Zero Dark Thirty

[thatsmystory]

One of the most striking things however, is that the film paints the Saudi intelligence and Pakistani ISI as either on the good guy American side or neutral...yet for a film that focuses on 9/11 money trails, it completely ignores the deep Saudi and ISI government ties to the 9/11 money.

US journalists are unwilling to honestly deal with the disconnect between a so called regrettable but oh so urgently needed torture program and a cover up by the very same torture advocates of CIA and Saudi intelligence involvement in protecting the hijackers.

To my knowledge no US journalists ever followed up on information in the "Who is Rich Blee" podcast. Boal seems like a charlatan to me.

[divideandconquer]

As late as WWII, there was still a BIG problem with soldiers not wanting to shoot at other human beings. It was the military's biggest obstacle, getting humans to kill other humans. In fact, there was a study done that showed that 90% of the bullets fired during WWII did NOT hit anyone. Supposedly by the year 2000, however, this problem wasn't such a problem, mostly thanks big screen in your face TV, movies and ESPECIALLY those violent video games. The same video games used in the service to train soldiers to kill.. So now, the majority of soldiers are willing to shoot at other humans, no problem. Part of the reason could be the all volunteer aspect, but that wouldn't account for soldiers who signed up before 2000.

My point is the torture scenes are added for further desensitization, as if we're not all desensitized enough. Those ultra violent video games target young boys which is really sad...they don't have a chance. What's that sci-fi book that deals with this subject? Anyone know?

[8bitagent]

The top video games are all the black ops/call of duty/modern warfare series of games and related games. They even have commercials on tv for these games featuring the drone combat assisting
your marine company. We live in this age where predator drones are seen as "way cool/technology assistance/fully intergrated/respected" things rather than disgusting evil.

This film is perfect for the Obama/Apple/Facebook/Flatscreen age. Murder Inc, but now "intelligent" and "headed by a feisty red headed gal!"

One of the most striking things however, is that the film paints the Saudi intelligence and Pakistani ISI as either on the good guy American side or neutral...yet for a film that focuses on 9/11 money trails, it completely ignores the deep Saudi and ISI government ties to the 9/11 money.

US journalists are unwilling to honestly deal with the disconnect between a so called regrettable but oh so urgently needed torture program and a cover up by the very same torture advocates of CIA and Saudi intelligence involvement in protecting the hijackers.

To my knowledge no US journalists ever followed up on information in the "Who is Rich Blee" podcast. Boal seems like a charlatan to me.

whoah, what podcast was that one? I listened to most the emory spitfire and 4 a closer look ones on 9/11

There was this strange period in 2011 when Fox News was doing all this really good 9/11 truth reporting, still cant explain that one. But next to Press for Truth and Core of Corruption,
this Fox News documentary is one of the best 9/11 Truther docs I ever have seen

[thatsmystory]

whoah, what podcast was that one? I listened to most the emory spitfire and 4 a closer look ones on 9/11

Richard Clarke: CIA covered up ties to 9/11 hijackers

Who is Rich Blee podcast

There was this strange period in 2011 when Fox News was doing all this really good 9/11 truth reporting, still cant explain that one. But next to Press for Truth and Core of Corruption, this Fox News documentary is one of the best 9/11 Truther docs I ever have seen

Catherine Herridge is their terrorism reporter. She has covered the al-Awlaki story for years. Here is the latest:

The FBI suspected within days of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that the American Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki may have purchased tickets for some of the hijackers for air travel in advance of the attacks, according to newly released documents reviewed exclusively by Fox News.

The purpose of these flights remains unclear, but the 9/11 Commission report later noted that the hijackers had used flights in the lead-up to the attacks to test security and surveillance.

The heavily redacted records – obtained by Judicial Watch through a Freedom of information Act request – suggest the FBI held evidence tying the American-born cleric to the hijackers just 16 days after the attack that killed nearly 3,000 Americans.

“We have FBI documents showing that the FBI knew that al-Awlaki had bought three tickets for three of the hijackers to fly into Florida and into Las Vegas, including the lead hijacker, Mohammad Atta,” Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, told Fox News.

Exclusive: Cleric may have booked pre-9/11 flights for hijackers, FBI documents show

1) The FBI is playing sick games made possible by their abuse of secrecy powers. They caution Judicial Watch on drawing improper conclusions on the redacted portions as the redactions make the context of the ticket purchases difficult to understand. No shit. That is by design.

