The GOP's $3 Billion Propaganda Organ

[seemslikeadream]

http://www.consortiumnews.com/Print/2006/122706.html

By Robert Parry (A Special Report)
December 27, 2006

The American Right achieved its political dominance in Washington over the past quarter century with the help of more than $3 billion spent by Korean cult leader Sun Myung Moon on a daily propaganda organ, the Washington Times, according to a 21-year veteran of the newspaper.

George Archibald, who describes himself “as the first reporter hired at the Washington Times outside the founding group” and author of a commemorative book on the Times’ first two decades, has now joined a long line of disillusioned conservative writers who departed and warned the public about extremism within the newspaper.

In an Internet essay on recent turmoil inside the Times, Archibald also confirmed claims by some former Moon insiders that the cult leader has continued to pour in $100 million a year or more to keep the newspaper afloat. Archibald put the price tag for the newspaper’s first 24 years at “more than $3 billion of cash.”

At the newspaper’s tenth anniversary, Moon announced that he had spent $1 billion on the Times – or $100 million a year – but newspaper officials and some Moon followers have since tried to low-ball Moon’s subsidies in public comments by claiming they had declined to about $35 million a year.

The figure from Archibald and other defectors from Moon’s operation is about three times higher than the $35 million annual figure.

The apparent goal of downplaying Moon’s subsidy has been to quiet concerns that Moon was funneling vast sums of illicit money into the United States to influence the American political process in ways favorable to right-wing leaders – and possibly criminal cartels – around the world.

Though best known as the founder of the Unification Church, Moon, now 86, has long worked with right-wing political forces linked to organized crime and international drug smuggling, including the Japanese yakuza gangs and South American cocaine traffickers.

Moon insiders, including his former daughter-in-law Nansook Hong, also have described Moon’s system for laundering cash into the United States and then funneling much of it into his businesses and influence-buying apparatus, led by the Washington Times.

The Times, in turn, has targeted American politicians of the center and left with journalistic attacks – sometimes questioning their sanity, as happened with Democratic presidential nominees Michael Dukakis and Al Gore. Those themes then resonate through the broader right-wing echo chamber and into the mainstream media.

Washington Times articles are routinely cited by C-SPAN, for instance, without explanations to viewers that the newspaper is financed by an ultra-right religious cult leader, a convicted tax fraud and a publicly identified money-launderer. Most American listeners just think they’re getting straightforward news.

The Times also has led attacks on investigators who threatened to expose crimes committed by Republican and right-wing operatives. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Times targeted Iran-Contra special prosecutor Lawrence Walsh, who recounted in his memoir Firewall the importance of the Times in protecting the Reagan-Bush administration’s legal flanks.

When journalistic and congressional investigations began uncovering evidence of drug trafficking by the Nicaraguan contra rebels, the Washington Times counter-attacked, too, although in that case the Moon organization may have had a direct interest in containing the probes that could have exposed its relationship with South American drug lords.

Buying Influence


more.....

[Joanne98]

1. BBC Moon documentary: "Emperor Of The Universe"..

http://www.iapprovethismessiah.com/

Things Moon has said....

I'M THE MESSIAH!
http://www.rickross.com/reference/unif/unif163.html

TAKE DOWN THE CROSS!
http://www.tparents.org/UNews/Unws0304/cross_mj_overview.htm

JEWS WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE HOLOCAST!
http://nomoremister.blogspot.com/2003_05_11_nomoremister_archive.html#94389630

WENT TO PRISON FOR SCAMMING WIDOWS!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/cult/unification/widow.htm

[Kolesar]

2. Known for ranting for hours in Korean about the proper use of sex organs

It's all true!
Robert Parry broke many of the Iran-Contra stories in the 1980s for the Associated Press and Newsweek.

[sam sarrha]

3. soooo... it sounds like the money spent propping up the GOP was Drug Money..?? or from Gun Running..

he is supposed to be involved in manufacturing and sales of guns to ..maybe the African cataclysm..

[leveymg]

6. Both drug and gun money were siphoned off by US officials during Iran-Contra

The same thing applies to the trade in African conflict diamonds, uranium, timber, Afghan poppies, etc .

