CIA--release of Bin Laden photo up to White House

CIA Director Leon Panetta is still undecided if the United States will release photos of Osama Bin Laden. In a tweet by CBS News, Panetta said that the White House decides on matters like that. Meaning, the release is probably not security-related, but a political matter. 


Questions still linger on the purported death of Bin Laden for two reasons: First, many have speculated about this a couple of times before and second, this happened at a time when U.S. president Barack Obama is seeking his second term. Obviously, the U.S. government under Barack is using this issue to prop up his ratings since he has failed in several fronts, including the economy. Bin Laden's death is an emotional issue for most Americans. So, spearheading the mission that eliminated the world's top terrorist shows leadership--political that is, and never economic.


Many analysts say that Bin Laden has been dead for years now. Yet, the amount of specific data about his alleged assasination, for me, is proof positive of his death. 


Many are demanding that the U.S. government release photos or at least videos caught during the raid to prove once and for all that Bin Laden was indeed shot and killed during the operations. The perception was the U.S. is dilly-dallying the release for maximum exposure. Or, they don't have the evidence at all.


But, they do. They have complete information on Abu Ahmad al-Kuwait, the courier that led U.S. forces to Bin Laden's mansion. Al-Kuwaiti made a mistake of calling from Abbotta, confirming earlier suspicions that his principal was there. That call spurred more intelligence gathering on the place. For more info on Abu Ahmad al-Kuwait see link.


And obviously, based on interviews by American media outlets, the U.S. government has ample evidence to prove that they did, indeed killed Bin Laden. Likewise, note the absence of any statement coming from Al Qaeda--it just proves that indeed, the main Imperialist Power had finally caught up with the elusive Islamic leader.

Metro Placed On Full alert: US Spy Chief in Manila This Sunday

Metro Manila has been placed on full alert, a few days prior to the expected visit of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Chief Leon Panetta this Sunday. It's still unknown why America's chief spy is visiting the country, although some say it's part of Washington's policy to convey to Mrs. Arroyo it's views on both security and political developments in the Philippines.

Panetta's visit is a short one---only 12 hours. Yet, it is significant because it comes at the heels of a previous visit of another top Obama official--Defense secretary Robert Gates.

Gates came to the Philippines while Mrs. Arroyo was on a state visit to Japan. He was welcomed by Defense secretary Gilbert Teodoro. During Gates' visit, he expressed Washington's desire for Malacanang to push thru with the 2010 elections.

A few days ago, US Ambassador Kristie Kenney reiterated Gates' message in public, emphasizing Washington's belief in term limits and adherence to the democratic way in political succession.

Panetta's hush-hush visit reminds me of moves Washington made in two occasions: during Marcos' last days in the palace and Erap's. Washington always send its message on two channels--both official (diplomatic) and unofficial (through envoys without official standings). Is this similar? Is Panetta out to get Arroyo's commitment to democracy? Or, he'll be here to assess, share and monitor what could possibly be a rise of terrorist activities in Mindanao?

Better for Panetta to just talk with Mrs. Arroyo and help her think clearly.

By the way, where's DILG secretary Ronnie Puno? Is he being pushed out also from Malacanang?

Definitely, forces are moving to push both Teodoro and Puno out of the palace. These very close associates of Mrs. Arroyo are using these series of bomb attacks to justify their plan. Will they succeed? Heard that their plan would coincide with the trip of Mrs. Arroyo to Egypt. A Honduran solution is a possibility?

Speculations are rife that Washington has also opened itself for talks with the opposition. Are groups preparing for a showdown?

What's certain is this---Mrs. Arroyo and her minions want to push the envelope. Yes, they are determined to push their luck. They would try to implement a selective implementation of martial rule, first in Mindanao, then, here, in the metropolis.

The question is---are we ready to defeat them? Let me quote what Hyatt 10 said: " With God's will..."

Let God's will be done. Laban Na!

FBI tried to arrest First Gentleman Mike Arroyo?

Sometime August, a group of Federal Bureau of Investigation agents purportedly belonging to the anti-terror division visited the Philippines. Their mission is simple--trace the flow of"hot money". Their plan? Investigate the flow of hot or laundered money from known terrorists to their fronts in the Philippines. Since 2000, the Philippines has been the easy conduit of terrorist funds. Global funds go thru the Philippines and into other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. IN fact, there are some talks that funding for the Mumbai attacks actually emanated from the Philippines. How true? We don't exactly know. Possible? Yes, highly likely.

Now, reportedly during their probe, they included top officials of the Arroyo administration. Allegedly, they probed one suspicious account of a very close associate of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's husband, Mike Arroyo. This very close associate is known as a hot-shot big-time operator. When they investigated his account, the group eventually found a supposed "link" to the First Gentleman.

Things unfolded and reportedly, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) established a very strong case of anti-money laundering against First Gentleman Mike Arroyo. Now, if you ask, is it legal for the US government to file charges of money laundering against Mike Arroyo? Yes, they can do that. They did it with the dictator General Noriega. The crime of money laundering is not only local or parochial--it is also deemed an international crime, given that it is being used as a way for terrorists to fund their illegal activities.

As Manila Standard Today columnist Tony Abaya and Daily Tribune's Lito Banayo wrote a few days ago, this is the reason why the plane carrying the Presidential entourage going to Peru suddenly U-turned, purportedly due to diarrhea suffered by the First Gentleman. Under normal circumstances, the plane could have landed in Hawaii, the nearest place for that PAL flight no. 001 to have landed, according to the standard operating procedure for emergency cases. Since Hawaii or the Marshall Islands belong to the US territory, Abaya and Banayo said that reportedly the First Couple requested that the plane go in the opposite direction--Japan--a full 3 hours extra.

Going back to the First Gentleman's alleged FBI case--is it plausible? Yes, a crime, if committed, could be prosecuted by the US if, for example, some funds were "parked" in US banks. FBI sources say, this is the case.

Talks also indicated that some FBI and CIA probe teams have allegedly talked with the former wife of Iggy Arroyo who fled the country after her bitter fight with the Congressman. Reportedly, Iggy's wife brought billions of pesos in the Jose Pidal account away from the Philippines. How true? Well, circumstantial evidence points to a "hurried" flight to Europe by the estranged wife who reportedly took revenge against Iggy because the Congressman allegedly maul his wife to near death. How true? Well, politicians get intrigues left and right.

What's so significant about this? Well, this presents a very strong evidence of corruption against the First Family, if this is true. Second, this shows a very weak spot in the First Family's armor of defense. This case, I believe, shows how vulnerable the First Couple is right now that this regime could be on the verge of collapse. Remember that before the Marcos regime crumbled, the Marcos family was first subjected to subtle yet strong attacks from the US government. If this is true, then, this bolsters talks about the obviously very weak or softening support of the US State department in the Arroyo regime.

Now, as I said, to defeat the Arroyo regime, groups must first slowly attack its armour of invincibility. This case is, I believe, if proved true, could be the one that would lead to the eventual collapse and disintegration of this regime. No amount of publicity from the return of Pacquiao would prevent or deter forces from finally ousting Gloria Arroyo.