2) Was Al-Awlaki an FBI asset? Did he function in a similar manner as al-Bayoumi evidently did for the Saudi GID and help the hijackers? The context of his murder changes if he was an (former) asset with dirt on the FBI.

3) What reason is there to trust the FBI on al Qaeda related cases? As far as I can determine Dina Corsi is currently the deputy director for counterintelligence. Corsi played a crucial role in obstructing al Qaeda investigations before 9/11.

[justdrew]

I had no idea the guy from Parks and Recreation was in seal team 6.

the torture depicted was probably less nasty looking than torture depicted in any given action movie, or even say, Syriana. and it was only about the first 30-45 minutes. It didn't make passage of many many years of time that clear sometimes. It did make have them saying they stopped doing torture, and almost didn't want to followup on the bin laden lead cause the info came from a early torture session. whatever. They say not so. The movie lied by omission (perhaps somewhat justifiably) about the use of a vaccination program, though they seemed to substitute some other medical related scheme that supposedly didn't work out.

Possibly the most interesting thing: the CIA director came and found her in the plebs commissary, and started in on a good ol' "do you know why we recruited you right out of high school?" speech, the character appeared flustered and said, "I don't think I'm allowed to say"

kinda creepy that.

[justdrew]

new Tough-Guy tv show, "the banshee"

a pic is worth a thousand words...


what's that red thing on his wrist? Two incidents is a trend right? (see upthread for same thing in a 0dark30 pic.)

"Banshee" is set in a small town in Pennsylvania Amish country and features an enigmatic ex-con/martial arts expert posing as a murdered sheriff who imposes his own brand of justice while also cooking up plans that serve his own interests.

[8bitagent]

whoah, what podcast was that one? I listened to most the emory spitfire and 4 a closer look ones on 9/11

Richard Clarke: CIA covered up ties to 9/11 hijackers

Who is Rich Blee podcast

There was this strange period in 2011 when Fox News was doing all this really good 9/11 truth reporting, still cant explain that one. But next to Press for Truth and Core of Corruption, this Fox News documentary is one of the best 9/11 Truther docs I ever have seen

Catherine Herridge is their terrorism reporter. She has covered the al-Awlaki story for years. Here is the latest:

The FBI suspected within days of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that the American Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki may have purchased tickets for some of the hijackers for air travel in advance of the attacks, according to newly released documents reviewed exclusively by Fox News.

The purpose of these flights remains unclear, but the 9/11 Commission report later noted that the hijackers had used flights in the lead-up to the attacks to test security and surveillance.

The heavily redacted records – obtained by Judicial Watch through a Freedom of information Act request – suggest the FBI held evidence tying the American-born cleric to the hijackers just 16 days after the attack that killed nearly 3,000 Americans.

“We have FBI documents showing that the FBI knew that al-Awlaki had bought three tickets for three of the hijackers to fly into Florida and into Las Vegas, including the lead hijacker, Mohammad Atta,” Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, told Fox News.

Exclusive: Cleric may have booked pre-9/11 flights for hijackers, FBI documents show

1) The FBI is playing sick games made possible by their abuse of secrecy powers. They caution Judicial Watch on drawing improper conclusions on the redacted portions as the redactions make the context of the ticket purchases difficult to understand. No shit. That is by design.

2) Was Al-Awlaki an FBI asset? Did he function in a similar manner as al-Bayoumi evidently did for the Saudi GID and help the hijackers? The context of his murder changes if he was an (former) asset with dirt on the FBI.

3) What reason is there to trust the FBI on al Qaeda related cases? As far as I can determine Dina Corsi is currently the deputy director for counterintelligence. Corsi played a crucial role in obstructing al Qaeda investigations before 9/11.

Nice find! Wow, even I missed this. People talk a lot about "smoking guns", WTC7, etc. To me the most explosive smoking guns are precisely all of this Saudi, Awlaki, money trail type stuff.
This is court of law, direct linkage sort of stuff.

What the fuck was Awlaki doing at the Pentagon in March of 2002 if the FBI had become aware of his ties to bin Laden in 1999? There was clear evidence that he took two of the hijackers
to a Muslim area of Falls Church Virginia, and put them up near a Halal butcher shop that was also a WAMY(bin Laden family funded) front. According to the Fox News documentary,
Awlaki had been in contact with Ramzi bin alshidh in Germany via phone, which I wouldnt doubt. I read awhile back it was partially Saudi pressure that forced the FBI to release Awlaki in 2002.

