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Reporting from Washington —

Republicans say Tuesday’s State of the Union address will be the first test of whether President Obama‘s post-election shift to a more centrist course is more than symbolic.

Tuesday’s State of the Union address will be the first test of whether President Obama’s post-election shift to a more centrist course is more than symbolic, Republicans said Sunday in the lead-up to his speech.

“We’re going to find out beginning next week how much of this he really means,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said in an interview on “Fox News Sunday.” “It is kind of a trust-but-verify moment. Let’s see if he’s really willing to do it, and if he is, I think he’ll find a lot of help among Republicans in Congress.”

After an electoral “shellacking” in November, Obama embraced a compromise that extended the Bush-era tax cuts, retooled his West Wing to include more moderate voices, such as his new chief of staff, William Daley, and made new overtures to the business community.

His polls have rebounded as well on the eve of his second State of the Union address, passing the 50% threshold in a series of major surveys.

Addressing supporters in a video message released Saturday night, Obama said his speech Tuesday would focus on creating jobs and American competitiveness, as well as the nation’s deficit challenges.

Though calling for some budget cuts, Obama also is expected to call for additional spending on infrastructure and education. That raised red flags among Republicans.

“This is not a time to be looking at pumping up government spending in very many areas,” McConnell said.

“When the president talks about competitiveness, sure, we want America to be competitive,” U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said on “Meet the Press.” “We want to cut and grow. When we hear invest from anyone in Washington, to me that means more spending.”

Cantor, leader of the new House Republican majority, said Republicans will press for serious spending cuts in response to the expected vote this spring on raising the nation’s debt limit.

Thursday, a group of conservative House Republicans and Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) unveiled a spending plan that would cut $2.5 trillion from the federal ledger. Republicans more broadly campaigned in 2010 on returning spending to 2008 levels, a proposal that will be debated this week in the House.

First, though, Republicans pushed forward a vote to repeal Obama’s healthcare-reform law. It passed the House on Wednesday, and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), also appearing on Fox, acknowledged that “it’s possible we’ll face that vote,” despite Democrats’ objections, if Republicans move it as an amendment.

If so, said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Democrats would respond by calling for votes on specific portions of the law that are popular.

“In the end, their repeal bill is going to be so full of holes it looks like Swiss cheese,” he said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

Sen. John McCain supported a repeal vote in the Senate, adding that there already was agreement with Democrats on ways to improve the law.

McCain, Obama’s rival in the 2008 election, also praised the president’s shift in tone.

“I think there’s common ground because I think the president realizes, as a result of the November elections, that the American people have a different set of priorities, and so we should seize that opportunity for the good of the country,” he said.

Calls for unity have manifested themselves in a move, largely initiated by Democrats, to break from the tradition of sitting along party lines during the speech. Durbin joked that when he sat with his new Republican colleague Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), “I’m bringing the popcorn. He’s bringing a Coke with two straws.”

“I don’t have a date,” Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) joked on ABC’s “This Week.”

“I’m available,” Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) responded.

McCain said he would sit with Democratic New Mexico Sen. Tom Udall and that he hoped the new arrangement would cut down on unnecessary interruptions that he said distracted from the speech.

But McConnell said the symbolism was overblown.

“The American people are more interested in actual accomplishments on a bipartisan basis in the next six to nine months than they are in the seating arrangements in the State of the Union,” he said.

Source: State of the Union a test of Obama’s centrist shift, GOP says – Los Angeles Times

Jack Kimball elected new GOP chair 222 to 199; Romney tops field in straw poll

January 22, 2011 Entertainment / News / other / Sports

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@Silas – Reagan was more of a uniter. He challenged all of us to be our best. Jack Kimball is no Ronald Reagan.

Besides, Reagan raised taxes. Funny how so many ignore that.
- Art, Portsmouth

@Biker Bill,
That was a very thoughtful and insightful answer, thank you…it makes sense.

Do you have any similar info on Robert Scott the Treasurer? This guy is so sleazy I had to was my ears out after listening to him kissing his own butt while trying to blame Fergus for the FEC violations…even he said FEC reporting was his responsibility.

We all knew he signed the FEC reports, are the Sununu’s just covering for him?

BTW, I think Fergus was the worst thing ever to happen to NHGOP but his guy is the definition of a__-clown, whatever that really means.
- Tom, Manch-Vegas

Bud Lauria of Washington Twp: the Tea Party may be America, but it sure ain’t Mitt Romney.
- bill_o, manchester

Tom in Manch-Vegas asked about Wayne MacDonald who keeps being the NHGOP Vice-Chair over and over. It’s because he knows where all the skeletons are. (Note to Looney Lefties: it’s just a figure of speech!)

I worked close to him on several campaigns. He is definitely NOT a Tea Partyer and not a social conservative at all. He is a reliable cog in the Party Machine and quite good at certain aspects. He is outstanding at remembering in his head the demographics of Dem and GOP voter turnouts long past and more recent in all districts of all types. He is uncanny at predicting who will win what races by what margins. He is good at keeping secrets on a need-to-know basis. He knows who pulls what strings where in the State, esp. on the GOP side. Such attributes are valuable at certain times to Party insiders.

On the negative side, he is rather stuffy and lacks charisma and initiative. He stays friends with everyone GOPish and rarely reveals where he stands on any issue (other than it is good to have an -R after your name). He rarely if ever takes sides in any conflict.

For better or worse I think he is seen as valuable in that Veep role because each new Chair knows he would never become a challenger to try for the Chair seat or run for office himself. He is a good loyal Republican who follows the prevailing GOP winds without complaining or getting too ambitious.

He earned that ViceChair seat through long hard work, and it is his best destiny.
- Biker Bill, Derry, NH

wow an old white guy, who saw that coming?
- tom, manchester

Allan-Rochester,
Pres. Obama’s quotes can’t compare to the rhetoric of Pres. Bush’s quotes.
I have to say Anna is right. The US went to war in Afghanistan to catch Bin Ladin and when they had the chance to get him at Tora Bora, they let him get away, because after calling Bush on the golf course he told them to hold back because Bin Ladin was having dinner with some sheiks that were important to us. So I guess 3,000 souls dead from 911 have to suck up to politics. Then we invaded Iraq because that’s really where Bush & Cheney wanted to be and they wanted Saddam and they got Saddam didn’t they? Because they wanted him.! They never really wanted Bin Ladin, I mean, after all, who was flying out of the country Bin Ladin’s family, during those 3 days when all planes were grounded. Why Bush and Cheney.
Before you dismiss my facts here, please check them out, because I am so sick of discussing real things with republicans that don’t even know out of 19 terrorists who attacked us on 911 that 15 of them were Saudi Arabians. Most republicans still think it was Iraq.
- Cecilia, Manchester

@Art

Its kinda funny but your “Numbers” don’t really work when you apply them to the Reagan years.

In fact whenever the party has moderated from its core, it lost.

You should probably be concerned.

Silas

PS @Fred Leonard: Didn’t miss you one iota at the meeting
- Silas de Goute, Manchester

Dear Allan from Rochester, yes I admit you’re correct and Obama did say what you said but I am also correct in what I stated. It happened, you know it, you said nothing and it was okay with you. It is not something the left wing says or made up, it is a fact!! I realize how hard it is for you and the right wing to admit to the truth of what you let happen and we’re 100% behind it then!
- Anna, Manchester

Here’s what I just don’t get about Saturday’s NHGOP election:

Kimball for Chair – I get it, I don’t like it, but I get it. I really hope he does better than what we all expect.

MacDonald for V. Chair – What’s up with that…he worked under for Semprini, Fergus, Sununu and now Kimball. Not a Tea Party Guy by any stretch, but I hear he is very conservative – he is like the sacred cow of the NHGOP.

Carson for Secretary – I get it…lone levelheaded conservative on what has been mostly RINO committee.

Robert Scott for Treasurer – You have got to be kidding me, he blamed the FEC violations on Fergus BUT HE IS THE ONE WHO SIGNED THE REPORTS. I listen to this pompous posers speech and for a guy who never shows up to meetings and makes his reports over the telephone he acts like clown shoes…he would have lost but his opponent was about the most clueless guy ever – I left that ballot blank.

Mitt Romney wins straw poll – I get this most of all. Tea Party and 912’rs split their votes amongst the loony fringe candidates and the RINO establishment voted for Romney.
- Tom, Manch-Vegas

When are we going to hear a firm rejection of Bush’s compassionate conservativism (aka neo-socialism) by the GOP?
- Jim, Manchester, Ward 9

Can anyone in the Republican party do math? I ask this because, well, let’s do some math and you’ll see:

Let’s assume that 30 percent of NH voters are Republicans. Let’s be generous even and say 40% are GOP.

Now let’s be generous again and say that fully half of those are conservative (ie ‘real’ republicans). That leaves us with 20% of the NH electorate.

Where are the other 31% of voters needed to win an election going to come from? Moderates? Democrats? Mathematically speaking a strong-conservative Republican doesn’t have a chance.

Y’all may love being ultra-conservative, but you are a small group and will be awful lonely in two years.
- Art, Portsmouth

With folks like this at the helm of their party, this state will thankfully go back to blue for sure! Keep going with the war and abortion/religious talk stuff and you’ll be sure to alienate any remaining independents from your camp. Thanks!
- Ed, Manchester (the 1st Ed Manchester)

Anna from Manchester, I thought it was just you but… apparentle there are some other left wing nut cases that think that way too. Is it just me or is BHOblama obeseesed with guns, he said “they bring a knife you bring a gun” or is obsessed with enemies “he said to a hispanic group ” you must fight your enemies, I guess anyone who beleives illegal aliens are illegal are their enemies. Nice try though. That last Oberman cliches huh!
- Allan, Rochester

What does a united Party mean? Does it mean accepting the doubling of the national debt from 4.5 trillion to 11 trillion during the Bush/Gregg/Sununu/Bradley/Bass years?

Unity is only worthwhile if it means real fiscal responsibility.

Independents know full well we can’t trust either Party based upon their past records.

Jack Kimball could be a breath of fresh air. But he better think very carefully about this Unity crap.

Too much “Unity” doubled the national debt and made the Republicans as untrustworthy as Democrats.
- Bob Jean, Northwood, NH 30261

Oh Anna from Manchester N.H. You are so right on.
- Carolyn Pillsbury, Meredith

‘We are at war’, Bring your guns to the statehouse, ‘Reload’ Yeehaw!!!! Bang bang, shoot em up!
Looks like NH is giving other redneck states a run for their money.
- Cecilia, Manchester

This independent is now one step closer to joining the Republican party, at last a real conservative party !?!?!? The next step is ACTUALLY reigning in spending – State and Fed..
- Jim, Manchester, Ward 9

Is it just me or are the republicans just thirsty for war?
‘We are at war”????????? Goes right along with Palin’s ‘Reload’ quote and the rest of the war mongering vitriole from the right. Now you can bring your guns to the state house?
Under Bush, they started two wars and spent trillions of dollars on which they fought like amateurs with their eyes closed.
None of the party batted an eye on the dollars spent for that. But give their own brothers and sisters here in this country health care and that’s a cause for war?
They really need to get their priorities straight. Seems to me they like killing and violence. Bunch of animals. God help this country!
- Anna, Manchester

This was a no-lose situation for the NH GOP. Juliana Bergeron has repeatedly proven herself to be one of the few true conservative Republicans in Cheshire County. She has done a good job for the party. Jack Kimball was willing to stand up and take stands that weren’t popular with the party leadership. He too has done a lot of good for the party. It didn’t matter who won. the Party won either way.
- Jason, Rindge

@JF – no, the Dems are far from pure. But there is a difference in degree of ownership and overall stated purpose. Unfortunately, with SCOTUS’ Citizens United decision, the small amount of independence remaining to the Dems is likely to disappear soon. It should have been called Citizens Defeated

@Jane – ‘Koch brothers had nothing to do with NH Tea Party’
… heheheh, good one. Even if you used nothing but the ‘Tea Party’ name, you’re piggy backing on the money and publicity of one of most ingenious marketing campaigns of our time. Your denial is a bit like the local burger franchise saying the national company had nothing to do with its existence.
- Erin Powers, Manchester

I’m just curious…which version of Mitt Romney won the straw poll?
- Ella, Seacoast, NH

The “advise letter” Fergus is giving Jack is not only full of have truths, it is basically revisionist history.

