[Vision2020] Why is this not treason?
Art Deco
deco at moscow.com
Wed Mar 28 11:11:57 PDT 2007
Although the original article was sparse and I haven't found yet a great deal of follow-up, The following is likely.
Under contract with the DoD with stringent security restrictions, ITT developed and manufactured night vision goggles for use by American Troops when fighting enemies.
The specifications and manufacturing processes of the goggles were classified, obviously for the advantage they would give our troops.
ITT sent some of this classified information to factories in China and Malaysia.
China and Malaysia are totalitarian governments which can extract the information from the factories, then use it or sell it.
Notice that China has supplied a number of our enemies with armaments, for example, Iran and North Korea.
Note that the sparse information in the article said:
"... American soldiers are "the principal victims of ITT's crimes," U.S. Attorney John Brownlee said..."
Use of that language by Brownlee unconditionally implies that our troops have suffered. That can only be if the material originating from ITT and paid for by our tax dollars was used to manufacture goggles then used by enemy troops in combat with American troops.
Sunil provided us with one of the possible applicable statues and questions:
"Section 2381. Treason
Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war
against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and
comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason
and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five
years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and
shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.
Did this company give aid and comfort to enemies? Or did it pass the data
on to sub-contractors who were manufacturing equipment but did not have the
proper clearance? I can't tell from Wayne's post. There might be other
possibilities, probably are."
If information was provided by ITT to manufacturers in countries hostile to our national interest and that information was used to produce goggles that were used to inflict harm upon American Troops by removing the combat advantages of the goggles, which were to be for the exclusive use of American Troops and their allies, doesn't that seem to be "giving aid and comfort" to our enemies?
I am surprised that their hasn't been more of a vocal outrage. The use of American tax dollars by a firm under contract to the DoD to bring harm to American Troops by providing our enemies with classified technology is 'way beyond the pale. And why would we even continue to contract with such a firm, let alone, to allow them to pay part of their fine by applying it to a new contract?
The careful reader might also have noted http://money.cnn.com/2007/03/27/news/international/itt_export/?postversion=2007032713:
'The company engaged in a "regular pattern of export violations and misrepresentation" to the U.S. government from 1980 to 2005, prosecutors said.
...
ITT "went to significant lengths to set up an end run" around State Department licensing systems, prosecutors said, including enlisting a front company to export the systems.
The company also fought the government's investigation, Brownlee said, and attempted "to essentially run out the clock on the statute of limitations."'
Why wasn't this obstruction of justice?
It getting harder and harder to tell who the real enemies of America are: The terrorists or select individuals in the Bush Administration and their business associates?
Wayne A. Fox
1009 Karen Lane
PO Box 9421
Moscow, ID 83843
(208) 882-7975
waf at moscow.com
ITT fined $100 million for illegal exports
Manufacturer admits to exporting night vision materials to China, Singapore and Britain without U.S. authorization.
March 27 2007: 1:32 PM EDT
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The leading manufacturer of night vision gear for the Defense Department has admitted sending classified materials overseas and will pay a $100 million penalty, according to federal prosecutors, who say the actions of ITT Corp. have jeopardized the security of U.S. soldiers.
ITT, based in Roanoke, Va., exported classified or sensitive technical data to China, Singapore and Britain without having obtained authorization from the United States, prosecutors said.
The conviction is the first involving a major defense contractor violating the Arms Export Control Act, prosecutors said.
Saying that American soldiers are "the principal victims of ITT's crimes," U.S. Attorney John Brownlee said he has structured the $100 million penalty so that half of the money is spent by ITT to develop a next-generation night vision system and "ensure that our soldiers have the best night vision equipment in the world."
ITT must invest the $50 million over five years to accelerate development of night vision technology, and the government will maintain rights to all technology that is developed under the agreement.
The arrangement will also allow the government to share any technology developed by ITT under the agreement with ITT's competitors, Brownlee said.
Prosecutors said the probe began Aug. 1, 2001, when Defense Department investigators discovered that ITT night vision employees sent a classified military document to Britain.
The company engaged in a "regular pattern of export violations and misrepresentation" to the U.S. government from 1980 to 2005, prosecutors said.
In some cases, information was transferred because the manufacture of laser gear could be done cheaper overseas.
ITT "went to significant lengths to set up an end run" around State Department licensing systems, prosecutors said, including enlisting a front company to export the systems.
The company also fought the government's investigation, Brownlee said, and attempted "to essentially run out the clock on the statute of limitations." He said the company's posture changed in 2005 with the hiring of a new CEO, Steven Loranger, who hired new outside corporate attorneys and instructed the company to cooperate with the investigation.
