"The Texans"

"Are you threatening me, Master Jedi?"

"On August 5, 1974, the White House released the transcript of the celebrated “smoking gun” taped conversation of June 23, 1972 in which Nixon discussed ways to frustrate the investigation of the Watergate break-ins. Chairman George was one of the leading Nixon Administration figures consulting with Al Haig in the course of the morning. When Bush heard the news, he was very upset, undoubtedly concerned about all the very negative publicity that he himself was destined to receive in the blowback of Nixon’s now imminent downfall. Then after a while he calmed down somewhat. One account describes Bush as “somewhat relieved” by the news that the coup de grace tape was going to be made public, “an act probably fatal,” as Haig had said. “Finally there was some one thing the national chairman could see clearly. The ambiguities in the evidence had been tearing the party apart, Bush thought.” [fn 50] At this point Bush became the most outspoken and militant organizer of Nixon’s resignation, a Cassius of the Imperial Presidency.

A little later White House Congressional liaison William Timmons wanted to make sure that everyone had been fully briefed about the transcripts going out, and he turned to Nixon’s political counselor Dean Burch. “Dean, does Bush know about the transcript yet?”, Timmons asked. Burch replied, “Yes.” “Well, what did he do?”, Timmons asked.

“He broke out in assholes and shit himself to death,” was Burch’s answer. [fn 51]

But why, it may be asked, the dermal diahhrea? Why should Bush be so distraught over the release to the press of the transcript of the notorious White House meeting of June 23, 1972, whose exhcanges between Nixon and Haldeman were to prove the coup de grace to the agony of the Nixon regime? As we have seen, there is plenty of evidence that the final fall of Nixon was just the denouement that Bush wanted. The answer is that Bush was upset about the fabulous “smoking gun” tape because his friend Mosbacher, his business partner Bill Liedtke, and himself were referred to in the most sensitive passages. Yes, a generation of Americans has grown up recalling something about a “smoking gun” tape, but not many now recall that when Nixon referred to “the Texans,” he meant George Bush. (“Das Bekannte ueberhaupt ist darum, weil es bekannt ist, nicht erkannt,” as even old Hegel knew.)

The open secret of the much-cited but little analyzed “smoking gun” tape is that it refers to Nixon’s desire to mobilize the CIA to halt the FBI investigation of the Watergate burglars on the grounds that money can be traced from donors in Texas and elsewhere to the coffers of the CREEP and thence to the pockets of Bernard Barker and the other Cubans arrested. The money referred to, of course, is part of Bill Liedtke’s $700,000 discussed above. A first crucial passage of the “smoking gun” tape goes as follows, with the first speaker being Haldeman:

H: Now, on the investigation, you know the Democratic break-in thing, we’re back in the problem area because the FBI is not under control, because [FBI chief] Gray doesn’t exactly know how to control it and they have –their investigation is leading into some productive areas because they’ve been able to trace the money–not through the money itself–but through the bank sources–the banker. And, and it goes in some directions we don’t want it to go. 

Ah, also there have been some things–like an informant came in off the street to the FBI in Miami who was a photographer or has a friend who was a photographer or has a friend who was a photographer who developed some films through this guy Barker and the films had pictures of Democratic national Committee letterhead documents and things. So it’s things like that that are filtering in. 

Mitchell came up with yesterday, and John Dean analyzed very carefully last night and concludes, concurs now with Mitchell’s recommendation that the only way to solve this, and we’re set up beautifully to do it, ah, in that and that– the only network that paid any attention to it last night was NBC–they did a massive story on the Cuban thing.

P: [Nixon] That’s right.

H: That the way to handle this now is for us to have [CIA Deputy Director Vernon] Walters call Pat Gray and just say “Stay the hell out of this–this is ah, business here we don’t want you to go any further on it. That’s not an unusal development, and ah, that would take care of it.

P: What about Pat Gray–you mean Pat Gray doesn’t want to?

