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Zman
06-01-2007, 11:31 PM
:sl:/Peace To All

Firstly, as brother Muezzin advised in another thread (creating a thread that is exclusively dedicated to non-Muslim terrorism), this threads title is "terror attacks in the EU," but, with the mods permission, I'd like this thread to be a bit more general and encompassing than others.

Meaning: this thread should include all terror attacks that were perpetrated by non-Muslims "Globally", whether they be individuals, groups, organizations, and governments (against their people or other nations), that were under-reported or not reported in the corporate media.

The threads title is Just one example of terror attacks that are committed regionally, specifically in the EU, but there are much more attacks committed around the world by people of other faiths.

And it is in my humble opinion, that they should also be included here.

Jazakum Allah Khair, in advance...


500 Terror Attacks In The EU In 2006, Only 1 Is By Islamists

April 11, 2007
Der Spiegel

There were almost 500 acts of terrorism across the European Union in 2006 -- but only one, the foiled suitcase bomb plot in Germany, was related to Islamist terror, a new EU report reveals. Meanwhile the trial of one of the main suspects in the German plot has been adjourned in Lebanon.

Almost all the terrorist attacks in the European Union in 2006 were unrelated to Islamist terror, a new report reveals -- but the potential impact of an attack aimed at mass casualties made Islamist terrorism a top priority for European investigators nonetheless.

According to a report released Tuesday by Europol, the European Union's law enforcement organization, 498 attacks were carried out in the EU in 2006.

Of them, only one -- the failed suitcase bomb attacks in Germany -- was perpetrated by Islamist terrorists.

The vast majority of terrorist attacks were carried out by separatist terror groups targeting France and Spain. Almost all attacks "resulted only in material damage and were not intended to kill," the report's authors write.

However, Islamist attacks such as the German plot and the foiled airplane mass bomb attacks in the United Kingdom were aimed at mass casualities, the report points out. As a result, "investigations into Islamist terrorism are clearly a priority for member states' law enforcement," the report writes.

Half of the 706 terrorism-related arrests made in 2006 were related to Islamist terrorism, with France, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands having the highest number of arrests of Islamist terrorist suspects.

A small number of attacks by left-wing and anarchist terror groups were also carried out in Germany, Greece, Italy and Spain.

The report concluded that France, Spain and the UK are the EU member states "most severely affected" by terrorism.

...Meanwhile a new report by the UK-based think tank the Oxford Research Group has warned that British and American policy towards Iraq has "spawned new terror in the region."

The report, "Beyond Terror: The Truth About the Real Threats to Our World," said that the ongoing war on terror and particularly the war in Iraq were increasing the risk of future terrorist attacks on the scale of those of Sept. 11, 2001.

"Treating Iraq as part of the war on terror ... created a combat training zone for jihadists," it said, and also warned that any military intervention in Iran would be "disastrous."

The report added that the United States is "increasingly viewed as the greatest threat to world peace."

Source:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/...476599,00.html
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Muezzin
06-02-2007, 02:34 PM
Approved, but if it just becomes a platform for insulting... well, everyone knows the drill.
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Zman
06-02-2007, 02:44 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Muezzin
Approved, but if it just becomes a platform for insulting... well, everyone knows the drill.
:sl:

Jazakum Allah Khair for the approval.

Insha Allah, all members will cooperate and only post informative material.

No insults, mockery nor disrespecting other members, please...
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Woodrow
06-02-2007, 02:49 PM
I strongly believe that terrorism is like a religion of it's own. A terroist is a terrorist is a terrorist. A terrorist may call himself a Muslim, Jew, Christian, Hindu, Sikh etc. But the simple fact is he is a terrorist and that supercedes what ever else he may call himself.

Terrorists exist in every country and come in all colors, sizes and shapes. The only things they share in common is an extreme selfishness and arrogance that makes them feel their acts are justified because of their own feelings.

If you are going to be killed by a terrorist the chances are that the terrorist will be a citisen of the country you live in. Here in American we need to fear our own home grown terrorists and learn to let the rest of the world handle their own terrorist within the boundries of their own borders.

The only legitimate need for any other country to be involved would be if it is a legitimate plea for humanitarian help to restore order.

We have plenty of homegrown terror groups that are going to grow in strength as we are too busy poking our noses and resources into places other than our own yards.

As Americans we should fear Mis-Guided Americans much more than we fear possible terrorists from half way across the world. I believe that is true for all nations.
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Cognescenti
06-02-2007, 03:28 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Woodrow
...
If you are going to be killed by a terrorist the chances are that the terrorist will be a citisen of the country you live in. Here in American we need to fear our own home grown terrorists and learn to let the rest of the world handle their own terrorist within the boundries of their own borders.
Woodrow;

Your first statement is demonstrably not true in the US, thought it is in Britain based on recent experience. As for the second part re. fearing "our home grown terrorists"...the Weather Underground and the Symbianese Liberation Army are all dead or in jail. Patty Hearst has been reprogrammed and McVeigh is dead. Are you then advocating a crackdown on those with Al Quaeda sympathies within the US?

In regard to "let(ing) the rest of the world handle their own terrorist(s)", we tried that for 30-40 yrs. It didn't work...they came over here.
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Cognescenti
06-02-2007, 03:35 PM
Here is the "mission statement" of the Oxford Research Group cited in the der Spiegal article.

About Us

Oxford Research Group (ORG) is an independent non-governmental organisation and registered charity, which works together with others to promote a more sustainable approach to security for the UK and the world.

Since 1982, we’ve been building trust between policy-makers, academics, the military and civil society. Along with our internationally recognised consultants, we combine detailed knowledge with an understanding of political decision-making, and many years expertise in facilitating constructive dialogue.

We were awarded the Niwano Peace Prize in 2003 for our work on the promotion of disarmament and non-violent methods for resolving conflict. In April 2005, we were named one of the top 20 think tanks in the UK by The Independent newspaper.

Our work is based on three key pillars:

Analysis

* We identify the root causes of conflict.
* We predict and warn of future threats.

Dialogue

* We foster deep listening and understanding between those who disagree.
* We bring together a broad range of expertise and opinion (political, legal, psychological, military, journalistic).

Practical steps forward

* We recommend workable policies to senior politicians.
* We publish clear, up-to-the-minute analysis for the public and policy-makers.

ORG works closely with other organisations in the UK and abroad, and is an active member of Crisis Action, the NGO Peace and Security Liaison Group, the WMD Awareness Programme, the International Relations and Security Network and the Europe-Latin America Forum.



:) I am forming a mental image of the ORG get-together on Friday night. Grilled eggplant and tofu for appetizers...perhaps some free-range goat cheese. Hemp clothing abounds. In the corner, a native Incan band plays to raise awareness of Pizarro's crimes.....


This is rich: * We foster deep listening and understanding between those who disagree.

Like we haven't heard that before.
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MTAFFI
06-02-2007, 03:39 PM
I am pretty sure this is obvious already, but I think the main difference between Muslim terrorists and other terrorist, is that you dont usually hear or read about a man who killed saying God is great or Jesus loves you. Muslims terrorist set themselves apart from other terrorist organizations because of their numbers and because of their tactics. Take the christian terrorist Eric Rudolph for example, he said that abortion clinics were wrong and bombed one, he made references to religion about abortion but he never said, he was killing on behalf of Christianity, or fighting a holy war against infidels. The Muslim terrorist pit themselves against the world, and make everyone their enemies for not sharing in their beliefs.

Good article though
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Zman
06-02-2007, 04:28 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Cognescenti
Woodrow;

Your first statement is demonstrably not true in the US, thought it is in Britain based on recent experience. As for the second part re. fearing "our home grown terrorists"...the Weather Underground and the Symbianese Liberation Army are all dead or in jail. Patty Hearst has been reprogrammed and McVeigh is dead. Are you then advocating a crackdown on those with Al Quaeda sympathies within the US?

In regard to "let(ing) the rest of the world handle their own terrorist(s)", we tried that for 30-40 yrs. It didn't work...they came over here.

Have you covered all domestic terror organizations in the U.S.? You didn't leave any out?
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Zman
06-02-2007, 04:41 PM
:sl:/Peace To All

The Original Shoe Bomber

The following is a new development in the Posada Terrorism case.

Note how he was only being charged for immigration violation, and not terrorism.

Note how the U.S. goverment has harbored, protected and refused to extradite Posada to Venezuela and/or Cuba to stand trial for his acts of terrorism during his years with the C.I.A.

What happened to Bush's: "If you harbor a terrorist, then your are complicit in their actions?"

Note the hidden explosives in the shoes & liquid explosives hidden in bottles on a plane.

Note how he is referred to as a "Militant," and not as a "Terrorist."

Note how WE DO Deal WITH TERRORISTS.

Note the hyporcisy and double standards.


FBI Document Sheds New Light On Posada Link To Havana Bombings

Courtesy Of: KTen

MIAMI--High explosives concealed in shoes and shampoo bottles. Thousands of dollars in wire transfers from New Jersey to a shadowy figure in Latin America. A note in a briefcase saying that "the tyrant has to be eliminated" even if innocent people also die.

An F-B-I document reveals these and other new details about the investigation of Cuban militant Luis Posada Carriles and a wave of 1997 bombings in Havana.

Posada is a 79-year-old former C-I-A operative and fierce opponent of Fidel Castro.

