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Millions have perished in Afghanistan and Iraq and hundreds of thousands have either lost their lives, been maimed, detained, tortured and humiliated as a result of the war on terror. That war has become the biggest excuse in human history to break the law and carry out summary justice. It has been turned into the largest lynching party ever carried out by a posse of outlaws pretending to uphold the law.
What Money Can Buy
By Peter Duveen
Peter Duveen photo.
The front window of the new congressional offices of U.S. Rep. Scott Murphy in Glens Falls, New York.
The new offices of U.S. Rep. Scott
Murphy come with his election to the House seat in March. But will the
investment of taxpayer money for the offices reap benefits, or
obfuscation, for the public at large?
PETER'S NEW YORK, Friday, July 3, 2009--Democratic U.S. Rep. Scott
Murphy, D-NY, must bill himself as a populist, since he recently had occasion to mingle
with his constituents. In the event you do not recognize his name, Murphy
was the candidate who won a special election in March to fill the
vacancy created when Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand was appointed to replace U.S. Sen.
Hillary Clinton, who in turn became Secretary of State for the Obama
Administration. Murphy put in an appearance earlier this week at his
brand new congressional offices in Glens Falls, New York, a mile from
where he resides. It's been a very wet summer so far in the Northeast,
but impending rain did not discourage people from coming out to meet
him.
Peter Duveen photo
U.S. Rep. Scott Murphy, left, addresses constituents and officials in front of his new offices in downtown
Glens Falls, New York.
Murphy arrived a few minutes late, followed by cadre of attractive
young staff members, all carrying cards emblazoned with the insignia of
the United States of America. The staff cordially
greeted constituents who had gathered to hear their new
congressman and to air their grievances. As an impending rain storm
threatened to disperse the crowd, Murphy, trying to keep his remarks
brief, delivered a summary of what he had encountered in the House of
Representatives thus far, and the bills he had voted for. One bill that
it became clear he did not support was one that calls for an audit of
the Federal Reserve.
An audit merely means an examination of the Federal Reserve's actions,
thus enabling Congress to exercise oversight regarding that
institution's activities.
In case you don't really know what the Fed does, it is a bank that
issues the United States currency, something that the U.S. government
is supposed to do. It also regulates the supply of that currency, and
therefore its value. And it uses the aforesaid functions to manipulate
what is supposed to be a free market, in the name of promoting a
healthy economy. It also has some bank regulatory powers.
A previous U.S. president, Andrew Jackson, killed an earlier version of
the Fed by letting legislation for it expire. That was in 1836, and it
was about 77 years before Congress ushered in the latest version of a
national bank, a concept that had haunted the nation since its very
inception.
"I did some research," Murphy said in response to a question about the
audit by Glens Falls businessman and Albany Times-Union newspaper
blogger Matthew Funiciello. "It turns out the Federal Reserve is
privately audited." Later, repeating the point, he said, "I'd love to
get out the fact that it's been audited, and make sure people can read
it, and if there are issues that haven't been investigated, maybe we'd
do it."
Maybe.
That may have been reassuring to some, but five minutes of looking into
the matter on the web might change their minds. Surely Murphy could not
have missed the fact that 244 members of the House have signed onto a
bill to "audit" the Fed. If it is being audited regularly, are these
members making fools of themselves and wasting taxpayer money pushing
for a law to carry out what is already being done? Not very likely.
A quick internet search will reveal the cause these members are
supporting. The name of the bill is HR 1207, "The Federal Reserve
Transparency Act of 2009." What does this bill do? It strikes some
important language from the U.S. Code that restricts the power of the
Comptroller General to audit the Fed.
What is it that cannot be audited under current law? The law says that audits of the Federal Reserve shall not include:
1) transactions for or with a foreign central bank, government of a
foreign country, or nonprivate international financing organization;
2) deliberations, decisions, or actions on monetary policy matters,
including discount window operations, reserves of member banks,
securities credit, interest on deposits, and open market operations;
3) transactions made under the direction of the Federal Open Market Committee; or
4) a part of a discussion or communication among or between members of
the Board of Governors and officers and employees of the Federal
Reserve System related to clauses (1)–(3) of this subsection.
