*General Myers took over CJCS because FF whistle blower was in air on 9/11

[Dig]

Who was the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff of the armed forces on 9/11?

General Henry Hugh Shelton was supposed to be.

But, he was conveniently on a plane.

During the events of September 11, 2001, Shelton was on a plane to London, England. Then-Vice Chairman Air Force General Richard Myers took charge and on October 1, 2001 became his successor.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Shelton
What was Myers in charge of until 9/11?

"...he acted for the Chairman in all aspects of the Planning, Programming and Budgeting System including participation in the Defense Resources Board."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Myers
Myers was responsible for the $2.3 Trillion which suddenly disappeared. Then he becomes the de facto Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff on 9/11 and takes over fully on 10/1/2001.

This reminds me of Colonel Fletcher Prouty's role in Oliver Stone's JFK

But in November, a week after the murder of Vietnamese President Diem...
...and two weeks before Kennedy's assassination...
...a strange thing happened to me.
[...]
I was sent by my superior, we'll call him "Y"...
...I was sent by General Y to the South Pole...
...as military escort for a group of international VIPs.
I was on my way back, in New Zealand...
...when the President was killed.
From JFK script by Oliver Stone http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/j/jfk-script-transcript-oliver-stone.html
And who is this General who was supposed to be the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on 9/11/2001?

AN EXCELLENT READ!


General Hugh Shelton's New Revelations, False-Flag Attacks, And What Sacrifice Entails
Another rational and honest voice has emerged. Thank God.
http://disquietreservations.blogspot.com/2010/10/general-hugh-sheltons-new-revelations.html
October 16, 2010

He is General Hugh Shelton. His book "Without Hesitation: The Odyssey of an American Warrior" sounds even more interesting than Lt. Col Anthony Shaffer's "Operation Dark Heart: Spycraft and Special Ops on the Frontlines of Afghanistan -- and the Path to Victory."

Shelton doesn't hold back. He says Donald Rumsfeld, one of the empire's demons set loose from Andrew Marshall's school, is an arrogant and selfish leader. John McCain has "a screw loose." And Al "The World is Falling" Gore, perhaps the biggest global warming alarmist, is a "supercilious grandstander." The man makes a lot of sense.

From Time Magazine's Mark Thompson article, "Top General: Rumsfeld Was Worst Leader Ever":

-- He was more concerned with marking his territory like a little bulldog than he was about getting down to the business of running the finest military force in the world.

-- And there was the McNamara-Rumsfeld model, based on deception, deceit, working political agendas, and trying to get the Joint Chiefs to support an action that might not be the right thing to do for the country but would work well for the President from a political standpoint.

-- It was the worst style of leadership I witnessed in thirty-eight years of service or have witnessed at the highest levels of the corporate world since then.
Shelton's remarks on Rumsfeld is the icing on the cake. The book's most explosive information springs from a conversation he had with a Clinton official when he served as the Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff during 1997 - 2001. Instead of summarizing what was said, it's better to read it in Shelton's own words. From Justin Elliott's article in Salon called "Clinton aide's idea: Let Iraq shoot down U.S. plane":

At one of my very first breakfasts, while Berger and Cohen were engaged in a sidebar discussion down at one end of the table and Tenet and Richardson were preoccupied in another, one of the Cabinet members present leaned over to me and said, “Hugh, I know I shouldn’t even be asking you this, but what we really need in order to go in and take out Saddam is a precipitous event — something that would make us look good in the eyes of the world. Could you have one of our U-2s fly low enough — and slow enough — so as to guarantee that Saddam could shoot it down?”

The hair on the back of my neck bristled, my teeth clenched, and my fists tightened. I was so mad I was about to explode. I looked across the table, thinking about the pilot in the U-2 and responded, “Of course we can ...” which prompted a big smile on the official’s face.

“You can?” was the excited reply.

“Why, of course we can,” I countered. “Just as soon as we get your ass qualified to fly it, I will have it flown just as low and slow as you want to go.”

The official reeled back and immediately the smile disappeared. “I knew I should not have asked that....”

“No, you should not have,” I strongly agreed, still shocked at the disrespect and sheer audacity of the question. “Remember, there is one of our great Americans flying that U-2, and you are asking me to intentionally send him or her to their death for an opportunity to kick Saddam. The last time I checked, we don’t operate like that here in America.”
It is incredibly refreshing to hear that Shelton refuted the official's request in such a forceful manner. But Shelton is wrong. Modern American leaders do operate deceptively against members of the military, and against the American people. FDR did it. Johnson did it. And Bush, Clinton, Bush II, and Obama have done it in the present era. Robert Stinnett wrote a great book called "Day Of Deceit: The Truth About FDR and Pearl Harbor" about how the FDR administration provoked, and allowed the Pearl Harbor Attack to happen, which resulted in the deaths of over 2,000 military officers, in order for America to look like the victim and enter World War II. You can read more about Stinnett's findings in an article I wrote last week called "October 7, 1940: The Day That Should Have Lived in Infamy."

Making up excuses for war is an American tradition. The 1964 Gulf of Tonkin was another incident that never happened as it was told to the American people, but allowed the empire to enter another bloody, and profitable war without great public opposition. In 1968 prominent Senators, including the father of the former Vice-President Al Gore, raised the possibility that the American people were deceived by the White House, and America's top military leaders to get into the Vietnam war. From Elisabeth Bumiller's article "Records Show Doubts on ’64 Vietnam Crisis" that was published in the New York Times on July 14, 2010:

“If this country has been misled, if this committee, this Congress, has been misled by pretext into a war in which thousands of young men have died, and many more thousands have been crippled for life, and out of which their country has lost prestige, moral position in the world, the consequences are very great,” Senator Albert Gore Sr. of Tennessee, the father of the future vice president, said in March 1968 in a closed session of the Foreign Relations Committee.
In our day, the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks was the empire's excuse to get into another bloody, and profitable war. This time, though, the stakes were raised, so the empire didn't provoke another nation to attack it like it did in 1941, or make up a story about a ship going under in the open seas like it did in 1964, instead, it went totally haywire and actually orchestrated the attacks from scratch, killing over 3,000 Americans with the intent to blame the attacks on innocent groups, and countries in the Middle East. Soon after, a war against global terrorism was declared, and we're told that it is a war that will last a hundred years. But we know better.

Shelton's short anecdote about a suggestion by a Clinton aide to provoke a war with Saddam is part of a much larger history of America's use of false-flag attacks, and staged provocations. The American empire depends on deception to get into wars because the American people are naturally good-hearted and hard working people who don't like the idea of oppressing other people, and destroying their dignity, pride and honor. If it wasn't for government brainwashing the American people would never support a criminal and aggressive war. But America's tyrannical and traitorous leaders are different. They don't mind criminality and dishonesty if it serves the diabolical interests connected to the empire, and the empire's geopolitical agenda.

A lack of strong, honest, wise, and humane leadership is the main problem that ails America today. It can't be stated enough that this is the age of treason. The U.S. government was seized by a pack of devilish traitors, and con men. Knowing exactly when that happened is not all that important. American Treason was a gradual process, it happened in stages.

America's current political leaders don't know anything about sacrifice. In the Bush administration the men who fled from duty during the Vietnam era were leading the men who served. Rumsfeld was leading Shelton. That is the tragedy in America. The civilian leaders suck. America's military has done everything it's been asked to do by the pigheaded and treasonous politicians and officials in Washington D.C., particularly in the White House. What have they received in return? Nothing. There is talk of reducing military benefits, while insurance companies are profiting off the blood of dead soldiers. The betrayal and war profiteering is so sickening.