The pick-up of seats he claims as a result of his work was merely the first signs of people in local state rep elections realizing some real knuckleheads had been elected on the Democrat ticket in the previous election.

Fergus complained about not getting paid, come on Fergus you spent very little time in the office and when Eileen S called you out on it you fired her, thus causing you to completely screw-up the FEC filings and putting the state committee in a $150K hole. Plus, you would love to have folks think you put money into the committee – the real amount you donated to NHGOP $0. How much you have leached by using the title of “Former Chairman”…more than you ever put into the committee!

The only fundraising Fergus did was to pay nice commissions to his “consulting friends…Fergus, exactly how much did you pay the woman you hired for selling tickets? Like you needed a consultant to sell ticket to the likes of State Senators, Stretch Kennedy and the Patrone’s.

Fergus, you have already done enough to show Jack enough by example how to badly screw-up running the NHGOP, please now just go away. (Can you say STOPWATCH) The more you keep trying to re-write the past the more we will keep reminding you of it. (If you need a friend I hear Joel Maiola is looking for one – you should be a good match.)
- Tom, Manch-Vegas

Mitt Romney will run away with every debate with Obama. This time mitt will run against the politician not the myth. 2008was a fabrication. This time around reality will settle in. Obama will face a contender unlike McCain. Mitt will with sophistication expose the underbelly of the beast. America needs rescuing. Mitt doesn’t need money or power. This one’s for posterity.

As far as trying to explIn the tea party. Unless you’ve been to washinggtkn with beck this summer, you don’t know the Tea Party. The Tea Party is America!
- Bud lauria, Washington twp.

Don’t vote it only encourages them.
- Dan, Manchester

If anyone wants to read a car load of horse puckey, check out Fergey Cullen’s message to Jack Kimball on Red Hampshire. Here is a former State Chair who almost destroyed our State party under his so-called leadership dispensing his version of miasma on how to lose big time. This advice is coming from an individual who could not get elected to his County GOP committee. If Jack Kimball wants to succeed in his new position he should do exactly the opposite of what that confirmed loser Cullen has suggested. All Fergey is trying to do is suck up to the new chair to gain some sort of credibility. He is a phony.
- Richard L. Fortin, Manchester

Romney is absolutely committed to Federal government taking over health care. What Massachussets did was their own state health care laws. When Romney encouraged the MA legislature to help make sure that health care was available for each person at a reasonable cost, they went bananas and the Democratic controlled legislaure threw in a bunch of laws that should not have been on the bill and overrode Gov. Romney’s veto. Still, it is up to each state. Romney will fight with all his power against the Obama health care take over by the Federal Government. He is the only candidade with the business background to strenght out our financial mess. He is a strong conservative.
- Lee Moody, Enoch

As a Democrat I applaud this move. Nothing could be better than to have this guy on the other side.
- Art, Portsmouth

“a wholly owned subsidiary of international corporatism”.
- Erin Powers, Manchester

Well Erin, what do you call GE / MSNBC & CEO Jeff Immelt’s “special” relationship with the Obama regime?

Barry’s up to “stimulus” spending bill #3 by now – the new trick is not to call it “economic stimulus” when you blow the taxpayers money on your crony political supporters like labor unions, federal employee unions, teachers unions, GM, GE, and Goldman Sachs.
- JF, NH

We have already seen the way the Tea Party treats people that they disagree with.
Tom, Laconia
===============
Please share with us your examples of this Tom.
- Ron Remillard, Manchester

Earlier this month the Left / Democrats complained about the Tea Party / GOP “worshipping” and “clinging” to the Constitution.

And yet now, after the Tea Party victories in pushing out some of the Progressive-RINO GOP establishment, the Democrat-Bolsheviks and their RINO friends are back to claiming that the Tea Party / pro-Constitution movement are “anti-govt anarchists”.

Which is it? One can’t be a “Constitution clinger” yet be an “anarchists” who “hate” the Republic at the same time.
The establishment politico and the Progressive enemies of liberty are grasping for straws.

Historically, for the last 100 years, it has been the radical Left + Progressive authoritarians who have subverted the Constitution, incremental destroyed our natural rights, corrupted our system of govt, and enslaved our children into perpetual debt.

And yet, this is what the Progressives call “progress”? It seems more like destruction and the hallmarks of despotism. Today, under Obama our federal debt is now 94.7% of GDP.

Perhaps Obama should’ve just left up the Chinese flag flying over the nation’s capital and taken down our own. At least at that point he would be finally telling the American public the truth.
- JF, NH

I’m not exactly a Romney fan. When the Republican Party decides to run a real advocate of limited & constitutional govt at the national / presidential level beside the status quo, then I might be optimistic.
- JF, NH

I don’t get RINOs…it seems to me that you should work to change the the GOPs platform so it suits you better or either conform to the platform or just stay quiet…principles should neve be compromised and it’s why I find the comments coming from the more right members of the GOP to those less consevative members of the GOP interesting…you claim to want to purge the GOP of RINOs, but when Jack includes them at a high level within the NH GOP, you look the other way?
- Fred Leonard, Rochester, NH

Congratulations Jack! Great win! The real conservatives of New Hampshire are back! “LESS GOVERNMENT! LOWER TAXES! NO SOCIALISM!” The message is not hard to understand. Go Jack Go!!!
- Brian, Exeter

“Therefore, if you love fiscal conservatism, it’s time for you to grin-and-bear the New GOP themes or you can go with the irresponsible Democrats, or into 3rd Party obscurity. Your “Choice” it matters not to us.”

Oh, but it will, and only a fool would dismiss the impact of alienating your membership. As I look at the vote yesterday, it was quite close-not a landslide win by any means.

Be gone all leftists, socialists, communists, rhinos, moderate conservatives!

Only people to remain are the tea party members? Is that the grand plan?

Before you happily say bye bye to everyone that doesn’t fit your ultra right wing mold, you might want to do the math.

Good luck in your private little war.
- Kevin, Portsmouth

First you must remember the kerfuffle about Jack’s choosing to ask Binnie to help fundraise. I’d call that ‘party unity’. But remember, those folks do not influence policy and neither does the Chair endorse candidates. He is there to defend the platform. So Sununu’s warning was based on rumors that Jack would not be inclusive or that he would demand a ‘litmus test’, all untrue rumors reported in the press.

Chris, Jason, and Stu, not sure what it is you have all your panties in a twist over?

Erin, the KOCH brothers have NIL, NOTHING, NADA to do with NH Tea Party Coalition of which Jack’s group is a member. As one of the two original founders of the Coalition, I can tell you that the Koch Brothers do not figure into our group at all.

Chris your comment about Az shootings is over the top and wholly inappropriate.

Jack will bring honesty and integrity to the position and despite what you have read in the press, there will be no paid position and no litmus tests.
- Jane, Bedford

Wow….How cool is that? Jack Kimball is in!!! I was wrong….I pessimistically predicted Bergeron would become the next chair.
Now for all the caterwauling and sore sports to have their say…
- Rick Olson, Manchester

@Tim in Windham….

Yeah Heaven forbid that Ron Paul.. (you know the guy who actually votes ACCORDING to the Constitution) gets the nod for GOP nomination.

But we all know that won’t happen because the GOP likes WARFARE And WELFARE too much and Ron Paul is against both.

Good luck to the RINO GOP candidate in Nov 2012
- Paul, Manchester

How could that straw poll include names like Donald Trump and Herman Cain while omitting Bobby Jindal (an early Rush Limbaugh favorite for McCain’s VP choice in 2008) and Jeb Bush, the most conservative of the Bush brothers and governor of a huge, complex state? True, both have denied any presidential ambitions for 2012, but so has Chris Christie, and his name was there. Who came up with that list?
- bill_o, manchester

I doubt Buckley and Sullivan got much sleep last night now that Kimball won. The tea party movement is now for real, it will bring more money into the state from outside groups, it has energized anti-big government people from both parties and has given independents hope that htis country will start to figure out that we do not want big government, as a matter of fact we want very little of it. Right now so many people hate this big government with it’s big spending mantra, wasteful wars and pathetic priorities. The democrats had better figure out real quick that they are doomed in 2012 and that their silly attacks on republicans just make them look like spoiled little children. Kimball has a learning curve to adjust to, but now that he has won, he will cool his jets, and become a very calm spokesman for the republican party, a party that desperately needed the teapartiers to come along and join with them. Buckley and Sullivan, you guys are the problem not the solution. It is simply amazing that the democrats are so full of weak sheep to allow you two to continue to ruin a once great party that once represented the middle class, now all you talk about is gay marriage and money for transgendered operations. Sick party led by sick minded people.
- Bob smears, alton Bay

If you are a fiercely unhappy Republican because of Jack Kimball’s win, then you were never really a Republican at all.

For 30 years we pro-life social and fiscal conservatives have held up your “Big Tent” despite having to sit in the back, shut up, and fall prey to GOP leaders who gave us lip service but no true leadership or improvements.

Now, finally, you who claim to be Republican have a clue how we have felt all these years. Maybe you should have been kinder and more welcoming to us social and fiscal conservative Republicans all along, eh? You marginalized, ignored, or demonized us. You insisted the pro-life plank in the national and state GOP platform would be the end of the Party. Obviously you were woefully wrong.

Now of all the 2012 GOP presidential contenders almost all of them proclaim good-to-great pro-life credentials. Therefore, if you love fiscal conservatism, it’s time for you to grin-and-bear the New GOP themes or you can go with the irresponsible Democrats, or into 3rd Party obscurity. Your “Choice” it matters not to us.
- Biker Bill, Derry, NH

We have already seen the way the Tea Party treats people that they disagree with. Do you think that candidates for national office want to be seen on camera being shouted down by people? This vote will be seen as the start of NH losing its relevance in national elections. Some of the Democratic candidates may still show up, but the mainstream Republicans will stay far, far away. What will we be left with? Bachman and Palin. Wonderful …
- Tom, Laconia

To kevin sanderson, portsmouth

I have to respectfully disagree on a number of points for the following reasons.