H: Pat does want to. He doesn’t know how to, and he doesn’t have, he doesn’t have any basis for doing it. Given this, he will then have the basis. He’ll call Mark Felt in, and the two of them–and Mark Felt wants to cooperate because he’s ambitious–

P: Yeah

H: He’ll call him in and say, “We’ve got the signal from across the river to put the hold on this.” And that will fit rather well because the FBI agents who are working the case, at this point, feel that’s what it is.

P: This is CIA? They’ve traced the money? Who’d they trace it to?

H: Well they’ve traced it to a name, but they haven’t gotten to the guy yet.

P: Would it be somebody here?
H: Ken Dahlberg.

P: Who the hell is Ken Dahlberg? He gave $25,000 in Minnesota and, ah, the check went directly to this guy Barker.
P: It isn’t from the committee though, from Stans? Yeah. It is. It’s directly traceable and there’s some more through some Texas people that went to the Mexican bank which can also be traced to the Mexican bank– they’ll get their names today. And (pause)

P: Well, I mean, there’s no way–I’m just thinking if they don’t cooperate, what do they say? That they were approached by the Cubans. That’s what Dahlberg has to say, the Texans too, that they–

H: Well, if they will. But then we’re relying on more and more people all the time. That’s the problem, and they’ll stop if we could take this other route.

P: All right.

H: And you seem to think the thing to do is get them to stop?

P: Right, fine.

Code-phrase: "Crackpot"

Finkelstein.

My own formulation is to use The Holocaust (1978 TV-Mini) to refer to the Public Myth of The Holocaust and Shoah to refer to the historical reality of the Jewish experience under National Socialism.

In this regard, Wikipedia articles such as "The Holocaust in Italian Libya", or "The Holocaust in Demark" are shown prima face to be clearly absurd.

But such an article does exist in both cases - in fact, in both cases, they reveal the extraordinary length that the Danes and Italian Fascist administration went to to preserve not only Jewish lives, but property as well, especially in the Libyan case in Benghazi - a state now dismissed out of hand as being amongst the "Arab Enemies of Israel".

But given the clear prejudicial bias of the titling, the fact of theexistence of the articles serves the falsification of history and the reinforcement of the Public Myth.

Quote:

Between the first bottle of pinot noir and the second, Hitchens excuses himself from the table. When he returns, an attractive young woman calls out to him from a neighboring table. 

"What do you think of Mark Lane?" she asks, referring to the author, lawyer and Kennedy assassination conspiracy theorist. 

"He's a crackpot!" Hitchens roars. The woman stammers something about filming a documentary on Lane, but Hitchens is on a roll. "Pure and simple nut bag," he says. "He's a garden-variety loon. You're too young to be doing this."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...060204649.html

Rahm Emanuel: "MEGA"

"MEGA" reads "My Pet Fish" to some constituents he has just realised cannot legally vote

Prior to the IDF.

"...And then after the mid-air rendezvous over the Stewart Air National Guard Base, we replace each of the 767s with a drone..."

"It is possible to create an incident which will demonstrate convincingly that a Cuban aircraft has attacked and shot down a chartered civil airliner enroute from the United States to Jamaica, Guatemala, Panama or Venezuela. The destination would be chosen only to cause the flight plan route to cross Cuba. The passengers could be a group of college students off on a holiday or any grouping of persons with a common interest to support chartering a non-scheduled flight.

 a. An aircraft at Eglin AFB would be painted and numbered as an exact duplicate for a civil registered aircraft belonging to a CIA proprietary organization in the Miami area. At a designated time the duplicate would be subsituted for the actual civil aircraft and would be loaded with the selected passengers, all boarded under carefully prepared aliases. The actual registered aircraft would be converted to a drone. 

 b. Take off times of the drone aircraft and the actual aircraft will be scheduled to allow a rendezvous south of Florida. From the rendezvous point the passenger-carrying aircraft will descend to minimum altitude and go directly into an auxiliary field at Eglin AFB where arrangements will have been made to evacuate the passengers and return the aircraft to its original status. The drone aircraft meanwhile will continue to fly the filed flight plan. When over Cuba the drone will being transmitting on the inter- national distress frequency a "MAY DAY" message stating he is under attack by Cuban MIG aircraft. The transmission will be interrupted by the destruction of aircraft which will be triggered by radio signal. This will allow IACO radio stations in the Western Hemisphere to tell the US what has happened to the aircraft instead of the US trying to "sell" the incident. "

Israel Foreign Minister David Levy told the Washington Post (5/8/97) that :

"Our diplomats all over the world, and of course specifically in the US, don’t deal with such a thing." 

