This requires no comment from me. pl
RSS- The battle for Ocheretyne
- Supreme Court oral arguments to be heard on April 25 about presidential immunity for official acts
- Nasa’s Voyager-1 sends usable data from deep space
- The Wondrous Oak
- Three Seas Summit: Vilnius 2024
- Tit for tat until it all goes boom
- Deadly H5N1 avian influenza strain detected on mainland Antarctica
- “BYD is launching its next-gen Blade EV battery soon with more range and even lower cost”
- Iran launches air attacks on Israel
- ISW on the developing Ukrainian defense industrial base and Russias strikes on the Ukrainian energy infrastructure
Reminds one of the old joke. A Jewish lady was explaining the High Holy Days to a gentile friend and she says, “And of course we blow the shofar at Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.” The gentile lady winces a bit, recovers and says, “Well, you people always are so generous with the help.” Some traditions are with us yet.
Sir,
Does the Pope send out any of these invitations in the name of the Catholic Church? To a “grateful nation”?
Well, I’ll sure as hell comment.
My first thought is a question: doesn’t this acknowlege that the Israeli “lobby interest organizations” (I don’t know what else to call these groups of people) thinks that we, i.e. the people of the United States through our armed forces, are carrying out some sort of service on their (Israels’) behalf?
Or is it just a common interest (what exactly do I have in common with them?). Oh yeah: to keep the “Huns” at bay. Or is it to keep the settlements safe? Or is it to keep Haifa safe from rocket attack (or Iranina a-bomb attack). Damn, this is so confusing!
I just hope the sacrifices alot of Americans are making in Iraq and Afghanistan are in the direct interest of my life here in the good ole’ USA. But what those interests are I haven’t quite figured out yet.
So, just which nation is grateful for the national security support? And do all the stars supposedly showing up at this event indicate advocacy for a particular religion or nation other than the one they have sworn to protect and defend?
There are much easier, less controversial venues for young, hard-charging troops and their senior leaders to get feted at a free feed. JayCees, Rotary Club, VFW, Elks, are a few that immediately come to my mind . . . .
I hope the menu and award are worth the loss of impartiality and apolitical devotion to service and nation. George C. Marshall must be rolling in his grave.
Is there a Muslim Institute for National Security Affairs? If not it might be time for some folks in Dearborn to start one. Nov. 2nd in D.C. would be a perfect date.
Sniff, sniff……I smell FARA violations. JINSA is an agent for a foreign government (Israel) just like AIPAC is. The only difference is that JINSA ‘exclusively targets’ the U.S. military community with their subterfuge. JINSA represents the interests of a foreign government, not the interests of the United States of America!
All, if the Congress is “cashing in” (awards, employment for family members, scholarships, etc), why not the soldiers?
Let us sell our nation and our future to the highest bidder, oops we already have.
Can you imagine a Muslim organization trying to give out awards?
Violations?
Who will enforce them?
I find it absurd and hubristic that an private institute like JINSA feels called to issue awards in the name of a grateful nation. How many members has JINSA? A four, five digit number? But they issue awards in the name of an entire, grateful, nation? Maybe their award even comes with a ribbon.
I’d always thought that to express the gratitude of a nation is the business of monarchs, presidents and parliaments – its (elected) representatives.
That aside, this is pretty obviously about JINSA using the armed forces as tapestry for their political events – as a visible demonstration of their influence. Strikingly, they apparently do so with the military’s full consent.
Are there counterintelligence issues with respect to JINSA and its activities with the US military, active and retired? Trips to Israel for selected officers and the like, etc.?
Clifford,
Yup! JINSA is being ‘handled’ by Israeli operatives in the backdrop. Israel has the most aggressive hostile intel ongoing collection activities against our U.S. even surpassing the Russians and Chinese. With friends like Israel, who needs enemies?
There are currently statutory and regulatory prohibitions and restrictions of the recipt of even non-monetary awards for those on active duty and the civil service. Doubtful that whomever provides ethics advice to SOCOM was allowed to conduct such review. Also note the language in part of Section 9 of Article I of the Constitution as follows:
“No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States; And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.” Perhaps the testing of this language by impeachment of the Officers who are recipients would be appropriate, or Courts Martial. Disclosure; I am a former Federal Ethics Official.
J
It would be interesting to tabulate all military officers active and retired who have benefitted from JINSA favors such as “familiarization” trips to Israel. One could then correlate this tabulation with the jobs said officers have held or do hold. One could also examine whether such officers were put on a fast track for promotion…
I had heard that the Israelis have hosted all manner of US law enforcement, down to the state level, for “familiarization” and “training” in Israel.
