A Brief Thank-You to Tullycast

Tullycast

Videosurfers to John Tully:

Thank you so much for your attempts to make Bill Maher  available outside the US. There are so many of us that would happily pay to see the show and yet no one will offer it outside the US. Can’t understand why as this show needs to be seen everywhere to paint a more positive picture of the US. This and a few other MSNBC shows are the  only ones speaking any common sense or expressing any sense of the common good

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"Cablegate" to Date: A Unique List of What's Been Revealed

Wikileaks

“Cablegate” to Date: A Unique List of What’s Been Revealed

By Greg Mitchell

from the Huffington Post 

Many critics of WikiLeaks still, somehow, claim that there’s “nothing new” in the Cablegate releases (now stretching back to November 28), that most of the issues raised raised by the cables are old hat, and the impact (as in Tunisia, for example) overhyped. So it seems useful here, for the first time in easy to consider format, to assemble most of the major revelations. This seems especially valuable because the reporting is now scattered around the globe, often emerging from smaller papers.

At the outset, the cables were published by the media partners, not WikiLeaks itself. The New York Times made good on its promise to cover them hot and heavy for about ten days, while the Guardian did all that and more. But Times coverage quickly grew sporadic, the Guardian fell out with Assange (he has now turned to the Telegraph), while the Norwegian daily Aftenposten picked up some of the slack.

Here are brief summaries, listed chronologically, as they appeared. There are even more in my new book The Age of WikiLeaks. Not included are the shocking cables concerning Egypt released on January 27 and other recent bombshells:

-Saudi donors remain the chief financiers of Sunni militant groups like Al Qaeda.

-Saudis (and some other Middle Eastern states) pressed U.S. to take stronger action against Iran.

-Yemeni president lied to his own people, claiming his military carried out air strikes on militants actually done by U.S. All part of giving U.S. full rein in country against terrorists.

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Al-Jazeera Live English on Tullycast

Tullycast

Al-Jazeera Live English on Tullycast


Guess What? It Turns Out That J.P. Morgan Chase Suspected Madoff Tomfoolery Ten Months Before The Ponzi Scheme Blew Up

Bernie Madoff
February 3, 2011
JPMorgan Hid Doubts on Madoff, Documents Suggest

Senior executives at JPMorgan Chase expressed serious doubts about the legitimacy of Bernard L. Madoff’s investment business more than 18 months before his Ponzi schemecollapsed but continued to do business with him, according to internal bank documents made public in a lawsuit that was unsealed on Thursday.

On June 15, 2007, an obviously high-level risk management officer for Chase’s investment bank sent a lunchtime e-mail to colleagues to report that another bank executive “just told me that there is a well-known cloud over the head of Madoff and that his returns are speculated to be part of a ponzi scheme.”

Even before that, a top private banking executive had been consistently steering clients away from investments linked to Mr. Madoff because his “Oz-like signals” were “too difficult to ignore.” And the first Chase risk analyst to look at a Madoff feeder fund, in February 2006, reported to his superiors that its returns did not make sense because it did far better than the securities that were supposedly in its portfolio.

Despite those suspicions and many more, the bank allowed Mr. Madoff to move billions of dollars of investors’ cash in and out of his Chase bank accounts right up until the day of his arrest in December 2008 — although by then, the bank had withdrawn all but $35 million of the $276 million it had invested in Madoff-linked hedge funds , according to the litigation.

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Anderson Cooper Attacked, Punched In The Head By Pro-Mubarak Mob In Egypt

Tullycast

Anderson Cooper Attacked, Punched In The Head By Pro-Mubarak Mob In Egypt

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PFC Bradley Manning Is Not Being Treated Like Every Other Detainee

