Letter Never Sent

I love the smell of hypocrisy in the morning.

A police state needs it secret police to quietly maintain domestic ‘order’ and to hold onto power. Believe it or not, the police state was not invented by the U.S. *chuckle* Power has always been paranoid and obsessive about domestic revolution and disobedience. This obsessiveness is one of the reasons why secret police are so common around the globe and throughout history. Remember the Black Iron Prison? Men in black with iron-shod boots knocking on your door in the dark of morning.

• Oprichnina – Secret police of the Tsars, especially Ivan the Terrible. The oprichniki constituted a security police whose relentless aim was to purge the land of treacherous elements. Ivan’s victims suffered heartless torture. Many were drowned or strangled or flogged to death; some were impaled, others roasted on a spit, still others fried in large skillets. The entire city of Novgorod was put to torture on the charge that its archbishop was planning to hand over the city to the Lithuanians. Sixty thousand of its citizens were butchered in a week-long orgy. But churchmen, boyars, and merchants whom Ivan suspected of treason were not the only ones to suffer. His favorites, the oprichniki leaders, died in an agonizing torture more fiendish than anything they had devised for their victims.
• The Cheka – Secret police of the Bolsheviks. (VChK; Extraordinary Commission for Combating Counterrevolution and Sabotage) 1917-1922. From this point the Cheka initiated a period of mass executions of people not based only on their specific actions, such as sabotage, but also for their beliefs and class origins. In reprisal for the assassination of the German ambassador, the Cheka executed 350 Social Revolutionaries and 512 hostages were shot by the Secret Police after the assassination attempt on Lenin. It has been estimated that between 100,000 and 500,000 people were executed by the Cheka during the Red Terror.

  In addition to mass executions, the Cheka also initiated the infamous slave labor camps to imprison not only those considered undesirable but also people who happened to have the wrong class origins, most particularly the bourgeoisie. By the end of 1920 Soviet Russia had 84 of these concentration camps with about 50,000 prisoners. This prison system grew rapidly immediately following the Russian Civil War so that by 1923 the number grew to a total of 315 camps.
  

• The Gestapo – Secret police of Nazi Germany – The Geheime Staatspolizei (German for Secret State Police, abbreviated “Gestapo”) was formally organized after the Nazi’s seized power in 1933. Hermann Göring, the Prussian minister of the interior, detached the espionage and political units of the Prussian police. And staffed them with thousands of Nazis. Göring became the commander of this new force on April 26, 1933. At the same time that Goring was organzing the Gestapo, Heinrich Himmler was directing the SS (Schutzstaffel, German for “Protective Echelon”), Hitler’s elite paramilitary corps. In April of 1936 he was given command of the Gestapo as well, integrating all of Germany’s police units under Himmler.
  

• Savak – The Shah’s brutal secret police force, Savak, formed under the guidance of CIA (the United States Central Intelligence Agency) in 1957 and personnel trained by Mossad (Israel’s secret service), to directly control all facets of political life in Iran. Its main task was to suppress opposition to the Shah’s government and keep the people’s political and social knowledge as minimal as possible. Savak was notorious throughout Iran for its brutal methods.
• Commissariat for Internal Affairs (NKVD) – later Committee for State Security (KGB) – Secret police of Stalinist Russia – The NKVD broke prisoners down by intense interrogation. This included the threat to arrest and execute members of the prisoner’s family if they did not confess. The interrogation went on for several days and nights and eventually they became so exhausted and disoriented that they signed confessions agreeing that they had been attempting to overthrow the government.
• The Stasi (Ministerium für Staatssicherheit) – Secret police of Communist East Germany – Our own CIA has classified files it stole from the Stasi – The Stasi used a huge network of informants to repress the citizens of East Germany. It was not uncommon for members of families to spy on each other for fear of blackmail, as a result of physical threats and even because of monetary rewards from the secret police force. In the late ‘80s, the Stasi had nearly 175,000 official informants on their books, roughly one informant for every 100 people. (Some estimate the size of the “unofficial” Stasi informant force as nearly 10 times this level.) The Stasi maintained a force of over 90,000 uniformed and plain-clothes agents.
• Shin Bet / Mossad – Israel’s secret police – In 1982, reports of torture became widespread following the Israeli invasion and occupation of Lebanon, especially at the Ansar detention camp. An incident in 1984, however, became the turning point in precise documentation of torture in Israel. Majid and Subhi Abujumaa were beaten to death by the Israeli secret police (the Shin Bet) following a failed bus hijacking in Gaza. The truth that the cousins were murdered during interrogation, and not during the storming of the bus as the Israeli government had reported, only surfaced after an Israeli newspaper printed a photograph of one of the men being led away in handcuffs. This incident led to the Landau Commission investigation into the practices of the Shin Bet. The Israeli Government Commission documented the use of torture to obtain confessions from detained Palestinians, yet none of the convictions based upon such coerced confessions reversed.
• CIA(Central Intelligence Agency)/ FBI(Federal Bureau of Investigation)/ SS (Secret Service)/ NSA (National Security Administration) – America’s secret police – We have more than anyone else. In the United States, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been operating as a secret police force. Documents released under the Freedom of Information Act reveal a history of domestic political spying on famous authors such as Ernest Hemingway, on civil-rights leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr., and on a wide variety of legitimate organizations. These domestic counterintelligence programs (COINTELPROs) used infiltration, eavesdropping, and disinformation campaigns to harass and destroy such groups as the Black Panthers and the American Indian Movement.

