textfiles-politics/pythonCode/personTestingOutput/inslaw3.xml

<xml><p>Article 11142 of alt.activism:
Xref: bilver alt.activism:11142 alt.conspiracy:5175
Path: bil-ver!tous!peora!masscomp!usenet.coe.montana.edu!rpi!sci.ccny.cuny.edu!psinnt
p!psinntp!sgigate!odin!ratmandu.corp.sgi.com!dave
From: dave@ratmandu.corp.sgi.com (dave "who can do? ratmandu!" ratcliffe)
Newsgroups: alt.activism,alt.conspiracy
Subject: the INSLAW case: Murder in the <ent type='PERSON'><ent type='GPE'>Martinsburg</ent> <ent type='ORG'>Sheraton</ent></ent>?
Keywords: when justice is denied one citizen, everyone is in danger
<info type="Message-ID"> 1991Oct15.160108.29321@odin.corp.sgi.com</info>
Date: 15 Oct 91 16:01:08 GMT
Sender: news@odin.corp.sgi.com (Net News)
Organization: Silicon Graphics, Inc.
Lines: 195</p>

<p> <ent type='ORG'>The House</ent> Judiciary Committee has been investigating the scandal
since August 1989. After months of foot-dragging, Attorney General
<ent type='PERSON'>Richard Thornburgh</ent>, under subpoena by the committee, finally
released <ent type='ORG'>Inslaw</ent>-related files. However, according to a source in
the <ent type='ORG'>House</ent>, 15 to 20 files are missing.
"<ent type='ORG'>Washington Post</ent>" columnist Mary McGrory is one of the few
mainstream journalists to give the <ent type='ORG'>Inslaw</ent> case serious attention.
She wrote on August 18, "The man who could have resolved the <ent type='ORG'>Inslaw</ent>
case, <ent type='PERSON'>Dick Thornburgh</ent>, resigned as attorney general on the day the
<ent type='GPE'>West Virginia</ent> police came forward with their autopsy [on <ent type='PERSON'>Casolaro</ent>].
. . . What was merely sinister has now turned deadly. <ent type='PERSON'>Thornburgh</ent>
calls <ent type='ORG'>Inslaw</ent> 'a little contract dispute' and refused to testify
about it to the <ent type='ORG'>House</ent> Judiciary Committee. <ent type='PERSON'>Richardson</ent> thinks it
could be 'dirtier than <ent type='EVENT'>Watergate</ent>,' and, as a victim of the scandal,
he should know. Thornburgh's conduct is the most powerful reason
for believing that Danny <ent type='PERSON'>Casolaro</ent> really saw an octopus before he
died."</p>

<p>from "The <ent type='ORG'>First Stone</ent>" column of the Sept. 4-10 1991 issue of "In These
Times":
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Murder in the <ent type='PERSON'><ent type='GPE'>Martinsburg</ent> <ent type='ORG'>Sheraton</ent></ent>?
By Joel Bleifuss</p>

