THE OLSON AND IVINS CASES: SUICIDE OR MURDER?

By Peter Duveen

PETER'S NEW YORK, August 15, 2008--Frederick, Maryland is a city with deep historical roots, and one which has undergone a sort of economic revival in recent years. The downtown is bustling, filled as it is with trendy clothing stores, cafes, restaurants and antique shops. The rich architecture of a bygone era lends charm to the experience of shoppers who wend their way past each other in search of the next retail destination.

Russian masterstroke protects Iran, American public
Mini-analysis

By Peter Duveen

PETER'S NEW YORK, August 13, 2008--Russia was able to accomplish more than to show its might in the recent action it took to protect an Eastern European enclave of disputed sovereignty (South Ossetia). It was able to open up a potential new front in the simmering conflict between the United States and Russia, and prevent American military resources from being squandered on an adventure in Iran. As a result, Russia may be the only force the American people can rely upon to stave off a disastrous expansion into the Middle East.

Commentators almost universally admit that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have left the American military overextended. The American economy is now in the worst shape it has been since the recession of the late 1970s. And the uncertainty surrounding the upcoming presidential elections will surely make any decision regarding action against Iran improbable. This may indeed be the respite Americans need to reshape foreign policy and reign in a federal government gone mad over foreign military exploits based on pretexts that have been shown to be entirely false.

EDITORIAL

SLAM DUNK!?

PETER'S NEW YORK, Aug. 1, 2008--A succession of Associated Press stories has portrayed a former government scientist as the source of the 2001 anthrax-laced letters, even though no proof has been brought forward as to the scientist's guilt.

An incredible stream of anonymous government sources have been cited, with the accompanying reasons why they have requested anonymity. Of course Associated Press never mentions the unstated reason, and the most obvious one--that these sources may be trying to portray events as they would like them to be seen by the public.

Headlines such as "Answers in anthrax case may have died with suicide" by Adam Geller can only bring joy to a government anxious to put any questions about the case, which had defied solution for almost seven years, behind it. But a scrutinizing public can be only so keenly aware that the government has sorely misinformed the electorate before, and may be doing so now, with the complicity of the media.

Rob O'Flanagan of the Guelph Mercury writes about two University of Guelph professors who offer a scathing critique of the American government's version of the events of 9-11.

Land of conspiracy?
Two professors from U of G are hosting forums, arguing the 9-11 attacks in New York were part of an American plot.
July 24, 2008
Rob O'Flanagan

GUELPH

A pair of University of Guelph professors have joined a growing number of academics and filmmakers who are writing and broadcasting their doubts about the official explanation behind the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in 2001.

In a host of public forums, John McMurtry, professor emeritus of philosophy, and Michael Keefer, a professor in the School of English and Theatre Studies, have presented arguments alleging a plot on the part of the American government, business and military leaders related to the events of Sept. 11, 2001.

More than 2,700 people died.

AIRLINER THAT HIT PENTAGON WAS GROUND INTO BOOK-SIZED PIECES: AUTHOR

By Peter Duveen

PETER'S NEW YORK, July 20, 2008--The absence of sizable pieces of aircraft debris after the alleged collision of an airliner with the Pentagon on September 11, 2001 was due to the strong masonry with which the Pentagon was constructed and the high speed of the aircraft, an author of a new book on the subject contends.

Patrick Creed, co-author with Rick Newman of "Firefight", which details the rescue efforts in the aftermath of fires in the Pentagon building on 9-11, said the absence of large pieces of aircraft debris was due to the fact that the airliner alleged to have caused the damage and fires in the building was traveling "500 miles per hour hitting a masonry building."

"The majority of the wreckage was inside the building," Creed explained, noting that most of the other wreckage was "the size of a book and smaller," and "didn't look much like plane debris." Creed also noted that in many airliner disasters, there is an attempt by the pilot save the plane, a scenario that he said would not have been followed by suicidal hijackers.

House votes to approve FISA revision
Dem leadership leaves its party behind in supporting compromise

By Peter Duveen

PETER'S NEW YORK, June 20, 2008--After a lively debate in which a phalanx of Democrats voiced their strong opposition, the U.S. House of Representatives today approved legislation to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA). But the Democratic leadership appeared to have left behind the majority of its party in siding with the Republicans on the compromise legislation.

Some 105 Democrats voted for the bill, outnumbered by 128 in the party who voted against it. Only one Republican voted in opposition, 188 voting for the bill, demonstrating the strong partisan nature of the legislation and the power of the Democrats to easily sink it if they had so decided.

Gravel: Cheney and Bush should be tried for war crimes
Supports NYC initiative for new 9-11 probe

By Peter Duveen

PETER'S NEW YORK, June 17, 2008--President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard Cheney should be tried for war crimes, former U.S. senator Mike Gravel said today. Gravel also said he supports a new investigation into the events of 9-11.

"He deserves to be prosecuted," Gravel said of Bush. "He and Cheney need to go to the Hague and stand in the dock." Gravel made the statements during an interview with Amy Goodman of Democracy Now, a nationally syndicated radio program. The interview was aired today on radio station WBAI, based in New York City.

The Hague refers to the Dutch city selected by international treaty as the venue to prosecute war crimes. The dock is the place in the courtroom where defendants are seated in full public view while their trial is being conducted.

Bush and Cheney should be tried for their actions leading up to, and in the aftermath of, the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq, Gravel implied. "What they did is criminal," he said. "Four thousand Americans have died as a result of their fraud on the American people."

NEW YORK CITY BALLOT INITIATIVE COULD BRING 9-11 UNDER RENEWED SCRUTINY

By Peter Duveen

PETER'S NEW YORK, June 4, 2008--Can they awaken a sleeping American public? That's what a handful of critics who question the government's version of the events of September 11, 2001 are banking on. In fact, they believe they have already achieved a measure of success, and are looking to translate that into votes, not for politicians, but for the formation of a commission that will investigate 9-11 more thoroughly.