The "Vegas mystery" that's "eluded investigators" may be a red herring, or there could be something there. Remember that in March 2001, one week after John O'neil attended a counter terrorism conference in Madrid, three of the hijackers appeared at the same hotel.

Remember too, that RIGHT when Abu Gharib had reached critical mass, the Nick Berg event happened and shocked the world. A man who had somehow been in contact with, and had data on alleged "20th hijacker" Zacharious Moussoui, who also was in contact and had software from the co-pilot of the Paul Wellstone crash plane. A man who was living with a man(Mujahid Menepta) connected to WTC, OKC and 9/11. A man seen with Mohameed Atta, and I believe Nawaf al Hamzi before he made it out to Falls Church.

It's shocking no plucky FBI or CIA agent played puzzle pieces and thought "what in the bloody hell is going on?" This fictitious siren in Zero Dark Theory is some sort of Colombo, yet why are conspiracy nerds like ourselves more in tune with all of these disparate layers?

This to me remains the most shocking, damning and smoking gun piece revealed since 9/11 itself
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/FBI_docum ... _0228.html
http://www.historycommons.org/news.jsp? ... 393703-423

My guess? British BAE defense money found its way into the hands of key 9/11 hijackers and material support via the Saudis, as well as slush funds from powerful UAE/Dubai elites. The ISI link may be a red herring, though there may be something there. Either way I see 9/11 as a globalist op to trick America into war using brainwashed jihadis as the fall guy.

[MacCruiskeen]

Haven't seen it and would have to be paid to see it, having fallen asleep in the middle of The Hurt Locker, which was, among much else, possibly thee most boring film ever made. Luckily, Ellen Jones has done the work of sitting through Zero Dark Thirty for us and has posted a brilliantly scathing review at the excellent nsfw website. I hope she got paid for it.

Some extracts:

[...]

War is hell on the hairdo, and Chastain has a doozy, the most carefully coiffed red locks I’ve seen since Rita Hayworth used to toss hers around. They start off as long coppery curls as perfect as in a L’oreal hair-color ad, and then get more fetchingly windblown as bombs go off around her and military helicopters come and go. The very last helicopter is the Seal Team Six one that brings Bin Laden’s body back to the base, and the entire US military awaits Chastain’s “visual recognition” of the Al Qaeda leader. She goes and unzips the body bag and peeks shyly in at him and nods, and that’s good enough for everybody. Call the President! We got him! (If this was anything like the actual process of verifying Bin Laden’s death, no wonder conspiracy theorists aren’t convinced.)

1940s audiences probably enjoyed Ginger Rogers vs. the Nazis more than Jessica Chastain vs. Al Qaeda, though, because Chastain drags with her a huge load of ponderous build-up about her supposedly amazing acting gifts recently showcased in The Help and Tree of Life and, no doubt, Madagascar 3. Chastain is a frail, pale creature with white skin so thin you can see the veins working underneath, and a perpetually open mouth as generally seen in goldfish, blow-up dolls, and Hollywood starlets. I imagine there was probably someone on the film assigned to monitor Chastain’s mouth continuity, and to remind her to keep it open even in dust storms.

What I’m trying to indicate in my subtle way is that I don’t like Jessica Chastain, and she’s being “showcased” here, given the big star treatment. Jessica Chastain is my new least favorite female actor, after Bryce Dallas Howard, another pale twitchy redhead with pernicious acting-class tendencies. The idea of Chastain as a “killer” CIA agent, or a killer anything—Lordy, has nobody ever met a formidable female in this brave new world?

[...]

This is also one of those Hollywood films in which fifty kinds of brutal hell are thrown at the “natives,” but you’re supposed to care most about how the good-looking Americans feel about witnessing it. Are they okay? In the opening torture scene, Jessica Chastain’s character literally answers that question while watching a bloody half-naked guy suspended from the ceiling getting the works: “I’m fine,” she quavers bravely. Then at the end, as she’s going home at last, Mission Accomplished, we get a big gorgeous close-up of her as she sheds large round Hollywood tears.

That poor, poor CIA agent! What she’s had to go through! Will she ever be truly whole again?

But like I say, this kinda stuff goes over with a lot of people. Just the announcement that a film deals with important issues is often enough to make everyone solemn and impressed.

[...]

https://www.nsfwcorp.com/dispatch/zero-dark-thirty

[justdrew]

01:52:33,868 --> 01:52:34,901
May I join you?

01:52:39,267 --> 01:52:40,834
how is the food down here anyway?

