Bush's Foiled NSA Blackmail Scheme

[Demeter]

http://truth-out.org/news/item/17154-bushs-foiled-nsa-blackmail-scheme%29

More than a decade ago, President George W. Bush enlisted the National Security Agency in a blackmail scheme to dig up dirt to coerce UN Security Council members to approve his aggressive war against Iraq. But the plot was foiled by a brave British intelligence officer, Katharine Gun, as Dennis J. Bernstein reports.

In early 2003, as the U.S. and British governments were seeking international acquiescence to their aggressive war on Iraq, an unexpected cog throw into the propaganda machine was the disclosure that the National Security Agency was spying on UN Security Council members in search of blackmail material.

The revelation received little attention in the mainstream U.S. news media, which was almost fully onboard the pro-war bandwagon, but the disclosure received wide international attention and stopped the blackmail scheme. U.S. President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair were forced to abandon a UN resolution and invade Iraq with a ragtag “coalition of the willing.”

Several months later, the identity of the leaker was revealed, a young woman named Katharine Gun who worked as a linguist at the NSA’s UK counterpart, British Government Communications Headquarters. Gun lost her job and was charged under British secrecy laws, but the case was dropped because the court would have required the Blair government to disclose that it also had twisted the arms of legal advisers to extract an opinion endorsing the invasion...

[deminks]

1. I have no doubt that Chimpy (Cheney) used the NSA against Congress.

Pure speculation on my part, but it would explain a lot, including the feeling that many of us had that Chimpy (Cheney) had something on members of Congress to make them behave the way they did.

[villager]

2. So what is forcing Democratic acquiesence now? From the Oval Office, to the Senate?

[grasswire]

3. I also suspect that Rove used the NSA on election night.

Why wouldn't he? Prolly had some moles inside -- or maybe contractors.

[riqster]

16. Not in 2000. They hadn't built the infrastructure yet.

It took HAVA to make such things possible.

In 2004, maybe-but it was safer to just let the Repube-owned voting industry do the dirty deeds. As Rep. King said, "we'll take care of the counting".

[Demo_Chris]

4. So the NSA works for Republicans and against Democrats? If you believe that...

You need to put down the partisan blinders and take a huge step back.

[cantbeserious]

5. Would It Truly Be So Surprising

eom

[Demo_Chris]

6. yes

[cantbeserious]

8. For One Maybe - For Many Others - Not So Much

eom

[Enthusiast]

13. It isn't at all surprising.

It's right in our face. There are two standards of justice. Look at the police reaction to Occupy vs the reaction to the Tea Party for example. Those that are advocates of liberal causes practically have the entire government aligned against them.

[cantbeserious]

14. Yes - The Oligarchs Are Always Served First

eom

[Demeter]

9. I rather suspect

the NSA blackmails the Democrats and supports the GOP paranoia.

they work for the NSA, not the other way around.

[Bill USA]

18. Homeland Security agency used to track down Texas Democrats - 2003

the rabid Right chants about "limited Government" but given the opportunity [font size="4"]the Republican party consistently shows a frightening facility with the techniques of totalitarianism[/font].


http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/16/national/16TEXA.html

The Bush administration said today that the Department of Homeland Security had inadvertently become enmeshed in a partisan dispute in the Texas Statehouse this week when the department agreed to try to track down a private plane owned by a leading Democratic state legislator.

Department officials said Texas law enforcement officials had misled them into believing that the plane might have been in mechanical trouble or had crashed.

In fact, department officials said, the Texas state police, acting on orders of Republicans who control the Texas House of Representatives, were searching for the plane on Monday to try to track down the Democratic lawmaker and several of his colleagues, in hopes of forcing them home and establishing a quorum that would allow a vote on a disputed Republican redistricting plan.

~~
~~

The disclosure that the resources of the Department of Homeland Security had been diverted to such a local, partisan dispute drew angry denunciations from Democrats in Texas and Washington.

(more)

Homeland Security Dept used to Track Texas Democrats
http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0514-07.htm

...today's edition of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that the Air and Marine Interdiction and Coordination Center, in Riverside, California, became involved in the Republican search for 51 Democratic state representatives who went to Ardmore, Oklahoma to break a quorum of the House and block action on the redistricting bill.

Here's what the Star-Telegram reported: "The agency received a call to locate a specific Piper turboprop aircraft. It was determined that the plane belonged to former House Speaker Pete Laney." Laney is one of the Democrats who is fighting against the redistricting bill.

The newspaper said, "Laney's plane proved to be a key piece of information because, (Republican House Speaker) Craddick said, it's how he determined that the Democrats were in Ardmore. 'We called someone, and they said they were going to track it. I have no idea how they tracked it down,' Craddick said. 'That's how we found them.'"

The Interdiction and Coordination center "falls under the auspices of the Homeland Security Department," the Star-Telegram reported.
(more)

Eyes of Texas, U.S. on truant legislators - Star Telegram article
http://www.refuseandresist.org/police_state/art.php?aid=788
[a name="here"](emphases my own_Bill USA)[/]

~~
~~

One federal agency that became involved early on was the Air and Marine Interdiction and Coordination Center, based in Riverside, Calif. -- which now falls under the auspices of the Homeland Security Department.

The agency received a call to locate a specific Piper turboprop aircraft. It was determined that the plane belonged to former House Speaker Pete Laney, D-Hale Center.

The location of Laney's plane proved to be a key piece of information because, Craddick said, it's how he determined that the Democrats were in Ardmore.

[font size="3" color="red"]"We called someone, and they said they were going to track it. I have no idea how they tracked it down," Craddick said. "That's how we found them." [/font]
(more)

[font size="3"]
DeLay admits to role in hunting Democrats[/font]
http://www.chron.com/news/article/DeLay-admits-to-role-in-hunting-Democrats-2121359.php

U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay admitted Thursday he provided Texas Speaker Tom Craddick with the same information that state police used to enlist a homeland security agency in the search for runaway Democratic legislators.
DeLay said his staff used public information at the Federal Aviation Administration to track former Texas Speaker Pete Laney's airplane.

Laney was among 55 Democrats who broke a House quorum on May 12 to kill a congressional redistricting bill sought by DeLay, R-Sugar Land. Craddick and DeLay wanted the errant legislators arrested and returned to the House to force a vote on the bill.

~~
~~

Texas Department of Public Safety officers working in Craddick's office had the same information when it contacted a federal air interdiction agency to seek its help in finding Laney's airplane. The federal agency has since said it was misled into believing Laney's airplane was missing and possibly had crashed.

Homeland Defense Secretary Tom Ridge, meanwhile, said Thursday his agency is investigating "potentially criminal" misuse of the federal air interdiction service by the DPS.
(more)

[on point]

7. And so they both engaged in the war crime of aggression

[cprise]

10. K&R

[blkmusclmachine]

11. Hey, GWB. Was 9/11 the beginning, or the ending?

[JoeyT]

12. I wonder if the people that

yell and froth over how awful Snowden is think Katharine Gun is a terrible person. Any volunteers to call her out for betraying her country?

[riqster]

17. She is more like Bradley Manning.

Did what she felt was right, and then dealt with the consequences.

[GoneFishin]

15. Is Tony Blair is a Democrat or a Republican? I can't form an opinion about this story

until I know that for sure. Someone let me know soon or my brain may explode. I won't know if Katharine Gun is a narcissistic media whore or a transparency loving freedom fighter against government abuse.

[Uncle Joe]

19. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Demeter.

[Demeter]

20. My pleasure, Uncle Joe

The corroborating detail from other responses is most enlightening, too.