Website and automated forms processes, Copyright
2007, Matthew August LeFande.
All
rights reserved. No claim to original government forms
Website and automated forms processes, Copyright
2007, Matthew August LeFande.
All
rights reserved. No claim to original government forms
Democrats Subvert War Intelligence
Democrats have abused the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) as a stealth weapon to undermine and discredit President George W. Bush and the U.S. war effort in Iraq.
It centered on duping the panel's Republican chairman, Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas, into approving probes that in actuality would be fishing expeditions inside the State Department and Pentagon. The authors hoped to dig up and hype "improper or questionable conduct by administration officials." According to a staff memo, the committee then would release the information during the course of the "investigation," with Democrats providing their "additional views" that would, "among other things, castigate the majority [Republicans] for seeking to limit the scope of the inquiry."
In other words, they would manufacture and denounce a cover-up where none existed. The Democrats then would drag the issue through the 2004 presidential campaign by creating an independent commission to investigate, according to the memo.
The plan wrecked more than two-and-a-half decades of unique bipartisanship on the SSCI, whose job is to oversee the CIA and the rest of the nation's intelligence services. In fact the SSCI, according to the Wall Street Journal after the revelation, was "one of the last redoubts of peaceful coexistence in Congress."
Clinton-era personnel reforms allowed officials of his administration to burrow into vital Pentagon posts as careerists, administration officials say, where they have been maneuvering to keep Bush loyalists out of key positions and/or undermine their authority while pushing their own political agendas that run contrary to those of the president.
Sen. Zell Miller went even further: "I have often said that the process in Washington is so politicized and polarized that it can't even be put aside when we're at war. Never has that been proved more true than the highly partisan and perhaps treasonous memo prepared for the Democrats on the intelligence committee."
The Georgia Democrat measured his words, continuing: "If what has happened here is not treason, it is its first cousin. The ones responsible - be they staff or elected or both - should be dealt with quickly and severely, sending a lesson to all that this kind of action will not be tolerated, ignored or excused."
http://www.insightmag.com/news/2004/01/06/National/487BF80F-A791-42D3-B1BC-7BF8E06347FA.shtml
posted by Matthew LeFande 7:59 AM
matt@lefande.com
Reserve Officer Drowned Attempting to Save Teenager
Reserve Officer Simpson drowned while attempting to rescue a teenage boy who had been swept into the ocean while walking his dog along the beach. Reserve Officer Simpson had responded to the scene and was part of a rope-chain of people attempting to reach the boy. Reserve Officer Simpson was also pulled under by the strong current and swept into the ocean. The boy was rescue a short time later by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Reserve Officer Simpson had served with the Bandon Police Department as a Code Enforcement Officer and a Reserve Officer for 4 years. He was a retired firefighter from the Los Angeles County, California, Fire Department. He is survived by his wife, mother, and brother, who is also an officer with the Bandon Police Department.
http://www.odmp.org/officer.php?oid=17069
posted by Matthew LeFande 6:08 PM
matt@lefande.com
Park Police chief prepares to fight firing
The chief of the U.S. Park Police is prepared to fight efforts to fire her, saying that the government is violating her First Amendment rights and the federal Whistleblower Protection Act, her lawyer said Friday.
Chief Teresa Chambers was notified in an eight-page letter Thursday that the National Park Service intends to remove her from command of the 620-member force. Chambers was put on administrative leave after telling news outlets on Dec. 2 that her agency needs more money and is facing personnel shortfalls.
Peter Noone, one of two lawyers representing Chambers, said the government's action is "inappropriate and excessive."
"It's early in the game," Noone said. "However, my initial reaction is they violated her First Amendment rights and violated the Whistleblower Protection Act."
The government's notice, called a "proposal for removal," describes the official charges against Chambers for the first time. Noone declined to discuss them, but said the notice includes more than five charges against Chambers having to do with her Dec. 2 comments, as well as actions that pre-date those comments.
"They took the kitchen sink approach: throw enough stuff against the wall to see what sticks," Noone said.
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/1203/121903c1.htm
posted by Matthew LeFande 9:45 AM
matt@lefande.com
The 2003 crappy gift exchange!
It's craptacular! It's craptastic! You asked for it, you got it! It's the 2003 Crappy Gift Exchange, and it's back with a vengeance!
