Sibel Edmonds – An Appeal to the Internet Community

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Wed, 22 Jun 2005 04:56:18 EDT

Re: Sibel Edmonds – An Appeal to the Internet Community

 

 

http://oldamericancentury.org/dave3_033.htm

 

Sibel Edmonds – An Appeal to the Internet Community

By W. David Jenkins III

 

There has been much activity on the Internet the last few

weeks regarding the Downing Street Minutes — and rightfully so.

Documentation proving the Bush administration manufactured

intelligence in order to invade Iraq should be on the front page of

every newspaper and should be the lead story on every newscast – but

we all know how things work (or don't work) these days. However, the

strength and determination of the Internet Community has managed to

keep this story from disappearing while, at the same time, applying

pressure to the mainstream media.

 

In one instance, it seems that the Washington Post felt

enough pressure by angry readers who were outraged by the paper's

burying the Downing Street story on page 18 two weeks after the news

broke in Britain . Just this past Sunday (June 12), the Post featured

a follow-up story on yet another document proving the Bush

administration was ignoring any suggestions for post-invasion Iraq –

which helps to explain the bloody chaos wrought upon that country,

thanks to us – but this time the Post put the story on Page One. And

of course there was Representative John Conyers' forum on June 16 that

set the foundation for an ongoing look into those documents, which now

total nine. All due to the relentless work of the Internet Community.

 

Nice work, gang.

 

* * *

 

As important as the Downing Street Minutes and continued

pressure on the mainstream media are to revealing the truth to the

nation, there is another critically important story that requires our

attention and our action — and the clock is ticking away on this one.

We have only until the end of July to make a difference and perhaps

turn the course of history. Of course, I'm referring to Sibel Edmonds

and, after my conversations with her, I felt I should make an effort

before time runs out and her witness to significant governmental

chicanery is suppressed by the government forever.

 

On May 14, Edmonds published " Gagged, But Not Dead " which

can still be read on her website ( http://www.justacitizen.com/ )

where she updates the reader on the status of her case and the

subsequent gag order placed not only on her but also on members of

Congress forbidding even discussing matters relating to her case!

 

Many of you may still be nauseous after being lectured to

by the likes of criminals such as G. Gordon Liddy and Chuck Coleson in

the wake of Mark Felt outing himself as " Deep Throat. " These

ex-convicts, along with former Nixonians like Pat Buchanan, ranted

repeatedly that Felt should have followed the " proper channels of

authority " if he had had a problem with the Watergate scandal rather

than sneaking off to the Washington Post.

 

Sibel Edmonds is the perfect example of why Felt did the right thing

when he leaked to the Post: those " proper channels of authority " in

the Nixon administration were corrupt. Those " proper channels " were

active co-conspirators themselves.

 

However, the Nixon administration's activities were simple child's

play compared to the practiced corruption that rules the Bush II

administration — and whistleblowers like Edmonds, Colleen Rowley and

others now know that. Hopefully for them and all of us, there's still

time to correct the dismaying non-results their adherence to following

" proper channels " have produced.

 

Edmonds testified for more than three hours behind closed doors to the

9/11 Commission about, assumedly, her concerns over breeches of

security from within the FBI, specifically those of fellow linguist

Melek Can Dickerson, wife of USAF Major Douglas Dickerson. There were

also concerns of the FBI withholding valuable information from field

agents specializing in terrorism investigations by unit supervisor

Mike Feghali. The usual reasoning behind this practice is that the

information also contains references to " certain countries " or

" lucrative or political connections with this country [u.S.] " In other

words, if exposing a targeted terrorist cell's illegal activities

would prove embarrassing to either the " interests " of the United

States or one of our allies, then the matter is tucked away.

 

These and other concerns raised by Edmonds have been confirmed by the

FBI — as stated openly by Senators Patrick Leahy and Charles Grassley

— and they were also supported by documentation and corroborating

witnesses. Yet, after more than three hours of testimony before the

Commission, Sibel Edmonds is barely a footnote in the official 9/11

report. Edmonds submitted an open letter to the Commission

co-chairman, Thomas Kean, concerning the previously mentioned and

other omissions regarding the information she provided them. She noted

how these omissions are an ominous reflection on the final report,

which in turn raises questions of bias and inaccuracy on the report as

a whole.

 

Edmonds diligently pursued all the proper channels. She notified the

FBI, the Inspector General at the Department of Defense, members of

the Senate, and former White House Council Alberto Gonzales of her

documented allegations only to be subsequently gagged by former

Attorney General John Ashcroft. Why? In the interests of " protecting

certain diplomatic relations and to protect certain United States

foreign business relations. "

 

How does suppressing information that people within our own

intelligence agencies have continued connections with organizations

currently targeted by FBI investigations do anything to help

strengthen our national security? Exactly what are these high level

officials so afraid of coming out?

 

Unfortunately, the unprecedented actions of the zealot-turned-Attorney

General will keep all those secrets locked away – unless we raise

enough noise to change that.

 

One other thing that Edmonds is fighting is the gutting of HR 1317,

better known as the Whistle Blowers Bill. Passage of this bill would

allow federal employees certain rights and protections. It would

permit sensitive information of wrongful acts within their departments

to be reported to members of Congress who have proper clearance to

receive information of internal wrong-doing. In an overt display of

shameful servitude to the Bush administration and those they desire to

protect, Tom Davis (R-Va.) and the despicable James Sensenbrenner

(R-WI) removed nine provisions that would have protected from

retaliation any federal employee who provides information of illegal

activities within our own government institutions.

 

As in the case of the Downing Street Documents, the majority of

lawmakers and the mainstream media choose to divert attention of the

American population from the lies and cover-ups that pass for

" business as usual " in the Bush administration. It is only through the

efforts of concerned Americans in conjunction with the Internet

Community that our leaders and the media will finally be forced to

take notice and assume their responsibilities to those they purport to

serve.

 

As those of us who make up this cyber grassroots community have

witnessed, leaders such as Representative John Conyers have expressed

their gratitude for the efforts of bloggers and others who kept the

pressure on lawmakers and media members long enough for them to take

serious notice of the documentation showing the lies used by this

White House to devise and construct today's disaster in Iraq.

 

But we need to remember that more unreported information is out there

concerning the alleged war on terror and revealing the subversive

actions by members of our own government to undermine that conflict in

order to protect business and diplomatic relations. And those who

would wish to expose this domestic threat to our national security are

gagged and/or threatened while the media ignore the whole

world-shattering situation because somebody disappeared on

spring-break in Aruba and because Michael Jackson threw a party and

Tom Cruise and what's-her-name got engaged.

 

One of the things Sibel expressed to me was the need for people to

contact their representatives regarding her case. As we have seen in

the case of the Downing Street Documents, they can and do respond.

Positive results can happen. It does take time and effort, I know, but

we have seen it's not always in vain.

 

I don't normally do " calls for action " in this venue but, with the

clock ticking on legal recourse in the case of Sibel Edmonds and the

ramifications should her gag order remain in effect indefinitely, I

feel a responsibility to speak up.

 

I urge everyone to take the time to contact members of Congress and

the media – before time runs out and the administration gets away with

silencing a very important voice.

 

Please, please take the time and do it now.

 

 

 

Additional information and government contact numbers can be obtained

from Sibel Edmonds' web site http://www.justacitizen.com/index.htm

 

 

 

Media contact numbers and addresses can be found at FAIR's web site

http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=111