01:52:42,100 --> 01:52:43,001
ah, it's OK

01:52:44,801 --> 01:52:46,268
how long have you worked for the CIA?

01:52:47,067 --> 01:52:47,601
12 years

01:52:48,434 --> 01:52:49,768
I was recruited out of high school

01:52:49,934 --> 01:52:51,101
and do you know why we did that?

01:52:52,334 --> 01:52:53,734
I don't think I can answer that question, sir

01:52:54,601 --> 01:52:57,001
I don't think I'm allowed to... answer

01:52:58,234 --> 01:52:58,801
all right

01:53:01,234 --> 01:53:02,468
what else have you done for us?

01:53:03,167 --> 01:53:04,167
besides Bin Laden

01:53:06,000 --> 01:53:06,501
nothing

01:53:08,601 --> 01:53:09,535
I've done nothing else

01:53:13,200 --> 01:53:14,600
well, you certainly have a flair for it

so WTF is that about?

[IanEye]

Q: Lastly, we’re in the midst of film awards season. What Oscar-bait movie do you think would make the best porn parody?

A: Well, the patriot in me says take the Bin Laden film [Zero Dark Thirty] and turn it into a gay porn in protest of 9/11. “You terrorize and kill thousands of innocent Americans? Well, we’ll do the most offensive thing possible to you. Take that! And ... there’s bacon in it!”

[8bitagent]

01:52:33,868 --> 01:52:34,901
May I join you?

01:52:39,267 --> 01:52:40,834
how is the food down here anyway?

01:52:42,100 --> 01:52:43,001
ah, it's OK

01:52:44,801 --> 01:52:46,268
how long have you worked for the CIA?

01:52:47,067 --> 01:52:47,601
12 years

01:52:48,434 --> 01:52:49,768
I was recruited out of high school

01:52:49,934 --> 01:52:51,101
and do you know why we did that?

01:52:52,334 --> 01:52:53,734
I don't think I can answer that question, sir

01:52:54,601 --> 01:52:57,001
I don't think I'm allowed to... answer

01:52:58,234 --> 01:52:58,801
all right

01:53:01,234 --> 01:53:02,468
what else have you done for us?

01:53:03,167 --> 01:53:04,167
besides Bin Laden

01:53:06,000 --> 01:53:06,501
nothing

01:53:08,601 --> 01:53:09,535
I've done nothing else

01:53:13,200 --> 01:53:14,600
well, you certainly have a flair for it

so WTF is that about?

Call me a naive, but I didn't get what her and Gandolfini were talking about. I downloaded the Oscar screener after I saw it in theaters and still didnt get that part when I rewatched it.

[8bitagent]

Haven't seen it and would have to be paid to see it, having fallen asleep in the middle of The Hurt Locker, which was, among much else, possibly thee most boring film ever made. Luckily, Ellen Jones has done the work of sitting through Zero Dark Thirty for us and has posted a brilliantly scathing review at the excellent nsfw website. I hope she got paid for it.

Some extracts:

[...]

War is hell on the hairdo, and Chastain has a doozy, the most carefully coiffed red locks I’ve seen since Rita Hayworth used to toss hers around. They start off as long coppery curls as perfect as in a L’oreal hair-color ad, and then get more fetchingly windblown as bombs go off around her and military helicopters come and go. The very last helicopter is the Seal Team Six one that brings Bin Laden’s body back to the base, and the entire US military awaits Chastain’s “visual recognition” of the Al Qaeda leader. She goes and unzips the body bag and peeks shyly in at him and nods, and that’s good enough for everybody. Call the President! We got him! (If this was anything like the actual process of verifying Bin Laden’s death, no wonder conspiracy theorists aren’t convinced.)

1940s audiences probably enjoyed Ginger Rogers vs. the Nazis more than Jessica Chastain vs. Al Qaeda, though, because Chastain drags with her a huge load of ponderous build-up about her supposedly amazing acting gifts recently showcased in The Help and Tree of Life and, no doubt, Madagascar 3. Chastain is a frail, pale creature with white skin so thin you can see the veins working underneath, and a perpetually open mouth as generally seen in goldfish, blow-up dolls, and Hollywood starlets. I imagine there was probably someone on the film assigned to monitor Chastain’s mouth continuity, and to remind her to keep it open even in dust storms.

What I’m trying to indicate in my subtle way is that I don’t like Jessica Chastain, and she’s being “showcased” here, given the big star treatment. Jessica Chastain is my new least favorite female actor, after Bryce Dallas Howard, another pale twitchy redhead with pernicious acting-class tendencies. The idea of Chastain as a “killer” CIA agent, or a killer anything—Lordy, has nobody ever met a formidable female in this brave new world?