He is scheduled to stand trial next week in El Paso, Texas on immigration fraud charges.

Cuba and Venezuela want Posada extradited for the 1976 bombing of a Cuban airliner, but the United States has refused to send him to either country.

The federal investigation into Posada's possible role in the Havana bombings is centered on the finances allegedly provided by Cuban-American associates in New Jersey.

The probe could provide an avenue for Posada to be charged in connection with the bombings.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source:
http://www.kten.com/Global/story.asp?s=6473538
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Cognescenti
06-02-2007, 04:59 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Zman
:sl:/Peace To All

The Original Shoe Bomber

The following is a new development in the Posada Terrorism case.

Note how he was only being charged for immigration violation, and not terrorism.

Note how the U.S. goverment has harbored, protected and refused to extradite Posada to Venezuela and/or Cuba to stand trial for his acts of terrorism during his years with the C.I.A.

What happened to Bush's: "If you harbor a terrorist, then your are complicit in their actions?"

Note the hidden explosives in the shoes & liquid explosives hidden in bottles on a plane.

Note how he is referred to as a "Militant," and not as a "Terrorist."

Note how WE DO Deal WITH TERRORISTS.

Note the hyporcisy and double standards.


The guy is 79 years old. He is already being prosecuted for immigration fraud in the US. He is under Federal investigation over the Cuban allegation which dates to 1976. Allegations by our good buds the Cubans or Hugo Chavez do not constitute proof.

Seriously, is that really the best you can come up with? I do wonder how many Americans on the board here would be worried about this Posada chap. What do you want us to do...send him to G'itmo? :D
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Zman
06-02-2007, 05:06 PM
:sl:/Peace To All

Christian Terrorist Attempts Car-Bombing In Iowa

2 out of 5 Americans believe Jesus is going to come down out of the clouds sometime in the next 50 years Are you an enemy combatant?


Christian terrorist attempts car-bombing in Iowa and gets charged with 2nd-degree arson. Last week, as you may (or may not), have heard, David Robert McMenemy attempted to destroy an abortion clinic in Davenport, IA by dousing his car in gasoline and driving it through the wall of the Edgerton Women’s Health Center.

edit - It’s been brought to my attention that Mr. McMenemy drove through the front doors and not a wall. It has also been claimed by a nearby resident that the gasoline was added after crashing through the doors, although this article disputes that.

Fortunately, no one was hurt because he reconsidered lighting himself on fire for God at the last moment. And laughably, the clinic he attempted to destroy does not even perform abortions.

Schadenfreude aside, this is a terrorist act. He should be tried as a terrorist. (Perhaps we should torture him in a secret prison in case he has friends who are also planning other actions. That is our policy now, right?) Second-degree arson is ridiculous. We lock foreigners (and sometimes Americans) up indefinitely in Guantanamo Bay for the slightest possible connections to Islamic terrorism. Yet, this Christian terrorist is charged with a minor felony? Absurd!

Class C felonies, which 2nd degree arson is in Iowa, are punishable by imprisonment of not more than 10 years and a fine between $1000 and $10,000 under Iowa law. He is getting off easy just because he believes in the right make-believe super hero.

For now, you may also believe in the “correct” deity, and find yourself safe from persecution for those beliefs. But consider what happens if public opinion turns or you have a change of heart, and you find yourself in the future’s minority? As a former President said yesterday, “Democracy is about way more than majority rule. Democracy is about minority rights, individual rights, restraints on power.” Lately, we’ve had far too many failures when it comes to living up to those words.

UPDATE David McMenemy’s case has been moved to federal court. He now faces a charge of “committing arson against a business affecting interstate commerce” which carries a prison term of between five and 20 years and a fine.

Source:
http://jdallen.org/news/christian-te...mbing-in-iowa/
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Zman
06-02-2007, 05:11 PM
:sl:/Peace To All

Christian Terrorists Kill 44, Wound 118 in Attacks in Northeast India

GUWAHATI, India (AFP)
October 2, 2004

Some 44 people were killed and 118 wounded in three nearly simultaneous bomb blasts Saturday morning in Dimapur, Nagaland's commercial hub, in what a top official called the "worst ever terrorist strike" in the tiny state's history.


Gunmen in neighbouring Assam state later killed 15 villagers and injured a dozen more, police said.

"There were limbs everywhere and blood was splattered all over," said student leader T. Zheviho who was at crowded Dimapur railway station where one bomb exploded as passengers awaited a train.

Two other bombs went off in the Hong Kong market, which sells Chinese goods, and an adjacent market.

"I had a miraculous escape," Zheviho told AFP by telephone from Dimapur, 70 kilometers (45 miles) east of Nagaland capital Kohima.

Police said the plastic explosive RDX appeared to have been used in the railway blast that created a huge crater beside a platform.

"We found a briefcase with fuse wires... it contained RDX and a timer-device," V. Peseyie, Dimapur additional police chief, said.


Seventeen more people were killed in a wave of attacks in neighbouring Assam, police said.

Unidentified attackers raked shoppers with gunfire at a marketplace in Makri Jhora village, 290 kilometres (180 miles) west of Assam's main city of Guwahati, killing 11 and injuring about a dozen, police said.

The same gunmen later shot dead four more villagers in a nearby forest, police superintendent L. R. Bishnoi told AFP. Two more people were killed and 10 injured in two blasts in the Assamese district of Bongaingaon, 220 kilometres (136 miles) from Guwahati, Bishnoi said.

One person was killed and seven wounded in an earlier bomb blast in Assam.

Police also reported two other bombings in a village on the outskirts of Guwahati in which four people were injured.


There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the day of bloodshed in the insurgency-infested northeast where some 30 guerrilla groups are battling for greater autonomy or independence.

The attacks occurred as India marked the 135th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi who waged a campaign of non-violence to free the country from British rule.

"It is distressing such violence broke out on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in the capital New Delhi.

Nagaland's ill-equipped hospitals battled to treat the wounded.

"Many have multiple face and abdomen wounds. They're in a state of trauma. We're trying to cope. We've never had such a devastating emergency," said doctor T. Lotha at a private hospital in Dimapur treating blast victims.

Nagaland Chief Minister Neibhiu Rio said at least 26 people were killed in the Dimapur blasts and another 86 were in hospital. "The death toll may go up as many are in a very critical condition," he said.

"This is the worst ever terrorist strike in Nagaland. People are still dealing with the shock -- they're not yet thinking about who to blame."


Mourners crowded churches across Nagaland, which is mostly Christian, to pray for the victims.

The blasts were the second major burst of violence in the northeast since mid-August. Fifteen people, many of them children, were killed in a rebel attack on an Independence Day parade in Assam August 15 for which the United Liberation Front of Asom claimed responsibility.

The armed insurgency in Nagaland began soon after much of the local population converted to Christianity. Many militant groups, seeking to secede from India to form an independent Christian state, are funded and armed by the Southern Baptist Church.

Some of the groups such as the National Liberation Front of Tripura have been involved in a campaign of “gunpoint conversions” and “ethnic cleansing” of native non-Christians, which has left over 50,000 dead and many more refugees over the past two decades.


Original Source: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...ortheast_blast

From: http://www.stephen-knapp.com/christi...ts_kill_44.htm
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Zman
06-02-2007, 05:14 PM
:sl:/Peace To All

Palestinian Archbishop Tells Christians To Take Part In Suicide Attacks Against Israel

Hamas website (translated by IDF)
Jan 12, 2003 | Allah Hana
Posted on 01/12/2003 12:43:54 PM PST
By Johnathan RGalt

On Jan 10, 2003 the ex spokesman of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem and the Holy Land, Atta Allah Hana, praised the suicide bombings of organized Palestinian terror against Israeli citizens. He also called for the establishment of an Islamic-Christian union that will work together to foil the "American offensive" against Iraq and "to release Palestine from the river to the sea".

The following is a translation of the article as published on the official Hamas website on Jan. 11, 2003:

"He [Attah Allah Hana] indicated [at a convention in Haifa] that when his passport would be returned to him, he would stand at the head of a Christian delegation that will depart for Iraq to act as a human shield facing the American oppression of Iraq.

The spokesman of the Orthodox Church praised suicide activities carried out by Palestinians deep inside the Hebrew State [Israel] in the name of religion (Ist'sh'had).

He emphasized that 'the suicide bombers who carry out their activities in the name of religion are national [Islamic] heroes and we're proud of them. We totally reject the dubious attempts of those who protest these actions. The attackers do not commit in suicide as several claim, nor do they carry out acts of terrorism as others claim, for they are fighters against occupation. Furthermore, we support suicide activities without reservation and without regard to the claims of those who doubt and to those opposed to these heroic activities in the framework of the struggle'.

Archbishop Atta Allah Hana called on Arab and Palestinian Christians to join the struggle against the occupation by employing any means at their disposal, as they too are a part of the Palestinian population".

Note: Israeli police questioned Atta Allah Hana several months ago about his unconcealed backing of the armed Palestinian struggle against Israel. His declarations echo the wide support for suicide bombings on the Palestinian Street. Human rights organizations such as "Amnesty International" and "Human Rights Watch" defined suicide attacks as "crimes against humanity".

