Charlie Wilson's War - Classic Disinformation.
Charlie Wilson's War opens with the silhouette of a mujahidin firing a shoulder-mounted surface-to-air missile at the movie audience. Unfortunately for the target audience, the rocket being fired at them is tipped with "Grade A" U.S. Government-Approved Propaganda.
Admittedly, the mujahidin did use SAMs in their battles against the Soviet army, so the film-makers did get that right. Charlie Wilson is portrayed as a womanizer and a boozehound, and they got that right, too.
Ultimately, however, the film is based on an a priori lie. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan wasn't a Cinderella story that came out of nowhere. It was preceded by a decision from Democratic President Jimmy Carter to green light a CIA covert operation in Afghanistan to support the opponents of the pro-Soviet government in Kabul. The U.S. instigated the military onslaught that the Soviet army brought to bear on Afghanistan. Therefore, later on in the movie when Tom Hanks sees the humanitarian crisis that the Afghan people are suffering, due to the Soviet invasion, he shouldn't be "feeling their pain"... he should be racked with guilt. Those mangled children and widows are the first victims of a covert operation that continues to this day.
To be fair, it wasn't the idea of the film-makers to obscure the causus belli of the Afghanistan invasion. This has been perpetuated by the highly compromised American corporate press for decades, and remained hidden until, ironically enough, current Defense Secretary Robert Gates spilled the beans in his 1996 book, "From the Shadows", and was confirmed in 1998 by CFR frontman, Zbigniew Brzezinksi. By the end of 2001, many critical researchers of 9/11 had seen William Blum's translation of Brzezinski's interview posted at Michel Chossudovsky's Global Research website. (For anyone even moderately familiar with this semi-hidden history, there is a moment of unintentional hilarity when the Pakistani President Zia comments that the CIA "missed" the Soviet invasion. Actually, it's a lie, so not really that funny.)
So by 2003, (when Charlie Wilson's War was first published), any serious writer laying down the history of the CIA in Afghanistan surely would have done a few internet searches that would have turned up this key information. George Crile apparently did not know how to use the "google". It is early in the first chapter of his book where he reinforces the lie that President Carter, with a bag of peanuts in one hand, a Bible in the other, and drunken brother Billy, just had to respond to those evildoers at the Kremlin, and get the CIA involved in Afghanistan. Perhaps sensing that a good chunk of the American population is probably hip to Carter's Machiavellian chess-move, the film-makers just went ahead and skipped the whole "CIA initiating the Soviet invasion" thing.
Interestingly, the film explores the relationship between Wilson and Zvi Rafiah, an Israeli who had a long relationship with Wilson, earned his trust, and is suspected by Wilson of being a highly placed MOSSAD agent (Wilson doesn't air his suspicion in the film, only the book). The film depicts meetings between Wilson and Rafiah outside of the congressman's office on the beltway or in Egypt where they broker an arms deal. If you read the book, however, Rafiah is portrayed as someone with exceptional access to Wilson's office and staff, assigning tasks to the staff and using the office telephone. Rafiah had previously been accused of spying for Israel, and was allegedly offered classified documents by one Dr. Stephen Bryen, with an AIPAC director looking on.
The only other foreigner with such unparalleled access to Wilson is Abu Ghazala, who is portrayed in the film by Iharon Ipale. Ghazala hooks up Wilson, and thus, the mujahidin with a wide arsenal of hardware and bombs. Ghazala the Egyptian is later implicated in a missile supplying scheme for which he is never charged. James Webb calls the scheme the "Condor II" project, (the intent of the project being: to supply Iraq with a nuclear-capable ballistic missile), in his book, "Spider's Web - The secret history of how the White House illegally armed Iraq" (Bantam, 1993, p.33).
Ghazala and Rafiah typify the type of arms dealers that would arm the mujahidin covertly, but Crile, like Steve Coll and other establishment-friendly authors conveniently leave out BCCI, and associated arms dealers like Monzer Al-Kassar, a "Syrian drug trafficker, terrorist, and arms trafficker", who used the BCCI to launder drug and weapon money.
The film, thus, makes no mention of BCCI either, even though CIA director Casey used it to grease the skids for getting weapons to the mujahidin, over and above the few million that the Congress approved. In his recent book, The Road to 9/11, Peter Dale Scott describes BCCI as a definite asset for the CIAs campaign;
"...A book coauthored by Wall Street Journal reporter Peter Truell tells us that in the "campaign to aid the Afghan rebels ... BCCI clearly emerged as a US intelligence asset." A book by two senior writers for Time confirms that in the words of a US intelligence agent, "Casey began to use the outside - the Saudis, the Pakistanis, BCCI - to run what they couldn't get through Congress. [BCCI president] Abedi had the money to help." (Both books corroborate that Casey met repeatedly with BCCI president Abedi.) Thus BCCI enabled Casey to conduct foreign policy without the constraints imposed by the public democratic state. Our archival and mainstream histories have not yet acknowledged this.