For example, the first few actions by the new super majority in the Legislative Branch speakes volumes how the state is moving to the far right. i.e. Changing the rules to allow folks to “pack” in the State House. Wow… pretty crazy. That’s first on your agenda? Although an ardent NRA member and 2nd amemndment supporter, I believe there are certain “sacred” places where security should trump everything, including schools, transportation centers, and places of government operations. (Except for Law enforcement officers and authorized security officers.) But for the NHGOP to push this issue so early and vocally was, I believe, a horrible strategic and tactical PR move.

Hyperpartisans on either side scare me. While I believe we could debate GWB for days why he was not liked and respected, and was more a devisive individual. I’m not saying the Dems have not done the same in the past, alll that I’m saying is that history repeats it self when the rules of physics take hold: for every action, there is a reaction.

Finally, the election of conservatives like Stehpen, Lamontagne, etc. for the Chair would, in my opinion, done much less damage to the NHGOP had they run. I think the low turnout was the key problem that also skewed the results of the Straw Poll (Ron Paul 2nd? Wow!) If Paul were the top of GOP ticket for the presidietial primary, Barack O’Bama will be denitely re-elected.
- Tim, Winham

We are at war. Listen to the vitriol spewed with regards to someone who is aligned with the Founding Fathers as evidence.

It is a war of ideas, let us pray it remains so.

When two incompatible political parties can only agree when it comes to spending the Tax Payers money by buying off each other’s votes, they wage war on the Tax Payers and their posterity.

All too many of those aligned with each party (over)react to a choice of words they claim they would not use, until the silence of their hypocrisy deafens those observing them when one of their own does the same.

Political rhetoric and hyperbole has been worse, and we’ve been more divided. Just research some of the accusations made by the Founding Fathers and their opponents. A Vice President killed a many in a duel.

With ‘political correctness’ infecting our society, we’ve become unable to disagree on some points, agree on others, and build consensus where it makes sense and is constitutional.

The 1st Amendment wasn’t designed to protect ‘politically correct’ speech. Debate should be encouraged on the battlefield of ideas.
- Chas Martin, Merrimack

Taxed Enough Already. Can any of you libs dispute that? Mr. Fortin? I agree that the establishment has lost but the party has won. We want conservatives to win, Not “nice people who get along”. You leftist are wrong and need to be stopped, we are at war for our survival,to the pig that referenced Tucson, shame on you. Mr. Fortin what now, are you going to start calling us Conservatives little stinky poo stinky pants. What an immature little man.
- Allan R. Trombley, Rochester

Another reason for not voting Republican in the next election.
- dave, Manchester

Sad it just shows how week the Republican Party was in NH. The Republican Party last night gained more members than it lost. If you citizens now want to leave the party because you do not like Chairman Kimball it only shows you did not support the party anyway. Our founding fathers had a saying for that “Sunshine Patriots”. I have to believe the party would be better without you if you’re not serious and only cared about what was in it for you. Although I would love to see you come on over for the big win. Drop the PC crap about using words like war you sound so Nancy Pelosi. The only time the Republican party is successful is when it holds firm to its conservative principles, remember Ronald Regan.
- gary b, Raymond

Jack energizes the conservative base. Thank you Jack for running, and congratulations on your win. Thank you Gov. Sununu for your work at a time when we thought we were losing our state and our country, you gave us hope, that we could take our country back from the slide towards socialism. Everyone else, if you are disappointed, get involved otherwise stop your complaining.
- Rie, Nashua

Bob from concord,

Maybe you should move to the peoples commonwealth of socialist cities in massachusetts, or even maine, that way you could vote for fiscally socialist senators such as brown, collins, or snow. There is a civil war in the republican party, and the conservatives are winning, and appeasing rino’s don’t like it! My comment was more geared to liberals and lefties, and if you want to lump yourself in with them, that is your right.
If barry hussein came out tuesday and said his goals for the next year are a balanced budget amendment and a flat tax on all earnings (earned, unearned, corporate…) I can telll you that the right wouldn’t attack him the way the left attacked W even though he passed their agenda. If this last election taught us anything, it taught us that this mess was caused by spending too much not taxing too little, and the people know it no matter what the government-media complex tells us.
- kevin sandeeson, portsmouth

TO MR RICHARD L FORTIN REGARDING YOUR COMMENT

You’ve ben right so far! Oh Wait no you haven’t been actually I fully expect that trend to continue.

kind regards
- Joe Barton, Newmarket

This country has been under attack for a long time by the progressives in both parties. As Kevin Sanderson pointed out, GWB did not do us any favors with No Child Left Behind, Medicare Part D, and his attempt at amnesty. In fact, he spend more than any other president in the history of the country!

Now Obama has quadrupled GWB’s spending in just two years!

Before we were heading towards socialism at 35 mph, not it’s at 100 mph!

Jack Kimball understands this. I’ve talked to the man and he has stated that if we don’t make some serious spending and entitlement reductions that we will end up just like Greece.

Kimball is not one of the Progressives who about expanding gov’t. He will seek to make the NH GOP about strict, consitutional and limited gov’t.

This is a much welcome change that is long overdue.
- Brett Collopy, Farmington, NH

@Tim I was in the jurisdiction of Atlantic City during my agreement with Mr. Gaye; which is an alias. Furthermore I never expected Matt to have any integrity and full expected him to Welch. So with no intent on collecting regardless of jurisdiction, the point is moot.
- Joe Barton, Newmarket

You sulky little elitist amuse me. The establishment ruling party system is history. A movement of enlightened country folks has taken control of their state government and the republican party. The the elites are terrified they will have no power.
- Brian, Rochester

By Kevin Sanderson way of thinking, you either agree with his statement, or you are a leftist, liberal communist. Isn’t that kind of the definition of “hyperpartisan”? Seems a bit hypocritcal. I am not a supporter of Jack, and was a supporter of Bergeron. I guess that makes me a communist. Does this mean I’m also a flatlander and have to move to Massachusetts? Kevin, stand by your convictions like a man without all the name calling-it makes you look paranoid and ill informed.
- Bob, Concord

I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many hateful people in one comment section as I do here. HMM. Hateful and grouped together, wouldn’t that be a hate group. Warning to all you progressive hate groups, it’s TEA TIME.
- Noline, Keene

Everyone understands that liberals would be in here trashing whom ever was selected. From the tone and substance those who are part of bluehampshire are nervous of Kimball. They are attacking him on personal issues like his sign on rt 1and gross generalizations of conservatives instead of attacking on the values and visions he is bringing to the table. Liberals are always hyperpartisian and they are going to get what they deserve…. You liberals went after gwb at every chance because you were too blinded by the R to realize he is a progressive and more fiscal socialist than conservative (ie- no child left behind, medicare part d, his attempt at amnesty). Now you lefties are scared of the new conservatives that you all helped create, it is going to be a great day in NH and the USA when all these leftists start longing for the days of W now that this country is barreling away from the center to the far right! You have no one to blame but yourselves..moveon.org, code pink and the rest of them….THANK YOU for exposing the communist left!
- kevin sanderson, portsmouth

This is great news for “blue collar republicans” , you know the ones who guys like Sununu, Cullen et al look down their nose at.
- Mike Bodruk, Manchester

Jack’s war-mongering statements in damning the Democrats, when the GOP is in charge in NH, is as over-the-top as the Dem’s Ray Buckley. The pair will make for great entertainment but little leadership.

The battle ain’t with the Dems, Jack.

Count GOP heads in the house, senate and council. The GOP is in charge. And that reality must be frightening to our third party, NH independents, who created this change in power.

Embarrassing for the granite state as we begin to host the next presidential campaign, Jumpin’ Jack’s rhetoric signals a tidal change that will sweep the republican majority into deserved obscurity. Govern from the middle, remember?

Well, our NH GOP can’t even find middle ground given its factions of social and religious fanatics. Try a little centrist-building, Jack.

Pssst, Jack: It’s about the economy, Stupid!

22 months and counting…
- War with Ourselves, New Hampshire

i’m envisioning some of the GOP’s sheeple carpooling to Walmart for ammo as they await their assignments.

Recently, Biker Bill was screaming that our government needs to expand Route 93. That will take tax money. Is he applauding the right guy?
- Chris K, Strafford

Democrats seize on a Kimball remark with a war analogy, and one contemptible one links him to the Tucson massacre. To protect your own government jobs, you are eager to vilify him as you vilified Bush for years–because you have not won a policy argument on its merits then or since.

Carolyn Pillsbury, you are going to switch parties over the incident involving Ward Bird (and what “pack of bullys”)? As discussed last week, you are manufacturing an instant conversion to give your post fake importance.
- Spike, Brentwood NH

Not a dime from me Mr. Barton. Since the Tea Party Whackos and the 9/12 Goose steppers have refused to honor the reasons why they were eleceted, I’ll welch on my bet too. Its only fair! But I am going to sit back and watch the train wreck and offer plenty of “told you so’s” every time Kimball opens mouth & inserts foot, which should be on a weekly basis by my latest calculations!
- Matt Gaye, Dover

This is GREAT NEWS!!! . . . for Democrats.
- Dom, Weare

Mr. Barton, Newmarket

Gambling is illegal, unless adjudicated by the State. Perhaps we can infer that the new leadership in the Legislative Branch, coupled with the fact that anti=government idealogues have taken over the NHGOP who support eliminating all regulatory entities and oversight, is NH goiing to become a free for all for organized crime?
- Tim, Windham

MATT GAYE you owe me 1000$ when can I collect?

Niel Young, the other 50 were jack supporters but we were so confident we told them to just stay home cuz we got this.
- Joseph Barton, Newmarket, NH

Dear Union Leader Editor:

So please tell us how Judd Gregg fared in the NHGOP meeting straw poll.

The Politico report on it did not even mention Gregg’s count total, yet your UL coverage of the straw poll carried his photograph yesterday as if he was some sort of leading contender.

I betcha Judas Gregg got 1 vote — his own! He can lead the RINO waddle parade right out the door into obscurity.

I hereby apologize that twice I worked like crazy to send that Judas Gregg to Washington.

Congrats to Jack, and thanks to Juliana for trying too. A tip of the hat to Gordon Humphrey for endorsing Jack.
- Biker Bill, Derry NH

The Republican insiders got what they deserved, they were dilluded into believing that their supporters would be there automatically and no real effort at numbers counting was made. The outsiders did their homework they made sure that they had the numbers they needed to win and they did, and to the victors go the spoils. I did not support Jack Kimball for that position and he will have a real hard time keeping the party united which does not bode well for the Republicans in two years, there will be a lot of hand sitting do the glee of the Democrats and they will take advantage of this discord. Mark my word fund raising will be difficult and even if Binnie and Bender take on the job as Finance Co Chairs, the two of them do not have the clout that one John H. Sununu had.
The Democrats will take advantage of the internal disagreement and will re-gain at least 50 seats in the House and maybe 3 in the Senate. With the false starts on the part of the Speaker and his lil-boy DJ, their lack of experience will lead to more confusion and muddled decisions. Their using their majority as a hammer to take revenge and they will be further distracted from their promises of budget cutting and increase in jobs. I hope I am wrong but Jack Kimball will wind up doing to the party what Fergey Cullen did when he was GOP chair. And we all know the lousy job he did and the massacred that resulted.
- Richard L. Fortin, Manchester

Jack Kimball is a Tea Partier but wants a litmus test put on candidates regarding abortion? I thought that the Tea Pary’s focus was on fiscal issues and we were libertarian on social issues. What’s going on here Jack?
- Bill, Manchester

Six-month prediction now that Jack is in the cat-bird-seat:

1. Most of the presidential primary candidates will skip the GOP county summer fundraisers because Captain Jack will have already proffered his Litmus Test and make it well known that Michelle Bachman and Ron Paul are the only ones capable of passing the test…

2. Captain Jack will have already proposed to the NHGOP Executive Committee that his position be a paid or receive a stipend because he has to spend so much time away from work…it will fail miserably with the mostly Sununu crowd still on the Executive Committee holding an easy majority of the votes.