We shouldn't lose sight of the fact that in the last forty plus years America's Presidents and Vice-Presidents avoided combat. Did Bush II serve in Vietnam? No. Clinton? No. Gore? No. Reagan? No. Cheney? No. Did Obama serve in the Gulf War? No.

I'm not saying that serving in the military should be a prerequisite to run for elective office, that is not a good idea, but it is telling that America's current criminal wars were started, and sponsored by chicken-hawks, men who never felt what it was like to kill, and see others be killed. I think that before you send men to war you should at least have a little taste of it beforehand because you won't be so quick to send them, like America's leaders have done in the past forty years.

I want to see a President or a Prime Minister with one arm and a broken heart rather than a President or Prime Minister with two arms and no heart. A country's highest leader should be someone who knows a lot about sacrifice, and what it means to serve one's country, not a privileged politician who can charm the people, and get votes.

Anyways, the important thing to understand is that Western leadership, especially leadership in America, has failed the people in a way that is still incomprehensible to many of us, including me. There needs to be a civilizational dialogue about how governments use false-flag attacks to start aggressive wars, and gain politically so that we can all understand how it works. After coming to terms with this reality we can then move on to create a more humane world; a world without state terrorism, state secrecy, and state propaganda.

So far in the War on Terror over 7,000 Americans have died, including soldiers and citizens if you count the Sept. 11 attacks that started it all, and 176 Canadians. If you add the losses suffered by Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, the number of people who have died for a lie is too many to excuse. There needs to be an immediate end to the war. Some of us can't sacrifice on the false battlefield, while the rest of us just sit at home, and watch television like it is the normal thing to do. We must end the fraudulent war on terrorism if we want to save our humanity, our planet, and our beloved countries. And if that means we must sacrifice in some form or another then I welcome that sacrifice. Change never comes easy.

Read what Senator Jim Webb said about the sacrifice that every soldier makes in a war:

This quote is taken from a speech that Sen. Webb gave in 2009 in support of preserving the American Civil War battlefields. Watch the speech.

"When you step forward to serve you're turning literally your life over to the judgment of your leaders, and to the loyalties that go back generations, in many cases, in your own families. And that is something that we need to understand, much more than even the politics that go into wars, and the inscription on the Confederate Memorial, I think, says that as clearly as anything that I have ever read anywhere. It says; "Not For Fame-Or-Reward-Not For Place-Or-For Rank-Not Lured By Ambition-Or-Goaded By Necessity-But In Simple Obedience To Duty As They Understood It-These Men Suffered All-Sacrificed All-Dared All-And Died." I don't think there's a better way to say it. So whatever the political feelings are that go into the study of any war, and in particular this one in our own country, this is a great place to come and to remember what that sort of sacrifice meant, and what that sort of duty entails. Thank you very much."


Posted by Truth Excavator at 9:22 PM

[Dig]

JIMD3100 has more bombshell information about another MISSING IN ACTION commander who claims to be in Puerto Rico when everything went down and missed the whole show...

Lt. General Mike Canavan was the FAA hijack Coordinator in 2001

"In early 1998, Canavan participated in reviewing a CIA plan to capture Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. He was then the commander of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), which oversees the military’s counterterrorism operations and covert missions. He objected to the plan, saying it was too complicated for the CIA and “out of their league.”
http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=mike_canavan

"Dec 2000
WASHINGTON-Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
Administrator Jane F. Garvey today named United States Army
Lt. Gen. Michael A. Canavan as the new associate administrator
for FAA's office of civil aviation security. Canavan is expected to
start in his new position Dec. 4."

"I am extremely pleased that Mike Canavan has accepted this
important position with the FAA," Garvey said. "His vast
experience in overseeing the defense of our nation will make him
a strong leader as we work with industry to ensure security for the
flying public."
http://www.ttgweb.com/cms/169.html

"Protocols in place on 9/11 state that if the FAA requests the military to go after an airplane, “the escort service will be requested by the FAA hijack coordinator by direct contact with the National Military Command Center (NMCC).”
http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=mike_canavan#a830faahijackcoordinator

"(2) Pursuant to reference j, the escort service will be requested by the FAA hijack coordinator by direct contact with the NMCC."
http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/cjcsd/cjcsi/3610_01a.pdf

Unfortunately.....

"However, the hijack coordinator, FAA Office of Civil Aviation Security Director Mike Canavan, is in Puerto Rico and claims to have missed out on “everything that transpired that day.” The 9/11 Commission fails to ask him if he had delegated that task to anyone else while he was gone."
http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=mike_canavan#a830faahijackcoordinator

Wow...I'd say "heckova job Brownie..I mean Canny".....

"Oct 2001
The agency announced last week that Michael A. Canavan--a retired three-star Army general--would be leaving by mutual agreement with FAA Administrator Jane Garvey after 10 months on the job.

"FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown declined to comment on the controversy. Canavan also has been unavailable for comment."

"Canavan came to the FAA last December after a 34-year career in the Army, much of it in Special Forces. He enlisted during the Vietnam War and saw combat in Southeast Asia and Grenada. He also took part in operations in northern Iraq, Bosnia and Liberia. He eventually reached the rank of lieutenant general."
http://articles.latimes.com/2001/oct/13/news/mn-56839

Here is what he had to say to the 9/11 Commission.....

"As I recall, the threat reporting during early to mid-2001 centered on U.S. targets abroad. In June and July 2001, the FAA was included in many interagency Counterterrorism Security Group meetings, held at the White House by the National Security Council (NSC) staff, regarding possible attacks in the Arabian Peninsula, Israel, and Europe. In early July, the NSC chaired a meeting at which the interagency was briefed about additional intelligence indicating that terrorist attacks seemed imminent; the Intelligence Community briefers emphasized attacks would likely take place overseas. While we all agreed that attacks within the U.S. would not be ruled out, there was no indication from the Intelligence Community that attacks focused specifically against airlines. Nonetheless, the entire CT community, including law enforcement and intelligence agencies, were placed on highest alert and we all sent out notifications for heightened security measures to be put in place immediately. The FAA sent out SD's and IC's to all interested parties."
http://www.globalsecurity.org/security/library/congress/9-11_commission/030523-canavan.htm

He Parrots Condi Rice.....

"But most of it was pointing all of it was pointing abroad, that there was going to be some kind of attack abroad." -- C Rice
http://www.scribd.com/doc/16571537/T3-B11-EOP-Produced-Documents-Vol-III-Fdr-8602-Terry-MoranABC-Interview-of-Rice-003

"In early July, the NSC chaired a meeting at which the interagency was briefed about additional intelligence indicating that terrorist attacks seemed imminent; the Intelligence Community briefers emphasized attacks would likely take place overseas."  --Lt Gen M Canavan FAA Hijack Coordinator
http://www.globalsecurity.org/security/library/congress/9-11_commission/030523-canavan.htm

However, when the Senate and Congress Joint Inquiry into the 9/11 attacks issued their report, they said......