We'll need your name, email and mailing address. Next, we'll input all the names into the Non-Denominational Holiday Matchmaker and, at random, you will receive a name and address, and your name and address will be sent to someone else. You may know them, but you probably won't. Then, you've got to run out, buy something crappy, put it in a box and mail it to your recipient. Hopefully by the holiday you'll receive yours as well, and we can all open them together on December 27.
Bad crap, when opened at a party, is usually met with "hmm," "oooookay," or forced laughter. If it's not silly enough, weird enough or tacky enough, it's bad crap. Good crap, on the other hand, is met with, "oh my GOSH what the hell is that?" or "Holy Toledo, how did you get that in a box?"
If you can't tell the difference, try it on a friend. Put your gift behind your back and say to them, "What if I were to give you... this?" If they vomit, or even simply leap backwards in disgust, you've got a winner. If they raise their eyebrows and say, "Umm... no," take it back to the store. It's not funny enough.
Basically, you're looking for something that would make even Rove say "What the...?" or that Rose Porteus might have on display on her front lawn.
http://australia.beimers.com/crap2003.html
posted by Matthew LeFande 7:22 PM
matt@lefande.com
Chicago panhandlers get $99,000 settlement
A federal judge has approved a $99,000 settlement for people who have been arrested or ticketed for panhandling in Chicago.
The city also must pay $375,000 to cover attorneys' fees and the cost of distributing the money, said plaintiffs' lawyer Mark Weinberg, who filed suit over the matter in 2001.
Judge Nan R. Nolan approved the settlement Friday. Under its terms, those arrested for panhandling in the past four years can file a claim of $400, while those ticketed can receive $50.
A tentative settlement was reached in October, as part of a battle over a 1991 ordinance that classified panhandling as disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500.
The ordinance was repealed last year. City officials have said such a blanket ban on panhandling is considered a limit on commercial speech.
Because of a two-year statute of limitations on civil cases, only those arrested or ticketed after Sept. 6, 1999, are eligible to receive money.
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/weird_news/7539473.htm
posted by Matthew LeFande 5:11 PM
matt@lefande.com
Al Gore's Son Arrested for Pot Possession
The son of former vice president and 2000 Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore has been charged with marijuana possession.
Albert A. Gore III, 21, was arrested Friday night after he was stopped for driving a vehicle without its headlights on.
Two passengers were also arrested and charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession. They were identified as Yann V. Kumin, 21, and Marc G. Hordon, 22, both of Cambridge, Mass.
A Montgomery County, Md., police officer stopped the car, a dark-colored Cadillac, in Bethesda, a Washington suburb, around 11:30 p.m. Friday.
The officer noticed the car's windows and sunroof were open, despite cold temperatures Friday night. There was also a smell of marijuana coming from the vehicle, according to a news release from the police department.
A search of the vehicle turned up a partial marijuana cigarette, a cigarette box containing suspected marijuana, and a soft drink can that also smelled of marijuana.
All three were released pending trial.
In September 2002, the younger Gore was ticketed for driving under the influence. He was pulled over and ticketed by military police just outside Fort Myer in suburban Virginia, but was not taken into custody.
In the summer of 2000, Gore was cited by the North Carolina Highway Patrol for driving 97 mph in a 55-mph zone. Under an agreement with prosecutors, a reckless driving charge was dropped in the North Carolina case, but he was fined $125 for speeding and his driving privileges in the state were suspended.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18174-2003Dec20.html
Gore 3.0 got busted for marijuana at his private Georgetown-area high school in 1995 and the story didn't make the news. Gore 2.0 personally called bureau chiefs and other important papers in Washington, begging them not to run the story.
http://www.cavalierdaily.com:2001/.Archives/1996/September/5/edjames.asp
Dude! I mean, Dad, don't bogart that woogie!
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/choice2000/gore/note.html
posted by Matthew LeFande 7:24 AM
matt@lefande.com
The Spirit of Giving (to me in particular).
Yes, it is that special time of year again, and you bums need to pony up some stuff.
I spend entirely too much time fighting the system and making your lives better to not get some cool crap for the year-end holidays.
So once again, a list of specifically what you should be buying me this year.
Leica M7
Yes, I know I have a Leica already. I have a 1939 Leica IIIb and I love it. But it really is a little too primitive for everyday use. No light meter, separate rangefinder and composition screens, and the film has to be tucked into the bottom after you trim a couple extra inches off the leader. Its big on cool, not much on practical. The M7 is the logical evolution. Oh, and black please.
