Kremlin: “Attack Iran and you attack Russia”

Folks, I hope you understand by now that Bush and Putin are buddies, involved in the same masonic Illuminati brotherhood with ties to the Vatican. They were just out fishing together at Kennebunkport along with daddy Bush, laughing and slapping each other on the back only a few weeks ago.

The elite strategy is Divide and Conquer the masses by any means necessary. Their puppets are in control of every major government. Bush and his buddy “Pooty Poot” (as he calls him) are serving the same very simple agenda: launch WWIII as a pretext for their New World Order global government cyborg hive-mind agenda while depopulating the Earth down to a more “manageable” level and making boat-loads of cash in the process. And behind it is this Egypto-Babylonian mystery religion occult agenda for godhood. That is the schematics of their plan. There is absolutely nothing more to be said about it in terms of essentials. Everything else is just disinformation.

PW

. . .

Bush and Putin at the Kremlin. Two heads of the same Illuminati beast.

Asia Times | Oct 26, 2007

By Pepe Escobar

The barely reported highlight of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Tehran for the Caspian Sea summit last week was a key face-to-face meeting with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

A high-level diplomatic source in Tehran tells Asia Times Online that essentially Putin and the Supreme Leader have agreed on a plan to nullify the George W Bush administration’s relentless drive towards launching a preemptive attack, perhaps a tactical nuclear strike, against Iran. An American attack on Iran will be viewed by Moscow as an attack on Russia.

But then, as if this were not enough of a political bombshell, came the abrupt resignation of Ali Larijani as top Iranian nuclear negotiator. Early this week in Rome, Larijani told the IRNA news agency that “Iran’s nuclear policies are stable and will not change with the replacement of the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council [SNSC].” Larijani will keep attending SNSC meetings, now as a representative of the Supreme Leader. He even took time to remind the West that in the Islamic Republic all key decisions regarding the civilian nuclear program are made by the Supreme Leader. Larijani actually went to Rome to meet with the European Union’s Javier Solana alongside Iran’s new negotiator, Saeed Jalili, a former member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), just like President Mahmud Ahmadinejad.

In itself, the Putin-Khamenei meeting was extraordinary, because the Supreme Leader rarely receives foreign statesmen for closed talks, even one as crucial as Putin. The Russian president, according to the diplomatic source, told the Supreme Leader he may hold the ultimate solution regarding the endlessly controversial Iranian nuclear dossier. According to IRNA, the Supreme Leader, after stressing that the Iranian civilian nuclear program will continue unabated, said. “We will ponder your words and proposal.”

Larijani himself had told the Iranian media that Putin had a “special plan” and the Supreme Leader observed that the plan was “ponderable”. The problem is that Ahmadinejad publicly denied the Russians had volunteered a new plan.

Iranian hawks close to Ahmadinejad are spinning that Putin’s proposal involves Iran temporarily suspending uranium enrichment in exchange for no more United Nations sanctions. That’s essentially what International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohammad ElBaradei has been working on all along. The key issue is what – in practical terms – will Iran get in return. Obviously it’s not the EU’s Solana who will have the answer. But as far as Russia is concerned, strategically nothing will appease it except a political/diplomatic solution for the Iranian nuclear dossier.

US Vice President Dick Cheney – who even Senator Hillary Clinton now refers to as Darth Vader – must be foaming at the mouth; but the fact is that after the Caspian summit, Iran and Russia are officially entangled in a strategic partnership. World War III, for them, is definitely not on the cards.

Let’s read from the same script

The apparent internal controversy on how exactly Putin and the Supreme Leader are on the same wavelength belies a serious rift in the higher spheres of the Islamic Republic. The replacement of Larijani, a realist hawk, by Jalili, an unknown quantity with an even more hawkish background, might spell an Ahmadinejad victory. It’s not that simple.

The powerful Ali Akbar Velayati, the diplomatic adviser to the Supreme Leader, said he didn’t like the replacement one bit. Even worse: regarding the appalling record of the Ahmadinejad presidency when it comes to the economy, all-out criticism is now the norm. Another former nuclear negotiator, Hassan Rowhani, told the Etemad-e Melli newspaper, “The effects of the [UN] sanctions are visible. Our situation gets worse day by day.”

