http://www.cooperativeresearch.org The Center for Grassroots Oversight aims to provide the public with a means to collaborate on investigations at the grassroots level. en-us http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a062012dcpolliran#a062012dcpolliran http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a062012dcpolliran#a062012dcpolliran According to a wide-ranging poll conducted by Dartmouth professor Benjamin Valentino, over 89 percent of self-identified Republicans believe that if Iran secures any sort of nuclear weapons, it will use them to attack Israel. Sixty-two percent of self-identified Democrats and over 68 percent of self-identified independents have similar views. Jim Lobe of InterPressService writes that the results are "a rather dramatic demonstration of how effective Israel and the Israel lobby have been in shaping public opinion here, given that US and Israeli experts generally agree that such an attack, while possible, would be highly unlikely." mtuck 2012-06-28T10:07:42+02:00 http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a01132012adlerassassin#a01132012adlerassassin http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a01132012adlerassassin#a01132012adlerassassin Andrew Adler, the owner/publisher of the Atlanta Jewish Times (AJT), advises readers that one option for Israel to consider in handling the threat posed by Iran is to order the assassination of President Obama. The Atlanta Jewish Times is a community newspaper that has been in existence since 1925. Adler bought it in 2009. Currently, the AJT claims some 3,500 readers. According to Adler, Israel has three options in considering how to handle the threat posted by Iran: attack Hezbollah and Hamas, attack Iran, or order the assassination of Obama. Adler considers Obama an "enemy" of Israel, and believes Obama has moved the US away from supporting Israel to supporting the Palestinians and an array of Islamist terrorists, pursuing what Adler calls an "Alice in Wonderland" belief that diplomacy with Iran will prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon. He calls his three options a series of "Kobayashi Maru" scenarios, a term used in ''Star Trek'' to characterize a seeming "no-win" situation that, if addressed with an unsuspected approach to "solve" the problem, could "redefine" the situation. Adler writes of his third option that Israel could "give the go-ahead for US-based Mossad agents to take out a president deemed unfriendly to Israel in order for the current vice president to take his place, and forcefully dictate that the United States' policy includes its helping the Jewish state obliterate its enemies. Yes, you read 'three' correctly. Order a hit on a president in order to preserve Israel's existence. Think about it. If I have thought of this Tom Clancy-type scenario, don't you think that this almost unfathomable idea has been discussed in Israel's most inner circles? Another way of putting 'three' in perspective goes something like this: How far would you go to save a nation comprised of seven million lives ... Jews, Christians, and Arabs alike? You have got to believe, like I do, that all options are on the table." In a subsequent interview by journalist John Cook, Adler backtracks from his original assertions, and denies advocating Obama's assassination. Contrary to what he wrote, Adler tells Cook that Israel should not consider an Obama assassination as a viable option. When asked if he believes Israel is indeed considering such an option, he responds: "No. Actually, no. I was hoping to make clear that it's unspeakable--god forbid this would ever happen." He then asks Cook, "I take it you're quoting me?" When Cook responds in the affirmative, Adler says, "Oh, boy." Cook asks Adler why, if he does not advocate assassination and does not believe Israel is considering such an option, would he write such a column saying that the option is "on the table." Adler asks to call Cook back with a measured response. His answer, several moments later, is, "I wrote it to see what kind of reaction I was going to get from readers." He has indeed received a reaction: "We've gotten a lot of calls and emails," he tells Cook. After Cook's publication, the online news site Gawker publishes a story about Adler's column. Adler then informs the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) that he intends to publish an apology. "I very much regret it, I wish I hadn't made reference to it at all," he says. He also admits that the response he has received has been, in JTA's words, "overwhelmingly negative." Adler tells Atlanta columnist Thomas Wheatley: "I don't advocate anything. I don't preach anything. Wasn't calling for action, anything like that. ... Do I regret writing it and how I did it? Very much so and I apologize to anyone who took it differently. But in no way shape or form do I support the overthrowing [of the country] in order for Israel to do its thing." He says he has not been contacted by law enforcement officials or the Secret Service about his