Search for a Leica M7 on eBay
Luc Sofa
I need a new couch. I used to have those nice leather club chairs in the living room, but I needed them for the office and now I am short on furniture in my newly redone living room.
Let's not beat around the bush on this one. The link below leads to a specific product from a specific vendor. Why is it specific? Because I have impeccable taste and can tell the difference between the Gucci jount and the off-brand crap. I don't want a bunch of emails from you hearing about what is on closeout at Marlo's. I want this couch.
The couch I want, not the couch you think I want
Rover Tires
The Defender 90 needs new tires. The BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A 265/75R16 is the OEM spec and I have been very happy with them. After 50k miles on the original tires, the tread has sufficiently worn as to diminish their mud and snow capabilities. Unfortunately, BFGoodrich only makes this tire in a raised white letter style now. I guess I will be mounting them inside out.
The best deal I've found on the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A 265/75R16
Matt, I wanna buy you stuff, but I ain't got it like that!
Here is the bargain basement stuff
The list left over from my birthday is still in effect, though Paula doesn't approve much of the last item. (I think the link is broken anyway.)
August Archives
posted by Matthew LeFande 1:52 PM
matt@lefande.com
Queer Eye for Saddam the Lion guy.
posted by Matthew LeFande 8:47 AM
matt@lefande.com
Albright's joke joins growing list of Bush theories
Conspiracy theories continued to sprout among Democrats yesterday in the wake of the capture of Saddam Hussein. Some Democrats expressed alarm that the party was drifting out of the "mainstream."
Madeleine Albright has suggested that Osama bin Laden has been captured by U.S. forces and will soon be produced to the public.
"Do you suppose," she asked, "that the Bush administration has Osama bin Laden hidden away somewhere and will bring him out before the election?"
The disclosure of Mrs. Albright's remark followed by a day the charge by Rep. Jim McDermott of Washington that the Bush administration could have captured Saddam "long ago if they wanted," but held off until Mr. Bush could use it as a boost in his approval ratings.
Earlier, Howard Dean spoke of "a theory," which he later said he didn't believe, that President Bush had prior knowledge of the September 11 attacks and did not take steps to prevent them.
Henry Kissinger called Mrs. Albright's comment "absolutely ridiculous" and said it exposes a kind of "paranoia" that has engulfed the Democratic Party.
"I am very fond of Madeleine, but there's something about President Bush that blows the Democrats' minds."
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20031217-115113-2173r.htm
posted by Matthew LeFande 8:15 AM
matt@lefande.com
D.C. Police Faulted on Mass Arrests
D.C. Council member Kathy Patterson said yesterday that the D.C. police department has been accused of a pattern of misconduct during recent mass demonstrations that could have a chilling effect on free expression in the District.
An attorney for many of the protesters said about seven protester-related lawsuits are pending in U.S. District Court, alleging police brutality, preemptive mass arrests and the use of D.C. police infiltrators as agents provocateurs, among other things.
D.C. Police Assistant Chief Alfred J. Broadbent Sr. defended the department, saying that since the beginning of the year, D.C. police have handled 291 demonstrations, for which only 49 permits were obtained. "That fact stands alone in supporting [the department's] apparent willingness to negotiate with demonstrators who, on the face of it, are acting unlawfully without a permit," Broadbent said.
Broadbent was unapologetic about undercover officers attending protesters' meetings. He said "police don't infiltrate, but they do attend meetings that they are invited to" as undercover officers.
Other city officials, including Ramsey, are scheduled to appear before the committee today.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A9939-2003Dec17_2.html
posted by Matthew LeFande 8:05 AM
matt@lefande.com
Dinner is served.
posted by Matthew LeFande 12:05 PM
matt@lefande.com
Virginia files felony spam charges
Virginia Attorney General Jerry Kilgore announced Thursday that his office had made its first felony indictment under the state's antispam law.
The charges were filed against North Carolina resident Jeremy Jaynes, also known under the pseudonym "Gaven Stubberfield," for allegedly using fraudulent means to transmit unsolicited bulk e-mail. Jaynes was arrested Thursday morning in Raleigh, N.C., and will be extradited to Virginia, Kilgore's office said.
