I've had enough.
W. Mark Felt was Deep Throat. It was interesting very briefly. Now, it's old.
By watching TV today, you'd think learning the identity of this leaker was the most significant news event in recent times.
In spite of what the family says, violating the law is not heroic. Felt doesn't deserve accolades, nor does he deserve any more media attention.
The mystery is over. Spending a day on this is plenty. I would have preferred that the media spent the time detailing all the good our military has accomplished for people in the Middle East.
Felt illegally leaked information to the press over thirty years ago. That has no bearing on anything happening now.
It's a bit of trivia and not much more.
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Douglas Wood Needs Hospitalization
From the Daily Telegraph:
Ailing Wood needs urgent medical help says sheik
THE sheik attempting to free Douglas Wood says the Australian hostage is sick and needs urgent hospitalisation.
Sheik Taj el-Dene Elhilaly was last night on his way back to Baghdad from Egypt, where he has been staying with family for the past week.
In an interview with SBS radio reporter Majida Abboud-Saab, the Mufti said he was confident he would leave Iraq within "a couple of days" – with Mr Wood.
He said he was in the final stage of a critical and sensitive mission.
When asked if he had received evidence Mr Wood was still alive, the Sheik responded by saying he was also in poor health and wouldn't be returning for nothing.
It is understood the Australian Government had also been informed the Sheik was on his way back to Iraq and was hopeful of a release soon.
French negotiators who have been working closely with a high level Australian hostage team also believe Mr Wood would soon be released.
______________________________
This is not the first time it was reported that Douglas Wood's release was imminent.
Hopefully, this instance is different. Hopefully, soon Mr. Wood will receive the medical care he needs.
Once again, I'm reminded of the outrage on the left and in the leftist media over treatment of prisoners at U.S. facilities.
Amnesty International isn't issuing reports, demanding that Mr. Wood, a civilian, be given access to medical care. He's certainly not being treated humanely. His human rights are being violated on a number of different levels. Nevertheless, I'm not aware of the International Red Cross insisting that they be given access to interview him.
Why don't they call for the shut down of the gulag where Mr. Wood is being held hostage?
Ailing Wood needs urgent medical help says sheik
THE sheik attempting to free Douglas Wood says the Australian hostage is sick and needs urgent hospitalisation.
Sheik Taj el-Dene Elhilaly was last night on his way back to Baghdad from Egypt, where he has been staying with family for the past week.
In an interview with SBS radio reporter Majida Abboud-Saab, the Mufti said he was confident he would leave Iraq within "a couple of days" – with Mr Wood.
He said he was in the final stage of a critical and sensitive mission.
When asked if he had received evidence Mr Wood was still alive, the Sheik responded by saying he was also in poor health and wouldn't be returning for nothing.
It is understood the Australian Government had also been informed the Sheik was on his way back to Iraq and was hopeful of a release soon.
French negotiators who have been working closely with a high level Australian hostage team also believe Mr Wood would soon be released.
______________________________
This is not the first time it was reported that Douglas Wood's release was imminent.
Hopefully, this instance is different. Hopefully, soon Mr. Wood will receive the medical care he needs.
Once again, I'm reminded of the outrage on the left and in the leftist media over treatment of prisoners at U.S. facilities.
Amnesty International isn't issuing reports, demanding that Mr. Wood, a civilian, be given access to medical care. He's certainly not being treated humanely. His human rights are being violated on a number of different levels. Nevertheless, I'm not aware of the International Red Cross insisting that they be given access to interview him.
Why don't they call for the shut down of the gulag where Mr. Wood is being held hostage?
Joan Felt: Like Father, Like Daughter
From BCN:
News that two Washington Post reporters who broke the Watergate scandal have finally confirmed W. Mark Felt's status as the notorious "Deep Throat" source brought "a big grin" to the ex-FBI official's face, his daughter said today.
"I think it's a great moment in American history and in our family, especially for my dad," Joan Felt said outside the Santa Rosa home she shares with her 91-year-old father.
...Joan Felt said today that her father has always lived with honor and what he did is "very patriotic."
Felt is described as a man who keeps to himself, according to Robert Scoffern, a neighbor who lives four doors down from Felt. Felt has lived with his daughter on the Redford Place cul-de-sac for about the last 12 years, said Scoffern.
"We knew he retired from the FBI. We left him alone. Nobody was inquisitive. I don't think anyone got too close to him. He was a private man," Scoffern said today in a telephone interview.
Nick Jones, Felt's grandson, read a statement to the crowd assembled outside the Redford Place family home earlier today. The family considers Felt a hero, according to the statement.
More, from AP:
"The family believes that my grandfather, Mark Felt Sr., is a great American hero who went well above and beyond the call of duty at much risk to himself to save his country from a horrible injustice," a family statement read by grandson Nick Jones said. "We all sincerely hope the country will see him this way as well."
...Felt had expressed reservations in the past about revealing his identity, and about whether his actions were appropriate for an FBI man, his grandson said.
According to the article, Felt once told his son, Mark Jr., that he did not believe being Deep Throat "was anything to be proud of. ... You (should) not leak information to anyone."
His family members thought otherwise, and persuaded him to talk about his role in the Watergate scandal, saying he deserves to receive accolades before his death. His daughter, Joan, argued that he could "make enough money to pay some bills, like the debt I've run up for the children's education."
"As he recently told my mother, 'I guess people used to think Deep Throat was a criminal, but now they think he's a hero'," Jones said.
And for all the liberals who tremble at the mention of the Patriot Act:
Felt was convicted in the 1970s for authorizing illegal break-ins at homes of people associated with the radical Weather Underground. He was pardoned by President Reagan in 1981.
Is Felt a hero?
He actually did what the liberals claim could happen under the Patriot Act. He sent FBI agents to illegally break into homes. The man was convicted.
Daughter Joan believes she can "make enough money to pay some bills, like the debt I've run up for the children's education."
No wonder she had that HUGE smile on her face.
Although his daughter and other family members seem to think Felt is a hero, as well as the MSM, I don't.He's a footnote in American history, and not an entirely noble one.
Leak Brings Down Woodward and Bernstein
Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein refuse to confirm or deny W. Mark Felt as Deep Throat.
From Editor and Publisher:
On Bernstein--
Contacted by E&P, former Washington Post reporter Carl Bernstein, who with Bob Woodward relied on the man dubbed 'Deep Throat' for crucial advice in their Watergate sleuthing, would neither confirm of deny Felt was the source, and said that the Woodward-Bernstein team would not change its stance.
"I think people are jumping up and down about this, but we have nothing to say other than what we have said which is when the individual dies, we will disclose his identity," he said. "Other sources have released us from pledges, but nothing has happened that could change that in these circumstances."
..."There have been numerous books and articles and speculation in journalism classes devoted to Deep Throat," Bernstein told E&P, when contacted at his Manhattan office. "When the individual dies, we will disclose his identity. We have always said the same thing. We do not go into any detail about it, not to play games, but to protect the source."
Asked if he was aware of the Vanity Fair article prior to its publication or had spoken with Felt, Bernstein declined comment. He also declined comment when asked directly if Felt was Deep Throat. "I'm not going to go beyond this," he said. "I've said what I am going to say."
When asked if this report was different than most past reports on Deep Throat's identity because it involved alleged commments by the famed anonymous source, Bernstein said, "That is not exactly true," but declined to elaborate further.
On Woodward--
In the Vanity Fair article exposing former FBI official W. Mark Felt as legendary Watergate source 'Deep Throat" (see article elsewhere on this site), writer John D. O'Connor details how he tried to get Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward to join in.
Felt, 91, purportedly said he wanted Woodward, who with Carl Bernstein relied on Deep Throat in their reporting, to cooperate.
O'Connor and Felt's daughter Joan tried to get Woodward to go along. The article pictures Woodward as neither confirming nor denying Felt was Deep Throat but acting in ways that certainly suggest that this is the truth. "Just because I'm talking to you, I'm not admitting that he is who you think he is," Woodward told O'Connor.
But Woodward was concerned about Felt's mental state, in talks and a visit with him, and ultimately, he did not go along with a joint exposure plan.
_______________________________
If Felt is indeed Deep Throat, he is getting the last laugh.
Woodward and Berstein gained cult status as the reporters who helped bring down the Nixon presidency, thanks to their source, the mysterious Deep Throat.
Keeping this mystery alive was most likely part of Woodward and Berstein's retirement nest egg. They expected to cash in big when Deep Throat died. Therefore, it makes sense that they are choosing not to verify or dispel Felt's claim.
Isn't it ironic that the man responsible for leaking information to Woodward and Bernstein to destroy Nixon, would leak information that would destroy the secrecy of the reporters' exclusive?
I guess one could conclude that once a leaker, always a leaker.
From Editor and Publisher:
On Bernstein--
Contacted by E&P, former Washington Post reporter Carl Bernstein, who with Bob Woodward relied on the man dubbed 'Deep Throat' for crucial advice in their Watergate sleuthing, would neither confirm of deny Felt was the source, and said that the Woodward-Bernstein team would not change its stance.
"I think people are jumping up and down about this, but we have nothing to say other than what we have said which is when the individual dies, we will disclose his identity," he said. "Other sources have released us from pledges, but nothing has happened that could change that in these circumstances."
..."There have been numerous books and articles and speculation in journalism classes devoted to Deep Throat," Bernstein told E&P, when contacted at his Manhattan office. "When the individual dies, we will disclose his identity. We have always said the same thing. We do not go into any detail about it, not to play games, but to protect the source."
Asked if he was aware of the Vanity Fair article prior to its publication or had spoken with Felt, Bernstein declined comment. He also declined comment when asked directly if Felt was Deep Throat. "I'm not going to go beyond this," he said. "I've said what I am going to say."
When asked if this report was different than most past reports on Deep Throat's identity because it involved alleged commments by the famed anonymous source, Bernstein said, "That is not exactly true," but declined to elaborate further.
On Woodward--
In the Vanity Fair article exposing former FBI official W. Mark Felt as legendary Watergate source 'Deep Throat" (see article elsewhere on this site), writer John D. O'Connor details how he tried to get Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward to join in.
Felt, 91, purportedly said he wanted Woodward, who with Carl Bernstein relied on Deep Throat in their reporting, to cooperate.
O'Connor and Felt's daughter Joan tried to get Woodward to go along. The article pictures Woodward as neither confirming nor denying Felt was Deep Throat but acting in ways that certainly suggest that this is the truth. "Just because I'm talking to you, I'm not admitting that he is who you think he is," Woodward told O'Connor.
But Woodward was concerned about Felt's mental state, in talks and a visit with him, and ultimately, he did not go along with a joint exposure plan.
_______________________________
If Felt is indeed Deep Throat, he is getting the last laugh.
Woodward and Berstein gained cult status as the reporters who helped bring down the Nixon presidency, thanks to their source, the mysterious Deep Throat.
Keeping this mystery alive was most likely part of Woodward and Berstein's retirement nest egg. They expected to cash in big when Deep Throat died. Therefore, it makes sense that they are choosing not to verify or dispel Felt's claim.
Isn't it ironic that the man responsible for leaking information to Woodward and Bernstein to destroy Nixon, would leak information that would destroy the secrecy of the reporters' exclusive?
I guess one could conclude that once a leaker, always a leaker.
DEEP THROAT
W. Mark Felt
According to Vanity Fair, 91-year-old W. Mark Felt is Deep throat the informant that fed information to Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.
He was the number two man at the FBI during the Watergate investigation.
It had been said that Deep Throat's identity would be revealed after the individual's death.
Apparently, Mr. Felt has given the green light to make it known that he was the informer.
Even at 91, it's never too late for 15 minutes of fame.
From ABC:
May 31, 2005 -- After more than 30 years of silence, the most famous anonymous source in American history, Deep Throat, has identified himself to a reporter at Vanity Fair.
W. Mark Felt, 91, an assistant director at the FBI in the 1970s, has told reporter John D. O'Connor that he is "the man known as Deep Throat."