The point, I think, is to thank America for leading the religious wars of the 21st century. How gracious to accept that priority as its own highest military responsibility!
Clifford,
That is correct. Israel affiliated domestic operations by the U.S. AIPAC/ADL assist the State of Israel in such matters.
Those tasked with investigating Israeli espionage against the U.S. domestically, have a myriad of Israeli affiliated ‘snitches’ to wade through while trying to keep such investigations from being compromised by Israel’s eyes and ears operating on our U.S. soil.
Here’s good news for all you who decry JINSA’s influence: “Deck the Halls! JINSA says it’s in ‘jeopardy'” by Philip Weiss on July 20, 2009.
http://mondoweiss.net/2009/07/actually-i-believe-it-requires-a-silver-stake-at-midnight-on-the-full-moon.html.
The URL refers to what it will take to finish them off.
I don’t think the awards for junior servicemembers is such a big deal, even if they claim it is from a “Grateful Nation.” It’s blatant PR, so take it with a grain of salt.
However, it is unprecedented to give the Distinguished Service Award to Generals and Admirals. The Secretary of Army, Navy, Air Force got it once, but in 2001. There have only been 3 JCS who got it: 1988, Pace in 2005 and Mullen last year. It’s almost exclusively a civilian award: http://www.jinsa.org/node/721. Have they run out of stooges in congress?
I haven’t seen anything that says JINSA has hosted active duty military in Israel. Anybody?
WRC – aren’t you going a little over the top?
Also noteworthy is the list of recipients of JINSA’s 27th annual Henry M. Jackson Distinguished Service Award; who include the Chiefs of Staff of the U.S. Army and Air Force, the Chief of Naval Operations, and the Commandants of the Marine Corps and Coast Guard.
The late Senator Henry ‘Scoop’ Jackson was a notable pioneer in the art of the threat inflation, which lies at the root of the current security problems of the U.S. — as also of the U.K. Among past recipients of the award are some notable threat inflators: Cheney, Wolfowitz and Gates. We can only hope that the current recipients do not follow in their footsteps.
Don’t forget that Colin Powell ‘blamed’ the Iraq War Plans on JINSA.
One has to wonder just what ‘brew’ that JINSA is formenting for the Iran war push.
JINSA IS an agent for a foreign government just like AIPAC, and in some ways are even more dangerous as they have made ‘inroads’ into our U.S.’s National Security infrastructures.
IMO, JINSA should be ‘prohibited’ from any interaction with ALL personnel and infrastructures comprising the U.S. National Security make up! JINSA IS a ‘foreign agent’ who puts the interests of a foreign nation ‘ahead of’ those of our United States of America!
Norwegian Shooter! I have a grudge! After reporting to OGE when a civil servant that many flag ranks were on corporate boards of corporations like life insurers and lenders fleecing the enlisted ranks, nothing happened. Yet the Armed Services ethics operations continued to receive OGE commendations as the best programs in government year after year. Disclosure–I was FEMA ethics official for 5 last year of service and FEMA passed for the first time its OGE audit under my tutelge. Not with flying colors however since I disclosed fully and completely all the problems I was experiencing! The fact that this disclosure was required under OGE regs made little difference. Hey the line needs drawing somewhere and only when the field grades and flag ranks are brought to justice will it happen. Further disclosure rose from Private E-1 to 1LT in a glorious military career (being facetious) that saw no combat and served a total of 2 years, 10 months, 4 days and 7 hours, but who was counting. Read DAVID HACKWORTH’s books if you want to learn about real soldiering.
WRC,
You suggested a Court Martial for these Generals and Admirals, based on Art. I, Sect 9 of the Constitution. That’s way over the top!
Norwegian Shooter’s argument seems to be “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.” Given our history with a certain bunch of parasitic malcontents, mightn’t the opening of a courts martial inquiry into those “stars & boards” who continually pimp for more one-sided military involvement in the ME have a salubrious effect?
Norwegian Shooter,
‘Why’ do you think WRC’s suggestion of Court Martial is way over the top? Your ‘rationale’ regarding ‘why’ and ‘way over the top’ assertions now has me ‘curious’.
Hmmm….let me get out my UCMJ handbook and take a gander…..hmmm…..
