http://www.indybay.org:80/newsitems/2008/03/14/18485608.phpInternational Demands for a New 9/11 Investigation Challenge the “War on Terror”
by Carol Brouillet Friday Mar 14th, 2008 11:24 AM
In Japan, in Europe, in the Congress of the United States, in New York City, in Australia, elected officials and citizens are questioning the events of 9/11, the obstacles that the Administration placed before the Kean/Hamilton Commission. The official narrative that the US has used to justify the “War on Terror,” and dismantle domestic civil liberties and international laws is being challenged.
-->On January 10, 2008, Mr. Yukihisa Fujita, a member of Democratic Party of Japan, challenged Bush’s request for assistance from the Japanese to supply the US military effort in Afghanistan, by raising questions about 9/11 and the “War on Terrorism” in the Japanese Parliament. (1)
On February 26, 2008 Guilietto Chiesa, a member of the European Parliament, journalist, and author, invited his colleagues and the press to attend a screening of the Italian documentary named ‘ZERO, an investigation into the events of 9/11’ and a debate with Mr.Yukihisa Fujita, Dr. David Ray Griffin, theologian and author of seven important books on 9/11, Tim Sparke, the film distributor, as well as the director and producers of ‘Zero’- Paolo Jormi Bianchi, Thomas Torelli, Francesco Trento and Franco Fracassi. (2) Although the press and Parliament were invited, only six members of the 800 EU members came to the event, not one corporate journalist came. Chiesa blamed the lack of attendance on the power of the US government. Chiesa explained that when they made Zero, they were unable to answer the questions that they raised. They only knew where the official lies were, but they still were unable to gather the evidence and testimony to get to the truth of the event.
On the same day, the anniversary of the first World Trade Center bombings, Representative Rohrabacher spoke out on the floor of Congress. (3)
“The disdain and uncooperative nature that this administration has shown toward Congress, including Republican Members, is so egregious that I can no longer assume that it is simply bureaucratic incompetence or isolated mistakes. Rather, I have come to the sad conclusion that this administration has intentionally obstructed Congress' rightful and constitutional duties.”
Rohrabacher detailed the lack of cooperation in many specific cases, including his request to the acting Attorney General last October-
“In 2005, former Clinton National Security Advisor Sandy Berger pled guilty to the mishandling and destruction of classified documents.
“He admitted to entering the National Archives and unlawfully removing, then subsequently destroying, classified documents dealing with terrorist related issues. He removed the documents by stuffing them down his pants and in his suit jacket, presumably with the intention of getting rid of any damning evidence showing his involvement in the failure of our intelligence and law enforcement communities to prevent the Sept. 11th attacks prior to his testimony before the 911 Commission. These documents have never been recovered.
“As part of a plea deal, Mr. Berger agreed to take a polygraph test to be administered by the Department of Justice. It has been two years since that agreement and Mr. Berger has yet to fulfill his obligation.
“We are writing to officially request that as Attorney General you direct the Department of Justice without any further delay to administer a lie detector test to Mr. Berger and determine what documents were stolen and how our National Security was compromised.
“The Congress, and the American people, deserve to know the facts of this crime and what Mr. Berger was covering up.”
Rohrabacher also was denied access to the Federal prisoner Ramzi Yousef who-
“may well have had something to do with the bombing of the World Trade Center and the bombing of the Oklahoma City building… This request is well within my committee's jurisdiction as ranking member of the Investigative Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. This request has been supported by the chairman of the Investigative Subcommittee, the chairman of the full Foreign Affairs Committee, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and the chairman of the Intelligence Committee…
“Nevertheless, the Department of Justice, consistent with its treatment of congressional inquiries during the tenure of this President, has dismissed this valid request. This request has been treated with what can only be described as contempt and condescension.
“So, why would this administration obstruct congressional inquiries such as this? Remember, Ramzi Yousef was the mastermind behind several devastating terrorist attacks and plots against America. He led the first murderous attack on the World Trade Center in 1993, as I say.
“After fleeing to the Philippines, he and two other terrorists plotted to kill thousands of Americans by blowing up 12 commercial airliners over the Pacific at the same time. It was known as the Bojinka plot. It was within 2 weeks of being executed when it was discovered and thwarted by Philippine police.
“Interestingly, the terrorist operation, the Bojinka plot, was to take place about the same time as the Oklahoma City Federal building bombing, perhaps on the same day. We don't know. Perhaps we should know. Perhaps we should ask Ramzi Yousef about that.
“Ramzi Yousef has been in Federal prison for over a decade. He is a prisoner with a unique understanding of the al Qaeda terrorist structure. He is the nephew of Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the mastermind of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center.
“In 2006, when I was the chairman of the House Oversight Investigations Subcommittee on the Foreign Affairs Committee, I was investigating Yousef's movements and activities not only in the United States but in the Philippines. I even traveled to the Philippines to question authorities who had captured Yousef's roommate and coconspirator in the Bojinka plot.