O'Connor told ABC News in an interview today that Felt had for years thought he was a dishonorable man for talking to Bob Woodward, a reporter for The Washington Post during Watergate. Woodward's articles, writted with Carl Bernstein, led to the resignation of President Nixon.
"Mark wants the public respect, and wants to be known as a good man," O'Connor said. "He's very proud of the bureau, he's very proud of the FBI. He now knows he is a hero."
From MSNBC:
Ex-FBI official says he's 'Deep Throat'
Magazine quotes him as saying he was 'doing his duty'
W. Mark Felt, who retired from the FBI after rising to its second most senior position, has identified himself as the "Deep Throat" source quoted by The Washington Post to break the Watergate scandal that led to President Nixon's resignation, Vanity Fair magazine said Tuesday.
"I'm the guy they used to call Deep Throat," he told John D. O'Connor, the author of Vanity Fair's exclusive that appears in its July issue.
Felt, now 91 and living in Santa Rosa, Calif. reportedly gave O'Connor permission to disclose his identity.
"The Felt family cooperated fully, providing old photographs for the story and agreeing to sit for portraits," Vanity Fair stated in a press release.
Felt said he was "only doing his duty" and did not seek to bring down Nixon over the cover-up of a break-in at Democratic Party offices in the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C.
Carl Bernstein, who with Bob Woodward broke the story as Washington Post reporters, issued a statement neither denying nor confirming Felt's claim. Bernstein stated he and Woodward would be keeping their pledge to reveal the source only once that person dies.
NBC News commentator Chris Matthews, who wrote a book about Watergate, said he wasn't surprised, adding that Felt "has always been the leading suspect."
_______________________________
After ABC concluded it's coverage of President Bush's press conference, they stayed on the air to report W. Mark Felt's claim that he is Deep Throat.
Terry Moran bemoaned that today this is a "much different White House." He said this administration is disciplined and they won't talk.
Charles Gibson chimed in to agree that this White House is so secretive. No one is willing to meet reporters in underground parking lots.
I just about choked hearing the two men yearn for a highly-placed official from the Bush adminstration to leak information the way Felt claims he did.
Nixon White House = Good
Bush White House = Bad
Someone was willing to cooperate with the press to undermine Nixon. Moran and Gibson criticize the current administration because no one will do the same to Bush.
Did they consider the possibility that there is nothing untoward to leak?
No doubt, Woodward and Bernstein were banking on huge book sales when the time would come for them to release the identity of Deep Throat. I wouldn't be surprised if the book had already been written.
It looks like W. Mark Felt stole their thunder as well as profits.
More from ABC:
The identity of Deep Throat, the source for details about Nixon's Watergate cover-up, has been called the best-kept secret in the history of Washington D.C., or at least in the history of politics and journalism. Only four people were said to know the source's identity: Woodward; Bernstein; Ben Bradlee, the former executive editor of the Post; and, of course, Deep Throat himself.
Both Bradlee and Bernstein have refused to confirm to ABC News that Felt is Deep Throat.
Woodward would also neither confirm nor deny the report.
"There's a principle involved here," he told ABC News. He and Bernstein promised not to reveal Deep Throat's identity until the source dies.
Despite years of feelings of negativity and ambivalence, O'Connor said, Felt's family has helped him realize that "he is a hero" and "that it is good what he did."
In his 1979 book, "The FBI Pyramid: From the Inside," Felt flat-out denied that he was the famous source.
"I would have done better," Felt told The Hartford Courant in 1999. "I would have been more effective. Deep Throat didn't exactly bring the White House crashing down, did he?"
...The source was dubbed "Deep Throat" by Post managing editor Howard Simons after the notorious porn film.
_______________________________
The MSM is having a lot of fun with elevating Felt to hero status.
I'd be willing to bet that Dan Rather is in tears right now, crushed that he's not behind the anchor desk, rehashing the Watergate years.
President Bush Meets the Press
During his Rose Garden press conference, I kept thinking it's unfortunate that meetings like this are not seen by many Americans. President Bush is very capable of clearly communicating his message. He's understandable and direct.
He was very direct in his condemnation of Amnesty International's report that referred to the facility at Guantanamo Bay as the "gulag of our time."
The President said, "It's absurd. It's an absurd allegation. The United States is a country that promotes freedom around the world."
The allegations of abuse are made by "people who hate America," according to the President.
No kidding. I do not understand why Amnesty International buys the stories of former detainees. Why would they trust their accounts as credible?
The organization's agenda is obvious.
He was very direct in his condemnation of Amnesty International's report that referred to the facility at Guantanamo Bay as the "gulag of our time."
The President said, "It's absurd. It's an absurd allegation. The United States is a country that promotes freedom around the world."
The allegations of abuse are made by "people who hate America," according to the President.
No kidding. I do not understand why Amnesty International buys the stories of former detainees. Why would they trust their accounts as credible?
The organization's agenda is obvious.
Monday, May 30, 2005
Hillary is a "Sticker"
Heeding the Past As She Looks To the Future
Centrist Strategy Shapes Hillary Clinton's Politics
By John F. Harris
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 31, 2005; A01
This article includes material adapted from a new history of the Clinton presidency, "The Survivor: Bill Clinton in the White House."
As she ran for Senate as a sitting first lady in 2000, Hillary Rodham Clinton was facing an obstacle that her advisers found a bit awkward to discuss in her presence.
Her husband's impeachment and the sexual affair that precipitated it were still recent memories. Now, that scandal was causing a headwind for the candidate as she found her own values questioned by a key segment of New York voters. This was the delicate subject on the table one evening at a White House strategy meeting, several participants recalled. The president gazed intently at poll data and then turned to his wife. "Women," he announced, "want to know why you stayed with me."
There was an awkward pause among the group of political operatives. But Hillary Clinton did not seem embarrassed. Instead, a half-smile crossed her face. "Yes," she responded, "I've been wondering that myself."
Jabbing the air for emphasis, Bill Clinton gave his answer: "Because you're a sticker! That's what people need to know -- you're a sticker. You stick at the things you care about."
_____________________________
A half-smile crossed Hillary's face when discussing how to deal with Bill's daliances? That's just creepy. You'd think there'd be some sign of hurt or embarrassment.
What was it like to talk about something so personal as marital infidelity with a bunch of political operatives?
I can't imagine being able to hash over my husband's unfaithfulness in such a detached manner, as if it were just a political obstacle on the road to the Senate and not the ultimate personal betrayal.
Bill's suggestion that his cheating could be framed as a positive for Hillary, because it would show her to be a "sticker," is typical Clinton. Rather than hanging his head in shame, he seems to be saying that his adulterous behavior was actually a plus for her campaign. In an odd way, he did her a favor.
The scariest part is Hillary probably agreed that she could twist his disgrace to work for her. Being Bill's "sticker" could have its advantages.
Creepy.
Centrist Strategy Shapes Hillary Clinton's Politics
By John F. Harris
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 31, 2005; A01
This article includes material adapted from a new history of the Clinton presidency, "The Survivor: Bill Clinton in the White House."
As she ran for Senate as a sitting first lady in 2000, Hillary Rodham Clinton was facing an obstacle that her advisers found a bit awkward to discuss in her presence.
Her husband's impeachment and the sexual affair that precipitated it were still recent memories. Now, that scandal was causing a headwind for the candidate as she found her own values questioned by a key segment of New York voters. This was the delicate subject on the table one evening at a White House strategy meeting, several participants recalled. The president gazed intently at poll data and then turned to his wife. "Women," he announced, "want to know why you stayed with me."
There was an awkward pause among the group of political operatives. But Hillary Clinton did not seem embarrassed. Instead, a half-smile crossed her face. "Yes," she responded, "I've been wondering that myself."
Jabbing the air for emphasis, Bill Clinton gave his answer: "Because you're a sticker! That's what people need to know -- you're a sticker. You stick at the things you care about."
_____________________________
A half-smile crossed Hillary's face when discussing how to deal with Bill's daliances? That's just creepy. You'd think there'd be some sign of hurt or embarrassment.
What was it like to talk about something so personal as marital infidelity with a bunch of political operatives?
I can't imagine being able to hash over my husband's unfaithfulness in such a detached manner, as if it were just a political obstacle on the road to the Senate and not the ultimate personal betrayal.
Bill's suggestion that his cheating could be framed as a positive for Hillary, because it would show her to be a "sticker," is typical Clinton. Rather than hanging his head in shame, he seems to be saying that his adulterous behavior was actually a plus for her campaign. In an odd way, he did her a favor.
The scariest part is Hillary probably agreed that she could twist his disgrace to work for her. Being Bill's "sticker" could have its advantages.
Creepy.
Laura '08!
Larry King's interview with Vice President Dick Cheney and Mrs. Lynne Cheney aired tonight on CNN.
An interesting exchange--
KING: Would you like to be first lady?
L. CHENEY: Oh, my goodness, I think we couldn't...
KING: I mean, if he said, you know, let's do it.
L. CHENEY: ... we couldn't have a better first lady than Mrs. Bush is now. Isn't she amazing?
KING: Well, but she can't be again.
L. CHENEY: Well, who knows, you know.
KING: I'm trying to see if there's a possibility...
L. CHENEY: When I think of, you know, people are thinking...
KING: He says no, but you've got all the clout.
L. CHENEY: ... of Mrs. Clinton running for president. I think Mrs. Bush ought to run for president. If we want to have a Bush dynasty, let's get Laura Bush. Has she been wonderful in these...
KING: What do you make of that?
L. CHENEY: ... last five years.
KING: Mrs. Bush versus Mrs. Clinton.
D. CHENEY: It's a great idea.
KING: Biggest turnout in American history, right?
D. CHENEY: And I think I know who would win too.
_______________________________
I think Lynne Cheney is great. She's a very intelligent, strong woman who can say a lot with a few well-placed words.
In a roundabout way, she managed to rip Hillary without actually saying anything negative about her. Simply juxtaposing the two women was all she had to do.
An interesting exchange--
KING: Would you like to be first lady?
L. CHENEY: Oh, my goodness, I think we couldn't...
KING: I mean, if he said, you know, let's do it.
L. CHENEY: ... we couldn't have a better first lady than Mrs. Bush is now. Isn't she amazing?
KING: Well, but she can't be again.
L. CHENEY: Well, who knows, you know.
KING: I'm trying to see if there's a possibility...
L. CHENEY: When I think of, you know, people are thinking...
KING: He says no, but you've got all the clout.
L. CHENEY: ... of Mrs. Clinton running for president. I think Mrs. Bush ought to run for president. If we want to have a Bush dynasty, let's get Laura Bush. Has she been wonderful in these...
KING: What do you make of that?
L. CHENEY: ... last five years.
KING: Mrs. Bush versus Mrs. Clinton.
D. CHENEY: It's a great idea.
KING: Biggest turnout in American history, right?
D. CHENEY: And I think I know who would win too.
_______________________________
I think Lynne Cheney is great. She's a very intelligent, strong woman who can say a lot with a few well-placed words.
In a roundabout way, she managed to rip Hillary without actually saying anything negative about her. Simply juxtaposing the two women was all she had to do.
Amnesty International Offends Cheney
From AP:
WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney says he's offended by a human rights group's report criticizing conditions at the prison camp for terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay.
The report Amnesty International released last week said prisoners at the U.S. Navy base in Cuba had been mistreated and called for the prison to be shut down. Cheney derided the London-based group in an interview set to be broadcast Monday night on CNN's "Larry King Live."
"Frankly, I was offended by it," Cheney said in the videotaped interview. "For Amnesty International to suggest that somehow the United States is a violator of human rights, I frankly just don't take them seriously."
Cheney is the latest Bush administration official to object to the report. On Sunday, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Myers called the Amnesty International report "absolutely irresponsible."
...Cheney said detainees at Guantanamo "have been well treated, treated humanely and decently."