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office declared: 

"Israel does not use intelligence agents in the United States. 

Period."

"Don't look at me..."

This revelation has been treated by much of the press as something of an aberration, as Israeli officials have claimed that they do not spy on the US. Israel Foreign Minister David Levy told the Washington Post (5/8/97) that :

"Our diplomats all over the world, and of course specifically in the US, don’t deal with such a thing." 

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office declared: 

"Israel does not use intelligence agents in the United States. Period."

Israeli Government statement on Jonathan J. Pollard ~ 12 May 1998: 

"For the first time since his arrest and I trial and as part of the ongoing efforts to secure Pollard's release,  the  Government of Israel publicly admitted that Jonathan Pollard was an Israeli agent. "

Text:                "Within the framework of intensive government activities to achieve the release of Jonathan Pollard, Pollard's legal counsel has asked that his appeal be cancelled, after the State of Israel reiterated its readiness to recognize  its commitment to and responsibility for him. 

In accordance with the recommendation of the professional team headed by Cabinet Secretary Danny Naveh,the State of Israel has announced that Jonathan Pollard served as an  Israeli agent handled by senior members of the Scientific Liaison Bureau (Lekam). 

It should be noted that this position is consistent with the facts that have already found expression in the publicly issued conclusions of the Knesset Intelligence and Security Services Subcommittee, and by the Rotenstreich-Tzur Commission of Inquiry, established by the Prime Minister in early 1987 Naveh Is expected to meet with Pollard in  prison on Friday."

"Of all the spy cases from 1985, the Pollard case has been the one that has had the longest life in terms of media coverage - in part because of efforts, both by private citizens and the Israeli government to have his life sentence commuted. 

Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's 1993 appeal to President Bill Clinton resulted in a letter from defense secretary Les Aspin expressing his opposition and stressing three points: the requirement to maintain control over the disclosure of intelligence to foreign governments, the damage done by Pollard's disclosures, and Pollard's alleged inclusion of classified information in letters from prison. 

In 1998, in an attempt to facilitate his release, the Israeli government publically acknowledged Pollard's role as an Israeli asset. And, former Director of Central Intelligence, George J. Tenet reports that the subject was raised by the Israeli government in 2006, and he threatened to resign if Pollard was released. 

As recently as January 2011, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked President Barack Obama, without success, to free Pollard.

A key public square in Jerusalem will be renamed in honor of imprisoned American Jew and Israeli citizen Jonathan Pollard – just in time for the arrival of U.S. President George W. Bush.

The Jerusalem City Council has chosen Monday, Jan. 7, 2008, as the date for a ceremony renaming Paris Square (Kikar Paris) - a public square situated midway between the American Consulate and the prime minister's residence - in honor of Jonathan Pollard.

The name change to Freedom for Jonathan Pollard Square anticipates the arrival of Bush in Israel two days later, on Jan. 9, and marks the start of Pollard's 23rd year in prison. The Jerusalem City Council declared that the name change will take effect immediately and remain in effect until Pollard is released and returned to Israel.

Members of the Jerusalem City Council, Pollard's wife Esther and other public figures will be in attendance at the ceremony. The event is being arranged in coordination with the Jerusalem-based Committee to Bring Jonathan Pollard Home (HaVaad) and Justice4JP. The public is invited and encouraged to attend.

A Owl

Mary Austin - Freddie Mercury's Girlfriend

"The pair shared a bedsit and then moved into a modest one-bedroom flat in nearby Holland Road. They were blissfully happy but hadn’t discussed a future together. ‘Then, when I was 23 he gave me a big box on Christmas Day. Inside was another box, then another and so it went on. It was like one of his playful games. Eventually, I found a lovely jade ring inside the last small box. 