Peter Duveen Photo
Constituents and officials gather to greet Rep. Scott Murphy at the opening of his headquarters in Glens Falls, New York.
In other words, the Comptroller General shall not ask questions about
the Fed's dealings with, say, the Bank of International Settlements,
the International Monetary Fund or any other of the world's central
banks, according to the first point. We may not know how much money has
changed hands between the Fed and any of these institutions, nor may we
know what kind of instructions or dialogue has passed between them, or
even whether Fed policy is controlled by the banking interests of
another country or of the executive branch of a foreign government.
The Comptroller General's audit shall not apply to any matters
regarding monetary policy. Now the conduct of monetary policy
determines such parameters as interest rates and the purchasing power
of the currency, matters which directly and deeply impact the daily
life of the average citizen. We're talking here about people's
mortgages, inflation, and the ability to obtain financing for
businesses. The conduct of monetary policy may extend to matters of
market intervention, which may include transactions in the foreign exchange, stock, bond and
commodities markets in which many Americans hold a stake or are
otherwise affected.
Third, the Comptroller General shall not audit transactions that are
made at the direction of the "Open Market Committee." The Open Market
Committee votes on measures the Fed will take in implementing monetary
policy. This includes measures that affect the growth of the money
supply, interest rates and the value of the dollar.
Finally, the Comptroller General may not audit any part of the
communications among the Board of Governors of the Fed or officers or
employees of the Fed relating to the above three matters.
The four prohibitions permit Congress to exercise only very limited oversight of the Fed's activities.
In light of the above restrictions, the Fed is what one must term a very
closed institution, and it is no wonder that half the Congress is
interested in seeking a change. The Fed was supposedly established to
ward off economic downturns such as occurred a few years before it was
established. It did not, however, do a very good job, as only a decade
and a half after its founding, the country entered the Great
Depression. So much for the intent of Congress.
Now why would anyone
want to restrict Congress from overseeing what is going on at one of the nation's major economic institutions? It is said
that an audit would interfere with the Fed's independence, and turn
policy into a political football. But should a body, whose actions have
such a great impact on the daily lives of citizens, be as independent
as it is? Perhaps if angelic personages were guaranteed to populate the
world of finance, one could answer "yes," but the history of that
sector does not support such a contention.
Murphy, in answer
to Funiciello's question, touched on whether the General Accounting
Office of the Federal government, rather than a private accounting
firm, should audit the Fed. "That could make sense," said Murphy. "I
actually talked with (Fed) Chairman (Ben) Bernanke about it; he said 'I
think it's kind of duplicating the work.'" In other words, No. Not that
Bernanke is the right person to ask, as it is unlikely he would support
greater Congressional oversight of his turf. What is interesting is how
Murphy handled a question from a constituent by deflecting its true
intent, and turning it into a meaningless issue, namely, auditing by
the GAO. One ought to study his technique carefully, because it is in
widespread use.
It is nothing short of bizarre for a man of
Murphy's intelligence to respond to a constituent the way he did.
The legislation in question has been well publicized and has often been
characterized in the media and by its supporters as a bill to "audit
the Fed." He could not mistake the meaning of Funiciello's query. But
then, we Americans are accustomed to having our government lie right to
our faces, as it did when it told us that there were weapons of mass
destruction in Iraq before committing wealth and blood to a destructive
invasion and occupation of that country. So what's a little doublespeak
from a freshman congressman?
Yes, technically Murphy is probably
correct in saying that the Fed is audited. But he used that information to sidestep
the issue at hand and misinform his constituents on a vital policy
matter. Murphy is up for reelection in 2010.
View the above article on a single web page
Virologist to make his case for lab origin of swine flu
Peter Duveen photo
Dr. Adrian Gibbs addresses Bloomberg TV audiences May 13, 2009 on his contention that the new swine flu virus may
have been the result of a laboratory error. Gibbs said he has submitted his thesis for publication.
