John P. O'Neill
By 1998, O'Neill had become focused on Osama bin Laden. When his friend Chris Isham, a producer for ABC News, arranged for an interview between bin Laden and correspondent John Miller, Isham and Miller used information put together by O'Neill to formulate the questions. After the interview aired, O'Neill pushed Isham hard to release an unedited version so he could carefully dissect it.
Later that year, two United States embassies were bombed in quick succession in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. O'Neill hoped to be involved in the investigation because he had gained a tremendous knowledge of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda terrorist network. However, turf wars and dislike of O'Neill by some superiors in Washington first meant that the FBI's New York office was left out of the investigation, and later that O'Neill was left behind when other New York-based agents were sent to the region to pick up leads.
O'Neill's rise through the ranks at the bureau began to slow as his personal style chafed others and he made a few slip-ups by losing a bureau cell phone and Palm Pilot, improperly borrowing a car from a safe house, and losing track of a briefcase with sensitive documents for a short period. After being passed over for multiple promotions, O'Neill was pleased to be assigned as commander of the FBI's investigation into the USS Cole bombing in October 2000. However, upon arriving in Yemen, he complained about inadequate security. As his team investigated, O'Neill came into conflict with Barbara Bodine, the U.S. ambassador to Yemen. The two had widely divergent views on how to handle searches of Yemeni property and interviews with citizens and government officials, and they only grew further apart as time progressed.
After a month in Yemen, O'Neill returned to New York 20 pounds (9 kg) lighter than when he left. He hoped to return to that country to continue the investigation, but was blocked by Bodine and others. He continued to investigate the Cole bombing, but eventually decided that the FBI investigation in Yemen must be pulled out due to inadequate security.
A New York Times report of August 19, 2001 suggested that O'Neill had been the subject of an "internal investigation" at the FBI. The report suggested that O'Neill was responsible for losing a briefcase with "highly classified information" in it, containing among other things "a description of every counterespionage and counterterrorism program in New York". The briefcase was recovered shortly after its disappearance. The FBI investigation was reported to have concluded that the suitcase had been snatched by local thieves involved in a series of hotel robberies, and that none of the documents had been removed or even touched.[1]
Several people came to O'Neill's defense, suggesting that he was the subject of a "smear campaign".[2] The Times reported that O'Neill was expected to retire in late August.
New job at the WTC
O'Neill started his new job at the World Trade Center in September 2001. (According to New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, "That Tuesday (9-11) was his first or second day on the job.") He was appointed by Kroll Associates, namely by the controversial managing director Jerome Hauer. In late August, he talked to his friend Chris Isham about the job. Jokingly, Isham said, “At least they’re not going to bomb it again”, a reference to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. O'Neill replied, “They’ll probably try to finish the job.” [1]
O'Neill's remains were recovered from the World Trade Center site on September 22, 2001 and identified by Jerome Hauer.[2] Richard Clarke would later recall that only "parts of" O'Neill had been recovered.[3]
FBI Agent John O'Neill Assassinated
A Seattle woman who was a close informant of former FBI agent and Al Qaeda hunter John O'Neill during the crucial months prior to the 9/11, said they both provided vital information in an attempt to stop the attack but were blocked by officials in the New York and Washington bureaus every step of the way.
The informant's earth shattering revelations and hard evidence, including names, dates, locations, motives and sordid dealings of known terrorists, may once and for end all speculation that the FBI overtly tried to thwart O'Neill's investigation, as well as even show authorities worked closely, assisting known terrorists in bringing about 9/11 as well as other previous terrorist attacks.
John O'Neill - Head Investigator Of The USS Cole Attack - Assassinated
End GameAlbright and Bodine Panic as O’Neill Investigation Points to Israel
Albright complains to upper echelons of the FBI about O'Neill.
Bodine wanted O'Neill to drop his bodyguards and he became suspicious of Mossad assassination. Bodine and Madeleine Albright finally went to the Zionist Jewish FBI Director, Louis Freeh, to remove John O'Neill from Yemen.Then January 2001 came, and O'Neill wanted to go back to Yemen. But, Ambassador Bodine wouldn't give him clearance. In July 2001, O’Neill resigned from the FBI.
John P. O'Neill had been not only a Deputy Director at the FBI, he had also been Osama bin Laden's main antagonist from within US law enforcement. O'Neill had investigated the bombings of the World Trade Center in 1993, a US base in Saudi Arabia in 1996, the US embassies in Nairobi and Dar-Es-Salaam in 1998, and the USS Cole last year. In short, John P. O'Neill had been the point man for the FBI on Al Qaeda. It is simply impossible to examine the FBI's role in pursuing terrorism prior to 9/11 without examining the work of John O'Neill in detail. However, John O'Neill will never testify before Congress. He had quit the agency just two weeks prior to the September 11 attacks to serve as Director of Security at the World Trade Towers, where he died in the attacks. But John O'Neill's story did not die with him.
