-Caveat Lector- "How did top executives of Enron do it? How did they cause the world's biggest bankruptcy while making off with millions of dollars? They used the same financial tools as Osama bin Laden. To attack the Osama bin Laden financial network, the Bush administration knew right where to look -- in "offshore" secrecy havens, including the Bahamas, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Dubai and Panama."
"While the Bush administration was drafting its national energy policy, a leading lobbyist for Enron Corp. was plotting strategy to turn the plan into a political weapon against Democrats, according to a newly obtained memo. Edward Gillespie, who parlayed his close ties to the Bush White House into a lucrative contract representing the energy giant..." http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=12260 Enron and Al Qaeda's Shared Link Lucy Komisar, Pacific News Service January 21, 2002 How did top executives of Enron do it? How did they cause the world's biggest bankruptcy while making off with millions of dollars? They used the same financial tools as Osama bin Laden. To attack the Osama bin Laden financial network, the Bush administration knew right where to look -- in "offshore" secrecy havens, including the Bahamas, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Dubai and Panama. Investigators know that the world's bank and corporate secrecy system was set up to move money for people with something to hide. Sometimes they are terrorists. Sometimes they are financial swindlers. They are welcomed in "offshore" centers that promise to keep ownership of companies and bank accounts secret, even from law enforcement. To uncover the al Qaeda money trail, U.S. investigators had to use muscle. When a Nassau bank refused to open records, the U.S. had it cut off from the world's wire transfer systems. The bank changed its mind in two hours. Now, with Enron, U.S. investigators and the lawyers suing the firm's executives are turning "offshore" again. Before they finish, their revelations should make lawmakers and the public question the continued existence of the world's financial services system for criminals..... The Clinton administration was working with European allies to rein in the offshore system, but was blocked in the Senate by Republican Phil Gramm, whose wife, Wendy, is an Enron director, and by Republican House leader Dick Armey. At first, the Bush administration also fought reforms. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill weakened an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) strategy against tax havens. http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-000010595feb11.story?coll=la-h eadlines-pe-business February 11, 2002 THE FALL OF ENRON Enron Lobbyist Plotted Strategy Against Democrats By MARK Z. BARABAK, TIMES STAFF WRITER While the Bush administration was drafting its national energy policy, a leading lobbyist for Enron Corp. was plotting strategy to turn the plan into a political weapon against Democrats, according to a newly obtained memo. Edward Gillespie, who parlayed his close ties to the Bush White House into a lucrative contract representing the energy giant, warned that the administration faced "a classic liberal-conservative ... dynamic," which cast Republicans as the party of big business and enemies of the environment. THE GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES MEDIA RELEASE For immediate release: Tuesday, February 12, 2002 Contacts: Nancy Allen, Media Coordinator, 207-326-4576, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624,[EMAIL PROTECTED] GREENS WARN THAT LOOSE ACCUSATIONS OF "TERRORISM" ARE ERODING RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Members of the Green Party have joined other Americans protesting the manipulation of fears about terrorism in order to violate basic liberties and constitutional rights of due process and fair treatment under the law. "From the round-ups of hundreds of Americans of Middle Eastern descent and Muslims to the application of the word 'terrorism' to unrelated allegations, we're beginning to see suppression of rights similar to McCarthyism and the hysteria over communism," said Anita Rios, an Ohio Green activist and national steering committee member. Greens see special danger in the agenda of Attorney General John Ashcroft, who has tried to crush democratic dissent by suggesting that U.S. citizens who criticize Bush policy only "aid terrorists." In Florida, West Virginia, and Indiana, students have been expelled from school for criticizing the war. Journalists and activists have been harassed and have lost jobs for not backing the war effort. Sami Al-Arian, a tenured professor of computer science and activist for Palestinian rights, was recently fired from the University of South Florida for having made statements against Israel in 1988. A column in Forbes magazine by Cato Institute fellow Steve H. Hanke titled "Barbarians at the Gate" (October 29, 2001) accuses nearly every kind of civic organization of terrorism, including churches, when they oppose free trade or support measures to improve the lives of working people. Hanke urges Bush to target dissent as a menace to "the core of Western civilization." Even before September 11, nonviolent protesters were increasingly being hit with huge bails and fines, multiple counts, harassment by police and U.S. Marshals, and the threat of many months, even years, behind bars. At the 2000 Republican Convention, some demonstrators were held on one million dollars bail for organizing legitimate rallies or for being seen talking on their cell phones. Accusations of terrorism have been extended to cases that represent no threat to security. In San Francisco, AIDS activists Michael Petrelis and David Pasquarelli were jailed for over two months, with bail set at $500,000 and $600,000 respectively, on a litany of felony and misdemeanor charges, allegedly for harassing telephone calls made to officials in protest of what they call repressive public health measures and inaccurate information being used to frighten the public. After more than two months in custody, a second judge reduced the bail in the face of public protest, and the two were recently released to await trial. In a display of what Greens call bipartisanship at its worst, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Cal.) requested investigation of Petrelis and Pasquarelli -- her own constituents -- under the 'USA PATRIOT' Anti-terrorism Act, which allows the suspension of due process and other constitutional guarantees. Greens allege that the act, which Congress passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, would not pass the scrutiny of a court. "Do the allegations merit investigation and possible prosecution?," asked Starlene Rankin, media coordinator of the Illinois Green Party and organizer of the growing national Lavender (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender) Greens Caucus. "Yes. But do they constitute a terrorist threat to national security, justification for excessive bail, arbitrary upgrading of charges from misdemeanors to serious felonies, and abrogation of due process? No." "Public officials, with the support of political and organizational leaders -- especially those who've been stung by Petrelis's whistleblowing AIDS Accountability Project and exposure of organizational improprieties and inflated salaries -- have found a convenient way to banish gadflies and a tactic for chilling dissent," added Rankin. "Petrelis and Paquarelli deserve fair treatment by the legal system, in proportion to the alleged harms. Regardless of one's opinion about the accusations or the accused, the implications are frightening for anyone who engages in political protest and civil disobedience." Greens call for close public scrutiny to hold law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and courts accountable for violations of constitutional rights in the investigation and prosecution of political activists. "When President Bush named Tom Ridge head of the Office of Homeland Security on October 8, Ridge said 'Liberty is the most precious gift we offer to our citizens.' Gov. Ridge was wrong," said Tom Sevigny, a Connecticut Green and member of the party's national steering committee. "Liberty, like democracy and other basic rights, is the foundation of our nation, not a 'gift' from an indulgent government." "The willingness of the Bush Administration to rescind asic rights and freedoms, with the complicity of Democrats, puts the basis for our democracy into a state of peril greater than any threat from outside terrorism. It's an exercise in homeland lawlessness in the name of security." MORE INFORMATION The Green Party of the United States http://gpus.org http://www.greenpartyus.org "Barbarians at the Gate" by Cato fellow Steve H. Hanke http://www.cato.org/dailys/10-16-01.html <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
