Dennis Lormel, Traitor?
When the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Los Angeles Times reported that SWIFT data was being used to track terrorist finances, Dennis Lormel, the former head of the FBI's terrorist financial investigative unit, helped lead the charge accusing the media of undermining our nation's security. Rule of thumb, PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN GLASS HOUSES SHOULD NOT THROW ROCKS.
I don't really think Dennis is a traitor, but, if we use the standard that the Bush White House applied only to the New York Times, he probably is. Take a look at Chapter One of Ron Suskind's new thriller, The One Percent Doctrine, which features none other than Mr. Dennis Lormel. Suskind writes:
At noon on September 13, a passing agent ducked his head into Dennis Lormel's office. He said that someone had called from the Omaha FBI office. A company named First Data Corporation, with a huge processing facility out there, wanted to help in any way it could. A red-eyed Lormel looked up from his desk. "Oh, that's big". . . .But Lormel also knew something most of the agents running sleepless around FBI headquarters two days after 9/11 didn't know: First Data was not only the world's leading credit card processor . . ."Inside that company is a gem--Western Union."
That my friends is what my analyst buddies called, "no shit analysis". Suskind, with Lormel's assistance, proceeds to offer detailed descriptions of information subsequently obtained from First Data Corporation, including records of Western Union financial transactions. The information revealed by Lormel is far more sensitive and classified than anything reported in the New York Times. If you want to know some of the secrets about what the United States is doing to track terrorist assets, read Suskind's book.
Before Dennis Lormel leads anymore parades attacking the media for compromising secrets he ought to stuff a sock in his mouth. Lormel lecturing on protecting info about financial secrets is like listening to Ken Lay on corporate financial management.
You know the real point was not about "leaks" but was part of a continual program to cower the press and make it look bad in the eyes of the public.
Many rightwingers now fully believe that the major dailies are "liberal", that they can't be trusted to tell the truth, and that their activities border on treasonable. When one confronts these people with the question as to where else we should get our information the answers are never coherent.
A free and open press is the only thing protecting us from tyranny. It is always the first thing attacked by dictatorships or soon-to-be dictatorships. We can look at Stalin or Hitler in history but there are plenty of contemporary examples ranging from Egypt to Zimbabwe.
There is such a news vacuum these days that several British publications have started marketing in the US.
--- Policies not Politics
Daily Landscape
July 10, 2006 2:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
It has occurred to me that what the neocons are aiming for is to convert our election process to the Mexican model. That is where the ruling party, the GOP, preselects the president long before each election, and the votes just happen to agree with that selection. Remember, this process worked very well in Mexico for over 50 years, so why not here?
Part of this transformation has to be destroying the free press, which just might decide to do some investigative reporting on the subject. Another part is keeping us in a continual "state of war" so the president can always claim to be acting as commander in chief and protecting us from the boogie man of the day.
Another obvious part of the transformation is to make sure the GOP can always hold the majority in Congress, closing off any chance at impeachment. That part is well underway, and will probably accelerate now that the supreme court has found nothing wrong with redrawing congressional districts to provide additional representation for the party in power.
I'm not paranoid - the neocons really are doing this!
Hoppy in Sacramento
July 10, 2006 5:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
Actually your observation is a bit out of date.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-pastor8jul08,1,3923363.story?coll=la-news-comment
This is one of several pieces I have seen in the last week that talks about how superior the Mexican system is to ours.
You are correct that PRI operated this way for decades, but once PAN took control of the government after Vicente Fox's election, a number of reforms were implemented that are detailed in this article. It's obvious PAN isn't or can't follow the old PRI mode of operation - look how close this election is.
July 10, 2006 6:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Someone pointed out that, to really understand the recent demonizing of the NYT, you have to understand the significance for certain sections of the country that this newspaper has "New York" in its name.
This is nothing short of inciting hate in these people for "New York" and everything it represents to them.
It is a plausible and disturbing revelation.
Perhaps Billmon is right and we are looking down the road at a Spanish-style civil war.
July 10, 2006 6:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
What it takes to be a real (not ideological) conservative
That, as they say, ain't even the half of it. Actually, I find it kind of funny that at this late date (must be an election year) that the Bush administration would get all heated up over these disclosures, wire tapping, tracking financial records supposedly of terrorists, and yet to be revealed etc.
However, after 9/11/2001, we saw the following on the news casts: Bush promising to go after Osama bin Laden very loudly and clearly. CNN was one of the news media that informed us thusly. About a month later, we go into Afghanistan. We manage to topple the Taliban regime, all right. But the master terrorist is no where to be found. Regardless of the optimistic, "he's dead in a cave somewhere", being touted by no less than the U.S. Military. Obviously, he isn't. What happened? Bush warned him a month in advance by continually blathering on and on about how we are coming to get you, bin Laden. A month would be long enough for the guy to clear out of Afghanistan--present location, unknown. Even Ronald Reagan knew better than to tell "the enemy" all about his plans.
