Former General in charge: Government Must Keep Promise to MEK

The State Department has asked for a delay in a lawsuit brought by the Iranian dissident group MEK (Mujahdeen-e Khalq) that would compel the State Department to remove MEK from the terror watch list in 30 days. After talking to former Brigadier General David Phillips, the highest ranking American armed forces representative at Camp Ashraf from 2003-2009, and Shariar Kia, a MEK representative at Camp Ashraf, I am wondering why.

Kia, who attended University of North Texas, said, "We want to stay at Ashraf. The Americans want us to Camp Liberty, which is a prison. How do we know that the Iraqis will not kill us like they did in 2009 and 2011? Our members that are handicapped and disabled have made a video saying how fearful of the move they are. They do not know how they will cope."

Phillips assured me, "I found no evidence that they were terrorists. I conducted many midnight raids looking for weapons and found nothing. While MEK was terrorist organization in the seventies, the majority the MEK members at Ashraf are under 30. They were not even born when the terrorism occurred."

He explained why the MEK does not leave Ashraf for Camp Liberty. He said, "Ashraf is Disneyland. The MEK have built the camp into a paradise. There are 25 foot vines of roses, mini Eiffel Towers. Camp Liberty is a prison. They will be cut off from all communication. They will have no cell phones or internet. Without any form of communication with the outside world, they fear what the Iraqis will do."

In 2005, he wrote a letter, which probably cost him a promotion, to human rights organizations criticizing their characterization of the MEK as a cult. The former general when challenged on Saturday did not rule out the possibility that they were a cult.

"There are cultish parallels," he said. I was in Waco, Texas with the Branch Davidians. Maryam Rajavi is no David Koresh or Jim Jones."

He continued, "There are separate female and male units. Members, who wear uniform like clothes, are married to the cause not each other," Phillips said. "One of the leaders, Oxford educated Hossein, told me that his wife was at the camp but he did not see her for two years."


He conceded that members would have no trouble dying for the cause- either fighting the Iranian regime or by suicide.

"All of the leaders wear a black leather strap around their necks that holds a square poach. Inside the pouch, there is a black rubber capsule that contains an off white powder that is cyanide," he said. The powder is enough to kill three people. I have asked them about it. They feel they  will be tortured for information and then killed so it is better just to die and not give up the information. I do not see this as a mass suicide like Jim Jones in Guyana."


The general, who was in Germany when the wall came down, insists, "They are a democracy. Maybe, not an American style democracy. I watched them hold elections and elect leaders at Ashraf. Their beginnings were Marxist. They have more of a Communist way of doing things."

Most of the senior leaders are women, which is atypical for the Middle East. Phillips believes that the MEK would be preferable to the current Iranian regime.

Phillips also dispute the wide spread allegation that the MEK holds members against their will. "They may not be happy that members leave. Neither is the army for that matter," said the general. "I have watched them escorted members that are leaving to the camp's entrance. They leave with two suitcases and are given $200 American dollars and some Iraqi dinar."

Retired from the army, Phillips spends time advocating for the MEK. When asked why, he said, "The American Government made a promise, which I was part of, to protect the MEK. I want the government to keep that promise. The world will not be safe for marines like my son if we do not keep the promises we negotiate."

The Big Bang Theory's Mayim Bialik Discusses Religion At Jewish Museum

In the middle of taping an episode of "The Big Bang Theory, Mayim Bialik, who plays neurobiologist Amy Farrah Fowler on the show, came to Philadelphia for a whirlwind 24 hours. Bialik gave a poignant keynote address at the 90th anniversary celebration of the first Bat Mitzvah, the Jewish ceremony that commemorates a girl becoming a woman at the age of 12, held at the National Museum of American Jewish History at Independence Mall in Philadelphia.

Bialik's own Bat Mitzvah occurred on the same day that her picture was splashed across the front page of the Los Angeles Times Arts Calender. She had been cast as the young Bette Midler in "Beaches, which opened at the same time. Since her name Mayim is the Hebrew word for water, the theme of her bat mitzvah was oceanic - blue dresses, goldfish in bowls as table centerpieces, and submarine sandwiches.

She also talked candidly about the conflict of being religious in Jewish but secular Hollywood. "As a religious woman, I had not worn pants in public for 4 years. Amy, my character, had to wear sweat pants in one scene that would be seen all over the world. While there are several rabbinical rulings about wearing pants, I just went with the halacha ruling that it would be alright if my back side was covered. I have not perfected everything about my observance.