The following is the original copy of the article as it appears on the Hamas website:

Source:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/821425/posts
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Zman
06-02-2007, 05:27 PM
:sl:Peace To All

Roots Of Suicide Terrorism

Frontline
Volume 24 - Issue 07
Apr. 07-20, 2007
INDIA'S NATIONAL MAGAZINE
From the publishers of THE HINDU
FlonNet

By A.G. NOORANI

Nationalism, and not religious fundamentalism, drives suicide bombers, as this book shows with the help of detailed research.

A point is reached in the development of any social system where men will refuse to accept longer a burden they find too great to bear; and in that moment, if they cannot mitigate, they will at least destroy.

IT is not fashionable to quote Harold J. Laski but what he wrote in his mini-classic Communism in 1927 remains true. He did not stop at diagnosis. His prescription for justice as a precondition for legitimacy is as valid.

He proceeded immediately to add: "The condition, in fact, upon which a state may hope to endure is its capacity for making freedom more widespread and more intense. It is not easy to achieve that end. Men prefer sacrifice by others to the surrender of their own desires" - and their vested interests, he might have added.

Frantz Fanon's seminal work The Wretched of the Earth (1963) exposed the degradation of imperialism and pointed the way forward - by violence, if necessary, which helps, in turn, to heighten national consciousness and strengthens the resolve to resist and overthrow.

"The repressions, far from calling a halt to the forward rush of national consciousness, urge it on. Mass slaughter in the colonies at a certain stage of the embryonic development of consciousness increases the consciousness, for the hecatombs are an indication that between oppressors and oppressed everything can be solved by force."

In 1978 the United Nations General Assembly recognised: "the legitimacy of the struggle of peoples for independence ... from ... foreign occupation by all available means, particularly armed struggle".

Palestinian Arabs see in Israel a "foreign occupation" of a country that was theirs for centuries and was grabbed by Zionists with the help of British imperialism (1919-1948). The conquest was consolidated with the help, mainly, of American imperialism. Six decades are nothing in national consciousness, especially if a people's readiness to accept a state of their own on 22 per cent of their country is spurned with yet greater repression.

Iraqis rightly see the United States and the United Kingdom as foreign overlords. Haifa Zangana, a novelist, was formerly a prisoner of Saddam Hussein. But he loathes the imperialists who came to "liberate" Iraq. His article on the Iraqis' right to rule themselves is a documented indictment of foreign occupation and a powerful endorsement of the Iraqi resistance movement.

(The Hindu, November 21, 2005: "Thousands have been kept for more than a year without charge or trial, including the writer Muhsin al-Khafaji, who was arrested in May 2003. Women are taken as hostages by U.S. soldiers to persuade fugitive male relatives to surrender or confess to terrorist acts.")

"There were no jihadists in Iraq before we invaded," said David Benjamin, who served on Bill Clinton's National Security Council. "There are now thousands, Iraqi and foreign, and they're going to be an enduring problem because many have embraced the global jihadist agenda."

This is typical of Western comment, official, academic and in the media. They do not notice - do not wish to notice - the surge of nationalism, only "jihadism" or "fundamentalism" to which they shut their eyes when they exploited both in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union.

Jimmy Carter is denounced when he draws attention to the giant walls and fences Israel began building since 2001, cutting deep into the West Bank, grabbing more land in the process, all to defeat the suicide bomber.

But very few care to ask what it is that drives a human being to give up his own life as a contribution to a political movement.

Since Fanon wrote, the might of the modern state has increased; so have the wrongs.

Terror is the weapon of the weak against the might of the state; the suicide bomber is a terrorist whose desperation and sense of injustice are so great that he is prepared for the ultimate sacrifice.

It is disgusting to read an American columnist - toast of some New Delhi journalists - ask for a "moral surge" among the victim when he lacks the basic sense to identify the root cause of terror and the integrity and courage to denounce it.

"The Arab-Muslim village today is largely silent," he moans. But he does not pause to ask "why"? Accepting the national agenda, his concern is to denounce, not to understand.

Curiously, few in the West care to recall that Israel itself is a product of terrorism; not by the weak against the mighty but by the well-equipped, united Zionists against weak and divided Arabs.

The Hindu reported (March 6, 2006) Richard Norton-Taylor's report in The Guardian on disclosures from declassified MI5 files: Jewish terrorists planned to assassinate members of Clement Attlee's post-War British Labour government. Menachem Begin, then leader of the extremist Irgun Zvai Leumi resistance group and a future Prime Minister of Israel, had tried to trick it by having cosmetic surgery to disguise his identity.

The files include a telegram dated February 12, 1946, from Palestine saying that a reliable source claimed the Stern Gang was: "training members to go to England to assassinate members of His Majesty's Government, especially Mr. Bevin" (British Foreign Minister Ernest Bevin).

The Stern Gang, in common with Irgun, was fighting against the British Mandate of Palestine and murdered Britain's Minister Resident in the Middle East (West Asia), Lord Moyne, in Cairo in 1944.

A memo from the Officer Administering the Government of Palestine to the Secretary of State for the Colonies the following day warned: "The Stern Group have decided to assassinate both the High Commissioner and the General Officer Commanding. In addition, a number of CID officers are to be assassinated as well as police officers and any high government officials who are thought to be anti-Semitic."

In 1946, Irgun blew up the King David Hotel in Jerusalem and attacked the British embassy in Rome. A year later, MI5 received a report about a rumour that Begin had "undergone a plastic facial operation and that his appearance is totally different from that displayed on police photographs".

In 1948, Begin founded the Herut party. He was appointed Prime Minister in 1977 and was awarded the Nobel Peace prize with Egypt's President Anwar Sadat after signing the Camp David Accords.

The U.N. Mediator Count Bernadotte of Sweden was murdered by Israelis.

Since the West was sympathetic to the Zionist plan to plant a Jewish state on Arab soil, it condoned the wrongs.

In the wake of 9/11, Western discourse was transformed. Not nationalism but "Islamic fundamentalism" was the root of terrorism in Israel, Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair's speech to the Los Angeles World Affairs Council on August 1, 2006 waxed eloquent on "a clash about civilisation". There is a "Global Islamist network", he said. Scholars like Olivier Roy refute this assertion as false.

To Blair, "This is war, but of a completely unconventional kind. 9/11 in the U.S., 7/7 in the U.K., 11/3 in Madrid, the countless terrorist attacks in countries as disparate as Indonesia or Algeria, what is now happening in Afghanistan and in Indonesia, the continuing conflict in Lebanon and Palestine, it is all part of the same thing. It resembles in many ways early revolutionary Communism."

His recipe is clear. "We committed ourselves to supporting Moderate Mainstream Islam." None so blind as those who refuse to see. The "moderate" Muslim differs with the "extremist" on the techniques of resistance, but neither on his perceptions of injustice nor the need to resist wrong. This perception has influenced the British Muslim and European Muslims also.

Michael Jay, the Foreign Office Under-Secretary to the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Andrew Turnbull, warned him in a letter of May 18, 2004:

"Other colleagues have flagged up some of the potential underlying causes of extremism that can affect the Muslim community, such as discrimination, disadvantage and exclusion. But another recurring theme is the issue of British foreign policy, especially in the context of the Middle East Peace Process and Iraq. Experience of both Ministers and officials working in this area suggests that the issue of British foreign policy and the perception of its negative effect on Muslims globally plays a significant role in creating a feeling of anger and impotence amongst especially the younger generation of British Muslims. The concept of the `Ummah', i.e. that the Believers are one `nation', had led to HMG's [Her Majesty's Government] policies towards the Muslim world having a very personal resonance for young British Muslims, many of whom are taking on the burden both of the perceived injustices and of the responsibility of putting them right, but without the legitimate tools to do so. This seems to be a key driver behind recruitment by extremist organisations [e.g. recruitment drives by groups such as Hizb-ut-Tahrir and al- Muhajiroon]."

Blair could not have been ignorant of this professional assessment. But then, more than any predecessor, he has undermined the civil service.

However, one of the world's foremost authorities on the subject holds that "the taproot of suicide terrorism is nationalism" and "at bottom suicide terrorism is a strategy for national liberation from foreign occupation by a democratic state".

Therefore, "the West's strategy for the war on terrorism is fundamentally flawed. Right now, our strategy for this war presumes that suicide terrorism is mainly a product of an evil ideology called Islamic fundamentalism and that this ideology will produce campaigns of suicide terrorism wherever it exists and regardless of our military policies. This presumption is wrong and is leading toward foreign policies that are making our situation worse."

Resistance, Not Religion:

GIL COHEN MAGEN/REUTERS The body of an LTTE suicide bomber a few feet away from the wreckage of a Sri Lankan Airline A-340 Airbus that he blew up, at the Bandaranaike international airport in Colombo.

Professor Robert A. Pape teaches international relations at the University of Chicago and is the Director of the Chicago Project on Suicide Terrorism. Researching his book, which covered all 462 suicide bombings around the globe, he had his colleagues scour Lebanese sources to collect martyr videos, pictures and testimonials and biographies of the Hizbollah bombers.

"Of the 41, we identified the names, birthplaces, and other personal data for 38. We were shocked to find that only eight were Islamist fundamentalists; 27 were from Leftist political groups such as the Lebanese Communist Party and the Arab Socialist Union; three were Christians, including a woman secondary school teacher with a college degree. All were born in Lebanon. What these suicide attackers - their heirs today - shared was not a religious or political ideology but simply a commitment to resisting a foreign occupation."