[sam sarrha]

14. so it looks like Moon is a Festering sore destroying any opportunity for peace in many regions in

the world.. looks like we should have invaded his corporation instead of Iraq and saved a lot of american and Iraqi live.. and our reputation to the whole world

[leveymg]

18. There are lots of unsavory groups operating in those areas, including

BFEE, Moon, Al-Qaeda, the Russian, Turkish and Israeli Mafiyas, along with intelligence agencies from dozens of countries.

It's grossly simplistic to lump it all on Moon. One raid wouldn't do it. 15 or 20 coordinated operations against the above-named groups, however, would make a major dent in everything from counter-narcotics to counter-terrorism to nuclear counter-proliferation.

[DoYouEverWonder]

22. The only qualification for membership

is that you are a true believer.

[leveymg]

26. Greed disguised as patriotism overrides all other considerations.

[Matariki]

4. Good article

This sentence is very significant: "Though best known as the founder of the Unification Church, Moon, now 86, has long worked with right-wing political forces linked to organized crime and international drug smuggling, including the Japanese yakuza gangs and South American cocaine traffickers."

Hope this guy comes to some sort of justice before he dies.

[leveymg]

5. Where does Moon get his money?

My guess, much of that subsidy to the Washington Times -- whether it's been a billion or three billion dollars over the years, doesn't much matter -- has come from Korean industrialists and intelligence agencies allied with them.

It's a huge disinformation operation, that just happens to benefit the Republican Right-wing. Although, I must admit, the Moonie Times did report on the White House page-boy ring that was operating during Bush 41. That story was spiked by the Post and other "respectable" papers. The Moonies have had several disagreements with the BFEE, and the investigative reports are startling.

See, http://www.voxfux.com/features/bush_child_sex_coverup/article_archive.htm

SNIP

This is the hook into a long story.

We now turn to some news stories that appeared in the Washington Times more than a decade ago, but apart from a few having to do with Barney Frank, these stories have never generated much attention. We then recover as full a story as can be constructed from accounts in the press, in chronological order.
# "'CALL-BOY' SERVICE PROSPERS USING HIGH FINANCE, HIGH TECH," Paul M. Rodriguez and George Archibald , The Washington Times, June 20, 1989

In which we see Henry Vinson's name first surface, along with Robert Chambers, a funeral director, who operated a call boy network that laundered money through umbrella organizations in the District of Columbia area, Florida, Kentucky and West Virginia.
# "POWER BROKER SERVED DRUGS, SEX AT PARTIES BUGGED FOR BLACKMAIL," Michael Hedges and Jerry Seper, The Washington Times, June 30, 1989

In which we learn of Craig J. Spence, who arranged midnight tours of the White House, threw lavish parties for the famous and powerful where cocaine was generously served, spent $20,000 a month on male prostitutes from a D.C. prostitution ring, and bragged of connections to the CIA, whom he worried might kill him and then make it look like a suicide.
# "RNC CALLS SCANDAL A 'TRAGIC SITUATION,'" George Archibald and Paul M. Rodriguez, The Washington Times, Friday, June 30, 1989

In which we learn of the resignation of an aide to Secretary of Labor Elizabeth Dole, and of the reaction of Rep. Barney Frank, who is "not surprised" by the revelations.
# "White House mute on 'call boy' probe," Frank J. Murray, The Washington Times, July 7, 1989

In which we learn that President Bush followed the story, and that a Uniformed Division officer of the Special Service, Reginald deGueldre, arranged the midnight White House tours for Craig Spence and two male prostitutes, and was moonlighting as Spence's bodyguard.
# "Spence was target before raid on ring," Jerry Seper, and Michael Hedges The Washington Times, July 10, 1989

In which we learn that Craig Spence brought a 15-year old boy on at least one of his midnight tours of the White House, that Spence asked detailed questions about the Delta Force operations, that he partied with former U.S. Attorney Joseph diGenova and his wife, Victoria Toensing, and that he bragged of having blackmailed a high-ranking Japanese politician, Motoo Shiina.
# "Spence ma be Shiina's downfall," Edward Neilan, The Washington Times, July 18, 1989

