING BUSINESS IN THE U.S. AGREE TO SUBMIT THEMSELVES TO U.S. LAWS.

6. THE SUBCOMMITTEE RECOMMENDS THAT THE PRESIDENT AND THE SECRETARY OF STATE ADVISE THE GOVERNMENT OF ABU DHABI THAT ITS WITHHOLDING OF DOCUMENTS AND WITNESSES PERTAINING TO BCCI FROM U.S. FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT INVESTIGATORS, THE FEDERAL RESERVE, THE NEW YORK DISTRICT ATTORNEY AND THE CONGRESS THREATENS VITAL U.S. INTERESTS AND WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.

7. FURTHER ATTENTION NEEDS TO BE GIVEN TO THE PROBLEM OF THE REVOLVING DOOR IN WASHINGTON, AND THE IMPACT ON THE REGULATORY PROCESS AND ON LAW ENFORCEMENT OF POLITICAL INFLUENCE IN WASHINGTON. THE SUBCOMMITTEE RECOMMENDS THE CONSIDERATION OF LEGISLATING A FEDERAL STATUTORY CODE OF CONDUCT FOR ATTORNEYS WHO PRACTICE BEFORE FEDERAL AGENCIES.

8. THE SELF-REGULATION OF THE U.S COMMODITIES MARKETS BY THE COMMODITIES FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION, THE CHICAGO BOARD OF TRADE, AND THE CHICAGO MERCANTILE EXCHANGE IS INADEQUATE TO PROTECT THOSE MARKETS AGAINST MONEY LAUNDERING INVOLVING TRADES

FROM ABROAD. THE SUBCOMMITTEE RECOMMENDS THAT THE EXCHANGES MAKE MONEY LAUNDERING ILLEGAL, AND DEMAND THAT THIS REQUIREMENT BE ACCEPTED BY FOREIGN COMMODITIES EXCHANGES WITH WHOM THEY DO BUSINESS, AS A CONDITION OF ACCESS TO US EXCHANGES.

9. THE SUBCOMMITTEE RECOMMENDS THAT FURTHER STEPS BE TAKEN TO INSURE ADEQUATE ACCOUNTABILITY OF FOREIGN FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS DOING BUSINESS IN THE UNITED STATES, INCLUDING REQUIRING FOREIGN BANKS FORM SEPARATELY CAPITALIZED HOLDING COMPANIES IN THE UNITED STATES AS A CONDITION OF LICENSE AND THE CONSIDERATION BY THE FEDERAL RESERVE OF ESTABLISHMENT A MINIMUM STANDARD FOR CONSOLIDATED REGULATION THAT EXCLUDES BANK REGULATORY HAVENS.

10. THE SUBCOMMITTEE RECOMMENDS THAT FOREIGN INVESTORS WHO PURCHASE SUBSTANTIAL SHARES OF U.S. BUSINESSES BE REQUIRED TO APPEAR PERSONALLY IN THE UNITED STATES AS INSURANCE THAT THE FOREIGN INVESTOR IS NOT ACTING AS A NOMINEE FOR SOMEONE ELSE.

11. TURF WARS CONTINUE TO SEVERELY DAMAGE THE ABILITY OF LAW-ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES IN THE UNITED STATES TO DO THEIR JOB. THE SUBCOMMITTEE RECOMMENDS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A COMMITTEE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS WHOSE JOB IT IS TO CONDUCT OVERSIGHT OF, PREVENT, AND RESPOND TO FAILURES OF COOPERATION IN LAW ENFORCEMENT.

12. THE SUBCOMMITTEE RECOMMENDS THAT A STATUTORY MECHANISM FOR THE RECEIPT BY CONGRESS OF FOREIGN FINANCIAL INFORMATION BE ESTABLISHED.

Source: http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/01exec.htm

[bobthedrummer]

10. Surely Kerry is aware that BCCI and the Saudis doing defense deals

during Reagan/Bush Thatcher took some of the commissions for funding Osama bin-Laden and other US/Saudi covertly sponsored terrorists
http://cryptome.org/soil/soiled-dove2.htm

[sam sarrha]

3. media wouldnt carry it if they discussed it at the commission

[Octafish]

7. Yeh. That is weird. What are they afraid of? The Truth?

If I were Smirk or Sneer, I'd be afraid of the Truth getting out, too.

Where's Louis Freek? Where's John Ashcan? They're forgotten by the publisher's rush to judge Reno:

FBI failed anti-terrorism duties, 9/11 panel is told
Reno: Left hand didn't know what right was doing

By ANN McFEATTERS
TOLEDO BLADE WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF

WASHINGTON - In riveting testimony by top law-enforcement officials in the Clinton and Bush administrations, the 9/11 commission yesterday heard sharp accusations that the FBI failed to channel information about al-Qaeda's terrorist threats inside the United States and failed to take terrorism threats seriously enough.

Attorney General John Ashcroft came out swinging, contradicting former acting FBI deputy director Thomas Pickard, who said Mr. Ashcroft told him in the summer of 2001 he did not want to hear anything more about Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda. Clearly angry, Mr. Ashcroft said, "I did . I never said, speaking to him, I didn't want to hear about terrorism."

Former Attorney General Janet Reno made the dramatic charge that the FBI, an independent federal agency, had information it did not know they had and refused to share it. "The left hand didn't know what the right hand was doing," she said.

She added that in a period of a few months she issued several memos urging more emphasis on counterterrorism. Yes, the memos indicated frustration with the FBI on her part, she admitted when pressed.

CONTINUED...

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040414/NEWS28/404140384/-1/NEWS

Then afterwards, of course, the pretzeldunce's "press conference" ate up all the evening's coverage. Nice. Very nice.

[fearnobush]

9. What's really strange here is that Asscrust actually told the truth.

And no one in the Bush sucking whore media has picked up on it.

look closely, Mr. Ashcroft said, "I did . I never said, speaking to him, I didn't want to hear about terrorism."

Mr. Asscrust says "I did" (say those things) under oath, but, his rage, tone and body language force most people to focus on the last part of the statement:
"I never said, speaking to him, I didn't want to hear about terrorism."
Notice the I never said, and notice how Mr. Asscrust carefully replaces Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda with the word terrorism. So has he then really lied? With his "I did" statement buried under the longer string of bullshit, Asscrust does the truth, but cloakes it to appear as a denial.

These evil people get away with this type of speech on a daily basis because no one is willing to confront it. Really sad, really fucking sad.

[fearnobush]

8. Finally, the Truth told in simple terms for the sheep.

Now we must go to the fields and expose it.

In the first eight months of the Bush administration, the commission found, the president and his advisers received far more information, much of it dire in tone and detailed in content, than had been generally understood.

Mr. Kerrey said that Mr. Bush showed "good instincts" by asking for the material, but said the call from Ms. Ong, the flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 11 — which crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center in the day's first attack — showed that the threats and alarms did not get passed down the line.

"I don't see any evidence that our airports were on heightened alert," he said. "A hijacking was not a bolt out of the blue."

[Moderator]

11. dupe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=492789