TheBanyanTree: Something to Think About

[Stew Young]

Some Things to Think About

Could it be that everything I knew is wrong?

As mentioned before I love internet forums. I was posting on BBSes since I
was 13. I've had heated online debates about everything from Reagan vs
Mondale to the best chocolate chip cookie recipe. Many of these forums were
political in nature, and that seems to be where I find myself these days as
well. Although recently one of my favorite sites has become a bastion for
conspiracy theorists. I normally chuckle over the latest post about
chemtrails, the JFK conspiracy, and the ones about the Jews or Bush and Co.
blowing up the World Trade Center, but I've stumbled on to one that seems
rather plausible given the state of affairs our country is in these days.

I don't know if any of you have heard of Sibel Edmonds. The only things I
can find about her are on her own website, and on other people's blogs. The
mainstream media seems to want to distant itself away from Edmonds. And if
what she says is true, than we need to take a look not only at our
government, but at the media whose job it is to provide transparency into
our government.

This is Sibel Edmonds case in a nutshell:

Sibel Edmonds is from Turkey. She speaks Turkish and Farsi (the language of
Iran.) Edmonds migrated to the United States some time in the 80s or 90s,
and became a citizen. She applied for a job with the FBI, but her
application was lost for two years (along with 100 other applications for
linguist positions.) Shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, she was hired on a
contract basis to provide translation services for the FBI.

It should be noted that by Sept. 11, 2001, the FBI employed very few agents
who were fluent in many Mid East languages. Most of the translation duties
were done by unseasoned translators who, when they saw something suspicious,
would then hand over to an actual agent. Mounds of phone calls, letters, and
emails remained untranslated.


During her work at the FBI, Edmonds noticed some of her colleagues weren't
translating things correctly. She was unaware of this was done become of
incompetence or if something more sinister was at hand. Regardless of the
case she brought it to the attention of her boss, who dismissed it. (More
about her boss later). She went up the chain of command, and eventually was
about to talk to Attorney General Ashcroft about it, when suddenly she was
fired.

Not only was she fired, but a few days afterwards, the FBI arrived at her
doorstep, and confiscated her home computer without a warrant.

Sibel Edmonds than retained an attorney and went to sue the FBI for wrongful
termination and violation of her rights. The FBI decided that because of the
sensitivity of the materials Edmonds was working on was Top Secret, they had
the case dismissed under the grounds of "State Secrets."

Edmonds appealed and at the same time went to her senator. Somewhere along
they way, (and this is where it gets confusing), the appellate court judge
ruled that her wrongful termination suit can go forward, however, the
evidence in her case was labeled "Top Secret" and since she was no longer
cleared for "Top Secret" files, she couldn't be in the court at the time her
case was heard.

Sometime in 2005, a Senate investigation was convened. I'm under the
impression that the Senators involved are still working the investigation,
but very little is made public about their findings so far.

Now let's go back to Edmonds' boss – Mike Feghali. When Edmonds was hired,
she was the first translator to speak Turkish, and she reported to Mike
Feghali who was in charge of Turkish and Farsi translations. It's claimed
that Feghali padded his timesheets to $8000-$9000 a month. (Edmonds, on the
other hand, earned $40 per hour.) Feghali would also organize "meetings" to
the various cities he wanted to visit, and would take vacations paid for by
the FBI.

Feghali then applied for a supervisory job, he was rejected. He applied
again, and was rejected again.

Eventually the FBI caught up with Feghali and opened an investigation into
his shenanigans.  Feghali hired a high-priced attorney and claimed racial
discrimination. And the FBI dropped the investigation.

Feghali than got the promotion and was responsible for all translations of
Farsi and Turkish documents – of which there was quite a backlog.

Feghali didn't appear to be that great of a manager. Immediately after 9/11
he hired Sibel Edmonds, Melek Can Dickerson, and Kevin Taskensen. Dickerson
turned out to be a spy/mole who had a love affair with Feghali. (She was a
member of two organizations that were on the government's counterterrorism
watch list. She also lied on her application.) Taskensen was a restaurant
dishwasher who failed the literacy test in both Turkish and English. He was
sent down to Guantanomo Bay to translate whatever confessions were likely
beaten out of prisoners.


Besides all that, Feghali dissuaded Edmonds from doing any actually work. He
encouraged her to take lengthy lunches; he erased work from her computer;
told her to do school work instead of actual FBI work, and even forged her
signature on files.

He also tried to cover up Edmond's whistle blowing, and threatened her
several times and called her a whore, and other unpleasantries.

So, where's that leave us today? Today Sibel Edmonds is desperately trying
to get her story out there. Is any of this an indictment against higher ups
in our government? I don't know. Edmonds is alleging that some of the
documents that weren't translated properly show a connection between the
government knowing about the events of 9/11 and letting them happen. I'm not
quite that cynical. But, it raises a lot of questions. Just how much
intelligence were there the days before 9/11. Just what did our government
know, and when did it know it?

Something to think about.





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