Bradley Manning

26 January 2011

DAVID E. COOMBS

Despite the assertion of Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell, PFC Bradley Manning is not being treated like every other detainee at the Quantico brig.  Morrell stated during today’s Pentagon briefing that PFC Manning’s “confinement is not in the least different from the manner in which anyone else at the brig is being held.”  This statement is patently false.
PFC Manning is being treated differently.  He is the only detainee being held in Maximum (MAX) custody and under Prevention of Injury (POI) watch.  Every other detainee is being held in Medium Detention In (MDI) and without POI watch restrictions.  What is the difference?
Maximum Custody Detainees vs. Medium Detention In Detainees
Maximum Custody – PFC Manning:
Under the Secretary of Navy Instruction 1649.9C, the regulation that details the proper procedures and safeguards for classification of inmates, evaluation of inmates and the limited use of special quarters, a maximum custody detainee has the following mandatory restrictions:
(1) Supervision must be immediate and continuous. A DD 509, Inspection Record of Prisoner in Segregation, shall be posted by the cell door and appropriate entries made at least every 15 minutes.
(2) They shall not be assigned to work details outside the cell.
(3) They shall be assigned to the most secure quarters.
(4) Two or more staff members shall be present when MAX prisoners are out of their cells.
(5) MAX prisoners shall wear restraints at all times when outside the maximum-security area and be escorted by at least two escorts (confinement facility staff or certified escorts, per article 7406).
Under the above restrictions, PFC Manning is held in his cell for 23 hours a day.  Whenever he is moved outside of his cell, the entire facility is locked down.  PFC Manning must wear hand and leg restraints when he is outside of his cell.  He is escorted by at least two guards whenever he is moved.
Medium Custody In – Every other detainee:
Every other detainee is being held in MDI status.  Under the regulation, these detainees have the following restrictions:
(1) Supervision shall be continuous within the security perimeter and immediate and continuous when outside the security perimeter.
(2) They shall not be assigned to work outside the security perimeter.
(3) They shall wear restraints outside the security perimeter unless the CO/OIC/CPOIC directs otherwise.
(4) They shall be escorted by at least two confinement facility staff or certified escorts, per article 7406, unless the CO/OIC/CPOIC directs only one escort is required.
(5) They may be assigned dormitory quarters.
Under the above restrictions, every other detainee is allowed outside of their cell for the majority of the day.  The facility is not locked down when they are walking in the brig.  They do not wear hand and leg restraints outside of their cell.  They are not escorted by guards when outside of their cell.  Every other detainee is assigned to work details during the day.  These work details allow them move freely within the facility and also outside of the facility whenever within the security perimeter.
Prevention of Injury Watch vs. No Prevention of Injury Watch
Prevention of Injury Watch – PFC Manning:
In addition to the difference in custody status, PFC Manning is also being held in special quarters under POI watch.  Due to the POI watch, he is held in solitary confinement.  For 23 hours per day, he sits in his cell.  The guards check on him every five minutes by asking him if he is okay.  He is required to respond in some affirmative manner.  At night, if the guards can not see him clearly, because he has a blanket over his head or he is curled up towards the wall, they will wake him in order to ensure that he is okay.  He receives each of his meals in his cell.  He is not allowed to have a pillow or sheets.  He is not allowed to have any personal items in his cell.  He is only allowed to have one book or one magazine at any given time to read.  The book or magazine is taken away from him at the end of the day before he goes to sleep.  He is prevented from exercising in his cell.  If he attempts to do push-ups, sit-ups, or any other form of exercise he will be forced to stop.  He receives one hour of exercise outside of his cell daily.  The guards take him to a room and allow him to walk.  He usually walks in figure eights around the room.  When he goes to sleep, he is required to strip down to his underwear and surrender his clothing to the guards.
No Prevention of Injury Watch – Every other detainee:
Every other detainee is not subjected to constant monitoring or asked if they are okay every five minutes.  Every other detainee is allowed to have sheets and a pillow.  Every other detainee may have personal items in their cell.  Every other detainee may have paper and pens in their cell in order to write to family and friends.  Every other detainee may have any combination of 15 books or magazines in their cell at all times.  Any other detainee can exercise in their cell during the day.  No other detainee has to strip to their underwear at the end of the day and surrender their clothing to the guards.
Secretary of the Navy Instruction (SECNAVINST) 1649.9C indicates that “only a small percentage of prisoners shall be classified as maximum.”  The reason?  Maximum custody is very onerous for the detainee and requires a large commitment of resources from the confinement facility.
Background Information:
PFC Manning arrived at the Quantico brig on July 29, 2010.  He was placed in MAX and under suicide watch.  On August 6, 2010, the forensic psychiatrist for the brig recommended that PFC Manning be moved from suicide watch to POI.  Over the course of the following weeks, the brig forensic psychiatrist met with PFC Manning on a frequent basis.  Due to PFC Manning’s good behavior and demeanor, on August 27, 2010, the brig psychiatrist recommended that PFC Manning be taken off of POI watch and that his confinement classification be changed from MAX to MDI.
Over the course of the following three months, the brig forensic psychiatrist consistently recommended PFC Manning be taken off of POI watch.  The only exception to this was on December 10, 2010 when he recommended that PFC Manning remain under POI watch for one week.  This was due to a rumor that had spread on Twitter suggesting that PFC Manning had committed suicide.  Due to the rumor, the brig forensic psychiatrist believed it was prudent to place PFC Manning on POI watch.  The following week, that same forensic psychiatrist once again recommended that PFC Manning be removed from POI watch.  Despite these consistent recommendations, PFC Manning has remained on POI watch and in MAX custody.
The brig forensic psychiatrist’s recommendation comes as no surprise given the fact PFC Manning has been a model inmate.  At no time has he been disrespectful, violent or noncompliant.  PFC Manning does not exhibit any of the criteria normally established for MAX custody under the Navy Instruction.  Given the consistent recommendation of the brig forensic psychiatrist and PFC Manning’s model behavior, it is unclear why he is still held in MAX custody and under POI watch.
Under SECNAVINST 1649.9C, 1201 “discipline is to be administered on a corrective rather than a punitive basis.”  Additionally SECNAVINST 1649.9C, 7202.2.i states “no persons, while being held for trial may be subjected to punishment or penalty other than arrest or confinement, nor shall the arrest or confinement imposed upon them be any more rigorous than the circumstances require.” PFC Manning’s confinement classification and his POI watch are in contravention of this mandate.
In order to ensure a servicemember is not arbitrarily maintained in solitary confinement for prolonged periods of time, SECNAVINST 1649.9C, 4204 requires a Classification and Assignment (C&A) board to establish an individual inmate’s custody classification using “objective classification/reclassification procedures.”  It is unclear what the C&A Board recommended to the confinement facility commander or the basis for its recommendation.  However, it is clear that the former commander made the determination to keep PFC Manning in MAX custody and under POI watch (and under a 2-day suicide watch last week) over the recommendation of the brig’s forensic psychiatrist.
In order to assess the reasonableness of the brig commander’s determination, the defense requested that the brig explain the basis for its determination and why this information was apparently not deemed significant by the brig’s forensic psychiatrist – the primary individual responsible for assessing a detainee’s risk for self harm or harm to others.  It is the defense’s position that the classification of PFC Manning in MAX and under an assignment of POI is based upon an inappropriate reason and is therefore an abuse of discretion.  The defense is hoping that the new commander will conduct a complete review of the confinement classification and assignment of PFC Manning.  It is our hope that she will order his removal from POI watch and reduce his classification level from MAX to MDI.
Only if this is done will Mr. Morrell be correct in stating that PFC Manning is being treated like every other detainee at the brig.