"Occasionally there are allegations of mistreatment," Cheney said. "But if you trace those back, in nearly every case, it turns out to come from somebody who had been inside and released to their home country and now are peddling lies about how they were treated."
...Pentagon officials say they have substantiated five cases where copies of the Quran, the Muslim holy book, were mistreated, although the military has refused to offer details other than to say none was ever flushed down a toilet.
_______________________________
It's very telling that so-called human rights organizations and the MSM are so quick to believe the stories of former Guantanamo detainees. The seem to automatically lend credence to those allegations.
Can you imagine the mainstream press and other organizations with liberal agendas ever giving the American military the benefit of the doubt?
Why do they accept the claims of released detainees as gospel, while they continually question the integrity of Americans?
Dick Cheney should be offended by Amnesty's report. Every American should be offended by it. Putting the U.S. in the same league as China in terms of human rights abuse destroys the credibility of Amnesty International.
It's unfortunate that the organization chooses to put politics ahead of its mission to promote human rights. It's also hypocritical.
Its website claims:
AI is independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religion. It does not support or oppose any government or political system, nor does it support or oppose the views of the victims whose rights it seeks to protect. It is concerned solely with the impartial protection of human rights.
I don't buy the "independent of any political ideology" part.
WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney says he's offended by a human rights group's report criticizing conditions at the prison camp for terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay.
The report Amnesty International released last week said prisoners at the U.S. Navy base in Cuba had been mistreated and called for the prison to be shut down. Cheney derided the London-based group in an interview set to be broadcast Monday night on CNN's "Larry King Live."
"Frankly, I was offended by it," Cheney said in the videotaped interview. "For Amnesty International to suggest that somehow the United States is a violator of human rights, I frankly just don't take them seriously."
Cheney is the latest Bush administration official to object to the report. On Sunday, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Myers called the Amnesty International report "absolutely irresponsible."
...Cheney said detainees at Guantanamo "have been well treated, treated humanely and decently."
"Occasionally there are allegations of mistreatment," Cheney said. "But if you trace those back, in nearly every case, it turns out to come from somebody who had been inside and released to their home country and now are peddling lies about how they were treated."
...Pentagon officials say they have substantiated five cases where copies of the Quran, the Muslim holy book, were mistreated, although the military has refused to offer details other than to say none was ever flushed down a toilet.
_______________________________
It's very telling that so-called human rights organizations and the MSM are so quick to believe the stories of former Guantanamo detainees. The seem to automatically lend credence to those allegations.
Can you imagine the mainstream press and other organizations with liberal agendas ever giving the American military the benefit of the doubt?
Why do they accept the claims of released detainees as gospel, while they continually question the integrity of Americans?
Dick Cheney should be offended by Amnesty's report. Every American should be offended by it. Putting the U.S. in the same league as China in terms of human rights abuse destroys the credibility of Amnesty International.
It's unfortunate that the organization chooses to put politics ahead of its mission to promote human rights. It's also hypocritical.
Its website claims:
AI is independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religion. It does not support or oppose any government or political system, nor does it support or oppose the views of the victims whose rights it seeks to protect. It is concerned solely with the impartial protection of human rights.
I don't buy the "independent of any political ideology" part.
Great Summer Reading
This book has some interesting revelations. Judging by the excerpts provided by Drudge, it seems like Kitty Kelley wrote it.
"Clinton is shouting at Gore, 'This is a f***ing coup d'etat!' Gore just stared back blankly. pg 313."
You can't make this stuff up. I think it would be a great book to take to the beach.
NEW CLINTON BOOK: THE LIES, THE FIGHTS, THE INSULTS
**Exclusive**
Summer starts with a bang as veteran WASHINGTON POST reporter John Harris traces the emotional highs and lows of the Clinton presidency.
THE SURVIVOR: BILL CLINTON IN THE WHITE HOUSE drops this week from RANDOM [the book ranked #9,527 on AMAZON's sales parade Monday afternoon], but the DRUDGE REPORT can now sneak:
--Bill Clinton was so upset that his weight-loss regimen in 2000 was not working that he made his aides release a bogus number after his annual Navy physical to make him five pounds lighter. (pg. 394)
--Hillary taunted her husband's aides as being wimps by not fighting hard enough on Whitewater - "JFK had real men in his White House!" (pg. 108)
--Tipper Gore was so disgusted in 2000 with Bill and Hillary that she stayed cloistered in a holding room instead of going to a New York reception with major Democratic fund-raisers where the Clintons would be. "No, I'm not doing it," she snapped to an aide. "I'm not going out there with that man."
--The first conversation between Clinton and Gore after the Lewinsky story broke. Clinton is shouting at Gore, "This is a fucking coup d'etat!" Gore just stared back blankly. pg 313.
--Richard Clarke on the record hitting Clinton for not having the guts to fire FBI director Louis Freeh, who Clarke called a major obstacle on anti-terrorism policy. "He should have just fired Freeh and taken the shit it would have caused." (pg. 408)
The POST plans two jumbos on Tuesday, newsroom sources tell DRUDGE.
One story from Harris will outline Hillary Clinton's presidential preparations.
MORE
Swearing Steaming Screaming -- White House as Hot House
From pages 356-7 of THE SURVIVOR: BILL CLINTON IN THE WHITE HOUSE by John F. Harris, national correspondent for the WASHINGTON POST:
Context is Sally Quinn's article from 11/98 explaining why the Washington Establishment was appalled by Clinton's behavior during Lewinksy, even though a majority of the country at large was not: "One could hardly imagine a more well-timed morale booster at the White House than Quinn's article. [Paul] Begala went to the Oval Office waving the article in his hand. "This is perfect," he exclaimed. "This is the best and most accurate article you will ever read about Washington." Quinn, as Begala saw it, had accurately chronicled the smug insularity of establishment Washington, as well as its preciousness and hypocrisy. Clinton could not agree more. The article stayed on his desk for weeks, and on his mind even longer. Some time afterward the president was going over papers with his staff on the upcoming Presidential Medal of Freedom awards. Spontaneously, he launched into a little riff for his assembled aides. His nominee for the prestigious award this year would be none other than the famous [Watergate editor] Ben Bradlee, husband of Sally Quinn.
The aides looked on in puzzled amusement.
"Anyone who sleeps with that bitch deserves a medal!" he explained.
Developing...
Last Letters and Fresh Tears
President George. W. Bush stands with U.S. Army Major General Galen Jackman as he lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day May 30, 2005. White House photo by Krisanne Johnson
President Commemorates Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington, Virginia
Full Text
(Excerpts)
The soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines we remember today answered the call of service in their nation's hour of need. They stood to fight for America's highest ideals. And when the sun came up this morning the flag flew at half-staff in solemn gratitude and in deep respect.
At our National Cemetery, we receive the fallen in sorrow, and we take them to an honored place to rest. Looking across this field, we see the scale of heroism and sacrifice. All who are buried here understood their duty. All stood to protect America. And all carried with them memories of a family that they hoped to keep safe by their sacrifice.
...Across the globe, our military is standing directly between our people and the worst dangers in the world, and Americans are grateful to have such brave defenders. The war on terror has brought great costs. For those who have lost loved ones in Afghanistan and Iraq, today is a day of last letters and fresh tears. Because of the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform, two terror regimes are gone forever, freedom is on the march, and America is more secure.
At our National Cemetery, we take comfort from knowing that the men and women who are serving freedom's cause understand their purpose -- and its price. Marine Captain Ryan Beaupre of St. Anne, Illinois, was killed in the first hours of the war. He wrote his mom and dad a letter that was to be opened only in the event he didn't come home. He wrote: "Realize that I died doing something that I truly love, and for a purpose greater than myself."
Army Sergeant Michael Evans of Marrero, Louisiana, felt the same way. He was killed on January 28th while on patrol in Western Baghdad. In his own farewell letter to his family, the 22-year-old reminded those he left behind to stay strong. He said: "My death will mean nothing if you stop now. I know it will be hard, but I gave my life so you could live. Not just live, but live free."
For some of our young heroes, courage and service was a family tradition. Lance Corporal Darrell Schumann of Hampton, Virginia, was a machine gunner for the Marines, but his parents were Air Force. He liked to say, "Air Force by birth, Marine by choice, and American by the grace of God." Corporal Schumann was among the first to enter the battle against insurgents in Fallujah, and he was proud of what he -- what we are achieving. He later died in a helicopter crash. In his last letter from Iraq, he wrote, "I do wish America could see how awesome a job we're doing."
These are the men and women who wear our uniform. These are the men and women who defend our freedom. And these are the men and women who are buried here. As we look across these acres, we begin to tally the cost of our freedom, and we count it a privilege to be citizens of the country served by so many brave men and women. And we must honor them by completingthe mission for which they gave their lives, by defeating the terrorists, advancing the cause of liberty, and building a safer world.
A day will come when there will be no one left who knew the men and women buried here. Yet Americans will still come to visit, to pay tribute to the many who gave their lives for freedom, who liberated the oppressed, and who left the world a safer and better place. Today we pray that they have found peace with their Creator, and we resolve that their sacrifice will always be remembered by a grateful nation.
ALL OF YOU LOVED LIBERTY
It's been over twenty years since President Ronald Reagan traveled to France for the observance of the 40th anniversary of D-Day. On his visit, he poignantly detailed the courage demanded of the American soldiers that stormed the beaches on D-Day and the goodness of their cause.
Although he was addressing World War II veterans, President Reagan's words speak to the valor and the sacrifice of all Americans who served our country throughout its history.
He said, "All of you loved liberty." I imagine President Reagan would say the same to members of today's military.
From President Reagan's speech at Pointe de Hoc, Normandy, June 6, 1984:
Forty summers have passed since the battle that you fought here. You were young the day you took these cliffs; some of you were hardly more than boys, with the deepest joys of life before you. Yet you risked everything here. Why? Why did you do it? What impelled you to put aside the instinct for self-preservation and risk your lives to take these cliffs? What inspired all the men of the armies that met here? We look at you, and somehow we know the answer. It was faith, and belief; it was loyalty and love.
The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead or on the next. It was the deep knowledge -- and pray God we have not lost it -- that there is a profound moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest. You were here to liberate, not to conquer, and so you and those others did not doubt your cause. And you were right not to doubt.
You all knew that some things are worth dying for. One's country is worth dying for, and democracy is worth dying for, because it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man. All of you loved liberty. All of you were willing to fight tyranny, and you knew the people of your countries were behind you.
Sunday, May 29, 2005
Memorial Day
(American Cemetery) Bayeux, Normandy, France
In his weekly radio address, President Bush honored the hundreds of thousands of American men and women who died while defending freedom.
This Memorial Day weekend, Americans pay tribute to those who have given their lives in the service of our nation. As we honor the members of our Armed Forces who have died for our freedom, we also honor those who are defending our liberties today.
On Friday, I met with some of the courageous men and women who will soon take their place in the defense of our freedom: the graduating class of the United State s Naval Academy. These new officers will soon be serving on ships, flying combat missions, and leading our troops into battle against dangerous enemies. They are prepared for the challenges ahead -- morally, mentally, and physically. The American people can be confident that their freedom is in good hands.
Our citizens live in freedom because patriots are willing to serve and sacrifice for our liberty. And on Monday, I will lay a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery in honor of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, a victory for freedom in which more than 400,000 Americans gave their lives. Today a new generation of Americans is making its own sacrifice on behalf of peace and freedom, and some have given their lives.
In their hometowns, these soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines are more than names on a roll of honor. They were friends and neighbors, teachers and coaches, classmates and colleagues. Each was the most important person in someone's life; each had hopes for the future, and each left a place that can never be filled.
We mourn their loss, and we honor their sacrifice. We pray for their families. And we take heart in knowing that these men and women believed deeply in what they were fighting for. Christopher Swisher was a staff sergeant from Lincoln, Nebraska, who joined the Army a year after graduating from high school. He was killed in an ambush while on patrol in Baghdad. Sergeant Swisher told his loved ones: "If anything happens to me, I'm doing what I want to be doing -- I'm protecting my family and my home."
