CounterPunch and the Art of the Limited Hangout

In my last article, "An
Open Letter to Alexander Cockburn," I responded to the editor of CounterPunch
and to his branding of the 9-11 truth movement essentially as "nuts."
Cockburn must have gotten a lot of heat for his sloppy put downs because a week
later the magazine ran an article by Mickey Z. called, "Sander
Hicks and the 9/11 Truth Movement."

The inclusion of Sander Hicks, who is writing a book entitled,
"The
Big Wedding: 9/11, The Whistleblowers, and the Cover-Up" represents
a welcome step forward. It also seems like a quick way to retain some "street
credibility" on the part of Cockburn.

In my letter I said that, "your newsletter doesn't
explore this issue, never has." Well mea culpa. Upon further investigation
I found a couple of articles. Exactly one
CounterPunch article mentions the name of Lt. General Mahmoud Ahmad.

 

Former head of Pakistani intelligence,

Lt. General Mahmoud Ahmad

For those unfamiliar with the former head of the Pakistani ISI,
our own FBI called him the "money man" behind the September
11th plot, as reported in the Times of India, October 9, 2001. The story was
reported across the world, but not so much in the United States press. The "money
man" ordered his aide, by the name of Saeed Sheikh, a known terrorist linked
to bin Laden, to wire $100,000 to Mohamad Atta before 9-11. Mohamad Atta is
the alleged "lead hijacker" and "ringleader" of the 9-11
plot, according to FBI.

General Ahmad was outed by Indian intelligence because his cel
phone was monitored, and he was under active surveillance. When the story broke
that Ahmad was directly linked to September 11, the General was forced into
early retirement, ...and that's pretty much where his story ends.

General Ahmad, potentially responsible for financing the greatest
act of international terrorism on American soil, is nowhere to be found on the
FBI's Most Wanted List. Nor is he mentioned in the Congressional Joint Inquiry,
nor in the September 11th Commission Report (he doesn't get much ink in CounterPunch
or other "left" rags either). Could it be that because the General
was having breakfast with current CIA Director Porter Goss, on the morning of
9-11 -- as the planes struck -- that he's been given a "get out of jail
free" card?

"Follow
the money" they say, as in another CounterPunch article on the subject.
In Fran Shor's article we touch on the put-option scandal that showed insider
trading and foreknowledge about the fates of American and United Airlines. Still,
in an article called "Follow the money," there is zero following
up on the (multiple transfers of ) $100,000 from Pakistani ISI to the alleged
hijackers. The author does make sure to tell us, "To suggest that the
Bush Administration arranged the 9/11 tragedy is to resort to wildly speculative
conspiracy theories."

 

"Post-9/11, the American media were filled with pre-emptory
denunciations of

unpatriotic 'conspiracy theorists', who not only are always with us but are

usually easy for the media to discredit since it is an article of faith that

there are no conspiracies in American life."


-Gore Vidal, The
Enemy Within

Let's avoid the speculation and look into the very real CIA/ISI/Al
Qaeda connections then. Let's find out how the air defenses were paralyzed during
the attacks and how conflicting stories seem to be the norm here. Let's expose
the ongoing criminal cover-ups (obstruction) of these attacks. Let's talk about
the demolition by explosive charges of World Trade Center Tower 7, which was
not struck by anything at all.

By repeating ad nauseum that Bush and company must be innocent
by reason of "conspiracy theory," you put on blinders as to what we
know about the events that day, the actions taken subsequently to squash investigations,
and the clear patterns of aiding and abetting terrorists by this government.

General Ahmad wasn't just meeting with Porter Goss and Bob Graham,
the heads of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees at the time. He also
met with CIA chief George Tenet, Richard Armitage, Colin Powell and others in
the Bush administration.

When Condoleezza Rice was asked about meeting with the 9-11
"money man," an interesting thing occurred. His very mention became
"inaudible."

"Below are the transcripts of the same Condoleezza Rice
press conference respectively from CNN, the White House (FDCH) and Federal
News Service. ... (CNN and the White House) were manipulated.

 

CNN: SHOW: CNN INSIDE POLITICS 16:00, May 16, 2002 Thursday,
Transcript # 051600CN.V15

(...)

QUESTION: Are you aware of the reports at the time that
(inaudible) was in Washington on September
11. And on September 10, $ 100,000 was wired from Pakistan to these groups
here in this area? And while he was here, was he meeting with you or anybody
in the administration?

RICE: I have not seen that report, and he was certainly not
meeting with me.

 

FDCH Federal Department and Agency Documents REGULATORY
INTELLIGENCE DATA, May 16, 2002 Thursday, AGENCY: WHITE HOUSE

(...)

Q Dr. Rice, are you aware of the reports at the time that
-- was in Washington on September 11th,
and on September 10th, $ 100,000 was wired (...)

 

Federal News Service May 16, 2002 Thursday, SECTION: WHITE
HOUSE BRIEFING, HEADLINE: SPECIAL WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING

(...)

Q Dr. Rice?

Q Dr. Rice?

MS. RICE: Yes?

Q Are you aware of the reports at the time that ISI chief
was in Washington on September 11th, and on September 10th, $ 100,000
was wired from Pakistan to these groups here in this area? And why he was
here? Was he meeting with you or anybody in the administration?

MS. RICE: I have not seen that report, and he was certainly
not meeting with me."

-NEW
REVELATIONS ON 9-11, by Michel Chossudovsky

What we have here is egregious evidence of a cover-up. The "ISI
chief" was not inaudible, that is unless you get your news from CNN, or
from any of the news sources that rely on the White House for their transcripts.

Follow the money? It leads directly to General Mahmoud Ahmad,
our great "ally" who remains protected by the Bush administration
to this day. It also leads to Saeed Sheikh, a known British born terrorist with
links to bin Laden.

Now -- did Osama bin Laden order the money transfer to support
Mohamad Atta and company? No. It was ordered by Pakistani ISI working in close
proximity with Bush administration members George Tenet, Colin Powell, Richard
Armitage, and others.

Saeed Sheikh would have provided the "link" to Osama
bin Laden, which Colin Powell had promised to show to the world, but later reneged
on. If you recall, the "evidence" of bin Laden's involvement in 9-11
was to be revealed, and this evidence would have shown a connection from Atta
to Sheikh to bin Laden.

The problem was that the Indian intelligence services threw
a monkey wrench into the cover story. The new evidence led from Atta to Sheikh
to Ahmad / Pakistani ISI! This is the reason we are still waiting for Colin
Powell's overwhelming case against Al Qaeda for the attacks of 9-11.

September 11th changed the world, and not for the better. It's
time we all took a long hard look at this atrocity if we are to hope to survive
this regime's War of Terror. This nation had better learn to hold its government
accountable, because they operate now with complete impunity.

"I deal in conspiracy fact."

-Michael Ruppert