Bialik, whose mother tongue is Yiddish, had a chance to tour the museum. "The Sandy Koufax glove was my favorite item in the museum. It was pretty wonderful to see that the museum was part of Independence Mall."

I will be writing more for my cover story on Bialik for the summer issue of Chutzpah Magazine. One thing is for sure, she is not acting when her character on "The Big Bang Theory" sounds intelligent.

Xfinity Live: Where the Pretty Girls Are

 XFINITY Live!, the new entertainment/dining complex at the stadiums, is a family friendly complex.

Wings Preview Party

The night that I was there, it was an adults only party. The vibe of the place is a little different. The waitresses at the VIP Lounge, who were wearing strapless tops with built in corsets and miniskirts, were pulling on their tops because they were tight and uncomfortable.

One said, "It hurt to breathe in these uniforms. They are so tight."

The discomfort will probably translate into bigger tips for the ladies and a more sophisticated look for Philly.

PBR Grill, in the XFINITY Live! Complex, has doubled down on the "Coyote Ugly" concept by requiring the waitresses to wear leather chaps over red short shorts. Naturally, none of the male bartenders were dancing on the bar. Until that happens, women will not have equality..

Call me a church lady, but these ladies look sexy enough for me.

These are the bartenders that I would prefer to see dancing on top of the bar. 

The First Look at XFINITY Live!

Rob Johnson, vice president of marketing for XFINITY Live!, graciously invited me to tonight's soft opening for new the dining/entertainment complex next to the stadiums. Comcast-Spectacor CEO Ed Snider, in partnership with the Cordish Company, have built the ultimate man cave, "Coyote Ugly" times two.

$3 million dollars of electronics

Dancers at PBR

A Bull Sandwich

Some of the memorabilia at Broad Street Bullies

A Waitress at the VIP Lounge

The waitresses at the NBC Sports Arena

Some of the craft beers at Victory

Musical Acts will play here all summer

PBR Dancers

The chandelier in the VIP Lounge

Victory waitresses

The DJ Booth

Victory

Fela! is Occupy Wall Street Put to Music

Fela, the Tony award winning Broadway sensation, arrived at the Academy of Music last night. Fela! is the story of Nigerian musician turned politician Fela Kuti. He invented Afro Beat music, a catchy blend of jazz, African drums, psychedelic rock, and funk now globally rocked to.When he was not making music, he was busy railing against the corrupt entities in Nigeria. Fela offers a poignant reminder of how western corporations such as AIG, News Corp, BP and Halliburton have robbed the African people of their birthright. Unfortunately, the story resonates today except that the bad apples are named Bank of America and Wells Fargo and the people being robbed is us.

In the immigration debate, we often forget how hard life is in other countries. Fela! reminds us. While most of us spend our time going to BYOB parties, the Nigerians often attend BYOC (Bring Your Own Coffin) funerals.

Adesola Oskalumi, who played Fela with verve, was on stage almost all of the 2 1/2 hours of the show. He cajoled the audience to sing and not just to dance but to swivel their hips Elvis style. Not sitting in the first row, I could not get a whiff of the pot that he was smoking. What a shame!

Kudos to Matt Wolf of the Kimmel Center for bringing the show to Philadelphia. If his boss, Kimmel Center CEO Ann Ewers, wonders where he is this morning, he was hitting the dance floor at the cast party pretty hard.

Steve Hendel is the Clark Kent of producers- mild mannered energy trader by day and glamorous Tony award winning Broadway producer at night. He was able to persuade Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, Jay-Z and Beyonce to be producers of this show. He threw a great cast party last night at Fluid. I saw two shows last night - one on the Academy stage and the other on Fluid's dance floor.

The producers-Steve Hendel and Edward Tyler Nahem came down from New York 

Steve Hendel and Adesola Osakulumi, who played Fela brilliantly

Cast members

Cast members

Kimmel Center's Matt Wolf

Someone is Finally Holding The Saudis Responsible for 9/11 Attacks

After 9 long years, Steve Cozen, co-founder of Cozen O'Connor, will finally be able to prove in an American courtroom that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was involved in the September 11 attacks. Former Senator Graham has provided an affidavit alleging that Saudi Government agents that were possibly involved in the attacks.

Here is the story that I wrote for the Jewish Exponent today.

Documents that Show Rendell and MEK Politicos Are Being Slimed

I have received a group of documents that shed a different light on the politicians helping the Iranian dissident group MEK (Mujahideen el-Khalq)

The first two documents are the American government promise of protection given to each individual MEK member if he disarmed. The first guarantee was given to Amir Khairy and signed by Vicente Perez CDR, the official representative of the Multi National Forces-Iraq. The second was given to Emami Hanif and signed by Harold Dunning, USN. While some have accused the MEK of being a cult, the United States Government will not be able to negotiate future cease fires if they do not keep their word to the MEK.