Rafael Peralta also understood that America faces dangerous enemies, and he knew the sacrifices required to defeat them. An immigrant from Mexico, he enlisted in the Marine Corps the day after he got his green card. Just before the battle of Fallujah, he wrote his 14-year-old brother, "We are going to defeat the insurgents. Be proud of me, I'm going to make history and do something that I always wanted to do." A few days later, Sergeant Peralta gave his life to save his fellow Marines.
This Memorial Day, we remember Sergeant Peralta, Sergeant Swisher, and all who have given their lives for our nation. And we honor them as we continue to wage the war on terror and spread freedom across the world. The people of Iraq and Afghanistan are determined to secure their freedom, and we will help them. We're training Iraqi and Afghan forces so they can take the fight to the enemy and defend their own countries, and then our troops will return home with the honor they have earned.
Throughout our history, America has fought not to conquer but to liberate. We go to war reluctantly, because we understand the high cost of war. Those who have given their lives to defend America have the respect and gratitude of our entire nation.
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.
(John 15:13)
Top Ten List
Drudge linked to this. It's posted at U-WIRE, a network of more than 650 college newspapers, "connecting college media with each other and the world."
COLUMN: 10 reasons not to kill Bush
By Jennifer McBride
Oregon Daily Emerald (U. Oregon)
05/25/2005
(U-WIRE) EUGENE, Ore. -- Recently in Georgia, the president gave a speech only to have someone chuck a hand grenade at him. Lucky for all, the blast cap did not explode. Though originally thought to be a dud, the FBI later revealed the weapon was far from safe.
I can't possibly guess the assassin's reasoning, but I've heard enough people on campus proclaiming their hatred of George W. Bush to know that some wouldn't have shed many tears. And that's a shame.
If the assassin were looking for a way to hurt America, blowing up the president would be a good idea. Bush's martyrdom would put the last nail in the coffin of the liberal agenda. So, for those Bush-haters out there, here are 10 reasons you should stop praying for an assassinated G.W.B.:
1) Killing the president immediately generates sympathy for his cause. If the president died tomorrow, there would be no question that all of his nominees for the judicial branch would make it through the Senate.
2) A dead President Bush leaves a live Dick Cheney in charge. Need I say more?
3) The Pakistani political situation is drastically fragile. Should President Bush die, Musharraf's brutal, mostly secular dictatorship probably will be replaced by a brutal, religiously fundamental dictatorship, reducing the United States' chances of bringing in Osama bin Laden to nil.
4) Any criticisms of the administration will be regarded as more unpatriotic than ever. In the next election, you could expect to see Democratic primary candidates proclaiming that their Republican counterparts aren't "fit to follow in President Bush's footsteps."
5) Killing President Bush could spur another spate of international invasions, with or without U.N. approval. The U.S. military cannot deal with invading another country without further hollowing our ability to defend ourselves and respond to threats from other countries, such as a nuclear North Korea.
6) The news cycle would be justly co-opted. With the media so focused on one story, there wouldn't be time to examine important issues such as the government suppression in Uzbekistan or Egyptian election tampering. In fact, all foreign news that didn't directly affect the assassination would probably grind to a halt.
7) President Bush's status as a martyr would leave the electorate more polarized than ever, especially if liberals were seen as publicly irreverent to President Bush's memory. It would be a little different if natural selection decreed death-by-snacking, but toasting an assassin's success leaves a decidedly bitter taste in the national mouth.
8) Jeb Bush's popularity would skyrocket. He would undoubtedly win the Republican nomination and then the election in 2008. With the Supreme Court full of near-zombies, I would prefer a different man to pick the people who are going to strangle us with laws.
9) Killing George Bush won't end any of the policies people disagree with. An assassination would merely strengthen our resolve to stay the course in Iraq, keep troops in Saudi Arabia, support our Israeli allies, etc. Policies don't die just because the president does.
10) Slaying President Bush is simply immoral. Anyone who advocates purposefully killing someone defenseless (and a democratically elected leader, no less) is clearly value-challenged. I don't understand the logical contortions some people must go through to be anti-death penalty yet pro-assassination.
In all seriousness, I don't hate President Bush. I dislike a lot of his administration's choices, but I think he's a good man doing a difficult job. As a leader, you're always going to be hated. I am too often shocked by the vitriolic repulsion many people feel for our leader and America in general, especially because the loathing is often poorly informed. I've met people on this campus who see America as the worst human rights abuser in the world (unlike the angelic paradise of Cambodia) and people who sway liberal not because they actually know anything about issues but because it's popular.
Liberalism has to be more than a college fad or a collection of loudmouths whose idiotic comments stir headlines. The rabid dislike some people feel for a man they've never even met makes me ashamed to be a Democrat. ______________________________
At least Jennifer McBride is able to recognize the inappropriateness of the campus anti-Bush crowd rhetoric.
The fact that she feels ashamed to be a Democrat shows her conscience is still intact.
COLUMN: 10 reasons not to kill Bush
By Jennifer McBride
Oregon Daily Emerald (U. Oregon)
05/25/2005
(U-WIRE) EUGENE, Ore. -- Recently in Georgia, the president gave a speech only to have someone chuck a hand grenade at him. Lucky for all, the blast cap did not explode. Though originally thought to be a dud, the FBI later revealed the weapon was far from safe.
I can't possibly guess the assassin's reasoning, but I've heard enough people on campus proclaiming their hatred of George W. Bush to know that some wouldn't have shed many tears. And that's a shame.
If the assassin were looking for a way to hurt America, blowing up the president would be a good idea. Bush's martyrdom would put the last nail in the coffin of the liberal agenda. So, for those Bush-haters out there, here are 10 reasons you should stop praying for an assassinated G.W.B.:
1) Killing the president immediately generates sympathy for his cause. If the president died tomorrow, there would be no question that all of his nominees for the judicial branch would make it through the Senate.
2) A dead President Bush leaves a live Dick Cheney in charge. Need I say more?
3) The Pakistani political situation is drastically fragile. Should President Bush die, Musharraf's brutal, mostly secular dictatorship probably will be replaced by a brutal, religiously fundamental dictatorship, reducing the United States' chances of bringing in Osama bin Laden to nil.
4) Any criticisms of the administration will be regarded as more unpatriotic than ever. In the next election, you could expect to see Democratic primary candidates proclaiming that their Republican counterparts aren't "fit to follow in President Bush's footsteps."
5) Killing President Bush could spur another spate of international invasions, with or without U.N. approval. The U.S. military cannot deal with invading another country without further hollowing our ability to defend ourselves and respond to threats from other countries, such as a nuclear North Korea.
6) The news cycle would be justly co-opted. With the media so focused on one story, there wouldn't be time to examine important issues such as the government suppression in Uzbekistan or Egyptian election tampering. In fact, all foreign news that didn't directly affect the assassination would probably grind to a halt.
7) President Bush's status as a martyr would leave the electorate more polarized than ever, especially if liberals were seen as publicly irreverent to President Bush's memory. It would be a little different if natural selection decreed death-by-snacking, but toasting an assassin's success leaves a decidedly bitter taste in the national mouth.
8) Jeb Bush's popularity would skyrocket. He would undoubtedly win the Republican nomination and then the election in 2008. With the Supreme Court full of near-zombies, I would prefer a different man to pick the people who are going to strangle us with laws.
9) Killing George Bush won't end any of the policies people disagree with. An assassination would merely strengthen our resolve to stay the course in Iraq, keep troops in Saudi Arabia, support our Israeli allies, etc. Policies don't die just because the president does.
10) Slaying President Bush is simply immoral. Anyone who advocates purposefully killing someone defenseless (and a democratically elected leader, no less) is clearly value-challenged. I don't understand the logical contortions some people must go through to be anti-death penalty yet pro-assassination.
In all seriousness, I don't hate President Bush. I dislike a lot of his administration's choices, but I think he's a good man doing a difficult job. As a leader, you're always going to be hated. I am too often shocked by the vitriolic repulsion many people feel for our leader and America in general, especially because the loathing is often poorly informed. I've met people on this campus who see America as the worst human rights abuser in the world (unlike the angelic paradise of Cambodia) and people who sway liberal not because they actually know anything about issues but because it's popular.
Liberalism has to be more than a college fad or a collection of loudmouths whose idiotic comments stir headlines. The rabid dislike some people feel for a man they've never even met makes me ashamed to be a Democrat. ______________________________
At least Jennifer McBride is able to recognize the inappropriateness of the campus anti-Bush crowd rhetoric.
The fact that she feels ashamed to be a Democrat shows her conscience is still intact.
NON
According to exit polls, it looks like France has rejected the EU Constitution.
From AFP:
"Europe is the future. If we want to be strong enough to face up to the United States, we have to vote for Europe. We've got the euro, now we need to coordinate the rest," said treaty supporter Rachel Allouche outside a Paris polling station.
...The French president, who has staked his prestige on approval of the treaty, warned voters that a French "no" would diminish the country's influence in Europe, making it the "black sheep" of the continent.
Rejection of the treaty would have a profound political impact in France, tarnishing Chirac's record in the history books, prompting a government reshuffle and deepening the rift in the Socialist party.
...Should France reject the treaty, Chirac -- who celebrated his 10th year as president earlier this month -- would be unlikely to seek a third term in office in 2007, opening the door to his arch-rival, UMP leader Nicolas Sarkozy.
Chirac has however ruled out his resignation should the "no" camp prevail.
If the exit polls are correct, the French have snubbed Chirac. Although he has ruled out resigning, refusing to retreat, he has been defeated.
Europe is the future?
Dream on.
With about 83 percent of the votes counted, the referendum was rejected by 57.26 percent of voters, the Interior Ministry said. The treaty was supported by 42.74 percent, the ministry said.
From AFP:
"Europe is the future. If we want to be strong enough to face up to the United States, we have to vote for Europe. We've got the euro, now we need to coordinate the rest," said treaty supporter Rachel Allouche outside a Paris polling station.
...The French president, who has staked his prestige on approval of the treaty, warned voters that a French "no" would diminish the country's influence in Europe, making it the "black sheep" of the continent.
Rejection of the treaty would have a profound political impact in France, tarnishing Chirac's record in the history books, prompting a government reshuffle and deepening the rift in the Socialist party.
...Should France reject the treaty, Chirac -- who celebrated his 10th year as president earlier this month -- would be unlikely to seek a third term in office in 2007, opening the door to his arch-rival, UMP leader Nicolas Sarkozy.
Chirac has however ruled out his resignation should the "no" camp prevail.
If the exit polls are correct, the French have snubbed Chirac. Although he has ruled out resigning, refusing to retreat, he has been defeated.
Europe is the future?
Dream on.
With about 83 percent of the votes counted, the referendum was rejected by 57.26 percent of voters, the Interior Ministry said. The treaty was supported by 42.74 percent, the ministry said.
Daughter of Afghanistan
From AP:
Afghan Leader Killed; Hostage Tape Aired
Sunday, May 29, 2005
KABUL, Afghanistan — A video of an Italian aid worker who was kidnapped nearly two weeks ago in Kabul was broadcast Sunday on an Afghan television station. Meanwhile, Gunmen shot and killed the top Muslim leader in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar province on Sunday, police said.
Mullah Abdul Fayaz, a supporter of U.S.-backed President Hamid Karzai was shot while driving in the center of Kandahar city, said deputy police chief Gen Salim Khan. One of the cleric's aides, Haji Qari, said Fayaz died while being taken to a hospital in the city.
The hostage broadcast showed Clementina Cantoni, 32, a worker for CARE International, sitting with two men standing next to her with assault rifles in their hands pointed at her head.
Responding to prompts from a man who was not shown on the video, Cantoni identified herself and named her father, her mother and an uncle.
The tape, which was broadcast by independent Tolo TV, then zoomed in on the face of the Italian, who had a brown rug wrapped around her and a blue scarf over her head. Cantoni spoke quietly on the recording and looked nervous.
