Benghazi Bosa Nova

Sadly, this current administration has worked diligently to obscure and impede the truth on the murders of four Americans in Bemnghazi. Security Environment Threat Lists (SETL) published by the State Department twice a year provides for a clear condition of areas around the world and Libya with particular emphasis on Benghazi was a true hot zone yet no offensive action was taken with regard to elevating security. In an effort to provide additional known facts on Benghazi as the media refuses to do so, below is an update of known facts.

1. All survivors of the Benghazi terror attack that required medical treatment and or still do are in treatment facilities that include Walter Reid or other locations under alias names.
2. After the Brits closed their presence in Benghazi where their SAS forces and Ml6 personnel were/are part of activities in Libya, continued to perform operations in joint efforts with the U.S. The Brits also left with for safekeeping their fast response weapons and gear at the CIA safehouse. The Brits, the French and the U.S. had long been providing lethal and non-lethal equipment to the Libyan rebels as well as on the ground training and conflict assistance. The laser systems used to point to targets for identification from the air assets were UK issued laser systems and not that of what the U.S. issues.
3. The mission post in Benghazi notified per procedure and protocol all officials of an imminent threat/attack even the day of the attack.
4. The interagency including the CIA ‘press-office’ were responsible for altering all the talking points that were used by the administration on the ‘why’ the attack occurred including who coordinated the attack and the reason for it.
5. Six months after the attack, still no subpoena has been issued for and to any of the survivors of the attack nor has any been issued to James Clapper. The ‘sitrep’ reports required by those with knowledge of the Benghazi attack have not been released. Interviews to this date have not been performed by agencies of the Red Cross, the Brits or other organizations that had a footprint or relationship in Libya to gain historical knowledge of anti-West militia activities. Government contractors hired by the State Department and the personnel on site working for or at the behest of the CIA have not been interviewed.
6. There has been no published summary of those that participated in the attack by the FBI or other investigating agencies as they related to Ansar al Sharia or those background connections of the membership of connected AQ militias.
7. Interviews have not been conducted with Libyan leadership by our investigating agencies.
8. Live feed videos of 9-11 in Benghazi summaries have not been made available nor have associated communications that include emails, text messages, or critical action alert exchanges.
9. No summary has been provided on the origination of the weapons, theft or smuggling that were part of Qaddafi’s arsenal or that of what the U.S. or contractors provided including State Department authorized weapons contractors including Turi Defense Systems.
10. Moktar Belmoktar of AQIM had phone call exchanges with those participating in the Benghazi attack. Belmoktar has allegedly been killed in the last week. This phone exchange is important as it points directly to al Qaeda and the immediate identification of those responsible for the attack.
11. It remains below radar that the contractors hired by the State Department that include Blue Mountain hired the February 17 Martyr Brigade to tend security at the compound. Not only were background checks not perform, but the contracts were no bullet contracts. Due to the pay scale and working conditions, many if not most of the February 17 Martyr Brigade were on strike the day of the attack.
12. USAID personnel were also working out of the mission post, the quantity of staff is unknown and to date, no one from USAID has been interviewed.
13. The State Department from the outset also lied with regard to hiring outside contract firms for security at the mission post in Benghazi, saying none had been hired.

14. Little to nothing is said with regard to the two U.S. destroyers off the coast of Tripoli at the time of the attack as this is especially important as it relates to connected communications during the night and day of the attack.

 

Sequestration: Entitlements vs. National Security

Much has been mentioned in the last 18 months regarding the far and wide devastation of Sequestration that was the brain child of Barack Obama and Jack Lew in the White House. To further the support for the government cuts, this mission was meant to hurt as it was brought to Harry Reid to gain support and support Reid gave. This answers the question on why the Senate would not take up law and measures passed but the House as Harry Reid is ‘all-in’ with the White House, leaving the people’s work and voices both on the floor and silent.

A Super Committee was created to work through the process to avoid Sequestration where again the measure failed. The White House and the lobby groups have been on a loud and vocal quest to blame Republicans and the House of Representatives for what looms as Sequestration takes affect on March 1, 2013. The House has worked diligently to pass laws that stop the devastating cuts most especially those to defense while none of the measure by the House have been provided attention or vote by the Senate.

Lets take a look at what Sequester impacts on both sides. This is not a complete list and the depth of the cuts are not explained as that can be determined by a review of the associated links provided.