3. The NHGOP Committee will announce that it is out of cash and will need to take a mortgage out on its HQ building in Concord to keep the lights on…unless Binnie and Bender write personal checks to bailout the very people who despise them.
- Tom, Manch-Vegas

Keep calling people RINOs and keep congratulating yourselves. After all, you don’t need the support of fellow conservatives and independent voters to work towards your goal of ideological purity.

You will, however, need the votes of the very people you are bent on alienating if you actually intend on winning anything in 2012. Oops…
- Bob, Nashua

Congratulations Jack! Time NH returns to its roots.
- Joel M, New Boston

The election of Jack Kimball for the NHGOP is analagous to what happend when Ray Buckley took control of the NH Democrats. Once you veer to far either way, you are bound to pay the price in the next elections by creating a platform that only appeals to the fringe elements of the respective parties. NH has traditionally been a state where moderate Republicans and Democrats can work together and move forward. Have their been problems? Yes. But those of you out there that think the beauracracy is big in Concord really don’t know NH versus other state governments. There are pockets of waste, abuse, and areas that need to be trimmed, but their are other areas seriously lacking oversight and direction. Isn’t the FRM debacle just one recent example? I just hope the moderates from both parties rule the day.
- Tim, Windham

Not what I voted for. I wish the tea party well, but you do not have my support. I will become independent as well. Yes, I know the response-good riddance, however, at some point, you may miss all of us who voted for conservative, but realistic approaches.
- Kevin, Plymouth

Congratulations Jack!
I have been following and supporting Jack Kimball for more than a year, since I had chance to observe him head to head with other gubernatorial candidates, and he stood out clearly.
When he lost the primary, Jack went all in supporting John Stephen – proving he is a team player.
When no other strong conservative outsider would run for the GOP chair, Jack decided that running for the job was the best way to rejuvenate the party and attract those who had become disenchanted with its machinations. In so doing, he relinquished his option to try for governor in 2012 – again, because he is a team player.
Even before his election, Jack has been attracting attention from national candidates, perhaps because they perceive he’ll give them all a fair shake.
Go Jack, Go NHGOP!

Finally, thankyou once more Chairman Sununu – you gave us a great victory and we wish you a happy retirement. We activists owe it to you, and to ourselves not to let that go to waste. Onward and upward!
- Mike Rogers, Hollis

Cathy from Derry Wrote: “It’s interesting that the people that endorsed Kimball also endorsed Romney in a straw poll the same afternoon.” Actually not so surprising – the members voting in the straw poll and in the chairman election are a mix of party establishment types and enthusiastic conservative/TEA party types.
Jack went in with an estimated 54% of the total members, and after a day of persuasion by the establishment, his lead was reduced to 53% of voting members.
Thus, with 47% of voting members being establishment types, and Romney being the establishment candidate, it’s no big surprise he got 36%. On the other hand, look at the number of good conservative candidates splitting that 53% – several did quite well.
- Mike Rogers, Hollis

The gun dealers of New Hampshire will be doing a thriveing business under the GOP leader ship here in New Hampshire. This guy supports the actions of Ward Bird and his pack of bullys. I will never be a Republican after witnessing what they stand for here in New Hampshire in the past few months. We are being held hostage by a pack of gun toteing criminals.
- Carolyn Pillsbury, Meredith

I love how the progressives now want to be called “moderates” in the vague hope they can get some votes. I do remember a when “Dissent is patriotic” bumperstickers were the rage when GW was around for liberals. Now you can’t say anything bad with the new president….
- Andy, Milford

I have not met Jack and I voted for John Stephen for Governor so as to unify Republicans behind a strong and experienced candidate. But I know Jack impressed a lot of people, one of whom on my street kept his lawn sign up through the general election. This news says to me that the GOP elected a candidate who “believes in things” over a candidate who “paid her dues.” This seems enormously positive. People, get united. Jack, build a strong team and use every willing hand.
- Spike, Brentwood NH

I had the pleasure of meeting Jack on several occasions. I was fortunate enough to help him out during the early days of his gubernatorial primary campaign. I was also blessed by him dragging me to a Pease Greeter flight excitedly telling me I’d never be the same after going. He was right.

Jack has solid conservative principles. He wants desperately to make this state a healthier place for the folks who run small business like he does. He wants to make it easier for families to get by. Jack doesn’t want the state taken over by taxation as a result of the crazy spending we’ve seen in the past couple biennial budgets.

Funny seeing some of the hate on him. I guess we are seeing our own local taste of Palin Derangement Syndrome… Only it is for Jack. Yeah, he is outspoken. Sometimes he speaks a bit too soon. He is still a smart and successful business man who knows how to get the job done.

Looking forward to seeing what he does with the state party after the immense success Gov. Sununu had.
- Mike Walsh, Milton, NH

i agree, robert haines should be the man for president. he cares about the community and had the best show on channnel 23 a few years ago.
- babs, epping

“You all know that we are in a war, and we are going to win it. We are going to pull ourselves back from the brink, we’re going to go after the Democrats the entire time,” Kimball said, to a boisterous crowd inside the Stockbridge Theatre.
Is that Captain Insano’s music I hear? What the hell is this dope talking about?
- Mo, Dover

It is still a murdering imperialist war party. All republican voters are guilty of murder for perceived political profit. All that really motivates the brainwashed republican and democrat voters is racism, and this idea that they are profiting from the mass slaughter. Few of them actually are- although some are.
- don, concord

Congrats to Jack!!!

I love how the liberals can have a rally every other day, but when the republicans hold one the world seems to be coming to an end.

Socialism is NOT the American way!!!
- Deborah, Milton

/sarcasm on Sounds like someone just ITCHING to work with ALL Americans for the greater good… not extremist or partisan in the least. /sarcasm off

A message to you Tea Party propagandists who keep repeating the big lie that your candidates speak for “All Americans and the Constitution” You are wrong… on both counts.
- Bill, Goffstown

from another local news source:

“We are in a war and we are going to win it,” Kimball said. “We are going to pull ourselves from the brink. We are going after the Democrats the whole time.”

Comforting. In harmony with the shooting in Arizona.
- Chris K, Strafford

Congrats Jack!…time to show the RHINO’s the door….
- Paul, Madison

I hope the Tea Party and its members give us less big socialist government and more Constitutionalism, less government monoplies and more free market capitalism, less government social intervention and more states rights and the ability for self determination, less communists and communist collectivism and more independent Americans, less activist judges and social justice and more justice for all…..one can only hope!
- AMC, NH

Jack has forgetten about not only republican voters but the large number of independents in this state, with his comments that ” we are at war”, Jack it is not about democrats or republicans it is about our state and the economy! Let’s work together for not just NH but the United States. That is what will make us stronger in the end.
- John, Manchester

Ms Bergeron state that we need a united party. Let us hope she realizes that it is incumbent upon her as the defeated candidate as mush as it is on the winner to bring such unity about.
- Richard Swindells, Westmoreland

WTG Jack. I left the Republican Party long ago, or should I say, they left me. Maybe, just maybe, we Conservatives can come back home?
- Dave Ballum, Londonderry

I too will be registering Independent. Problem is Dad, Grandfather and Great Grandfather will now be rolling in their graves.
- Joe, N Manchester

This is fantastic news!!!

Progressive libs and worthless RINO’s step back and get out of the way!
- Probitas, Kingston

Well it looks like the NH republican party will be returning to it’s conservative roots if it wants to survive.
- Charlie, Sanford

ROBERT HAINES FOR PRESIDENT-USA, the only Presidential Candidate at the NH Republican State Committee Annual Meeting, with the NH Advantage Campaign.
- ROBERT HAINES, FOR PRESIDENT

Yeah our country has gone to h*** because of Republicans and Democrats alike allowing it to. The average working man is fed up and the TEA Parties are the result of that frustration and I for one am very pleased! If you dont like it move to the Communist Government of Massachusetts!
- Shawn O’Neill, Manchester

Congratulations Jack Kimball.
The leadership and hopefully the rank and file of the N.H. Republican party have seen the light and selected the best person as chairman. We have a daunting task ahead of us to stop this liberal madness that has griped the US for the past 40 years. I welcome leaders like Jack to this contest we now face and the great opportunity we as conservatives to turn this great nation back to the vision our fore fathers had. As a former N.H. Republican and a present GOP Chairman with several former residents of N.H. on his committee I am just delighted to hear of your election as the N.H. Chairman.

Dave Henderson, Chairman Warren County Virginia Republican Committee
- Dave Henderson, Front Royal, VA

Hopefully the Republicans won’t drag the rest of the state down into the toilet along with themselves. Thanks for nothing.
- Tom, Laconia

Congrats Jack!!!!!

Now off to Bachmann for prez!!!!!!
- WTG, Newton, NH

Lord help NH – unbelievable…
- Frank, York Me

We need smaller government…the likes of which will tell folks who they can marry. Nothing says conservative like social controls and christian moralist edicts.

I really hope once the people see the true nature of the tea party and suffer its abysmal policy agenda, they’ll have enough sense to realize that ignorant nationalism and actual practical conservatism are two entirely different things.
- Nick, Manchester

Now Former from, Bow, I haven’t met very many Democrats that consider themselves Independents, so it wouldn’t matter which, your still viewed to lean to the right. Jack Kimball has been a lifetime Republican, even before the tea parties came about, so what’s your point?
- jantosz, epping

The Republicans managed to get the Independants to vote for them in one election. I guess they think one time is better than nothing.
- Greg Barrett, Manchester

I cannot contain my excitement for Jack Kimball winning the New Hampshire GOP chairmanship. I met him during the Obama town hall in Portsmouth back in August 2009 and knew he had a very bright future with the movement. It’s a great day for liberty to count the chairman of the first-in-the-nation primary state as one of us.

Joey G. Dauben
Chairman
Republican Liberty Caucus
of Texas
Former NHYR Exec. Committee member
- Joey G. Dauben, Palmer, Texas

Good. The tea party is about preserving what once was core republican values. Less government!
- Bill, Derry

Sweet! Rack up another win for the Koch brothers!

