The Media Freedom Foundation

Why is the Federal Bureau of Investigation Encouraging Terrorist Activity?

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 01:24:26 +0000

The FBI has embarked on an unusual approach to ensure that the United States is secure from future terrorist attacks. The agency has developed a network of nearly 15,000 spies to infiltrate various Muslim communities in an attempt to uncover terrorist plots. However, these moles are actually assisting and encouraging people to commit crimes. Many such informants receive cash rewards of up to $100,000 for each case.

While the FBI is claiming that they have achieved great success in the war on terror, they appear to be manipulating and entrapping Muslim Americans by implicating them in crimes that they may not necessarily have pursued had they not been cajoled or coerced by the aggressive agents. The majority of the men who have been accused by the FBI of plotting terrorist crimes have limited resources and capabilities and little understanding of the Islamic religion. People in Islamic communities nationwide are also being racially profiled and targeted by the FBI. Some legal experts also contend that the FBI’s activities cultivating would-be terrorists constitute entrapment.

The FBI is fabricating acts of terror in what appears to be a scheme to impress the general public by supposedly bringing terrorists to justice. In doing so they are dedicating time and resources towards something that, in the end, isn’t necessarily making our country any safer. Americans have a right to know what is going on beneath the surface and behind the scenes of such operations.

Source:

Article Title: The Informants.” Mother Jones September-October 2011. Mother Jones
Author: Trevor Aaronson
URL: http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/08/fbi-terrorist-informants

Article Title: Fake Terror Plots, Paid Informants: The Tactics of FBI “Entrapment” Questioned
Author: Paul Harris
URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/16/fbi-entrapment-fake-terror-plots

Student Researcher: Mercedes Coppin, Florida Atlantic University

Faculty Advisor: James F. Tracy, Florida Atlantic UniversitySimilar Posts:

Wachovia Bank Laundered Money for Latin American Drug Cartels

admin — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 06:31:52 +0000

Between 2004 and 2007 Wachovia Bank handled funds totaling $378.4 billion for Mexican-currency-exchange houses acting on behalf of drug cartels. Wachovia conceded it didn’t do enough oversight in processing the $378.4 billion for Mexican-currency-exchange houses from 2004 to 2007. The transactions amount to the largest violation of the Bank Secrecy Act, an anti-money-laundering law, in U.S. history.

Between 2006 and 2010, over 22,000 people have been killed in drug-related battles that have raged mostly along the 2,000-mile (3,200-kilometer) Mexico-U.S. border. Illegal narcotics cost the U.S. economy $215 billion annually.

Martin Woods, who directed Wachovia’s anti-money-laundering unit in London from 2006 to 2009, left the bank after Wachovia executives disregarded documentation he produced showing drug dealers were channeling money through Wachovia’s branch network.

The case of Wachovia is not exceptional; it is just one of the U.S. and European banks that have been used by the drug cartels to launder money. Since the early 1990s, Latin American drug traffickers have gone to U.S. banks to launder their dirty cash, says Paul Campo, head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s financial crimes unit.

Sources:

Article Title: American Banks ‘High’ On Drug Money: How a Whistleblower Blew the Lid Off Wachovia-Drug Cartel Money Laundering Scheme, AlterNet, November 1, 2011.
Author: Clarence Walker
URL:http://www.alternet.org/story/151135/american_banks_’high’_on_drug_money:_how_a_whistleblower_blew_the_lid_off_wachovia-drug_cartel_money_laundering_scheme>.

Article Title: The Banksters Laundered Mexican Cartel Drug Money, Economic Populist, June 29, 2010.
Author: Robert Oak
URL: http://www.economicpopulist.org/content/banksters-laundered-mexican-cartel-drug-money.

Article Title: Banks Financing Mexico Gangs Admitted in Wells Fargo Deal, Bloomberg, June 29, 2010.
Author: Michael Smith
URL: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2010-06-29/banks-financing-mexico-s-drug-cartels-admitted-in-wells-fargo-s-u-s-deal.html>.

Student Researcher: Alysha Klein, Florida Atlantic University
Faculty Advisor: James F. Tracy, Florida Atlantic UniversitySimilar Posts:

NFL Ignores Iraq War Hero and Star Quarterback on Ten-Year Anniversary of September 11

admin — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 06:25:04 +0000

On Sunday, September 11 2011 NFL teams across the United States commemorated the 10^th anniversary of the New York and Washington DC terror attacks. Yet the name of former NFL player-turned-soldier Pat Tillman was only mentioned before the game at his home field in Arizona. The absence of Tillman’s name during memorial activities that swept the nation suggests a conscious effort to conceal his sacrifice and the suspicious circumstances surrounding his battlefield death.