...The aid worker was abducted by armed men on May 16 as she was being driven to her home in the capital.
The director for CARE International in Afghanistan, Paul Barker, said he was aware of the broadcast, but hadn't seen it.
President Hamid Karzai on Friday paid tribute to Cantoni, calling her a "daughter of Afghanistan."
Posters seeking information about her have been plastered across the city, and Afghan widows who benefited from her aid work have held rallies demanding her release.
It's encouraging to hear that Afghan women are staging rallies to demand that Clementina Cantoni be released.
What kind of sick people kidnap a humanitarian aid worker and hold guns to her head?
Preying on someone who's in Afghanistan to help its people, someone who's selflessly sacrificing, is depraved.
Furthermore, the assassination of Mullah Abdul Fayaz is barbarous.
These terrorists/insurrectionists aren't just enemies of democracy or of the Western world. They are enemies of their fellow Arabs. They are the enemies of humanity.
Afghan Leader Killed; Hostage Tape Aired
Sunday, May 29, 2005
KABUL, Afghanistan — A video of an Italian aid worker who was kidnapped nearly two weeks ago in Kabul was broadcast Sunday on an Afghan television station. Meanwhile, Gunmen shot and killed the top Muslim leader in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar province on Sunday, police said.
Mullah Abdul Fayaz, a supporter of U.S.-backed President Hamid Karzai was shot while driving in the center of Kandahar city, said deputy police chief Gen Salim Khan. One of the cleric's aides, Haji Qari, said Fayaz died while being taken to a hospital in the city.
The hostage broadcast showed Clementina Cantoni, 32, a worker for CARE International, sitting with two men standing next to her with assault rifles in their hands pointed at her head.
Responding to prompts from a man who was not shown on the video, Cantoni identified herself and named her father, her mother and an uncle.
The tape, which was broadcast by independent Tolo TV, then zoomed in on the face of the Italian, who had a brown rug wrapped around her and a blue scarf over her head. Cantoni spoke quietly on the recording and looked nervous.
...The aid worker was abducted by armed men on May 16 as she was being driven to her home in the capital.
The director for CARE International in Afghanistan, Paul Barker, said he was aware of the broadcast, but hadn't seen it.
President Hamid Karzai on Friday paid tribute to Cantoni, calling her a "daughter of Afghanistan."
Posters seeking information about her have been plastered across the city, and Afghan widows who benefited from her aid work have held rallies demanding her release.
It's encouraging to hear that Afghan women are staging rallies to demand that Clementina Cantoni be released.
What kind of sick people kidnap a humanitarian aid worker and hold guns to her head?
Preying on someone who's in Afghanistan to help its people, someone who's selflessly sacrificing, is depraved.
Furthermore, the assassination of Mullah Abdul Fayaz is barbarous.
These terrorists/insurrectionists aren't just enemies of democracy or of the Western world. They are enemies of their fellow Arabs. They are the enemies of humanity.
Money Grab
I missed this last week, but I think it's worth noting, especially for all those who believed that Michael Schiavo and his Right to Kill team cared about Terri's wishes and that they were driven by their desire to see to it that what she wanted was carried out. There were supposedly no motives behind their efforts other than love and devotion for Terri. Certainly not money.
At BlogsforTerri, Richard posted the following:
May 25, 2005
Michael got Terri's estate awarded to him by Greer on THE DAY TERRI DIED.
A few short hours later...The mourning husband, so destroyed and inconsolable....went straight for the money.
Terri Schiavo's Estranged Husband Granted Estate on Day She Dies
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
May 23, 2005
Clearwater, FL (LifeNews.com) -- Terri Schiavo's estranged husband Michael wasted no time in pursuing what was left of Terri's estate after she passed away on March 31. The disabled woman died after suffering from a painful 13 day starvation and dehydration.Terri died just after 9:00 a.m. on the morning of the 31st and court papers filed with Circuit Court Judge George Greer show Michael's attorneys filed the estate request just hours later.
By 1:35 p.m., Greer had ruled in Michael's favor to receive Terri's estate.
However, the Empire Journal newspaper reports that Greer's estate order had one major flaw. It erroneously declared Michael Schiavo, not Terri, died that day.
"Not only have the bar associations of West Pasco, Clearwater and St. Petersburg lauded Greer for his alleged professionalism in the case, but Greer claims to be a stickler for the law," the Empire Journal wrote regarding the matter.
"However, in the Schiavo case not only couldn't Greer get the name of the decedent right, but he had the wrong date of death too," the newspaper wrote. "So much for professionalism."
Michael claimed -- years after Terri's collapse and only after their estate was awarded a $1.4 million medical malpractice judgment -- that he remembered a supposed conversation where Terri indicated she didn't want extra measures taken to prolong her life.
However, a good friend of Terri's vividly remembers watching a television program with Terri about a woman who was in a coma for years. Terri was upset when she told a joke about the woman and said there was no way doctors or lawyers could know the woman's wishes.
"Where there is life, there is hope," Terri told her friend.
The money was supposed to be used to take care of Terri, but much of it was used for Michael's legal bills and her parents say Terri has never received appropriate medical care or rehabilitative therapy.
At BlogsforTerri, Richard posted the following:
May 25, 2005
Michael got Terri's estate awarded to him by Greer on THE DAY TERRI DIED.
A few short hours later...The mourning husband, so destroyed and inconsolable....went straight for the money.
Terri Schiavo's Estranged Husband Granted Estate on Day She Dies
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
May 23, 2005
Clearwater, FL (LifeNews.com) -- Terri Schiavo's estranged husband Michael wasted no time in pursuing what was left of Terri's estate after she passed away on March 31. The disabled woman died after suffering from a painful 13 day starvation and dehydration.Terri died just after 9:00 a.m. on the morning of the 31st and court papers filed with Circuit Court Judge George Greer show Michael's attorneys filed the estate request just hours later.
By 1:35 p.m., Greer had ruled in Michael's favor to receive Terri's estate.
However, the Empire Journal newspaper reports that Greer's estate order had one major flaw. It erroneously declared Michael Schiavo, not Terri, died that day.
"Not only have the bar associations of West Pasco, Clearwater and St. Petersburg lauded Greer for his alleged professionalism in the case, but Greer claims to be a stickler for the law," the Empire Journal wrote regarding the matter.
"However, in the Schiavo case not only couldn't Greer get the name of the decedent right, but he had the wrong date of death too," the newspaper wrote. "So much for professionalism."
Michael claimed -- years after Terri's collapse and only after their estate was awarded a $1.4 million medical malpractice judgment -- that he remembered a supposed conversation where Terri indicated she didn't want extra measures taken to prolong her life.
However, a good friend of Terri's vividly remembers watching a television program with Terri about a woman who was in a coma for years. Terri was upset when she told a joke about the woman and said there was no way doctors or lawyers could know the woman's wishes.
"Where there is life, there is hope," Terri told her friend.
The money was supposed to be used to take care of Terri, but much of it was used for Michael's legal bills and her parents say Terri has never received appropriate medical care or rehabilitative therapy.
"WE HAD INTENDED TO LOOK AFTER HIM"
From AFP:
Militants say they did not intend to kill Japanese hostage
A Japanese hostage held in Iraq died from wounds he received after opening fire on his captors who had not intended to kill him, the militant Sunni group which kidnapped him said in an Internet message seen Sunday.
...The group, linked to the Al Qaeda terror network, said Mr Saito died as a result of injuries incurred during his capture in Iraq on May 8. It warned people against working with US troops.
Captured during an ambush on his convoy, Mr Saito had fired a weapon at one of the mujahadeen fighters guarding him, "without hitting his target," the group said in a message on the website.
"The brother (mujahadeen) responded, firing several shots, wounding him but not killing him," the message continued.
After being moved "to a safe place" upon the arrival of US troops at the ambush site, Saito "was found dead following haemorrhaging," the group said.
"As god is a witness, we had intended to look after him and keep him alive to show the world an example of Japanese soldiers operating in Iraq while claiming to serve friendly forces," the group said in its statement, signed by the "military committee" and dated Saturday.
The statement did not explain why it had taken three weeks to announce the death of the hostage.
THREE WEEKS of agony for Mr. Saito's family.
May 11, 2005 — TOKYO (Reuters) - The fate of a Japanese man missing in Iraq is still unknown, officials in Tokyo said on Thursday, two days after a militant group claimed to have captured him, but his employer said he may have died of injuries.
...The group, called Army of Ansar al-Sunna, has issued no demands since posting a photograph of Saito on its Web site on Tuesday, saying it had captured him and he was seriously injured.
Of course, one cannot expect any decency from a group of terrorists. Nonetheless, their false claims about holding Mr. Saito hostage serve to highlight the complete lack of credibility of the Army of Ansar al-Sunna. They are lying, murderous thugs. They aren't soldiers. They are terrorists.
Isn't it ironic that there is such outcry about the Geneva Conventions applying to these terrorists when they do not abide by the Geneva Conventions?
According to the Geneva Convention, August 12, 1949:
The belligerents are required to inform the Information Bureau, established in accordance with Article 122, of the names of all prisoners of war who die during captivity, and as rapidly as possible.
The Army of Ansar al-Sunna said that there are "Japanese soldiers operating in Iraq while claiming to serve friendly forces." They claimed Mr. Saito was actually a soldier and not a civilian worker.
So, if he was a soldier, why is the Army of Ansar al-Sunna exempt from granting Mr. Saito the treatment he deserved under the Geneva Conventions?
Another question: Why do Amnesty International, the International Red Cross, other human rights organizations, Ted Kennedy, Al Gore, and assorted leftists and extremists express outrage over U.S. actions while not condemning groups like the Army of Ansar al-Sunna for throwing out the rules of war?
An unsubstantiated report that the Koran was ALLEGEDLY flushed down a toilet is enough to turn the world against the U.S.; yet these terrorists get a free pass on reporting the death of someone in their custody.
It is an unacceptable double standard that has been applied to the U.S. It is pure discrimination done for purely political purposes.
Militants say they did not intend to kill Japanese hostage
A Japanese hostage held in Iraq died from wounds he received after opening fire on his captors who had not intended to kill him, the militant Sunni group which kidnapped him said in an Internet message seen Sunday.
...The group, linked to the Al Qaeda terror network, said Mr Saito died as a result of injuries incurred during his capture in Iraq on May 8. It warned people against working with US troops.
Captured during an ambush on his convoy, Mr Saito had fired a weapon at one of the mujahadeen fighters guarding him, "without hitting his target," the group said in a message on the website.
"The brother (mujahadeen) responded, firing several shots, wounding him but not killing him," the message continued.
After being moved "to a safe place" upon the arrival of US troops at the ambush site, Saito "was found dead following haemorrhaging," the group said.
"As god is a witness, we had intended to look after him and keep him alive to show the world an example of Japanese soldiers operating in Iraq while claiming to serve friendly forces," the group said in its statement, signed by the "military committee" and dated Saturday.
The statement did not explain why it had taken three weeks to announce the death of the hostage.
THREE WEEKS of agony for Mr. Saito's family.
May 11, 2005 — TOKYO (Reuters) - The fate of a Japanese man missing in Iraq is still unknown, officials in Tokyo said on Thursday, two days after a militant group claimed to have captured him, but his employer said he may have died of injuries.
...The group, called Army of Ansar al-Sunna, has issued no demands since posting a photograph of Saito on its Web site on Tuesday, saying it had captured him and he was seriously injured.
Of course, one cannot expect any decency from a group of terrorists. Nonetheless, their false claims about holding Mr. Saito hostage serve to highlight the complete lack of credibility of the Army of Ansar al-Sunna. They are lying, murderous thugs. They aren't soldiers. They are terrorists.
Isn't it ironic that there is such outcry about the Geneva Conventions applying to these terrorists when they do not abide by the Geneva Conventions?