<p> For more than a year, Danny <ent type='PERSON'>Casolaro</ent>, a <ent type='GPE'>Washington</ent> D.C.-based
freelance investigator, had been sorting through a web of intrigue-
-the S&amp;L debacle, <ent type='ORG'>BCCI</ent>, <ent type='GPE'>Iran</ent>-Contra, the contra-connected <ent type='ORG'>Wackenhut</ent>
Corp., the <ent type='ORG'>Wackenhut</ent>-connected <ent type='ORG'>Inslaw</ent> case, and the <ent type='ORG'>Inslaw</ent>-connected
"October Surprise."
According to one of his close friends, who asked not to be named,
<ent type='PERSON'>Casolaro</ent> began receiving death threats eight or nine months ago.
"Brother, just make it quick," <ent type='PERSON'>Casolaro</ent> is reported to have told one
of these midnight callers. The last threat came on Monday, August
5, according to his brother, Anthony.
How quick death came we may never know. On Saturday, August 10,
<ent type='PERSON'>Casolaro</ent> was found dead in Room 517 of the <ent type='GPE'>Martinsburg</ent>, W. Va.,
<ent type='ORG'>Sheraton</ent>. His body was discovered with 12 incisions in his arms in
a bathtub of bloody water 17 hours after he had called his mother's
house at 6 p.m. Friday to say he was heading home but that he would
not make it to his niece's birthday party. On the following Monday
<ent type='GPE'>Martinsburg</ent> authorities notified the family of Casolaro's death, but
by then the body had been embalmed and the motel room had been
sanitized by a cleaning contractor. Officials are calling the
incident an "unattended death" while they continue their
investigation. Family and friends say that suicide is out of the
question. They maintain that <ent type='PERSON'>Casolaro</ent> was not a depressive type,
and that while he did have financial problems, he did not dwell on
them.
According to family and friends, before leaving for <ent type='GPE'>Martinsburg</ent>,
<ent type='PERSON'>Casolaro</ent> had been ecstatic. The pieces of the puzzle were finally
fitting together. He had told them he was going to <ent type='GPE'>West Virginia</ent> to
meet a source who was to help him nail down a last piece of evidence
in his investigation into the <ent type='ORG'>Inslaw</ent> software-theft case.
Those close to <ent type='PERSON'>Casolaro</ent> want many questions answered. Where is
his ever-present briefcase? It was not in motel room. Where is his
tape deck? It is missing. Where were his notes and the outline of
his proposed book, "Behold a Pale Horse," which he had shown to
friends days before his death? The documents were not to found in
the <ent type='ORG'>Sheraton</ent> motel room or in the four boxes of his papers that the
family turned over to <ent type='ORG'>ABC</ent> News. Why did authorities wait so long to
notify the family of his death? His driver's license said he lived
in <ent type='GPE'>Falls Church</ent>, Va., and all the <ent type='PERSON'>Casolaro</ent>s listed in the 703 area
code are his relatives. Why was his body embalmed before the family
was notified? <ent type='GPE'>West Virginia</ent> law requires family approval prior to
embalming. Who was the man who telephoned Casolaro's house on
Saturday evening? When a housekeeper picked up the phone, a voice
said, "You're dead, you bastard."</p>

<p> MOTIVE FOR MURDER? What was <ent type='PERSON'>Casolaro</ent> investigating that could have
put his life in such danger? David MacMichael is a former <ent type='ORG'>CIA</ent>
analyst who now directs the <ent type='GPE'>Washington</ent> office of the Association of
National Security Alumni, a watchdog group. MacMichael had talked
to <ent type='PERSON'>Casolaro</ent> on the phone on Thursday, the day he left for
<ent type='GPE'>Martinsburg</ent>. <ent type='PERSON'>Casolaro</ent> had made an appointment to meet with him.
Says MacMichael, "Providing the death was not a suicide, one can
examine three scenarios." First, <ent type='PERSON'>Casolaro</ent> was developing a theory
that a group of former intelligence officers were members of a for-profit cabal that <ent type='PERSON'>Casolaro</ent> called "The Octopus." According to his
theory, over the past 25 years The Octopus had its tentacles in a
number of international scandals. MacMichael doesn't think such a
far-fetched-sounding theory would get <ent type='PERSON'>Casolaro</ent> killed. "If you
published their names, pictures and documents, what kind of book
would you have?" asks MacMichael. It would be dismissed, according
to MacMichael, like "a <ent type='EVENT'>UFO</ent> crank book."
Second, <ent type='PERSON'>Casolaro</ent> was looking into the October Surprise, the
alleged deal between the 1980 Reagan presidential campaign and
<ent type='GPE'>Iran</ent>ians. That his death would be connected to this investigation
is "nonsense" says MacMichael, who explains that many journalists
are now investigating the 1980 deal, making it unlikely that
<ent type='PERSON'>Casolaro</ent> had information significant enough to endanger his life.
Which leads to the third scenario, that <ent type='PERSON'>Casolaro</ent> was on his way
to collect the final evidence needed to wrap up his investigation of
a scandal that, as MacMichael put it, involves "real crimes, real
people and real money"--the <ent type='ORG'>Inslaw</ent> case. (See "In These Times," May
29 ["Software Pirates" posted on-line previously].)</p>