What gets cut:
TSA
FDA food inspectors
Head-Start
Defense
Parks Service
National Guard
Border Patrol
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Secret Service
FEMA
Air Federal Marshalls
FAA
Special Education Teachers
Center for Disease Control
NASA
Security and Exchange Commission
Foreign aid with particular emphasis on Israel and Mexico (130 countries affected)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (nuclear weapons)
What is exempt

Social Security
Railroad employees retirement
Veteran’s Administration benefits
Unemployment
Tribal and Indian Trust Accounts
Child nutrition
Children’s Heath Insurance
Pell Grants
Medicaid
SNAP, food stamps
Highway Safety Grants
Motor Carrier Safety Operations
Federal pay
Child Support Enforcement
FDIC
Farm Credits
Tennessee Valley Authority
In a snapshot assessment of what stays and what goes, it is clear that programs related to National Security and Foreign Affairs are getting the wave off in Sequester while domestic programs geared to funding the indigent remain. In short, the dangerous world will be even more dangerous and education and healthcare remains protected. We have yet to understand the large numbers of those that will be unemployed and what our enemies will take advantage of regarding our homeland.

Analysis: Impact of sequestration on non-defense discretionary spending

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42050.pdf

The Real Why on Benghazi

Get out the PAM cooking spray so nothing sticks to anyone involved in the murders and failed diplomatic operations in Benghazi. Yet, there is no one more responsible than the handful at the White House and the State Department. Remember that oath, to protect and defend against ALL enemies foreign and domestic. The date sadly was 9-11 but in this case it was 9-11, #11, an anniversary that historically brought out elevated states of alert and a position of readiness was always invoked, globally.

Such was not the case at not only Benghazi, but at all U.S. foreign government locations worldwide. This anniversary witnessed a vastly elevated number of major demonstrations at embassy locations on all continents against the United States and NATO partners however the White House and the State Department were in party mode.

Prior to the 11th anniversary, there was a long trail of detailed threats published for Libya just weeks earlier. In August 2012, intelligence reports spelled out in clear terms, the names and locations of jihadist activities. These came from the counter-terrorism professionals and Intelligence Community (IC) professionals as they provided to critical personnel and decision makers within the Obama administration. What is worse, not one person in this administration asked a pro-active single question framed as, “Is there enough security personnel in any of the diplomatic posts in Libya and should we review the safety of our people there?” This administration has proven a higher concern for a ‘green energy’ agenda, ensuring Chevy Volts were celebrated for the vehicle pool, and yet the U.S. embassy in Barbados even had an SST Marine division on security duty.

In Benghazi, the United States was the “last flag standing” after many months of assassination attempts, bombings, attacks, and protests since the fall of Qaddafi. All other nations had vacated the area earlier. Perhaps it is prudent for our purposes here to count all the attacks on U.S. embassies or those of our allies in the last several years. We should then question the need to have diplomatic posts in areas of such volatile and proven possibilities. If the need is great as determined by foreign policy stances, then shouldn’t we also question the level of security? When posts in safer places have such large Marine contingents and dangerous places do not, does this not place that foreign policy stance into question?

Marines currently serve at 148 US embassies and consulates; however Libya wasn’t one of them. The MSGs’ primary mission is to provide internal security services at designated U.S. Diplomatic and Consular facilities to prevent the compromise of classified information and equipment that is vital to national security of the United States of America. The secondary mission of the MSG is to provide protection for U.S. citizens and U.S. Government property located within designated U.S. Diplomatic and Consular premises/facilities during exigent circumstances that require immediate aid or action. It is important to mention here however, that President Obama has said publically and mandated throughout this administration that he and all within government will stand on the side of the Muslims. As a result the clear conclusion is President Obama as well as the Secretaries of State and Defense would rather eliminate all visible deterrents of protection and security that offend Muslim sensibilities and have in fact done so, sadly, even with the approval of the Joint Chief, General Martin Dempsey.

In the case of Benghazi, it is an established hotbed of jihad activity even while Qaddafi ruled the nation and even more so after he was captured and killed. Today, Libya is completely unstable and has no real government in place, certainly not one that can be embraced by any Western culture or leadership, except that of the Obama administration. Since the fall of Qaddafi, the United States had several clandestine objectives underway as posted by SUA here on September 20th. As a follow up to that article, the work by covert contractors and the CIA in Libya, is now wasted and remains not only unfinished but, all of the weapons and terror factions now go unchecked while unknown quantities of Qaddafi’s weapons are making their way to even Syria today.