And here's the next kicker: Invasion of Iraq, predicated on WMDs programs that Hussein could hand to terrorists at will. Bush continually whining we have to go after the Hussein gvt in order to keep him from handing dangerous weapons to Al Qaeda. Post invasion--if such a program existed, it was quickly dismantled and disappeared. Hussein had months to dispose of it. Roosevelt argued, "Loose lips sink ships".
Prior to the invasion: let's show the world all our military hardware. Consequence, CBS News ends up filming tons of back log of damaged and destroyed equipment needing repair in a major military repair shop in this country. Abrams tanks that are easily vulnerable to IEDs. Prior to and during the course of the invasion: Maps, troop locations, supply line locations, filming a sign leading to Baghdad, battle plans discussed, etc. CNN, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, etc. And New York Times on-line going into an in-depth pre-invasion discussion of urban warfare in Iraq. What did the Bush administration say? Until Geraldo Rivera drew a map, nothing! What did it cost? 2,540 odd Soldiers and Marines and counting. Oil profits to rebuild Iraq. Consequence: Oil pipelines continually attacked. Yep, this was the Bush administration engaging in active egos and ruinous boasting. Where it cost us success in Iraq, Bush and co. was the first to tell the world all about it.
July 10, 2006 7:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Larry,
You really have to get past this notion that duplicity somehow bothers Bush administration folk. Remember, this is the "keep government small and out of our lives" party that hates deficit spending and nation building.
July 10, 2006 8:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
Fortunately Mexico has moved on towards a real democracy, but I'm sure all of the Texas oil men in the administration remember very well how well the old system worked. And, it is that old system that they long to set up here, not the post Fox system.
It is no longer a joke when Venezuela or Mexico offers to supervise our elections to make sure they are conducted honestly.
Hoppy in Sacramento
July 10, 2006 9:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hoppy,
You are exactly right, that is precisely what they are doing, trying to engineer a permanent takeover of the government. Have you seen the gerrymandered map of Texas? Its an outrage and an assault on the very foundations of our democratic-republican system.
We have to encourage the good senators and reppresentatives like Boxer, Waxman, Feingold, Obey, and others not only to openly challenge this band of modern-day fascists (and I use the term seriously) but also to push the leadership in congress to do so openly and forthrightly.
Our democratic-republican form of government may continue to exist in theory, but we may lose the reality if we don't do something, and soon.
Bushco delenda est
Plowman
July 11, 2006 5:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
Larry, Do you know if your Dennis Lormel is this Dennis Lormel? If so, can you tell me what kind of business DML Associates, L.L.C. is in? A google search turns up several DML Associates.
If Mr. Lormel is a consultant looking for government work, wouldn't it make sense for him to support the Bush administration?
If I have the right Dennis Lormel, he's got one hefty mortgage to pay off!
VIRGINIA STATE CORPORATION COMMISSION
Company Name: DML Associates, L.L.C.
Name Comment: DUNS NO. 183028518
Mailing Address:
46558 RIVER MEADOWS TERR
STERLING, VA 20165
Type: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY
Status: ACTIVE
Status Date: 8/17/2004
Filing Date: 8/17/2004
Duration: PERPETUAL
State or Country of Incorporation: VIRGINIA
Registered Agent:
DENNIS M LORMEL
Status: ACTIVE
Creation Date: 10/11/2005
Registered Office:
43082 ROCKY RIDGE CT
LANSDOWNE, VA 20176
Additional Information: INDUSTRY: GENERAL
Filing Number: S130505
July 11, 2006 9:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
Never mind, Larry.
I have the right Dennis M. Lormel, according to his bio on the Corporate Risk International website linked to the Counterterrorism blog. Unless, of course, there are two Dennis M. Lormels.
It seems to me that all of these "terrorism experts" have a financial interest in ramping up the level of threat from terrorism.
July 11, 2006 9:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
Gerrymanders suck but we have to push BOTH parties out of them. The current Texas scheme isn't arguably any worse than the gerrymander it replaced that gave Democrats a 17-15 advantage in a state that didn't have a single Democrat elected to statewide office.
July 11, 2006 1:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
I doubt it. Most Americans just aren't that engaged in politics. It's just a passionate (relative) few on both extremes that are all heated up.
The LA Times had a piece a couple of weeks ago (I'm too lazy to look for it) about several families in a neighborhood in Orange County that are absolutely on opposite sides of the fence politically but still are good friends and do all sorts of things together socially. The money quote, "There are so many things more important than politics."
July 11, 2006 5:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
If we wanted to make changes the way the Mexicans did we would probably have to amend the Constitution. They have centralized and federalized the entire election process while our Constitution leaves that to the States.
The Mexicans also severely restrict exit polling BTW.
July 11, 2006 5:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
They have centralized and federalized the entire election process while our Constitution leaves that to the States
Has the Su[reme Court been told?
Jan Knaus
July 11, 2006 5:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
July 12, 2006 6:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yes I took your link and read Billmon's piece. I just don't buy it.
IMO the last time we have had a level of political tension that approached armed conflict was during the race riot - war protest era of the late 60s early 70s. Having lived through that era (including my father and I having loaded weapons ready in our house in the '67 riots in Memphis)I don't see anything like that abroad in the country today.
July 12, 2006 11:40 AM | Reply | Permalink