Queen Boudicca was the Xena of her day. She led a short-lived uprising against the Romans in ancient England. I’ve always enjoyed the image of her charging into battle with her two daughters at her side.

Boudicca: Celtic warrior queen:

Prasutagus died suddenly, leaving behind his grieving queen, Boudicca, and their two daughters, Comorra and Tasca. He had also left a written will, stating that half his kingdom and wealth would go to Rome, the other half to his daughters as their rightful inheritance. Roman officials ignored the King’s will, however, and demanded Queen Boudicca hand over all her wealth and territories. When she refused, proclaiming her treatment as unfitting of a Roman ally, soldiers were ordered to arrest and flog her and then brutalise and rape her daughters.

Once she was released and her daughters returned to her side, Boudicca was not content to sit back and allow the atrocities committed against her family to go unanswered. She rallied the support of a neighbouring tribe, the Trinovantes, and also a few other Celtic tribes from the north, who had thus far refused to bow to Roman rule. Within a short time Queen Boudicca had amassed an army of over 100,000. Her first target was Comulodunum, a garrison of retired Roman soldiers and their families. Boudicca and her forces spared no one and she ordered the city and its temples put to the torch. A Roman infantry of 5000 was sent to deal with the upstart Queen but they were also annihilated to the last man. Boudicca’s bloody rebellion moved on, her next targets Londinium and Verulamium and surrounding Roman settlements, which were all systematically sacked and burned.


Queen Boudicca And The Events Leading To The Iceni Rebellion of 60 A.D.:

Boadicea was part of a noble and warlike people, the Keltoi or in Latin, Celtae, an amalgamous group of people which populated the British Isles and western Europe from the late 5th century B.C. onwards. The Romans spent centuries in vicious warfare with these people in Gaul, and had long feared and admired their courage. It was an amassed Celtic force that sacked Rome in 410 A.D., causing the final collapse of the ‘Empire’ proper; afterwards, it was a divided sovereignity, with the greatest wealth and power lying in the Eastern part until a thousand years ago, when Europe was launched into a conquering, migrating turmoil.

The Romans most disliked the terrifying war spirit of the Celts, especially the fact that women fought alongside the men, indistinguished in honor and strength. The Roman Diodorus Siculus wrote of Celtic women, saying, “Among the Gauls the women are nearly as tall as the men, whom they rival in courage.” The historian Plutarch stated this while describing a battle in 102 B.C. between Romans and Celts: “the fight had been no less fierce with the women than with the men themselves… the women charged with swords and axes and fell upon their opponents uttering a hideous outcry.” Because Boudicca — a woman, a Roman subject, and a Britannic royal — led the rebellion, Rome felt even more disgraced and outraged.

Why did we attack Iraq during the Gulf War? Why are we about to attack them now? I know why the Bush gang wants to and I know the crass justifications they give, but what I really want to know is why are people rolling over to take this? The US wants to maintain coercive influence in the Mideast because we need more and more oil to prop up our extravagence. Everyone knows this, but they pretend like the real reason has to do with some threat posed by Iraq’s dictator. Our dictator and their dictator don’t get along too well, and this spells trouble for the people living in Iraq and the people who will be sent to slaughter and be slaughtered. The Bushes and the Husseins of the world don’t care one bit about things like that. In fact, they delusionally believe they are doing what’s right. We need to shake these parasites off.

Ok, the rant is over here’s why I posted in the first place (via Projecte Censored):

When the U.S. military took on Saddam Hussein in 1991, American planes strategically obliterated Iraq’s water system. Then, with the war over and the water system in ruins, the United States imposed sanctions barring the importation of water purification equipment. The combined effect of this one-two punch was the slow death of thousands of Iraqis – something not unexpected by the U.S. military.

