Greg Palast is a New York Times-bestselling author and a journalist for the British Broadcasting Corporation as well as the British newspaper The Observer.

Palast lectured at Cambridge University and the University of São Paula. He lives in London and New York City. Palast is originally from Los Angeles, and was educated at the University of Chicago, where he studied with the "Chicago Boys", and eventually earned an MBA.

*The above two paragraphs were taken from Wikipedia. Click on Greg Palast's name above to go to that page*

The below quote by Greg Palast is taken from a transcript produced from the teletext subtitles that are generated live for Newsnight (I believe Newsnight is a BBC television show). Click the link that follows to go to the source I used for this quote. If you read the entire transcript you may better understand what was being discussed and it's context. This is the link: BBC Newsnight transcript for 6/11/01



Salem Bin Laden was a Saudi Arabian investor and was a a half-brother and cousin of Osama bin Laden. Click on his name to take you to the wikipedia page that also says he was, through James R. Bath, an investor in Arbusto Energy, a small 1970s oil company run by Bath's close friend, George W. Bush.

Apparently, James R. Bath is Salem Bin Laden's chief US representive referred to in the quote above. Arbusto Energy must be the oil company Palast is talking about.

I'm sure there is more I could find (and will look for), but if the information above is accurate and true, isn't it already enough to make you start scratching your head about the amazing coincidence Bush has connections to Osoma Bin Laden who just so happens to be the man pinpointed for what took place on 9/11, yet amazingly enough we can't find him and it seems he has become an afterthough to both President Bush and the media?

Salem bin Laden died just outside my hometown back in the '80s. He was friends with people in the aviation industry including Dee Howard. Back in the early 2000s the Chinese had a plane here in town that was being remodeled by Dee Howard. Later the plane came up bugged and they were investigating who could have done it. The Chinese accused American intelligence agencies. It turned out it was the Chinese military themselves attempting to gain information on diplomats. The whole time it was in town the Chinese had their own military guarding it around the clock so it makes sense. Not really related to the OP but it does offer insight into the circles Salem bin Laden ran with. They have international ties that is for sure.

It does offer some interesting insight. Thanks for posting that.

Do you live in/near San Antonio, TX? In the wikipedia page it says Salem Bin Laden died suspiciously "in an ultralight aircraft accident outside San Antonio, Texas"

The fact it happened in TX is interesting in itself since we already know of the location in relation to the Bush family as it is.

So no one has any thoughts on the business connections between the Bush and Bin Laden families?

Makes me wonder if people care what's going on in the world, let alone their own country.

I am aware that the Bin Laden family had $50,000 invested in GW Bush's Arbusto Oil company… and although interesting I’m really not sure what it indicates I suppose it further highlights that the Bin Laden’s were a renowned and wealthy Saudi family rather than terrorists living in caves. It could indicate that the Bin Laden’s were in favour with Bush or vice versa. It could be another one of those all too frequent ‘coincidences’ in regard to 9/11.

What do you think this indicates the story is behind Bush and the Bin Ladens, Left Field?

Honestly, I'd have to look into it more. That's part of the reason I started this thread. I was hoping others could tell me more about it. I wasn't even sure it was true at first, but apparently it is.

I just think it's absolutely crazy that the President of the United States would be involved on some level with family members of a man that ends up being named as the mastermind behind what took place on 9/11. Stuff like that infuriates me. It this were a "normal" criminal case, you can bet a connection like that would damn well be looked into.

I apparently need to do research on what exactly the Carlyle Group is as well.

Too many bizarre coincidences seem to exist between Bush, Bin Laden, and other things that took place in regards to 9/11.

The most devastating attack on US soil and nobody wants to take the time to properly look into things and present it openly to the American people about what went on that day.

Even if what the US government says was all true, they still simplify it way too much.

OJ Simpson gets round the clock coverage with experts trying to figure out what went on when he killed his ex-wife and her friend. Every little detail gets looked over repeatedly. Something like 9/11 happens and within 24 hours we get a bunch of slop thrown on the TV and act as if it was all investigated and figured out in a manner of days. I think it deserved a lot more research then that and explanition than what we were given.

American oil people connected with Saudi oil people...not to be sarcastic but...gee, what kind of business connection could there possibly be??
And the bin Laden's disinherited their wayward son (on of very, very many!) well prior to 9/11.
A family that big will have an ugly duckling or two. And Osama wasn't in the oil business.

Yeah, the Bushes knew the family. So?

So...a member of that very family killed 3,000 Americans.