According to the Geneva Convention, August 12, 1949:
The belligerents are required to inform the Information Bureau, established in accordance with Article 122, of the names of all prisoners of war who die during captivity, and as rapidly as possible.
The Army of Ansar al-Sunna said that there are "Japanese soldiers operating in Iraq while claiming to serve friendly forces." They claimed Mr. Saito was actually a soldier and not a civilian worker.
So, if he was a soldier, why is the Army of Ansar al-Sunna exempt from granting Mr. Saito the treatment he deserved under the Geneva Conventions?
Another question: Why do Amnesty International, the International Red Cross, other human rights organizations, Ted Kennedy, Al Gore, and assorted leftists and extremists express outrage over U.S. actions while not condemning groups like the Army of Ansar al-Sunna for throwing out the rules of war?
An unsubstantiated report that the Koran was ALLEGEDLY flushed down a toilet is enough to turn the world against the U.S.; yet these terrorists get a free pass on reporting the death of someone in their custody.
It is an unacceptable double standard that has been applied to the U.S. It is pure discrimination done for purely political purposes.
PRAY FOR OUR SOLDIERS
The words of Dr. John C. Hagee, the founder and Senior Pastor of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas, a non-denominational evangelical church, remind us of the debt of gratitude we owe to the men and women of our military.
I want you to close your eyes and picture in your mind the soldier at Valley Forge, as he holds his musket in his bloody hands. He stands barefoot in the snow, starved from lack of food, wounded from months of battle and emotionally scarred from the eternity away from his family surrounded by nothing but death and carnage of war. He stands though, with fire in his eyes and victory on his breath. He looks at us now in anger and disgust and tells us this...
I gave you a birthright of freedom born in the Constitution and now your children graduate too illiterate to read it. I fought in the snow barefoot to give you the freedom to vote and you stay at home because it rains.
I left my family destitute to give you the freedom of speech and you remain silent on critical issues, because it might be bad for business. I orphaned my children to give you a government to serve you and it has stolen democracy from the people.
It's the soldier not the reporter who gives you the freedom of the press. It's the soldier not the poet who gives you the freedom of speech. It's the soldier not the campus organizer who allows you to demonstrate. It's the soldier who salutes the flag, serves the flag, whose coffin is draped with the flag that allows the protester to burn the flag!!!
"Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. I ask this in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Amen."
Saturday, May 28, 2005
Let Freedom Reign in Lebanon
For the first time in decades, Lebanon is holding elections free of Syrian domination.
From AP:
Lebanon's long-awaited legislative elections — which begin Sunday in Beirut and in other regions over the following three Sundays — are seen as a chance to seal the end of Syria's political dominance after the last of its forces left in April.
Interior Minister Hassan Sabei promised "free and fair elections with complete neutrality by the state."
...The election will be the first without foreign forces since the pre-civil war Parliament was elected in 1972, three years before the 15-year conflict erupted.
The polls are open in Lebanon. Syria is gone, and freedom is on the march!
From AP:
Lebanon's long-awaited legislative elections — which begin Sunday in Beirut and in other regions over the following three Sundays — are seen as a chance to seal the end of Syria's political dominance after the last of its forces left in April.
Interior Minister Hassan Sabei promised "free and fair elections with complete neutrality by the state."
...The election will be the first without foreign forces since the pre-civil war Parliament was elected in 1972, three years before the 15-year conflict erupted.
The polls are open in Lebanon. Syria is gone, and freedom is on the march!
Frank Rich Drivel
Why do I read this guy's column? Am I a masochist?
Sometimes, I find the inanity of his ramblings amusing. Sometimes, I marvel that the New York Times has him on the payroll. Other times, his columns make me angry. This is definitely one of those times.
In his May 29 piece, "Ground Zero Is So Over," Rich resorts to outright lies in order to get his hate-filled message across. It's as if he occupies an entirely different universe. He is so far to the left that I think it must be an act. Spewing the ultra-liberal line is his meal ticket. He can't really believe the things he writes. Does anyone buy his drivel? The scary thing is some people do.
What's really disgusting about this particular column is that he accuses President Bush and the Republicans of exploiting ground zero for political purposes, when Rich is actually the one using it to further his fringe leftist agenda.
Rich claims "ground zero was tossed aside like a fading mistress" after the election. He cites the 1,776-foot Freedom Tower as pure unadulterated farce and concludes that this is a metaphor for the war in Iraq.
Rich writes:
But what has most separated America from the old exigencies of 9/11 - and therefore from the fate of ground zero - is, at long last, the decoupling of the war on terror from the war on Iraq. The myth fostered by the administration that Saddam Hussein conspired in the 9/11 attacks is finally dead and so, apparently, is the parallel myth that Iraqis were among that day's hijackers. Our initial, post-9/11 war against Al Qaeda - the swift and decisive victory over the Taliban - is now seen as both a discrete event and ancient history (as is the hope of nailing Osama bin Laden dead or alive); Afghanistan itself has fallen off the American radar screen except as a site for burgeoning poppy production and the deaths of detainees in American custody. In its place stands only the war in Iraq, which is increasingly seen as an add-on to the war provoked by 9/11 and whose unpopularity grows by the day.
The guy is completely misrepresenting the facts. The Bush administration didn't foster a myth that Saddam Hussein was part of the 9/11 attacks. The left has fostered the myth that Bush made that connection. He very clearly did not.
What high-ranking White House official ever said that Iraqis were among the hijackers? NO ONE DID. EVER. We knew within days the identities of the hijackers. There names were made public. What is Rich talking about? Rich creates myths about people creating myths. Why? Because his pretend world fits his conceptions about Bush as the true evil-doer. Reality presents a different picture, one the leftist elite don't like to admit exists. Bush is not the evil one in the real world.
I believe Rich's claim that "Afghanistan itself has fallen off the American radar screen" is enough evidence to have him certified insane. Where was Rich when the rest of us were following Laura Bush's travels there a week ago? Where was Rich when Afghan President Karzai visited Washington? It was just a couple of days ago.
Here's Rich's problem: Afghanistan has fallen off HIS radar screen. In addition, only Rich and his fellow libs operated under the goofy Saddam Hussein myths he claims Bush perpetuated.
Reality and Frank Rich don't mix well.
Sometimes, I find the inanity of his ramblings amusing. Sometimes, I marvel that the New York Times has him on the payroll. Other times, his columns make me angry. This is definitely one of those times.
In his May 29 piece, "Ground Zero Is So Over," Rich resorts to outright lies in order to get his hate-filled message across. It's as if he occupies an entirely different universe. He is so far to the left that I think it must be an act. Spewing the ultra-liberal line is his meal ticket. He can't really believe the things he writes. Does anyone buy his drivel? The scary thing is some people do.
What's really disgusting about this particular column is that he accuses President Bush and the Republicans of exploiting ground zero for political purposes, when Rich is actually the one using it to further his fringe leftist agenda.
Rich claims "ground zero was tossed aside like a fading mistress" after the election. He cites the 1,776-foot Freedom Tower as pure unadulterated farce and concludes that this is a metaphor for the war in Iraq.
Rich writes:
But what has most separated America from the old exigencies of 9/11 - and therefore from the fate of ground zero - is, at long last, the decoupling of the war on terror from the war on Iraq. The myth fostered by the administration that Saddam Hussein conspired in the 9/11 attacks is finally dead and so, apparently, is the parallel myth that Iraqis were among that day's hijackers. Our initial, post-9/11 war against Al Qaeda - the swift and decisive victory over the Taliban - is now seen as both a discrete event and ancient history (as is the hope of nailing Osama bin Laden dead or alive); Afghanistan itself has fallen off the American radar screen except as a site for burgeoning poppy production and the deaths of detainees in American custody. In its place stands only the war in Iraq, which is increasingly seen as an add-on to the war provoked by 9/11 and whose unpopularity grows by the day.
The guy is completely misrepresenting the facts. The Bush administration didn't foster a myth that Saddam Hussein was part of the 9/11 attacks. The left has fostered the myth that Bush made that connection. He very clearly did not.
What high-ranking White House official ever said that Iraqis were among the hijackers? NO ONE DID. EVER. We knew within days the identities of the hijackers. There names were made public. What is Rich talking about? Rich creates myths about people creating myths. Why? Because his pretend world fits his conceptions about Bush as the true evil-doer. Reality presents a different picture, one the leftist elite don't like to admit exists. Bush is not the evil one in the real world.
I believe Rich's claim that "Afghanistan itself has fallen off the American radar screen" is enough evidence to have him certified insane. Where was Rich when the rest of us were following Laura Bush's travels there a week ago? Where was Rich when Afghan President Karzai visited Washington? It was just a couple of days ago.
Here's Rich's problem: Afghanistan has fallen off HIS radar screen. In addition, only Rich and his fellow libs operated under the goofy Saddam Hussein myths he claims Bush perpetuated.
Reality and Frank Rich don't mix well.
BITING THE HAND THAT FEEDS
Trent Reznor
Nine Inch Nails drops MTV show over image of Bush
May 27, 2005 — LOS ANGELES (Reuters)
The rock band Nine Inch Nails said on Friday it canceled plans to appear on next week's MTV Movie Awards after the network questioned the band's plans to perform in front of an image of President Bush.
The band was slated to perform "The Hand That Feeds," the first single from its latest album.
A Los Angeles Times review called the song "a warning against blind acceptance of authority, including that of a president leading his nation to war."
"We were set to perform 'The Hand That Feeds' with an unmolested, straightforward image of George W. Bush as the backdrop. Apparently, the image of our president is as offensive to MTV as it is to me," Nine Inch Nails' leader Trent Reznor said in a statement posted on the band's Web site.
MTV said in a statement: "While we respect Nine Inch Nails' point of view, we were uncomfortable with their performance being built around a partisan political statement. When we discussed our discomfort with the band, their choice was to unfortunately pull out of the Movie Awards."
MTV has shown remarkably and unusually good judgment in this case.
Trent Reznor's comment indicates that he wanted to use the forum to bash Bush. He seems to think that because the planned backdrop image would be "unmolested," such a blatant partisan statement during an MTV Movie Awards broadcast would be acceptable. In other words, since the picture wouldn't depict Bush with Hitler's mustache or devil horns, it would be fair and unobjectionable.
If the broadcast was slated for NBC, the Bush backdrop no doubt would have been admissible.
Nine Inch Nails
"The Hand That Feeds" --lyrics
You're keeping in step
In the line
Got your chin held high and you feel just fine
Because you do
What you're told
But inside your heart it is black and it's hollow and it's cold
Just how deep do you believe?
Will you bite the hand that feeds?
Will you chew until it bleeds?
Can you get up off your knees?
Are you brave enough to see?
Do you want to change it?
What if this whole crusade's
A charade
And behind it all there's a price to be paid
For the blood
On which we dine
Justified in the name of the holy and the divine
Just how deep do you believe?
Will you bite the hand that feeds?
Will you chew until it bleeds?
Can you get up off your knees?
Are you brave enough to see?
Do you want to change it?
So naive
I keep holding on to what I want to believe
I can see
But I keep holding on and on and on and on
Will you bite the hand that feeds you?
Will you stay down on your knees? [8X]
With this song, Nine Inch Nails seems to have the men and women of our military in its crosshairs along with Bush. Way to support the troops!
It's ironic that in places like Afghanistan and Iraq, prior to our involvement, a person would have his tongue cut out for saying anything remotely like what NIN freely voices. The tyrannical regimes that were in power there did not allow such freedom of expression. That's changed now.
Our military has fought bravely to get the oppressed people of Afghanistan and Iraq off their knees.
Trent Reznor can't seem to grasp that.
Spare Us, Senator McCain
Not again!
From the New York Times:
McCain Urging Accord on Bolton and Secret Documents
WASHINGTON, May 27 - One of John R. Bolton's leading Republican backers, Senator John McCain of Arizona, signaled his support on Friday for a compromise in which the White House might allow Senate leaders access to highly classified documents in return for a final vote early next month on Mr. Bolton's nomination as United Nations ambassador.