The official name of the NH Republican party can now be changed to GOP, Inc. ; a wholly owned subsidiary of international corporatism.
- Erin Powers, Manchester

Congratulations Mr. Kimball. Maybe this is a sign that the Republican party is waking up.
- Vic, Derry

To the person who said they would no longer support the Republican party due to this, good riddance. Jack is a superb choice and the best person for the job. The fact that he relates to the tea party is actually great. He is a citizen and patriot first, above all else. He loves NH and his country. His liasons are there before any other. Get to know him and you will respect him.
- LHemy, Plaistow

thank god, that woman, bergeron, is a fool. she is very liberal and really isnt a conservative. good luck jack!….sunshine out
- Sunshine, bedford

Come on over to the Independent Party. We can vote in any primary (for someone you like or against someone you don’t like), but you don’t have to bear the shame of being the party of Frank Guinta.
- Miss, Rochester

Where were the other 50+ delegates who did not show? There have been times when many NH House members find they just cannot have a high % and I was one of them. Some of us have to work to have an income. So why did we not have 100% of the delegates in Derry today?
This was such a close vote – and my candidate lost by 21 votes.
The big question: who will be awarded the paying positions within the new regime?
So who is the leader of Tea Party?
Am I the only T-Party believer who would have voted for Juliana Bergeron?
If I am then it’s a good thing mine is a T-Party of one. Thank goodness I do not have to count on the “big” T-Party or the new more than ever divided NH GOP.
I am not going away- just taking a LONG wait and see on this one.
bnyoung@metrocast.net
- Niel Young, Laconia

The Democrats are laughing heartily tonight, as Kimball will end up embarassing and bankrupting the GOP and hand back control to the liberals at the next election. The 9/12 Goose steppers and the lunatic fringe at Tea Party central have won the battle, but just ensured they will lose the war. Its truly sad, but I can’t wait to say “I told you so”!
- Matt Gaye, Dover

This is Big !! to Quote our VP. You go Jack!! You have all our support!!
- Jon LeBrun, Loudon

It’s interesting that the people that endorsed Kimball also endorsed Romney in a straw poll the same afternoon. Given that Romney helped cobble together Massachusetts heathcare system which is often lauded by those supporting the national healthcare program, I’d love to know how Mitt Romney qualifies as a fiscal conservative.
- Cathy, Derry

All right! Over the cliff and accelerating! By the time Kimball’s done, they’ll have trouble finding 400 Republicans to make up a state committee. The Republicans just elected a party leader who’s so far out of the mainstream, he didn’t think there was anything objectionable about claiming taxation is rape:

“I don’t mind paying my fair share, folks. I don’t think any of us do. But I do mind when I’m raped. It’s awful.” – Jack Kimball, 4/16/2010.
- Peter Kay, Canterbury

Great News. Jack is a man of principles. Watch I.O.U.S.A if you’re up to seeing things as they are and learning just what entitlement programs which increase dependency on *federal* programs. Jack’s understand that the 17th Amendment took the voice away from the States, that the States created the federal government (not the other way around) and that unfunded mandates and federal fiscal and monetary policy has nearly bankrupted these United States.
Article I Section 8…read it sometime, you might come to understand why federal spending is out of control. Our children and their children cannot afford ‘buy-partisan’ politics (Dems buy RINOS off, and Rinos buy Dems off) where the US Tax Payer is left holding the credit card bill.
- Chas M, Merrimack

As a Republican voter since…forever…I’m not sure how I can support this party.

We used to have allegiance to fiscal issues first, and now it seems strange and useless social issues are all the state Republican leadership will want to deal with.

I voted straight ticket Republican in 2010, and I don’t feel I was listened to at all.

This is a bad day for the party, worse day for the state. I don’t like this at all.
- Jason R., Newfields, NH

Wow … the Tea Party giveth and taketh away. They get guys like Marco Rubio of Florida right … and then people like Jack Kimball SO wrong. Here’s hoping our Party can keep it together, because otherwise we just gave Ray Buckley and the State Democratic Party a HUGE gift.
- Chris, D.

All I can say is “what a JOKE” Does anyone really know who this guy is??? What a JOKE.. Just like the past ole jack can con a con man still. Everyone scolded Obama for calling the GOP enemies, and here JK says were at war. I think I am joining the other guy from Bow, better yet I may change to a Dem.
- stu morris, Alton NH

I will no longer support the Republican party. It is now the Tea Party and I will register as an independent. Truly, our country has gone to h**l.
- Now Former, Bow

The inmates have officially taken over the asylum.
- Slugger O’Toole, Manchester

Alright!

I love it when our GOP contests are between really good conservatives who care about both fiscal and social issues!

A big congrats to Jack!!! Let’s show the GOP what “Hopey Changey” really means!!
- Biker Bill, Derry, NH

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Source: Jack Kimball elected new GOP chair 222 to 199; Romney tops field in straw poll

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John Towery Spy Dossier Comments – Cryptome.org

January 22, 2011 News / other

No comments

24 January 2011. Updated.

23 January 2011. Updated.

22 January 2011. Comments welcome: cryptome[at]earthlink.net

Statement on the January 19th Release of Files related
to John Towery

John Towery Spy Dossier Comments

towery-spy1.zip       John Towery Covert Army Spy Official Dossier 1   January 24, 2011 (16MB)
towery-spy2.zip       John Towery Covert Army Spy Official Dossier 2   January 24, 2011 (593KB)

A writes:

I am writing to you in regards to the files that were recently posted in
relation to John Towery’s spying on anti-war demonstrators and anarchists.
I am concerned because the files you posted contain a good deal of information
on the people who were being surveilled by Towery, including pictures and
other information (names, social circles, etc). I am one of these people
who Towery spied on, and I am named repeatedly in the document. I think that
Towery’s actions are incredibly important to discuss; however, it is also
dangerous to post unredacted information on those he spied on. This creates
a danger not only from law enforcement but from other people who would otherwise
not have access to the information therein.

I request that the larger document be temporarily taken down so that it can
be redacted to remove the names and personal information of activists and
anarchists who were infiltrated by Towery. This information includes pictures,
addresses, personal relations, and other information that could result in
a danger to those named. I have long admired the work that Cryptome does,
and I want to see the site continue. However, it puts many people in danger
to leave the document up with our names and information in it. I understand
and respect Cryptome’s policy of not removing any documents, and I agree
with that position. I do not seek an absolute removal, but instead I wish
to see measures taken to protect myself and friends from harm that could
come from this. I would appreciate hearing back from you about this, and
would sincerely urge you to let us pull our names out of the document before
it is spread further. I do not think that taking measures to protect the
people whose activities provoked the spying would in any way compromise the
mission and spirit of Cryptome.

I look forward to hearing from you.

___________

Cryptome: The authorties wanted the full document released for the reasons
you suggest so they leaked it to ensnare victims. They expect an outcry of
those harmed. Redactions are a means of hostage-taking and intimidating those
targeted. This official treachery needs to be publicly challenged and exposed.

Any number of authorities are now using redactions, lack of redactions and
inept redactions as a cover for irresponsible behavior to punish. They leak
documents for this very purpose.

We would like to publish statements of those harmed by the deliberate attack.
A means to do this is to send us a version redacted by those harmed to highlight
exactly what was intended.

__________

A: I appreciate your swift respone. While I understand the logic of the first
two paragraphs, I am a bit confused as to what you are requesting with the
third. I would appreciate if you would clarify that last paragraph.

__________

Cryptome: We would like to publish statements such as yours by those harmed
by the official disclosure of the documents. In addition, it would be helpful
to see a version of the documents marked-up as redaction by those harmed
to show what the officials should have never released so carelessly. Note
that DoD complained to the police about their irresponsible handling of the
documents. This complaint is in the second pack of Towery documents. Such
complaints are conventional escape from culpability when deliberate harm
is exposed.

A2 writes:

I would like to refer to your John Towery documents in a news story. My main
question is: how do I describe your site? It appears to me to be a
WikiLeaks-style site. Of course, I d like to cite your site in my story.
But how do I refer to it?

__________

Cryptome: Cryptome is a library for folks to share information. Cryptome
does not redact, that is deceptive and presumes the redactors are more
trustworthy than readers, which none are.

It is unlike WikiLeaks in many other ways:

http://cryptome.org/0002/wikileaks-unlike.htm

A3 writes:

http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2009/08/393158.shtml

A4 writes:

So I’m one of the people detailed quite heavily in the Towery docs just posted
on cryptome. I was the one who helped in the outing of John Towery in Olympia
(I was on Democracy Now and the NY Times, and other papers for this case).
I was also the individual who put in the original public records requests
in 2009 that eventually leaked out the initial info on the Pacific Northwest
military spying case.

So there’s a problem with the Towery docs. The person who put them on the
site probably did not think things over too much or read through them thoroughly,
but my social security number is on there as well as a lot of personal info
about activists (a lot of it false). This could be very damaging for me
personally especially since my DOB & SSN are up there.

There are other activists detailed in these documents who don’t want this
info up. If you could take it off the site, at least momentarily, I would
really appreciate it. Then we can make some changes, review it and possibly
put it back up.

Please help if you can. I really can’t have my SSN available to the entire
world.

_________

Cryptome: The officials who released the document wanted this to happen.
This is now a common tactic by officials to intimidate and punish those they
target by release of personal information. This was no accident, it was
deliberately done.

We’ll keep it down for one day in response to your request. This is not usually
done for any reason and we will explain why an exception was made to demonstrate
that officials use this technique to suppress dissent.

Send a version with the critical info redacted and we’ll publish it
to show what the officials should have done to the original document to protect
not harm targets.

You should be aware that it is a futile task to try to conceal information
that officials wanted to disclose. There are now hundreds of copies
of the material distributed worldwide. If the original document is replaced
with a redacted version that will likely make the original more appealing
and lead to wider interest and distribution.

_________

A4:

Thanks. I figured it was a jab at me, especially since I said some unkind
things about that police department on national news.

I’ll get a hold of the folks who got this file to see if they can at the
very least just edit my SSN out of it. Hopefully they’ll send it to you.

A5 writes:

I just left you a voice message asking you to please NOT make the Towery
files available. My personal information is in those files, including
a mug shot from my arrest in March 2007. Personal information about
many genuine activists (as opposed to people POSING as activists) are contained
in those files.

Please do NOT make them available!

A6 writes:

please don’t release people’s private information. keep folks safe!

A7 writes:

I am writing to ask that you consider removing the dates of birth and addresses
included with the arrest photos on pages 12 – 16 of the document entitled
“towery-spy”. I am one of the activists who was subject of the illegal spying
and whose personal information is included in these documents. I believe
it is possible that information being made public could put me at risk of
ID fraud, or (as some of my more activist friends imagine) drive by harassment
by right wing fanatics. I hope the goal of releasing these documents
will serve to expose the illegal spying activities of government agencies
and employees , not put the activists who were subject to the illegal spying
at risk.

Otherwise, thanks for posting this shit.

A8 writes:

I very much agree with A and would urge you to wait till PMR activists can
discuss the release of their personal information and decide if it’s a positive
thing to do.

A9 writes:

I am a long term activist for more than 40 years in many anti-war and radical
movements and a faculty member at the Evergreen State College in Olympia,
Washington. I was a victim of Cointelpro and am vary familiar from
personal experience of the destructive role of government agents and informants.
Also, through the ACLU, I have gotten a fair amount of my FBI files. There
are many, many lies in them as well as major violations of privacy.

I am also a member of Port militarization Resistance and on their listserv
and have seen that someone sent you John Towery’s notes, files and that you
are about to publish them. I URGE YOU NOT TO PUBLISH THEM. It will
spread John Towery’s distorted knowledge about activists in Olympia, Washington
on the internet furthering suspicion among people, jeopardizing people’s
jobs, making public information and lies and John Towery’s distorted view
of reality and any damage Towery wants to creete. To make this information
public serves no useful purpose at all. It just compounds the damage that
John Towery has already done. You would be doing the government’s and police
agencies and military intelligence work for them. I know that is not what
you want to do.