French intelligence analysts Charles Brisard and Guillaume Dasquie claim to have met O'Neill several times last summer, and reported in their book, "bin Laden: Hidden Truth" that O'Neill had complained bitterly that the US State Department - and behind it the oil lobby who make up President Bush's entourage - blocked his attempts to prove bin Laden's guilt. They quote O'Neill as stating "The main obstacles to investigate Islamic terrorism were US oil corporate interests, and the role played by Saudi Arabia in it." They also charge that shortly after assuming office the Bush administration slowed down FBI investigations of Al Qaeda and terrorism in Afghanistan in order to do a deal with the Taliban for an oil pipeline across Afghanistan.
Boston FBI/Al Qaeda: The John O'Neil Story Untold
Come visit my blogger site and listen to the untold story about John O'Neil FBI Agent who was murdered in the WTC.
The facts are he was hired two days before, to head up security within the buildings.
John O’Neil was to receive nearly $300k a year to head up security for buildings which were for sale because they were causing NYC to go into Bankruptcy from the first WTC bombing in 1993.
Fact, Lloyds of London refused to insured the buildings anymore, so a company held by the Bush family held the insurance binder on the property which was being sold and transferred into the hands of a [ man by the] name [of] Silverman.
John O’Neil, was hired by a security company which was operated by a member of the Bush Family as well. The same member who insured the towers it!
Fact, John was still involved in investigating the trafficking of drugs by al-quadi cells into the US. Via Boston Airport.
One involved in this trafficking was the brother of Bin Laden right out of Boston's Airport which was alleged by some, to be one of the major reasons for his removal from the FBI..... and why was he removed huh? Bin Laden family members were removed by a special plane out of the US and delivered into the hands of the Saudi Royal Family, without question or investigation again why? They were in Boston area, why were they removed so quickly even after it was started that Bin Laden was involved in the WTC Attack? This goes without investigat[ion] and question.
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Overnight economic relief: Cut military spending
Where your income tax money really goes
Total Outlays (Federal Funds): $2,650 billion
MILITARY: 54% and $1,449 billion
NON-MILITARY: 46% and $1,210 billion
Global military spending hits $1.2 trillion -study
Global military spending rose 3.5 percent last year to $1.2 trillion as U.S. costs for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan mounted, a European research body said on Monday in an annual study.
The United States spent $529 billion on military operations in 2006 -- a rise of 5 percent over last year -- the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in its latest year book.
The U.S. government had appropriated $432 billion under the auspices of its "global war on terrorism" in September 2001 to June 2006, SIPRI said.
"Taking both immediate and long-term factors into account, the overall past and future costs until year 2016 to the USA for the war in Iraq have been estimated at $2,267 billion," it said.
World Military Spending
Of all the enemies to public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes … known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few.… No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.
— James Madison, Political Observations, 1795
This web page has the following sub-sections:
List of countries by military expenditures
Military budget of the United States
World Wide Military Expenditures
Politics of Greece
Military spending
Greece directs approximately 4.3% of its GDP to military expenditures, the 2nd highest percentage in Europe (behind Russia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia).[4] In absolute numbers the Greek military budget ranked 28th in the world in 2005. By the same measure, Greek military budget ranked 6th in the Mediterranean basin (behind France, Italy, Turkey, Israel and Spain) and 2nd (behind Turkey) in its immediate vicinity, the Balkans.[5] It must be noted that Greek arms purchasing is among the highest in the world: Greece ranked 3rd in the world in 2004.[6]
These figures are explained[7] in the light of the arms race between Greece and Turkey with key issues being the Cyprus dispute and disagreement over sovereignty of certain islets of the Aegean. For more information see Greco-Turkish relations. Reversly, the foreign relations of Greece as well as many internal policy decisions are largely affected by its arms purchases. The United States, being the major arms seller to Greece has been known to actively intervene in military spending decisions made by the Greek government.[8] The US has at times actively stepped in to help avoid large scale crisis, as in the case of the Imia-Kardak crisis.
The reduction of military spending has long been an issue in Greek politics. The incumbent prime minister, Kostas Karamanlis has proposed a reduction to military spending through a "Defence Eurozone",[9] referring to the European Security and Defence Policy. The previous PASOK administration, also planned on reducing military spending[10] prior to its failure to be re-elected in 2004, while PASOK politicians usually refer to money saved from reducing military spending as a "peace dividend" ("μέρισμα ειρήνης").[11] The parties of the Left, KKE and Synaspismos, have been vocal in condemning military spending. Regarding the purchase of 30 F-16 and 333 Leopard tanks in 2005, both parties criticized the New Democracy administration for spending money on weapons while doing nothing to relieve the lower classes and said that high military spending "does not correspond to the real needs of the country but is carried out according to NATO planning and to serve weapon manufacturers and the countries that host them".[12]
Military Spending and Economic Growth in Greece, Portugal and Spain
Greece and Turkey: the case study of an arms race from the Greek perspective
Country survey VII: Military spending in Greece
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