Ahmadinejad for the past two months has been placing his former IRGC brothers-in-arms in key posts, like the presidency of the central bank and the Oil, Industry and Interior ministries. Internal repression is rife. On Sunday, hundreds of students protested at the Amir-Kabir University in Tehran, calling for “Death to the dictator”.

The wily, ultimate pragmatist Hashemi Rafsanjani, now leader of the Council of Experts and in practice a much more powerful figure than Ahmadinejad, took no time to publicly reflect that “we can’t bend people’s thoughts with dictatorial regimes”.

This week, the Supreme Leader himself intervened, saying, “I approve of this government, but this does not mean that I approve of everything they do.” Under the currently explosive circumstances, this also amounts to a political bombshell.

As if anyone needed to be reminded, the buck – or rial – stops with the Supreme Leader, whose last wish on earth is to furnish a pretext for the Bush administration to launch World War III. If Ahmadinejad now deviates from a carefully crafted strategic script, the Supreme Leader may simply get rid of him.

Oil price hits record high on Iran tensions

AFP | Oct 26, 2007

World oil prices surged to historic highs Friday, breaching 92 dollars for the first time in New York amid rising tension in crude-rich Iran and tightening US energy supplies.

New York’s main futures contract, light sweet crude for delivery in December, soared to a record intraday high of 92.22 dollars per barrel before settling at an all-time closing high of 91.86 dollars, up 1.40 dollars on the day.

In London, Brent North Sea crude for December delivery struck an all-time pinnacle of 89.30 dollars per barrel Friday. It later settled at 88.69 dollars, up 1.21 dollars.

Crude futures have rocketed by about 10 dollars in a month and by 30 dollars, or 50 percent, in a year.

“Supply tightness and developments surrounding Iran remain the focus of attention,” Sucden analyst Michael Davies said Friday.

The United States on Thursday ratcheted up pressure on Iran over its nuclear drive and alleged backing for terrorism with a raft of new sanctions against the Islamic republic’s military and banks.

Crude futures had leapt by more than three dollars on Thursday in reaction to the news, before extending their gains Friday.

The White House meanwhile rejected any parallels between its Iran rhetoric and the run-up to the Iraq invasion of 2003, adding it had not ruled out the use of force but was “very hopeful” of avoiding war.

Sucden’s Davies meanwhile added that oil prices were winning support from a weak dollar, which makes commodities priced in the US currency cheaper for buyers using stronger units.

The dollar slumped to a record low against the euro on Friday after poor US economic data heightened expectations of a fresh cut to US interest rates next week, dealers said.

Others said oil prices were also being supported by OPEC’s hesitance to increase production and rising tensions elsewhere in the Middle East.

Iraqi ministers held crisis talks Friday seeking to persuade an increasingly impatient Turkey against launching military strikes against rebel Kurd bases in northern Iraq, which is an oil-producing region.

The talks broke up after 90 minutes, however, and it was not immediately known if and when they would resume. But Iraqi defence ministry spokesman Muhammed Askeri said the meeting had produced “positive” results.

Another factor pushing up oil prices are tight energy supplies in the United States, the biggest consumer of energy.

The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) said Wednesday that stockpiles of crude had plunged by 5.3 million barrels in the week ending October 19. The market had expected a gain of 960,000 barrels.

Inventories of US distillates, which include diesel and heating fuel, sank by 1.8 million barrels last week.

The data from the EIA confounded market expectations for a rise of 275,000 barrels.

Heating fuel stocks are a key market focus because demand usually surges during the northern hemisphere winter.

Compared with a year ago, distillates stocks are 7.6 percent lower and crude reserves are down 5.9 percent.

Eric Wittenauer at AG Edwards said the sharp moves were being accentuated by a rush of speculative money into the market.

“We think Wednesday’s (inventory) numbers were the catalyst that brought the bulls and their sidelined money back into the picture,” he said.

“The rejuvenated buying continues the uptrend seen since late August and builds to the momentum in the market.