Cryptome: Control of information by covert spying and data collection on
citizens is very poor around the world. The information is widely collected
and distributed by ineptly designed, secured and operated data management
systems. Supervisors, staff and contractors are insufficiently trained and
monitored. Turnover in personnel is frequent and inadequate measures are
used to protect against theft and sale of private data. Data is shared among
officials, contractors, universities, research institutions and FOI offices,
none of which are carefully overseen and monitored to protect private
information.

Breaches in data protection are common. Authorized disclosures and deliberate
leaks are used for political and financial benefits. There are white, grey
and black markets in selling personal information. Contractors and hacker-theives
are hired by data peddlers to break into official and personal systems and
bribes are paid to officials and contractors for official and personal data.
These are common practices of governments, spies, corporations and individuals.

Vows to restrict access to this data are hollow. Redactions are deceptive
and intended to convey information control that does not exist. Hundreds
of thousands of allegedly trustworthy officials and private parties have
access to unredacted information with few controls over what they do with
the information. It is an illusion that personal information is protected
against abuse and can remain private. Do not believe any claims to protect
personal data, it must be protected by each person first and foremost. No
privacy policy is truthful. No promise of confidentiality is disinterested.

Far more public debate is needed about widespread deception and lies about
spying on individuals and false promises of the privacy of personal information.

A10 writes:

“The following two files will be withheld for one day”

Ok, please explain? No hostility or doubt, just curious.

Getting yuan for the early release? (Sorry, had to say it, I’m drunk
and its a nice mix of WL and current event tie-in and your commercial skepticism
of the site.)

I live in the first and only town to create a war memorial to ongoing wars;
it’ll be updated yearly. WTF. Occasionally I think of selling
pix of Tillman’s name, but I’ve never sold anything in my life except my
mindfruit.

Visualize Secession.

A11 writes:

If I could, I would redact everything except for the first 4 pages. I would
deeply, deeply, deeply appreciate it if you would delete all but the first
11 pages from the file or if not withhold it until I can send you such a
document.

I think the City of Tacoma should have redacted most all of the rest
of the document.

Interesting to see the comments that flow in to attack the messenger rather
than the message.

_________

Cryptome: No changes will be made in the documents. Comments are welcome
to foster debate and skepticism on what is too often “redacted” — a vile
deception to mislead persons about what is known and lied about and peddled
about them. The City of Tacoma and whoever aided and abetted Towery and others
like him knew exactly what they were doing in failing to protect persons
from the Towerys, the USG and their political overseers in order to advance
their careers and to enrich themselves.

They should not be protected by citizens concealing information about official
criminality. That is another way officials draw citizens into complicity.

More documents about this need publication. Pass the word.

__________

A11:

Agreed.

Please post this statement concerning the files if you would.

Statement on the January 19th Release of Files related to John Towery

Following the acknowledgement by the U.S. Army at Joint Base Lewis McChord
that an individual known as John Towery was working as a confidential
humint source (CHS) for the Pierce County Washington State Sheriffs
office and the Tacoma Police Department, the Bill of Rights Defense Committee
Tacoma requested, under appropriate provisions of Washington State
Open Records Laws the following information:

Public Disclosure Request # 10-2798

All records, payment summaries, employment records, email, memos
and reports related to the use of John Jakob, aka John Jacob Towery,
John Towery II as a confidential police informant from 1 Apr 2005 until 03
Dec 2010. See TNT article 3 Dec 2010 Tacoma PD Spies on Activists.

In the past, the BORDC-Tacoma has requested and received 1,000s of
pages of documents detailing the wide variety and methods used by the Tacoma
PD and other regional and national agencies to monitor protected 1st Amendment
Activities.

We know that serious violations of Federal and State law have occurred in
the manner in which personal information is collected and shared about local
groups, activists, and personalities. In order to substantiate our belief
that this activity continues and to document the depth and insidious nature
of the result compelled us to try and understand more of what he did, when
he did it and what he reported.

On January 19th the City of Tacoma released
133 pages of information
primarily from the single notes and collection of one part of the records
we know exist. We know that many more pages remain but have yet to be released.
This document was released in an electronic format and was first available
on City of Tacoma publicly accessible reading rooms.

The responsibility for protecting personal information and complying with
releasability and redaction of any documents rests with the releasing agency,
in this case the City of Tacoma. The documents are publicly available
to all that request them from the clerks office.

We have received numerous phone calls, hate email, and threats related to
our efforts to expose the improper handling of sensitive information. The
outrage should be directed at those parties responsible for protecting that
data as a matter of course. Senate Bill 5048 is currently under consideration
in the Washington State Judiciary Committee which is intended to curb such
abuses, make clear remedies available to damaged parties, and provide for
oversight and auditing of such information. The City of Tacoma and other
local and state governmental entities should also be a focus of these outrages
not the people trying to expose them.,

Our efforts to expose this violation of federal and state laws shall continue
until all such damaging and untrue documents, allegations, and misinformation
are expunged or removed from available public records. We hope you would
join us.

A12 writes:

So some folks are trying to work on the file, but after given it much more
thought, I would also echo people’s calls to take this off the site.
Unfortunately, the damage has already been done now that my name, birth date
and SSN are now available to hundreds, if not thousands, of people I do not
know.

One issue with these documents is that people who do not know us, but most
likely other folks in Olympia and Tacoma, will take these documents at face
value and as truth. There’s a number of things in there about me that are
not true at all (I don’t have the patience to get into all of them now) ranging
from making up a town that I was born in, to accusing me of various “criminal
anarchist” acts and other crimes like smoking pot (which I’ve never done
in my life) to other, more serious things.

I also agree that making these public, which apparently Tacoma did in their
own way first, can be very problematic. I’m also not too sure how many of
the folks with their mugshots in these documents, along with their charges,
guessed political affiliations and FBI numbers want these online.

Unfortunately because of either the carelessness or vengeance of officials
in Tacoma and Pierce County my SSN is out there and I will most likely have
to change this.

Tacoma and Pierce County will also hear from me about this matter.

But I would urge you to please take this off the site or at least keep it
off so people can figure out what to change from it. I know there are a lot
of folks with their mugshots who probably don’t want them made public and
it will take a while to get a hold of these folks. Most of the info is also
on personal relationships, where people live, where some folks work. And
I can easily say without hesitation that the whole idea that the Army is
trying to push through these document releases is a lie. Towery was not working
for Pierce; he was working for the Army. They are intentionally trying to
distort the facts by releasing these documents.

A13 writes:

Please give folks the best opportunity to protect themselves and their privacy
by holding these documents until they have been appropriately redacted.

In response to claims that persons identified in the Towery spy dossier are
working on a redacted version:

Cryptome:

No redacted version has come in to Cryptome. We’ll pull the main Towery document
for another day for completion of your redactions. As Cryptome states in
this file of comments on the Towery doc:

http://cryptome.org/0003/towery-comments.htm

Officials intend to create suspicion and disgreement among their targets
with this commonplace method. Please do not fall for the provocation.

Their aim is to scare targets with threats of exposure by “accidental” and
“unauthorized disclosures,” they often leave out material to foster accusations
from those identified.

Our intention is to use this matter as an example of what officials do to
irresponsibly punish those targeted without accountability.

Those with mug shots and ID in the document deserve admiration not concealment
as if guilty of wrongdoing.

A14 writes:

Obviously, those of us who knowingly risk arrest in resistance to an injustice
do not do so with any perceived need for “concealment as if guilty of
wrongdoing.” That is not the concern here. Rather, my concern
is how my personal information can be used by those who might wish to cause
me harm. (And I do not mean to imply that all who were arrested in
the protests “knowingly” risked arrest.)

I have openly voiced my resistance and stood my ground in the venues of my
choosing. John Towery’s spy dossier is not a venue of my choosing and
my mug shot and personal information are not a meaningful component of my
message. Publicizing such information is the kind of dirty trick I
expect of law enforcement, but not from those who are ostensibly on my “side.”

That said, I do very much appreciate your willingness to pull the documents
and allow for some redaction. Since you say that no redacted version
has come to Cryptome, can you advise how those of us wishing to have our
information redacted would go about making that happen?

__________

Cryptome:

No offense intended against your courage. Question now is how to best use
it against this attack. Based on our experience be sure that Cryptome is
not the only outlet for the file, there are likely quite a few who will not
disclose that, indeed will keep it secret for most treacherous use.

The covert release of damaging information is widespread by officials. The
redaction game is totally corrupt. It will entrap you once you take a bite.
It is in heavy use by officials for just that purpose. That is why we do
not redact and do not promise to know what to redact, that is a common ploy
of those hoping to exaggerate their importance. Its targets should certainly
protect their information not trust those who promise to do it for
them.

To redact download the original file off Cryptome if you do not have a copy
and mark up what should be redacted, either by hand or digitally if you have
a graphics program to do that. I will send you a temporary URL for downloading
the file. Let me know. Or I will email a copy if that will help. It is 10MB
in size so your email should have the capacity to receive it.

After making the redactions by all those affected generate a new PDF and
send it to us.

A15 writes 23 January 2011:

Thank-you so much for you interest and support during this difficult time.

Folks that have been damaged by the incompentence or malice by the City
of Tacoma should attend the next “Citizens’ Review Panel” on 1st
Monday of February at 0530 Pm:

http://www.cityoftacoma.org/Page.aspx?hid=7043

One of the topics is supposed to be the Tacoma PD’s compliance with
CFR 28.

The audio of the meeting on Dec 6th 2010, includes my testimony alleging
they are not in compliance and providing a file/checklist from the Dept of
Justice to help them do so:

http://131.191.254.124/ondemand/ondemand-a/120610CRP.wma

People should also push members of the Judiciary Committee in Olympia
to expand and pass SB 5048 “Washington State Enhanced Intelligence Bill:”

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?year=2011&bill=5048

Folks should also demand the complete release of all records associated with
the Towery Dossier to include all the emails amongst City of tacoma staff
that discussed what to releasse and approving it for dissemination.

There is also a “Citizens Forum” on the 2nd Tuesday of the month where citizens
can speak for 3 minutes about any topic under the Council’s control.

A16 writes 23 January 2011:

My two cents on the two Towery .zip files temporarily removed from cryptome:
post them back up in full.

First, the victims so called of this invasion of privacy have already had
their privacy invaded, and the documents, as you point out, are already public,
not just because Cryptome released them, but because it was decided releasing
them was in the public interest, that this interest overrode considerations
of personal privacy, and that the FOIA request had to be honored. This decision
was made correctly.

Second, the “private information” cited by those claiming to be named and
targeted in the case isn’t really private: date-of-birth? That’s public.
Social security numbers? Semi-public and usually revealed by the “victims”
themselves when applying for a driver’s license, to enter Evergreen State
College, etc. The SSN isn’t supposed to be used for anything other than Social
Security anyway, it even says so on the little paper card they hand out to
the suckers who willingly apply for one, myself included. Street addresses,
telephone numbers? These appear in court documents as public information,
and in phone books. Email addresses? Fairly public, if you ask me. If the
argument is that release of the documents of already collected intelligence
creates a nexus for or faciliates identity theft, then so does the internet,
and the people who spoke up in the Democracy Now! piece linked to on the
IndyMedia article about the cryptome release can all be traced fairly easily
using search engines, and their SSNs can be got for a small price.