In which we hear of the connections between Motoo Shiina, groomed to be a future prime minister of Japan, and Craig Spence: how Spence had made more than $700,000 from Shiina's Policy Study Group, and how Spence had refused to pay back a loan made by Shiina for the purchase of Spence's house.
# "First lady not worried about hookers' tour of White House," Paul Bedard, The Washington Times, July 10, 1989

In which we learn that First Lady Barbara Bush was not concerned about the security questions raised by midnight White House tours, but did think it good that the Washington Post had not followed the Times' story.
# "Secret Service furloughs third White House guard ," Jerry Seper, and Michael Hedges, The Washington Times , July 26, 1989

SNIP

And, there's a lot more like it.

[seemslikeadream]

7. Why no follow up?

looks like a pretty good story to me

[leveymg]

8. That story would get you fired at The Wash Post or NYT

A more interesting question, is why the Democrats never mentioned it. Quid pro quo, perhaps?

One can imagine the stuff the RNC had locked in their wall safes. Hoover had his own bank of files -- lots and lots of files on just about everyone. One would guess the CIA and military intelligence also. Blackmail works.

[seemslikeadream]

11. The way I see it

THE ONLY EXPLAINATION

[leveymg]

12. See my Hoover blackmail post immediately below. eom

[JohnnyLib2]

9. Vegas, the 50s, the Mob, it's pet newspaper.

Now, what made me think of that?

[leveymg]

10. The Mob had Hoover blackmailed, and worked hand in glove with

the CIA on any number of operations that no one could ever talk about. Goes back to the Corsican Mob and the OSS. The Fidel assassination stuff was just the tip of the iceberg. The CIA used the Mob, and vis-a-versa, to do things that benefited both for a long time. Call it co-dependency. George H.W. Bush called it "the family jewels", and gathered together all the dirty secrets for safekeeping after the Church/Pike Committee reports. That gave Bush a lot of leverage over the covert operator types, and perhaps some of the Old Mob, who were trying to "go legit" at the time.

Those who were involved had a virtual free hand to make money any way they wanted. There were rules, and God help anyone who overstepped them, but not many rules.

[Joanne98]

13. educate- yourself .org Rev Moon darkside index

http://educate-yourself.org/cn/sunmyungmoondarksideindex.shtml


The Dark Side of Rev. Sun Myung Moon


http://educate-yourself.org/cn/sunmyungmoondarksideindex.shtml


Part 1, Hooking George Bush
http://educate-yourself.org/cn/sunmyongmoon1part28jul97.shtml

Part 2, The NYU Freshman
http://educate-yourself.org/cn/sunmyongmoon2part28jul97.shtml

Part 3, Buying the Right
http://educate-yourself.org/cn/sunmyongmoon3part11aug97.shtml

Part 4, Truth, Legend & Lies
http://educate-yourself.org/cn/sunmyongmoon4part25aug97.shtml

Part 5, Generation Next
http://educate-yourself.org/cn/sunmyongmoon5part08sep97.shtml

Part 6, Drug Allies
http://educate-yourself.org/cn/sunmyongmoon6part13oct97.shtml

Part 7, Moon's Billions & Washington's Blind Eye
http://educate-yourself.org/cn/sunmyongmoon7part122dec97.shtml

Part 8, Rev. Moon & His 'Green Card'
http://educate-yourself.org/cn/sunmyongmoon8part1998.shtml

Part 9, Uruguayan Money-Laundry
http://educate-yourself.org/cn/sunmyongmoon9part19aug98.shtml

Part 10, Moon’s Dark Shadow
http://educate-yourself.org/cn/sunmyongmoon10part01oct98.shtml

Part 11, Moon’s Banking Woes & Scam
http://educate-yourself.org/cn/sunmyongmoon11part01oct98.shtml

Part 12, Rev. Moon, North Korea & the Bushes
http://educate-yourself.org/cn/sunmyongmoon12part11oct00.shtml