“While the predominant rally has been rationalized by geopolitical events on the backdrop of tightening supplies, the latest surge, yesterday in particular, did have noteworthy geopolitical moves supporting the bulls. We wouldn’t argue that supplies have tightened,” Wittenauer said.

He said that while US crude oil stockpiles are at a nine-month low, “we don’t think things are as dire as some would like to believe.”

ENDGAME – Blueprint for Global Enslavement now uploaded to Google Video

Google Video | Oct 26, 2007

ENDGAME Blueprint for Global Enslavement

by ALEX JONES

No matter what you might think about Alex Jones and any agendas that he might have, I think it is important that people see this video, carefully verify or debunk the information in it as the case may be, think through it for themselves and above all, not to panic, act hysterically or allow this information to paralyze us.

There are undoubtedly those in power who want some of this Malthusian Masonic Illuminati Zionist Banking Neofeudal Vatican agenda to leak out for the purpose of making it appear that they have all the power and that resistance is futile. But they have feet of clay. They have vulnerabilities that we can and are exploiting. They are just flesh and blood like us, and never forget there are a lot more of us than there are of them, “us” meaning the freedom-fighters and truth-seekers whose ranks grow by the day. Together and individually, we can defeat them at every level and put a halt this agenda. All we have to do is keep stepping up to ask questions and tell the truth.

First try to wake people up. Most people will listen if the information is presented calmly and concisely. Plant seeds at the very least. Then those who hold positions of power need to be approached and given the opportunity to awaken. If they are culpable and refuse to stop serving this evil agenda, then we have to expose them for what they are. Out them. Expose their memberships in secret societies, intelligence agencies and globalist institutions showing how they are serving the criminal network. Expose allegiances to foreign powers such as the Vatican or Israel. Expose them for abusing their offices, for acting outside the law or the constitution and for corruption.

For example, there is nothing worse than a high Freemason serving as a judge where he can and probably will give breaks to brother masons in court, especially to police officers belonging to the FOP. Same goes for the many orders of knighthood out there because it is basically the same system of back-scratching. Another example are the thousands of political and media figures who attend the secret meetings at the CFR, Bilderberg etc.

As British researcher Brian Gerrish says, “Fight the enemy you can see”, those who are serving this New World Order agenda in your own city, county or state. But don’t make a witchhunt out of it. That means don’t smear low-level members of these groups because they probably don’t know much and their negative effects would be minimal if any.

In any case, we must successfully defeat this system if the human species is to survive intact as free and independent sentient beings.

PW

. . .

Fire-fighting planes grounded by government

Four state helicopters and two from the Navy were able to take off Monday while nearly two dozen others stayed grounded.

Telegraph | Oct 26, 2007

By Catherine Elsworth

More than two-dozen fire-fighting aircraft that could have helped battle the wildfires which ravaged southern California this week were unable to take off because of government bureaucracy, according to reports.

Politicians in San Diego, which suffered some of the worst devastation as nearly 20 blazes raged through the state, hit out at state officials over red tape that kept 24 water-dropping helicopters and two giant cargo planes grounded as the fires surged out of control.

The issue is a particularly sensitive one in an area still angry about the response to the 2003 Cedar fire, the state’s worst ever wildfire, which prompted a review of California’s fire-fighting strategy and resources and a number of recommendations, not all of which have been implemented.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and other state officials have issued a robust defence of the state’s response, blaming the fact more aircraft were not in the air on the ferocious winds fanning the fires. But others pointed out that despite the winds, four state helicopters and two from the Navy were able to take off Monday while nearly two dozen others stayed grounded.

“The weight of bureaucracy kept these planes from flying, not the heavy winds,” said Dana Rohrabacher, a Republican congressman for parts of California affected by the fires.

“When you look at what’s happened, it’s disgusting, inexcusable foot-dragging that’s put tens of thousands of people in danger.”

Fire officials, including Orange County fire chief Chip Prather, have also argued that a faster deployment of aerial resources could have helped curb the blazes.

After the fires broke out, it took as long as a day for Navy, Marine and California National Guard helicopters to get clearance to take off because of rules requiring all firefighting helicopters to be accompanied by state forestry “fire spotters”.