According to antispam organization Spamhaus, "Stubberfield" is well-known for pornographic and "get rich quick" offers online and was ranked No. 8 on the group's top 10 spammers list for November. The charges were based in part on reports from America Online subscribers. Kilgore announced the indictment at AOL headquarters.
"Falsification (of e-mail headers or routing information) prevents the receiver from knowing who sent the spam or contacting them through the 'from address' of the e-mail," Kilgore said in a statement. "This is what makes this e-mail a crime in Virginia, and the volume that was sent during this period elevates the charge to a felony."
http://news.com.com/2100-1028-5120673.html
posted by Matthew LeFande 11:02 AM
matt@lefande.com
Marshals Find Body In Duffel Bag During Eviction
U.S. Marshals say they discovered a body during the execution of an eviction order in the District.
Authorities say the marshals went to the State House apartments in the 2100 block of Massachusetts Avenue Northwest on Tuesday to serve the order on a person who was behind in his rent.
Police said the marshals had already removed some of the tenant's belongings from the fourth-floor efficiency when one marshal opened a duffel bag and found the body of a black male.
Investigators said the eviction was temporarily halted and the Metropolitan Police Department was called.
Police said they are trying to determine if the person in the duffel bag was the tenant or someone else. And, they are waiting for the results of an autopsy to determine his cause of death.
http://www.nbc4.com/news/2694997/detail.html
Washington Post: "Death called suspicious"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55140-2003Dec11.html
posted by Matthew LeFande 4:42 PM
matt@lefande.com
Park Police Chief Placed On Leave After Remarks
U.S. Park Police Chief Teresa C. Chambers was placed on leave yesterday, the National Park Service announced, just days after she was chastised for saying publicly that her department was shorthanded.
A statement released by the Park Service did not say how long Chambers would remain on leave, or whether she would be paid during that time. Assistant Chief Benjamin J. Holmes Jr. will become acting chief, the statement said.
The statement did not give a reason for the action. But the announcement came after a meeting between Chambers and her superior in the Park Service, who said this week that her comments to reporters broke federal rules.
Chambers was not available for comment yesterday, a spokesman said.
The decision to place her on leave was criticized by the Park Police labor union. Jeff Capps, who heads the union, said that Chambers described her situation in a meeting with him yesterday evening. Chambers said that she was being investigated for insubordination and for violating other, unspecified federal rules, Capps said.
Capps said Chambers told him she would be paid while on leave. But her badge and gun were taken away and her police powers were revoked, he said. Capps said that during Chambers's meeting with Park Service officials yesterday, three people she described as security personnel were in the room.
Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.), who sits on the appropriations subcommittee that approves funds for the Park Service, also took issue with the disciplinary action.
"I think it sends exactly the wrong message," Moran said yesterday. "I think that's part of their purpose, to send a message to managers that 'you keep your mouth shut and your thoughts to yourself.' "
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40048-2003Dec5.html
posted by Matthew LeFande 4:54 PM
matt@lefande.com
Armed Citizen of the Week
An intruder, 26, broke into a home in north St. Louis County on Tuesday through a basement window and tore down a curtain to tie over his face as a mask. A woman encountered him in the basement and he forced her up the stairs to confront her husband.
Police said the husband, 73, was watching the movie on TV when the stranger approached, demanding money and holding 4-inch shears to the throat of the woman, also 73.
The homeowner told the intruder he had to get his wallet from the bedroom, but he got a handgun instead. When he emerged, she pulled away and he opened fire.
The robber grabbed the wife again and pulled her through the front door with him, but then let her go and ran. He collapsed across the street, where he was pronounced dead.
The woman was treated for minor injuries at a hospital and released.
The dead robber was identified through fingerprints, but his name was withheld pending notification of relatives.
Privately, police officers praised the outcome, saying that burglars should take a lesson from it.
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/News/St.+Louis+City+/+County/E7BF159BE8A9090A86256DE4001D3671?OpenDocument
posted by Matthew LeFande 8:06 AM
matt@lefande.com
No Indictment In Pr. George's Police Shooting
A Prince George's grand jury yesterday declined to indict a county police officer for shooting a drug dealer during a raid a year ago.
After an investigation that lasted several weeks, the grand jury turned down a request by Prince George's State's Attorney Glenn F. Ivey to indict Cpl. Charles K. Ramseur on charges of reckless endangerment and first- and second-degree assault.