The author assembled a team of advanced graduate students associated with the University of Chicago who were fluent in the main relevant languages - Arabic, Hebrew, Russian, Tamil - for an intensive survey of regional newspapers, broadcast transcripts, and other materials not currently translated into English.

This project also gathered literature documenting individual martyrs from the main suicide terrorist groups themselves - such as Hizbollah, Hamas, and the Tamil Tigers - as well as all publicly available lists of suicide attacks from the main organisations in target countries that collect such data (such as the Israel Defence Forces, Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the U.S. Department of State).

In addition, it also amassed all the relevant data that could be found in English. All information is based on public sources and the raw data are available at the archive for the Chicago Project on Suicide Terrorism housed at the University of Chicago.

Judging by the articles they have written after retirement, alumni of the Intelligence Bureau (I.B.) and the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) share the "Islamic fundamentalism" phobia of Western hacks, albeit for different reasons, not hard to discern.

They should study those archives and this book, one of the ablest to be published. It covers the Khalistanis as well as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

The book demolishes conventional wisdom on the strength of a formidable database, using charts, tables and statistics.

Religion adds fuel to fire but the fire is lit by foreign occupation. Jihad provides a convenient battle cry.

"The data show that there is little connection between suicide terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism, or any one of the world's religions. In fact, the leading instigators of suicide attacks are the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, a Marxist-Leninist group whose members are from Hindu families but who are adamantly opposed to religion. This group committed 76 of the 315 incidents, more suicide attacks than Hamas."

"Rather, what nearly all suicide terrorist attacks have in common is a specific secular and strategic goal; to compel modern democracies to withdraw military forces from territory that the terrorists consider to be their homeland. Religion is rarely the root cause, although it is often used as a tool by terrorist organisations, in recruiting and in other efforts in service of the border strategic objective."

General Patterns:

Three general patterns emerge. First, nearly all suicide terrorist attacks occur as part of organised campaigns, not as isolated or random incidents.

Second, democratic states are uniquely vulnerable to suicide terrorists. The U.S., France, India, Israel, Russia, Sri Lanka, Turkey and the U.K. have been the targets of almost all suicide attacks of the past two decades.

Third, suicide terrorist campaigns are directed toward a strategic objective. "From Lebanon to Israel to Sri Lanka to Kashmir to Chechnya, the sponsors of every campaign have been terrorist groups trying to establish or maintain political self-determination by compelling a democratic power to withdraw from the territories they claim."

While terrorist incidents of all types have declined by nearly half from a peak of 666 in 1987 to 348 in 2001, suicide terrorism has grown and the trend is continuing. Many Americans hoped that Al Qaeda had been badly weakened by U.S. efforts since September 11, 2001. The data show otherwise. In 2002 and 2003, Al Qaeda conducted 15 suicide terrorist attacks, more than in all the years before September 11 combined, killing 439 people.

"Since September 11, 2001, the United States has responded to the growing threat of suicide terrorism by embarking on a policy to conquer Muslim countries - not simply rooting out existing havens for terrorists in Afghanistan but going further to remake Muslim societies in the Persian Gulf. To be sure, the United States must be ready to use force to protect Americans and their allies and must do so when necessary."

"However, the close association between foreign military occupations and the growth of suicide terrorist movements in the occupied regions should make us hesitate over any strategy centering on the transformation of Muslim societies by means of heavy military power."

"Although there may still be good reasons for such a strategy, we should recognise that the sustained presence of heavy American combat forces in Muslim countries is likely to increase the odds of the next 9/11."

There is another factor. Terrorists, even if aided by a state, perform in their own right. "Modern suicide terrorist groups may receive material assistance from states that share some of their political aspirations, but they are independent actors who rarely follow the dictates of others blindly."

For over 30 years, from 1945 to 1980, suicide attacks had disappeared. Their perpetrators of today have been to college. They are educated ones. Poverty is a poor explanation for their conduct.

It is a three-stage process, which Pape analyses by posing three principal questions:

1. What is the strategic logic of suicide terrorism; its political aim; its social logic.

2. Why does suicide attack receive mass support in some societies and not others?

3. Without social support from the terrorists' national community, suicide terrorist campaigns could not be sustained.

Sri Lanka and Kashmir supports this finding.

Community Support:

"Community support enables a suicide terrorist group to replenish its membership. Other kinds of terrorists can try to husband their human resources by hiding from society, but suicide terrorist organisations cannot operate without losses. Most suicide attackers are walk-in volunteers.

Second, community support is essential to enable a suicide terrorist group to avoid detection, surveillance, and elimination by the security forces of the target society. Given that recruitment needs oblige them to keep a relatively high profile, suicide terrorist groups cannot prevent many members of the local community from gaining basic information that would be useful to the enemy (for instance, the identity of recruiters, common locations for recruitment, and even locations of frequently used safehouses, means of communication, and other logistics).

As a result, without broad sympathy among the local population, suicide terrorist groups would be especially vulnerable to penetration, defection, and informants. They must therefore be popular enough that society as a whole would be willing to silence potential informants. Everyone may know who the terrorists are. No one must tell."

Why do Kashmiri women wail at the windows as funeral processions of slain militants pass by? The individual logic is important. What drives the individual action?

These questions are answered in detail in each chapter with the support of massive data.

The suicide terrorist is the weaker actor, a desperate one who uses the weapon of last resort. His target is far stronger; but is vulnerable if it is a democracy. Hence the gains reaped by the bomber. It pays.

Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Fadlallah, a spiritual leader of Hizbollah, stressed the coercive value of suicide attack:

"We believe that suicide operations should only be carried out if they can bring about a political or military change in proportion to the passions that incite a person to make of his body an explosive bomb."

Abdel Karim, a leader of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a militant group linked to Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, said the goal of his group was:

"to increase losses in Israel to a point at which the Israeli public would demand a withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza Strip".

Or, as a Hizbollah leader in Lebanon, Daud, said: "Since we cannot fight the enemy with weapons, we have to sacrifice our lives."

An LTTE leader put it tersely: "to ensure maximum damage done with minimum loss of life".

It is dramatic; causes panic in the state; and raises the morale of the movement.

Nationalism, Not Religion, Is The Recurring Thread.

"Comparison of target selection for Hamas and al-Qaeda shows that combating foreign military occupation is more central than religious motives for both groups.

If religious hostility were paramount, one would expect both Hamas and al-Qaeda to attack both Christians and Jews.

Similarly, if revenge for perceived injuries were a central motive, one would expect both groups to attack both the United States and Israel.

However, each group in fact concentrates its efforts against the opponent that actually has troops stationed on what it sees as its homeland territory.

Hamas concentrates almost all of its effort against Israel and has not attacked the United States or American citizens outside of Israel and Palestine.

Al-Qaeda's main effort has been against the United States and against American allies that have deployed troops in Afghanistan and Iraq; al-Qaeda has never attacked Israel and has rarely attacked Jewish targets elsewhere."

Why did Hamas and al Jihad adopt this desperate course? Palestine provides a good case study.

In the June 1967 war, Israel captured the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem. East Jerusalem was immediately annexed to Israel, while the West Bank and Gaza have remained under Israeli occupation since then.

As of 2001, there were about 2.7 million Palestinians living in the Occupied Territories. Although the overwhelming majority of Palestinians in the Occupied Territories detest Israel's occupation, and although strikes, protests, and other forms of non-violent resistance began as early as 1972, for many years most of the Palestinian population preferred to accept the benefits of the economic modernisation that occurred under Israeli rule rather than support violent rebellion.

Beginning in 1987, however, Palestinian resistance to Israeli occupation grew progressively from violent (but unarmed) rebellion in the first Intifada from 1987 to 1992, to protracted guerilla war and suicide terrorism in the 1990s, to large-scale suicide terrorism since the start of the second Intifada in September 2000.

During the first 13 years of the occupation (1967 to 1980), only about 12,000 Jewish settlers resided in the Occupied Territories.

From 1980 to 1995, this number increased more than tenfold, to 146,000 and by a further 50 per cent from 1995 to 2002, to 226,000.

The growth of Jewish settlements not only consumed more land and water, but also required progressive expansion of the Israeli military presence in the West Bank and Gaza, including more and more checkpoints that made it difficult for Palestinians to travel or even carry out ordinary business.

The second Intifada was a response to the failure of the Oslo peace process to lead to full Israeli withdrawal from the Occupied Territories, and especially the failure of the Camp David negotiations in August 2000.

The growing number of Jewish settlers contributed to this sense of failure.

Palestinian suicide terrorist attacks began in April 1994 and continued at a rate of about three a year until the start of the second Intifada, when the number rose to over 20 a year.

Although two Islamist organisations, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, have conducted the majority of Palestinian suicide attacks (79 out of 110 attacks between 1994 to 2003), there is strong evidence that Islamic fundamentalism has not been the driving force behind Palestinian suicide terrorism.

GIL COHEN MAGEN/REUTERS Israeli rescue workers remove bodies from the scene of a Palestinian suicide bomb attack in Jerusalem in November 2002. The suicide bomber killed at least 10 people when he blew himself up in a crowded bus.

It was nationalism; the deep sense of frustration, the sheer desperation that explains the popular support for Hamas, which won the elections last year.

