San Diego Truth Machine

Marine Corps Outsourcing Training to MOB?

2009-03-18T20:20:00.000-07:00

Marine Corps Outsourcing Training to MOB?

THE MARINE CORPS AND THE MOB by Mike Giorgino

Why has the Marine Corps outsourced its combat training to a former pornographer with mob connections? And why don’t local police and politicians seem to care?

When 18-year old Jesse Klingler joined the Marines, he knew the chances were pretty good that he could be wounded or even killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. What he never imagined was that he could be bound, gagged, beaten, and shot at a dusty, second-rate Hollywood movie set in San Diego.

Yet, on September 18, 2004, Private First Class Jesse Klingler was shot at Stu Segall’s Studios’ training at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. An untrained, convicted felon, Lebanese “terrorist role player” fired a blank AK-47 round directly into Jesse’s thigh, causing a gaping wound and massive bleeding. A Marine Sergeant prevented Segall’s actor from firing another round into the back of Jesse’s neck. Segall purposely did not use blank fire adapters, which would have shielded the muzzle blast, so that the Russian automatic weapons would sound more “realistic,” putting everyone’s safety at risk.

Since 2003, more than 55,000 Marines have passed through Segall’s “Strategic Operations” on the way to Iraq, paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for ten days of Hollywood-style pyrotechnics and special effects. Then, they head up to Twentynine Palms for the real Marine Corps desert combat training.

So just who is Stu Segall? And why has he received more than $8 million in military contracts since 2004?

Since Segall started making low-budget television shows like “Hunter” and “Silk Stalkings” in San Diego in the early 1990’s, rumors have circulated about his prior porn career. Segall's earlier works starred such well-known porn stars as John (“Johnny Wadd”) Holmes, who died of AIDS in 1988, and Marilyn Chambers, who got her start posing with a baby for boxes of Ivory Snow detergent. Chambers' 1980 film with Segall, “Insatiable,” is considered a hardcore porn classic.

As America was preparing to celebrate its Bicentennial in 1976, Stu Segall directed Holmes in the “Spirit of Seventy Sex,” an expletive-filled, whirlwind tour of the "real” history of George and Martha Washington, exposing their “dirty little secrets” for the world to see.

What is less well known about Segall is his involvement with organized crime. According to Attorney General Edwin Meese’s Report on Pornography, commissioned by President Reagan in 1986, Stu Segall was a partner with Michael Zaffarano, Caporegime (Captain) in the Bonanno/Galante crime family—the Mafia under boss in charge of distributing pornography in California in the 1970’s.

Zaffarano served as president of Stu Segall Associates which had offices in New York and Hollywood. They co-owned the nationwide Pussycat Cinema chain of adult theaters. Segall, Zaffarano and other mobsters also operated Miracle Film Releasing Corporation in Hollywood, which produced and distributed pornographic films to peep shows and theaters all over the West Coast.

The Mafia’s involvement with pornography spilled over into many other types of criminal activity, including narcotics and murder. In October 1972, mobsters Peter Salanardi and Nicholas Musolino were observed in Los Angeles meeting with Zaffarano. At the same time, Salanardi and Musolino were being sought by the police for the murder of a heroin kingpin in New York. According to the Meese Report, Salanardi and Musolino were guests at the home of Stu Segall in Los Angeles.

To gain respectability after his transition to “main stream” films in San Diego, Segall cultivated friendships with local law enforcement. Segall leases studio space to the San Diego Police Department's SWAT team for only about $1,000 a month, which is headquartered and conducts training on his lot. San Diego Crime Stoppers honored Segall as its Man of the Year in 2006 for his “many contributions to law enforcement.”

Segall also contributes generously to local politicians. He and his wife have given Democrat Congresswoman Susan Davis (who sits on the House Armed Services Committee) $3,300 since 2004. They also gave more than $10,000 to Congressman Duncan Hunter (ranking Republican for Armed Services), as well as $1,000 to his son, Duncan Duane Hunter, an active duty Marine officer currently serving in Afghanistan who is running for his father’s seat in 2008.

Segall has not been so generous with Jesse Klingler. Rather than compensate Jesse, Segall got a high-powered lawyer—Retired Marine Brigadier General Michael I. Neil, a prominent civil attorney who was Commanding General at Camp Pendleton during the Gulf War. Neil and Segall have not only denied responsibility for Jesse’s injuries, they hired a private detective to follow the wounded Marine around Tennessee for months, trying to catch him “faking” disability. The private eye’s “smoking gun” video shows Jesse changing a flat tire! (Ironically, Jesse has such a hard time bending his knee, he had to sit on the ground, spoiling Segall’s money shot.)