Well,
1. Jason Vest, “The Men from JINSA” at:
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20020902/vest
2. JINSA advisory board –note military — at:
http://www.jinsa.org/category/1/5
3. Note roles of Steve Bryen and wife Shoshona Bryen in JINSA as founders and etc.
4. Then for background on Steve Bryen consult Mike Saba’s “Armageddon Network” book. For those SST readers in government, just review appropriate investigative files.
Colonel Lang,
I have cut and pasted below some information on a fellowship that NROTC 1/C Midshipmen may apply for. I believe that several Midshipmen are selected each year. I wonder how widespread this cultivation of future military officers is.
“The Anna Sobol Levy (ASL) Foundation provides fellowships of $10,000 per year for U.S. citizens who are college graduates to study at the prestigious Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Recipients of ASL fellowships participate in special activities including briefings and visits to Israeli military bases. Fellows may select from a wide variety of courses and are entitled to a private tutorial with a Hebrew University faculty member.
Many ASL Fellows have been new college graduates from ROTC programs or military colleges. Others have been civilian college graduates with backgrounds in international relations, political science, or similar fields.
The purpose of this fellowship is to provide future U.S. leaders considering military or government service an opportunity to learn first-hand about the unique relationship between the U.S. and Israel, to master regional politics, culture, and security affairs, and to study foreign languages.”
I particularly liked the part about the “private tutorial with a faculty member”. I guess it is just envy. I had to constantly come up with new scenarios on my own to meet targets.
Nightsticker
USMC 1965-1972
FBI 1972-1996
How does one spell counter-intelligence nightmare? Try AIPAC/JINSA, along with those Israelis on tourist visas in the U.S. masking their true intelligence functions posing as art students, movers, and mall vendors at malls near our U.S. military installations. It would be great if our political apparatus gave our counter-intelligence community just a little support in this endeavor, instead of trying to end the careers of those tasked with intercepting the counter-intelligence nightmare known as very hostile Israeli espionage apparatus operating on our U.S. soil.
NS
Life is short and the demands on me are great. pl
Nightsticker, Cliff,
Regarding JINSA’s Steve Bryen, see:
http://www.wrmea.com/archives/May_2004/0405020.html
Dr. Stephen Bryen and Colleagues
In April of 1979, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Robert Keuch recommended in writing that Bryen, then a staff member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, undergo a grand jury hearing to establish the basis for a prosecution for espionage. John Davitt, then chief of the Justice Department’s Internal Security Division, concurred.
The evidence was strong. Bryen had been overheard, in the Madison Hotel Coffee Shop, offering classified documents to an official of the Israeli Embassy in the presence of the director of AIPAC, the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee. It was later determined that the embassy official was Zvi Rafiah, the Mossad station chief in Washington. Bryen refused to be polygraphed by the FBI on the purpose and details of the meeting—whereas the person who’d witnessed it agreed to be polygraphed and passed the test.
The Bureau also had testimony from a second person, a staff member of the Foreign Relations Committee, that she had witnessed Bryen in his Senate office with Rafiah, discussing classified documents that were spread out on a table in front of an open safe in which the documents were supposed to be secured. Not long after this second witness came forward, Bryen’s fingerprints were found on classified documents he’d stated in writing to the FBI he’d never had in his possession…the ones he’d allegedly offered to Rafiah.
Nevertheless, following the refusal of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to grant access by Justice Department officials to files which were key to the investigation, Keuch’s recommendation for a grand jury hearing, and ultimately the investigation itself, were shut down. This decision, taken by Philip Heymann, chief of Justice’s Criminal Division, was a bitter disappointment to Davitt and to Joel Lisker, the lead investigator on the case, as expressed to this writer. A complicating factor in the outcome was that Heymann was a former schoolmate and fellow U.S. Supreme Court clerk of Bryen’s attorney, Nathan Lewin.
Bryen was asked to resign from his Foreign Relations Committee post shortly before the investigation was concluded in late 1979. For the following year and a half, he served as executive director of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA), and provided consulting services to AIPAC.
In April 1981, the FBI received an application by the Defense Department for a Top Secret security clearance for Dr. Bryen. Richard Perle, who had just been nominated as assistant secretary of defense for international security policy (ISP), was proposing Bryen as his deputy assistant secretary! Within six months, with Perle pushing hard, Bryen received both Top Secret-SCI (sensitive compartmented information) and Top Secret-”NATO/COSMIC” clearances.