Yes, all of Libya is dangerous, but it begs the question on how CNN was able to keep journalists safe even in Benghazi as the US FBI was having trouble gaining access. So the examination remains, why the U.S. Ambassador to Libya, an information officer, the two former SEALs, the RSO’s and the FBI were so unprotected and felt unsafe and called many times for more armed security. Could it be that the administration placed its faith in a set of Islamist networks to protect and defend our national security and sovereignty in Libya or other countries where there are continued attacks and killings against the West?

With these questions in mind, let’s look at some of the people in and around Libya that our State Department approved for interaction, security, and partners in country.

Mohamed Yousef el Magariaf is a Libyan politician who has been President of the General National Congress of Libya since August 2012. He was the first leader of the National Front for the Salvation of Libya, which was created in the early 1980’s and was funded by the CIA and a Saudi financed group. The mission was to either remove and/or assassinate Qaddafi but it failed.

Qaddafi put out orders to kill el Magariaf, but he escaped to the United States and spent thirty years in exile here. el Magariaf is a member and fellow at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. Curious that Wales is the home base for Blue Mountain, the security contractor for the Benghazi mission.

Fawzi Bukatef was head of the “February 17th Brigade” along with Rafallah al Sahati’s Ismail al Salabi and they were later replaced by Magarief along with other Colonels. al Salabi also heads a group of Islamists fighters. Magarief early on supported the militias and in September of this year, ordered them to leave the state, which were at one point under state control.

Fawzi Bukatef was/is head of the Libyan branch of the Muslim Brotherhood and the U.S. State Department put its reliance on him to provide protection at the diplomatic post in Benghazi. Bukatef himself received one of the desperate calls for help during the 9-11 terror attack, but Bukatef told his fighters to stand down. Additionally, the “February 17th Brigade” is also assigned to Libyan border protection.

Blue Mountain is a security firm out of Wales, UK that was formed by former British SAS members. Blue Mountain is a Private Military Company that is hired mostly to escort businessmen and diplomats including even those that belong to the IMF, that may travel to Afghanistan, Yemen, and Iraq, etc. The U.S. State Department signed a contract with Blue Mountain an estimated 4 months before the attack in Benghazi for $380,000 for moderate security and transportation services. Employees at Blue Mountain were paid less than $5.00 an hour. The contract did include an option for expansion with a financial cap of $780,000 but it is important to know that the contract was a ‘no bullet’ contract, which is to say there are they as unarmed sentinels.

Mahmoud Jibril was the Justice Minister under the Qaddafi regime and defected during the revolution. He was also the chairman of the National Transitional Council transferring authority to Mohammed Ali Salim after failing to ensure to make all Islamist and rebels a cohesive unit and to establish a new parliament. Hillary Clinton approved his early agenda. During this time the Red Cross had been attacked five times and soon left the country. Jabril too left Libya and found his way to the United States and became a professor at the University of Pittsburgh, in a think tank paid for by Qaddafi’s son Saif al Islam. He is a high proponent of ‘Sharia’ law.

Omar Abdul Rahman Brigade took responsibility for the previous attacks on the Red Cross office in Benghazi. Rahman, better known to the Intelligence community as the Blind Sheik, now in a U.S. imprison for the 1993 WTC bombing, and the al Qaeda faction(s) in Libya operate on his behalf. The Rahman Brigade likely has more than one name or associates with splinter groups that have connections to the targeted attempt to kill the British Ambassador on June 11 of this year. Up to this point, there are countless terror threats and bombing events that as a collective demonstrate that not only Benghazi but all of Libya is a lawless nation of full anti-West terror networks. It is unconscionable that the Obama administration can deny knowledge of actionable intelligence in Libya further adding gasoline to the fire that soon killed four Americans.

The full timeline of what led to the murders in Benghazi can be read here. We are fed a new fabricated story each day from top personnel in this administration about what happened and who is, or rather who is not responsible for the deaths of four Americans. In the end, there is no mistake, the intelligence community was well aware of the events that led to 9-11 – #11. Each day, Presidential Daily Briefings (PDB) are provided to top security advisors and Cabinet personnel in the White House, the Department of Defense, the State Department and the Ambassador to the United Nations. Sadly, no one bothered to embrace or analyze the threats including the President and Vice President himself. Has anyone actually challenged Hillary Clinton or the members of the White House National Security Council or Valerie Jarrett? No one bothered to ask questions but mostly, no one bothered to order increased security to all diplomatic posts of the United States across the most threatened regions globally. If for nothing else, President Carter blew it on his agenda regarding Iran which led the embassy in Tehran to be attacked in 1979. Let it be said however, Carter did not ignore the threat or the captive Americans, he thought of nothing else and in the end they were rescued with the assistance of Canada and eventually released after 444 days, pathetically this is not the case with President Obama and the State Department.