But by the time the spotters arrived, the winds fuelling the fires had made it too dangerous to fly. The spotter-accompanying rule was eventually waived, allowing flights to begin on Wednesday, three days after the first fires broke out, by which time the area burned had more than quadrupled.

Meanwhile the National Guard’s C-130 cargo planes, among the most powerful aerial firefighting tools, could not join the fight because they are still awaiting giant tanks needed to carry gallons of fire retardant that were promised by Congress four years ago.

Republican Rep. Elton Gallegly described Congress’s delay, which has left the West Coast without any C-130s capable of fighting fires, as “an absolute tragedy, an unacceptable tragedy”.

Elsewhere there was anger over the superior fire protection enjoyed by rich homeowners, thanks to insurance companies that dispatched private crews to tackle blazes threatening multi-million dollar homes.

American International Group, an insurance company, offers its richest customers protection through firefighting firm Firebreak Spray Systems.

The policy is only available to residents in California’s wealthiest communities, including Malibu, Beverly Hills and Newport Beach, whose premiums exceed $10,000 a year and homes cost at least $1 million.

This week, the company sprayed foam retardant on more than 160 homes in Malibu, Lake Arrowhead and the hardest-hit areas of Orange and San Diego counties, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Some said the practice was another example of the way the wealthy were able to sidestep under-funded public services.

Social commentator Naomi Klein described it as a “disaster apartheid” in which the affluent were better equipped for emergencies. “Survival shouldn’t be a luxury item,” she told the Los Angeles Times.

Firefighters, aided by cooling temperatures, are finally starting to gain control of all but the most stubborn pockets of the fires that have killed at least nine, gutted over 1,800 homes and caused more than 500,000 pounds worth of damage.

Who would buy $8,400 Knights Templar book? It’s a secret

Star Tribune | Oct 25, 2007

Sheiks, libraries and collectors have ordered the Vatican’s new $8,400 limited-edition documentation of the heresy trial of the Knights Templar, a scandal that destroyed the order, officials said Thursday. In addition, Templar associations and cultural organizations worldwide have reserved copies, said Scrinium publishing president Ferdinando Santor. He said about 300 are still available. He declined to identify any buyers , citing Italian privacy laws, but said they included “internationally famous” people.

Scrinium is issuing 799 editions of the leather-bound volume, seen above, which provides the complete documentation of the papal hearings convened after King Philip IV of France arrested and tortured Templar leaders in 1307 on charges of heresy and immorality. The 800th will be given to Pope Benedict. AP

‘Hole’ in law shields Blackwater employees

New York Times | Oct 25, 2007

WASHINGTON | Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice conceded Thursday that a “hole” in U.S. law allowed Blackwater USA employees and other armed contractors to escape legal jeopardy for actions in Iraq.

In an appearance before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Rice said the administration would support new laws that would apply to contractors.

She deferred a number of other questions about problems with the supervision of the thousands of private security guards in Iraq.

Rice said she planned to meet with Defense Secretary Robert Gates to try to come up with new rules to avoid episodes like the shooting by Blackwater gunmen Sept. 16 that Iraqi investigators have said left 17 Iraqis dead.

Blackwater has been under continuing siege in the courts, the news media and Congress. It stepped up its public relations efforts with a mass e-mail message plea this week to its employees, suppliers, fellow security contractors and political allies, asking them to flood Congress with messages of support.

Reward of $150,000 offered to find California arsonists

 

Armageddon: With the sun blocked out by smoke and flames, LA looked like the set of a summer blockbuster disaster movie last night

Daily Mail | Oct 26, 2007

Rewards totalling $150,000 (£75,000) have been offered for information leading to the arsonists who started at least two of the deadly fires raging in southern California.

The FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) were today investigating the fires as the death toll from arson reached three.

The charred remains of several other homeowners and evacuees have been found, bringing the total number of deaths to at least 12.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced a $50,000 reward on top of the $50,000 offered by both the FBI and ATF.

Angry fire chiefs today said lives could have been saved if firefighters were not dealing with the result of arsonists’ work.