Ivey said he would ask the civil rights section of the Justice Department to investigate the shooting, which came as a SWAT team was preparing to execute a search warrant for drugs.
The night of the shooting, Ramseur was part of a heavily armed SWAT team preparing to storm a Capitol Heights house in a search for drugs. Police say Ray and two other men were sitting in a Pontiac Grand Am parked in the driveway of the targeted house.
A van carrying the SWAT team rolled up to the driveway, and as Ramseur and other officers jumped out, Ray hopped out of the Pontiac, police said. Ramseur fired because he perceived a threat, police said.
Police said that they found 15 plastic bags of crack cocaine near where Ray fell and that they found a handgun and cocaine and marijuana in the Pontiac.
Cpl. Jeffrey Simms testified that as he and Ramseur jumped out of the police van, a man got out of the Pontiac.
"He started to walk away from the car," Simms testified. "He reached into his pocket and tossed a clear baggie to the left side, onto the grass."
The man reached back into his pocket, Simms testified. "He kept walking but not running," Simms testified. "But he wasn't listening to the commands given by the officer" to stop and put his hands up.
"He put his hands back in his coat pocket and then started to turn. Then I heard the gunfire," Simms testified.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36866-2003Dec4_2.html
posted by Matthew LeFande 7:56 AM
matt@lefande.com
Mayor vetoes plan for gun ownership
Residents of Geuda Springs won't have to stock up on arms and ammunition -- at least until February.
At a City Council meeting Monday night, Mayor Edward Lacey vetoed an ordinance that would have required households to have firearms and ammunition or face a fine, City Clerk Peggy Terry said.
The City Council had voted 3-2 in November in favor of the ordinance -- under which noncomplying residents would be fined $10 -- because council members believed it was necessary for protection in a town with no local police force.
The measure would exempt people who suffer from physical or mental disabilities, paupers and people who conscientiously oppose firearms.
http://www.ljworld.com/section/stateregional/story/153805
posted by Matthew LeFande 9:19 AM
matt@lefande.com
Supreme Court gives police victory in home searches of drug suspects
In a victory for law officers, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously Tuesday that it was constitutional for police to wait 20 seconds before knocking down the door of a drug suspect.
LaShawn Banks was taking a shower when masked and heavily armed officers broke into his Las Vegas apartment in 1998 looking for drugs.
The Supreme Court used his case to clarify how long police must wait before breaking into a home to serve a warrant. The court ruled 9-0 that if police had waited any longer than 20 seconds, a drug suspect could be flushing evidence down the toilet.
In the Banks' case, officers knocked and announced themselves, then waited 15 seconds to 20 seconds before using a battering ram to break down the door.
Justice David H. Souter, writing for the court, said that because police believed there were drugs in his apartment, officers had more reason to rush.
"Police seeking a stolen piano may be able to spend more time to make sure they really need the battering ram," Souter wrote.
http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/12/02/scotus.police.searches.ap/index.html
posted by Matthew LeFande 12:31 PM
matt@lefande.com
Never bring a knife to a carfight
The Victoria Police will investigate an incident in which officers ended a siege near Bendigo by ramming a car into a knife-wielding man.
Home video of the incident shows the police car accelerate into the man as he yelled and pointed at police outside a house in Kangaroo Flat. The impact catapulted the man over the bonnet, allowing at least six officers in bulletproof vests to move in and arrest him.
A police statement last night said only that the man "threatened to harm himself and requested that police shoot him". It said: "The ethical standards department will investigate to see if any member has acted improperly and will view amateur home video."
Police were called to the house about 4.45pm on Sunday, reportedly after an intervention order was taken out against the man. The tape shows him repeatedly emerging from the house in an agitated state and a police negotiator talking to him.
Despite not having seen the tape, the president of the Victorian Council for Civil Liberties, Greg Connellan, last night called for an investigation.
http://media.f2.com.au/player/playlist.mpl/13210_4.asx?rid=13210&cid=4
posted by Matthew LeFande 10:03 AM
matt@lefande.com
Park Police Duties Exceed Staffing
The U.S. Park Police department has been forced to divert patrol officers to stand guard around major monuments, causing Chief Teresa C. Chambers to express worry about declining safety in parks and on parkways.