The Oslo Accords of September 13, 1993, are a wreck. They bound Israel to withdraw its military forces from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank town of Jericho, beginning from December 13, 1993, to April 13, 1994.

Both deadlines were missed. Hamas launched suicide attacks on April 6 and 13. The Knesset voted to withdraw on April 18.

Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin said on April 13:

"I can't recall in the past any suicidal terror acts by the PLO [Palestine Liberation Organisation]. We have seen by now at least six acts of this type by Hamas and Islamic Jihad... The only response to them and the enemies of peace on the part of Israel is to accelerate the negotiations."

On April 18, 1994, he went further, in a major speech in the Knesset explaining why the withdrawal was necessary:

"Members of the Knesset: I want to tell the truth. For 27 years we have been dominating another people against its will. For 27 years Palestinians in the territories... got up in the morning harbouring a fierce hatred for us, as Israelis and Jews. Each morning they get up to a hard life, for which we are also, but not solely responsible. We cannot deny that our continuing control over a foreign people who do not want us exacts a painful price... For two or three years we have been facing a phenomenon of extremist Islamic terrorism, which recalls Hizbollah, which surfaced in Lebanon and perpetrated attacks, including suicide missions. ... There is no end to the targets Hamas and other terrorist organisations have among us."

Each Israeli became a target. It was a new game, altogether different from the PLO's tactics.

The survey in Lebanon identified 38 of the 41 attackers. Thirty of them were affiliated to groups opposed to Islamic fundamentalism. Three were not clearly associated with ideology. All 38 were native Lebanese.

The book contains pictures of four women suicide attackers; all are dressed in Western clothes with stylish haircuts and even make-up.

One was a Christian highschool teacher. Nothing bound them together but a common and deep commitment to end Israeli occupation.

Role Of U.S. Military Policy:

Al Qaeda also comes in for detailed analysis. It does not act in concert with Hamas or Hizbollah. "Each is driven by essentially nationalist goals."

In Pape's view, "American military policy in the Persian Gulf was most likely the pivotal factor leading to September 11. Although Islamic fundamentalism mattered, the stationing of tens of thousands of American combat troops on the Arabian Peninsula from 1990 to 2001 probably made al-Qaeda suicide attacks against Americans, including the horrible crimes committed on September 11, 2001, from ten to twenty times more likely. This finding also sheds new light on al-Qaeda's mobilisation appeals."

Examination of Al Qaeda's mobilisation rhetoric suggests a picture of the organisation that is at variance with the conventional wisdom.

"Al-Qaeda is less a transnational network of like-minded ideologues brought together from across the globe via the Internet than a cross-national military alliance of national liberation movements working together against what they see as a common imperial threat. For al-Qaeda, religion matters, but mainly in the context of national resistance to foreign occupation."

Pape adds: "Overall, examination of the nationalities of al-Qaeda's suicide terrorists from 1995 to 2003 shows that American military policy in the Persian Gulf was most likely the pivotal factor leading to September 11.

This is not to say that al-Qaeda is not committed to Islamic fundamentalism or that it draws no important transnational support. The fact that we can assume that al-Qaeda's suicide attackers have been committed Islamists is sufficient reason to think that Islamic fundamentalism is at least a weak force driving the movement, even if this is not borne out by the statistics.

However, it is important to recognise the fundamental role played by American military policy."

There is a most informative chapter on suicide terrorist organisations around the world; the LTTE receives detailed study. The U.S.' strategy is self-defeating.

"Proponents claim that Islamic fundamentalism is the principal cause of suicide terrorism and that this radical ideology is spreading through Muslim societies, dramatically increasing the prospects for a new, larger generation of anti-American terrorists in the future. Hence, the United States should install new governments in Muslim countries in order to transform and diminish the role of radical Islam in their societies. This logic led to widespread support for the conquest of Iraq and is promoted as the principal reason for regime change in Iran, Saudi Arabia, and other Persian Gulf states in the future."

There is a subtext - U.S. policy would help Israel to crush Palestinians; another reason for domestic public support in U.S. elections.

The author's policy prescription is withdrawal of U.S. troops from the entire Gulf while ensuring the maintenance of the "critical infrastructure" for their rapid return, if need be.

The name of the game is "off-shore balancing" - alliances plus troops deployment on the seas to facilitate return. It is doubtful if this will suffice given the inflamed wrath in the region.

Besides, as the author hints, amends are called for in Palestine. Unless the peace process is invigorated, there is little hope for peace.

The Palestine question has an appeal that moves the entire West Asia and spreads far beyond it.

Source:
http://freethoughtmanifesto.blogspot...terrorism.html

Reply

Cognescenti
06-02-2007, 05:40 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Zman
:sl:/Peace To All

Christian Terrorist Attempts Car-Bombing In Iowa

2 out of 5 Americans believe Jesus is going to come down out of the clouds sometime in the next 50 years Are you an enemy combatant?


Christian terrorist attempts car-bombing in Iowa and gets charged with 2nd-degree arson. Last week, as you may (or may not), have heard, David Robert McMenemy attempted to destroy an abortion clinic in Davenport, IA by dousing his car in gasoline and driving it through the wall of the Edgerton Women’s Health Center.

edit - It’s been brought to my attention that Mr. McMenemy drove through the front doors and not a wall. It has also been claimed by a nearby resident that the gasoline was added after crashing through the doors, although this article disputes that.

Fortunately, no one was hurt because he reconsidered lighting himself on fire for God at the last moment. And laughably, the clinic he attempted to destroy does not even perform abortions.

Schadenfreude aside, this is a terrorist act. He should be tried as a terrorist. (Perhaps we should torture him in a secret prison in case he has friends who are also planning other actions. That is our policy now, right?) Second-degree arson is ridiculous. We lock foreigners (and sometimes Americans) up indefinitely in Guantanamo Bay for the slightest possible connections to Islamic terrorism. Yet, this Christian terrorist is charged with a minor felony? Absurd!

Class C felonies, which 2nd degree arson is in Iowa, are punishable by imprisonment of not more than 10 years and a fine between $1000 and $10,000 under Iowa law. He is getting off easy just because he believes in the right make-believe super hero.

For now, you may also believe in the “correct” deity, and find yourself safe from persecution for those beliefs. But consider what happens if public opinion turns or you have a change of heart, and you find yourself in the future’s minority? As a former President said yesterday, “Democracy is about way more than majority rule. Democracy is about minority rights, individual rights, restraints on power.” Lately, we’ve had far too many failures when it comes to living up to those words.

UPDATE David McMenemy’s case has been moved to federal court. He now faces a charge of “committing arson against a business affecting interstate commerce” which carries a prison term of between five and 20 years and a fine.

Source:
http://jdallen.org/news/christian-te...mbing-in-iowa/
A tortured soul who didn't even identify himself as Christian (though he might have been) drives his Saturn into a medical clinic and then lights it on fire. Nobody is hurt. Yes, I can see that is a threat which all Americans should put at the top of their list.

What, sir, is your point? Is the point that there exist kooks all over the world? If that is your point, I will stipulate that. Please feel free to continue posting your fascinating infromation, however.
Reply

Muezzin
06-02-2007, 05:43 PM
I seem to recall stipulating that this thread would stay open providing there was a distinct lack of insults, including mockery, hostility etc...

There's more than enough of that to go around in the World Affairs forum already.
Reply

Zman
06-02-2007, 06:10 PM
:sl:/Peace To All

Terrorism Defined: The Terrorism Industry

By STEPHEN LENDMAN
June 1, 2007
CounterPunch

Probably no word better defines or underscores the Bush presidency than "terrorism" even though his administration wasn't the first to exploit this highly charged term. We use to explain what "they do to us" to justify what we "do to them," or plan to, always deceitfully couched in terms of humanitarian intervention, promoting democracy, or bringing other people the benefits of western civilization Gandhi thought would be a good idea when asked once what he thought about it.

Ronald Reagan exploited it in the 1980s to declare "war on international terrorism" referring to it as the "scourge of terrorism" and "the plague of the modern age." It was clear he had in mind launching his planned Contra proxy war of terrorism against the democratically elected Sandinista government in Nicaragua and FMLN opposition resistance to the US-backed El Salvador fascist regime the same way George Bush did it waging his wars of aggression post-9/11.

It's a simple scheme to pull off, and governments keep using it because it always works. Scare the public enough, and they'll go along with almost anything thinking it's to protect their safety when, in fact, waging wars of aggression and state-sponsored violence have the opposite effect. The current Bush wars united practically the entire world against us including an active resistance increasingly targeting anything American.

George Orwell knew about the power of language before the age of television and the internet enhanced it exponentially. He explained how easy "doublethink" and "newspeak" can convince us "war is peace, freedom is slavery, and ignorance is strength." He also wrote "All war propaganda, all the screaming and lies and hatred, comes invariably from (chicken hawk) people who are not fighting (and) Big Brother is watching...." us to be sure we get the message and obey it.

In 1946, Orwell wrote about "Politics and the English Language" saying "In our time, political speech and writing are largely the defence of the indefensible" to hide what its user has in mind. So "defenseless villages are bombarded from the air (and) this is called 'pacification'." And the president declares a "war on terrorism" that's, in fact, a "war of terrorism" against designated targets, always defenseless against it, because with adversaries able to put up a good fight, bullies, like the US, opt for diplomacy or other political and economic means, short of open conflict.