ITT Corp., whose competitors include Lockheed Martin (up $0.08 to $98.50, Charts) and United Technologies (down $0.34 to $66.07, Charts), has agreed to plead guilty to a count of violating the Arms Export Control Act by illegally sending classified and/or export-controlled information relating to night vision materials to foreign countries. It also will plead guilty to a count of knowingly or willfully omitting material facts from required reports with intent to obstruct a State Department investigation.
As part of the $100 million penalty, ITT will pay a $2 million criminal fine and a $50 million deferred prosecution penalty - to be invested in night vision technology - and will forfeit $28 million to the U.S. government as the proceeds of its illegal actions. ITT will also pay a $20 million penalty to the State Department.
Shares of ITT (down $0.28 to $60.91, Charts) edged lower during afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
----- Original Message -----
From: "lfalen" <lfalen at turbonet.com>
To: "Tom Hansen" <thansen at moscow.com>; "'keely emerinemix'" <kjajmix1 at msn.com>; "'Art Deco'" <deco at moscow.com>; "'Vision 2020'" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Sent: Wednesday, March 28, 2007 9:09 AM
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Why is this not treason?
> Nether case is treason. Both are wrong and should be prosecuted.
> Roger
> -----Original message-----
> From: "Tom Hansen" thansen at moscow.com
> Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2007 18:33:03 -0700
> To: "'keely emerinemix'" kjajmix1 at msn.com, "'Art Deco'" deco at moscow.com, "'Vision 2020'" vision2020 at moscow.com
> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Why is this not treason?
>
>> Let me see if I have this right.
>>
>>
>>
>> One of Clinton's chief aids inadvertently walks out of the Library of
>> Congress with a photocopy of a recently declassified document (last year or
>> so) and people want him brought up on criminal charges.
>>
>>
>>
>> One of our government's primary contractors admits to sending highly
>> classified documents overseas is penalized $100 million, half of which will
>> be re-compensated back to the contractor through an arrangement made by one
>> of the non-fired US Attorneys in agreement on yet another contract.
>>
>>
>>
>> Is that right?
>>
>>
>>
>> Tom Hansen
>>
>> Moscow, Idaho
>>
>>
>>
>> "As more and more heathens 'choose' to not have children the number of Godly
>> souls will increase. If the number of Christian births out number the number
>> of Islamic births the battle will be over in 3 or 4 generations."
>>
>> - Doug "No-Clue" Farris (March 10, 2007)
>>
>> _____
>>
>> From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]
>> On Behalf Of keely emerinemix
>> Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2007 6:14 PM
>> To: Art Deco; Vision 2020
>> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Why is this not treason?
>>
>>
>>
>> Because . . . I don't know . . . we've re-defined "treason" as "not doing
>> what Cheney and Bush, et al, say we should do to support the troops"? And
>> "asking hard questions of the incompetents in office," as well as "buying
>> Dixie Chicks CDs."
>>
>> This is certainly an outrage, very likely treasonous, and won't be
>> prosecuted as such because it's business, and business is the elixir of the
>> right.
>>
>> keely
>>
>> _____
>>
>> From: deco at moscow.com
>> To: vision2020 at moscow.com
>> Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2007 12:49:58 -0700
>> Subject: [Vision2020] Why is this not treason?
>>
>> Why are not the acts described below treason? Why have not the responsible
>> parties been tried for treason? Instead the company has been reward with a
>> new contract with $50 of the $100 million applied in payment of that
>> contract.
>>
>>
>>
>> Perhaps all you V 2020 clear-headed Bush Administration Apologist can
>> explain?
>>
>>
>>
>> W.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Defense contractor admits sending classified materials overseas, will pay
>> $100 million penalty
>>
>>
>> WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The leading manufacturer of night vision gear for the
>> Defense Department has admitted sending classified materials overseas and
>> will pay a $100 million penalty, according to federal prosecutors, who say
>> the actions of ITT Corp. have jeopardized the security of U.S. soldiers.
>> ITT, based in Roanoke, Va., exported classified or sensitive technical data
>> to China, Singapore and Britain without having obtained authorization from
>> the United States, prosecutors said.
>> The conviction is the first involving a major defense contractor violating
>> the Arms Export Control Act, prosecutors said.
>> Saying that American soldiers are "the principal victims of ITT's crimes,"
>> U.S. Attorney John Brownlee said he has structured the $100 million penalty
>> so that half of the money is spent by ITT to develop a next-generation night
>> vision system and "ensure that our soldiers have the best night vision
>> equipment in the world." --From CNN Producer Mike M. Ahlers (Posted 12:36
>> p.m.)
>>
>>
>>
>> _____
>>
>> i'm making a difference. Make every IM count for the cause of your choice.
>> Join now!
>> <http://clk.atdmt.com/MSN/go/msnnkwme0080000001msn/direct/01/?href=http://im
>> .live.com/messenger/im/home/?source=wlmailtagline>
>>
>>
>>
>
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