An update: Khairy and Hanif were killed by Iraqi soldiers even though the American government swore to protect them.

The third document is a letter from Major General Miller, deputy commander of the multinational forces in Iraq, reiterating the US government promise that MEK members are protecting under the Geneva convention.

Some have speculated that the Treasury Department has opened this investigation because of a looming court of appeals deadline. When you see this court order, it is hard not to be suspicious of the timing. As Special Agent Gibbs always says on NCIS, I don't believe in coincidences.

This is a standard form given to every MEK member that renounced violation. In the second paragraph, I linked to two forms that were actually signed by a MEK member and an official representative of the multinational forces.


AGREEMENT FOR THE INDIVIDUALS OF THE PEOPLE’S MUJAHEDIN
ORGANIZATION OF IRAN (PMOI)

You are being offered your release from control and protection in exchange for
your promise to comply with certain conditions. In exchange for your promises, you will be
released from Multi-National Forces-Iraq control and protection as soon as reasonably
practicable.

Please read the Agreement below. If you agree to abide by these terms, then sign
your name at the bottom of the page.

AGREEMENT

I, ________________________________, knowingly, willingly, and voluntarily enter into
this Agreement with Multi-National Forces-Iraq. I agree to the following:

a. I reject participation in, or support for terrorism.

b. I have delivered all military equipment and weapons under my control or
responsibility.

c. I reject violence and I will not unlawfully take up arms or engage in any hostile
act. I will obey the laws of Iraq and relevant United Nations mandates while residing
in this country.

I understand that I will be free to leave and to return home when viable disposition
options become available. I understand that some of these disposition options include:
return to my nation of origin; admission to a third country; application to the Ministry of
Displacement and Migration for continued residency in Iraq, or application to
international organizations such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
I agree to cooperate with Multi-National Forces-Iraq while these disposition options are
pursued. I agree to remain under the protection of Multi-National Forces-Iraq at Camp
Ashraf until these options are completed. If I violate any terms of this Agreement, I may
be subject to prosecution or internment, and administrative sanctions. I promise to
scrupulously comply with my Agreement.

_______________
SIGNATURE

_______________________
MNF-Iraq Representative

_____________________
NAME (PRINTED)

_________________________
IDENTITY NUMBER

_____________________
PRINTED NAME, RANK

________________
DATE

Source: I Was on Calls When State Department Asked for MEK Help

After my recent posts on MEK, someone contacted me refuting the statement that the State Department sent me denying asking for help with MEK. 

This source, who is in a position to know, said, "Every week or two for the last three months, I have been on the calls with Ambassador Dan Fried, who was appointed by the State Department to deal with MEK, asking for our help in moving members of the MEK from the camp in Ashraf to Camp Liberty."

Ambassador Fried's official mandate within the State Department is to relocate Guantanamo Bay prisoners. 

He also reminded me that the United States Government in 2003 promised the members of MEK that they would be protected if they disarmed. Each member of the group was given a piece of paper with that promise written on it. 

My source said, "The United States should keep their promise to 3400 unarmed civilians."

The FBI in 2004 declared that the MEK was terrorism free. My source assumes that it is why Louis Freeh, a former director of the FBI, is working on behalf of the MEK. 

The Iraqis have attacked members of the MEK twice. In 2009, President Maliki’s soldiers killed 11 people. 36 more people were slaughtered in cold blood in 2011. 

He discounts the NBC report linking MEK to the recent assassinations of Iranian scientists. 

"The Iranians are always waging a propaganda campaign against the MEK and Israelis? There are plenty of people on their payroll. What could be better than linking them together?" he asked.

He suspects the Treasury Department subpoenaed Rendell now because of a looming State Department court deadline. For more than two years, the MEK has been suing in federal court to be removed from the terror watch list. The State Department has repeatedly delayed providing their explanation for keeping the MEK on the terror watch list or offered any evidence that they are still terrorists. The judge, fed up with the slow pace of their answers, insisted on a March 26 deadline. 

Human rights advocate Alan Dershowitz has filed an amicus brief on behalf of 21 individuals who want to help the MEK. He has told me that the situation at the camp is a humanitarian disaster. 

"While the State Department may eventually lose in court, they are winning the public relations battle by opening the investigation into Rendell and others that have helped MEK," my source said.