“In spite of that fact and in spite of the fact that I was looking into Yousef's terrorist activities and in spite of the fact that I had obtained new information about Yousef's phone calls right here in the United States and new information about his associates while he was in the United States, the Department of Justice still dismisses the effort and, more than that, they are obstructing a legitimate congressional investigation, refusing to permit this elected Member of Congress, a ranking member of a congressional investigating committee, to interview a Federal prisoner. They refused access to Yousef claiming that there is a ‘ongoing investigation.’
“This prisoner has been in jail for over 10 years. It is more likely that what we have here is an ongoing coverup and not an ongoing investigation. In fact, I have been told recently by a former member of the Justice Department that they were told routinely simply to give answers that there is an ongoing investigation even if no ongoing investigation was underway, but simply using it as a phrase to dismiss a request from Congress.
“Well, this is outrageous, but it's typical of this administration… Is it really the rules of engagement that we want for our government that Members of Congress and the legislative branch don't have a right to talk to Federal prisoners?
“Well, that's apparently what the Bush administration is trying to establish as the executive authority, as executive authority, the right to deny congressional investigators access to Federal prisoners. The danger of this should be easy to understand, both on my side of the aisle, the Republican side, and the Democratic side of the aisle.”
Rohrabacher’s statements on the floor of Congress indicate that not only have the American people being lied to, but Congress has been kept in the dark, as well. The most easily shattered lie, was the one used repeatedly by the Bush Administration, Condoleezza Rice, and Philip Zelikow that “no one could have dreamed of using planes as weapons” and that the Administration was taken completely by surprise by the attacks. According to a NYT/CBS poll taken in October 2006:
Many adults in the United States believe the current federal government has not been completely forthcoming on the issue of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, according to a poll by the New York Times and CBS News. 53 per cent of respondents think the Bush administration is hiding something, and 28 per cent believe it is lying. (4)
In New York City, there is a citizen effort to place on the November 2008 General Election ballot an initiative which will allow the voters of New York City to mandate, through public referendum, directly and democratically, the formation of a new Citizen’s Commission to Re-Investigate 9/11. (5)
Sydney Truth Action of Australia, from March 14th to Sunday 16th March, 2008, will host an International Conference to critically examine the events of 9/11 and Australia’s participation in the War on Terror.(6) Themed- "Did Australia go to war in Iraq and Afghanistan on a false pretext?" the conference will focus on what really occurred on September 11th and what has been done in the name of September 11th by the Australian government. The conference will examine how the US and Australian governments have actively sponsored, or been complicit in the cover-up, of terrorism. Mr. Yukihisa Fujita, who spoke before the Japanese Parliament, and attended the event at the European parliament, will also speak. Two new documentaries, one on 9/11- Shadowplay(7) and another on the Bali Bombings, Fool Me Twice, (8) will also be shown.
The 9/11 Truth Movement continues to grow, as evidenced by the actions, events, conferences, websites devoted to the issue, the books, documentaries, films, music, art, and radio programs. A Green Party candidate for President, Cynthia McKinney, although vilified by the corporate press and the Democratic Party, raised the most challenging questions about 9/11 while she was in Congress. (9) Public revelations that the official Report was based upon “tortured confessions” and that the Commissions’ work was directed by Philip Zelikow, author of the “Pre-Emptive War Doctrine” and integral to the National Security transition from the Clinton to Bush White House has fueled doubt in the Commission and demands for a real investigation and government accountability. (10)Disclosure about the author of this article, Carol Brouillet
Footnotes:
(1) http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2680190129949942423&q=Yukihisa+Fujita&total=45&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=8
(2) http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2680190129949942423&q=Yukihisa+Fujita&total=45&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=8
(3) http://www.fas.org/sgp/congress/2008/rohr022608.html
(4) http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/view/13469
(5) http://www.nyc911initiative.org/
(6) http://www.truthnowtour.com/
(7) http://shadowplay.info/
(8) http://www.myspace.com/foolmetwicethemovie
(9) http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8809857201332294468&q=cynthia+Mckinney+griffin+black+congressional+caucus&total=2&start
(10) In the interests of truth and of transparency, I cannot say that I am merely reporting on well documented events which I have been impartially observing. In January 2002, I organized one of the first street rallies and marches on public officials demanding a Congressional Investigation of 9/11. In March 2004, I was the primary organizer of the San Francisco International Inquiry into 9/11 which brought together researchers, authors, filmmakers who questioned the official narrative of 9/11, and felt that the official Commission was a Cover-Up Commission for failing to address key questions raised by the victims’ families. In 2006 and 2008 I agreed to be a Green Party candidate for Congress in California’s District 14, primarily on an Impeachment, Peace, Truth platform. I have published and distributed over 7,000,000 Deception Dollars which draw attention to websites questioning the official narrative of 9/11. I feel that I am part of a growing international 9/11 Truth Movement, and while I focus most of my efforts on educating the American public, I realize that 9/11 and the subsequent “War on Terrorism” has had a huge impact upon the entire world. I would like to acknowledge and encourage the efforts of elected officials and citizens everywhere who recognize that the public has been lied to, misled, and are demanding genuine investigations, truth, and accountability for the crime of 9/11, and the criminal wars against innocent people, and civil liberties which followed in its wake.
http://www.truthnowtour.com/