Young Jesse spent the year after being shot undergoing repeated surgeries and physical therapy until he was medically discharged. Jesse lives in constant physical pain. His childhood dream of serving as a Marine has been shattered forever. Yet, Segall keeps the cops and politicians happy and the Marines keep spending millions of dollars with the mob’s pornographer. Isn’t it about time for somebody to yell, “Cut!”?

Documentation ( you rarely see this in any news story)

Insatiable ( Porn Movie Directed by Stu Segall)

NBC 7/39 Special Report 10/09/2007

The link:

http://www.wsmv.com/news/14281848/detail.html?taf=nash

Organized Crime and Pornography (the Meese Report) link

Stu Segall's Porn Past

http://www.eccentric-cinema.com/cult_movies2007/insatiable.htm

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0128589/

Stu Segall's Government Contracts (Link)

Stu and Wendy Segall's Campaign Contributions

2008

http://www.campaignmoney.com/finance.asp?type=in&cycle=08&criteria=Segall

2006

http://www.campaignmoney.com/finance.asp?type=in&cycle=06&criteria=Segall

2004

http://www.campaignmoney.com/finance.asp?type=in&cycle=04&criteria=Segall

(Note: "Peace Through Strength PAC" is Duncan Hunter's PAC)

Segall and the Swat Team (link)

Segall and SD Crimestoppers

http://www.sdcrimestoppers.com/2006luncheon.html?v=9YW1I0gtMn0

Move America Forward may abuse nonprofit status

2007-12-14T07:11:00.000-08:00

Iraq war backers proudly pugnacious
But critics say Move America Forward may abuse nonprofit status.
By Todd Milbourn - Bee Staff Writer
http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/20555.html
Published 12:00 am PDT Saturday, September 9, 2006
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A20

Robert Dixon, right, acting director of Move
American forward, strategizes with Andy Nevis,
left, and Donald La Combe. Despite a stated
aversion to partisan politics, several Move
America Forward leaders aspire to elective
office, including Dixon, who may run for
Sacramento City Council. Sacramento Bee/Kevin German

When Cindy Sheehan's anti-war protests last year
drew widespread news coverage, a Sacramento
nonprofit jumped to defend President Bush with a
series of "counterprotests" against the Berkeley mother.

When Democratic House leader Nancy Pelosi called
Bush an "incompetent leader" in 2004, the group
responded with an "action alert" calling Pelosi a "domestic enemy."

And as a liberal U.S. senator pushed to censure
Bush earlier this year amid revelations that his
administration was secretly tapping domestic
phone calls, the organization countered with a
campaign to censure Jimmy Carter instead, calling
the former president an ally of terrorists and dictators.
Click here to sign up!

The efforts have given the group, Move America
Forward, a platform in the increasingly polarized debate over the war.

But the group's rise hasn't come without controversy.

On the eve of the 2006 elections, the Internal
Revenue Service is cracking down on nonprofit
organizations that stray into party politics.
Critics say Move America Forward is ripe for scrutiny.

"We don't pretend to be mild-mannered," said Sal
Russo, Move America Forward's chief strategist
and a longtime Republican political consultant.
"We believe you can't separate the troops from
the mission. And we believe that when somebody's
wrong, they need to be called out on it."

Russo founded Move America Forward in 2004, along
with former Republican Assemblyman Howard
Kooligian and conservative San Francisco radio
host Melanie Morgan -- all veterans of the 2003 recall of Gov. Gray Davis.

With war support dipping, Russo said Move America
Forward is out to support the troops and spread "good news" on Iraq.

The group has raised about $1.2 million, mostly
from small, undisclosed donors, Russo said. Most
of the money has been spent on television and
radio spots and rallies, tax records show. About
$113,000 funded programs directly benefiting
soldiers, such as mailing them cookies, coffee and beef jerky.

Russo said Move America Forward has no ties to
the White House or the Republican Party, and none
could be gleaned through a review of public
records, although the Department of Defense has
publicly praised the group's efforts.

Some liberal groups see Move America Forward as
an external public relations department for the administration.

"It's a shell organization," said Trevor
Fitzgibbon, spokesman for Moveon.org, a liberal
advocacy group and frequent target of Move America Forward.

Move America Forward is among the flood of new
advocacy groups on both sides of the political
divide. Congressional attempts to restrict
donations to political parties have effectively
channeled new money to such organizations, which
they often spend on political advertising.