The 9-11 ballot initiative is a grass-roots movement supported by a sizable number of groups and individuals that have serious questions about the federal government's official 9-11 Commission report of four years ago. If successful, it will give New York City voters a chance to establish a new commission that will look into the events of that day in what many hope will be a more satisfactory, less politicized, manner than previous investigations.

NEW INVESTIGATION NEEDED TO PREVENT ANOTHER "9-11", SAYS ARCHITECT

By Peter Duveen

PETER’S NEW YORK, May 20, 2008--Richard Gage gives the impression of a meticulous, orderly, punctilious, almost antiseptic professional at first glance. A member of the American Institute of Architects who is attached to a West Coast firm involved in the construction of multi-million dollar projects, Gage has more than likely applied his public speaking and presentation skills to win over prospective clients. But on a recent Friday night he utilized these talents in a different venue, with an underlying passion that transcends the usual marketing pitch. Gage says he wants to save Americans from the same type of incident --or worse--that took the lives of 2,700 people in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

Don't know if Bin Laden is alive or dead: foreign policy expert

By Peter Duveen

PETER'S NEW YORK, May 2, 2008--A scholar from a major American think tank said today it is not known whether Osama Bin Laden, the Saudi Arabian businessman and religious leader portrayed by the American government as being the impetus behind the events of 9-11, is still alive.

"It is possible that he is dead. We just don't know," said Richard Weitz, a senior fellow at the Washington D.C.-based Hudson Institute, in response to a listener's question on the program Washington Journal, aired on the cable news network C-SPAN.

Former CIA honcho calls the 9-11 Commission "disastrous"

By Peter Duveen

PETER'S NEW YORK, April 21, 2008--The 9-11 Commission completed its report in 2004, but not everybody was on board with the results. Not least among its critics is Michael Scheuer, former head of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency's bin Laden unit, who is now a news commentator and author.

"Of course, the 9-11 Commission was a disastrous thing for America," Scheuer said in a recent televised appearance. Scheuer was interviewing another author, Steve Coll, whose book, The Bin Ladens, on the wealthy Saudi family, was released April 1.

The interview, part of a series of programs called After Words and televised on the cable news network C-SPAN, dredged through both men's experience in dealing with and covering the bin Laden family. Scheuer headed up the CIA's bin Laden unit from 1996 to 1999.

During an exchange of views, Scheuer remarked that he was astounded by how much access the family had to the White House over the years. "I think it's a very interesting comment on the power of money," Scheuer said. "For Americans, it's got to be a very disturbing story."

PETER’S NEW YORK, April 14, 2008--Ralph Nader, the consumer activist and independent presidential candidate, seems to think that the report of the commission assigned to investigate the events of 9-11 should not be the last word.

"There are unanswered questions in the 9-11 investigation, and they should be answered," Nader said at a recent address at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. "How do you go from plausibility to evidence? You have a more independent inquiry."

On the morning of September 11, 2001, airliners collided with each of the twin towers of New York City’s World Trade Center, after which they and a third nearby office building mysteriously collapsed. Other incidents on the same day at the Pentagon and in a field in Pennsylvania were also attributed to aircraft collisions. All were pitched by the government as the result of a terrorist conspiracy, although it is widely believed that the government may have played a direct role in orchestrating the events.

GILLIBRAND: BUSH VETO BLOCKS TROOPS' RETURN FROM IRAQ
By Peter Duveen

PETER'S NEW YORK, March 27, 2008--Congressional initiatives to redeploy U.S. troops out of Iraq are not likely to bear fruit this year because President George W. Bush will almost certainly veto them, Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York) said yesterday. Although she said she supports a small but continued presence of U.S. troops, Gillibrand held out hope that Iraqis will take more responsibility for their own security. Gillibrand answered questions on policy matters during and after a panel discussion at the Brunswick Elks Lodge in Troy, New York, on how residents of her district can save on their federal, state and local taxes.

Gillibrand said she supports measures to "redeploy the vast majority of our troops over the next year."

"Troops are being pushed to the breaking point," she said.

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?

PETER'S NEW YORK, March 20, 2007--T.H. Robsjohn Gibbing, in his "Mona Lisa's Mustache" (1947), attempts to show the influence of the occult on the roots of the modern art movement. On pages 73-74, Gibbings writes on the political philosopher Georges Sorel (1847-1922):

"Sorel urged, in opposition to democracy, the creation of myths as a means of promoting powerful minorities. Though the myth might be a complete lie, nevertheless, according to Sorel, leaders had for centuries achieved mastery over the common man by just such ‘noble lies,’ which were vital in their promotion of powerful leadership....

"Sorel, like Nietzsche and Pareto, propounded the morality of force and denounced what he considered the futility of elections, parliaments, and laws. The moral value of violence, he stressed, must be given an important place in the attitudes of modern society. Progress would come through struggle that involves disrespect or disregard for the law."

U.S. could take action against Iran as early as April, former weapons inspector warns

By Peter Duveen

PETER'S NEW YORK, March 9, 2008 -- While it is impossible to predict the behavior of nations, the United States could commence military action against Iran as early as April, a former U.N. weapons inspector warned.

"I'd be very concerned about the month of April," said Scott Ritter, a U.N. weapons inspector for Iraq from 1991 to 1998, in answer to a question about when the United States could initiate military action against Iran. Ritter stated, however, that it was not possible to predict exactly if or when the United States would act.

Ritter's remarks were made following an address to a gathering at the Unitarian Universalist Society in Albany, New York yesterday. He warned of the imminent danger of military engagement between Iran and the United States.