Norwegian Shooter! Long established laws make US Armed Forces Officer ranks position of trust. No doubt about that one. Even 2nd Lts are technically Congressional approved. The UCMJ has undergone several revisions since I was most familiar with it but sometimes line drawing only occurs when limits are tested. How many flag ranks in US history have been court-martialed? Well we all know of one famous one. Billy Mitichell for claiming planes were effective weapons against shipping. A list would be interesting. And how many brought with no effect? Which brings me to the point of definition of “Cowardice”? My blog posts are my real name how about yours?
J
Thanks for the data. Mike Saba’s book lays out the story as he was the person who witnessed the Madison Hotel thing.
Here is s’more by Stephen Green who has some books out on this topic:
http://www.counterpunch.org/green02282004.html
Anent Bryen’s time at DTSA here is what it does:
http://www.defenselink.mil/policy/sections/policy_offices/dtsa/
On a (sort of) separate note, I recall a buddy of mine at DTSA when Bryen was there mumbling under his breath something about Loral Corporation…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loral_Corporation
The listing of General Officers ‘retired’ on JINSA’s board that Clifford provided:
http://www.jinsa.org/category/1/5
Makes one wonder how many of them were ‘active duty’ when JINSA initially contacted them, and how they may have been ‘taken advantage of’ at what point in their careers and what Classified projects they had access to/working on/in charge of? One has to wonder just how many so-called ‘innocent’ inquires were made of them regarding their work (past and present) in conversations with JINSA related persons? One has to wonder if any additional persons (AIPAC, Israeli embassy/consulates persons) besides JINSA that were brought into any meetings/conversations?
Many questions.
Clifford,
Aside from his work with JINSA, Bryen also worked for a string of defense and technology firms, including Aurora Defense, L-3 Network Security, and Loral Space System’s Government Security Committee.
NS,
U.S. National Security is no laughing matter, it is no game. U.S. National Security deals with life and death. To compromise our U.S. National Security which Israeli operatives actively work at (including their mall intelligence collectors), puts every U.S. citizen in potentially harms way. Israel’s track record of what they do with U.S. classified info is also no laughing matter, as most of it winds up in both the hands of the Russian and Chinese intelligence agencies either by Israel’s outright selling/exchanging of the info to the Russians and Chinese, or because of penetrations within the Israeli security apparatuses by a many’d assortment of various foreign state intelligence apparatuses. Picture ‘Swiss cheese’ when thinking of how Israel keeps U.S. secrets (both officially given and those stolen through Israel’s ongoing aggressive hostile espionage operations against our U.S. on U.S. soil).
NS
Are you sure that it is WRC that you are upset with? In any event, a repetition of personal attacks will bring exile.
BTW. There is no doubt that US commissioned military officers hold a constitutional office in regard to the provision on the constitution aginst foreign honors, but JINSA is not a foreign entuty. pl
NS,
Think what you will, it’s no sweat off my skin.
WRC,
How would we hold JINSA accountable for their attempted subversion of our military and retired military personnel on behalf of a foreign power, outside of forcing them to register themselves as agents of a foreign power under FARA, and then subsequently DOD forbidding active DOD personnel from any personal interaction with JINSA?
WRC
Why not the writ of mandamus?
NS
I am not a lawyer. Find one. Nevertheless I know that US military officers are not allowed to accept foreign honors except under conditions in which their service secretary gives specific permission. Having been required as a military attache to deal with the correspondence, I think I know about this.
what is your problem? you do not want to acknowledge that an officer’s commission is a constitutional office? pl
Nightsticker, Clifford, Colonel,
This one is not JINSA, but is however related to the ‘influence peddling’ that the Israeli government is exercising over U.S. law enforcement entities through their ‘friends’ both in U.S. government and in the private U.S. security sector.
DHS taxpayer funded trip to Israel:
http://www.homelandsecurityssi.com/ssi/content/view/95/97/
To show just how insidious such ‘indoctrinations’ are, here’s a well written article about SSI’s attempts to ‘indoctrinate’ U.S. law enforcement personnel ostensibly on behalf of the Israeli government.
“Where does the hatred come from?”
By Eli Clifton and Daniel Luban
This fall, U.S. law enforcement personnel will have their final chance to take advantage of a rare opportunity. Participants will travel to Israel to receive “homeland security training,” but the counterterrorism briefings and martial arts practice sessions are only one part of the package. The program also includes visits to Christian religious sites in the Holy Land — an aspect likely to be especially attractive to Christian Zionists — along with other sites such as the Knesset and the Israeli “security fence”.
The Israel program is run by Security Solutions International (SSI), a group that has attracted controversy due to its ties to Islamophobic propaganda groups — as well as its apparent view that indoctrinating first responders with alarmist information about Islam is an essential part of counterterrorism training.