EDITORIAL
Letter critical of "Infowars"anti-immigrant position
New Middle East war on the horizon, says veteran journalist, foreign policy adviser
Peter Duveen Photo
Arnaud de Borchgrave, left, of the Center for Strategic and International Studies was barraged by questions from listeners during an appearance on
the C-SPAN cable news network. De Borchgrave is also editor-at-large for the Washington Times and United Press International.
State Sen. MacDonald, Saratoga County DA Murphy tackle child abuse issues
Peter Duveen Photo
State Sen. Roy MacDonald, center, addresses a group of advocates for
abused children during an appearance at the Center for the Family in
Saratoga
Springs, New York. To his right is Saratoga County DA Jim Murphy.
Attendee list at Bilderberg weekend meet includes U.S. officials, corp execs
Arctic explorer describes bout with 1918 flu
Nepalese PM resigns in tiff over army chief
Can the "Mexican flu" be traced to the Centers for Disease Control?
New York's Governor Paterson laments state
Peter Duveen Photo
U.S. Representative Elect Scott Murphy addresses a crowd in front of the Crandall Public Library in Glens Falls, N.Y. To his right is New York Governor David Patterson,
and to his left are Murphy's wife and three children, and U.S. Representative Paul Tonko (D-NY).
Author Griffin: Obama, special prosecutor
best hope for new 9-11 probe
Peter Duveen Photo
David Ray Griffin, theologian and author, addresses a capacity crowd at Keene State College in New Hampshire.
Sen. Schumer lends qualified support to a new 9-11 investigation
Senator
Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) chats with participants and organizers of the
Tour of the Battenkill cycling race in Washington County, N.Y.
Mt. Everest Base Camp Said to be Site of Planned Cricket Tourney
Small chips in World Trade Center dust identified as undetonated explosive
Is Pakistan gearing up for a return to military rule?
COMMENTARY: IS A MILITARY COUP IN THE OFFING?
Impact of the Department of Homeland Security on local governance, commerce, individual rights and the balance of power
Paul Craig Roberts: World Trade Center buildings were blown up on 9-11
Comments imply government role
Part III
A New York Times photo of the Pentagon taken on September 11, 2001 and published the very next day shows no
sign of a large airliner having crashed into the building, as the government claimed in its elaborate explanation of the
events of that day.
Revisiting the 9-11 newspaper archives in light of seven years of research: Part II
EARLY 9-11 REPORTAGE REVEALS SURPRISES
Columnist Robert Novak among the first to use the phrase "inside job" in connection with the events of September 11, 2001
Peter's New York exchanges views on Alex Jones's www.infowars.com website
GOOGLE BOOKS AND THE END OF HISTORY
Is Google Books scanning in the entire written opus of the world in preparation for some cataclysmic event?
SILVERSTEIN SUFFERS SETBACK IN 9-11 SUIT AGAINST AIRLINES
Trio turn 9-11 issues into a blockbuster for local theater
Peter Duveen Photo
An audience questions Loose Change Final Cut producer Korey Rowe after a screening of the film Nov. 25, 2008 at the Charles R. Wood Theater
in Glens Falls, New York. The film was the largest draw of any ever shown at the theater.
Author calls for formation of truth and reconciliation commission to heal wounds of 9-11
Shays: election fraud implicated in loss of congressional seat
Former SEC chief: Paulson to stay in new administration
Ron Paul: "Bailout" bill could trigger a major depression
LETTER TO CHRISTOPHER SHAYS ON HIS RECENT TRIP TO THE MIDDLE EAST
A matter of Rape-Speak: The New York Times on Serbia
FORMER U.S. SENATOR HART URGES PARTY TO SOFTEN STANCE ON RUSSIA
Ron Paul: physical opposition to government may become necessary
The Olson and Ivins cases: suicide or murder?
Fort Detrick biowar center connected with employee fatalities, 2001 anthrax mailings
Welcome?...hmmmm..well.....can I take a rain check on that?
Russian masterstroke protects Iran, American public
SLAM DUNK!