"Finding: Beginning in 1998 and continuing into the summer of 2001, the Intelligence Community received a modest, but relatively steady, stream of intelligence reporting that indicated the possibility of terrorist attacks within the United States." -- U.S. Senate and Congress Joint Inquiry into 9/11 Attacks
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/serialset/creports/pdf/fullreport_errata.pdf

"Finding: From at least 1994, and continuing into the summer of 2001, the Intelligence Community received information indicating that terrorists were contemplating, among other means of attack, the use of aircraft as weapons." -- U.S. Senate and Congress Joint Inquiry into 9/11 Attacks
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/serialset/creports/pdf/fullreport_errata.pdf

"Community received reporting in May 2001 that Bin Ladin supporters were planning to infiltrate the United States to conduct terrorist operations and, in late summer 2001, that an al-Qa’ida associate was considering mounting terrorist attacks within the United States." --  U.S. Senate and Congress Joint Inquiry into 9/11 Attacks
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/serialset/creports/pdf/fullreport_errata.pdf

"The FBI and CIA were also aware that convicted terrorist Abdul Hakim Murad and several others had discussed the possibility of crashing an airplane into CIA Headquarters as part of “the Bojinka Plot” in the Philippines, discussed later in this report." --U.S. Senate and Congress Joint Inquiry into 9/11 Attacks
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/serialset/creports/pdf/fullreport_errata.pdf

"Community received reporting in May 2001 that Bin Ladin supporters were planning to infiltrate the United States to conduct terrorist operations and, in late summer 2001, that an al-Qa’ida associate was considering mounting terrorist attacks within the United States."--U.S. Senate and Congress Joint Inquiry into 9/11 Attacks
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/serialset/creports/pdf/fullreport_errata.pdf

Title of Aug 6 Memo Given to President Bush
"Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S."
http://slate.msn.com/?id=2066154

This is simply a coincidence....

WASHINGTON -- In what the government describes as a bizarre coincidence, one U.S. intelligence agency was planning an exercise last Sept. 11 in which an errant aircraft crashed into one of its buildings.

"Officials at the Chantilly, Va.-based National Reconnaissance Office had scheduled an exercise that morning in which a small corporate jet crashed into one of the four towers at the agency's headquarters building after experiencing a mechanical failure."
http://www.thememoryhole.org/911/cia-simulation.htm#ap

It was attempted to spin his departure in press reports as him fighting for the little guy against Gov Bureaucrats....yeah right....

[Michael Canavan]'s decision to quit came after he argued that marshals had been assigned to flights that presented more of a risk of hijacking than those Cabinet members were to fly. After reluctantly agreeing to shift the marshals, he changed his mind. He told FAA officials that if he were overruled, he would quit, sources say
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/access/84029564.html?dids=84029564:84029564&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Oct+11%2C+2001&author=Blake+Morrison+and+Alan+Levin&pub=USA+TODAY&desc=FAA+security+chief+quits+over+air+marshals'+assignment&pqatl=google

Frankly I don't think he did a good job at "ensureing security for the flying public."

"Two weeks before the Federal Aviation Administration announced his voluntary resignation, the FAA's security chief told colleagues in an e-mail that he had no intention of leaving the agency."

"The dichotomy has fueled suspicions within the FAA that Michael Canavan's resignation, effective at the end of this month, is not voluntary, as the agency maintained in a news release late last week."
http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=doc&p_docid=0F0546C10EB5FEF6&p_docnum=1&s_orderid=NB0109121804070823186&s_dlid=DL0109121804085223447&s_ecproduct=DOC&s_ecprodtype=&s_trackval=GooglePM&s_siteloc=&s_referrer=&s_username=jimd3100&s_accountid=AC0108050607131816821&s_upgradeable=no

Was he fired or what?

"Prior to ... [the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks], there were rumors that I would be moving on to another position in Washington," Mr. Canavan wrote in a Sept. 22 e-mail to security personnel. "I want you to know I have no plans to leave, and that I am fully committed to instilling the public's confidence back in our Civil Aviation System."

"Mr. Canavan could not be reached for comment Monday. FAA spokeswoman Diane Spitaliere said that she was unaware of the Sept. 22 e-mail and that the agency stood by a statement it issued last Friday."

"After helping the FAA work through changes in aviation security over the next few weeks, [Mr. Canavan] will be leaving the agency for other opportunities," the statement reads. It quotes FAA Administrator Jane Garvey as saying that Mr. Canavan's "extraordinary focus on the FAA's security team and his close ties to the military and intelligence community have greatly benefited the agency."

"In a news release issued last Thursday, the U.S. Department of Transportation, which oversees the FAA, said that Mr. Canavan and Ms. Garvey had "mutually agreed" that he would leave."
http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=doc&p_docid=0F0546C10EB5FEF6&p_docnum=1&s_orderid=NB0109121804070823186&s_dlid=DL0109121804085223447&s_ecproduct=DOC&s_ecprodtype=&s_trackval=GooglePM&s_siteloc=&s_referrer=&s_username=jimd3100&s_accountid=AC0108050607131816821&s_upgradeable=no


[Mr. Canavan] will be leaving the agency for other opportunities," the statement reads.
I hope he makes out OK, he must feel terrible about not being around to stop this attack.

Money! Money! Money!

"The military pumps more than $4 billion each year into local businesses,..... A Chronicle review of Defense Department spending in 2002 found more than 900 companies from Healdsburg to San Jose selling to the military."

"That doesn't even count money pouring into defense-related work through the new Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Energy, which funds the nation's nuclear weapons labs. Energy Department contracts for the entire Bay Area totaled $2.3 billion last year, while Homeland Security figures are not yet available."

"They're going to make millions of dollars rebuilding the very country we are blowing up," said Tim Kingston, who helped coordinate the protests."

"Many who work on defense contracts, however, take pride in the job. Mike Canavan oversees Bechtel counterterrorism programs at a base in Nevada. His people help test tunnel-buster bombs and develop new technologies -- still under wraps -- to thwart terrorists. Many of the programs' employees, Canavan included, spent time in the military before joining the firm."

"Everyone still wants to serve, to contribute, so the morale out here is pretty high," Canavan said.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/03/23/BU261967.DTL&type=business

Here's the registration form if you wanted your local police to be trained by Canavans Outfit....

Weapons of Mass Destruction Training Program
Sponsored by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office for Domestic Preparedness (ODP)
Delivered by Bechtel Nevada Counter Terrorism Operations Support (CTOS)
http://dma.mt.gov/des/Training/Email%20Course%20Registration.pdf

It gets pretty good funding, the program had already been in operation but funding skyrocketed after 9/11...

Christopher Cox, Chairman of Select Committee on Homeland Security:
"We have increased funding to assist responder terrorism prepardness by an astounding 2,000 percent since 2001. The Federal Government wide commitment has totaled over $28 billion since 2001."
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/19571772/HEARING-ON-THE-OFFICE-FOR-DOMESTIC-PREPAREDNESS-FIRST-RESPONDER-ASSISTANCE-PROGRAM--House-Congressional-Hearing-108th-C

Good news....Mr Canavan has done just fine........

Mike Canavan's Biography
Michael Canavan, Lieutenant General USA (ret), is Group President of the Information Systems Group (ISG), one of three Anteon strategic business units. ISG is a leading provider of innovative technology solutions primarily in support of Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security and U.S. intelligence community requirements. Previously, Canavan was the Group Senior Vice President, Homeland Security. Prior to joining Anteon, Canavan served as Bechtel Corporation's Assistant General Manager for Counter Terrorism. In 2001, he served as Associate Administrator for Civil Aviation Security at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), where he was responsible for the development and administration of policies, programs, standards and regulations of the U.S. civil aviation security worldwide. Canavan served in the U.S. Army for 34 years, retiring as a Lieutenant General. During his career, he served in a number of key positions, including: Chief of Staff, European Command; Commander, Special Operations Command, Europe; and Commander, Joint Special Operations Command. Canavan earned a bachelor's degree from Saint Martins College and is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College.
http://www.spoke.com/info/p6EOx1g/MikeCanavan

Mike Canavan
Title and Company:
Group President, Information Systems Group at General Dynamics Information Technology
http://www.spoke.com/info/p6EOx1g/MikeCanavan


"As a trusted systems integrator for more than 50 years, General Dynamics Information Technology provides information technology (IT), systems engineering, professional services and simulation and training to customers in the defense, intelligence, homeland security, federal civilian government and commercial sectors."

