Pentagon charges Army officer (Able Danger)

[ECH1969]

WASHINGTON - An officer who has claimed that a classified military unit identified four Sept. 11 hijackers before the 2001 attacks is facing Pentagon accusations of breaking numerous rules, charges his lawyer says are aimed at hurting his credibility.

The alleged infractions by Army Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer, 42, include obtaining a service medal under false pretenses, improperly flashing military identification while drunk and stealing pens, according to paperwork from the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency shown by his attorney to The Associated Press.

Shaffer was one of the first to publicly link Sept. 11 leader Mohamed Atta to the unit code-named Able Danger. Shaffer was one of five witnesses the Pentagon ordered not to appear Sept. 21 before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The military revoked Shaffer's top security clearance this month, a day before he was supposed to testify to a congressional committee. Mark Zaid, Shaffer's attorney, said he can't prove the Pentagon went after Shaffer because he's a whistleblower, but "all the timing associated with the clearance issue has been suspiciously coincidental."

http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/local/12788027.htm

[Changenow]

1. This price is too high for most people, poor guy.

What happened to the four star general who was fired for "adultery"?

[TheDebbieDee]

6. I'd like to know what happened to the 4-star General.......

as well.

Was he "Wellstoned"? Is he still being detained? What's going on with him? I wouldn't want the * admin to think they can get away with "disappearing" a 4-star General.

I think his name is/was Gen. Kevin Byrnes.

[MADem]

2. Stealing PENS????

Holy shit, they'll have to round us ALL UP!!! Quick, fellow servicemembers, retirees, and vets, run through your house, and if you find any of those crappy black Skillcraft beauties that say US Government on them, and usually do not work for shit, better ditch 'em quick!!!!!

Stealing pens...come ON!!!!!! Bet he swiped a pad or two of Post-It notes, too, the thief!!!

Of course, if you are a BushCo type, feel free to march off with your government laptop.... http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2002/020812-fbi1.htm

[fooj]

8. Stealing pens is a problem, yet stealing the lives

of America's sons and daughters is no big deal? IMO, Fitzie can't act soon enough! Hopefully, it will bring all of the rat bastards to their knees...

Peace.

[Canuckistanian]

13. They were Pentagon pens

Probably worth about $160 each.

[cyberpj]

16. LOOTER! LOOTER! LOOTER! Repugnican hate looters! nt.

[mom cat]

19. They must have been Schaffer pens...I guess that what the fuss is.

[4MoreYearsOfHell]

32. It was the same pen

over and over again...

[0007]

25. ......and improperly flashing military identification while drunk

All these charges sound bogus.

[MADem]

34. Ya know, that one sounds fishy to me on its face, and here is why

When I was on active duty, I drove on a state license that had been expired for DECADES--with the express approval of my state. I had a little sticker that was affixed to the license that said VALID WHEN ACCOMPANIED BY MILITARY ID CARD AND FOR SIXTY DAYS AFTER HONORABLE DISCHARGE. So, if I got pulled over, all I had to do was show my expired license, with the sticker, AND the ID card.

It gets better: My stuff got ripped off while I was serving overseas. I wrote to the registry, and they sent me a NEW license, without a picture (blank box that said VALID WITH MILITARY ID), with the same info on it, to include the EXPIRED date of the original license. Instead of a sticker, though, this time, they gave me a card with the same info on it, which included a reference to the applicable state law that allowed military people to drive without renewing their licenses.

I know every state is different, but if a blue state like mine can manage to support the troops in such fine fashion, I would imagine that others do as well. And had I flashed an expired license WITHOUT the ID card, there surely would have been hell to pay.

This totally does not pass the smell test.

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. They can be as heavy-handed as they want, and we have nothing

to fight back with. I tell you, these whistle-blowers are American heros.

[Roland99]

4. Silence the whistleblowers.

[MADem]

5. Here is a more detailed article on the alleged 'infractions'

http://www.navytimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-1146397.php
....According to papers provided by Zaid, the Defense Intelligence Agency is questioning whether Shaffer deserved a Defense Meritorious Service Medal he was awarded. Shaffer, who is supported by a retired colonel who has praised his work, says those challenging the medal do not have firsthand knowledge of his actions.

Shaffer says he showed his government credentials during two incidents in 1990, when he was drunk, and 1996, when he was pulled over by police. The military says he misused his credentials, but Shaffer says he was not told he should not have used them. He also said he has joined Alcoholics Anonymous and has been sober for 13 years.

As for the pens and other office supplies taken, he blamed that on “youthful indiscretions” more than 20 years ago.

According to the paperwork, the alleged infractions against Shaffer also include:
• Falsely claiming $341.80 in mileage and tolls fees. He said he filed travel expenses based on what he was told by human resources staff.
• Obtaining $67.79 in personal cell phone charges. He said the amount was a legitimate expense accrued so he could forward calls.
• Going over his chain of command to do briefings. Shaffer said he was providing briefings to higher-ups on projects even his direct superiors did not know about, and he received superior review ratings for that time.
• Showing irresponsibility with $2,012 in credit card debt. He said he paid off the debt, and Zaid said DIA dropped the issue.

Read the whole thing, what a load of tripe--this is a complete, and lousy, smear job. Hell, they promoted the guy while he was on administrative leave--this is all about our civilian leadership, not our military leadership, and it is creepy in the extreme.

[burythehatchet]

28. that's not gonna stop Faux from doing a prime time special

exposing this threat to national security. Valerie who?