Chip Prather, chief of the fire authority in California’s Orange County where 23,000 acres have been burned in the Santiago fire, said: “I wonder, frankly, if we didn’t have this arson-caused fire here, how many of our resources might have been available to respond to other parts of the state, and how many people might be alive today had our firefighters here been able to be in San Diego.”

In Los Angeles, police arrested a man after witnesses said they saw him lighting a fire on a hillside. Authorities said Catalino Pineda, 41, was seen starting a fire in the San Fernando Valley on Wednesday and then walking away.

As fire crews used a break in the weather to bring most of the fires under control yesterday, President George Bush surveyed the devastation and met some of the estimated 500,000 people who fled their homes.

Mr Bush flew over San Diego – one of the worst-hit areas – with Mr Schwarzenegger and visited burnt out neighbourhoods.

“There’s no question a lot of people are suffering, and there’s no question there’s been terrible losses,” Mr Bush said.

About 2,000 homes have been destroyed or damaged since Sunday, when wildfires began breaking out.

“These fires are among the worst disasters in California history,” MrSchwarzenegger said.

A suspected arsonist was shot dead by police as FBI agents revealed several of the fires that have forced one million people from their homes in southern California had been started deliberately.

The news came as two burned bodies were found in a San Diego area home, bringing the death toll in California’s five days of wildfires up to at least eight, officials said today.

San Diego County Sheriff Bill Kolender said the bodies were found in Poway, a town engulfed by the big Witch fire in the northern part of the county, and had not yet been identified.

One death from the wildfires was reported in southern San Diego on Sunday.

At least five other people, mostly senior citizens, have died in the evacuation of half a million people, the largest in California’s modern history.

Police said officers killed a man, a suspected arsonist, during a chase as he tried to escape when challenged in the city of San Bernardino.

A motorcyclist who police say set a small fire in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains was arrested but investigators said they did not know whether he was connected to any of the larger fires.

FBI agents confirmed that a huge fire in the town of Santiago in Orange County that destroyed 10 homes was started on purpose in two different places.

A £35,000 reward was offered for information to trace the arsonists today as a break in the weather finally allowed firefighters to make progress after virtually conceding defeat to the series of wildfires that have been fanned by fierce winds.

President Bush arrived in California after declaring the country’s worst nightmare since Hurricane Katrina a “major disaster”.

Insurance companies estimated that property worth more than £600 million has been destroyed in four days of fires.

More than 1,500 homes and more than 700 square miles of land have been scorched across five counties, from Ventura in the north all the way down to Mexico. The office of emergency services said 28,000 homes were still threatened.

Many residents along the coastline from Malibu to San Diego, through the inland canyons to the mountain playgrounds of Lake Arrowhead and Running Springs, returned home last night to find just burning rubble.

Thousands more waited anxiously in makeshift evacuation camps, not knowing if they had lost everything they own.

The improving weather has allowed for a greater aerial assault on the flames with helicopters and air tankers dropping tons of water.

Just one death has been directly attributed to the fires, a man who refused to leave his home, although six others died during the evacuations and about 50 people have been injured, including 20 firefighters.

. . .

Related 

Fire chief: 25,000-acre blaze was set by arsonists
One of the larger fires in Southern California was deliberately started by someone with apparent knowledge of arson, a fire official said Thursday. The Santiago Fire in Orange County was started in two places along a little-traveled road, according to Chief Chip Prather of the county’s fire authority. The fire, which has burned more than 25,000 acres, was started in brush just off Santiago Canyon Road, not close to homes. It spread rapidly, indicating the arsonist had some knowledge of winds and other factors. “It is a confirmed arson. There was evidence found at the scene. That is the purpose of our early declaration of it being an arson-caused fire,” Prather said. He would not describe the evidence.

Blackwater’s Base and the California Wildfires
From what we understand, Blackwater is already crafting arguments to defend their proposed base and play on people’s emotions during this crisis. Blackwater will likely argue that their base will not increase fire danger in San Diego County even as they plan to build it in a brushy, dry box canyon with only one way in and one way out.