I didn’t download the documents before they were pulled because they seemed
large and boring. I did see a note scribbled in the margin of a printed out
email, presumably by Towery, mentioning a Brendan (BRENDAN MASLAUSKAS DUNN?
Two last names, one Lithuanian, one local, my gosh it would be hard to track
that fellow down) and a “multi-story” at 810 E. 4th Ave in Olympia, I suppose.
Is this some kind of private information the police and/or the domestic spies
victimizing these people don’t have? Of course not, it’s written right there.
Is this something outsiders shouldn’t have access to? Will Brendan arrive
home to find house burgled now? Doubtful.

Third, I bet there are more domestic spies infiltrated into this local movement
and I bet they are named in the FOIA and court documents. These people won’t
want to be nailed down with personal information. Speculation on my part
of course. But check this, right from the ACLU website:

http://www.aclu.org/spy-files/spying-first-amendment-activity-state-state

Washington

Evergreen College Faculty Member Forwards Student E-mail to Washington State
Patrol. On March 15, 2007, an Evergreen State College faculty member forwarded
a student’s message detailing information about an upcoming anti-war protest
scheduled at the Port of Tacoma to the Washington State Patrol.

http://www.theolympian.com/2010/08/04/1326232/documents-reveal-surveillance.html

and also:

FOIA Request Shared with the Military and Misattributed to “Activist Group”.
A March 29, 2010 Daily Intelligence Bulletin, shows that local law enforcement
shared information on a series of public records request with Ft. Lewis.
Though the request was made by a local college student performing an independent
study, the bulletin attributes the request to an “activist group.” The bulletin
then warns law enforcement agencies about the dangers of public disclosure.
It is unclear why the local law enforcement agencies initially forwarded
information about the request to the military, and why the military then
shared this “warning” with the rest of the country.

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/08/05/18655440.php

and:

Tacoma Police Infiltrate Anti-War Group. An Aug. 5, 2008 document contained
a quote from an undercover officer who had infiltrated an anti-war group.
The quote stated, “It was very funny to watch them on Friday night, just
so you know, they are scared sh*tless of TPD, that’s pretty much all they
talked about. Then they try to pscyh each other up enough to take one for
the team, the car ride to the tide flats was hilarious …”

http://www.theolympian.com/2010/08/04/1326232/documents-reveal-surveillance.html

Ibid.

I don’t think all the infiltrators have been outed. One of them probably
still poses as the friendly professor at Evergreen, or the helpful volunteer
from the street ready to fix the computer at protest HQ, or whoever. Is mass
paranoia the way to exclude infiltrators? Probably not. Documentation of
their activities will keep them in line, though.

I saw about a year ago there was a riot in downtown Olympia, on East 4th
Ave, incidentally, and it looked for all the world the work of a few
provocateurs. The old trick of pretending to be anarchists to do the bankers’
dirty work.

Also of possible interest (this looks fairly old to me btw):

http://www.blacklistednews.com/?news_id=5717

Fusion Centers and Military Intelligence: Best Friends Forever!

Another case which is emblematic of the close cooperation among fusion centers
and military intelligence is the case of John J. Towery, a Ft. Lewis, Washington
civilian contractor who worked for the Army’s Fort Lewis Force Protection
Unit.

In July, The Olympian and Democracy Now! broke the story of how Towery had
infiltrated and spied on the Olympia Port Militarization Resistance (OlyPMR),
an antiwar group, and shared this information with police.

Since 2006, the group has staged protests at Washington ports and has sought
to block military cargo from being shipped to Iraq. According to The Olympian:

OlyPMR member Brendan Maslauskas Dunn said in an interview Monday that he
received a copy of the e-mail from the city of Olympia in response to a public
records request asking for any information the city had about “anarchists,
anarchy, anarchism, SDS (Students for a Democratic Society), or Industrial
Workers of the World.” (Jeremy Pawloski, “Fort Lewis investigates claims
employee infiltrated Olympia peace group,” The Olympian, July 27, 2009)

What Dunn discovered was highly disturbing to say the least. Towery, who
posed as an anarchist under the name “John Jacob,” had infiltrated OlyPMR
and was one of several listserv administrators that had control over the
group’s electronic communications.

The civilian intelligence agent admitted to Dunn that he had spied on the
group but claimed that no one paid him and that he didn’t report to the military;
a statement that turned out to be false.

Joseph Piek, a Fort Lewis spokesperson confirmed to The Olympian that Towery
was a contract employee and that the infiltrator “performs sensitive work
within the installation law enforcement community,” but “it would not be
appropriate for him to discuss his duties with the media.”

In September, The Olympian obtained thousands of pages of emails from the
City of Olympia in response to that publication’s public-records requests.
The newspaper revealed that the Washington Joint Analytical Center (WJAC),
a fusion center, had copied messages to Towery on the activities of OlyPMR
in the run-up to the group’s November 2007 port protests. According to the
paper,

The WJAC is a clearinghouse of sorts of anti-terrorism information and sensitive
intelligence that is gathered and disseminated to law enforcement agencies
across the state. The WJAC receives money from the federal government.

The substance of nearly all of the WJAC’s e-mails to Olympia police officials
had been blacked out in the copies provided to The Olympian. (Jeremy Pawloski,
“Army e-mail sent to police and accused spy,” The Olympian, September 12,
2009)

Also in July, the whistleblowing web site Wikileaks published a 1525 page
file on WJAC’s activities. [Cryptome mirror of the WJAC file:
http://cryptome.org/0003/wajac-spy.zip
(57MB)]

Housed at the Seattle Field Office of the FBI, one document described WJAC
as an agency that “builds on existing intelligence efforts by local, regional,
and federal agencies by organizing and disseminating threat information and
other intelligence efforts to law enforcement agencies, first responders,
and key decision makers throughout the state.”

Fusion centers are also lucrative cash cows for enterprising security grifters.
Wikileaks investigations editor Julian Assange described the revolving-door
that exists among Pentagon spy agencies and the private security firms who
reap millions by placing interrogators and analysts inside outfits such as
WJAC. Assange wrote,

There has been extensive political debate in the United States on how safe
it would be to move Guantanamo’s detainees to US soil–but what about their
interrogators?

One intelligence officer, Kia Grapham, is hawked by her contracting company
to the Washington State Patrol. Grapham’s confidential resume boasts of assisting
in over 100 interrogations of “high value human intelligence targets” at
Guantánamo. She goes on, saying how she is trained and certified to
employ Restricted Interrogation Technique: Separation as specified by FM
2-22.3 Appendix M.

Others, like, Neoma Syke, managed to repeatedly flip between the military
and contractor intelligence work–without even leaving the building.

The file details the placement of six intelligence contractors inside the
Washington Joint Analytical Center (WAJAC) on behalf of the Washington State
Patrol at a cost of around $110,000 per year each.

Such intelligence “fusion” centers, which combine the military, the FBI,
state police, and others, have been internally promoted by the US Army as
means to avoid restrictions preventing the military from spying on the domestic
population.

(Julian Assange, “The
spy who billed me twice,” Wikileaks, July 29, 2009)

The Wikileaks documents provide startling details on how firms such as Science
Applications International Corporation (SAIC), The Sytex Group and Operational
Applications Inc. routinely place operatives within military intelligence
and civilian fusion centers at a premium price.

Assange wonders whether these job placements are not simply evidence of
corruption but rather, are “designed to evade a raft of hard won oversight
laws which apply to the military and the police but not to contractors? Is
it to keep selected personnel out of the Inspector General’s eye?” The available
evidence strongly suggests that it is.

As the American Civil Liberties Union documented in their 2007 and 2008 reports
on fusion center abuses, one motivation is precisely to subvert oversight
laws which do not apply to private mercenary contractors.

The civil liberties’ watchdog characterized the rapid expansion of fusion
centers as a threat to our constitutional rights and cited specific areas
of concern: “their ambiguous lines of authority, the troubling role of private
corporations, the participation of the military, the use of data mining and
their excessive secrecy.”

And speaking of private security contractors outsourced to a gaggle on
intelligence agencies, investigative journalist Tim Shorrock revealed in
his essential book Spies For Hire, that since 9/11 “the Central Intelligence
Agency has been spending 50 to 60 percent of its budget on for-profit
contractors, or about $2.5 billion a year, and its number of contract employees
now exceeds the agency’s full-time workforce of 17,500.”

Indeed, Shorrock learned that “no less than 70 percent of the nation’s
intelligence budget was being spent on contracts.” However, the sharp spike
in intelligence outsourcing to well-heeled security corporations comes with
very little in the way of effective oversight.

The House Intelligence Committee reported in 2007 that the Bush, and now,
the Obama administrations have failed to develop a “clear definition of what
functions are ‘inherently governmental’;” meaning in practice, that much
in the way of systematic abuses can be concealed behind veils of “proprietary
commercial information.”

As we have seen when the Abu Ghraib torture scandal broke in 2004, and The
New York Times belatedly blew the whistle on widespread illegal surveillance
of the private electronic communications of Americans in 2005, cosy government
relationships with security contractors, including those embedded within
secretive fusion centers, will continue to serve as a “safe harbor” for
concealing and facilitating state crimes against the American people.

————

In sum, I think it’s in the public interest to release the public information
and the protestors need to just suck it up and hide themselves better next
time, if hiding is what they are all about.

__________

Cryptome 23 January 2011:

Upon hearing from these writers and several more who telephoned, Cryptome
believes that the Towery dossier was deliberately released without redactions
as means of disinformation to threaten, smear and punish citizen
targets and as a cover-up of official illegality by local law enforcement
in conjunction with the US government.

Based upon statements of citizens targeted by the Towery dossier and upon
close examination of it, the dossier contains a mixture of true, false,
selective and misleading information, some of which appears to be forged
and fabricated to distort a truthful account of illegal official spying on
citizens.

The Towery and probably other spying operations — some of which are likely
still underway – were illegally directed by the US military in an illegal
arrangement with local law enforcement to avoid violating law prohibiting
domestic spying by the military.

The Towery dossier deliberately misrepresents the complexity, extent and
depth of the operation and carefully omits mention of other, related spying
operations. There is considerably more information about the operation that
has not been released by officials. This piecemeal release is a common tactic
to test public response to partial releases in order to plan future releases
or calculated withholding of information.

Some of the targets of the Towery spying operation have said they intend
to take legal action against officials involved in the Towery dossier release.
Cryptome will welcome an opportunity to assist such legal action with affidavit
or testimony concerning the damage to citizens intended by release of the
Towery dossier.

A17 writes 23 January 2011:

You wrote:

“Upon hearing from these writers and several more who telephoned, Cryptome
believes that the Towery dossier was deliberately released without redactions
as means of disinformation to threaten, smear and punish citizen targets
and as a cover-up of official illegality by local law enforcement in conjunction
with the US government.

…

“Some of the targets of the Towery spying operation have said they intend
to take legal action against officials involved in the Towery dossier release.
Cryptome will welcome an opportunity to assist such legal action with affidavit
or testimony concerning the damage to citizens intended by release of the
Towery dossier.”

——————————————–

I write:

OK but all the “personal information” seems to be available via simple search
engine, examples pasted in below (with special attention to A’s outing of
“personal info” of opponents in his media venues).