Move America Forward is different from most of
these groups because it is registered as a public
charity -- like the United Way or the Red Cross
-- and accepts tax-deductible donations.

The IRS prohibits groups eligible for
tax-deductible donations from engaging in
partisan activity. While such groups can speak
out on policy matters and perform a small amount
of lobbying, they cannot urge support for a
particular candidate or party, said Bill Steiner,
a Sacramento-based IRS spokesman.

Donations to groups like Moveon.org or the
conservative Club for Growth aren't tax
deductible, so the IRS grants them more leeway.
Sheehan's Venice-based nonprofit, Gold Star
Families for Peace, is eligible for
tax-deductible donations, although the group
recommends impeaching Bush and promotes "pro-peace" candidates on its Web site.

After noting a rise in political activity among
nonprofits and churches during the 2004
elections, the IRS said it would pay closer attention to possible violations.

The IRS launched an investigation of the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People
over a speech by Chairman Julian Bond on the eve of the 2004 election.

"The race is on! The gloves are off! We are in a
fight for our lives!" Bond said in the speech,
before blasting Bush's policies. The IRS sent a
letter to the NAACP warning the civil rights
group that its tax exemption could be in
jeopardy. The NAACP has since been cleared.

A nonprofit doesn't have to explicitly express
support for a particular candidate or party to be
in violation, Steiner said. For instance, the IRS
launched a probe of the liberal All Saints Church
in Pasadena after an anti-war homily delivered by
rector George Regas just before the 2004 election.

Regas didn't tell the congregation whom to vote
for but did skewer Bush over Iraq, saying the war had "led to disaster."

Kay Guinane, director of nonprofit speech rights
at OMB Watch and co-author of a report on the IRS
crackdown, said the tax agency appears to have
focused mainly on liberal groups. She said
pronouncements like those of Move America Forward
push the envelope and could warrant scrutiny.

"The bottom line is: The public should not
indirectly be subsidizing partisan activity,"
said Guinane, author of a recent study on the IRS
crackdown. "That doesn't mean (nonprofits) have
to be neutral about issues. But we want to
protect the integrity of the charitable sector."

Steiner, the IRS spokesman, said he couldn't
discuss a particular nonprofit. Russo said his
group's exempt status has never been in question.

Russo said Move America Forward isn't partisan.
He pointed out that the group has lauded
Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman and ripped Republican Sen. George Voinovich.

And Morgan, Move America Forward's chairwoman,
offered some criticism of the Bush
administration, saying it is running "one of the
most inept communications departments I've seen."

"That's one of the reasons we started Move
America Forward," Morgan said. "This
administration is unable to articulate clearly
why we went to Iraq, why we are there and why we're winning the war."

Move America Forward, with two full-time paid
employees, occupies a 14th-floor office on L
Street, overlooking the state Capitol. Ronald
Reagan portraits adorn the walls. Boxes of
"Support the Troops" T-shirts are scattered about.

Move America Forward shares the office with
Russo's PR firm, Russo, Marsh & Rogers.

One of Russo's private clients is the government
of Kurdistan, a semiautonomous region in northern
Iraq. His firm is running a campaign encouraging investment there.

The Center for Media and Democracy, a liberal
nonprofit monitoring the public relations
industry, has questioned whether the contract
poses a conflict for Russo, given Move America Forward's promotion of the war.

"There are all sorts of conspiracy theorists out
there," said Russo, who sees a political
motivation behind the accusations against Move
America Forward. "We are very careful, prudent and keep things separate."

Despite a stated aversion to partisan politics,
several Move America Forward leaders aspire to elective office.

The list includes Kaloogian, who left the
organization before his unsuccessful run this
summer to replace San Diego Congressman Randy
"Duke" Cunningham, a Republican convicted of
taking bribes from defense contractors. Kaloogian
got airtime in Move America Forward commercials
before officially launching his campaign.

Robert Dixon, Move America Forward's acting
director, said he plans to run for the Sacramento
City Council. John Ubaldi, an Iraq war veteran
who has served as the group's communications
director, said he is considering a run for national office.

Analysts said it's difficult to gauge the
influence of groups like Move America Forward.
Similar to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth
campaign of 2004, the groups often rely on the
Internet to attract wider attention.

Brooks Jackson, director of Political Fact Check,
a University of Pennsylvania-affiliated watchdog
that monitors advocacy groups, said ads like
those of Move America Forward tend to be
controversial because "somehow middle of the
road, rational conversation doesn't seem to
attract people to jump up and open their checkbooks."