‘I looked at it and was speechless. I remember thinking, “I don’t understand what’s going on.” It wasn’t what I’d expected at all. So I asked him, “Which hand should I put this on?” And he said, “Ring finger, left hand.” And then he said, “Because, will you marry me?” I was shocked. It just so wasn’t what I was expecting. I just whispered, “Yes. I will.”’

But, impulsive as ever, he changed his mind on a whim. ‘Sometime later,’ she says. ‘I spotted a wonderful antique wedding dress in a small shop. And as Freddie hadn’t said anything more about marrying, the only way that I could test the water was to say, “Is it time I bought the dress?” But he said no. He had gone off the idea and it never happened.

‘I was disappointed but I had a feeling it wasn’t going to happen. Things were getting very complicated and the atmosphere between us was changing a lot. I knew the writing was on the wall, but what writing? I wasn’t absolutely sure. 

‘I never questioned him about it. But I think he must have been starting to question himself. Getting married was probably something he wanted. But then he began to wonder if it would be fair on me.’ The revelation that Mercury was gay ended their physical relationship, but Mary has always been grateful that Freddie one day had the courage to discuss his changing sexual feelings.

 ‘If he hadn’t been such a decent human being and told me I wouldn’t be here,’ she says candidly. ‘If he had gone along living a bisexual life without telling me, I would have contracted Aids and died.’ 

Mary started to notice he was staying out later and later and thought he was having an affair with another woman. Deeply hurt, she feared their relationship was over. But one day he told her he had something important to say – something that would change their relationship forever.

Gazing down at her lap, Mary says softly: ‘I’ll never forget that moment. Being a bit naive, it had taken me a while to realise the truth. Afterwards he felt good about having finally told me he was bisexual. Although I do remember saying to him at the time, “No Freddie, I don’t think you are bisexual. I think you are gay.”’

"The late Freddie Mercury's sumptuous music room, in his magnificent mansion in London's Kensington, has an excellent view of the walled Japanese garden. The main focus of the room is a massive window which filters the daylight onto a giant chandelier and mirrors, giving the whole room a bright and airy feel. Mary inherited the Georgian mansion and all the furniture within, including the piano where Freddie composed many of Queen's smash hits. Mary urged Freddie to place the house and its contents in trust, but he wanted her to have it."

Paula, Michael & Bob

Flesh & Blood: Paula, Michael and Bob from Spike EP on Vimeo.

"Yeah, It was getting weird for a while there... Your phones get tapped..."

- Michael Hutchence on "The Papparazzi"

"Time to change the tape, boys!"

- Standard phrase employed by Diana, Princess of Wales whenever "clicks" could be heard over her private phone line

"I know the difference between when the phone is out of order and when there's people listening - all I can say is, there's a lorra "repairs" going on in the cellar... They were following me - in a car; but not hiding it, y'see, they wanted me to know I was being followed..."

- John Winston Ono Lennon, 1972

"The verdict is unlawful killing, grossly negligent driving of the following vehicles and of the Mercedes."

- JURY FOREMAN

"Yeah, they're livin' large! They're at The Regent, I found out! They're in a better hotel than me!"

- Michael Hutchence on "The Papparazzi" stalking him, Paula and Tiger in Sydney

"I thought he must have left some kind of clue somewhere...."

- Michael's Brother

"I don't think he killed himself"

- Michael's Brother

"I just don't think he killed himself"

- Paula

"You said that Michael killed himself and that Paula killed herself - they didn't; they just didn't."

- Bob

"Perhaps you should try and figure it out for yourself!" Diamond snapped. "Michael and Paula were out of the country and during that time only a few people had any real access to the place: Bob Geldof, Anita Debney, the nanny who used to work for Bob for twelve or so years, and a woman called Gerry Agar, who had developed a grudge against both Paula and Michael. 

The police were called days after the nanny claimed she'd found two Smarty packets with opium in them.  Geldof immediately had a new custody application before the courts, 'in light of recent events.' The local police and prosecutors had the media on their case. There was enormous pressure on them, but even they had to admit something was a bit fishy. [The court] dropped all charges, remember, and Michael was issued with a certificate of non-prosecution by the Crown."