The conciliatory signal from Mr. McCain came as Senate leaders traded blame over who was responsible for the miscalculation that led to Mr. Bolton's nomination being blocked Thursday. But the White House showed no sign that the Bush administration might change course.
"The Democrats who are clamoring for this have already voted against John Bolton," Scott McClellan, the White House spokesman, said in a telephone interview. "This is about partisan politics, not documents. They have the information they need."
Appearing on the Fox News Channel, McCain said, "I think that we can resolve this over the recess and get this thing done and get John Bolton to work. I'm sorry there is going to be a delay."
...Mr. McCain's comments on Friday suggested that he might once again see himself as playing a broker's role, though he did not say what he believed a compromise might entail.
I'm not surprised that McCain wants to grab the spotlight and claim responsibility for working with those on both sides of the aisle. He wants to build on that role in preparation for his 2008 presidential run.
However, any Republican senator willing to follow McCain's lead should be wary. That blew up in the faces of six of McCain's colleagues on Thursday.
Another interesting tidbit from this article involves Frist and Reid and how the Dems managed to filibuster Bolton.
A senior aide to Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, the majority leader, said Friday that Dr. Frist was told by Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, his Democratic counterpart, on Wednesday that enough Democrats would join Republicans to invoke "cloture," allowing a final vote on Mr. Bolton.
The aide, who would speak only without being identified when discussing conversations between the two leaders, also said Dr. Frist had intervened with the administration to try to get an intelligence briefing that would satisfy opponents of the nomination.
Jim Manley, a spokesman for Mr. Reid, said the Democratic leader had not provided such specific guidance about a vote count
On Thursday afternoon, both sides agree, Mr. Reid and other Democrats warned Republicans that critics of Mr. Bolton had made headway and could potentially block a vote.
Republicans say it was then too late to pull back the nomination vote, and the embarrassing defeat was the result. While Dr. Frist was being criticized for his handling of the nomination, a fellow Republican said the fault also lay with Mr. Reid.
Naturally, the NYT calls the defeat to invoke cloture an embarrassment for Republicans. Far more than making Republicans look bad, I think it shows the under-handedness of the Dems. It shows they aren't trustworthy. They are backstabbers, and unwilling to work with Republicans. This would be an embarrassment for Dems if they had any sense of shame.
In effect, the Dems prove themselves to be obstructionists through their deceitful behavior.
McCain proves himself to be an opportunistic, double-dealing disgrace as a Senator.
Sheik Taj El Din al-Hilaly
On the heels of news that Akihiko Saito is dead, efforts to determine the condition of Australian hostage Douglas Wood and secure his release continue.
AP reports:
Cleric offers to swap places with Wood
Australia's mufti also asks militants for updated video to show Alamo hostage is still alive
CANBERRA, Australia — A senior Muslim cleric is offering to swap places with an Australian hostage held in Iraq, the sheiks spokesman said Thursday.
Douglas Wood, a 63-year-old engineer who lives in Alamo when he's not working abroad, was abducted earlier this month by a militant group calling itself the Shura Council of the Mujahedeen of Iraq.
Australia's mufti, Sheik Taj El Din al-Hilaly, flew to Iraq to negotiate his release and last week reported having a telephone conversation with an Australian he believed to be Wood who said he was well.
The sheik has offered to swap places with Wood, who suffers from a serious heart condition, in a statement expected to be broadcast on Middle Eastern television, spokesman Keysar Trad said.
For the mufti of Australia to make that offer — its certainly a very attractive offer to any group, to hold a very prominent person and let their captive free so he can seek medical treatment, Trad told Nine Network television.
They promised to set him free before without these conditions but the muftis now trying to force their hand and trying to get them to make a move and release Mr. Wood, he said.
...Ikebal Patel, treasurer of the Muslim group Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, said the sheik was not concerned for his safety in becoming a hostage.
He is very respected in the Middle, Patel told Nine Network. He has done a lot of good work in the last two weeks in Iraq and we feel that that will carry him through.
____________________________
Clearly, negotiating with the Shura Council of the Mujahideen of Iraq is a difficult task.
As they play their games, a civilian and his loved ones suffer.
The Wood family has offered to give the group holding Mr. Wood a generous charitable contribution to help the Iraqi people.
A Muslim cleric has offered himself up to take the place of the ailing Mr. Wood.
Isn't that more than enough?
Do these terrorists really think they are helping their cause? I don't get their logic. That's most likely because they aren't using any.
AP reports:
Cleric offers to swap places with Wood
Australia's mufti also asks militants for updated video to show Alamo hostage is still alive
CANBERRA, Australia — A senior Muslim cleric is offering to swap places with an Australian hostage held in Iraq, the sheiks spokesman said Thursday.
Douglas Wood, a 63-year-old engineer who lives in Alamo when he's not working abroad, was abducted earlier this month by a militant group calling itself the Shura Council of the Mujahedeen of Iraq.
Australia's mufti, Sheik Taj El Din al-Hilaly, flew to Iraq to negotiate his release and last week reported having a telephone conversation with an Australian he believed to be Wood who said he was well.
The sheik has offered to swap places with Wood, who suffers from a serious heart condition, in a statement expected to be broadcast on Middle Eastern television, spokesman Keysar Trad said.
For the mufti of Australia to make that offer — its certainly a very attractive offer to any group, to hold a very prominent person and let their captive free so he can seek medical treatment, Trad told Nine Network television.
They promised to set him free before without these conditions but the muftis now trying to force their hand and trying to get them to make a move and release Mr. Wood, he said.
...Ikebal Patel, treasurer of the Muslim group Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, said the sheik was not concerned for his safety in becoming a hostage.
He is very respected in the Middle, Patel told Nine Network. He has done a lot of good work in the last two weeks in Iraq and we feel that that will carry him through.
____________________________
Clearly, negotiating with the Shura Council of the Mujahideen of Iraq is a difficult task.
As they play their games, a civilian and his loved ones suffer.
The Wood family has offered to give the group holding Mr. Wood a generous charitable contribution to help the Iraqi people.
A Muslim cleric has offered himself up to take the place of the ailing Mr. Wood.
Isn't that more than enough?
Do these terrorists really think they are helping their cause? I don't get their logic. That's most likely because they aren't using any.
Ansar al-Sunnah Army Killed Akihiko Saito
Hironobu Saito, the younger brother of Japanese man Akihiko Saito
From the Guardian:
Japanese Man Says Brother Killed in Iraq
TOKYO (AP) - A Japanese man confirmed Saturday that his older brother, a security worker kidnapped in Iraq, was the dead man shown on an extremist Islamic militant group's Web site, an official said. Iraqi authorities immediately condemned the killing.
..."I've looked at the images and confirmed that it is my elder brother. At that point, I told Japanese police and the Foreign Ministry," Saito's younger brother, Hironobu, said in a statement released through the municipal government office in Chiba city, east of Tokyo.
In the first official confirmation of Saito's slaying, the Iraqi government said Saturday that efforts to secure Saito's release had failed. A spokesman, Rasha Ali, said the government's sources had confirmed the death.
"The Iraqi Minister of National Security, Abdul Karim al-Inizi, condemned the assassination of the Japanese hostage by his abductors," the government said in a statement.
...On Saturday, Japan's Foreign Ministry said it needed physical evidence - such as DNA or dental samples from Saito's body - to confirm the man's death. But a ministry official said the body was "very likely" Saito's, after his brother and employer, Britain's Hart Security Ltd., saw the pictures and had called the ministry with verification. Japanese police reached a similar conclusion, he said.
"From these pieces of information ... we have no choice but to think that it's Mr. Saito," the official said on condition of anonymity.
"However, we cannot confirm that just by looking at the Web site. As to the whereabouts of Mr. Saito, we still cannot confirm that," he said, adding that Tokyo was continuing its efforts.
...Earlier Saturday, Hironobu Saito had urged the country not to link the likelihood of his brother's death to the humanitarian mission in Iraq.
"Please don't view my brother as a representative of Japan in Iraq," Hironobu Saito said.
_______________________________
Earlier this month, a man who worked with Saito at Hart in Baghdad and who survived the ambush desribed Saito as bleeding massively after being shot. He told Japanese officials he believed it was unlikely that he could have survived.
Although there is no information to confirm that Saito was never being held hostage, that he actually died from his wounds, the Ansar al-Sunnah Army claimed he was alive and in their custody.
What sort of animals kill a civilian and then allow his family to hold out hope that he may still be alive?
I'm glad the Iraqi government condemned the killing.
Now let's see the Arab streets fill with protestors condemning Saito's death and the brutality of the Ansar al-Sunnah Army.
Hironobu Saito had asked that no one connect his brother to Japan's humanitarian mission in Iraq. He was a civilian worker, not a Japanese representative.
Do you hear the outrage of the Arab world, swelling up in the Arab street? The silence is deafening.
My prayers go out to the family of Akihiko Saito, as well as the families of individuals being held hostage in Iraq.
Friday, May 27, 2005
Crane Guy Drama Ends
From AP:
Atlanta Crane Standoff Ends
Saturday, May 28, 2005
ATLANTA — A homicide suspect who spent 56 hours perched on an 18-story construction crane was in custody early Saturday after police climbed the structure and arrested him, authorities said.
"Apparently, he was thirsty," said Atlanta police Sgt. John Quigley.
The man, identified as Carl Edward Roland, got onto the crane around 5 p.m. Wednesday and told police he was thinking of killing himself by jumping, police spokesman Sgt. John Quigley said.
Roland is wanted by the Pinellas County, Fla., sheriff's department in the death of ex-girlfriend Jennifer L. Gonzalez, 36, whose body found Tuesday. An arrest warrant affidavit accuses Roland of strangling Gonzalez and dumping her body in a pond behind the apartment complex where she lived.
So, Roland got thirsty.
Police had previously offered him food and water, but he refused.
Note to alleged murderers: If during a standoff with police you are cornered on an 18-story construction crane and they offer you hydration, accept it.
Atlanta Crane Standoff Ends
Saturday, May 28, 2005
ATLANTA — A homicide suspect who spent 56 hours perched on an 18-story construction crane was in custody early Saturday after police climbed the structure and arrested him, authorities said.
"Apparently, he was thirsty," said Atlanta police Sgt. John Quigley.
The man, identified as Carl Edward Roland, got onto the crane around 5 p.m. Wednesday and told police he was thinking of killing himself by jumping, police spokesman Sgt. John Quigley said.
Roland is wanted by the Pinellas County, Fla., sheriff's department in the death of ex-girlfriend Jennifer L. Gonzalez, 36, whose body found Tuesday. An arrest warrant affidavit accuses Roland of strangling Gonzalez and dumping her body in a pond behind the apartment complex where she lived.
So, Roland got thirsty.
Police had previously offered him food and water, but he refused.
Note to alleged murderers: If during a standoff with police you are cornered on an 18-story construction crane and they offer you hydration, accept it.
The DeWine Dispatch
How did the judicial filibuster compromise come about?
One scenario that's being floated came out on Britt Hume's show on Thursday.
Rush Limbaugh explained it this way:
Major Garrett reported that he was told by senior Republican sources that Senators DeWine and Graham were dispatched by Senator Frist and the White House to cut the best possible deal on judges. You understand this? Fox reported that Mike DeWine and Lindsey Graham were sent to that meeting chaired by McCain and Warner, by Frist and the White House, to cut the best possible deal on the judges. Now, if that were true, it would mean that Frist admitted he didn't have the votes. "Get your ass over there, make a deal, Lindsey. Get over there, Senator Graham and Senator DeWine and make a deal." So I said, "Okay." This was the first bit of spin that I had been treated to since this all happened, so I decided to check into it, and to the best of my ability to check in and verify this, it seems that this assertion is false. It seems that it is totally false.
This story makes no sense to me.
If at the behest of the White House, Frist sent DeWine and Graham out to cut a deal, why would Frist repeatedly have distanced himself from the agreement? At the very least, he wouldn't be opposing it so vehemently.