Groups like this, liberal and conservative alike,
Jackson added, have "helped coarsen the political debate."

Russo said 30-second spots leave little time for nuance.

"We're not mealy-mouthed," said Russo, whose
group is planning a commemorative rally on the
state Capitol steps Monday to mark the Sept. 11
attacks. "We're not going to be."

MOVE AMERICA FORWARD

Founded in 2004, the Sacramento-based nonprofit
Move America Forward spreads its messages via
television and radio ads and public rallies. The
campaigns are often a response to criticism of
President Bush and the war in Iraq. Some examples:

• Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" hit theaters
before the 2004 presidential election.

Move America Forward showcased in Sacramento
"Celsius41.11," a film portraying Democratic
candidate John Kerry as the wrong man for the
job. The movie was produced by an affiliate of
the advocacy group Citizens United for the Bush Agenda.

• Democrats and some Republicans criticize John
Bolton, Bush's then-nominee for ambassador to the United Nations.

Move America Forward produced television ads
lauding Bolton's qualifications, dismissing
critics as the "blame America first crowd."

• Inspectors and the U.S. military fail to find
weapons of mass destruction in Iraq:

Move America Forward aired television ads saying
Iraq actually did have such weapons but the
information was being withheld by the news media
"to selfishly advance their shameless political ambitions."

FUNDING

Move America Forward has raised about $1.2
million in tax-deductible donations. A breakdown
of Move America Forward's largest expenditures:

• $693,456 on television and radio ads and movie screenings.

• $123,491 to send talk radio hosts to report
from Iraq and orchestrate counterprotests against
anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan in Crawford, Texas, and elsewhere.

• $113,434 to send coffee, cookies and beef jerky
to soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

• $20,744 for rallies commemorating 9/11,
supporting tighter border controls and other issues.

Source: Internal Revenue Service Form 990

================================================================

The Murder of Col Sabow & The Coverup

2007-11-29T20:30:00.000-08:00

United States Marine Colonel James E. Sabow was murdered sometime between 0835 and 0900 on January 22, 1991. The murder occurred in the backyard of his home on the El Toro MCAS during the height of Desert Storm. Security on the base was much tighter than usual, yet, somehow the assailant or assailants managed to carry out the homicide. The Department of Defense (DoD), despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, has maintained that Colonel Sabow committed suicide.

Colonel Sabow flew more than 200 missions in Vietnam. He had a reputation of being a no-nonsense, by the book officer. One would think if there was the slightest possibility he was murdered that the DoD would take every means possible to find the truth. It has been doing quite the opposite for more than sixteen years.

In 2003 Congressman Duncan Hunter then Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, was apprised of the suspicious nature of Colonel Sabow’s death by congressional consultant Dr. Anthony Battista, also a close friend of the Congressman. The Congressman amended the Defense Authorization Bill for 2004 to include instruction to the DoD for a reinvestigation of the Sabow death.

A meeting occurred on the matter March 12, 2004 at Hunter’s office in the Rayburn Building in Washington. This meeting was attended by Congressman Hunter, Vicki Middleton (Hunter’s office manager), Charles Abell (Chief Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defense), three assistants to Mr. Abell, Dr. J. David Sabow (brother of the Colonel) and several of Dr. Sabow’s associates. It was decided:

1) The analysis of the evidence, both physical and photographic would be performed by forensic scientists at Iowa State University. These scientists would be retained by the Department of Defense. Mr. Abell assured both Congressman Hunter and Dr. Sabow that this would be done within days of the meeting. 2) Mr. Hunter would expect clear proof of the nature of the Colonel’s death, homicide or suicide. 3) All consultants that Dr. Sabow had retained during the years since the Colonel’s death would participate in the new investigation. 4) Dr. Sabow, a forensic neurologist, would be an active participant in the investigation.

For reasons that are not clear the scientists at Iowa State University backed out after originally agreeing to take the case. The DoD then selected Dr. Jon Nordby of Seattle, Washington to do the analysis without permission from either Congressman Hunter or Dr. Sabow. Dr. Nordby, whose Ph.D. is in Philosophy (he has had no formal scientific training), produced a massive (80+ pages) report (http://meixatech.com/SABOWREPORT-NORDBY.pdf) in December of 2004. The document was made up almost entirely of pseudo-scientific gibberish. It is apparent that Dr. Nordby also ignored items 3 and 4 of the agreement in that he did not consult with other experts in a meaningful way (if at all) nor did he utilize Dr. Sabow’s expertise. In fact, he devoted a portion of his report severely criticizing Dr. Sabow. The Nordby report could never pass formal scientific peer review nor has there been any effort made to subject it to peer review.