The term "terrorism" has a long history, and reference to a "war on terrorism" goes back a 100 years or more. Noted historian Howard Zinn observed how the phrase is a contradiction in terms as "How can you make war on terrorism, if war is terrorism (and if) you respond to terrorism with (more) terrorism....you multiply (the amount of) terrorism in the world."

Zinn explains that "Governments are terrorists on an enormously large scale," and when they wage war the damage caused infinitely exceeds anything individuals or groups can inflict.

It's also clear that individual or group "terrorist" acts are crimes, not declarations or acts of war. So a proper response to the 9/11 perpetrators was a police one, not an excuse for the Pentagon to attack other nations having nothing to do with it.

George Bush's "war on terrorism" began on that fateful September day when his administration didn't miss a beat stoking the flames of fear with a nation in shock ready to believe almost anything - true, false or in between. And he did it thanks to the hyped enormity of the 9/11 event manipulated for maximum political effect for the long-planned aggressive imperial adventurism his hard line administration had in mind only needing "a catastrophic and catalyzing (enough) event - like a new Pearl Harbor" to lauch. With plans drawn and ready, the president and key administration officials terrified the public with visions of terrorism branded and rebranded as needed from the war on it, to the global war on it (GLOT), to the long war on it, to a new name coming soon to re-ignite a flagging public interest in and growing disillusionment over two foreign wars gone sour and lost.

Many writers, past and present, have written on terrorism with their definitions and analyses of it. The views of four noted political and social critics are reviewed below, but first an official definition to frame what follows.

How The US Code Defines Terrorism

Under the US Code, "international terrorism" includes activities involving:

(A) "violent acts or acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State, or that would be a criminal violation if committed within the jurisdiction of the United States or of any State;"

(B) are intended to -

(i) "intimidate or coerce a civilian population;

(ii) influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or

(iii) affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and

(C) occur primarily outside the territorial jurisdiction of the United States...."

The US Army Operational Concept for Terrorism (TRADOC Pamphlet No. 525-37, 1984) shortens the above definition to be "the calculated use of violence or threat of violence to attain goals that are political, religious, or ideological in nature....through intimidation, coercion, or instilling fear."

Eqbal Ahmad On Terrorism

Before his untimely death, Indian activist and scholar Eqbal Ahmad spoke on the subject of terrorism in one of his last public talks at the University of Colorado in October, 1998. Seven Stories Press then published his presentation in one of its Open Media Series short books titled "Terrorism, Theirs and Ours." The talk when delivered was prophetic in light of the September 11 event making his comments especially relevant.

He began quoting a 1984 Reagan Secretary of State George Shultz speech calling terrorism "modern barbarism, a form of political violence, a threat to Western civilization, a menace to Western moral values" and more, all the while never defining it because that would "involve a commitment to analysis, comprehension and adherence to some norms of consistency" not consistent with how this country exploits it for political purposes. It would also expose Washington's long record of supporting the worst kinds of terrorist regimes worldwide in Indonesia, Iran under the Shah, Central America, the South American fascist generals, Marcos in the Philippines, Pol Pot and Saddam at their worst, the current Saudi and Egyptian regimes, Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), and for the people of Greece, who paid an enormous price, the Greek colonels the US brought to power in the late 1960s for which people there now with long memories still haven't forgiven us.

Ahmad continued saying "What (then) is terrorism? Our first job is to define the **** thing, name it, give it a description of some kind, other than (the) "moral equivalent of (our) founding fathers (or) a moral outrage to Western civilization." He cited Webster's Collegiate Dictionary as a source saying "Terrorism is an intense, overpowering fear....the use of terrorizing methods of governing or resisting a government." It's simple, to the point, fair, and Ahmad calls it a definition of "great virtue. It focuses on the use of coercive violence....that is used illegally, extra-constitutionally, to coerce" saying this is true because it's what terrorism is whether committed by governments, groups, or individuals. This definition omits what Ahmad feels doesn't apply - motivation, whether or not the cause is just or not because "motives differ (yet) make no difference."

Ahmad Identifies The Following Types Of Terrorism:

* State terrorism committed by nations against anyone - other states, groups or individuals, including state-sponsored assassination targets;

* Religious terrorism like Christians and Muslims slaughtering each other during Papal crusades; many instances of Catholics killing Protestants and the reverse like in Northern Ireland; Christians and Jews butchering each other; Sunnis killing Shiites and the reverse; and any other kind of terror violence inspired or justified by religion carrying out God's will as in the Old Testament preaching it as an ethical code for a higher purpose;

* Crime (organized or otherwise) terrorism as "all kinds of crime commit terror."

* Pathology terrorism by those who are sick, may "want the attention of the world (and decide to do it by) kill(ing) a president" or anyone else.

* Political terrorism by a private group Ahmad calls "oppositional terror" explaining further that at times these five types "converge on each other starting out in one form, then converging into one or more others.

Nation states, like the US, focus only on one kind of terrorism - political terrorism that's "the least important in terms of cost to human lives and human property (with the highest cost type being) state terrorism." The current wars of aggression in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine underscore what Ahmad means. Never mentioned, though, is that political or retail terrorism is a natural response by oppressed or desperate groups when they're victims of far more grievous acts of state terrorism. Also unmentioned is how to prevent terrorist acts Noam Chomsky explains saying the way to get "them" to stop attacking "us" is stop attacking "them."

Ahmad responded to a question in the book version of his speech with more thoughts on the subject. Asked to define terrorism the way he did in an article he wrote a year earlier titled "Comprehending Terror," he called it "the illegal use of violence for the purposes of influencing somebody's behavior, inflicting punishment, or taking revenge (adding) it has been practiced on a larger scale, globally, both by governments and by private groups." When committed against a state, never asked is what produces it.

Further, official and even academic definitions of state terrorism exclude what Ahmad calls "illegal violence:" torture, burning of villages, destruction of entire peoples, (and) genocide." These definitions are biased against individuals and groups favoring governments committing terrorist acts. Our saying it's for self-defense, protecting the "national security," or "promoting democracy" is subterfuge baloney disguising our passion for state-sponsored violence practiced like it our national pastime.

Ahmad also observed that modern-day "third-world....fascist governments (in countries like) Indonesia (under Suharto), Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo - DRC), Iran (under the Shah), South Korea (under its generals), and elsewhere - were fully supported by one or the other of the superpowers," and for all the aforementioned ones and most others that was the US.

Further, Ahmad notes "religious zealotry has been a major source of terror" but nearly always associated in the West with Islamic groups. In fact, it's a global problem with "Jewish terrorists....terrorizing an entire people in the Middle East (the Palestinians, supported by) Israel which is supported by the government of the United States." Crimes against humanity in the name of religion are also carried out by radical Christians, Hindus, Buddhists and others, not just extremist Muslims that are the only ones reported in the West.

In August, 1998 in the Dawn English-language Pakistani newspaper, Ahmad wrote about the power of the US in a unipolar world saying: "Who will define the parameters of terrorism, or decide where terrorists lurk? Why, none other than the United States, which can from the rooftops of the world set out its claim to be sheriff, judge and hangman, all at one and the same time."

So while publicly supporting justice, the US spurns international law to be the sole decider acting by the rules of what we say goes, and the law is what we say it is. Further, before the age of George Bush, Ahmad sounded a note of hope saying nothing is "historically permanent (and) I don't think American power is permanent. It itself is very temporary, and therefore its excesses have to be, by definition, impermanent."


In addition, he added, "America is a troubled country" for many reasons. It's "economic capabilities do not harmonize with its military (ones and) its ruling class' will to dominate is not quite shared by" what its people want.

For now, however, the struggle will continue because the US "sowed in the Middle East (after the Gulf war but before George Bush became president) and South Asia (signaling Pakistan and Afghanistan) very poisonous seeds. Some have ripened and others are ripening. An examination of why they were sown, what has grown, and how they should be reaped is needed (but isn't being done).

Missiles won't solve the problem" as is plain as day in mid-2007, with the Bush administration hanging on for dear life in the face of two calamitous wars the president can't acknowledge are hopeless and already lost.

Edward S. Herman On Terrorism

Herman wrote a lot on terrorism including his important 1982 book as relevant today as it was then, "The Real Terror Network." It's comprised of US-sponsored authoritarian states following what Herman calls a free market "development model" for corporate gain gotten through a reign of terror unleashed on any homegrown resistance against it and a corrupted dominant media championing it with language Orwell would love.

Back then, justification given was the need to protect the "free world" from the evils of communism and a supposedly worldwide threat it posed. It was classic "Red Scare" baloney, but it worked to traumatize the public enough to think the Russians would come unless we headed them off, never mind, in fact, the Russians had good reason to fear we'd come because "bombing them back to the stone age" was seriously considered, might have happened, and once almost did.

Herman reviews examples of "lesser and mythical terror networks" before discussing the real ones. First though, he defines the language beginning with how Orwell characterized political speech already explained above. He then gives a dictionary definition of terrorism as "a mode of governing, or of opposing government, by intimidation" but notes right off a problem for "western propaganda."

Defining terrorism this way includes repressive regimes we support, so it's necessary finding "word adaptations (redefining them to) exclude (our) state terrorism (and only) capture the petty (retail) terror of small dissident groups or individuals" or the trumped up "evil empire" kind manufactured out of whole cloth but made to seem real and threatening.