More telling, does anyone believe that Frist is a good enough actor to pull off such a scheme?
The clincher: Would Frist be willing to let McCain, the obstacle in the way of his presidential aspirations, take credit for a compromise? No way.
One scenario that's being floated came out on Britt Hume's show on Thursday.
Rush Limbaugh explained it this way:
Major Garrett reported that he was told by senior Republican sources that Senators DeWine and Graham were dispatched by Senator Frist and the White House to cut the best possible deal on judges. You understand this? Fox reported that Mike DeWine and Lindsey Graham were sent to that meeting chaired by McCain and Warner, by Frist and the White House, to cut the best possible deal on the judges. Now, if that were true, it would mean that Frist admitted he didn't have the votes. "Get your ass over there, make a deal, Lindsey. Get over there, Senator Graham and Senator DeWine and make a deal." So I said, "Okay." This was the first bit of spin that I had been treated to since this all happened, so I decided to check into it, and to the best of my ability to check in and verify this, it seems that this assertion is false. It seems that it is totally false.
This story makes no sense to me.
If at the behest of the White House, Frist sent DeWine and Graham out to cut a deal, why would Frist repeatedly have distanced himself from the agreement? At the very least, he wouldn't be opposing it so vehemently.
More telling, does anyone believe that Frist is a good enough actor to pull off such a scheme?
The clincher: Would Frist be willing to let McCain, the obstacle in the way of his presidential aspirations, take credit for a compromise? No way.
Akihiko Saito
From Japan Today:
Iraq militant group says Saito died after being injured in shooting
Saturday, May 28, 2005 at 11:45 JST
CAIRO — The Ansar al-Sunnah Army has said Akihiko Saito, a Japanese security consultant who has been missing in Iraq since the Sunni militant group ambushed a convoy he was riding in earlier this month, died after being injured in a shooting.
The group has posted on its website an image of a man on his back covered in blood, whom it claims is Saito, along with an image of his passport.
The image was contained in a four-minute video message on the website. The message said Saito died from injuries after being shot many times, and a subtitle warned people against working with U.S. troops.
Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura told reporters after seeing the image that the Foreign Ministry could not tell whether it belongs to Saito.
Saito's employer, Hart Security Ltd, said Saturday it could not confirm the identity of the man shown in the video. Saito had worked in Iraq for the British security firm, based in Cyprus, since last December.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi asked his aides in the morning to gather information to determine if the image is Saito's, government officials said.
...The militant group said on May 9 that it had captured Saito, 44, after ambushing a convoy of 17 people, including him, near Hit, western Iraq, in early May.
For nearly three weeks, the Ansar al-Sunnah Army claimed they were holding Akihiko Saito hostage.
Now, they are saying he died of injuries from the ambush. Who knows what the truth is?
My heart breaks for Saito's loved ones. They still have no definitive answers. The uncertainty must be unbearable for them.
It sickens me that militant groups like the Ansar al-Sunnah Army prey on innocent civilians like Saito.
It also sickens me that the Arab world becomes outraged and violent over a "story" about the desecration of the Koran, but doesn't express similar outrage over the kidnapping and killing of human beings.
When was the last time you saw a demonstration in the Middle East to protest the kidnapping of an innocent, defenseless person by terrorists?
Never.
Iraq militant group says Saito died after being injured in shooting
Saturday, May 28, 2005 at 11:45 JST
CAIRO — The Ansar al-Sunnah Army has said Akihiko Saito, a Japanese security consultant who has been missing in Iraq since the Sunni militant group ambushed a convoy he was riding in earlier this month, died after being injured in a shooting.
The group has posted on its website an image of a man on his back covered in blood, whom it claims is Saito, along with an image of his passport.
The image was contained in a four-minute video message on the website. The message said Saito died from injuries after being shot many times, and a subtitle warned people against working with U.S. troops.
Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura told reporters after seeing the image that the Foreign Ministry could not tell whether it belongs to Saito.
Saito's employer, Hart Security Ltd, said Saturday it could not confirm the identity of the man shown in the video. Saito had worked in Iraq for the British security firm, based in Cyprus, since last December.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi asked his aides in the morning to gather information to determine if the image is Saito's, government officials said.
...The militant group said on May 9 that it had captured Saito, 44, after ambushing a convoy of 17 people, including him, near Hit, western Iraq, in early May.
For nearly three weeks, the Ansar al-Sunnah Army claimed they were holding Akihiko Saito hostage.
Now, they are saying he died of injuries from the ambush. Who knows what the truth is?
My heart breaks for Saito's loved ones. They still have no definitive answers. The uncertainty must be unbearable for them.
It sickens me that militant groups like the Ansar al-Sunnah Army prey on innocent civilians like Saito.
It also sickens me that the Arab world becomes outraged and violent over a "story" about the desecration of the Koran, but doesn't express similar outrage over the kidnapping and killing of human beings.
When was the last time you saw a demonstration in the Middle East to protest the kidnapping of an innocent, defenseless person by terrorists?
Never.
EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCE PURGATORY
Since the Democrats voted against cloture on the Bolton nomination, the MSM has had to come up with some entertaining euphemisms for that move.
Among my favorites:
"Procedural delay"
"Forced postponement"
"Failed Republican effort to cut off debate"
Reid and the MSM can spin for eternity and that won't change the fact that the Dems voted to FILIBUSTER the Bolton nomination yesterday.
The Gang of Fourteen look like utter fools. Make that the Republican Gang of Seven. They were duped.
On Monday night, Lindsey Graham was basking in the afterglow of being one of the moderates that saved the country.
An excerpt from the statement he released:
"With better communication and a spirit of putting the country ahead of ourselves, I believe we can avoid future filibusters.
"We are a nation at war which desperately needs a functioning Senate. Our men and women in harms way deserve Senators with personal courage and respect fo the institution. They are risking their lives to defend our freedom and those of us in the Senate should have the courage to put the welfare of the country ahead of our own personal political interests. That's the least we should do."
Either Graham must believe the future doesn't go beyond 72 hours or he was dead wrong.
John McCain was all over TV, acting like he had been coronated the King of the
Senate, after putting together that "memorandum of understanding."
This was to be the dawn of a new era, a spirit of agreement. The fourteen moderates had pulled the Senate back from the precipice. They were the heroes.
All of their self-congratulatory crowing looks even more ridiculous in retrospect.
The reality is the Gang of Fourteen hijacked power from the Republican majority.
Of the seven moderate Democrats, only two voted to invoke cloture on the Bolton nomination, Mary Landrieu and Mark Pryor.
Robert Byrd, Joe Lieberman, Ben Nelson, and Ken Salazar all voted to filibuster. Daniel Inouye didn't vote at all.
If not for the seven Republican defectors, Dems would not be holding the Senate hostage right now.
When asked whether the Dems' vote to filibuster Bolton had undermined the new spirit of agreement, Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas remarked with anger, "Well, John Bolton is in extraordinary-circumstance purgatory right now."
Thanks to John McCain, Lincoln Chafee, Susan Collins, Mike DeWine, Lindsey Graham, John Warner, and Olympia Snowe there was a power grab in the Senate, by the minority party.
The Republicans find themselves in EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCE PURGATORY.
Dear Mr. Zucker
The text of Tom DeLay's letter to NBC:
May 26, 2005
Jeff Zucker
President
NBC Universal Television Group
30 Rockefeller Plaza New York, NY 10012
Dear Mr. Zucker,
It was with grave concern I learned this morning of the disturbing misuse of my name on last night's episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
In the episode, a police officer investigating the murder of a federal judge suggested "put[ting] out an APB for somebody in a Tom DeLay t-shirt."
This manipulation of my name and trivialization of the sensitive issue of judicial security represents a reckless disregard for the suffering initiated by recent tragedies and a great disservice to public discourse.
I can only assume last night's slur was in response to comments I have made in the past about the need for Congress to closely monitor the federal judiciary, as prescribed in our constitutional system of checks and balances.
I have explained all such comments - even those inartfully made and taken out of context - on numerous occasions, including with representatives of your network.
When a responsible journalist like Brit Hume made an inquiry into such comments, he quickly understood them to be limited to Congress's oversight responsibilities and nothing more.
American judges and law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day to protect our streets, our citizens, and our way of life.
To equate legitimate constitutional inquiry into the role of our courts with a threat of violence against our judges is to equate the First Amendment with terrorism.
Our constitution created and our people have a right to an independent judiciary, but millions of Americans in recent decades have grown concerned about the expansion of judicial independence into judicial supremacy.
To compare such concerns, which, again, are shared by millions of Americans, to a violent crime is a reckless trivialization of a serious public issue.
Last night's brazen lack of judgment represents a failure of stewardship of our public airwaves and as much evidence as anyone needs for the embarrassing state of the mainstream media's credibility.
Sincerely,
Tom DeLay
_______________________________
I think DeLay is completely justified in being ticked off with NBC.
President of NBC Entertainment Kevin Reilly and Dick Wolf, creator of the various Law & Order incarnations, showed no remorse whatsoever for what I believe was, in DeLay's words, a "brazen lack of judgment."
That lack of remorse sets NBC's anti-DeLay, anti-Bush, anti-Republican, anti-conservative agenda in cement.
David Rosen Acquitted
From AP:
LOS ANGELES — The former national finance director for Hillary Rodham Clinton's Senate campaign was acquitted Friday of lying to the government about a lavish 2000 Hollywood fundraising gala.
David Rosen was charged with two counts of making false statements to the Federal Election Commission about the cost of the star-studded gala, which attracted such celebrities as Cher, Melissa Ethridge, Toni Braxton, Diana Ross, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston.
The jury deliberated about six hours before reaching its verdict.
"It was hard for me to hold back tears. My whole family is crying, and my attorney is crying. It was the happiest moment, next to my marriage, in my life," Rosen said.
...Prosecutors say Rosen was trying to duck federal financing rules so Clinton's campaign would have more money to spend on her 2000 Senate race against Rick Lazio.
...Rosen testified that he mistakenly thought some in-kind contributions, including the Porsche he used while in Los Angeles to organize the event, were simply gifts.
"If I executed poor judgment in that decision, I made a mistake, but I certainly didn't intend to hide anything," he testified.
Picture the heart-warming scene, everyone so emotional, crying tears of joy.
"Executed poor judgment." Didn't Bill Clinton say something like that when he addressed the nation to admit that he had been lying to friends, family, collegues, and the American public about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky?
I'm not surprised that Rosen was the national finance director for Hillary's senate campaign. He was a perfect fit for the Clintons.
He plays like one of those incredibly naive, befuddled, disorganized, Sandy Berger types. With Peter Paul around, a convicted felon, it was easy for Rosen to pass the buck and claim innocence.
I don't think Rosen is naive. The LA jury is another story.
Crane Guy
By now, everyone is familiar with drama going on in Atlanta. Carl Edward Roland, the "crane guy," took up residence on a crane at a construction site in the Buckhead section of Atlanta on Thursday. Roland is a suspect in the murder of Jennifer Gonzalez of Oldsmar, his ex-girlfriend.
Since about 4:30 on Wednesday, Roland has been perched on the crane's boom. He has disrupted traffic in Atlanta's busy Buckhead business district, while resisting all efforts by authorities and friends and family to talk him down off the crane.
Enough is enough.
The guy is an "alleged" murderer. The efforts to save him resemble attempts to negotiate with a troubled suicidal person, rather than the suspected killer of Jennifer Gonzalez. Police offered him food and water, which he refused. He did take a jacket they gave him when temperatures dropped at night.
It sounds hard-hearted, but--
Why the sympathy? Roland is not a little girl trapped after falling down a well.
Authorities say Roland strangled Gonzalez, leaving her body in a retention pond near her apartment. He had no mercy for her.
This game needs to end now.
I hope Amnesty International and the International Red Cross is taking note of how suspected criminals are treated in the United States.
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