I was retained on this case by Dr. Sabow to analyze the gunshot residue evidence. I submitted a report (http:/meixatech.com/ SABOWREPORT-BURNETT.pdf) to Congressman Duncan Hunter in early March, 2005. My findings based on the gunshot residue and other evidence indicated that Colonel Sabow’s death was by homicide.

My report introduced enough uncertainty (if that was possible) into the Nordby report that it caused a reissue of the contract to Dr. Nordby by the DoD. I strongly disagreed with that decision. Dr. Nordby had his say and forensic scientists new to the case were needed. However, in that reissued contract, Dr. Nordby was to allow myself and another forensic scientist to view his analysis of the physical evidence in Seattle. A phone call to me from Dr. Nordby in November, 2005 indicated that he would not be open to such on-site peer review. He stated, in apparent violation of the new contract, which was never released, that our conversation would be the extent of my services. It was at this point that I realized it was now imperative that new forensic scientists be found to provide unbiased input, not only for the review of the reports from myself and Dr. Nordby, but also do their own observations and tests.

With the help of James Abourezk (past US Senator from South Dakota) we were able to retain the services of the South Dakota Department of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Pierre, South Dakota. Mike Braley, Chief Criminal Investigator, assigned four investigators to the case. These investigators verbally concluded during their investigation that Colonel Sabow died by homicide. In fact, I was told by Dr. Sabow that there would be presentations by these investigators of their work at a forensic conference. A week later, I received a call from Dr. Sabow to report that Mike Braley stated to him that “there just was not enough evidence available to make a determination in the manner of death” and their investigation was to be terminated except for the release of the report on gunshot residue.

This action of DCI‘s Mike Braley indicated that outside interference had come into play. It became obvious to me that Dr. Sabow and I have an adversary with power, resolve and enormous resources.

There is no doubt that Colonel Sabow was murdered. Our interaction with Hunter’s office manager, Vicki Middleton, indicated that the Congressman also believed this to be the case. Indeed, Congressman Hunter sent a letter to Attorney General Gonzales on April 19, 2007 (http://meixatech.com/ SABOWREPORT-BURNETT.pdf meixatech.com/HuntertoGonzales2007.pdf) which requested that the Department of Justice (DoJ) start an investigation. A support letter for the homicidal death of Colonel Sabow was included from attorney Michael Jacobs, recently retired from the Homicide Trials Division, Orange County District Attorney’s Office (http://meixatech.com/JacobstoHunter2006.pdf). Mr. Hunter received an answer from the DoJ (http://meixatech.com/DoJtoHunter2007B.pdf) which stated that the death of Colonel Sabow “appears to be a state matter and not within the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice.” The murder occurred on a military base likely by an assailant or assailants from within the military and this is a state matter? (Brad Gates, Orange County Sheriff/Coroner during the 1990s and his successor, Mike Corona, both stated that they had no jurisdiction in the case and it was a federal matter.) To add insult to this outrageous letter, it was not even signed by Attorney General Gonzales.

Congressman Hunter started his involvement in this case as a proponent for implementing a proper, unbiased investigation of the Sabow death. He ended his involvement by apparently avoiding all communication concerning the murder. The past Chairman and ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee is defied not only by the DoD, but also the DoJ. What is mystifying and quite disturbing is Congressman Duncan Hunter’s abrupt departure from the case and his allowing the DoD and the DoJ to get away with clear defiance of his wishes and instruction.

More than sixteen years have passed since the murder of Colonel Sabow. It appears likely the homicide was perpetrated by one or more other military persons. Evidence obtained by Dr. Sabow indicates treason by persons other than Colonel Sabow occurred prior to his death. The Colonel’s expressed intention to report these acts was the motive for his murder. The Department of Defense has made every effort to hide, obfuscate and otherwise circumvent this case from legitimate, unbiased scientific review. Who or what the Department of Defense is hiding must be extraordinary in its potential impact.

Additional information concerning the murder of Colonel James Sabow can be found at http://meixatech.com/SabowReports.html and a search of the internet with the key words, “Colonel Sabow.”

Crime scene photograph of Colonel Sabow in his backyard. The shotgun is in front of him with its stock under his legs. The lack of blood on the Colonel’s clothing, his bathrobe straightened out (the body was staged) and the improbable position of the body for being a suicide all support a homicide conclusion - there is absolutely no evidence for suicide.