International Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice, to Protect Bonesaw Al Saud vs Intelligence Community Assessment

John McCone came to mind today when reading Jed Shugerman’s Salon piece on Nixon’s lawyers who went to prison for their crimes including Kleindienst, who’d given a sweet deal to ITT in an antitrust lawsuit settlement. I wondered if McCone was on the ITT board or employed by them at that time, so I went to my files and then to Google.

(I once saw a cool photograph at Norcliffe of your grandfather Hamad standing with John McCone in Bahrain during the days of the British Protectorate, probably related to Standard Oil or Bechtel.)

And doggone it, I was diverted by Wikipedia with the fund solicitation during a quick trip there, ended up spending way more time than intended because John McCone was a fascinating war profiteer, engineer, government servant and businessman.

However, one find was a reminder from his archives of his term as CIA Director and some of the bloody operations he oversaw, including regime changes, and when he was no longer in government service, how he either attempted to use or did successfully pay CIA personnel for the benefit of ITT to aid in the overthrow of Allende.

Shugerman suggests that Trump’s so-called Acting Attorney General, Whitaker, may be taking care not to end up incarcerated for participating in a conspiracy to obstruct justice. There's certainly an international conspiracy to obstruct justice going on.

I wonder if the members of Trump’s administration who publicly declare that there’s no smoking gun (and the Netanyahoo administration and you and the weasel Mohammed bin Zayed) if any leaders will face justice for openly participating in an international conspiracy to obstruct justice for the brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi and disposal of his body in an undoubtedly un-Islamic manner.  Perhaps there will be international justice for the Saudi crown prince’s conspiracy to murder Khashoggi.

The torture queen waterboard-tape-evidence-destroying CIA Director did not participate in the Mattis and Pompeo dog-and-pony show circling round what Lindsey Graham calls the “smoking bonesaw.”  She held a separate briefing with a limited number of our Congressional committee members, in classified session. It seems likely that she confirmed the leaks from the intelligence community that they’ve got a high level of confidence in their assessment that Bonesaw is ultimately responsible. 

It could not be concluded otherwise from the totality of information publicly released by President Erdogan and leaked by others with intercepted communications.

So what is the role of the CIA in this? Looking through the window of tonight’s research, what is the corporate interest pushing to oust disgraced killer Bonesaw? While I welcome his removal from power, trial and justice for murder and war crimes, I cannot but wonder who the McCone is in this set of circumstances. I just hope it's not Brennan.

#CIA #Mattis #Pompeo #Trump #TurkiBinFaisal #AdelAlJubeir #Netanyahoo #Bonesaw #MohammedBinZayed #MatthewWhitaker #ITT #JohnMcCone #Allende #JamalKhashoggi #MohammedBinSalman #JohnBrennan #Vendetta #SmokingBonesaw #AlSaud #SaudiArabia #Bahrain #Sisi

Dispute & Diplomacy Over 4 Persian Gulf Islands

Listening to the United Nation General Assembly speeches this week, I heard Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan demand that Iran give up possession of the strategic and resource-rich Persian Gulf islands of Abu Musa and the two Tunbs to different historical claimants, namely the states of Sharjah and Ras Al Khaima, or, in the alternative, consent to let the International Court of Justice decide which country or countries have the right to them.

This is not a new demand. I wrote a lengthy term paper at university in the mid-1970s about the 1971 independence of Bahrain and formation in the Persian Gulf of the U.A.E. It included this matter.

( Aside: my research and result so fascinated my professor that he maintained a copy and was able to discuss it with me over 40 years later. I found that he'd used some of my work without attribution, but never mind, that happens at universities, students know it. He's gone now.)  

Most people who hear the demands of the Arab states with respect to the three islands claimed by the U.A.E and Iran do not know or recall that there were actually four Persian Gulf islands involved before Iran took control of the three disputed islands. The fourth was the British Protectorate of Bahrain, ruled in some aspects by the Sunni Al Khalifa family for over 180 years by 1971, but also by other countries historically, including Iran. 

