Those reportedly singled out in the "information operations" campaign included Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz.; Joe Lieberman, I-Conn.; Jack Reed, D-R.I.; Al Franken, D-Minn.; and Carl Levin, D-Mich. Other diplomats and think-tank analysts were also targeted. The Smith-Mundt Act of 1948 was passed by Congress to prevent the State Department from using propaganda techniques against U.S. citizens. This law seems not to be followed and as of yet there is no protection against politicians selling out for money and other favors from big business.
How can we the people elect someone to go to Washington and represent our interest? Is such a thing possible any longer and if someone discovers a way to do this how long will it be before the Supreme Court strikes it down and returns control of everything to big business?
This type of thing begs the question of why the military and most of our politicians are so hell bent on perpetual war? They keep the fear machine going 24/7 and constantly tell us there is no other option. No progress is made and lives and money are spent fighting for what exactly? War is and always has been big business.
Madison Heights Virginia News
In the above photo Gen. David Petraeus is attempting to use mind control on John McCain and failing due to McCain's advanced years. John is so old he can't control his own mind.Gen. David Petraeus has ordered an investigation into claims that a top Army official instructed a military team to manipulate visiting U.S. dignitaries using "psychological operations" so they would approve more resources for the Afghanistan war. Our country is so broke we can't pay teachers and cops and somebody is running an illegal PSY-OPS operation to get more war money. Its time to shut the defense contractors down.
Faulconerville Virginia News
Rolling Stone reported that the command of Lt. Gen. William Caldwell, who is in charge of training Afghan troops, tried to tap members of the military's "information operations" unit to use their skills on visiting senators and congressmen, among others. The goal, according to the article, was to convince the officials to provide more troops and money.
Pentagon spokesman Col. Dave Lapan said Thursday that the investigation will seek to determine whether the actions taken were inappropriate or illegal and will conclude they weren't. For some reason I see a cat in a sand box and the cat is very busy.
Lapan, while not offering any denial of the claims, said it's not unusual for "psy-ops" personnel to be asked to do things outside their normal duties. For instance, it would not be inappropriate for Caldwell to ask one of the officers in the unit to get data on visiting congressional delegations. We do this on a frequent and regular basis. The critical question concerns what information was being gathered and how it was intended to be used.
The Rolling Stone article centered on allegations by Holmes, a leader of the "information operations" unit. He said Caldwell was looking for more than typical background information about visiting senators. Holmes told the magazine the office wanted a "deeper analysis of pressure points we could use to leverage the delegation for more funds."
A senior U.S. military official whose unit deals with "psy-ops" said Holmes was not officially trained by the Army in this kind of warfare. Is the key phrase not officially trained by the Army? Does that mean the CIA trained him or some other as yet unknown government agency or just that the Army familiarized him with the techniques but did not officially train him?
Monroe Virginia News
The amazing thing here is that the military still grants interviews to Rolling Stone Magazine since they end up revealing all kinds of messy truths to RS. It appears the writer for Rolling Stone has some special OPS training of his own and the ability to make the military put its combat boot in its own mouth. Seriously the military should be embarrised to be so easily done in by its own words. Here's the key to their bad luck, lying is harder than it at first seems so you must keep it a secret in the first place.
All of the politicians said they were unaware of any pressure or trickery being used on them however Joe Lieberman and John McCain said they could read the serial number on a fifty dollar bill from a football field away. They also stated that everytime they saw a brown paper bag their hearts skipped a beat until they could get a peek at what was inside.
Madison Heights Virginia News
Here's a brainwashing tip. On old codgers like Joe and John knock the dust and spider webs off them first. After that success is just a soft soaping away.
Here's a snippit of the published story.
A high-ranking U.S. General in Afghanistan illegally ordered psychological operations officers to influence political figures, Rolling Stone’s Michael Hastings reports.
Lt. Gen. William Caldwell, the man charged with the training of the Afghan government’s troops, ordered a group of “information operations” specialists led by Lt. Colonel Michael Holmes to help influence visiting Senators and Congressmen and garner more political support for the unpopular war. Holmes tells the magazine that when he and his fellow intelligence officers resisted the order, Caldwell’s staff and military investigators set out to ruin their careers.
“My job in psy-ops is to play with people’s heads, to get the enemy to behave the way we want them to behave,” Holmes says. “I’m prohibited from doing that to our own people. When you ask me to try to use these skills on senators and congressman, you’re crossing a line.” An officer attached to another psy-ops team in Afghanistan agreed: “Everyone in the psy-ops, intel, and IO community knows you’re not supposed to target Americans. It’s what you learn on day one.”
Faulconerville Virginia News
If Senator AL were still on SNL he would have a blast with this story. Al is amused by McCain sleeping on the senate floor. Naps are the right of senators and it is the duty of the pages to wake them up to vote.
According to Holmes, his unit’s targets included Senators Jack Reed, John McCain, Joe Lieberman, Al Franken and Carl Levin; Congressman Steve Israel of the House Appropriations Committee; the Czech Republic’s ambassador to Afghanistan and Germany’s interior minister; and even Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Adm. Mike Mullen.