Most striking of all, the SSI Israel trip is funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. DHS’s funding of this venture is a concrete illustration of the ways that Islamophobic fringe groups have exploited the “global war on terror” for their own purposes.
SSI advertises its DHS funding in its promotional material:
”The US Department of Homeland Security has given funding to the SSI trip – to the best of our knowledge the only trip to qualify by a private company. The program is approved for graduate and undergraduate college credits.
SSI’s Training in Israel has been attended by Police, Sheriffs, Emergency Management, Transportation, Fire, Joint Terrorism Task Forces, State Law Enforcement Agencies, Fortune 500 companies, DHS and many more. All of them say this training is the very best they have ever received.”
So what does this training involve? In addition to martial arts demonstrations (including “how to take down an armed suicide bomber”), meetings with Israeli security personnel, and a three-hour presentation on “suicide terror,” the itinerary also includes more tourist-oriented activities. Tourist excursions are both political (visits to the Knesset, the West Bank “security barrier,” and southern Israeli towns that have been the target of rocket attacks from Gaza), and religious (trips to Jerusalem’s Old City and to “some of Christianity’s holiest sites”).
While this DHS-funded trip might already seem a bit odd — especially the emphasis on Christian religious sites during what is ostensibly a counterterrorism training program — things take a turn towards the bizarre in the section of the website advertising SSI’s two day presentations on “The Islamic Jihadist Threat”.
“In a fascinating and insightful, packed two-day program, you are taken through the formative phases of the Islamic religion and will understand the different branches of Islam, understand how these were formed and on what ideology they are based. You are taken through a journey up to the present time, to really understand how extremism is organized in Radical Islam.
In addition, you will learn about Islamic Culture – knowledge that can help you build strong relationship with Islamic communities – most of whom can actually help detect radical threats:
– Where does the hatred come from?
– Arab naming conventions
– Jihad
– The Five Pillars of Islam
– Ramadan
– Domestic Terror groups
– International Terror groups
– Understanding the culture of Jihad
It’s hard to imagine how an introduction to Islam that begins with “where does the hatred come from?” could lead the audience to come away with anything but distrust and fear of Muslims.
Unsurprisingly, SSI has been criticized for the alarmist tenor of its “counterterrorism” training. It is not immediately obvious why the Appalachian State University campus security force, or the Yakima, WA police department — to take two representative names from SSI’s clients list — require a crash course in the fine points of jihadist ideology to do their jobs properly.
Critics have pointed out that the most likely effect of such training — particularly for law enforcement personnel who have never had significant contact with Muslims before — is to drum up hysteria, and increase the likelihood of a potentially tragic overreaction when they actually do encounter someone they presume to be Muslim.
As Arsalan Bukhari, president of the Washington state chapter of CAIR, told the Seattle Times: “Most police officers don’t have a basic grounding in Islam, so before you teach them about Islam, how can you teach them about radical Islam? It just makes you nervous because when a law-enforcement person pulls someone over, when they see a Muslim person or someone who appears Muslim to them — all this information they just learned kicks in.”
Given SSI’s ideology, readers may not be surprised to discover the Islamophobic company it keeps. SSI lists the Clarion Fund’s film Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West as a ”Patriot Partner”.
We have written extensively (here and here) about Obsession and its sequel, The Third Jihad, both of which propagate a fiercely Islamophobic message.
According to the SSI website, this fall’s Israel trip will be the last. Still, the religious emphasis of SSI’s trips, their propensity to view all of “Islamic Culture” through the prism of “where does the hatred come from?”, and their partnership with the “Obsession” project’s divisive anti-Muslim message, all raise serious questions about why this group has been receiving DHS funding in the first place.
Nightsticker, Clifford, Colonel,
An addendum to my post about the SSI Israeli trip, take a look at SSI’s corporate officers, one is a ‘dual flag’ national who holds both Israeli and U.S. citizenship. Look at ‘where’ he got his ‘startup’ for SSI, — while in Israel. Which begs the question, how much Israeli governmental ‘seed’ money is involved in SSI’s creation, and if any Israeli intelligence ‘handlers’ are at work in SSI’s backdrop.
http://www.homelandsecurityssi.com/ssi/content/view/15/188/
NS
What is it with you? I have been taught in every service school I ever atended from the “Officer Basic Course” to the “Army War College” that officers are what I said.
You are a harasser.
You are out. pl