Tillman was the only professional athlete to die in the Iraq-Afghanistan war theater since September 11th, 2001. He walked away from fame and a multi-millions dollar career to join the U.S. Army because of how 9/11 impacted him. On the day after the September 11^th attacks, Tillman remarked in an interview, “My great-grandfather was at Pearl Harbor and a lot of my family has gone and fought in wars, and I really haven’t done a damn thing.”

Twenty-two months after enlisting, Pat Tillman was dead. His memorial service was aired on national television. The Army awarded him a Silver Star for his “gallantry in action against an armed enemy.” Army officials claimed Tillmanʼs convoy was ambushed in Afghanistan. They said Tillman charged up a hill to protect his men but was struck down by Taliban forces. The NFL in turn created statues and commemoratives in his honor.

In fact, the Pentagon’s official story, and the one adopted by the NFL, was proven false. Tillman died in friendly fire, and the event was knowingly hidden from his family, his fans, and the broader public. It is also known that Tillman began to turn against the war before his death, telling fellow soldiers that the Iraq war was “illegal.” An avid reader, Tillman’s final months included evaluating the works of anti-war authors in an attempt to understand the conflict he was in and how he had become America’s most famous solider.

Source:

“Where was the Pat Tillman Story on NFL Sunday?” Edge of Sports, September 13, 2011
Author: Dave Zirin
URL: http://www.edgeofsports.com/2011-09-13-649/index.html

Student Researcher: Kirk Moncol, Florida Atlantic University
Faculty Advisor: James F. Tracy, Florida Atlantic University

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British Petroleum Returns to Drill in Gulf of Mexico

admin — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 06:14:29 +0000

The Obama Administration has granted authorization for British Petroleum (BP) to drill in the Gulf of Mexico despite the uncertain and incomplete clean up of the biggest oil spill in US history occurring in April 2010. Presently over 25,000 abandoned oil wells exist in the Gulf, some that have been there since the early 1940s. Temporarily and permanently abandoned wells cause a major concern for the environment because they release toxins, oil and greenhouse gases. Environmental organizations such as Oceana object to permission granted BP because of the potentially major environmental impact such wells possess. However, the government and oil companies have apparently been ignoring this issue for several years. Further, BP still has not finished paying cleanup workers who have exerted their time and energy in cleaning up the April 2010 spill.
Sources:

Article Title: BP Acquires Permission to Drill among 28,000 Abandoned Wells in the Gulf of Mexico: “Stage Two” of the BP Gulf of Mexico Environmental Disaster, Centre of Research on Globalization, Food Freedom.wordpress.com, October 24, 2011
Author: Rady Ananda
URL: http://foodfreedom.wordpress.com/2011/10/24/bp-28000-unmonitored-abandoned-wells-gulf/

Student Researcher: Camila Rocha Lima, Florida Atlantic University

Faculty Advisor: James F. Tracy, Florida Atlantic UniversitySimilar Posts:

Are Genetically Modified Chickens on the Dinner Table?

admin — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 06:09:10 +0000

British scientists have developed genetically altered chickens that reportedly do not transmit bird flu to other chickens. Yet these chickens may still contract the sickness themselves. Yet by tampering with the DNA of the chicken, the safety of its meat for human consumption is called into question. The scientific literature remains mute on whether GM chickens will appear on your dinner table — or if they already have.
To stop the spread of the virus, scientists spliced a gene into the chicken’s DNA that produces a “decoy” molecule mimicking a central element of the bird flu virus. The decoy obstructs duplication of the virus, thus curbing transmission. With the success of the first GM chicken, scientists are now considering modification of the rest of the food chain. Indeed, researchers have pondered the creation of an array of disease free, genetically modified animals. Still, many scientists harbor reservations toward such research. For example, Peter Bradnock of The British Poultry Council says that more research is needed to understand the long-term health impact of such practices. “We have to have a big debate as to whether society wants to have GM animals even for this very good potential benefit,” he told BBC News.

In fact, compelling scientific studies have already revealed the impact of human health from consuming generically modified organisms. Numerous studies, including an important paper published in the International Journal of Biological Sciences, have established the hazards of ingesting GM ingredients. The researchers discovered that the organs that typically react to chemical food poisoning were the first to face problems after research subjects ate GM foods. The researchers urged that GM foods not be openly available on supermarket shelves.