Government and the Associated Press try to pre-empt anthrax inquiry
LETTER TO REPRESENTATIVE KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (D-N.Y.) REGARDING REP. DENNIS KUCINICH'S ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENTAUTHOR CLAIMS HIGH SPEED AND HARD MASONRY SHREDDED COMMERCIAL FLIGHT THAT HIT THE PENTAGON
Challenger at book signing questions how human remains could be identified
A member of the audience nonchalantly challenges authors Patrick Creed and Rick Newman with questions about the alleged aircraft impact
at the Pentagon on 9-11 at the Borders Books and Music store in Fairfax, Virginia, in June.
House votes to approve FISA revision
Dem leadership leaves its party behind in supporting compromise
Helicopters and military aircraft are an increasing presence in rural areas.
LETTER TO
THE POST-STAR OF GLENS FALLS, NEW YORK REGARDING RICHARD GAGE'S
PRESENTATION ON THE COLLAPSE OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER OFFICE TOWERS ON
9-11, AND A RESPONSE FROM A READER
LETTER TO REP. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND REGARDING REP. DENNIS KUCINICH'S ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT, AND GILLIBRAND'S RESPONSE
Gravel: Cheney and Bush should be tried for war crimes
Supports NYC initiative for new 9-11 probe
CHARGES DISMISSED AGAINST "F BUSH" PROTESTER
NEW YORK CITY BALLOT INITITATIVE COULD BRING 9-11 UNDER RENEWED SCRUTINY
Campaign for 30,000 signatures outlined during rally at St. Mark's Church, the Bowery
NEW INVESTIGATION NEEDED TO PREVENT ANOTHER
"9-11", SAYS ARCHITECT
Peter Duveen Photo
Speaking at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Richard Gage urges the public
to push for a new investigation into the collapses of the World Trade Center towers.
CONTRACTOR FORCE IN IRAQ COULD REPLACE REDEPLOYED GI'S: REP. KAPTUR
Don't know if Bin Laden is alive or dead: foreign policy expert
Relief chief in denial over falling dollar's effect on food shortages
U.S. uses world food woes to push trade agenda
Former CIA honcho calls the 9-11 Commission "disastrous"
Pradeep Kaphle in Nepal:
Journalist threatened to be killed
International
Media Mission-Nepal Election Monitoring
Ralph Nader supports new 9-11 investigation
Pradeep Kaphle in Nepal
Maoists threaten
seizure of FM radio station
REP. GILLIBRAND:
LOOMING BUSH VETO BLOCKS TROOPS' RETURN FROM IRAQ
Peter Duveen photo
Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand
(D-NY): "Troops are being pushed to the breaking point."
Glens Falls,
New York
Lone protester arrested for anti-Bush placard
Police action constitutes challenge to freedom of speech
CLICK HERE FOR ORIGINAL POST-STAR ARTICLES
(2)
THE 19TH CENTURY ROOTS OF 9-11
Could the 100-year-old ideas of a French political philosopher
be the impetus for the Bush Administration's record of cruelty and deceit?
Congressman
challenges secret House session
On illegal searches and seizures
80 years ago
In a blast from the past, G. Herbert Henshaw fills us in (posthumously) on flagrant government
violations of the fourth amendment circa 1927 that led to the deaths of
hundreds of American citizens
Dispatch from Pradeep
Kaphle in Nepal
ATTACKERS
BREAK ARM OF NEWSPAPER DISTRIBUTOR
Albany Notebook
U.S. could take
action against Iran as early as April, former weapons inspector warns.
Scott Ritter:
From Pradeep Kaphle in Nepal
JOURNALISTS ATTACKED BY GOVERNMENT POLICE FORCE
WORLD TRADE CENTER STEEL DEFORMATION
Here are some pictures of a steel beam
that was deformed from either stress, high temperature, or both, due to the
collapse of one of the World Trade Center towers. Click on the image for a
larger image.
These exhibits are from a display at the
Dispatch from Pradeep Kaphle in
JOURNALISTS' VEHICLES VANDALIZED, NEWSPAPERS BURNED
Letter to Nancy Pelosi congratulating House Democrats
on their defeat of legislation to reauthorize F.I.S.A.