column. Conservative columnist and blogger Jonah Goldberg writes of Adler's column: "This is outrageous, offensive, borderline seditious, bad for Israel, bad for Jews, and wildly, incomprehensibly stupid. It sounds like the author/publisher realizes it. But too late to save him from a world of grief." mtuck 2012-01-22T15:21:04+01:00 http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=m042911meyerbaesys#m042911meyerbaesys http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=m042911meyerbaesys#m042911meyerbaesys Inactive reserve Marine sergeant and employee of BAE Systems Dakota Meyer , having learned from Bobbie McCreight that BAE plans to sell advanced thermal optics scopes--PAS-13s--to Pakistan , sends McCreight an email detailing his objections. In the email, Meyer states that BAE is planning to sell the better equipment to Pakistan while US troops are supplied with less effective equipment. He further states that the Pakistani military has been known to shoot at US soldiers and therefore it puts US soldiers at risk to sell Pakistan the better equipment. Meyer writes: "The reason I came on with BAE OASYS was to use the knowledge I had gained from the experiences I had while serving in combat operations to improve gear and make items to save the lives of US troops. This is where I could see me still 'doing my part' for the guys who are in the same situation I was in 18 months ago. I feel that by selling this to Pakistan we are doing nothing but the exact opposite. We are simply taking the best gear, the best technology on the market to date and giving it to guys that are known to stab us in the back. ... These are the same people who are killing our guys. ... I think that one of the most disturbing facts to the whole thing is that we are still going forth with the PAS-13 optic and issuing these outdated sub-par optics to our own US troops when we have better optics we can put in their hands right now but we are willing to sell it to Pakistan. This is very disturbing to me as an American and as a United States Marine." tmfgl 2011-12-14T14:54:34+01:00 http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=m0411meyerbaesys#m0411meyerbaesys http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=m0411meyerbaesys#m0411meyerbaesys Inactive reserve Marine sergeant and employee of BAE Systems Dakota Meyer learns from his supervisor Bobbie McCreight that BAE plans to sell advanced thermal optics scopes, PAS-13s, to Pakistan. Meyer will send McCreight an email detailing his objections on April 29, 2011 . tmfgl 2011-12-14T14:52:57+01:00 http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a041111isiciameeting#a041111isiciameeting http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a041111isiciameeting#a041111isiciameeting CIA Director Leon Panetta meets with Lieutenant General Ahmed Shuja Pasha, head of the ISI, Pakistan's intelligence agency. The meeting, at CIA headquarters, is meant to help repair relations between tUS and Pakistan. A CIA contractor named Raymond Davis caused a major diplomatic crisis after he shot and killed two Pakistanis in disputed circumstances. He was held in Pakistan for two months and released on March 16. Pasha asks Panetta to be more forthcoming about what the CIA is doing in Pakistan. Panetta promises to respond to Pasha's concerns. But at the time, the US government is secretly planning to raid Osama bin Laden's hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan , and Panetta does not say a word about this. His goal is to appease Pasha so relations with Pakistan will be improved by the time the bin Laden raid takes place. Bin Laden will be killed less than a month later . Paul 2011-07-29T07:57:02+02:00 http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a040810zardarispowers#a040810zardarispowers http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a040810zardarispowers#a040810zardarispowers Pakistan's National Assembly passes a set of constitutional reforms that greatly reduces the powers of President Asif Ali Zardari. The unanimous vote turns the office of president into a ceremonial head of state and transfers powers to the prime minister and parliament. Zardari himself backs the reforms. Experts claim the move could help make Pakistan more democratic and less likely to return to military rule. Zardari will still hold considerable power in Pakistan because he is also head of the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP), which has a parliamentary majority. Also, he has the loyalty of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani, who is also a member of the PPP. Paul 2011-07-26T17:43:52+02:00 http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a081808droneincrease#a081808droneincrease http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a081808droneincrease#a081808droneincrease The US dramatically increases the number of CIA drone attacks on Islamist militant targets in Pakistan, and no longer relies on permission from the Pakistani government before striking. Bush administration officials