Thursday, February 24, 2011

The United States of America Violates International Bioweapons Treaty

From the article by Janet C. Phelan in Salem-News:

...In the rush to pass protective legislation into law following the attacks of 911, the authors of the U.S. Patriot Act amended the previous legislation regarding biological weapons. Section 817 of the U.S. Patriot Act, otherwise known as the "Expansion of the Biological Weapons Statute," has violated the Biological Weapons Convention, an international treaty which the U.S. signed in 1974.

The Biological and Toxins Weapons Convention, also known as the BWC, was the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning the production of an entire category of weapons. It was largely considered to be a result of prolonged efforts by the international community to supplement the 1925 Geneva Protocol.

PICK YOUR POISON

The language of 817 closely mirrors that of the BWC, which bans the development, stockpiling and transport of biological weapons. The violation has occured in a final caveat, which nullifies the prohibitions contained in the BWC and prior U.S. bioweapons legislation.

After paragraphs of assurances as to the criminal penalties involved in violating Section 817, the U.S. government granted itself the freedom to violate any and all prohibitions contained in the section.

Here is the section of 817 where the violation takes place:

"(c) Whoever knowingly violates this section shall be fined as provided in this title, imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both, but the prohibition contained in this section shall not apply with respect to any duly authorized United States governmental activity."...

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Pentagon aide 'was killed by hitman' claims distraught widow

Daniel Bates reports for the Daily Mail:

Prominent Washington aide John Wheeler was assassinated by a hitman in a targeted killing, his widow has claimed.

Katherine Klyce said the way her late husband's body was dumped at a landfill site could only have been carried out by a professional.

The 66-year-old suggested his work with the Pentagon over his decades-long career could have made him enemies who wanted rid of him.

She also attacked the police investigation into his death and claimed it hard 'made her life miserable'.

Officers have confiscated personal items including credit cards and strange charges have been appearing on them in recent weeks including two flights worth $3,000, she said.

The body of Mr Wheeler, 66, a former Army officer who was instrumental in building the iconic Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall in Washington DC, was discovered on a landfill in Wilmington, Delaware, on New Year's Eve.

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Korean Bank Run Spreading: Eighth Bank Closes Following "Massive Withdrawals"

The quietest bank run that has so far completely evaded mainstream attention, that of Korea, is spreading, and an eighth bank has now shuttered after "Domin Bank, a savings bank with a capital adequacy ratio below 5 percent, voluntarily decided yesterday to suspend its operations temporarily because of massive withdrawals." As JoongAng reports: "The decision took both depositors and financial regulators by surprise since it was the first time that a local bank shut its doors on its own." Apparently the courageous decision by the Financial Services Chairman Kim Seok-dong to deposit $17,864 in a troubled bank has not done much if anything to prevent the locals from realizing that their banking system is built on a house of cards.