As the US commitment to the anti-Soviet campaign in Afghanistan increased, the relative importance of BCCI's contribution probably diminished. But one of the causes for the disastrously skewed US campaign in Afghanistan was the importance of BCCI and the drug traffic at the outset." (UC Press, 2007, p.p.116-117)
Oh yeah, the drug traffic. The CIA has always denied being involved with it, but they ran the men on the ground in Afghanistan who were main players in the drug trade, like Gulbaddin Hekmatyar. The only mention in the film about drugs is that Wilson snorted coke occasionally. (Melissa Roddy gives a good rundown of the disinformation in the film that stands in place of the missing Hekmatyar.)
And where did all the mujahidin come from? They were not all Afghans. The CIA helped the ISI recruit fighters from all over the world. (This is one of the few things that Steve Coll fleshes out fairly well in Ghost Wars, but it is really tough reading considering everything that Coll omits.) But you would never know this from watching Charlie Wilson's War. (For further historical failings of the film, Chalmers Johnson's review is worth a look, alas, Johnson still wallows in the mire of "blowback".)
Ultimately, the film is disinformation. It portrays an unrealistic representation of the Afghan conflict, covers up its US-inspired origin, covers up the links to Afghan opium/heroin money laundering, covers up the recruitment of mujahidin from all over the world for the "foreign legion" in Afghanistan by the CIA.
It's bad business, and what's worse, Hanks' Playtone production company is slated to apply its skills to the Kennedy assassination. Fortunately, there is a bit of a firewall in place for that piece of crap coming down the pipe.
I don't have enough thumbs to convey my disgust with this film.
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I think this is the first time...
... I ever gave something a 10. You really made me laugh. I haven't seen the film, but have just started the book and the thing about Crile missing out the start of CIA aid to the muj being before the Soviet invasion is bang on.
My favourite quote from Steve Coll's Ghost Wars:
"On the broader questions of American foreign policy and intelligence operations during the two decades leading up to September 11, the commission's report is perhaps generous toward the Saudi government and the Pakistan army, but many of these favorable judgments involve conspiracy theories that my book did not address at all, such as whether the Saudi embassy in Washington aided the September 11 hijackers when they were in the United States. Also, the commissioners saw themselves, as they wrote, "looking backward in order to look forward," and they may have managed their published criticisms of Riyadh and Islamabad with future American counterterrorism partnership in mind."
That's on the last page of the afterward. How would one translate that into English?
I think you are being too
I think you are being too tough on the film.
There is plenty in the movie that suggests US involvement in molding the Mujahadeen and our influence in Afghanistan.
Furthermore, it also discusses "covert wars" and the $ to be spent and made on them, as well as our neglect of the region after the Soviets' withdrawal.
To call it disinformation is a bit harsh.
See for yourself (.rar)
http://www.flyupload.com/thankyou?URL=http://www6.flyupload.com/dl?fid=9...
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http://www.swatcash.com/dhs
Thank you Thank you... It
Thank you Thank you...
It HAD to be said!!
Congrats on your lucid understanding of the USA-Afghanistan issue.
It is VERY important to tell people what is going on... there is a bloody british crime GOING ON, too:
"The British military have played an important part in this violence, having stepped up high-altitude bombing by up to 30 per cent since they took over command of Nato forces in Afghanistan in May 2006. This translated to more than 6,200 Afghan deaths last year. "
.... more ....
I am reading the book
& think it is great.
But I still don't understand why Russia invaded Afghanistan & what exactly we did
before they came in.
...
The USSR "invaded" Afghanistan because the internationally recognized "legitimate" government of Afghanistan
asked them for "help" . As you might remember "communists" are pr. definition "atheists" and consider religion to
be "opium for the masses" and in the case of Afghanistan, the Worlds largest poppy-grower , this is true in more than one sense .
The USSR considered Afghanistan a feudal dictatorship in danger of being overtaken by religious fundamentalist
hellbent on preventing "the masses" from enjoying basic "human rights" like education, equality of the sexes, the right to not be a serf etc etc .
In short : If the USSR had been allowed to succeed in Afghanistan there would never have been a "Taliban" in the first place ..
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"Listen carefully now : DO NOT DESTROY OIL-WELLS" Dubya
Thanks
Thanks for the review. I avoided watching the film because I knew it would annoy me to no end for what was left out. All par the course for Hollywood, however:
Operation Hollywood
http://www.motherjones.com/news/qa/2004/09/09_403.html
Film studios were also an original target for Operation Mockingbird.
Good Post again Rep.
Some of our more creative 911 Truthers could come up with their own Truth Video to counter the propoganda and gatekeeping from this Hollywookd showpiece.
It would be good if WAC crew members confront Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts and do some educating and ask some questions and issues raised in websites like patriotsquestion911.com - Entertainement / Media section and of course ae911truth.org
Hollywood should be held accountable for taking us all for suckers.
Jimmy Carter's administration and especially Zbigniew "The Grand Chessboard" Brzezinksi have a lot of skeletons in their closet.