When asked if Hutchence "got off" fairly, Diamond snapped again: "Got off, GOT OFF?? I think the question should be who tried to get him on. You figure it out!" 

COMPERE: And finally the lurid life of Paula Yates has taken another tabloid twist with her decision to reveal graphic details about the poly-filler progenitive sex life of her partner, Michael Hutchins. (It's not often you get a chance to use that word!).

Ms Yates says she's bidding to overturn the New South Wales' coroner's ruling that the INXS star committed suicide. Ms Yates, who was previously married to Sir Bob Geldof, wants the coroner, Derek Hand, to overturn his findings and deliver an open verdict. She's told Britain's Channel 4 television network that she believes Hutchins accidentally killed himself while trying to perform a so called auto-erotic sex act.

Mark Tamhane reports.

UNIDENTIFIED: On the 22nd of November, 1997, Michael Hutchins, the lead singer of INXS, was found dead in a hotel bedroom in Sydney. The coroner of New South Wales said it was suicide. The coroner reached his verdict after studying a brief prepared by local police. Channel 4 has seen that brief and it contains evidence that points to a very different verdict.

MARK TAMHANE: As far as Britain's Channel 4 is concerned, Michael Hutchins was not a sad and tragic figure who took his own life in a Sydney hotel room because he was being ripped apart by a devastating custody battle between his lover Paula Yates and her former husband, Bob Geldof.

Instead, the makers of INXS, the death of Michael Hutchins seem convinced the singer accidentally killed himself while trying to perform auto-erotic asphyxia, a dangerous form of masturbation where the perpetrator deliberately restricts his or her oxygen supply supposedly in a bid to heighten the pleasure of the act.

As evidence, the programme interviews Professor Steven Hucker, a world authority on auto-erotic asphyxia who claims that the New South Wales police and state coroner Derek Hand missed vital clues which all point to accidental death rather than suicide.

There's the mysterious presence of a ring-bolt screw among the possessions discovered in Hutchins' room. Presumably an object from which one could hang a rope or belt, or to attempt auto-erotic asphyxia. But Channel 4's trump card is the testimony of Paula Yates, Hutchins' lover at the time of his death and the mother of his daughter, Heavenly Hirany Tiger Lily.

PAULA YATES: I told you, he's a dangerous boy. He's dangerous. Wild. He could have done anything at any time. The one thing he wouldn't have done is just left us.

MARK TAMHANE: The stories about Michael Hutchins' voracious sexual appetite and the way he's said to have continually lived his life on the edge dominate the programme. A friend, Nick Egan, relates a story about how Hutchins allegedly had sex with former girlfriend Kylie Monogue in a Qantas jet.

Former Prime Minister Bob Hawke is said to have been sitting a few seat rows forward in the same cabin. He's alleged to have turned around and winked at the couple at a particularly crucial moment.

It's all been great copy for Britain's tabloid newspapers especially as Monogue, who now lives in England, has refused to deny the story.

Paula Yates also claims that Hutchins has talked to her about attempting auto-erotic asphyxiation. She talks candidly about their sex life. She claims she's only spoken out to try to get coroner Derek Hand to change his verdict for the sake of Hutchins' daughter.

PAULA YATES: People should think of her. She's who... what drives me on this, what makes me talk about it. I want her to have some vision of her father that is true, and that he would never ever have taken a cowardly way out or left her.

Because people do do these things, lots of people do these things. It's no big deal. It went wrong, but it's no big deal what he did and I just want it stop being made grubby.

MARK TAMHANE: The sad thing the Channel 4 programme highlights is the way speculation about how Michael Hutchins died is still causing rifts between his nearest and dearest. Paula Yates is apparently convinced that Hutchins didn't mean to kill himself. His brother, Rhett, appears open to the possibility that Michael might have died in a tragic accident. 

But Michael's father Kel is convinced that talk of auto-erotic asphyxiation is rubbish. As far as he's concerned, his son took his own life during a sudden, inexplicable bout of despair.

This is Mark Tamhane in London for PM.

COMPERE: And that's all in the programme for tonight.