Part 13, Rev. Moon, the Bushes & Donald Rumsfeld
http://educate-yourself.org/cn/sunmyongmoon13part03jan01.shtml

Part 14, The Bush-Kim-Moon Triangle of Money
http://educate-yourself.org/cn/sunmyongmoon14part10mar01.shtml

Part 15, Kerry Attacker Protected Rev. Moon
http://educate-yourself.org/cn/sunmyongmoon15part15oct04.shtml

Part 16, Mysterious Republican Money
http://educate-yourself.org/cn/sunmyongmoon16part07sep04.shtml

[leveymg]

15. Thanks for that link. This from a '97 Rob't Parry article posted there

Some of this parallels reports I've seen from other sources. But, Parry has covered Moon longer and in greater depth than anyone, so he ought to know.

http://educate-yourself.org/cn/sunmyongmoon7part122dec97.shtml

Next, a congressional investigation in the late 1970s exposed Moon as an intelligence agent for the South Korean government which was engaged in a clandestine operation to penetrate the U.S. Congress, Executive Branch, news media and academia. U.S. intelligence files of the time showed that Moon had close connections, too, with leading Asian organized crime figures.

Expanding his unsavory connections in 1980, Moon's operatives rushed to congratulate right-wing military thugs who seized power along with drug lords in Bolivia, an event that became known as the Cocaine Coup and gave rise to the modern cocaine cartels.

But Moon must have understood the "respectability" equation well. With the election of Ronald Reagan, Moon began pouring hundreds of millions of dollars a year into conservative causes. He launched The Washington Times daily newspaper in 1982. He funded dozens of front groups. He bought political allies by the score with fat speaking fees and side business deals. His costly operations blasted anyone who crossed the Reagan-Bush administrations.

Justice Protection
Despite a brief stint in federal prison for tax fraud -- a prosecution which Reagan's Justice Department tried unsuccessfully to halt -- Moon saw his "respectability" climb through the 1980s. According to Justice Department documents recently released under the Freedom of Information Act, Moon also won protection from the Reagan-Bush administrations from any new criminal investigation.

Federal authorities rebuffed hundreds of requests -- many from common citizens -- for examination of Moon's foreign ties and money sources. Typical of the responses was a May 18, 1989, letter from assistant attorney general Carol T. Crawford rejecting the possibility that Moon's organization be required to divulge its foreign-funded propaganda under the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA).

"With respect to FARA, the Department is faced with First Amendment considerations involving the free exercise of religion," Crawford stated. "As you know, the First Amendment's protection of religious freedom is not limited to the traditional, well-established religions."

A 1992 PBS documentary about Moon's political empire and its free-spending habits started another flurry of citizen demands for an investigation, according to the Justice Department files.

One letter stated, "I write in consternation and disgust at the apparent support, or at least the sheltering, of the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, a foreign agent ... who has subverted the American political system for the past 20 years. ... Did Reagan and/or Bush receive financial support from Moon or his agents during any of their election campaigns in violation of federal law?" The names of letter writers were withheld for privacy reasons.

Another letter complained that "apparently Moon gave the Bush and Reagan campaigns millions of dollars in support and helped fund the contras as well as sponsoring rallys in 50 states to support the Persian Gulf war. No wonder the Justice Department turns a blind eye?"

"I feel it is necessary to find out who is financing the operation and why other countries are trying to direct the policies of the United States," wrote another citizen. "If even one-half of the allegations are true, Moon and his assistants belong in jail rather than being welcomed and supported at the highest level of Washington."

The 'Green Card' Defense
As demands mounted for Moon and his front groups to register as foreign agents, the Justice Department added a new argument to its reasons to say no. In an Aug. 19, 1992, letter, assistant attorney general Robert S. Mueller dismissed a suggestion that the Moon-backed American Freedom Council should register under FARA because Moon, a South Korean citizen, had obtained U.S. resident-alien status -- or a "green card."

"In the absence of a foreign principal, there is no requirement for registration," Mueller wrote. "The Reverend Sun Myung Moon enjoys the status of permanent resident alien in the United States and therefore does not fall within FARA's definition of foreign principal. It follows that the Act is not applicable to the Council because of its association with Reverend Moon."