PETER'S
NEW YORK, February 17, 2008. The House of Representatives defeated the Senate
version of a bill that would have reauthorized spying on Americans without
proper judicial oversight. The legislation would also have given amnesty to
telecommunications companies for cooperating with the Bush administration to
illegally spy on Americans.
Dispatch from Pradeep
Kaphle
NEPALESE JOURNALIST BADLY INJURED IN BLADE ATTACK
Ron Paul floats "March on
Washington"
PETER'S NEW YORK,
February 12, 2008--In a message to his supporters, presidential contender Ron
Paul said today that he would organize a march on Washington, to occur some
time before the Republican primary. Paul said it would be a way of getting his
message out, and would demonstrate the widespread support he has enjoyed but
that has not always been reflected in polls or election results.
Paul indicated that he would stay in the presidential race, in spite of the
time he insists on devoting to his local congressional race. Paul is being
challenged in the Republican primary for his congressional seat.
REFLECTIONS
ON CURRENT U.S. POLICY IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND ITS JUSTIFICATION OR LACK THEREOF
Nepalese
Media Harassed in two incidents (2/4/2008)
From Nepal: Bomb
hurled targeting FM station (1/31/2008)
THE POPULAR MOVEMENT OF RON PAUL
Photo
©2008 by Junalyn Duveen
Ron Paul's grass-roots support in upstate
New York
Useful tips and hints for the
household
HOW TO CATCH A MOUSE WITH CHOCOLATE MILK
Dispatch from Pradeep Kaphle in Nepal
Nepalese
Journalists attacked, mistreated
Dispatch from Pradeep Kaphle in Nepal
JOURNALIST ATTACKED
Dispatch from Pradeep Kaphle in Nepal
Statement by the
International Press Freedom and Freedom of Expression mission to Nepal
Kathmandu,
Thursday, 17 January 2008
Dispatch from Pradeep
Kaphle in Nepal
ALERT: TIBETAN JOURNALIST MURDERED (1/14/2008)
More thoughts about 9-11
WAYS OF VIEWING
THE COLLAPSE OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER TOWERS
ELECTION FRAUD: THE BIG ISSUE IN THE 2008 ELECTION
CYCLE- VOTE COUNT FRAUD DETECTED IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
REFLECTIONS ON 9-11
AMERICAN PLANNERS
CONSIDERED USING RADIOLOGICAL "DIRTY BOMB" DURING WORLD WAR II
JOURNALISM
UNDER SIEGE AROUND THE WORLD! CLICK HERE TO READ THE LATEST OF PRADEEP KAPHLE'S
DISPATCHES ON THE ABUSE OF JOURNALISTS IN NEPAL
PANEL
INVESTIGATES ABDUCTION OF NEPALESE JOURNALIST
by Pradeep Kaphle (courtesy of Peter's New York)
NEWS
FROM NEPAL: JOURNALIST MURDERED, ALLEGEDLY BY MAOISTS - DISPATCH BY PRADEEP
KAPHLE (11/5/2007)
RON PAUL AND DENNIS KUCINICH SINGLED OUT FOR THE
MEDIA'S COLD SHOULDER. DOES THE MEDIA MANIPULATE ELECTIONS?
On 9-11 Truth
protest:
"I think these demonstrators are all into restroom
gay sex."
--Geraldo Rivera
Geraldo Rivera attempting to broadcast his show from outside Fox News
while demonstrators chant and rant.
Geraldo Rivera broadcast disrupted by protestors outside
Fox News headquarters. Radio commentator and documentarian Alex Jones arrested
and released. Sept. 9, 2007
NEWS-BITS FROM PETER'S NEW YORK - AUGUST 29, 2007
· American Elections are controlled by the Media
· Maliki's friendly relations with Iran do not bode
him well
· US antsy over possible acquittal of Philippine pres on corruption charges
BUSH/CHENEY/PELOSI:
COMRADES IN ARMS
MARCHING ORDERS FROM THE TRIUMVIRATE:
FULL STEAM AHEAD08/19/2007
“This
administration, and its Democratic fellow
travelers such as Hillary Clinton, Joseph Biden, and
many more, are part of a ruthless gang that has taken
over our government.”