With approximately 16,000 professionals worldwide, the company manages large-scale, mission-critical IT programs delivering IT services and enterprise solutions.
http://www.gdit.com/about/aboutus.aspx

Mike Canavan's Job History:
Group President, Information Systems Group at Anteon International Corp Assistant General Manager for Counter Terrorism at Bechtel Group, Inc
http://www.spoke.com/info/p6EOx1g/MikeCanavan

It's called the Military Industrial Complex......

"Anteon also made an acquisition of its own in 2005, agreeing to pay $31.5 million for Milestone Group LLC, a privately held Arlington firm. Milestone receives most of its revenue from the Missile Defense Agency."

"Anteon International Corporation was a military subcontractor based in Virginia specializing in simulators and training of interrogators. Anteon also provided IT and computer support to the federal government, primarily in defense and high risk areas. In 2006 General Dynamics Network Systems, a division of General Dynamics, bought Anteon. As a result of the merger, the new company was renamed General Dynamics Information Technology."
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Anteon_International_Corporation#cite_note-0

"Milestone Group, a privately-held company headquartered in Arlington, VA, was founded in 1998. The majority of Milestone Group's revenue comes from work performed for the Missile Defense Agency, including enterprise-level program support at the Joint National Integration Center (JNIC) in Colorado Springs, CO. The remaining revenues are derived from a variety of customers including the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), the U.S. Army and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Milestone Group has more than 120 employees at their headquarters and six other locations around the United States, with almost 90% of employees holding security clearances."
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/post200/2006/ANTN/

"Anteon International Corporation, a leading information technology and systems engineering and integration company, announced today that it has appointed U.S. Army Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Michael A. Canavan as Group Senior Vice President for Homeland Security. Canavan will head Anteon's homeland security and counter terrorism programs, including intelligence data sharing, emergency first-responder communications and urban warfare training"

"Prior to joining Anteon, Canavan served as Bechtel Corporation's Assistant General Manager for Counter Terrorism. In this capacity, he was responsible for leading and managing all of the company's counter terrorism activities"
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-131667869.html

Anteon International Corporation
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Anteon_International_Corporation#Board_and_Personnel

Board of directors of Anteon International Corporation:

Gilbert F. Decker--- a Private Consultant to Boeing Corporation, Former Assistant Secretary for Research, Development and Acquisition, U.S. Army;
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Gilbert_F._Decker
 
Frederick J. Iseman---"serves as chairman and managing partner of a $2 billion private investment firm he founded in 1993. He also is director and chairman of Anteon International, a leading provider of information technology and advanced engineering services to the U.S. government"  
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Frederick_J._Iseman

Paul G. Kaminski-- "He served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology from October 3, 1994, to May 16, 1997. Prior to that, he served as Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering."

"He is a Director of, DynCorp, General Dynamics, and Pacific Sierra Research.  He is a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Technical Advisory Group, a member of the National Reconnaissance Office  Advisory Council, a member of the Procurement Roundtable, and a consultant to the Office of Secretary of Defense/Defense Science Board."

"He is a "senior partner in Global Technology Partners, LLC [since 1998] and Chairman/CEO of Technovation, Inc. Previously, he served in various government positions, including Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology, Director for Low Observables Technology (DoD), Chairman of the Defense Science Board, and a member of the Defense Policy Board."

"He served as Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology from 1994 to 1997. Prior to that position, he was a highly-decorated officer in the Air Force for 20 years, serving as Director for Low Observables Technology, directing the development and fielding of stealth systems, and as a special assistant to the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering."
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Paul_G._Kaminski

"He is also a Senior Partner in Global Technology Partners, an affiliate of Rothschild North America, providing advice on mergers, acquisitions and investments in technology, defense and aerospace-related companies."
http://www.baymicrosystems.com/about_us/board-of-directors/dr.-paul-g.-kaminski.php

Paul Miller (Admiral, USN (ret.)---"Miller was an aide to Les Aspin when he was Secretary of Defense under President Clinton. Miller is also President of the American League of Lobbyists."http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Paul_Miller

"The American League of Lobbyists describes itself as "the national professional association dedicated exclusively to lobbying."
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=American_League_of_Lobbyists

William J. Perry-- "Perry was the Secretary of Defense for the United States from 1994-1997. Previously he served as Deputy Secretary of Defense and Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering....and is chairman of Global Technology Partners."
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=William_J._Perry

Henry Hugh Shelton (General, USA (ret.))-- former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Would Mr Caravans associates be doing as well if he were able to stop the attacks from being successfull? After the collapse of the Soviet Union it was required that the Military Industrial Complex find an enemy in order to feed itself and it's gargantuan appetite. The 9/11 attacks and the War on Terror benefitted the Military Industrial Complex at a time it needed a benefit. A Peacefull world is not in it's best interest.

BTW, check out Kaminski's credentials just for shits and giggles...(WTF):

Paul G. Kaminski-- "He served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology from October 3, 1994, to May 16, 1997. Prior to that, he served as Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering."

"He is a Director of, DynCorp, General Dynamics, and Pacific Sierra Research.  He is a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Technical Advisory Group, a member of the National Reconnaissance Office  Advisory Council, a member of the Procurement Roundtable, and a consultant to the Office of Secretary of Defense/Defense Science Board."

"He is a "senior partner in Global Technology Partners, LLC [since 1998] and Chairman/CEO of Technovation, Inc. Previously, he served in various government positions, including Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology, Director for Low Observables Technology (DoD), Chairman of the Defense Science Board, and a member of the Defense Policy Board."

"He served as Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology from 1994 to 1997. Prior to that position, he was a highly-decorated officer in the Air Force for 20 years, serving as Director for Low Observables Technology, directing the development and fielding of stealth systems, and as a special assistant to the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering."
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Paul_G._Kaminski

"He is also a Senior Partner in Global Technology Partners, an affiliate of Rothschild North America, providing advice on mergers, acquisitions and investments in technology, defense and aerospace-related companies."
http://www.baymicrosystems.com/about_us/board-of-directors/dr.-paul-g.-kaminski.php


It is a big club, and you and I ain't in the big club.

[Dig]

More on Myers and Rumsfeld's actions on 9/11...


WeAreChangeLA confronts 9-11 Criminal General Richard Myers

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y3SeRpQejM
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbMPaPK7e1Y
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15QrS0vIpus


General Myers Testimony to Senate, 9/11/03
http://www.911truth.org/article.php?story=20040814220906511

GUILTY FOR 9-11: BUSH, RUMSFELD, MYERS
http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/11_20_01_911murder.html
by Illarion Bykov and Jared Israel
[Posted 14 November 2001]

Dedicated to the firemen of New York.

Andrews Air Force Base is a huge military installation just 10 miles from the Pentagon.

On 11 September there were two entire squadrons of combat-ready fighter jets at Andrews. Their job was to protect the skies over Washington D.C. They failed to do their job. Despite over one hour's advance warning of a terrorist attack in progress, not a single Andrews fighter tried to protect the city.

The FAA, NORAD and the military have cooperative procedures by which fighter jets automatically intercept commercial aircraft under emergency conditions. These procedures were not followed.

Air Force officials and others have tried to explain away the failures:

"Air Force Lt. Col. Vic Warzinski, another Pentagon spokesman, [said]: 'The Pentagon was simply not aware that this aircraft was coming our way, and I doubt prior to Tuesday's event, anyone would have expected anything like that here.'"
--'Newsday,' 23 September, 2001

Using information from the mass media and official Websites, we will show that this is lie.

Some of what happened on 9-11, such as planes flying into buildings, is unusual. But most of what happened, such as commercial jets flying off-course, transponder failures and possible hijackings, are common emergencies. We will show that these emergencies are routinely handled with expert efficiency based on clear rules.

The crash of the first hijacked jet into the World Trade Center made it clear the United States was faced with an extraordinary situation. This should have intensified the emergency responses of the air safety and defense systems.