There is no denial that intelligence was provided and what is worse, since the United States has had operational drones in Libya, where one such drone recorded and flashed all events into the CIA and the NSC. These video and intelligence points totally negate the story that a pathetic YouTube video was the cause. This was a lie that was fabricated by the entire Obama administration to cover what, creepy new friends and allies?

What is more, there is a video feed that is monitored full time of events inside all embassies and the post in Benghazi was no exception. Hence there are two sets of audio/video feeds that prove blood is on the hand of countless members of the Obama administration for the deaths of four Americans. The words in the oath have escaped all involved and each should be held in contempt of murder, accessories of four Americans. One should also ask, what happened to the employees working at the Benghazi compound that were on the payroll of Blue Mountain?

Not only did the United States not consider the loyalties of who would take control of Libya and a post Qaddafi government that would be in the best interest of the West as well as stabilizing some part of the Middle East, we can now legitimately claim that Libya is a failed state and will soon be under the full control of the Muslim Brotherhood and/or al Qaeda. One cannot dismiss the riches to be gained for the Muslim Brotherhood from Libyan oil. During this administration, we witnessed the fall of Egypt to the Muslim Brotherhood, Yemen is feeble at best and Jordan is much the same. North Africa has come under a siege by Iran of this there is no doubt. This also begs the question perhaps that due to the sensitivities of Obama to Islam was this in fact part of the taller objective? More still, is this part of an appeasement request to the Muslim Brotherhood which has also made large gains in Syria in addition to other Gulf States?    We can say that the Mullahs and other tribal militia factions win yet another country without even firing a single shot. This too may explain why the Obama administration assigned Thomas Pickering, an Iranian lobbyist to investigate this terror event.

Obama has been soft on Iran and their nuclear program, so it no shock that assigning Pickering to the Benghazi case delivers a silent win to Iran’s nuclear ambitions. We cannot just yet tie Iran into the Libya/Benghazi affair at this juncture; however we would be remiss not to include Iran in the whole equation. This failed foreign policy approved by all the Obama placeholders puts even more focus on Syria still, as this administration and their detached and deferred policy for Syria has been out-sourced to the United Nations. Expect Syria to fall the way of other ‘Arab Spring’ countries – an event that will trump previous conflicts.

The work of the CIA, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the FBI and all associated agencies are angered by the blame and worse by the loss of work opportunities due to this administration. There should also be a State Department warning to all U.S. personnel that work in locations around the world that your government has no intentions to ensure your full protection and safety, certainly so if you are in a country where Sunni’s, Shi’ites or other radical Islamists prevail. It would be prudent to look deeply at security contracts and video feeds for any voids in your personal safety.

In closing, while drafting this researched piece, a stellar thinker and policy intellect, Andrew McCarthy wrote his own summation http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/330318/denying-libya-scandal-andrew-c-mccarthy  on Benghazi. In what appears to have some of the very same target points with this article both summaries echo many same conclusions while one is directed at the fallout of Benghazi and the other provides a deeper look and likely a hidden agenda for what the Middle East will look like at the end of four more years under Obama. Here is a handshake to McCarthy; it is gratifying to know we concur on several key points.

 

 

