The implications of this thing are possibly more disturbing than anything I've been exposed to in the last few months. At least a simplistic analysis would suggest that Downing street whipped up something really fast in order to support the US War Machine. Did they not have any publically statable data/facts/analysis on hand to support a possible war effort? (Perhaps they felt it really didn't matter.)
-TD
From: "A.Melon" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Dr. Evil and Mr. Idiot
Date: Thu, 6 Feb 2003 22:52:04 -0800 (PST)
Sorry for occupying the bandwidth, this is just too good.
I am also scared now, finding that men with guns are simply extremely cretenious,
not just evil scheming bastards.
http://www.channel4.com/news/home/z/stories/20030206/dossier.html
Published: 6 February 2003
Reporter: Julian Rush
The government's carefully co-ordinated propaganda offensive took
an embarrassing hit tonight after Downing Street was accused of
plagiarism.
Read sample of the accused plagiarised text
The target is an intelligence dossier released on Monday and heralded
by none other than Colin Powell at the UN yesterday.
Channel Four News has learnt that the bulk of the nineteen page
document was copied from three different articles - one written by a
graduate student.
On Monday, the day before the US Secretary of State, Colin Powell
addressed the UN, Downing Street published its latest paper on Iraq.
It gives the impression of being an up to the minute intelligence-based
analysis - and Mr Powell was fulsome in his praise.
Published on the Number 10 web site, called "Iraq - Its Infrastructure
of Concealment Deception and Intimidation", it outlines the structure
of Saddam's intelligence organisations.
But it made familiar reading to Cambridge academic Glen Ranwala. It
was copied from an article last September in a small journal: the
Middle East Review of International Affairs.
It's author, Ibrahim al-Marashi, a postgraduate student from
Monterey in California. Large sections do indeed appear, verbatim.
A section, for example, six paragraphs long, on Saddam's Special
Security Organisation, the exact same words are in the Californian
student's paper.
In several places Downing Street edits the originals to make more
sinister reading.
Number 10 says the Mukhabarat - the main intelligence agency - is
"spying on foreign embassies in Iraq".
The original reads: "monitoring foreign embassies in Iraq."
And the provocative role of "supporting terrorist organisations in
hostile regimes" has a weaker, political context in the original: "aiding
opposition groups in hostile regimes."
Even typographic mistakes in the original articles are repeated.
Of military intelligence, al-Marashi writes in his original paper:
"The head of military intelligence generally did not have to be a
relative of Saddam's immediate family, nor a Tikriti. Saddam
appointed, Sabir Abd Al-Aziz Al-Duri as head..." Note the comma
after appointed.
Downing Street paraphrases the first sentence: "Saddam appointed,
Sabir 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Duri as head during the 1991 Gulf War."
This second line is cut and pasted, complete with the same
grammatical error.
plagiarism is regarded as intellectual theft.
Sample text
Government dossier: (page 13), published Jan 2003
"Saddam appointed, Sabir 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Duri as head during the
1991 Gulf War. After the Gulf War he was replaced by Wafiq Jasim
al-Samarrai.
After Samarrai, Muhammad Nimah al-Tikriti headed Al-Istikhbarat
al-Askariyya in early 1992 then in late 1992 Fanar Zibin Hassan
al-Tikriti was appointed to this post.
These shifting appointments are part of Saddam's policy of balancing
security positions. By constantly shifting the directors of these
agencies, no one can establish a base in a security organisation for a
substantial period of time. No one becomes powerful enough to
challenge the President."
al-Marashi document: (section: "MILITARY
INTELLIGENCE", published sept 2002 - relevant parts have
been underlined
Saddam appointed, Sabir Abd al-Aziz al-Duri(80) as head of
Military Intelligence during the 1991 Gulf War.(81) After the Gulf
War he was replaced by Wafiq Jasim al-Samarrai.(82)
After Samarrai, Muhammad Nimah al-Tikriti(83) headed Military
Intelligence in early 1992(84) then in late 1992 Fanar Zibin Hassan
al-Tikriti was appointed to this post.(85) While Fanar is from Tikrit,
both Sabir al-Duri and Samarrai are non-Tikriti Sunni Muslims, as
their last names suggest.
Another source indicates that Samarrai was replaced by Khalid Salih
al-Juburi,(86) demonstrating how another non-Tikriti, but from the
tribal alliance that traditionally support the regime holds top security
positions in Iraq.(87)
These shifting appointments are part of Saddams policy of balancing
security positions between Tikritis and non-Tikritis, in the belief that
the two factions would not unite to overthrow him. Not only that, but
by constantly shifting the directors of these agencies, no one can
establish a base in a security organization for a substantial period of
time, that would challenge the President.(88)
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