The whole country was aware. For example, at 9:06 AM the NY Police broadcast:

" 'This was a terrorist attack. Notify the Pentagon.'"
--'Daily News' (New York) 12 September 2001 (1)

'American Forces Press Service' reported that ordinary people working at the Pentagon worried they could be next:

"'We were watching the World Trade Center on the television,' said a Navy officer. 'When the second plane deliberately dove into the tower, someone said, 'The World Trade Center is one of the most recognizable symbols of America. We're sitting in a close second.'"
--'DEFENSELINK News', Sept. 13, 2001 (2)

U.S. air safety and air defense emergency systems are activated in response to problems every day. On 9-11 they failed despite, not because of, the extreme nature of the emergency. This could only happen if individuals in high positions worked in a coordinated way to make them fail.

Such operatives would almost surely have failed if they tried to disrupt and abort routine protection systems without top-level support. The failure of the emergency systems would be noticed immediately. Moreover, given the catastrophic nature of the attacks, the highest military authorities would be alerted. Acting on their own, the operatives could expect that their orders would be countermanded and that they themselves would be arrested.

The sabotage of routine protective systems, controlled by strict hierarchies, would never have been contemplated let alone attempted absent the involvement of the supreme U.S. military command. This includes at least U.S. President George Bush, U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and the then-Acting Head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General Richard B. Myers.

In the following summary of evidence we will demonstrate probable cause for charging the above-named persons with treason for complicity in the murders of thousands of people whom they had sworn to protect.

The summary of evidence covers the following areas:

* Andrews Air Force Base and the myth of 'no available planes;'

* The air safety/air defense systems and the myth that they were not prepared;

* The actions of George Bush on 9-11 that clearly violated his positive legal and constitutional obligations and demonstrated consciousness of guilt;

* The testimony of General Richard B. Myers at Senate hearings on his nomination as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In these hearings, the contents of which were reported accurately by one lone journalist, General Myers attempted to cover up what had happened 9-11 when he was Acting Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. He offered three mutually contradictory cover stories and demonstrated consciousness of guilt;

* The cover story floated by CBS evening news, September 14th.
Until that time, officials reported that no planes had been 'scrambled' to intercept the hijacked planes. But following Gen. Myers disastrous Senate testimony, CBS broadcast an improved version of 9-11. In the new script, fighter jets from Otis and Langley Air Force Bases did try, but failed, to intercept the hijacked planes. This is now presented as the official NORAD story and has been repeated uncritically by media and government officials alike. We will demonstrate that this cover story is both weak and incriminating.

SECTION ONE: Why did no fighter jets 'scramble' to protect Washington D.C.?

LIE #1: 'NO COMBAT READY FIGHTERS WERE STATIONED NEAR THE PENTAGON'

As noted, Andrews Air Force base is 10 miles from the Pentagon. The media has mainly avoided talking about Andrews. An exception is 'USA Today,' the second-highest circulation newspaper in America. On one day it published two contradictory stories to explain the failure to scramble jets from Andrews prior to the Pentagon crash:

FIRST 'USA TODAY' STORY:

"Andrews Air Force Base, home to Air Force One, is only 15 miles [sic!] away from the Pentagon, but it had no fighters assigned to it. Defense officials won't say whether that has changed."
--'USA TODAY,' 17 September 2001 (3)

SECOND 'USA TODAY' STORY:

"The District of Columbia National Guard maintained fighter planes at Andrews Air Force Base, only about 15 miles [sic!] from the Pentagon, but those planes were not on alert and not deployed."
--'USA TODAY' September 17, 2001 (4)

Both stories are false.

Only one newspaper told the truth. That was the 'San Diego Union-Tribune':

"Air defense around Washington is provided mainly by fighter planes from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland near the District of Columbia border. The D.C. Air National Guard is also based there and equipped with F-16 fighter planes, a National Guard spokesman said.

"But the fighters took to the skies over Washington only after the devastating attack on the Pentagon..."
--'San Diego Union-Tribune' 12 September 2001. (5)

Andrews Air Force Base is a huge installation. It hosts two 'combat-ready' squadrons:

* the 121st Fighter Squadron (FS-121) of the 113th Fighter Wing (FW-113), equipped with F-16 fighters;

* the 321st Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA-321) of the 49th Marine Air Group, Detachment A (MAG-49 Det-A), equipped F/A-18 fighters.

These squadrons are served by hundreds of full-time personnel.

THE 121st FIGHTER SQUADRON, 113th FIGHTER WING

"as part of its dual mission, the 113th provides capable and ready response forces for the District of Columbia in the event of a natural disaster or civil emergency. Members also assist local and federal law enforcement agencies in combating drug trafficking in the District of Colombia. [They] are full partners with the active Air Force"
--DC Military (6)

THE 321st MARINE FIGHTER ATTACK SQUADRON (VMFA-321)

"In the best tradition of the Marine Corps, a 'few good men and women' support two combat-ready reserve units at Andrews AFB.

"Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 321, a Marine Corps Reserve squadron, flies the sophisticated F/A-18 Hornet. Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 49, Detachment A, provides maintenance and supply functions necessary to maintain a force in readiness. "
--DC Military (6)

So Andrews AFB had at least two 'combat-ready' squadrons.

The above quotes are from www.dcmilitary.com, a private Website authorized by the military to provide information for members of the armed forces. We discovered it 24 September. A month later we found that the address had been changed and the Andrews information posted in the smallest type size. Similarly, the official Andrews AFB Website has been 'down' since mid-September. Fortunately, it can be accessed by going to www.archive.org and entering www.andrews.af.mil .

On the Andrews main page, front and center there is a direct link to DC Military. The information on the Andrews Website confirms the information on DC military. We urge everyone to check these links and download the pages as soon as possible because they may be moved or removed yet again. For Andrews, go to www.archive.org and then enter www.andrews.af.mil

Our research has been carried out mainly by volunteers. Newspapers and TV news departments have full-time research staffs. The important media have bureaus in Washington DC, just a few miles from the Andrews airbase. Why haven't newspapers and TV news programs reported the truth: that Andrews job was to protect DC?

This failure is especially striking because some media did report that fighters scrambled from Andrews, but only after the Pentagon was hit. Thus they were aware that Andrews was supposed to defend D.C.:

For example:

" Within minutes of the attack American forces around the world were put on one of their highest states of alert - Defcon 3, just two notches short of all-out war - and F-16s from Andrews Air Force Base were in the air over Washington DC."
--'Sunday Telegraph,' (London), 16 September 2001 (7)

And:

"WASHINGTON - 'an audible gasp went up from the rear of the audience as a large black plume of smoke arose from the Pentagon. Terrorism suddenly was at the doorstep and clearly visible through the big glass windows overlooking the Potomac River. Overhead, fighter jets scrambled from Andrews Air Force Base and other installations and cross-crossed the skies'

"A thick plume of smoke was climbing out of the hollow center of the Pentagon. Everyone on the train understood what had happened moments before."
--'Denver Post,' 11 September 2001 (8 )

And:

"It was after the attack on the Pentagon that the Air Force then decided to scramble F-16s out of the DC National Guard Andrews Air Force Base to fly cover, a--a protective cover over Washington, DC."
--NBC Nightly News, (6:30 PM ET) 11 September 11 2001 (9)

The media should have demanded to know the truth about why fighter jets assigned to protect Washington didn't scramble an hour BEFORE the Pentagon was hit.

Besides fighters, tanker planes and AWACS were also readily available.(An AWACS is a flying communication center equipped with radar which can scan at least 250 miles. This is almost the full distance from the West-Virginia/Ohio/Kentucky border, where American Air Flight 77 turned around before flying back to DC.) Both General Myers and Vice President Cheney admit that these planes did not go into the air over Washington until after the Pentagon was hit.