Sources:

Article Title: GM Chicken – Scientists Create Flu-Resistant Chickens That May End Up On Your Dinner Table,” NaturalNews.com, February 13, 2011
Author: Anthony Gucciard
URL: http://www.naturalnews.com/031310_GM_chicken_bird_flu.html

Article Title: GM Chickens Created That Could Prevent the Spread of Bird Flu, January 13, 2011, UK Guardian
Author: Alok Jha
URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/jan/13/gm-chickens-bird-flu-influenza

Article Title: Organic Chickens Are Genetically different from conventional chickens,” February 18, 2010, NaturalNews.com
Author: Ethan Huff
URL: http://www.naturalnews.com/028188_organic_chickens_genetics.html
Student Researcher: Lamise Mansur, Florida Atlantic University
Faculty Advisor: James F. Tracy, Florida Atlantic UniversitySimilar Posts:

Food and Drug Administration Comes Clean on Arsenic-laced Chickens

admin — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 06:03:31 +0000

For the past sixty years American consumers eating chicken have also been ingesting small amounts of a known cancer-causing agent. The Food and Drug Administration now admits that chicken meat sold in the United States contains arsenic. What is especially disturbing is that the arsenic is intentionally added to chicken feed. The FDA explains how its own research indicates arsenic added to the chicken feed ends up in the chicken meat consumed by humans. Prior to this new study, both the poultry industry and the FDA denied that arsenic given to chickens ended up in their meat, arguing that the arsenic in feed is excreted in the chicken feces. However, no science exists for making such a claim. Pfizer, the manufacturer of the drug added to chicken feed known as Roxarsone, is now pulling the product. Roxarsone is one of several such drugs on the market used in chicken feed that have been banned in the European Union.
Sources:

Article Title: “FDA finally admits chicken meat contains cancer-causing arsenic (but keep eating it, yo!),” June 9, 2011
Author: Mike Adams

URL: http://www.naturalnews.com/032659_arsenic_chicken.html

Article Title: FDA admits supermarket chickens test positive for arsenic,” June 8, 2011
Author: Tom Laskawy
URL: http://www.grist.org/food-safety/2011-06-08-fda-admits-supermarket-chickens-test-positive-for-arsenic

Article Title: Some Chicken May Have Small Amount of Arsenic
Author: Mary Clare Jalonick / Associated Press
URL: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=13793945#.TvFKP0qTZxU
Student Researcher: Lamise Mansur, Florida Atlantic University
Faculty Advisor: James F. Tracy, Florida Atlantic University

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U.S. Counter-Terrorism Policies Under Obama Are Intensifying Overseas Conflict

admin — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:56:27 +0000

The United States’ National Strategy for Counterterrorism (NSC) is intended to disrupt and defeat the Al Qaeda terrorist network and its affiliates. Yet this policy is likely increasing the incidence and severity of terrorist attacks on US forces abroad. The NSC is basically an outline for summary executions, which includes assassination of would-be terrorist via unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones. The NSC is presently operational in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya. Actions carried out under NSC have increasingly caused a majority of Pakistanis to regard US armed forces as a foe. Since implementation of the counterterrorism strategy there has been increases in suicide bombings, the number of those deemed US enemies by the US, and the broader threat of nuclear proliferation. Indeed, since the “counterterror surge” began, violence has increased by 51 percent in Afghanistan and by over 400 percent in Pakistan. Such increases have gone unreported in US news media as military officials publicly maintain the strategy constitutes a more “cost-effective” form of counterterrorism.

Source:

Article Title: Obama’s Secret Wars: How Our Shady Counter-Terrorism Policies are More Dangerous than Terrorism, AlterNet, July 11, 2011
Author: Fred Branfman

URL: http://www.alternet.org/world/151596/obama%27s_secret_wars%3A_how_our_shady_counter-terrorism_policies_are_more_dangerous_than_terrorism

Student Researcher: Jasmine Lang, Florida Atlantic University
Faculty Advisor: James F. Tracy, Florida Atlantic UniversitySimilar Posts:

Growing Research Points to Health Risks of Microwave Ovens

admin — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:49:55 +0000

The Microwave oven has been a common household item for more then 40 years now. Yet while microwaves reheat food, they also generate a host of known carcinogens. The ovens produce micro wavelength radiation at a rate of up to 2.45 GHz. This microwave radiation interacts with the molecules in food. The waves agitate the molecules to produce friction, which in turn heats the food. With this friction and heat comes the production of free radicals, or cells that can grow and spread into carcinogens. Several studies found that the microwave ovens risk out weight the convenience of fast reheating. Amino acids in natural products such as milk and raw vegetables convert their amino acids and alkaloids into carcinogens when molecular friction is present. Furthermore, the study showed a short-term decrease of Lymphocytes (white blood cells) following the intake of microwaved food. The FDA has yet to recognize studies that suggest microwave ovens change the nutritional make-up of food. Instead, the agency’s criteria only consider the heat-specific effects where directly bodily exposure to microwaves may result in burns or cataracts. A Nazi invention, the microwave oven is in the majority of households in the modern world, but corporate media seldom raise the question of whether consumers need them at all. Further, evidence is mounting that this common household appliance is not as safe as the manufactures would like for the public to believe.

Sources:

Article Title: Microwaved Water Kills Plant in Home Grown Experiment, April 2, 2011.