Reporting for the Progressive magazine, Thomas J. Nagy unearthed the Defense Intelligence Agency documents detailing all of this. In fact, Nagy’s scoop showcases, yet again, the laziness of mainstream media: the now declassified documents are online, at an official government Web site, www.gulflink.osd.mil.

Here’s a sample from a January 1991 document titled, “Iraq Water Treatment Vulnerabilities”: “Iraq depends on importing specialized equipment and some chemicals to purify its water supply, most of which is heavily mineralized and frequently brackish to saline. With no domestic sources of both water treatment replacement parts and some essential chemicals, Iraq will continue attempts to circumvent United Nations Sanctions to import these vital commodities. Failing to secure supplies will result in a shortage of pure drinking water for much of the population. This could lead to increased incidences, if not epidemics, of disease.”

One commodity Iraq was banned from importing was chlorine, a chemical used for both chemical weapons and water sanitization. The Defense Department knew a shortage of chlorine would kill – and has kept the ban in place for the past decade. “Unless the water is purified with chlorine, epidemics of such diseases as cholera, hepatitis, and typhoid could occur,” the brief noted.

Ten years on, the U.N. estimates 500,000 children have died as a result of the sanctions, and Hussein remains, for the moment anyway, in power.

Thomas J. Nagy, the Progressive, September 2001.

I was talking to my Uncle once (he’s a Master Sergeant in the Army and a Gulf War veteran) and he said that he didn’t have a problem fighting Iraq if for no other reason than it keeps gasoline cheap. People in the service know why we fight who we do. It’s not about someone attacking America or Americans. It’s power and money.

Even with the story of the sneak attack of the ‘treacherous japs’ at Pearl Harbor there now comes evidence that the US fired the first shots and sunk Japanese submarines up to an hour prior to the attack of Pearl Harbor. Information has already come out that the US government had prior knowledge of a Japanese attack and, indeed, hoped to goad the Japanese into attacking to provide the government with the means to whip Americans into war fever.

From here:

Upon the death of her brother, King Kalakauam, Liliuokalani ascended the throne of Hawaii in January 1891. When Liliuokalani became Queen the islands were experiencing a sharp recession. In reaction to pressure from domestic sugar growers the U.S. government passed the McKinley Tariff in 1890 that eliminated the duty-free status on sugar enjoyed by Hawaiian sugar planters. As a result Hawaii’s wholesale sugar prices dropped forty percent. American interests in Hawaii began to consider annexation for Hawaii to reestablish a competitive position for sugar. Queen Liliuokalani sought to empower herself and Hawaiians by overturning the so-called Bayonet Constitution, passed in 1887, that limited the power of the monarch and the political power of native Hawaiians. Through a new constitution, the Queen desired to quash any attempt of U.S. annexation.

The American planters, faced with ruin, sought to overthrow the monarchy. Led by Sanford Dole, the takeover began in January 1894 and was openly supported by John L. Stevens, U.S. minister to Hawaii. Stevens called for troops to take control of government buildings including the executive building at Iolani Palace. The coup was successful in deposing the Queen and Stevens cabled Washington, D.C., proclaiming “The Hawaiian pear is now fully ripe, and this is the golden hour for the United States to pluck it.” However, the American government was not ready to pluck the pear just yet. …

Cleveland replaced Stevens with Albert Willis as American minister to Hawaii. Willis offered the crown back to the Queen on the condition that she pardon and grant amnesty to those who had dethroned her. She at first refused and asserted that if restored to power, she would behead those who had conspired against her, but then changed her mind and offered leniency. Queen “Lil” had attracted a sentimental following in the U.S. but this delay compromised her position. and President Cleveland released the entire issue of the Hawaiian revolution to Congress for debate. Immediately Dole and his following of annexationists lobbied Congress to set up a Republic of Hawaii. On July 4, 1894, the Republic of Hawaii was established and Sanford Dole (of Dole Pineapple) proclaimed president.

During his administration, Dole worked tirelessly to gain U.S. annexation and to block efforts to a counterrevolution aimed at restoring the monarchy. The ex-Queen herself was arrested in 1895 when a supply of weapons was found in the gardens of her home in Washington Place. She denied any knowledge of this cache or of any endeavor to restore her to the throne. In 1896 she was released and returned to her home at Washington Place where she remained for the next twenty years.

Via whatreallyhappened.com:

On October 7, 1940, Lieutenant Commander Arthur McCollum of the Office of Naval Intelligence submitted a memo to Navy Captains Walter Anderson and Dudley Knox (whose endorsement is included in the following scans). Captains Anderson and Knox were two of President Roosevelt’s most trusted military advisors. The memo, scanned below, detailed an 8 step plan to provoke Japan into attacking the United States. President Roosevelt, over the course of 1941, implemented all 8 of the recommendations contained in the McCollum memo. Following the eighth provocation, Japan attacked. The public was told that it was a complete surprise, an “intelligence failure”, and America entered World War Two.