[nashville_brook]

31. so transparent it's laughable -- if only it weren't so evil

i can't imagine this getting much attention in the MSM b/c of other things (harriet miers) and the fact that the MSM isn't "up" on Able Danger.

top of the hour NPR news... (supreme court, fires in west, stocks, boat accident, german elections, Nobel Prize in stomach ulcers)... nope, nothing.

surely All Things Considered will have the story.

[formercia]

7. Make an example of him

to intimidate anyone else that is thinking of doing something similar. Standard tactic by the rethugs. Had it done to me too.

[Just Me]

14. Which is why the honorable and noble men and women,...

,...who, by far, outnumber these pricks, must continue to build a coalition in their own right. We can get through this if we commit ourselves to a supportive network.

[formercia]

22. but then they'll get you for a conspiracy

IMHO but I like the idea.

[Theduckno2]

9. I admire the military's speed and thoroughness in conducting

this investigation. :sarcasm:

I just wish they could have done the same for the late Pat Tillman and most importantly Abu Graib.

Stealing pens? Come on!

By the way, isn't it ironic that numerous detainees are held without charges, possibly indefinitely, while the government "attempts" to build a case against them. Remember, the detainees supposedly pose a serious threat to US security.

Stealing pens? Come on!

[Just Me]

10. Which proves to me that, Able Danger is seriously damaging,...

,...the the current regime. There should be an immediate, independent investigation into Able Danger.

[dmr]

12. Totally agree.

If this wasn't so damn serious, the charges against him would be a laughing matter. I wonder how long and hard it took them to come up with these very old and unbelievably ridiculous charges.

In the meantime, we have the POTUS who never fullfilled his military obligations and most likely other misadventures ... Yet, these ridulous and old charges are to discredit an honorable man to protect a disasterous POTUS and his criminal cronies.

[MasonJar]

11. We must call the newspapers and write editorials now; this is

unbearable. This man is trying to do his duty. Are we going to sit by typing away with each other and leave him high and dry or are we going to stand up now?

[KittyWampus]

15. You Know, If I Were This Guys Commander & ORDERED To Write Him Up

and strip him of his clearance only because the Big Brass demanded it for political retribution... I would probably include "stealing pens" as a HUGE RED FLAG THE WHOLE THING IS BOGUS!

Sorry, the "stealing pens" crap sounds like code for "this is bullshit".

[IChing]

17. Good point if they included the three paperclips along with pens

They would have nailed him under the Rico Act for multipuly theft.
Sounds like a code for bullshit

Now where is that $9,000,000,000 that went missing in Iraq?
Or the 750,000 lbs. of high plastic explosives that went missing at just one ammo site in Iraq?

I know, they bought pens , paperclips and firecrackers.

[lakercub]

18. The freeprs

It's been interesting watching the freepers on this. They think Able Danger is the final downfall of Bill Clinton. But when you see the lengths the Bushies are going to hide this you have to wonder just who really is scared. This and Hadley's "I don't remember anything" nonsense really seem telling.

We're coming for you George. Delay is bailing water, Frist is in trouble, Abramoff is political poison, and your backing is falling apart. Your days are numbered punk.

[Straight Shooter]

20. Drowning men grasp at straws

This is ludicrous beyond belief. The ridiculousness of the charges only adds to this guy's credibility.

Pens? Can we get any more desperate for swiftboating? Did he sneeze and use the Kleenex in the office, too, without replacing it with a tissue of equal or greater value?

[antonialee839]

21. It just goes to show, if you're gonna steal, steal big, Halliburton big.

[ReadTomPaine]

23. This is pretty baldfaced intimidation. n/t

[cantstandbush]

24. Hey, if this kind of action is good enough for Wilson and Edmonds

it's good enough for this guy. They will begin to eat their own as the polls continue to plummet for Bush.

[seemslikeadream]

26. Wilson, Edmonds and John O'Neil

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/knew/talk/


What bothered me the most about the whole sad story was the fact that FBI Director Louis Freeh allowed himself to be manipulated by career hacks into ignoring the valuable information that O'Neill was gathering on Al Qaeda. If he was allowed to go to Yemen to investigate the USS Cole incident, I'm almost positive he would have come up with information that would have been invaluable to the Bureau in its efforts to determine Al Qaeda's true intentions. The links were there, O'Neill proved it. But there were some in the Bureau who felt he was a threat to their careers and went after him with a vengence.I'm almost certain the "missing briefcase" incident was deliberately orchestrated and individuals who were at the meeting mentioned were involved in the conspiracy to discredit O'Neill and force him out of the Bureau.
He was ambushed by individuals in the Bureau who were jealous of his stature. If more people worked as ahrd as he did, there may not have been a 9/11.

[seemslikeadream]

27. dupe

[StrafingMoose]

29. Well, if the smear begins..

that means Shaffer & company are on something here.

I wonder what would Shaffer have to say about these MSNBC reports about hi-jackers training on military bases and those 6 military drills on the morning of 9/11.

[ClayZ]

30. Maybe the military will stand up

and call BS on this kind of CRAP!

[texpatriot2004]

33. What was his role with Able Danger and what was he testifying

about the day after he was removed or stopped?

Pens? For real? And flashing a badge while drunk? WTH?

[Mandate My Ass]

35. Are there going to be hearings tomorrow?

There's nothing about it on the Sen. Judiciary Committee web site.

[classysassy]

36. Gotta keep

those low ranking officers in line.He'll never get his bird,just the shaft.

[pberq]

37. Kick!!!