Blackwater to California: Hire us to Put Out Your Fires
We couldn’t make this stuff up. Brian Bonfiglio, vice president of Blackwater West, “I see a tactical operation center for East County fires,” said Bonfiglio, noting that Blackwater’s proposal includes water tanks capable of holding 35,000 gallons. “Can you imagine how much of a benefit it would be if we were operational now?”

Blackwater Remains Determined To Build In Fire-Ravaged Potrero
Incredibly, Blackwater West Vice President Brian Bonfiglio says that Blackwater’s planned mercenary training camp in San Diego County would decrease the risk of wildfires, even though the huge Blackwater facility would have live-fire exercises and ammunition dumps in the middle of a fire-prone canyon.

Blackwater Remains Determined To Build In Fire-Ravaged Potrero

Courage Campaign | Oct 25, 2007

By Erik Love

Incredibly, Blackwater West Vice President Brian Bonfiglio says that Blackwater’s planned mercenary training camp in San Diego County would decrease the risk of wildfires, even though the huge Blackwater facility would have live-fire exercises and ammunition dumps in the middle of a fire-prone canyon.

Click here to send your support to the people of Potrero as they battle back from this terrible fire.

An excerpt from Miriam Raftery’s exclusive report on Blackwater West appears after the “Read More.” See her remarkable full report at Calitics.

From Miriam Raftery’s exclusive report:

Brian Bonfiglio, vice president of Blackwater West, said Blackwater remains determined to build its planned facility despite the wildfire’s devastation. Those plans include 11 firing ranges for small and large caliber weapons, an emergency vehicular training track, bunkhouses for 200 trainees, additional training facilities and a large armory to stockpile ammunition.

“I see a tactical operation center for East County fires,” said Bonfiglio, noting that Blackwater’s proposal includes water tanks capable of holding 35,000 gallons. “Can you imagine how much of a benefit it would be if we were operational now?”

Opponents of Blackwater have suggested that live-fire operations could heighten the risk of fire starting in the box canyon where Blackwater seeks to locate and note that fires have been started by live-fire at military bases in the past. The Courage Campaign has mounted a petition calling on Senators Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer to oppose Blackwater’s base in Potrero for reasons including the proposed facility’s location in a “fire-prone landscape http://www.courageca….

Bonfiglio maintains that shooting areas will have berms, cleared surrounding areas, and a standby fire watch person with fire equipment on hand. No flares or explosives will be used, he said.

But even a fire started off-site could become an inferno, critics contend, if it were to reach the armory full of ammunition at Blackwater’s site.

. . .

Related

Fire chief: 25,000-acre blaze was set by arsonists
One of the larger fires in Southern California was deliberately started by someone with apparent knowledge of arson, a fire official said Thursday. The Santiago Fire in Orange County was started in two places along a little-traveled road, according to Chief Chip Prather of the county’s fire authority. The fire, which has burned more than 25,000 acres, was started in brush just off Santiago Canyon Road, not close to homes. It spread rapidly, indicating the arsonist had some knowledge of winds and other factors. “It is a confirmed arson. There was evidence found at the scene. That is the purpose of our early declaration of it being an arson-caused fire,” Prather said. He would not describe the evidence.

Blackwater’s Base and the California Wildfires
From what we understand, Blackwater is already crafting arguments to defend their proposed base and play on people’s emotions during this crisis. Blackwater will likely argue that their base will not increase fire danger in San Diego County even as they plan to build it in a brushy, dry box canyon with only one way in and one way out.

Blackwater to California: Hire us to Put Out Your Fires
We couldn’t make this stuff up. Brian Bonfiglio, vice president of Blackwater West, “I see a tactical operation center for East County fires,” said Bonfiglio, noting that Blackwater’s proposal includes water tanks capable of holding 35,000 gallons. “Can you imagine how much of a benefit it would be if we were operational now?”

Blackwater’s Base and the California Wildfires

California Majority Report | Oct 24, 2007

by Rick Jacobs

As I write this, massive fires are raging across Southern California. While it is quiet and normal at my house in Los Angeles, I can see smoke in the distance and smell it in the air.