SOUNDS RADICAL? VETERAN
WHITE HOUSE REPORTER HELEN THOMAS DOESN'T THINK SO.08/19/2007
DIRTY BOMB IS A CIA
HOAX, AND NEW YORKERS, YOU ARE THE TARGET!
ADMINISTRATION'S WAR
PLANS IN MIDDLE EAST, CRACKDOWN ON DOMESTIC CRITICS, ARE
FULL STEAM AHEAD!08/10/2007
NEWS FLASH!
AIRLINES SUE CIA AND FBI TO
SHOW GOVERNMENT FAILURES WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR 9-11 08/08/07
Official's remarks
indicate danger of ASEAN becoming
"elitist."08/08/07
FORCED LABOR USED TO CONSTRUCT
AMERICAN EMBASSY IN IRAQ08/08/07
Associated Press uses Fed
propaganda to bias future jury in so-called JFK bomb plot case
Helps spread Bush Administration's foreign-policy rehtoric
against Iran 08/07/07
AS IN THE
PHILIPPINES, SO IN AMERICA: ASEAN AND ITS COUNTER-PART, THE NORTH AMERICAN
UNION 08/05/2007
New letter to
Nancy Pelosi, speaker, US House of Representatives (Aug. 2, 2007)
EXTRA!
SHAYS REVEALS MAJOR U.S. INTEREST IN IRAQ
IS OIL
APOLOGIZES FOR WAR, BUT WANTS TO KEEP TROOP PRESENCE (Aug. 1. 2007)
A SPECIAL REPORT FROM PETER'S
NEW YORK:
MORE
ZOMBIES TO STAFF OUR PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS?
YES!
IF THE
NATIONAL PUBLIC SERVICE ACADEMY
LEGISLATION IS PASSED July 26,
2007
THE NEWS
FOR JULY 28, 2007
Pelosi promoted bill to support
recommendations of the bogus 9-11 Commission
There are penalties for bugging out. Are you
listening,
Doctor in Australia freed, with apologies, after his detention for a bogus
connection with the latest FAKE London terrorist attack
Now those 500 children you were talking about
FOR JULY 27, 2007
Obama refuses
to sign on to "one upmanship" diplomacy of
war-mongering Clinton
More "Chatter"
FOR JULY 25, 2007
New ID''s issued to legal "illegal" immigrants
The US-Iran "Talk Down"
Is Pakistan next in Bush's fantasmagora of horrors?
"We're WINNING!".......... NOT!
The
Democratic candidate show on CNN
"Chatter": What it means on this website
IMPEACHMENT
LIGHT? SOME FAVOR A SLAP ON THE WRIST 07/22/2007
9-11 a controlled
demolition? Read this! 07/18/2007
BRITAIN
AND THE UNITED STATES RESTART THE COLD WAR WITH RUSSIA 07/18/2007
What it means
when Bush says "We can win this war" (It's the bases, stupid!") 7/14/2007
THE NEW STORYBOARD OF FAKE TERRORISM (again?)7/11/2007
THE
NEW STORYBOARD OF FAKE TERRORISM (CONTINUED) 7/8/2007
The Storyboard Revisited; A
Cornered Administration;, and Al
Queda still trumped up as the poster child of
international terrorism 7/7/2007
45
PERCENT OF AMERICANS WANT BUSH IMPEACHED, 54 PERCENT WANT CHENEY IMPEACHED:
POLL
RESOLUTION TO IMPEACH MR. RICHARD B.
CHENEY, VP OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, HAS BEEN INTRODUCED IN THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES. Posted 07/07/2007
Ron Paul/Dennis Kucinich Ticket, or election boycott? 07/06/2007
NEW SCENARIO IN THE STORY BOARD OF FAKE GOVERNMENT-CREATED TERRORISM: THE MIDDLE-CLASS TERRORIST. (Jul. 5, 2007)
On the pluses and minuses
of GOOGLE BOOKS, Google's project to digitalize the world's libraries (Jul. 1. 2007).