<p> INSLAW MEETS THE LAW: For eight years, <ent type='ORG'>Inslaw</ent> Inc, has been
battling the Justice Department for possession of Promis, an
innovative case-management software program developed by company
owner <ent type='PERSON'>Bill Hamilton</ent>. In 1986 <ent type='ORG'>Inslaw</ent> filed suit against the
department in federal court, claiming the department had stolen the
program.
In September 1987, Judge <ent type='PERSON'>George Bason</ent>, the federal bankruptcy
judge from <ent type='GPE'>Washington</ent>, D.C., ruled, "<ent type='ORG'>The Department</ent> of Justice took,
converted, stole Inslaw's enhanced Promis by trickery, fraud and
deceit." He also charged, "The failure even to begin in investigate
[these charges] is outrageous and indefensible and constitutes an
institutional decision by <ent type='ORG'>the Department</ent> of Justice at the highest
level simply to ignore charges of impropriety."
The Justice Department appealed the ruling, and in November 1989,
Judge <ent type='PERSON'>William</ent> B. <ent type='PERSON'>Bryant</ent> of the U.S. District Court in <ent type='GPE'>Washington</ent>
affirmed the lower court's decision. He ruled, "The government
acted willfully and fraudulently to obtain property that it was not
entitled to under contract.
The Justice Department then appealed Bryant's ruling to the U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals in <ent type='GPE'>Washington</ent>, D.C. On May 7 that court
overturned the previous court decisions, saying the federal
bankruptcy court lacked jurisdiction to hear the case. However, the
Court of Appeals left the findings of fact undisturbed.
Earlier this year, the case took a new twist. <ent type='ORG'>Inslaw</ent> went public
with allegations that the Reagan Justice Department, after it had
stolen the Promis software, turned it over to <ent type='PERSON'>Earl Brian</ent>, a friend
of both former President Ronald Reagan and former Attorney General
<ent type='PERSON'>Edwin Meese</ent>. In 1974, <ent type='PERSON'>Brian</ent> left then-<ent type='GPE'>California</ent> Gov. Reagan's
cabinet.
<ent type='ORG'>Inslaw</ent> alleges that its software was given to <ent type='PERSON'>Brian</ent> as a payback
for Brian's help in arranging the arms-and-hostages deal between the
1980 Reagan-<ent type='PERSON'>Bush</ent> campaign and representatives of the Ayatollah
Ruhollah Khomeini (see "In These Times," July 24, 1987, Oct. 12,
1988, and April 27, 1991). According to <ent type='ORG'>Inslaw</ent> owner <ent type='PERSON'>Bill Hamilton</ent>,
<ent type='PERSON'>Brian</ent>, who runs <ent type='ORG'>United Press International</ent>, allegedly then marketed
Promis to the intelligence agencies of <ent type='GPE'>Israel</ent>, <ent type='GPE'>Jordan</ent>, <ent type='GPE'>Iraq</ent>, <ent type='GPE'>Canada</ent>,
<ent type='GPE'>South Korea</ent>, <ent type='GPE'>Libya</ent>, <ent type='GPE'>Great Britain</ent>, <ent type='GPE'>Germany</ent>, <ent type='GPE'>France</ent>, <ent type='GPE'>Australia</ent>,
<ent type='GPE'>Thailand</ent>, <ent type='GPE'>Japan</ent>, <ent type='GPE'>Chile</ent>, <ent type='GPE'>Guatemala</ent> and <ent type='GPE'>Brazil</ent>. According to Inslaw's
scenario, once the software was in use by foreign intelligence
services, the U.S. National Security Agency would then be able to
infiltrate the computerized intelligence files of these countries.
Modifications on the pirated software were allegedly carried out by
the <ent type='ORG'>Wackenhut</ent> Corp. of <ent type='ORG'>Coral Gables</ent>, <ent type='GPE'>Fla</ent>.</p>