And I keep thinking about the good people of Potrero — a serene small community in East San Diego County — that I met just a few weeks ago as we rallied together to block Blackwater from building a base in their tiny, beautiful town.

These concerned community members have been working for months to stop Blackwater from building a mercenary training facility on 824 acres, consisting of 11 firing ranges, a helipad, and an emergency vehicle operator’s course covering the equivalent of 10 football fields. As we watch the fire burn across the area today, one can only imagine what might have happened if an armory full of ammunition and explosives were located inside this box canyon.

I was inspired and proud to march with the good folks of Potrero, people who are not usually political, but who know that if they do not stand up against Blackwater in their own community, then no one will.

Beyond the damage and destruction to life and property, the timing of this wildfire could not be much worse. This fire exploded just as the people of Potrero were preparing for a recall election on December 11 to kick out the planning group members who approved Blackwater’s base. With ballots scheduled to be mailed in early November to less than 600 registered voters in this historic vote-by-mail recall, Potrero residents were preparing for an intense campaign over the next six weeks.

But the actual landscape — and the political landscape — of Potrero have been transformed over the last 48 hours.

There’s no time to waste. On Sunday, if the situation permits, I will travel down to Potrero with my Courage Campaign colleagues Eden James and Julia Rosen. If we are able, we will hand-deliver your notes of support to the people of Potrero, survey the damage and determine how we can help them move forward.

Please click here to watch a brief YouTube preview of a documentary film being made about the battle over Blackwater and the people of Potrero. Then consider sending a donation, and let them know that you are behind them.
Jan Hedlun and Carl Meyer are two Potrero residents featured in the documentary film produced by Alternate Focus that you can watch at the link above. Although she is not identified, Jan is the first woman appearing on-screen, describing how the Potrero residents “first heard of Blackwater.”

Just last Sunday, as we were about to talk with both Jan and Carl by conference call about how to help them block Blackwater’s base, news broke of a huge fire moving towards Potrero. We spoke with Jan again that evening but, despite many repeated attempts, we have not heard back from either Jan or Carl since Sunday night. While we assume they are OK, reports from East San Diego County have been unclear and we remain deeply concerned.

Obviously, the last thing Jan, Carl and their fellow concerned citizens can think about right now is Blackwater and the recall election. But I can guarantee you that Blackwater is thinking about nothing BUT that recall election. From what we understand, Blackwater is already crafting arguments to defend their proposed base and play on people’s emotions during this crisis. Blackwater will likely argue that their base will not increase fire danger in San Diego County even as they plan to build it in a brushy, dry box canyon with only one way in and one way out.

We need to be there for Jan and Carl and everyone in Potrero. After watching the YouTube video, will you consider sending a donation to the “After the Fires Fund” or a note showing your support for the people of Potrero? On Sunday, we’ll hand-deliver the note for you.

While the good people of Potrero are focused on recovering from this disaster, we will continue to keep you updated on the other disaster threatening their community — Blackwater’s plans to build a mercenary base on their pristine land, just a few miles from the California border.

Thank you again for everything you are doing to support the people of Potrero.

P.S. Three weeks ago, we asked you to sign your name to a letter to Senator Dianne Feinstein and Senator Barbara Boxer about Blackwater’s base, including a warning about Potrero’s “fire-prone landscape”:

“Not only will Blackwater’s proposed California paramilitary base disrupt the lives of its residents, but it will also threaten the pristine natural habitat of the Round Potrero Valley, which includes part of Cleveland National Forest and is adjacent to the proposed Hauser Wilderness preserve. The regular detonation of firearms would be a risk both to the fire-prone landscape as well as to the wildlife that currently calls that area home, including the golden eagle and the California condor.”

Despite this ominous warning, Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer have failed to respond. The residents of Potrero and San Diego County can’t wait for politicians to act to reduce the fire danger posed by Blackwater. That’s why the Courage Campaign is getting involved now.

To show your support in their time of need, please consider sending a donation to the “After the Fires Fund” and a note of support to the people of Potrero.