My source believes that the pending court case will mandate that the State Department remove the MEK from the terror watch list in the United States. 

"It required court cases to force the British and French governments and the European Union to remove MEK from their terror watch lists. The same thing will happen here," he said. 

If the MEK is soon removed from the terror watch list, all of the the recent media hullabaloo will have been naught. Rendell and the other politicians helping MEK will have been wrongly smeared. 

Are MEK Politicos Like Rendell Taking Saddam Hussein's Blood Money?

There are many misconceptions about the MEK so I checked in with several Iranian born experts on Iran. All of them are distressed that American politicians are advocating for the MEK. They also doubt that the money paid to the politicos comes from the Iranian Diaspora because most expatriate Iranians do no support the MEK. 

Raisool Nafisi, a Washington political consultant, said, "The MEK is a terrorist group. It is a cult of religious automatons. MEK is a terrible dictatorship, whose culture requires complete worship of its leaders, Massoud and Maryam Rajavi. The Rajavis require complete subservience and strictly control the thinking, activities and dress of MEK members. Members are punished if they try to leave."

Reports from Rand and Human Rights Watch corroborate that the MEK abuses its own members.  

He continued, "MEK, a leftist theocracy, would be worse than the present regime. Americans that are supporting MEK because of their antipathy towards the current regime and their rumored involvement with the Israelis are being extremely short sighted. If they gained control of Iran, they would create anti-democratic regime."

Rendell may actually be taking blood money from Saddam Hussein. 

Nafisi said, "When the head of the Iraqi Secret Police was interrogated, he confessed that Saddam Hussein was giving the MEK $30 million a month, more than $350 million in total."

Nafisi steered me to the previous New York Times reporting on the MEK. "The New York Times accurately described the conditions in the camp and the treatment of women."

That New York Times reporter, Elizabeth Rubin, who toured the camps and wrote an extensive magazine article on the MEK, has condemned in recent days the recent outpouring of support for the group.


Trita Parisi, who wrote “Treacherous Alliance-The Secret Dealings of Iran, Israel and the United States” and “A Single Roll of the Dice-Obama’s Diplomacy with Iran," said, "US officials recently confirmed to NBC News that the MEK is carrying out assassinations against Iranian scientists, directly contradicting the MEK's claims to have forgone terrorism and violence. The report also cites law enforcement who say 'in 1994, the MEK made a pact with terrorist Ramzi Yousef a year after he masterminded the first attack on the World Trade Center in New York City.' According to officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity,Yousef built an 11-pound bomb that MEK agents placed inside one of Shia Islam's greatest shrines in Mashad Iran on June 20, 1994. At least 26 people, mostly women and children, were killed and 200 wounded in the attack."

State Department Denies Asking Rendell For MEK Help

Former Pa Governor Rendell has claimed that the State Department asked for his help in moving MEK (Mujahadin-e Khalq) members from their camp in Ashraf near the Iraqi-Iran border to Camp Liberty. I called the State Department to verify this. I have included the official State Department statement at the end of this blog post. A State Department official emphatically denied that the State Department ever requested or would ever request Rendell's help. In fact, they said the opposite. Rendell had called the State Department on MEK's behalf. My source said, "The last thing that the State Department needs is volunteer or rogue intermediaries. The MEK situation is complicated enough."

Rendell is correct that the situation with MEK is a humanitarian crisis. 

Leading human rights advocate Alan Dershowitz said, "The MEK is facing a humanitarian crisis.The group agreed to give up their arms for protection. Yet, the Iraqis and Iranians have killed members of the group at Camp Ashraf and will continue to do so. The Iranian government wants Iraq to turn members of the group over to Iran, where they will be surely killed. The MEK members must be moved to safety. I am working to making that happen by talking to people in Washington."

Dershowitz, who is a true humanitarian, confirmed that he has taken no money for his advocacy. He did not want to comment on the political issues surrounding the MEK because he is only working on the humanitarian issues.

There are many misconceptions about the MEK so I checked in with several Iranian born experts on Iran. All of them are distressed that American politicians are advocating for the MEK. They also doubt that the money paid to the politicos comes from the Iranian Diaspora because most expatriate Iranians do no support the MEK. 

Raisool Nafisi, a Washington political consultant, said, "The MEK is a terrorist group. It is a cult of religious automatons. MEK is a terrible dictatorship, whose culture requires complete worship of its leaders, Massoud and Maryam Rajavi. The Rajavis require complete subservience and strictly control the thinking, activities and dress of MEK members. Members are punished if they try to leave."