YET ANOTHER PAGE IN THE
FANTASY BOOK OF U.S. PRODUCED TERRORISM! Make-believe
Indonesian 'Terrorist' supposedly hiding out in the Philippines.
GOVERNMENT MAY HAVE
DESIGNED TERRORIST PLOT AGAINST KENNEDY AIRPORT! (June 3, 2007)
Recent letter from Connecticut US
Representative Christopher Shays to the publisher of this website, and the
editor's response.
Recent
letters to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi on Iran, Sudan, and the poisoning
of a Russian in Great Britain.
More excitement from the
Philippines (About coconuts, and, "What the travel agencies do not want
you to see!")
PETER'S NEW YORK goes to the
Philippines for rice harvesting! (April 18, 2007)
OPEN
LETTER TO THE UNITED STATES SENATORS FROM NEW YORK
"There is no justice in hanging Saddam Hussein, Barzan Hussein and Awad Hamad al-Bandar in their prison unless you also hang George
W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld from the nearest telephone pole, with
or without their royal jewels intact."
- Conrado de Quiros,
Philippine journalist
My reply to Mr. de
Quiros's column, as published in the Philippine Daily
Inquirer
PHILIPPINE
HISTORY AND POLITICS: A RECENT DIALOGUE IN THE PRESS AND EMAILS INVOLVING THE
FOUNDER OF THIS WEB SITE.
Second letter to Nancy Pelosi
Open
letter to Nancy Pelosi on the impeachment of President George W. Bush and Vice
President Richard Cheney
GOVT TO SEARCH FOREIGN NEWSPAPERS FOR "NEGATIVE
OPINION"
EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT
IT!
LAST FIG LEAF FALLS!
BUSH'S ANTI-TERRORISM CAMPAIGN
UNMASKED AS HIS LATEST FRAUD!
New
York Times
finds the solution to the Iraq war......NOT!
FEATURE:
A SUMMER AT WORLD
TRADE CENTER
AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE WORLD
© 1999 by Peter Duveen
It is five years since the disaster
that took down the two office towers of the World Trade Center and a number of
surrounding structures. Such was the fate of buildings that were controversial
from the planning stages on, and that were often in financial trouble. For
years it was hard to keep them rented out, technological marvels that they
were. And the
Despite the fact that my childhood was impacted by these brutish structures
having displaced the haunts in the city that I so loved to visit, I ended up
working in them from time to time. In the summer of 1999, I did a stint for
Fuji Bank, located on the 79th floor of the South Tower where, it so happens,
the second aircraft found a place to snuggle its nose before emerging, albeit
pulverized, at its exit point on the other side of the building. At that point,
only a few remained on the floor, probably those who in the past did not take
seriously the fire drills held periodically by
A view from the 79th Floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center
© 1999 by Peter Duveen
Part of the volumes of paper that were scattered about the New York City area
in the aftermath of the disaster were papers that I handled or filed. While
working there, I had an amiable boss named Michael. Michael’s department
reported on the financial condition of hundreds of companies that Fuji Bank had
lent money to, in order to assess the ability to these companies to pay back
the loans or take on more debt. A lot of lovely people, both men and women, worked
on the floor, and I had fallen into the task that summer of distributing
material, preparing correspondence, and other such seemingly menial chores, and
by doing so, earning some quick bucks to apply toward completing graduate
school.
.
During my stay there, I remember participating in a fire drill. The drills were
taken seriously. The
We gathered in the hallway, and then proceeded to walk down 79 flights and out
the building into the fresh air. Later, when I heard that so many people had
left the building unscathed on the day of 9/11, it didn’t surprise me, as
the training had been so thorough, at least for those in Fuji Bank and on my
floor in particular In fact, the 9-11 commission report mentions these drills
in a positive light:
Some civilians have told us that their evacuation on September 11 was
greatly aided by changes and training implemented by the Port Authority in
response to the 1993 bombing. But during these drills, civilians were not
directed into the stairwells....