Herman then explains how the CIA finessed terrorism by referring to "Patterns of International Terrorism" defining it as follows: "Terrorism conducted with the support of a foreign government or organization and/or directed against foreign nationals, institutions, or governments."

By this definition, internal death squads killing thousands are excluded because they're not "international" unless a foreign government supports them. That's easy to hide, though, when we're the government and as easy to reveal or fake when it serves our purpose saying it was communist-inspired in the 1980s or "Islamofascist al Qaeda"-conducted or supported now. Saying it makes it so even when it isn't because the power of the message can make us believe Santa Claus is the grinch who stole Christmas.


Herman also explains how harsh terms like totalitarianism and authoritarianism only apply to adversary regimes while those as bad or worse allied to us are more benignly referred to with terms like "moderate autocrats" or some other corrupted manipulation of language able to make the most beastly tyrants look like enlightened tolerant leaders.

In fact, these brutes and their governments comprise the "real terror network," and what they did and still do, with considerable US help, contributed to the rise of the "National Security State" (NSS) post-WW II and the growth of terrorism worldwide supporting it. In a word, it rules by "intimidation and violence or the threat of violence." Does the name Augusto Pinochet ring a bell? What about the repressive Shah of Iran even a harsh theocratic state brought relief from?

Herman explained "the economics of the NSS" that's just as relevant today as then with some updating of events in the age of George Bush. He notes NSS leaders imposed a free market "development model" creating a "favorable investment climate (including) subsidies and tax concessions to business (while excluding) any largess to the non-propertied classes...." It means human welfare be ****ed, social benefits and democracy are incompatible with the needs of business, unions aren't allowed, a large "reserve army" of workers can easily replace present ones, and those complaining get their heads knocked off with terror tactics being the weapon of choice, and woe to those on the receiving end.

The Godfather in Washington makes it work with considerable help from the corrupted dominant media selling "free market" misery like it's paradise. Their message praises the dogma, turning a blind eye to the ill effects on real people and the terror needed to keep them in line when they resist characterized as protecting "national security" and "promoting democracy," as already explained. All the while, the US is portrayed as a benevolent innocent bystander, when, if fact, behind the scenes, we pull the strings and tinpot third-world despots dance to them. But don't expect to learn that from the pages of the New York Times always in the lead supporting the worst US-directed policies characterized only as the best and most enlightened.

At the end of his account, Herman offers solutions worlds apart from the way the Bush administration rules. They include opposing "martial law governments" and demanding the US end funding, arming and training repressive regimes. Also condemned are "harsh prison sentences, internments and killings," especially against labor leaders. Finally, he cites "the right to self-determination" for all countries free from foreign interference, that usually means Washington, that must be held to account and compelled to "stop bullying and manipulating....tiny states" and end the notion they must be client ones, or else.

Referring to the Reagan administration in the 1980s, Herman says what applies even more under George Bush. If allowed to get away with it, Washington "will continue to escalate the violence (anywhere in the world it chooses) to preserve military mafia/oligarch control" meaning we're boss, and what we say goes. Leaders not getting the message will be taught the hard way, meaning state-sponsored terrorism portrayed as benign intervention.

Herman revisited terrorism with co-author Gerry O'Sullivan in 1989 in their book "The Terrorism Industry: The Experts and Institutions That Shape Our View of Terror." The authors focus on what kinds of victims are important ("worthy" ones) while others (the "unworthy") go unmentioned or are characterized as victimizers with the corrupted media playing their usual role trumpeting whatever policies serve the interests of power. The authors state "....the West's experts and media have engaged in a process of 'role reversal' in....handling....terrorism... focus(ing) on selected, relatively small-scale terrorists and rebels including....genuine national liberation movements" victimized by state-sponsored terror. Whenever they strike back in self-defense they're portrayed as victimizers. Examples, then and now, are legion, and the authors draw on them over that earlier period the book covers.

They also explain the main reason individuals and groups attack us is payback for our attacking or oppressing them far more grievously. As already noted, the very nature of wholesale state-directed terror is infinitely more harmful than the retail kind with the order of magnitude being something like comparing massive corporate fraud cheating shareholders and employees to a day's take by a local neighborhood pickpocket.

"The Terrorism Industry" shows the West needs enemies. Before 1991, the "evil empire" Soviet Union was the lead villain with others in supporting roles like Libya's Gaddafi, the PLO under Arafat (before the Oslo Accords co-opted him), the Sandinistas under Ortega laughably threatening Texas we were told, and other designees portrayed as arch enemies of freedom because they won't sell out their sovereignty to rules made in Washington. Spewing this baloney takes lots of chutzpah and manufactured demonizing generously served up by "state-sponsored propaganda campaigns" dutifully trumpeted by the dominant media stenographers for power. Their message is powerful enough to convince people western states and nuclear-powered Israel can't match ragtag marauding "terrorist" bands coming to neighborhoods near us unless we flatten countries they may be coming from. People believe it, and it's why state-sponsored terrorism can be portrayed as self-defense even though it's pure scare tactic baloney.

The authors stress the western politicization process decides who qualifies as targeted, and "The basic rule has been: if connected with leftists, violence may be called terrorist," but when it comes from rightist groups it's always self-defense.

Again, it's classic Orwell who'd be smiling saying I told you so if he were still here. He also understood terrorism serves a "larger service." Overall, it's to get the public terrified enough to go along with any agenda governments have in mind like wars of aggression, huge increases in military spending at the expense of social services getting less, and the loss of civil liberties by repressive policies engineered on the phony pretext of increasing our safety, in fact, being harmed.

The authors also note different forms of "manufactured terrorism" such as inflating or inventing a menace out of whole cloth. It's also used in the private sector to weaken or destroy "union leaders, activists, and political enemies, sometimes in collusion with agents of the state."

The authors call all of the above "The Terrorism Industry of institutes and experts who formulate and channel analysis and information on terrorism in accordance with Western demands" often in cahoots with "Western governments, intelligence agencies, and corporate/conservative foundations and funders."

It's a "closed system" designed to "reinforce state propaganda" to program the public mind to go along with any agenda the institutions of power have in mind, never beneficial to our own. Yet, their message is so potent they're able to convince us it is. It's an astonishing achievement going on every day able to make us believe almost anything, and the best way to beat it is don't listen.

Noam Chomsky On Terrorism

In his book "Perilous Power: The Middle East and US Foreign Policy," co-authored with Gilbert Achcar, Chomsky defines terrorism saying he's been writing about it since 1981 around the time Ronald Reagan first declared war on "international terrorism" to justify all he had in mind mentioned above. Chomsky explained "You don't declare a war on terrorism unless you're planning yourself to undertake massive international terrorism," and calling it self-defense is pure baloney.

Chomsky revisits the subject in many of his books, and in at least two earlier ones addressed terrorism or international terrorism as those volumes' core issue discussed further below. In "Perilous Power," it's the first issue discussed right out of the gate, and he starts off defining it. He does it using the official US Code definition given above calling it a commonsense one. But there's a problem in that by this definition the US qualifies as a terrorist state, and the Reagan administration in the 1980s practiced it, so it had to change it to avoid an obvious conflict.

Other problems arose as well when the UN passed resolutions on terrorism, the first major one being in December, 1987 condemning terrorism as a crime in the harshest terms. It passed in the General Assembly overwhelmingly but not unanimously, 153 - 2, with the two opposed being the US and Israel so although the US vote wasn't a veto it served as one twice over. When Washington disapproves, it's an actual veto in the Security Council or a de facto one in the General Assembly meaning it's blocked either way, and it's erased from history as well. Case closed.

Disguising what Martin Luther King called "the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today," referring to this country, a new definition had to be found excluding the terror we carry out against "them," including only what they do to "us." It's not easy, but, in practical terms, this is the definition we use - what you do to "us," while what we do to you is "benign humanitarian intervention." Repeated enough in the mainstream, the message sinks in even though it's baloney.

Chomsky then explains what other honest observers understand in a post-NAFTA world US planners knew would devastate ordinary people on the receiving end of so-called free trade policies designed to throttle them for corporate gain. He cites National Intelligence Council projections that globalization "will be rocky, marked by chronic financial volatility and a widening economic divide....Regions, countries, and groups feeling left behind will face deepening economic stagnation, political instability, and cultural alienation. They will foster political, ethnic, ideological, and religious extremism, along with the violence that often accompanies it."

Pentagon projections agree with plans set to savagely suppress expected retaliatory responses. How to stop the cycle of violence? End all types of exploitation including so-called one-way "free trade," adopting instead a fair trade model like Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's government follows that's equitable to all trading partners and their people. The antidote to bad policy, brutal repression, wars and the terrorism they generate is equity and justice for all. However, the US won't adopt the one solution sure to work because it hurts profits that come ahead of people needs.

Chomsky wrote about terrorism at length much earlier as well in his 1988 book "The Culture of Terrorism." In it he cites "the Fifth Freedom" meaning "the freedom to rob, to exploit and to dominate society, to undertake any course of action to insure that existing privilege is protected and advanced." This "freedom" is incompatible with the other four Franklin Roosevelt once announced - freedom of speech, worship, want and fear all harmed by this interloper. To get the home population to go along with policies designed to hurt them, "the state must spin an elaborate web of illusion and deceit (to keep people) inert and limited in the capacity to develop independent modes of thought and perception." It's called "manufacturing consent" to keep the rabble in line, using hard line tactics when needed.