<p> WHERE IS JUSTICE?: Inslaw's attorney, <ent type='PERSON'>Elliot Richardson</ent>, the <ent type='PERSON'>Nixon</ent>
attorney general who resigned rather than participate in the
<ent type='EVENT'>Watergate</ent> cover-up, has long asked for the appointment of a special
prosecutor to investigate the Justice Department's handling of the
case. But to no avail.
<ent type='ORG'>The House</ent> Judiciary Committee has been investigating the scandal
since August 1989. After months of foot-dragging, Attorney General
<ent type='PERSON'>Richard Thornburgh</ent>, under subpoena by the committee, finally
released <ent type='ORG'>Inslaw</ent>-related files. However, according to a source in
the <ent type='ORG'>House</ent>, 15 to 20 files are missing.
"<ent type='ORG'>Washington Post</ent>" columnist Mary McGrory is one of the few
mainstream journalists to give the <ent type='ORG'>Inslaw</ent> case serious attention.
She wrote on August 18, "The man who could have resolved the <ent type='ORG'>Inslaw</ent>
case, <ent type='PERSON'>Dick Thornburgh</ent>, resigned as attorney general on the day the
<ent type='GPE'>West Virginia</ent> police came forward with their autopsy [on <ent type='PERSON'>Casolaro</ent>].
Excess was the hallmark of the Thornburgh's farewell ceremony: an
honor guard, a trooping of the colors, superlatives form
subordinates. <ent type='PERSON'>William</ent> P. <ent type='PERSON'>Barr</ent>, his deputy and possible successor,
spoke of Thornburgh's 'leadership, integrity, professionalism and
fairness'--none of which <ent type='PERSON'>Thornburgh</ent> displayed in his handling of
<ent type='ORG'>Inslaw</ent>. What was merely sinister has now turned deadly. <ent type='PERSON'>Thornburgh</ent>
calls <ent type='ORG'>Inslaw</ent> 'a little contract dispute' and refused to testify
about it to the <ent type='ORG'>House</ent> Judiciary Committee. <ent type='PERSON'>Richardson</ent> thinks it
could be 'dirtier than <ent type='EVENT'>Watergate</ent>,' and, as a victim of the scandal,
he should know. Thornburgh's conduct is the most powerful reason
for believing that Danny <ent type='PERSON'>Casolaro</ent> really saw an octopus before he
died."
And in the wake of Casolaro's death, <ent type='PERSON'>Richardson</ent> has repeated his
call for a special prosecutor. He told the "<ent type='ORG'>Boston Globe</ent>"'s John
Aloysius Farrell, "It's hard to come up with any reason for his
death other than he was deliberately murdered because he was close
to uncovering sinister elements in what he called 'The Octopus.'
This simply strengthens the case for an in-depth, hard-hitting,
thorough investigation."
But will there be one? The <ent type='ORG'>FBI</ent> is treating the death lightly.
According to a spokesman in the <ent type='GPE'>Pittsburgh</ent> office, which has
jurisdiction over <ent type='GPE'>West Virginia</ent>, "There is no federal investigative
interest in the matter."
As for former Attorney General <ent type='PERSON'>Thornburgh</ent>, he is now running for
the Senate in <ent type='GPE'>Pennsylvania</ent>. If Justice is served, perhaps he will
also run for cover.</p>

<p>--
daveus rattus</p>

<p> yer friendly neighborhood ratman</p>

<p> KOYAANISQATSI</p>

<p> ko.yan.nis.qatsi (from <ent type='EVENT'>the Hopi Language</ent>) n. 1. crazy life. 2. life
in turmoil. 3. life out of balance. 4. life disintegrating.
5. a state of life that calls for another way of living.

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