A guerrila video response to Charlies Wilson's war would be a great counter response.
Robert Greenwald's Brave New Films is a fine example of viral videos that have been effective to make profound political statements.
Lets not be silent.
We should remind Tom and Julia it is Al-Ciada. No paycheck should excuse treason.
History will not be kind to Hollywood.
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The CONSTITUTION is NOT going to "collapse" into pulverized dust no matter how much thermate/explosives or planes they throw at it
THanks
Good stuff Rep.
If Charlie Wilson's War is intended to perpetuate the Official 9/11 Legend? Mission accomplished.
Operation Hollywood
Zachary Sklar speaks to the obstacles faced in producing a historically accurate film in Hollywood. And here's another firewall to the disinformation of THanks' Hollywood.
Hollywood has not been kind to history.
Thanks for the CTKA link!
It's new to me.
One good thing the film does
in my opinion is alarm the public of "blowback." Though they didn't get into all the true dirty secrets it
is obvious to the casual viewer that arming people that you don't know to the teeth, can come back
to haunt you. I take that as a hit on our industrial military complex & the CIA.& foreign policy.
The other theme I liked was portraying the lady as a Christian religous zealot, who was blinded to
the reality of the situtations & people she was helping. Maybe that will cause a lot of similar thinking
people to try & step back & think things through when they are advocating war & arming people.
The truth of 9/11 is NOT 'blowback'
'Blowback' is official story twaddle, according to which (in David Ray Griffin's words) 19 Muslims defeated the most sophisticated defense system in history, as well as several laws of physics. To think and argue in those terms, portrayed on a screen or not, is to perpetuate the official lies of 9/11.
Well said.
" To think and argue in those terms, portrayed on a screen or not, is to perpetuate the official lies of 9/11."
Hopefuly the elements of 911 Truth Movement that supports or excuses No-Impeachment, No 911 Truth,-Blowback Candidate Ron Paul will also hold him accountable for his actions (or lack thereof).
Personally I think he is a very dangerous gatekeeper, defending the Establishment and Protecting the Bush Regime very craftily.
His stand on Impeachment and 911 Truth is INEXCUSABLE and many of us who endorse him or support him are allowing Treason or Misprision of Treason to continue unchecked. We are being deceived with fake promises of Liberty, Personal Freedom, No IRS, No Federal Reserve at the same with the Absolue NO IMPEACHMENT, NO GENUINE 911 TRUTH. JUST BLOWBACK premise.
Can't we see the deception here?
Of course, detractors would say RP has agreed a New Investigation may be necessary. So what, if it is based on a background of No Impeachment - Blowback Premise.
JFK has been investigated left right and centre and always there are further COVERUPS.
RP is probably our biggest mole. The Freedom & Truth Movement had better wake up.
Note :
In the United States, misprision of treason is a federal offense, committed where someone who has knowledge of the commission of any treason against the United States, does not inform the President, a federal judge or state Governor or judge (18 U.S.C. § 2382). It is punishable by a fine and up to 7 years in prison
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The CONSTITUTION is NOT going to "collapse" into pulverized dust no matter how much thermate/explosives or planes they throw at it
since drawing certain conclusions
about the governments well funded efforts to insert its propiganda and disinformation, and to engineer social attitudes via movies as blatently as soft drink product placement in a soap opera, i have been unable to stomach much of the hollycrap that trys to pass its self off as american cinema these days. it is insulting to watch much of it ,and it reminds me that the tendrils of overt and murderous political power can and will be embraced by .many in the artistic and media community, if money and fame and perhaps a political agenda or two is served
"the last mimsy ", an otherwise compelling and original sci fi, was similarly soiled by opening scenes of kids nochlantly accepting police state surveillance and inspections upon entering their otherwise "normal" surburban grade school.Were talking ten year olds, part of the target audience for the film .later the film showcase an audience obvious , clueless fema that was just there to protect and help in the end.
much of the hollywood parade is a similar insult to the mind,depending on the mind you possess.
i would have lived the rest of my life missing these , now obvious, attempts to flavor popular culture ,and shape my attitudes
but 911 happened , and ill never look at such things casually ever again .
i feel surrounded by treason at all levels of the american experence ,.
i now understand the choices made by expatriots ,so sickened by their culture that the must leave ,however i urge all to stay and struggle against fascism and not reward treasonist with your money whenever possible.
the 911 mass murder event was their undoing. let us work toward exposing the truth of that crime.
Yea I saw this garbage the
Yea I saw this garbage the other week, totally inaccurate.
There was no mention of
There was no mention of Abdul Haq in this trash either.
AFGHAN WARRIOR: THE LIFE & DEATH OF ABDUL HAQ
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/features/afghan-warrior.shtml
The BBC documentary above was the first time I heard of who Abdul Haq was, but it's never been re-aired, I don't think there's a DVD anywhere and as far I can tell it's not on the net either. Luckily there seems to be a new documentary being made about this amazing and inspirational man:
more on Wilson
http://charliewilsonswarts.com/