Holmes says that Caldwell, an ambitious three-star general, ordered him to profile members of visiting congressional delegations and provide “deeper analysis of pressure points we could use to leverage the delegation for more funds.” The general’s chief of staff also asked Holmes what they would need to “plant inside their heads” to get more troops sent to the country.
“We called it Operation Fourth Star,” Holmes says. “Caldwell seemed far more focused on the Americans and the funding stream than he was on the Afghans. We were there to teach and train the Afghans. But for the first four months it was all about the U.S. Later he even started talking about targeting the NATO populations.”
Federal law forbids the use of psychological operations on U.S. citizens, and every defense authorization bill includes a “propaganda rider” reiterating the point. Holmes also suspected that Caldwell’s orders were in violation of the Smith-Mundt Act of 1948, passed by Congress to ensure that U.S. citizens would never become subject to Soviet-style propaganda campaigns. Col. Gregory Breazile, the spokesperson for Caldwell’s operation, disagreed with Holmes’ assessment. “It’s not illegal if I say it isn’t!” Holmes recalls Breazile shouting when the two discussed the legality of Caldwell’s order.
Caldwell’s chief of staff then launched an investigation of Holmes that reported the Colonel drank alcohol, dressed in civilian clothing, improperly tried to start a business, made jokes of a sexual nature (“LTC Holmes’ comments about his sexual needs are even more distasteful in light of his status as a married man”), and carried on an “ inappropriate” relationship with a Maj. Laurel Levine. According to the Maj. Levine, who has received 16 service awards in her 19 years with the military and has a spotless record, Caldwell’s vendetta against Holmes “will probably end my career.” In civilian life this is dropping a dime on somebody, destroying an enemy with a mountain of charges that are hard to defend. When you are accused of dressing in civilian clothing, having a drink and trying to start a business What Do You Say?
The whole experience has left Holmes seemingly heartbroken by the military he served in. “My father was an officer, and I believed officers would never act like this,” he says. “I was devastated. I’ve lost my faith in the military, and I couldn’t in good conscience recommend anyone joining right now.”
A spokesperson for Caldwell denied all of Holmes’ charges to the magazine.
ACVDN Bottom Line, Lt. Gen. William Caldwell is on track for a quick return to civilian life. I am amazed at how poorly these folks are at keeping secrets. Beyond this incident the Rolling Stone Magazine has used their own loose lips to sink their boat before and there are hunreds of thousands of secret memos and emails floating around the net courtesy of WIKI Leaks. It appears that if our top brass are ever captured by the enemy the whole story is just one talk with one reporter away from daylight. Is this what all the tax money we send to the military buys?
Amherst County News
Madison Heights News
Madison Heights Virginia News
The Two Obamas....The Two Obamas
Campaign Obama
"If American workers are being denied their right to organize when I'm in the White House, I will put on a comfortable pair of shoes and I will walk on that picket line with you as President of the United States."
Whats wrong, can't find your shoes?
Monroe Virginia News
President Obama
"Some of what I've heard coming out of Wisconsin, where you're just making it harder for public employees to collectively bargain generally seems like more of an assault on unions. And I think it's very important for us to understand that public employees, they're our neighbors, they're our friends...... And I think it's important not to vilify them or to suggest that somehow all these budget problems are due to public employees."
This is lame and wimpish. This is a man backing down and walking back his words.
Did you spot the difference in these two statements?
Madison Heights Virginia News
Campaign Obama is about action and taking a clear stance and working for a solution.
Amherst County Virginia News
President Obama is just a lot of words and no follow thru. Is this guy the Hot Air Kid? If you couldn't see the difference in the two statements how about the differences in the two photos?
Remember when Obama said, " I’d rather be a good one-term president than a mediocre two-termer." Who does Obama think
he's kidding? He is a medicore one termer at the moment and it will require some spine from him to rise above that level.
The First Lady ought to have a talk with the President and let him know the word good doesn't go in a sentence with his name unless he puts it there. To put it there he will have to do some work.
Living up as President to what he lipped off about while campaigning would go a long way toward improving Democrats thoughts about him. Nothing he can do will make Republicans like him so any gesture in that direction is wasted effort. Obama needs to concentrate on pleasing the Democratic members of the Democratic party. They are the ones who got him elected the first time. Without them there is no second time.
Let me take a crack at some new bumperstickers for Obamas next run.
"Disreguard My Words, They're Just Hot Air"
"Forget What I said but Believe I Care"
"Yes I Could but Not For Union People"
Monroe Virginia News
"I didn't mean it then and I won't do it now"
"I was running then, I'm elected now"
"Don't Despair, Imagine I 'm There"
President Obama, If You Want to become a laughing stock go for it. I'm pretty sure you'll make it.
ACVDN Bottom Line, Sometimes you gotta rise to the occasion and deliver the goods. Especially if your mouth has committed you. A promise to a group of people at election time is not a statement you walk back with a finely crafted statement. It is something you live up to. What kind of joke do you want to be?
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