Remember Pearl Harbor was a military base and Hawaii was not even a part of the United States, but essentially a colony of American business interests. So, is this that hard to believe?

The Order of Assassins was a branch of the Ismaili sect of Islam, founded by Hassan ibn Sabbah (The Old Man of the Mountain). In 1090, the hill fortress of Alamut was constructed by Hassan in central Persia, and several other forts were built in the hills of that country. Although they were heavily persecuted, pressure on other Muslim states from first the Crusaders and then the Mongols (along with the obligatory program of political assassination), saved the Assassins from destruction. The Assassins expanded into Syria, often cooperating with the Christians against local Muslim rulers. The Mongols pushed the Assassins out of Persia in 1256. The Order survived in Syria until 1272, when the Mamluk Sultan Baybars destroyed their last stronghold. (Footnotes to history) …

Hassan’s devoted followers were prepared to follow his orders unquestioningly, even when this would result in their own certain deaths. He frequently sent them on missions to kill hostile princes, the generals of armies sent to oppose him, and anyone else of whom he disapproved. His fanatical, highly-trained and highly-disciplined killers would blend with the enemy population disguished as merchants or soldiers, awaiting their opportunity. They would then sneak into their target’s encampment or palace, and dispatch him with their long daggers. They were known as Hashishin from their habit of smoking hashish, either to generate visions of paradise or to give themselves courage before their (usually fatal) missions. This is the origin of the English word “assassin”.

• Lincoln, Abraham (president of U.S.): Shot April 14, 1865, in Washington, D.C., by John Wilkes Booth; died April 15.
• Seward, William H. (secretary of state): Escaped assassination (though injured) April 14, 1865, in Washington, D.C., by Lewis Powell (or Paine), accomplice of John Wilkes Booth.
• Garfield, James A. (president of U.S.): Shot July 2, 1881, in Washington, D.C., by Charles J. Guiteau; died Sept. 19.
• McKinley, William (president of U.S.): Shot Sept. 6, 1901, in Buffalo by Leon Czolgosz; died Sept. 14.
• Roosevelt, Theodore (ex-president of U.S.): Escaped assassination (though shot) Oct. 14, 1912, in Milwaukee while campaigning for president.
• Cermak, Anton J. (mayor of Chicago): Shot Feb. 15, 1933, in Miami by Giuseppe Zangara, who attempted to assassinate Franklin D. Roosevelt; Cermak died March 6.
• Roosevelt, Franklin D. (president-elect of U.S.): Escaped assassination unhurt Feb. 15, 1933, in Miami.
• Long, Huey P. (U.S. senator from Louisiana): Shot Sept. 8, 1935, in Baton Rouge by Dr. Carl A. Weiss; died Sept. 10.
• Truman, Harry S. (president of U.S.): Escaped assassination unhurt Nov. 1, 1950, in Washington, D.C., as 2 Puerto Rican nationalists attempted to shoot their way into Blair House.
• Kennedy, John F. (president of U.S.): Shot Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas, Tex., allegedly by Lee Harvey Oswald; died same day. Injured was Gov. John B. Connally of Texas. Oswald was shot and killed two days later by Jack Ruby.
• Malcolm X, also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (black activist): Shot and killed in a New York City auditorium, Feb. 21, 1965; his killer(s) were never positively identified.
• King, Martin Luther, Jr. (civil rights leader): Shot April 4, 1968, in Memphis by James Earl Ray; died same day.
• Kennedy, Robert F. (U.S. senator from New York): Shot June 5, 1968, in Los Angeles by Sirhan Bishara Sirhan; died June 6.
• Wallace, George C. (governor of Alabama): Shot and critically wounded in assassination attempt May 15, 1972, at Laurel, Md., by Arthur Herman Bremer. Wallace paralyzed from waist down.
• Ford, Gerald R. (president of U.S.): Escaped assassination attempt Sept. 5, 1975, in Sacramento, Calif., by Lynette Alice (Squeaky) Fromme, who pointed but did not fire .45-caliber pistol. Escaped assassination attempt in San Francisco, Calif., Sept. 22, 1975, by Sara Jane Moore, who fired one shot from a .38-caliber pistol that was deflected.
• Jordan, Vernon E., Jr. (civil rights leader): Shot and critically wounded in assassination attempt May 29, 1980, in Fort Wayne, Ind.
• Reagan, Ronald (president of U.S.): Shot in left lung in Washington by John W. Hinckley, Jr., on March 30, 1981; three others also wounded.