had been increasingly concerned about al-Qaeda's resurgence in Pakistan's tribal region. A 2006 peace deal between Islamist militants and the Pakistani government gave al-Qaeda and other militant groups a chance to recover from earlier pressures . However, the Bush administration had close ties with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, who did not want more aggressive US action. But Musharraf resigns on August 18, 2008 , and within days, President Bush signs a secret new policy. From August 31, 2008, until late March 2009, the CIA carries out at least 38 drone strikes in Pakistan's tribal region. By contrast there were only 10 known drone strikes in 2006 and 2007 combined. There were three strikes in 2006, seven strikes in 2007, and 36 in 2008 (all but seven of those took place after Musharraf resigned in August). Drone capabilities and intelligence collection has improved, but the change mainly has to do with politics. A former CIA official who oversaw Predator drone operations in Pakistan will later say: "We had the data all along. Finally we took off the gloves." Additionally, the US no longer requires the Pakistani government's permission before ordering a drone strike. US officials had suspected that many of their targets were tipped off by the ISI, Pakistan's intelligence agency. Now this is no longer a concern. Getting permission from Pakistan could take a day or more. Sometimes this caused the CIA to lose track of its target (see for instance ). Paul 2011-07-26T17:42:00+02:00 http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a0701opposestargeted#a0701opposestargeted http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a0701opposestargeted#a0701opposestargeted The US denounces Israel's use of targeted killing against Palestinian terrorists. Martin Indyk, the US ambassador to Israel, says: "The United States government is very clearly on record as against targeted assassinations. ... They are extrajudicial killings and we do not support that." Around the same time, the US military is working on arming the Predator drone to enable remote, targeted assassinations of terrorists like Osama bin Laden . The US will begin frequently using targeted assassinations shortly after the 9/11 attacks two months later . In 2009, Gary Solis, former head of the law program at the US Military Academy, will comment, "The things we were complaining about from Israel a few years ago we now embrace." Paul 2011-07-26T17:32:09+02:00 http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=musharrafresigns#musharrafresigns http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=musharrafresigns#musharrafresigns Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf announces his resignation. Opposition to Musharraf's rule had been slowly growing, especially since he declared a state of emergency in late 2007 to remain in power following a controversial reelection . In early 2008, opposition parties united and won parliamentary elections . The opposition then chose Yousaf Raza Gillani as the new prime minister, and Gillani took away much of Musharraf's power . The opposition parties united again to start impeachment hearings against Musharraf for his state of emergency and other claimed abuses of power. His resignation speech came hours after the opposition finalized its charges against him and prepared to launch an impeachment trial. Musharraf claims he could have defeated the charges, but he wanted to spare the country the conflict caused by the trial. Gillani remains prime minister, and the Speaker of the Pakistani Senate, Muhammad Mian Sumroo, automatically takes over as caretaker president. Paul 2011-07-16T08:12:06+02:00 http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a031711paulasra#a031711paulasra http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a031711paulasra#a031711paulasra Libertarian Representative Ron Paul (R-TX) reintroduces the American Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2009, which would withdraw the United States from the United Nations. He introduced the same act in 2009, where it died in committee . The bill specifically claims it is designed "[t]o end membership of the United States in the United Nations." It would repeal the United Nations Participation Act of 1945 and the United Nations Headquarters Agreement Act of 1947, and order the president to "terminate all participation by the United States in the United Nations, and any organ, specialized agency, commission, or other formally affiliated body of the United Nations." The bill would remove the UN Mission from New York City to somewhere outside US borders. The US would terminate all funding it provides to the UN and terminate any participation in UN peacekeeping operations. It would also withdraw the US from the World Health Organization (WHO) and repeal the United Nations Environment Program Participation Act of 1973. Any treaties, conventions, agreements, and other such interactions between the US and UN would be terminated. mtuck 2011-06-29T16:55:28+02:00