Posted by Army Court-Martial Defense Specialist

U.S. Democrats and Pro-Israel Lobbies Slam Republican Senator's Call to Halt Israel Aid

Israel, Tullycast

Tea Party representative Rand Paul tells CNN’s Wolf Blitzer he has a lot of respect for Israel but he doesn’t believe the U.S. should be funding the Mideast arms race during financial crisis

U.S. Democrats and pro-Israel lobbies slammed on Thursday comments made by newly elected Republican Senator and Tea Party representative Rand Paul who suggested that the United States should halt all foreign aid including its financial aid to Israel.

In an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Wednesday Paul said that “Reuters did a poll, and 71 percent of American people agree with me that when we’re short of money, where we can’t do the things we need to do in our country, we certainly shouldn’t be shipping the money overseas.”

When asked by Blitzer if he wanted to halt an annual $3 billion that go to Israel, Paul replied affirmatively, explaining that Egypt recieves almost the same amount .

“You have to ask yourself, are we funding an arms race on both sides? I have a lot of sympathy and respect for Israel as a democratic nation, as, you know, a fountain of peace and a fountain of democracy within the Middle East. But at the same time, I don’t think funding both sides of the arm race, particularly when we have to borrow the money from China to send it to someone else. We just can’t do it anymore. The debt is all- consuming and it threatens our well-being as a country,” Paul said.

Pro-Israel Jewish lobby J Street issued a statement in response to Paul’s comments saying it was “alarmed” by his suggestion.

“Senator Paul’s proposal would undermine the decades-long bipartisan consensus on U.S. support for Israel. Any erosion of support should concern Israel’s friends on both sides of the political aisle, and we call in particular on leaders and donors in Senator Paul’s party to repudiate his comments and ensure that American leadership around the world is not threatened by this irresponsible proposal,” the statement issued by J Street read.