[Joanne98]

16. Thanx. I just updated it to show the extensive work..

Moon is truly a gigantic untold story.

[seemslikeadream]

17. yes Joanne98, thank you

:hi:



Obediah Obediah, Jah Jah sent us here to catch vampire…
Obediah Obediah, Jah Jah sent us here to catch vampire…
We have the chalice to light up Jah fire!
When i and i catch them vampire
i and i have to set them on fire

[Joanne98]

20. You're welcome seemslikeadream!

:)

[leveymg]

19. There is a danger here of focusing on a tree (Moon) and missing the forest

(all the other unsavories who have worked with him -- and against him -- over the years). See post #18, above.

This is a conspiracy of competing criminal groups that have powerful political connections in a number of countries.

The Moonie Empire is one of the strangest and most flagrant in its interference with domestic U.S. public opinion and politics, I have to admit. But, there are many others who play the game, perhaps more effectively, either because they're better connected, have more money, or use more stealth.

[Judi Lynn]

21. Thanks for this article and the following links added. It's meant to be studied carefully.

Surely wish more people knew the truth behind this _Bush family favorite periodical, and source quoted by all the right-wing idiots everywhere, including constant reference to it from a source most people have always imagined was totally objective, C-Span.

Information is our only hope!



Falwell with his pal, Moon.

[Jcrowley]

23. K&R n/t

[ftr23532]

24. K & R, and while we're at it...

...kick a few buck for Consortium News end of year fund drive. https://secure.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizations/consortiumnews/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=2100">They're close, but not quite at where they need to be to keep great articles like this coming up in the future!

[Uncle Joe]

25. Thanks for the post seemslikeadream

Kicked and recommended

[SpiralHawk]

27. republicons + Moonies = Strange Bedfellows

But then with George AWOL Bush letting known male prostitute Jeff Gannon visit the White House over 100 times* there is no way to escape the fact that republicons are into Deviant Bedfellow Shit MASSIVELY.

* According to the official Secret Service records.

[rman]

32. Makes perfect sense if you realize it's all about money and power - nt

[SpiralHawk]

34. you got it, rman

money and power.

Those who care about truth, beauty, justice, and the American Way need not apply where BushCo and Second-Coming-of-Christ Moon are concerned.

OctopusOrama

[robertpaulsen]

28. More on Moon from Octafish.

Know your BFEE: Rev. Sun Myung Moon OWNS Poppy Bush.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=3355939

[Historic NY]

29. I remember when Moonies were arrested by the police.....

The used to sell flowers all over the place, in intersections, etc. and come into bars late at night. The cult of Moon and parents going to the trouble of kidnapping their kids back for de-programming. Even old Jerry Falwell owes Moon he bailed him and Liberty University out. They have some rather strange relationship.

http://www.freedomofmind.com/resourcecenter/groups/m/moonies/

http://www.freedomofmind.com/resourcecenter/groups/m/moonies/front_groups.htm

http://www.globalpolicy.org/ngos/analysis/1101moon.htm

http://www.bookrags.com/Sun_Myung_Moon

http://www.consortiumnews.com/2006/101006a.html

Check out the links, google Moon you will be surprised. You will find very few Dems even involved mostly those that are never heard from. Did you know that Republican Senators had a crowning ceremony for him in the Senate? Yup it happened.

[dave_p]

30. Funny, isn't it...

...how the GOP's kept in office by Australian, Korean and Saudi billionaires and led by people who've never been near a front-line, yet gets to be seen by it's crtetinous base as the "patriotic" party. But then there's a lot in common between the cults of Bush and Moon - they're both about banal hyper-rich parasites sucking all around them dry - minds, treasuries, whole countries.

[NewJeffCT]

31. And almost nobody knows of the Moon GOP connection

We need to get the word out.

[blm]

35. Some of us have been working on that for almost a decade, but corpmedia and the GOP

have been so complicit in their efforts to protect the Bushes and their alliance with Moon, it is just surreal.

[ftr23532]

33. This sounds like a job for a...

...:kick:!