Fire chief: 25,000-acre blaze was set by arsonists

CNN | Oct 26, 2006

ORANGE COUNTY, California (CNN) — One of the larger fires in Southern California was deliberately started by someone with apparent knowledge of arson, a fire official said Thursday.

The Santiago Fire in Orange County was started in two places along a little-traveled road, according to Chief Chip Prather of the county’s fire authority.

The fire, which has burned more than 25,000 acres, was started in brush just off Santiago Canyon Road, not close to homes. It spread rapidly, indicating the arsonist had some knowledge of winds and other factors.

“It is a confirmed arson. There was evidence found at the scene. That is the purpose of our early declaration of it being an arson-caused fire,” Prather said. He would not describe the evidence.

Prather said officials originally thought the fire had three points of origin instead of two.

The Santiago Fire’s points of origin are considered crime scenes, said Jim Amornino, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

The reward for information leading to an arrest has increased to $250,000 — $50,000 each from the governor’s office, the U.S. agency of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the FBI, Prather said. KFI radio has chipped in another $100,000, the sheriff’s department said.

The state established a toll-free arson tip line at 800-540-7085. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said anyone convicted of arson would be dealt with harshly.

If a suspect is to be found, “it’s going to be by a clue from the public,” said county Sheriff Mike Corona.

About 1,100 firefighters were working on controlling the Santiago Fire, which has destroyed at least 22 structures, according to Orange County Fire Battalion Chief Kris Concepcion. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said the fire was only 30 percent contained Thursday morning after being 50 percent contained the day before.

The motive of the Santiago Fire’s arsonist was a mystery to Concepcion.

“That’s the part that I really can’t figure out, to tell you the truth,” he told CNN. “That individual knew on Sunday when this fire started that we had, really, the perfect storm, if you will. We had the heavy Santa Ana winds, we had the low relative humidities, we had the high temperatures.

“And then for someone to even think about doing something as reprehensible as starting a fire where they knew the fire would grow as rapidly as it would — traveling about three, 3½ miles in about an hour — is just really absolutely unconscionable,” he said.

The smaller Rosa Fire in Riverside County, 100 percent contained at 411 acres Thursday morning, was also probably arson, state officials said.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles Fire Department investigators are looking into whether a man who was arrested on suspicion of arson in the San Fernando Valley may have had a role in any of the ongoing blazes, an L.A. police spokeswoman said.

Catalino Pineda, 41, was arrested Wednesday, Officer Kate Lopez told CNN. Witnesses told police they saw him lighting a fire on a hillside in the West Hills area of San Fernando — northwest of Los Angeles — then walking away, Lopez said.

Pineda was already on probation for “making excessive false emergency reports” to police at the time of the arrest, Lopez said. His bail has been set at $75,000, she said.

The fire he allegedly set was brought under control, but now authorities want to find out if he had any role in the other wildfires.

In San Bernardino County, John Alfred Rund, 48, was arrested Tuesday evening and charged with setting a small fire along a rural roadside near Victorville.

Rund was to be arraigned Thursday morning in Victorville. He was being held in lieu of $750,000 bail.

The county’s district attorney’s office on Thursday also filed arson charges against Anthony Riperti, 47, of Redlands. A statement from the office did not say when or where Riperti is accused of setting a fire. He is being held on $250,000 bail and will be arraigned later Thursday.

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department also arrested an adult and a juvenile accused by an anonymous tipster of starting a fire in Vista in the northern part of the county. In a written statement, the sheriff’s department identified the adult as Gorgonio Nava. The Vista Fire Department extinguished the blaze before it grew out of control, the statement said.

Investigators have determined that the Grass Valley Fire in San Bernardino County was not caused by arson, and a preliminary investigation into the cause of the 10,152-acre Slide Fire seems to indicate arson was not a factor, sheriff’s spokeswoman Cindy Beaver said.

. . .

 Related

Blackwater to California: Hire us to Put Out Your Fires
We couldn’t make this stuff up. Brian Bonfiglio, vice president of Blackwater West, “I see a tactical operation center for East County fires,” said Bonfiglio, noting that Blackwater’s proposal includes water tanks capable of holding 35,000 gallons. “Can you imagine how much of a benefit it would be if we were operational now?”