Pretty shady if you ask me. Not to mention OBL has apparently become an afterthought in all of this.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't like knowing our President has had business dealings with the enemy.

Yeah, I need to do more research on the Carlyle Group too. I knew they were a an investment firm with a lot of defense contracts. I knew they are affiliated with a disproportionate number of current and former politicians, eg GW Bush, GHW Bush. Obviously investors will be making a nice earning off the current Afghanistan and Iraq wars. What I didn't know until I did a quick search, amongst many other issues I’m sure, is that Shafig bin Laden, a half-brother to Osama bin Laden, was at the Carlyle Group's Washington conference at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on 9/11. Another bizarre coincidence.

It is just you, because Osama was the black sheep of the bin Laden family. Our President did not have "business dealings with the enemy", but yes, he did have dealings with the rest of the family, who *GASP* were not involved in 9/11. And yes, they did leave the country, but not until the ban on air traffic was lifted. Link If you were of Arab descent and-- right after 9/11, when innocent Arab-Americans were being lynched, beaten, and killed-- wouldn't you want to get somewhere safe?

Yes, they had investments in the Carlyle Group. So what? The Carlyle Group-- a well-connected Washington merchant bank specializing in buyouts of defense and aerospace companies. So they were smart investors... does that make Warren Buffet a terrorist?

More links:

Snopes Link

bin Laden family ties in Washington

bin Laden family Wiki article

So, where exactly does it show that President George W. Bush had direct dealings with Osama bin Laden? Just curious...

I never said with Osama Bin Laden directly. I said business connections between the Bush and Bin Laden families. And yes, that connection is enough for me to wonder about why they have those connections. Especially since their business connections apparently are in regards to oil, and defense contracts.

Between those connections, the fact we can't find Osama Bin Laden, the fact that Bush had planned on invading Iraq well before 9/11, and the fact that the government knew terrorists had plans to target the WTC with hijacked planes, yet did nothing to stop it - yea, I'm a bit curious about the whole thing. And then there is the fact that PNAC states the need for a "New Pearl Harbor" type of event to take place in order to gain the support needed for a war to take place in Iraq.

So what happens? 9/11 takes place and next thing you know were chasing after Saddam Hussein becasue the government scared the hell out of all of us by having us believe another 9/11 can/will take place if we don't take him out of power. Meanwhile, they knew 9/11 was being planned, let it happen, and then disregard Osama Bin Laden as if he is nothing more than an afterthought.

Talk about failing your country. Not only did they let 9/11 hit us, but they then don't even bother to go after the person that made it happen. But hey, at least Bush was able to finish off what his daddy started, right?

All Saddam had to do then was cooperate with Hans Blix and all these Bush planning of invading Iraq would have been scraped, right?

Bush was going to invade Iraq during his Presidency regardless of anything Hussein did. Anything, that is, outside of Hussein basically leaving the country and handing over his position to someone else.

Nope, the other 30 nations that gave support would not have done so had Blix was able to do his job, AND congress would not have approved the military action.
Now think about that.

Think about what? Bush basically went into this war all on his own despite being told by others not to. The UN did not support him in what he decided to do.

And the only reason congress approved any military action is becuase of the lies we were told about the WMDs Hussein supposedly had - which by the way, he didn't have. Think about that.

Don't worry Left Field I got your back..

.. in a way, Aroces is just as disturbed and confused as us lusting for info.. which sadly divides us as well.

We do have common ground thou.. its evident..

I hear ya... what I don't get is when it became such a bad thing for people to ask questions about the world they live in.

Aroud here it seems everyone wants to label you a nut for not accepting everything you are told at it's face value. It's very disturbing. A bunch of people who want to act like bullies simply because some of us are willing to ask questions about what the hell is going on.

You didn't???


So... "connections" to Osama, through dealings with his other family members that had previously denounced him, then yeah... but you are insinuating that he had direct connections with Osama.


So, unless you are referring to the bin Laden family as a whole as the enemy...

I should have worded it differently, but yes, what I meant was connections with Osama through the Bin Laden family. I did not mean directly with Osama Bin Laden.



To a certain degree, I suppose I am. I don't believe you should be getting involved in business negotions that concern oil, and even more importantly defense contracts, with the family of a man who is a known terrorist. Particularly when you know you've been eyeing him for quite some time and know he has targeted the United States on at least one previous occasion. Furthermore, there is evidence that shows the FBI had been given information about terrorists groups and their plan to hijack planes and fly them into the WTC and other targets.