Here is General Myers, testifying 13th September:

"When it became clear what the threat was, we did scramble fighter aircraft, AWACS, radar aircraft and tanker aircraft to begin to establish orbits in case other aircraft showed up in the FAA system that were hijacked."
--Gen. Richard B. Myers at Senate confirmation hearing 13 September 2001 (10)

And Richard Cheney on 'Meet the Press:

"VICE PRES. CHENEY: Well, the--I suppose the toughest decision was this question of whether or not we would intercept incoming commercial aircraft.

"MR. RUSSERT: And you decided?'

"VICE PRES. CHENEY: We decided to do it. We'd, in effect, put a flying combat air patrol up over the city; F-16s with an AWACS, which is an airborne radar system, and tanker support so they could stay up a long time." --NBC, 'Meet the Press' (10:00 AM ET) 16 September 2001 (11)

As we shall see, Mr. Cheney's statement that "the toughest decision was this question of whether or not we would intercept incoming commercial aircraft" is a lie. Publicly available FAA documents prove that fighter jets routinely intercept commercial aircraft under certain designated circumstances without requiring or asking for approval from the White House.

Summary of evidence is CONTINUED IN PART II

FOOTNOTES:

(1) 'Daily News' (New York), 12 September 2001, Wednesday,
NEWS SECTION; Pg. 24: 'THE TRAGIC TIMELINE The sad events of the day.'
the full text is available at:
http://emperors-clothes.com/9-11backups/dn912.htm

(2) 'DEFENSELINK News,' "It Was Business as Usual,
Then 'Boom'" By Jim Garamone, 'American Forces Press Service,' Sept. 13, 2001
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Sep2001/n09132001_200109132.html
Backup at:
http://emperors-clothes.com/9-11backups/def.htm

(3) 'USA TODAY,' 17 September 2001, Pg. 5A,
"Military now a presence on home front," by Andrea Stone.
Web version is at:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2001/09/16/military-home-front.htm
Backup at:
http:/.emperors-clothes.com/9-11backups/usa-1.htm

(4) 'USA TODAY,' September 17, 2001 Monday, FINAL EDITION, Pg. 5A,
"Shoot-down order issued on morning of chaos," by Jonathan Weisman, WASHINGTON
Web version is at:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2001/09/16/pentagon-timeline.htm
Backup at:
http://emperors-clothes.com/9-11backups/usa2.htm

(5) 'San Diego Union-Tribune,' 12 September 2001
Homepage at: http://www.signonsandiego.com
Article at: http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sandiego/main/document.html?
QDesc=&FMTS=FT&QVPID=&FrameName=&QCPP=&QIID=00000008
0620146&FMT=FT
Backup at:
http://emperors-clothes.com/9-11backups/sd.htm

(6) As of 14 November 2001, the active link is:
http://www.dcmilitary.com/baseguides/airforce/andrews/partnerunits.html
Backup at:
http://emperors-clothes.com/9-11backups/dcmil.htm

(7) 'Sunday Telegraph,' (London), 16 September 2001
Article at:
http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2001/09/16/
wcia16.xml
Backup at:
http://emperors-clothes.com/9-11backups/tel16.htm

(8 ) 'Denver Post,' 11 September 2001
To view this article on the Web, search for Article ID: 1075896 on:
http://www.denverpost.com
Or look at backup at:
http://emperors-clothes.com/9-11backups/dp11.htm

(9) 'NBC Nightly News,' "Attack on America," (6:30 PM ET) 11 September 11 2001,
"Tuesday President Bush returns to White House on Marine One,"
Anchor: Tom Brokaw, Jim Miklaszewski reporting.
See transcript at:
http://emperors-clothes.com/9-11backups/nbc911cover.htm

(10) Gen. Richard B. Myers at Senate confirmation hearing 13 September 2001
Full text at:
 http://emperors-clothes.com/9-11backups/mycon.htm
This particular quotation was also reprinted by many mainstream media sources.

(11) 'NBC, Meet the Press' (10:00 AM ET) Sunday 16 September 2001.
Full transcript at:
http://stacks.msnbc.com/news/629714.asp?cp1=1
Backup transcript at:
http://emperors-clothes.com/9-11backups/nbcmp.htm

[Dig]

MR. CHENEY'S COVER STORY
Part 2 of GUILTY FOR 9-11: BUSH, RUMSFELD, MYERS
http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/11_20_01_911murder_sect2.html
by Illarion Bykov and Jared Israel
From The Emperor's New Clothes, www.tenc.net
[From The Wilderness encourages you to visit the tenc web site and support this incredible reporting]
[Posted 20 November 2001]

Dedicated to the firemen of New York.

In Part 1, Section 1 we demonstrated that Andrews Air Force base, 10 miles from the Pentagon, had combat-ready fighter squadrons on September 11th. Why didn't jets scramble from Andrews until after the Pentagon was hit?

http://emperors-clothes.com/indict/indict-1.htm


LIE # 2: PRESIDENTIAL AUTHORIZATION WAS NEEDED TO SCRAMBLE JETS TO INTERCEPT FLIGHT 77

On Sunday, September 16th, Vice-President Richard Cheney was interviewed on NBC TV's 'MEET THE PRESS.' During that interview he made the claim that the military needed authorization from President George W. Bush before scrambling fighter jets to intercept American Airlines Flight 77.

Mr. Cheney did not present this lie in a straightforward manner. He did not say, "A commercial airliner can't be intercepted without presidential approval." Instead, he spoke as if the need for presidential authorization were a commonly accepted fact; and then, based on this false foundation, he emitted a fog of emotional misinformation to confuse the millions of Americans who had asked themselves: why didn't jet fighters intercept Flight 77 before it crashed into the Pentagon? Doesn't the U.S. have radar and an Air Force anymore?

It is common for officials attempting to cover-up a capital crime to put the blame on a subordinate. However Mr. Cheney used a different approach on 'MEET THE PRESS.' Relying on his skills in public deception, Cheney tried to create the impression that nothing improper had occurred. But as soon as one sees through his lies, one realizes Mr. Cheney has placed the responsibility for the failure to intercept on George W. Bush.

Here is the excerpt from 'MEET THE PRESS' where Richard Cheney puts forward his intercept lie:

MR. RUSSERT: "What's the most important decision you think he made during the course of the day?

VICE PRES. CHENEY: "Well, the--I suppose the toughest decision was this question of whether or not we would intercept incoming commercial aircraft."

MR. RUSSERT: "And you decided?"

VICE PRES. CHENEY: "We decided to do it. We'd, in effect, put a flying combat air patrol up over the city; F-16s with an AWACS, which is an airborne radar system, and tanker support so they could stay up a long time...

"It doesn't do any good to put up a combat air patrol if you don't give them instructions to act, if, in fact, they feel it's appropriate.

MR. RUSSERT: "So if the United States government became aware that a hijacked commercial airliner was destined for the White House or the Capitol, we would take the plane down?"

VICE PRES. CHENEY: "Yes. The president made the decision...that if the plane would not divert...as a last resort, our pilots were authorized to take them out. Now, people say, you know, that's a horrendous decision to make. Well, it is. You've got an airplane full of American citizens, civilians, captured by...terrorists, headed and are you going to, in fact, shoot it down, obviously, and kill all those Americans on board?

"...It's a presidential-level decision, and the president made, I think, exactly the right call in this case, to say, "I wished we'd had combat air patrol up over New York."
--NBC, 'Meet the Press' 16 September 2001 (1)

* * *

Note that Mr. Cheney has performed a sleight of hand here.

First he said, "the toughest decision was...whether we would intercept incoming commercial aircraft."