Author: Richard Stossel
URL: http://www.naturalnews.com/031929_microwaved_water_plants.html

Article Title: Why did Russia Ban an Appliance Found in 90% of American Homes? May 18, 2010
Author: Joseph Mercola
URL: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/05/18/microwave-hazards.aspx

Article Title: Microwaves Ovens: The Curse of Convenience, April 14, 2008
Author: Christopher Gussa

URL: http://www.naturalnews.com/023011_microwave_food_oven.html

Article Title: The Hazards of Microwave Ovens” http://www.health-science.com/microwave_hazards.html health-science.com

Article Title: Radiation-Emitting Products: Microwave Ovens, n.d.

Author: Food and Drug Administration
URL: http://www.fda.gov/Radiation-EmittingProducts/RadiationEmittingProductsandProcedures/HomeBusinessandEntertainment/ucm116385.htm#rb

Student Researcher: Todd Roller, Florida Atlantic University
Faculty Advisor: James F. Tracy, Florida Atlantic University

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Iraq and Afghanistan Wars Have Cost Americans $3.7 Trillion, $12,000 Per Person

admin — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:36:18 +0000

US War Costs Reach $3.7 Trillion
Iraq and Afghanistan Wars Have Cost Americans $3.7 Trillion, $12,000 Per Person

A study conducted by Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies found that over the past 10 years the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost United States taxpayers a total $2.3 to 2.7 trillion, with a final tally being at least $3.7 trillion, an average of $12,000 per American citizen. According to the study, titled, “Costs of War” (www.costsofwar.org) in 2011 the United States Congress has given $1.3 trillion to the Department of Defense for war spending. Projected costs do not include care for wounded US veterans and interest on the war debt. At the end of April 2011 average costs of the combined military occupations of Iraq and the Afghanistan amounted to $9.7 billion per month, a figure equivalent to the annual budget for the Environmental Protection Agency. Republican and Democratic lawmakers remain divided about cutting the military budget even as federal spending in almost every area far exceeds funds taken in by the government. Part of the confusion concerning military costs is related to the Pentagon’s inability to pinpoint specific war costs. Further, despite excessive military spending, the US how has a smaller set of armed forces that are inefficiently trained and poorly equipped.
Sources:
“Report: $3.7 Trillion for U.S. Wars, $12,000 Per Person,” Global Research, August 16, 2011
Author: Nancy A. Youssef
URL: http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=26039
“U.S. War Costs Reach At Least $3.7 Trillion and Counting”
Author: Reuters via Huffington Post
URL: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/29/us-war-costs-3-trillion_n_886879.html

Student Researcher: Joanne Marszal, Florida Atlantic University
Faculty Advisor: James F. Tracy, Florida Atlantic UniversitySimilar Posts:

Male Politicians’ Bodies Now Treated As Political Objects Too

admin — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 02:59:27 +0000

Male political candidates now find themselves in an uncomfortable place that their female counterparts always have been. In the 2012 presidential campaign, commentators have specifically targeted at least three male political leaders for their physical appearance. The most publicized to date have been candidates Chris Christy, Scott Brown, and Mitt Romney.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s weight made him a subject of criticism before he dropped out of the race. (Endorsing Romney, Christie may well return as a candidate himself in 2016.) Michael Kinsley, a columnist for the Bloomberg View, wrote that Christie could not become president because, “He is just too fat.” Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson suggested that Christ “eat a salad and take a walk.” Though specific male body parts are rarely subject to scrutiny in politics, critical commentators have focused on Mitt Romney’s immobile, “too perfect” hair.

Historically, men’s bodies have been off-limits, even as political commentators have subject female candidates’ bodies to painstaking critique. Few political women – liberal or conservative – escape the critical male gaze. In 2008, during her presidential run, Hilary Clinton’s hips, ankles, and even cleavage were an ongoing part of the political discussion. In this election cycle, Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachman have been treated as provocateurs and playthings. By contrast, past male politicians, including Presidents Richard Nixon and Hubert Humphrey have been allowed to cover their bodies. Others, such as John F. Kennedy, Jr. and Ronald Reagan, displayed fit, attractive bodies by participating in recreational sports and outdoor activities. In Scott Brown’s case, posing nude as a college student became a factor in his Senate campaign against Elizabeth Warren.

In covering political campaigns, the corporate media is insatiably hungry to find striking physical features to highlight, such as Romney’s hair, Christie’s waistline, or Bachman’s sex appeal. With pundits’ increasing scrutiny of male political candidates’ bodies, the meaning of “the body politic” is being reshaped.

Title: Male Bodies Now Treated As Political Objects Too

Author: Caryl Rivers

Publication: Womens Enews

Date: 8 November 2011

URL: http://www.womensenews.org/story/cultural-trendspopular-culture/111107/male-bodies-now-treated-political-objects-too

Faculty Evaluator: Susan Rahman, Santa Rosa Junior College

Student Researcher: Corrina Rivera, Santa Rosa Junior College

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