Jack Idema Blogburst

One of the most appalling aspects in the case of illegally-imprisoned U.S. Special Forces soldier Jack Idema and his recently ‘freed’ comrade Captain Brent Bennett has been the way the U.S. State Department has treated them.

Throughout their ordeal at Pulacharke prison, these men have been subjected to what can only be described as a campaign of petty (and not-so-petty) vindictiveness. Thus:

Last year the Northern Alliance made sure Jack and his men had a great Christmas, in spite of the the US Embassy. This year Rice’s State Department is up to their old tricks again. US soldiers around the world were treated to spectacular Thanksgiving Day dinners. Incarcerated US citizens around the world were visited by US Embassy officials, brought Turkey and stuffing and holiday cheer, except in Afghanistan, where US Consul Edward Birsner issued a confidential memo prohibiting any US soldier from visiting Jack Idema.
ISAF and NATO followed suit, at the US State Department’s request, and issued a directive prohibiting any coalition force member from visiting Pulacharke Prison. Two Military Police officers, in civilian clothes, assisted by Karzai’s intelligence police were posted at Pulacharke’s main gate to determine the identity of anyone attempting to ignore those directives. We find that odd. Perhaps the US State Department should spend more time hunting suicide bombers and terrorists and leave who’s bringing turkey for Jack worries to someone else.

This really is a surreal situation — As Taliban and al-Qaeda terrorists murder as many U.S., British and NATO troops as they can in South Afghanistan, valuable resources are spent on setting up Operation Turkey and Stuffing. Memos are sent out to troops and undercover operatives are stationed outside Pulacharke (from where, we will remember, four high-level terrorists escaped just three weeks ago), all in order to — what? Prevent one man eating lunch?!! Our tax dollars at work, folks.

Of course, this unintentionally-comic attempt to prevent Jack enjoying his Thanksgiving dinner is only the latest in a long list of petty cruelties. In his time at Pulacharke, Idema has been denied:

• Access to clean drinking water
• Access to mail from family and friends
• Access to Red Cross care packages

The fact that Jack continues to receive enough essential supplies to keep him healthy and alive is entirely because of the willingness of his Northern Alliance and SF friends to play a game of cat-and-mouse with the State Department in order to smuggle water, food and medicine into Pulacharke …

… Though, if Brent Bennett’s experiences since his forced-ejection from Afghanistan are anything to judge by, the State Department don’t just deny American heroes turkey dinners — They can also prevent them returning home:

Brent Bennett has been denied a US passport to return to the country he was born in and fought for. The only details we can give are that Brent spent Thanksgiving with some commandos in a foreign country.

Shameful. Utterly, utterly shameful.

So what can we do? Well, anyone reading this with their own blog can sign up for the weekly Free Jack Idema Blogburst by emailing Cao or Rottweiler Puppy for details. I’d urge everyone to do this, as we’re still terribly short on takers. If you want to know more about the story, Cao’s Blog has a large section devoted to Jack Idema. There’s also a timeline here, and, of course, a huge amount of information is available over at SuperPatriots, without whose work none of us would have learned about Jack’s story.

You should also contact the following people and make your feelings known,
especially to write letters of complaint about this despicable situation:

Secret US EMBASSY Fax: - 301-560-5729
(Local US Fax: Goes RIGHT TO Ambassador)
c/o US Ambassador Ronald Neuman
US Embassy- Afghanistan
6180 Kabul Place
Dulles, VA 20189-6180

US Consul Russell Brown - 011-93-70201908 (Fired)
US Consul Addie Harchik- 011-93-70201908
(denied them water and mail at Thanksgiving- Gone)
US Consul Edward Birsner- number yet unknown
US Embassy Translator Wahid - 011-93-70201902
US Embassy Asst Consul Bashir Momman- 011-93-70201923
US Consul (friend) Dawn Schrepel- 011-93-70201908 (Fired)

Ambassador Massoud Khalili
(wounded with Massoud)
(Great and Kind man)
Islamic State of Afghanistan
Embassy of Afghanistan
Ankara, Turkey

H.E. Said Tayeb JAWAD (Afghan Ambassador- powerful in US)
(Northern Alliance Good Guy Fired- New Pro Taliban Ambassador)
Embassy of Afghanistan in Washington
2341 Wyoming Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008
Tel: (202) 483-6414
Fax: (202) 483-9523

Mr. Jahed Hamrah, Consul General (pro-Taliban)
CONSULATE GENERAL OF
AFGHANISTAN IN NEW YORK
360 Lexington Avenue,
11th Floor New York,
New, York, NY 10017
Tel.: (212) 972-2276 or 972-2277
Fax: (212) 972-9046

Chairman Peter Hoekstra
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
H-405, U.S. Capitol
Washington, DC 20515-6415;
Office: 202-225-4121 / Fax: 202-225-1991
Toll Free: (877) 858-9040

M. Cherif BASSIOUNI
Independent Expert of the Commission on Human Rights
On the Situation of Human Rights in Afghanistan
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
UNOG-OHCHR
CH-1211 Geneva 10
Ph: +41(0)22 917 97 27 Fax: +41(0)22 917 90 18

Senator Steven Saland (Jack’s Rep and Neighbor)
9 Jonathan Lane
Poughkeepsie, NY 12603

Senator Elizabeth Dole (Jack’s Rep)
United States Senate
555 Dirksen Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Ph: 202-224.6342
Fax: 202-224.1100

Senator Richard Burr (Interested)
United States Senate
217 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-3154 / Fax: 202-228-2981

Senator Bill Nelson (in the fight on Jack’s Side)
United States Senate
Hart Senate Office Building
Room 716
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-5274 / Fax: 202-228-2183
FL Fax 407-872-7165

Senator Dianne Feinstein (Bennett’s Representative)
United States Senate
Hart Office Building, Room 331
Washington, D.C. 20510
202-224-3841

Representative Mike McIntyre (Jack’s Representative)
United States Congress
2437 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-2731 / Fax 202-225-5773

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
(Reference Captain Bennett- CA citizen)
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-445-2841 / Fax: 916-445-4633

Finally, PLEASE NOTE: The SuperPatriots and Jack images on this site are used with WRITTEN COPYRIGHT PERMISSION and any use by any third party is subject to legal action by SuperPatriots.US

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The Daily Blogster
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