Chambers said traffic accidents have increased on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, which now often has two officers on patrol instead of the recommended four. In neighborhood areas, she said residents are complaining that homeless people and drug dealers are again taking over smaller parks.
Today, the force will begin training unarmed guards who will stand watch outside the monuments. It will be the first time in recent memory that guards have performed such duties. The Department of Homeland Security ordered additional protection around the monuments.
In the long run, Chambers said, her 620-member department needs a major expansion, perhaps to about 1,400 officers.
Chambers said that, because new requirements have severely stretched her force, many officers have remained on 12-hour shifts. One recent day, Park Police used high-ranking officers, such as majors and captains, to fill in on guard duties.
In many cases, police said, more officers on the Mall mean fewer officers elsewhere. Even the area that includes Anacostia Park and Suitland Parkway, one of the most violent that the Park Police force patrols, now has two cruisers at most times, instead of the previous four.
Police point to several statistics to show the impact of the cutbacks. On the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, where patrols have been halved, 706 traffic accidents occurred from January to October, which was more than the annual total in the previous four years.
Since April, the number of arrests made by Park Police in the Washington area has declined about 11 percent compared with the same period last year, police said.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26818-2003Dec1.html
posted by Matthew LeFande 7:23 AM
matt@lefande.com
400-pound Pinata Pummeled by Police, Porker's Passing Puts Po-Po's in a Poke
The death of a suspect while in Cincinnati Police custody this past weekend has sparked several investigations.
Police in-cruiser video shows the altercation with police Sunday morning at the White Castle on West Mitchell in Avondale.
The incident started when the restaurant's manager called 911, claiming 41-year-old Nathaniel Jones, a customer, had passed out.
When firefighters arrived on scene, they radioed police for help, saying Jones was conscious and disorderly.
In-cruiser video shows the officers striking Jones with their batons and repeatedly telling him to put his hands behind his back. It took a total of six officers to subdue the 400-pound suspect, who later died at University Hospital.
http://real.scripps.com:8480/ramgen/cincinowrs/2003/12/01_whitecastle_rawcruiser.rm
Suspect had enlarged heart, cocaine and PCP in his system.
http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Midwest/12/01/died.in.custody/index.html
posted by Matthew LeFande 4:37 PM
matt@lefande.com
Kim Jong Il took Saddam to the cleaners.
For two years before the American invasion of Iraq, Mr. Hussein's sons, generals and front companies were engaged in lengthy negotiations with North Korea, according to computer files discovered by international inspectors and the accounts of Bush administration officials.
The officials now say they believe that those negotiations — mostly conducted in neighboring Syria, apparently with the knowledge of the Syrian government — were not merely to buy a few North Korean missiles.
Instead, the goal was to obtain a full production line to manufacture, under an Iraqi flag, the North Korean missile system, which would be capable of hitting American allies and bases around the region, according to the Bush administration officials.
As war with the United States approached, though, the Iraqi files show that Mr. Hussein discovered what American officials say they have known for nearly a decade now: that Kim Jong Il, the North Korean leader, is less than a fully reliable negotiating partner.
In return for a $10 million down payment, Mr. Hussein appears to have gotten nothing.
The trail that investigators have uncovered, partly from reading computer hard drives found in Baghdad and partly from interviews with captured members of Mr. Hussein's inner circle, shows that a month before the American invasion, Iraqi officials traveled to Syria to demand that North Korea refund $1.9 million because it had failed to meet deadlines for delivering its first shipment of goods.
North Korea deflected the request, telling Mr. Hussein's representatives, in the words of one investigator, that "things were too hot" to begin delivering missile technology through Syria.
Syria was a major arms-trading bazaar for the Hussein government, in this case hiding an Iraqi effort to obtain missiles, they say. Investigators say Syria had probably offered its ports and territory as the surreptitious transit route for the North Korea-Iraq missile deal, although it remains unclear what demands the government in Damascus might have made in return. Further, according to United States government officials and international investigators, the Iraqi official who brokered the deal, Munir Awad, is now in Syria, apparently living under government protection.
If it served as a middleman in this deal, as the documents suggest, Syria was acting in violation of Security Council resolutions even as it served on the Council and voted with the United States on the most important resolution before the war.
NYTimes article, but link without annoying registration,
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/1203/01irmissiles.html
posted by Matthew LeFande 10:34 AM
matt@lefande.com