Ten Long Years and Counting

Ten Years and Counting

America is approaching the ten year mark of the attack on our homeland. Four domestic airliners were used as missiles that struck key targets, while one of the four was over-taken by patriot passengers and crashed into a pasture.
It has been long debated as to why this tragic event happened and that debate does not alter what happened that sad day. The point to drive home now is where is America then years later?
America has not had a like attack since 9-11; however, there have been countless attempts. Major Hassan, the Ft. Hood murderer was the largest killing of innocent people since 9-11.
World War II lasted six years and the defeat of Hitler actually took less than four years. America is ten years into a handful of wars fighting a broad definition and long list of enemies. America has changed her whole game after 9-11 with objectives, communications, technology, weapons, intelligence and essentially lack of strategy; yet we see no closure of the war on terror in the future. The end of terrorism is still yet a debate for another day, but what about that which Americans must endure at home as a consequence of 9-11?
Here is a short list of what is now different in America and should provoke thought.
1. TSA, body scanners/illegal searches
2. Government use of SWAT for home invasion
3. Tea Party
4. 9.12
5. Twitter
6. Arab Spring
7. DHS
8. Caliphate
9. Record foreclosures
10. Massive Debt/spending, this is interesting since much wasteful spending is due to throwing money at war/terrorism
11. Patriot Act
12. 9-11 scars that have and have not faded
13. IED’s
14. Embedded media
15. No fly list
16. Growing list of terrorists
17. Gitmo
18. Importing enemy/refugees and many now on Federal payroll
19. FISA court
20. Massive intelligence community upgrades/worldwide intercepts
21. Failed banks, Fannie/Freddie
22. Bailouts of private corporations/banks/manufacturers/etc.
23. Iron Dome
24. Drones
25. Internet bases communications systems
26. Bloggers
27. No more Saddam
28. WMD’s
29. NCTC/TIDE
30. Open borders

In closing, it is submitted that the U.S. government is not serious about ending terror, take the lead again in military might and restoring friendships around the globe. Why, might you ask? Corruption and feeding the Federal Reserve are the reasons. The bottom line is, our World Trade Center after ten long years still has no life, the message to the world is are feeble and without resolve, and the American people suffer from lack will and focus by our government leadership.

America, where are you ten years later? God Bless our military, for we should be fulfilling our duty as citizens to provide a strong and vibrant America, when, our soldiers do come home.

Cold War, Part Deux

Cold War, Part Deux
Politicians and Washington D.C. told us officially the 45 year long Cold War was over. The United States has a stand-off with the Soviet Union described as a conflict with Communism and a nuclear arms race. During this era, the U.S. government tooled and re-tooled foreign policy, economic competition, technology and the intelligence community. Proxy wars appeared and military tensions spurred yet more re-tooling.
So, here we are in 2011, successfully having finessed an occupational forces conflict with what once was the Soviet Union, and whew, we should feel great about that, but, not so fast.
Not only has communism resumed as a threat to the way of life in America and with her few allies, we must be smart and prudent to admit, there are other wars America is fighting in occupational operations, which by some counts range from three to twelve. Let us remember the Cold War was not an occupational conflict but more a stand-off of two world powers over a totalitarian state versus a Representative Republic and an arms race.
We will leave the debate over Marxism, Socialism, Islam and Communism versus a Representative Republic (U.S. Constitution) for another time. Instead the objective here is to target the arms race, the quiet Cold War Part Deux currently in place and those countries in the silent or not-so-silent war. However, we cannot altogether exclude those types of totalitarian regimes with their quest for, and existing possessions of nuclear weapons, biological and chemical weapons, but eh new type of warfare……Cyberwar.
This list of countries against our way of life in America and her allies is not comprehensive, but does include: China, Cuba, North Korea, Vietnam, Venezuela, Syria and Algeria. We must also consider the Soviet Union enduring model which legacy is now part of Russia is back into the equation.
The Cold War ended we are told in 1991, but due to this argument on if it really did end, let us not forget the war/attacks the U.S. has included in recent history.
• U.S. Embassy Beirut 1985
• Achille Lauro 1985
• Pan Am Flight 103, Lockerbie Scotland 1988
• World Trade Center 1993
• Oklahoma City bombing 1995
• Khobar Towers 1998
• U.S.S. Cole 2000
• World Trade Center, Pentagon and Shanksville, PA. 2001
• Riyadh 2001-2003
• Cyber Attacks
o Google, NASA, World Bank, State Department, U.S domestic and foreign embassies, Commerce Department, Naval War College, Lockheed Martin
This list is by no means complete, but it does demonstrate a war against the United States. America is in war with herself over budgetary issues and deficit spending measured against weak revenues. We are still in an arms race, a technology race and a preservation race to keep America a strong and viable power. However, lawmakers and the White House are calling for additional spending cuts for the military beyond that which Secretary Gates eliminated to the tune of $400 billion. Is it logical then at the edge of a Cold War Part Deux, we allow the new Department of Defense Secretary Panetta and the Super Congress to yet gut the military spending by an additional $700 billion?
Are we prepared for this new era Cold War that may include Iran, Venezuela or Syria? America remains in a defense posture, which is not a viable strategy position in this second round of a Cold War.
Pray for Peace, Prepare for War