National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) President and CEO David Harris also condemned his statement saying that “Paul’s suggestion is negligent, shortsighted, and just plain wrong,” adding that “foreign aid in general, and aid to Israel in particular, is crucial to Israel’s security and its pursuit of peace. Senator Paul’s statement is yet another illustration of how the Republican Party continues to grow increasingly out of touch with the values of the vast majority of the American Jewish community.”

Congresswoman Nita Lowey, Ranking member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, called the initiative “shocking”.

“Israel is the only democratic nation in the Middle East and one of our most stalwart allies”, Lowey said. “A stable and secure Israel is in our national security interest and has been a staple of our foreign policy for more than sixty years. Using our budget deficit as a reason to abandon Israel is inexcusable. It is unclear to me whether Rand Paul speaks for the Tea Party, the Republican Party, or simply himself”.

Meanwhile, Republican Jewish Coalition Executive Director Matthew Brooks issued a statement saying “we share Senator Paul’s commitment to restraining the growth of federal spending, but we reject his misguided proposal to end U.S. assistance to our ally, Israel.”

“Moreover, based on his comments in an interview with CNN, we are concerned that Senator Paul may not grasp the fundamentals of our alliance with Israel. In 2007, the U.S. and Israel signed a ten-year ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ (MoU) to govern U.S. assistance going forward. A critical aim of the MoU was to preserve Israel’s qualitative military advantage. Accordingly, any concern that U.S. assistance might undermine Israel’s security is groundless,” Brooks said.

Biden: Mubarak Not a Dictator, Protests Not Like Eastern Europe

Hosni Mubarak

THE HILL

Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is not a dictator and shouldn’t step aside in the face of mounting protests against his nearly 30-year rule.

Interviewed for PBS’s “Newshour,” Biden said that the democracy demonstrations that have sprung up in Egypt and Yemen since protests in Tunisia ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who had taken office in a bloodless coup and held the post since 1987, weren’t comparable to the popular uprisings in Eastern Europe that brought down the Iron Curtain.

When asked if Mubarak was a dictator, Biden responded, “Mubarak has been an ally of ours in a number of things and he’s been very responsible on, relative to geopolitical interests in the region, Middle East peace efforts, the actions Egypt has taken relative to normalizing the relationship with Israel … I would not refer to him as a dictator.”

“I think the time has come for President Mubarak to begin to move in the direction that — to be more responsive to some of the needs of the people out there,” Biden said after stressing that he shouldn’t resign.

“Violence isn’t appropriate and people have a right to protest,” he said. “And so — and we think that — I hope Mubarak, President Mubarak, will — is going to respond to some of the legitimate concerns that are being raised.”

Mubarak has faced growing challenges in recent years as pro-democracy youth have employed blogs, sometimes at the risk of being thrown in jail, and other social media to advance their cause. One young blogger, Kareem Amer, was released from prison recently after serving four years behind bars for insulting Mubarak.

But the street protests that began four days ago have included the ruling party headquarters in Cairo being set ablaze. The Associated Press reported that demonstrators chased riot police and that some of the police even stripped off their gear and joined the protesters.

Elections in Egypt have come under heavy criticism for excluding opposition candidates, banning some parties and vote-rigging. It’s widely believed that the 82-year-old Mubarak is grooming his son, Gamal, a powerful figure in the ruling National Democratic Party, to take the reins.

Biden acknowledged that he knows Mubarak “fairly well,” but that he hadn’t talked to him about the recent protests.

“I haven’t talked to him in about a month. But I speak to him fairly regularly,” he said. “And I think that, you know, there’s a lot going on across that part of the continent, from Tunisia into — all the way to Pakistan, actually. And there’s — a lot of these countries are beginning to sort of take stock of where they are and what they have to do.”

But when asked if countries will be caught up in a “domino effect” from Tunisia like that which swept across the former Soviet states, Biden said no.

“I wouldn’t compare the two,” he said. “A lot of these nations are very dissimilar. They’re similar in the sense that they’re Arab nations, dissimilar in the circumstance.”

“…We’re encouraging the protesters to, as they assemble, do it peacefully,” he added. “And we’re encouraging the government to act responsibly and to try to engage in a discussion as to what the legitimate claims being made are, if they are, and try to work them out.”