Later he said, "The president made the decision... that if the plane would not divert as a last resort, our pilots were authorized to take them out..." that is, "shoot it down."

But "intercept": and "shoot it down" do not mean the same thing.

"intercept

"intercept verb, transitive
intercepted, intercepting, intercepts

"1. a. To stop, deflect, or interrupt the progress or intended course of"
(From 'American Heritage Dictionary' --AHD)

"shoot-down

"shoot-down noun


"Destruction of a flying aircraft by a missile attack or gunfire."
(From 'American Heritage Dictionary' --AHD)

Mr. Cheney deliberately confused these terms to stop people from asking: why weren't the hijacked jets intercepted?

Since "stopping, deflecting, or interrupting the progress or intended course of" a hijacked airplane does not necessarily involve violence, there could be no moral obstacle to scrambling fighter jets to intercept Flight 77. Therefore Mr. Cheney shifted quickly to the morally charged question of whether to shoot down "an airplane full of American citizens". By creating this emotional link between interception (not necessarily violent) and shooting down a commercial jet (very violent), Cheney hoped to create sympathy for a President forced to make this "horrendous" choice: to intercept or not to intercept. By confusing the issues of "intercepting" vs. "shooting down" after the Pentagon was hit, Cheney was trying to get his listeners to forget that in fact nothing had been done before the Pentagon was hit.

Mr. Cheney attempted to smooth over the jump from "intercept" to "shoot down" by inserting the following connecting sentence:

"It doesn't do any good to put up a combat air patrol if you don't give them instructions to act, if, in fact, they feel it's appropriate."

This is disinformation. Mr. Cheney was treating his viewers like fools.

First, as anyone with a computer and basic knowledge of the Internet can find out, Air Traffic Controllers request military jets to intercept commercial aircraft on a routine basis. Sometimes the purpose is to tell a commercial pilot that his plane has gone off course; other times the interceptor goes up in order to observe the situation directly - for instance, to see who is flying the plane. None of this requires presidential approval.

Second, military interceptors (or 'escorts') already have clear "instructions to act." These instructions can be read online in detailed manuals from the FAA and the Department of Defense. The instructions cover everything from minor emergencies to hijackings. If a problem is serious, high-ranking military officers from the National Military Command Center in the Pentagon (NMCC) can take charge.

Let us consider the procedures used in intercepting commercial aircraft.

An Air Traffic Controller (ATC) may request military jets to intercept (or 'escort') a commercial aircraft in response to any serious problem which the Air Traffic Controller cannot solve through radio contact. Perhaps the most common problem is that a commercial jet has deviated from its authorized flight path.

Every commercial jet is required to follow IFR, or Instrument Flight Rules. IFR requires pilots to file a flight plan with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) before takeoff.
(FAA Order 7400.2E 14-1-2) (2)

"Commercial flights fly according to predefined flight plans. These flight plans are intended to provide quick routes that take advantage of favorable winds while avoiding the routes traveled by other aircraft. The usual flight plan is a series of three connected routes: a standard instrument departure (SID) route, an en route path, and a standard instrument arrival (STAR). Each route consists of a sequence of geographic points, or fixes, which, when connected, form a trajectory from the point of departure to the point of arrival."
--'Direct-To Requirements' by G. Dennis & E. Torlak (3)

If a plane deviates from its flight plan, or makes the wrong turn at one of its 'fixes,' an Air Traffic Controller (ATC) contacts the pilot. If the ATC cannot make contact, he or she will request an escort - that is, a military jet - to scramble and check out the situation. This is called 'interception.'

As you can see, interception is not necessarily an aggressive act. Usually it is requested because routine communication has become impossible.

For example, when the Lear jet chartered by Payne Stewart, the famous golf pro, went off course, and the pilot did not respond by radio, the FAA immediately contacted the military:

"Several Air Force and Air National Guard fighter jets, plus an AWACS radar control plane, helped the Federal Aviation Administration track the runaway Learjet and estimate when it would run out of fuel."
--'CNN,' 26 October 1999 (4)

The FAA online manual describes how an escort (i.e., a fighter jet) might communicate with a commercial airliner which fails to respond to radio contact. The FAA has a chart entitled:

"INTERCEPTING SIGNALS
"Signals initiated by intercepting aircraft and responses by intercepted aircraft."

According to the chart, which is available on-line, if a commercial jet is intercepted in daytime, the escort fighter jet may communicate by:

"...Rocking wings from a position slightly above and ahead of, and normally to the left of, the intercepted aircraft..."

This conveys the message, "You have been intercepted." The commercial jet should respond by rocking its wings, indicating it will comply.

The escort then makes a

"slow level turn, normally to the left, on to the desired heading [direction]."

The commercial jet is supposed to respond by following the escort.
(FAA 'AIM' 5-6-4) (5)

When a commercial jet deviates from its approved flight path, it creates a potentially deadly hazard: it could collide with another jet. It is therefore reassuring that the FAA has an exacting standard for what constitutes an emergency:

"Consider that an aircraft emergency exists ... when: ...There is unexpected loss of radar contact and radio communications with any ...aircraft."
--FAA Order 7110.65M 10-2-5 (6)

And:

"EMERGENCY DETERMINATIONS

"If ... you are in doubt that a situation constitutes an emergency or potential emergency, handle it as though it were an emergency."
--FAA Order 7110.65M 10-1-1-c (7)

A high-ranking FAA official - called an Air Defense Liaison Officer (ADLO) - is stationed in the headquarters of NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command. The purpose: to help the FAA and the military work together to handle emergencies as quickly as possible. (8 ) Escorts are usually scrambled from NORAD bases, such as the Otis Air Force Base on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, or the air base at Langley, Virginia. But not always:

"Normally, NORAD escort aircraft will take the required action. However, for the purpose of these procedures, the term "escort aircraft" applies to any military aircraft assigned to the escort mission. "
--FAA Order 7610.4J 7-1-2 (9)

Thus when Payne Stewart's Lear jet went off course:

"First, a fighter jet from Tyndall, Fla., was diverted from a routine training flight to check out the Learjet. Two F-16s from another Florida base then picked up the chase, later handing it over to two Air National Guard F-16s from Oklahoma, which handed it over to two F-16s from Fargo, North Dakota."
--'ABC News,' 25 October 1999 (10)

During a serious emergency, or if there is any possibility that a hijacking has occurred:

"The escort service will be requested by the FAA hijack coordinator by direct contact with the National Military Command Center (NMCC)."
--FAA Order 7610.4J 7-1-2 (9)

A Defense Department manual makes the same point:

"In the event of a hijacking, the NMCC will be notified by the most expeditious means by the FAA. The NMCC will, with the exception of immediate responses...forward requests for DOD [Department of Defense] assistance to the Secretary of Defense for approval."
--CJCSI 3610.01A, 1 June 2001 (11)

Located in the Pentagon, the NMCC can tap into radar stations and thus monitor dangerous emergencies and hijackings. For example, during the Payne Stewart incident:

"...officers on the Joint Chiefs were monitoring the Learjet on radar screens inside the Pentagon's National Military Command Center."
--'CNN,' 26 October 1999 (4)

When dealing with potentially hostile situations, escorts can adopt aggressive behavior:

"Small Private Plane Ordered to Land in Vicinity of Bush Ranch

"A small private plane flying unauthorized in the vicinity of President Bush's ranch near Crawford was ordered by the military to land Thursday, a sheriff's deputy said....

"The Federal Aviation Administration declared that the plane was unauthorized and ordered its occupants detained, Plemons said. At that point military officials, flying in two jets beside the plane, got on the pilot's radio frequency and ordered the Cessna to land...

"The plane landed on a private landing strip near State Highway 6, about eight miles from the Bush ranch near Crawford....