Reports from Rand and Human Rights Watch corroborate that the MEK abuses its own members.  

He continued, "MEK, a leftist theocracy, would be worse than the present regime. Americans that are supporting them are being extremely short sighted. If they gained control of Iran, they would create anti-democratic regime."

Rendell may actually be taking blood money from Saddam Hussein. 

Nafisi said, "When the head of the Iraqi Secret Police was interrogated, he confessed that Saddam Hussein was giving the MEK $30 million a month, more than $350 million in total."

Nafisi steered me to the previous New York Times reporting on the MEK. "The New York Times accurately described the conditions in the camp and the treatment of women."

That New York Times reporter, Elizabeth Rubin, who toured the camps and wrote an extensive magazine article on the MEK, has condemned in recent days the recent outpouring of support for the group.

Trita Parisi, who wrote “Treacherous Alliance-The Secret Dealings of Iran, Israel and the United States” and “A Single Roll of the Dice-Obama’s Diplomacy with Iran," said, "US officials recently confirmed to NBC News that the MEK is carrying out assassinations against Iranian scientists, directly contradicting the MEK's claims to have forgone terrorism and violence. The report also cites law enforcement who say 'in 1994, the MEK made a pact with terrorist Ramzi Yousef a year after he masterminded the first attack on the World Trade Center in New York City.' According to officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity,Yousef built an 11-pound bomb that MEK agents placed inside one of Shia Islam's greatest shrines in Mashad Iran on June 20, 1994. At least 26 people, mostly women and children, were killed and 200 wounded in the attack.

This is the official statement from the State Department. 

The Department of State seeks a safe, secure, humane resolution of the situation at Camp Ashraf.  Our interest and our involvement is humanitarian in nature.

·        Thanks to intense efforts by Ambassador Martin Kobler, the head of the United Nations’ Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), a reasonable path forward for a safe and secure relocation from Ashraf to former Camp Liberty, now called Camp Hurriya has been established.

·        We have worked closely with the UN in this humanitarian pursuit, and have responded to inquiries and communicated with various private parties who have expressed an interest in this issue, including former U.S. government officials, members of foreign parliaments, and other advocates.  We have, in each case, made clear that the only viable option to the Ashraf issue is a peaceful solution.  We have offered our perspective on what is necessary for that to be achieved, knowing that parties were already having a dialogue with MEK representatives.

·        We engage directly with the UN, the Government of Iraq, and representatives of the residents at Ashraf on the Department’s positions.

Former Pa Governor Rendell Under Federal Investigation

The Washington Times is reporting that the Treasury Department's counter-terrorism unit has issued a subpoena to former Pennsylvania Governor Rendell over his advocacy for the Iranian dissident group Mujahideen-e-Khalq (MEK), which has been declared a terrorist organization by the State Department. Many in Washington, including former Homeland Security Secretary Thomas Ridge, have publicly called for the removal of MEK from the terrorist watch list. So far, Rendell is the only one that has been issued a subpoena. 

To appease Iran, President Clinton placed the MEK, which some say is responsible for the deaths of 17,000 Iranian, on the terrorist watch list. Members of the organization, who are housed in a camp near the Iran-Iraq border, renounced violence in 2001. 

Rendell and Ridge admitted to the Washington Times taking money for their promotional activities. Rendell made 5 all-expense-paid trips to Europe on behalf of the organization.  It is illegal to accept money from organizations on the terror watch list. Since both men do not believe that the MEK should be on the terrorist watch list, they do not seem overly concerned about the legality of the payments. They also did not seem to know the precise source of their payments. In Rendell's defense, the William Morris Agency handles his speaking engagements. 

While Iran and the United States are close to war, their devil may care attitude about the origins of their funds seems strange. The issuance of the subpoena seems to indicate that the Treasury Department does not feel the same way. Many in counter-terrorism posit the financiers are just as dangerous as the bomb throwers. As one public official once told me, "Money is the mother's milk of terrorism." 

The subpoena may explain why Gerry Lenfest replaced Rendell as CEO of the investor group bidding for the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News. The Rendellization of the Inquirer continues. Although the Washington Times published this story at 6pm on Friday night, the Philadelphia Inquirer had not reported as of 9:36 pm Saturday. 

Visit Hawaii, Courtesy of the Philadelphia Flower Show

The theme of this year's Philadelphia Flower Show,the world's largest indoor flower show, is Hawaii. The show, which is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, was so spectacular that I am ready to book a trip to Hawaii. Aloha!