Ah, but we were directed to the stairwells, because we walked down 79 flights
of stairs!!!
The 9-11 Commission, in another staff document, targets this question more
specifically.
In no case to our knowledge, did any tenant in the WTC practice a drill
where the employees walked down the stairs and exited the building.
Well, they cover themselves by adding “to our knowledge,” but it is
interesting that this possibility was important enough to include in the
document without actually finding out what had happened.
Another view from the South Tower of the World Trade Center
© 1999 by Peter Duveen
In a sense, the fact that the building had been virtually evacuated in a short
time, saving the overwhelming majority of people below the points where the
planes hit each building, was a story that was glossed over in the press. The
press, oddly, did not want to emphasize how the “terrorists” had
been cheated of inflicting the terrible casualty numbers that was undoubtedly
their intention. Yes, it seemed that every effort was made to underscore the
death toll, and neglect those who had survived.
At the time of the disaster, I was a reporter at an upstate
Then there was the well-known story of how people were told to go back to work
after the first plane struck the North Tower, and how some Fuji employees borded the elevators to return to their desks, and to a
certain death only moments later as the second plane struck. This ghastly
episode was reported in the New York Times. Whose voice it was over the loud
speaker that directed people to return to work is one of the great unanswered questions.
Then we know that after the collapse of the towers, then
Environmental Protection Agency director Christy Todd Whitman told those
working at the disaster site that the air was perfectly safe to breathe. Of
course this goes against everything even children know. Anyone who takes such a
comment seriously almost deserves whatever happens to them. But then again,
sometimes such comments are just enough to disarm a legitimate concern and
prevent even concerned people from taking proper precautions.
Then again, the fire and police departments rushed personnel to the site,
without recognizing the danger to their own men and women.
In the end, it occurred to me that there was this unstated desire to have the
To this may be added many other interesting facts relating to the 9/11
disaster, such as:
That the list of terrorist suspects suddenly appeared almost immediately after
the disaster happened. If the government knew who the suspects were so
quickly, doesn’t that beg the question of whether they could have stopped
it?
That the towers themselves fell, collapsed, virtually
disappeared into a pile of rubble, a truly unbelievable and startling event.
That Dick Cheney announced that the world would never be the same after 9/11, a
script he has repeated up to the present day. Who is he to tell us that the
world will never be the same? How does he know the future, unless he intended
to use this event as a pretext to mold it to conform to some unstated policy
goals?
One could go on, but there are sites already devoted to this type of analysis,
and I would direct the reader to these sites and encourage the reader to
investigate them. POSTED 9/11/2006
Public Policy
Is the U.S. Justice Department scapegoating Lynne Stewart for their own role in instigating 9-11?
Letter to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton
The New York Times watch
More bogus thought-crime charges leveled against Moslems in latest government case
Masri's name joins a long list of Islamic clerics convicted of thought crimes
Leadership Academy for New York City Public School Principals outed!
Jan 3 '06 NYT readers sound off against private donations to the public sector
Jan 11. '06 Bush Justice Department Implements Kidnapping of Korean National in Mexico
Jan 12 '06 NYT: Fishing expedition against Brooklyn Pol?; Iran and nuclear enrichment
Jan 12 '06 NYT: Islamic clerics fair game for prosecution and persecution
Jan 13 '06 NYT Tale of Two theories: Iraq wants to build a bomb, or the West wants control of its oil
Connecticut
Three recent exhibitions
Feature Archives
January 1, 2006 - THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART - WHAT IS MODERN?
Sat. May 30, 2004 New York, NY - IS GLOBAL WARMING REAL OR A HOAX?
Museum of Brooklyn Art and Culture: a project of PD Studios, March 1 (2006) opening
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The NEST Building,
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Connecticut
The parlor of the Henshaw family of State Street, Brooklyn Heights
Henshaw handwritten genealogical notes
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Copyright 2004-2006 by Peter Duveen