Undoubtedly there is sowing of FUD etc going on, especially Towery’s comments
about “other informants” which were intended to terrorize, and which are
probably true anyway.

It might be interesting to trace the web of deceit but I understand there
are some scared young people involved who think they need protection even
though their vital stats are hanging out for all and sundry to see and use.

Pastebin of sekrit dox follows:

[Research of personal information omitted.]

__________

Cryptome:

Thanks for your diligent contributions. More to come I hope as this matter
unfolds. We will all be targeted for smearing if it goes as planned.

The personal information is the truthful component of the dossier, to give
it sheen of verisimmilitude, but is fronting for much more false, misleading,
distorted, forged and fabricated information. No spy report or dossier is
ever truthful but is seeded with truthful stuff to costume the lies and
conspiracy theories so beloved of spies.

And more will come as the orchestrated releases continue. This is what the
Towery dossier targets know has been going on for quite a while and they
expect to release more of the manufactured dossiers as they come in. A bombshell
or two will be lobbed, as if capitulating to public demand, perhaps a commission
will be set up to investigate. But all of it will be for show.

Manufactured and subpoenaed releases are small admissions of illegality to
hide greater ones. Standard legal stonewalling. The 9-11 Commission got the
same treatment from the nation’s protectors and due to stonewalling about
declassification wound up whitewashing the 9-11 failure.

But as the 9-11 Commission stated among themselves, it needed to release
its interview reports or it would be suspected of a cover-up, but even now
only 2/3 of the those interviews have been released — TLA agencies are
stonewalling declassification. Just as WJAC will do, invoking sacred cow
national security.

__________

A17 writes 24 January 2011:

You’re right, John. I slept on it and they’ve already been up to these sort
of things, to such an extent that even I, an outsider thousands of miles
away, know that the police in Tacoma intentionally leaked confidential defense
documents obtained from a fusion center operation in order to force a mistrial,
in one of the cases surrounding this. If you or I so much as called a witness
on the other side of a case up on the phone to chew the fat or discuss baseball,
we would be slapped with all sorts of obstrution of justice and contempt
charges, or worse. So this sure as hell isn’t equal, but I think the people
getting the royal treatement in Olympia and Tacoma as if they were the protestors
in Minnesota at the RNC, civilians subject to full military intelligence
and harrassment, I think the Olympians and Tacomans are being successfully
manipulated by the perceived threat and accruing harm of having supposed
personal details released.

Not having read the material in question, the two zips, I am only guessing
that the nature of that personal information was actually very public and
already out in the open. A for example took pains to keep his address, phone,
etc off the net, but then puts it all on a jpg. By all accounts the guy is
some sort of asshole anyway who likes to publish “personal info” of people
he doesn’t like, telephones and home addresses. Or maybe he figures they’re
fair game if they’re public employees, to which I’d agree. And maybe he rubs
pro-war elements the wrong way who go on to wreck his reputation.

A2, a musical talent and an activist from Olympia, came under scrutiny of
military intelligence back around the time just after Bush Jr went to war
in Iraq for organizing something called Rock Against Bush.

There do seem to be multiple concurrent operations going on with possible
protest groups in the Puget Sound area, if I had to make a guess. So-called
force protection at the local military bases has projected itself out into
the community beyond base gates and boundaries in cooperation with but not
limiting itself to these fusion centers set up by the federal government
to coopt local law enforcement into “the secret stuff.” As local municipal
and state budget resources dwindle well below their projected amounts because
of the global credit squeeze and currency devaluations, local police will
come under more pressure, even from civilian authorities, to let the military
do more of the policing. US Marines stopping shoplifters, and at the Port
of Olympia the Olympia PD can stand down and let the big boys in khaki do
it, it being making sure there are no protests OUTSIDE the gates, entry road,
etc.

Your statements about how this will unfold reminds me that this isn’t supposed
to be a national issue. The G-men probably want this to be a local story
without wider coverage, because that makes penetration and control simpler,
and keeps the consequences confined to one small community. I think cryptome
has done something really good by presenting it widely, and of course Amy
Goodman of Democracy Now! and others have been trying to make this a national
news item. Ft. Lewis/McChord mil intel has been operating outside the bases
since at least 1947 with the Maury Island UFO intrigues. I’m sure there are
all sorts of cozy relationships which wouldn’t withstand the light of public
scrutiny. Moreover Olympians in the past have used the “necessity defense”
aka Nuremberg to argue in court they had to protest in obediance to a higher
law. The OLYPRM rightly or wrongly perceived it had turned at least one military
commander after its initial action, someone who refused to go to Afghanistan
and became a cause celebre. If you look at how the CFR or whoever it is who
is behind these wars have been running things since 2003, it’s all about
maintaining public apathy in the US and Western Europe to an extent enabling
controlled politicians who go along with the wars to remain in office. The
last thing they want is for a politicized movement of youth to start citing
the UN Charter and Nuremberg as obligations for intervening against the wars
and any forces supporting them.

Your thanks are very kind but misplaced; I have no real contributions to
make to this item beyond some outdated background info and a suggestion the
protestors not let themselves be controlled by things that don’t matter.

Thank you for following this story. I think it’s important. I know Olympia
PD has been engaged in torturing people since long before 9/11. I know Seattle
PD think they can shoot down deaf Indian woodcarvers on the street in broad
daylight with total impunity. I know local law enforcement there in Puget
Sound is mostly corrupt and has no problem framing people like the young
black libertarian activist shot down near Sea-Tac a while back. The Washington
Soviet Socialist Republic has all the makings of a hardcore, conformist,
fascist political unit if the people in power there ever got autonomy (beyond
fake “sovereignty” movements like the Cascadia thing intended to generate
bucks/loons for the initiators).

Kenn Thomas the author and ‘zine maker has done a lot of research on the
Maury Island incident and has Clay Shaw, Guy Banister and Jim Garrison [three
JFK assassination figures] in the Tacoma area at the time. He thinks Fred
Crisman was one of the “three tramps” in Dallas. I figured out L. Ron Hubbard
was in the same area (Kitsap Peninsula near Maury Island) at the same time
too, for whatever that’s worth. L. Ron was I guess mentioned in some classified
documents as being connected with Jack Parsons in Orange, CA, and there was
one of those people diagrams made, you know, who knows whom and how they
connect. This was some early attempt to study/track the UFO phenomenon by
the US govt. Not sure how it relates to the current affair with Towery et
al., but there it is.

A18 writes 23 January 2011:

I am currently redacting the Towery docs to satisfy the wishes of many of
the folks mentioned in them. A sent a redacted version earlier but he does
not think it made it through to you. We are taking this opportunity to redact
more names and addresses and other personally identifying information. I
expect to be done with this in about an hour. At that time I will send
you the redacted file.

towery-spy1.zip       John Towery Covert Army Spy Official Dossier 1   January 24, 2011 (16MB)

Continue reading here: John Towery Spy Dossier Comments – Cryptome.org

John Cornyn Runaway Winner of “Biggest Hypocrite on Immigration” Award for … – Common Dreams (press release)

January 21, 2011 News / Video

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WASHINGTON – January 21 – Last week’s Republican-backed Hispanic Leadership Network conference
in South Florida overflowed with chatter about how the GOP needs to
improve its positioning with Latino voters. Amidst all the discussion,
however, few voices at the conference admitted the simple truth that appealing to Latino voters
will not simply require a change in “tone” when it comes to the
immigration issue, but a change in policies advocated by the GOP. At
the conference, one speaker stood out in particular for his rank
hypocrisy on immigration, continuing an unprecedented effort to portray
himself as a supporter of common sense immigration reform while
consistently working to derail issue. So without further adieu, and in
the spirit of Hollywood’s awards season, America’s Voice would like to
honor Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) with the prestigious award of “Biggest
Hypocrite on Immigration, January 2011.”

According to Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice, “It’s
truly a dishonor and far from a privilege to present this award to
Senator Cornyn. While he continues to talk a good game about the need
for common sense immigration reform, every single time it’s mattered,
Senator Cornyn has voted the wrong way. It’s incredible that he
continues to blame Democrats for the lack of progress on immigration
solutions, when Senator Cornyn has consistently opposed reform in
Congress.”

At the Hispanic Leadership Network conference, Senator Cornyn portrayed himself as a dedicated advocate for immigration reform and blamed the lack of progress on Democrats. According
to POLITICO, Cornyn “reiterated his commitment to overhauling
immigration, saying a broken system serves neither ‘our interests or our
values.’” Senator Cornyn said that “It is easy to be skeptical about
the prospects of immigration reform when both the White House and the
United States Senate have been in hands of Democratic leaders who make
promises they have not fulfilled…We can’t simply kick the can down the
road.”

Cornyn knows from whence he speaks. Having voted against comprehensive
immigration reform and the DREAM Act each twice during his Senate
career, Cornyn is a master of “kick the can” politics. He has also
mastered the art of triangulation, claiming to support comprehensive
immigration reform, but insisting that the border should be “secured”
before other elements of reform are taken up. Given the fact that a
Democrat occupies the White House and is in charge of immigration
enforcement, we’re betting that Cornyn and others in the GOP are not
planning to declare the border “secure” before 2013 at the earliest.

The fact is, the federal government has dramatically bolstered border security and spending, and crimes along the border have actually decreased.
The missing piece of the puzzle is a fair and practical way of dealing
with the 11 million undocumented immigrants in our country today,
something that Cornyn claims to support but consistently votes against.

Thankfully, as a counterbalance to Senator Cornyn, another conference
attendee stood out for actually speaking the truth. Syndicated
conservative columnist Navarrette wins the “Telling It Like It Is” award
for voicing an uncomfortable truth to many of his fellow conservatives:
namely, that they are in a deep rut of denial regarding Latino outreach
if they think that they can fix their “Latino problem” through a few
simple changes in rhetoric. Said
Navarrette at the conference, “If you come away thinking that this is
all about language and tone, you will miss the point… You are always
going to be number two…The problem is not the tone. It is the message
itself-it is offensive, racist. You’ve got to fix the product.” In his
syndicated column following the conference, entitled
“GOP Needs an Exorcist,” Navarrette noted, “When it comes to
immigration, the Republican message is toxic. There is too much
dishonesty, too much racism and too many simplistic solutions to what is
a complicated problem. If the GOP wants to make a serious play for
Hispanic voters in 2012 and beyond, this has to change. The party is
struggling with demons. It doesn’t need a publicist. It needs an
exorcist.”

According to Sharry, “Perhaps Cornyn really believes that he can have
it both ways on immigration, and that Latino voters won’t bother to
check his rhetoric against his voting record. But the fact is that when
it comes to common sense immigration reform, Sen. Cornyn has far more
in common with Lamar Smith, Steve King, and the anti-immigrant zealots
that are steering the Republican Party off a political cliff than he
does the Bush brothers. Here’s hoping responsible Republicans actually
listen to what Navarrette and Latino voters have been saying, end the
blame game on immigration reform, and work together on a real solution.”

Read America’s Voice Memo on the Republican Party and Immigration

Watch Video of Senator Cornyn at the Hispanic Leadership Conference

Watch Video of Ruben Navarrette at the Hispanic Leadership Conference

Source: John Cornyn Runaway Winner of “Biggest Hypocrite on Immigration” Award for … – Common Dreams (press release)

State of the Union a test of Obama’s centrist shift, GOP says – Los Angeles Times

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