The matter is multi-dimensional but a pedestrian summary would include: Bahrain had and has a majority Shia population with religious, family and other ties to Iran; aspirations for freedom, equality and dignity by the entire population, but especially the under-served Shia segments and those who know discrimination in many ways; a plebiscite asking if Bahrainis wanted to align with Iran or be independent; they heard promises from your family and the Brits of a constitution and rights and chose independence; the U.K. made a secret deal with the Shah, trading independence for Bahrain -- rather than restoration of Bahrain as a historical Iranian province -- for the restoration of Iran's historic right to Abu Musa and the two Tunbs. 

Influential factors have now changed. One of importance is that there's a Bahrain causeway connected to historical Bahrain some 18 miles long with special lanes for members of certain tribes on both sides. Tanks and armored personnel carriers rolled across that bridge to help your family and friends maintain power in 2011, and remain to this day, along with paid mostly Sunni mercenaries from other countries used to alter the demographic balance and suppress dissent in all forms.

To be fair to Iran, if the original 1971 deal is to be renegotiated, if the two member states of the U.A.E. who claim Abu Musa, Lesser and Major Tunbs AND the fourth island, Bahrain, all want to do what's fair, then the causeway built by the malign actor Saudi Arabia and a debt trap, must be immediately given to Iran, along with the full extent of territory stolen from the Arab Shia population by the Al Sauds in their historical rampage across Arabia. 

The planned causeway to Qatar could be built and Bahrain, then aligned with Iran, could share in the immense gas wealth and form a new, peaceful partnership. The fishermen of Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah could resume fishing or buy shares in luxury hotels to be built on the islands.

You want something significant, then you give something significant, right? That's what happens in negotiations between equals. Some underestimate their opponent.

#Bahrain #UAE #SaudiArabia #UK #Sharjah #RasAlKhaimah #AbuMusa #Tunbs #Hormuz #StraitofHormuz #Iran #Qatar #Oil #PersianGulf 

You Are A King, Still Taking Orders From A Prince

Wonders ceased. Danny O'Leary was 100 percent correct. I am going to explain that. I've been working on the explanation, even though the substance has already been posted.

A so-called king taking orders from 30 year-old Dasher Bear instead of sending out the sappers.

Right now, there's a Seahawks game on. I'll get back to this later.

Shaikh Isa at the Beach

How about another entry idea for The Isa Campaign?

Imagine this great bit of the Shaikh Isa period:  photos of him sitting in his little chair under a large umbrella on the beach in front of the palace in the summer, his gold phone sitting on a tray, holding his binoculars in front of his eyes to gawk at the European and American women in their teeny, tiny bikinis playing in the waters of the Persian Gulf. No Bahraini women, no locals, for Heaven's sake. Forbidden. Caucasian, okay.

Next up, servants bring to the ladies who've made themselves comfortable under beach umbrellas (and to their families, if the ladies brought their children) individual trays of tiny slices of Sara Lee cakes, usually banana cake with icing, almost cold, probably sliced while near frozen, and bottles of cold Pepsi and Fanta sodas with moisture beads rolling down them. Cold soda and cake, gifts from the Amir. Some of the ladies got watches and some, pearls. The Amir got his kicks.

I was so impressed with the spectacle the first time that I saw it as a 16 year-old girl in her own not-so-tiny two-piece swimsuit. American cake.

Who Are The Collaborators?

Do you not see the irony in putting people in Bahrain prisons for allegedly collaborating with foreign powers? Is that not what the Al Khalifa have done since they've been in power? Is that not what you still do? Is that not what Uncle Khalifa and the Khawalids do? Do you not collaborate with the Al Saud to oppress people not in agreement with you? 

Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Casual Photos, Bahrain 1965

Remember when I said the photos were upcoming. Well, here's a photo for the ages. Well, from ages ago, like many of the others in the collections. I know you will be surprised. It's true. A picture is worth a thousand words.

Uncle Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa with his cigarette and qahwa Arabiyya at the old race track, Bahrain 1965, while the island was still a British Protectorate. Where's that photograph of Anne, anyway? You know, the pretty English woman we teens were told was his wife when she came to the bowling alley in Awali and we were there, too.

And here's another, this time with his shades on. He always was a shady character.

but ever so handsome, according to the older ladies. He was smiling at Mother.