"In [a second incident, in] Wood County, Sheriff's senior Dispatcher Rodney Mize said a private plane was forced down by two military pilots in A-10 Warthog jets about 11:30 a.m. The jets flew one above and one below until the private plane's pilot landed at Wisener Field near Mineola."
--'AP,' 13 September 2001 (12)

The 'Boston Globe' reported that:

"[Marine Corps Major Mike] Snyder, the NORAD spokesman, said its fighters routinely intercept aircraft.

"When planes are intercepted, they typically are handled with a graduated response. The approaching fighter may rock its wingtips to attract the pilot's attention, or make a pass in front of the aircraft. Eventually, it can fire tracer rounds in the airplane's path, or, under certain circumstances, down it with a missile."
--'Boston Globe,' 15 September 2001 (13)

Now, let us return to Mr. Cheney and his interview on 'MEET THE PRESS.'

As you will recall, he said:

"It doesn't do any good to put up a combat air patrol if you don't give them instructions to act, if, in fact, they feel it's appropriate."

Mr. Cheney is attempting to misinform by pretending that intercept pilots need 'instructions' from the President, when he knows perfectly well that clear instructions and a whole organizational network exist to handle intercept emergencies.

Moreover, Mr. Cheney's implicit argument - that there is no point in sending up an escort unless the pilot has clearance to shoot down a commercial jet - is absurd. Why would such a decision have to be made in advance of scrambling the escort? Even if an airliner has been taken over by a terrorist with a suicide mission, how could Mr. Cheney, Mr. Bush or anyone else other than God Himself possibly predict how the hijacker would respond to an intercept by military jets? Even if a hijacker were ready to die for the glory of crashing into the Pentagon, does that mean he would also be ready to die for the glory of ignoring a military pilot's order to land?

So even if the military had no authority to shoot down Flight 77, why not send up escorts planes? Isn't that in fact how police and the military routinely handle hijack situations - by mobilizing a potentially overwhelming force in the hope of getting the hijacker to surrender?

Why, as Mr. Cheney claims, would there have been "no point" in trying this tactic in the case of Flight 77? Weren't many human lives at stake? Isn't that "a point"?

A DEFENSE THAT BACKFIRES

What about the rest of Mr. Cheney's remarks, his contention that only President Bush could authorize the military to actually shoot down a hijacked plane? In all probability this is true. But as we shall see in a later section, this comment, as well as other things Mr. Cheney said on 'MEET THE PRESS,' will prove damning to George W. Bush when he goes on trial for treason.

FOOTNOTES:

For a map of Washington showing the distance from Andrews Air Force base to the Pentagon go to:
http://emperors-clothes.com/indict/andrewsmap.htm

(1) 'NBC, Meet the Press' (10:00 AM ET) Sunday 16 September 2001.
Full transcript at:
http://stacks.msnbc.com/news/629714.asp?cp1=1
Backup transcript at:
http://emperors-clothes.com/9-11backups/nbcmp.htm

(2) Regarding rules governing IFR requirements, see FAA Order 7400.2E 'Procedures for Handling Airspace Matters,' Effective Date: December 7, 2000 (Includes Change 1, effective July 7, 2001), Chapter 14-1-2.
Full text posted at:
http://www.faa.gov/ATpubs/AIR/air1401.html#14-1-2

(3) For a clear and detailed description of flight plans, fixes, and Air Traffic Control, see: 'Direct-To Requirements' by Gregory Dennis and Emina Torlak at:
http://sdg.lcs.mit.edu/atc/D2Requirements.htm

(4) 'CNN,' 26 October 1999 "Pentagon never considered downing Stewart's Learjet," Web posted at: 8:27 p.m. EDT (0027 GMT)
Full text posted at:
http://www.cnn.com/US/9910/26/shootdown/
Backup at:
http://emperors-clothes.com/9-11backups/cnnlearjet.htm

(5) FAA 'Aeronautical Information Manual: Official Guide to Basic Flight Information and Air Traffic Control (ATC) Procedures,' (Includes Change 3 Effective: July 12, 2001) Chapter 5-6-4 "Interception Signals"
Full text posted at:
http://www.faa.gov/ATpubs/AIM/Chap5/aim0506.html#5-6-4

(6) FAA Order 7110.65M 'Air Traffic Control' (Includes Change 3 Effective: July 12, 2001), Chapter 10-2-5 "Emergency Situations"
Full text posted at:
http://www.faa.gov/ATpubs/ATC/Chp10/atc1002.html#10-2-5

(7) FAA Order 7110.65M 'Air Traffic Control' (Includes Change 3 Effective: July 12, 2001), Chapter 10-1-1 "Emergency Determinations"
Full text posted at:
http://www.faa.gov/ATpubs/ATC/Chp10/atc1001.html#
10-1-1

(8 ) FAA Order 7610.4J 'Special Military Operations' (Effective Date: November 3, 1998; Includes: Change 1, effective July 3, 2000; Change 2, effective July 12, 2001), Chapter 4, Section 5, "Air Defense Liaison Officers (ADLO's)"
Full text posted at:
http://www.faa.gov/ATpubs/MIL/Ch4/mil0405.html#
Section%205

(9) FAA Order 7610.4J 'Special Military Operations' (Effective Date: November 3, 1998; Includes: Change 1, effective July 3, 2000; Change 2, effective July 12, 2001), Chapter 7, Section 1-2, "Escort of Hijacked Aircraft: Requests for Service"
Full text posted at:
http://faa.gov/ATpubs/MIL/Ch7/mil0701.html#7-1-2

(10) 'ABCNews,' 25 October 1999 "Runaway Plane Crashes in S.D.; Golfer, at Least Four Others Killed," by Geraldine Sealey
Full text posted at:
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/
plane102599.html
Backup at:
http://emperors-clothes.com/9-11backups/abclearjet.htm

(11) 'Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Instruction 3610.01A,' 1 June 2001, "Aircraft Piracy (Hijacking) and Destruction of Derelict Airborne Objects," 4.Policy (page 1)
PDF available at:
http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/cjcsd/cjcsi/3610_01a.pdf
Backup at:
http://emperors-clothes.com/9-11backups/3610_01a.pdf

(12) 'The Associated Press State & Local Wire' 13 September 2001, Thursday, BC cycle, "Small private plane ordered to land in vicinity of Bush ranch"
Full text posted at:
http://emperors-clothes.com/9-11backups/bushranch.htm

(13) 'The Boston Globe,' Saturday 15 September 2001 Third Edition Page A1, "Facing Terror Attack's Aftermath: Otis Fighter Jets Scrambled Too Late to Halt The Attacks" by Glen Johnson.
Full text posted at:
http://emperors-clothes.com/9-11backups/bg915.htm

[Anti_Illuminati]

Unbelievably damning info.  Check this out:  http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-108shrg741/html/CHRG-108shrg741.htm

[Dig]

Unbelievably damning info.  Check this out:  http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-108shrg741/html/CHRG-108shrg741.htm

And how is this not accounted for? WTF was going on at HQ? Everybody left the room?

By then, FAA's Command Center had learned of the fourth hijacking and called FAA Headquarters, specifically asking that they contact the military at 9:36 a.m. And at 9:46 a.m., the FAA Command Center updated FAA Headquarters that United Flight 93 was ``twenty-nine minutes out of Washington, D.C.''

    Three minutes later, your document records this following conversation of the FAA Command Center to the Headquarters:

        Command Center: L``Uh, do we want to, uh, think about scrambling aircraft?''
        FAA Headquarters: ``Oh, God, I don't know.''
        Command Center: L``That's a decision somebody's going to have to make probably in the next 10 minutes.''
        FAA Headquarters: L``Uh, yeah, you know, everybody just left the room.''