[...]

This is also one of those Hollywood films in which fifty kinds of brutal hell are thrown at the “natives,” but you’re supposed to care most about how the good-looking Americans feel about witnessing it. Are they okay? In the opening torture scene, Jessica Chastain’s character literally answers that question while watching a bloody half-naked guy suspended from the ceiling getting the works: “I’m fine,” she quavers bravely. Then at the end, as she’s going home at last, Mission Accomplished, we get a big gorgeous close-up of her as she sheds large round Hollywood tears.

That poor, poor CIA agent! What she’s had to go through! Will she ever be truly whole again?

But like I say, this kinda stuff goes over with a lot of people. Just the announcement that a film deals with important issues is often enough to make everyone solemn and impressed.

[...]

https://www.nsfwcorp.com/dispatch/zero-dark-thirty

Damn fine write up. Oh and you can easily download a dvd screener of the film on your favorite friendly torrent sites. Im hoping people download this instead of paying to see it. Funny how the Oscars snubbed
her this year...guess Hollywood is more liberal than I thought. I also find it funny how right wingers think this is an pro Obama film. Its really overall just a Pro 'Murica film(so pro Bush and pro Obama)

But yeah, I really did not like Chastain at all in this. Just purely from an acting standpoint.

[thatsmystory]

Observations from following the ZDT coverage:

1)"It's so unfair for Bigelow not to be nominated for best director." I would get this comment if we were talking about a baseball movie or something but when the movie concerns torture then it just doesn't come across well to bemoan the notion of unfairness.

2)Some Hollywood people are full of shit. Yeah this view is probably the typical bias of people outside of Hollywood but Bigelow and Boal seem stunned by the fact that their torture apologist movie is not universally praised. In recent news Boal notes that criticism in Europe is not as intense as it has been in US. Wow that really hard to understand. I wonder if years of fearmongering and propaganda have anything to do with it?

3)Chastain prepared by reading books by Michael Scheuer. I don't know if she read the anti-CIA book by Jose Rodriguez to balance out her sourcing.

4)There is no question that the torture program was a good faith effort to stop follow up attacks. The only issue worth debating is whether it played a specific role in the identification of the courier.

5)"ZDT kicks ass" according to a shitload of people on Twitter.

6)Secrecy kicks ass too. But from time to time it's a good idea to let Hollywood in on a few secrets so they can reassure the public that the CIA is on the case.

[thatsmystory]

HBO will air a documentary in May that will be billed as "the real Zero Dark Thirty."

"Manhunt," debuting on HBO in May, uses extensive interviews with CIA officers, military operatives and others involved in tracking bin Laden as he rose to power calling for jihad against the United States in the 1990s and in the war on terror after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.

Sundance doc adds new take on hunt for bin Laden

Marty Martin, a CIA case officer who led the hunt for bin Laden after the Sept. 11 attacks, said interrogations did not occur the way they are shown in "Zero Dark Thirty." Asked if torture produced tips that helped find bin Laden, Martin would only say that he believes "enhanced interrogation techniques" were useful.

Martin said he believes such methods have saved hundreds of thousands of lives.

"This is America. We need to have this debate," Martin said. "If you want to make a decision that 5,000 people can die because you don't want to make a bad guy feel uncomfortable, that's a decision we have. But then, you bear that responsibility, and you'll look in those victims' relatives' eyes after the fact. But the fact is, that debate and that discussion needs to occur, and we live in a free society where that needs to happen."

Just like George Tenet and Cofer Black he frames the debate as either we use torture or people die. According to History Commons Martin was the fourth chief of Alec Station (after Scheuer, Blee and Hendrik V.).

Did director Greg Barker ask any Alec Station officials to explain why the CIA protected al Qaeda operatives in the lead up to 9/11? I doubt it.

[8bitagent]

So Humam Khalil al-Balawi killed a few Blackwater and CIA scumbags at Camp Chapman...it's interesting how we're suppose to feel bad
for these people who callously blow up and order the death of endless civilian villagers like it's a crossword puzzle.
If only al Qaeda and the CIA didnt work for the same globalist psychopaths, you'd forgive people for sympathizing
with actions done to stand up to fascist spooks. Of course al Qaeda/jihadists regardless are still ignorant religion fucktards,
so maybe they all deserve eachother.