"The Cultural of Terrorism" covers the Reagan years in the 1980s and its agenda of state terror in the post-Vietnam climate of public resistance to direct intervention that didn't hamper Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon. So unable to send in the Marines, Reagan resorted to state terror proxy wars with key battlegrounds being Central America and Afghanistan. The book focuses on the former, the scandals erupting from it, and damage control manipulation so this country can continue pursuing policies dedicated to rule by force whenever persuasion alone won't work.

A "new urgency" emerged in June, 1986 when the World Court condemned the US for attacking Nicaragua using the Contras in a proxy war of aggression against a democratically elected government unwilling to operate by rules made in Washington. In a post-Vietnam climate opposed to this sort of thing, policies then were made to work by making state terror look like humanitarian intervention with local proxies on the ground doing our killing for us and deceiving the public to go along by scaring it to death.

So with lots of dominant media help, Reagan pursued his terror wars in Central America with devastating results people at home heard little about if they read the New York Times or watched the evening news suppressing the toll Chomsky reveals as have others:

-- over 50,000 slaughtered in El Salvador,

-- over 100,000 corpses in Guatemala just in the 1980s and over 200,000 including those killed earlier and since,

-- a mere 11,000 in Nicaragua that got off relatively easy because the people had an army to fight back while in El Salvador and Guatemala the army was the enemy.

The tally shows Ronald Reagan gets credit for over 160,000 Central American deaths alone, but not ordinary ones. They came "Pol Pot-style....with extensive torture, rape, mutilation, disappearance," and political assassinations against members of the clergy including El Salvador's Archbishop Oscar Romero gunned down by an assassin while celebrating mass inside San Salvador's Hospital de la Divina Frovidencia.

His "voice for the voiceless" concern for the poor and oppressed and courageous opposition to death squad mass-killing couldn't be tolerated in a part of the world ruled by wealthy elites getting plenty of support from some of the same names in Washington now ravaging Iraq and Afghanistan.

Chomsky cites the Reagan Doctrine's commitment to opposing leftist resistance movements throughout the 1980s, conducting state-sponsored terror to "construct an international terrorist network of impressive sophistication, without parallel in history....and used it" clandestinely fighting communism.

With lots of help from Congress and the dominant media, the administration contained the damage that erupted in late 1986 from what was known as the Iran-Contra scandal over illegally selling arms to Iran to fund the Contras. Just like the farcical Watergate investigations, the worst crimes and abuses got swept under the rug, and in the end no one in the 1980s even paid a price for the lesser ones. So a huge scandal greater than Watergate, that should have toppled a president, ended up being little more than a tempest in a teapot after the dust settled. It makes it easy understanding how George Bush gets away with mass-murder, torture and much more almost making Reagan's years seem tame by comparison.

Chomsky continued discussing our "culture of terrorism" with the Pentagon practically boasting over its Central American successes directing terrorist proxy force attacks against "soft targets" including health centers, medical workers and schools, farms and more, all considered legitimate military targets despite international law banning these actions.

Latin America is always crucial to US policy makers referring to it dismissively as "America's backyard" giving us more right to rule here than practically any place else. It's because of the region's strategic importance historian Greg Grandin recognizes calling it the "Empire's Workshop" that's the title of his 2006 book subtitled "Latin America, the United States, and the Rise of the New Imperialism." In it, he shows how the region serves as a laboratory honing our techniques for imperial rule that worked in the 1980s but now face growing rebellion providing added incentive to people in the Middle East inspiring them to do by force what leaders like Hugo Chavez do constitutionally with great public support.

But Washington's international terror network never quits or sleeps operating freely worldwide and touching down anywhere policy makers feel they need to play global enforcer seeing to it outliers remember who's boss, and no one forgets the rules of imperial management. Things went as planned for Reagan until the 1986 scandals necessitated a heavy dose of damage control. They've now become industrial strength trying to bail George Bush out his quagmire conflagrations making Reagan's troubles seem like minor brush fires. It worked for Reagan by following "overriding principles (keeping) crucial issues....off the agenda" applicable for George Bush, including:

-- "the (ugly) historical and documentary record reveal(ing)" US policy guidelines;

-- "the international setting within which policy develops;"

-- application of similar policies in other nations in Latin America or elsewhere;

-- "the normal conditions of life (in Latin America or elsewhere long dominated by) US influence and control (and) what these teach us about the goals and character of US government policy over many years;

-- similar matters (anywhere helping explain) the origins and nature of the problems that must be addressed."

It was true in the 1980s and now so these issues "are not fit topics for reporting, commentary and debate" beyond what policy makers disagree on and are willing to discuss openly.

The book concludes considering the "perils of diplomacy" with Washington resorting to state terror enforcing its will through violence when other means don't work. But the US public has to be convinced through guile and stealth it's all being done for our own good. It never is, of course, but most people never catch on till it's too late to matter. They should read more Chomsky, Herman, Ahmad, and Michel Chossudovsky discussed below, but too few do so leaders like Reagan and Bush get away with mass-murder and much more.

Chomsky wrote another book on terrorism titled "Pirates and Emperors, Old and New: International Terrorism in the Real World." It was first published in 1986 with new material added in more recent editions up to 2001. The book begins with a memorable story St. Augustine tells about a pirate Alexander the Great captured asking him "how he dares molest the sea." Pirates aren't known to be timid, and this one responds saying "How dare you molest the whole world? ....I do it with a little ship only (and) am called a thief (while you do) it with a great navy (and) are called an Emperor." It's a wonderful way to capture the relationship between minor rogue states or resistance movements matched off against the lord and master of the universe with unchallengeable military power unleashing it freely to stay dominant.

The newest edition of "Pirates and Emperors, Old and New" explores what constitutes terrorism while mainly discussing how Washington waged it in the Middle East in the 1980s, also then in Central America, and more recently post-9/11. As he often does, Chomsky also shows how dominant media manipulation shapes public perceptions to justify our actions called defensible against states we target as enemies when they resist - meaning their wish to remain free and independent makes them a threat to western civilization.

Washington never tolerates outlier regimes placing their sovereignty above ours or internal resistance movements hitting back for what we do to them. Those doing it are called terrorists and are targeted for removal by economic, political and/or military state terror. In the case of Nicaragua, the weapon of choice was a Contra proxy force, in El Salvador, the CIA-backed fascist government did the job, and in both cases tactics used involved mass murder and incarceration, torture, and a whole further menu of repressive and economic barbarism designed to crush resistance paving the way for unchallengeable US dominance.

The centerpiece of US Middle East policy has been its full and unconditional support for Israel's quest for regional dominance by weakening or removing regimes considered hostile and its near-six decade offensive to repress and ethnically cleanse indigenous Palestinians from all land Israelis want for a greater Israel. Toward that end, Israel gets unheard of amounts of aid including billions annually in grants and loans, billions more as needed, multi-billions in debt waved, billions more in military aid, and state-of-the-art weapons and technology amounting in total to more than all other countries in the world combined for a nation of six million people with lots of important friends in Washington, on Wall Street, and in all other centers of power that count.

It all goes down smoothly at home by portraying justifiable resistance to Israeli abuse as terrorism with the dominant media playing their usual role calling US and Israeli-targeted victims the victimizers to justify the harshest state terror crackdowns against them. For Palestinians, it's meant nearly six decades of repression and 40 years of occupation by a foreign power able to reign state terror on defenseless people helpless against it. For Iraq, it meant removing a leader posing no threat to Israel or his neighbors but portrayed as a monster who did with Iranian leaders and Hugo Chavez now topping the regime change queue in that order or maybe in quick succession or tandem.

It's all about power and perception with corrupted language, as Orwell explained, able to make reality seem the way those controlling it wish. It lets power and ideology triumph over people freely using state terror as a means of social control. Chomsky quoted Churchill's notion that "the rich and powerful have every right to....enjoy what they have gained, often by violence and terror; the rest can be ignored as long as they suffer in silence, but if they interfere with....those who rule the world by right, the 'terrors of the earth' will be visited upon them with righteous wrath, unless power is constrained from within." One day, the meek may inherit the earth and Churchill's words no longer will apply, but not as long as the US rules it and media manipulation clouds reality enough to make harsh state terror look like humanitarian intervention or self-defense by helpless victims look like they're the victimizers.

Michel Chossudovsky On "The War On Terrorism"

No one has been more prominent or outspoken since the 9/11 attacks in the US than scholar/author/activist and Global Research web site editor Michel Chossudovsky. He began writing that evening publishing an article the next day titled "Who Is Osama Bin Laden," perhaps being the first Bush administration critic to courageously challenge the official account of what took place that day. He then updated his earlier account September 10, 2006 in an article titled "The Truth behind 9/11: Who is Osama Bin Ladin." Chossudovsky is a thorough, relentless researcher making an extraordinary effort to get at the truth no matter how ugly or disturbing.

Here's a summary of what he wrote that was included in his 2005 book titled "America's War on Terrorism (In the Wake of 9/11)" he calls a complete fabrication "based on the illusion that one man, Osama bin Laden (from a cave in Afghanistan and hospital bed in Pakistan), outwitted the $40 billion-a-year American intelligence apparatus." He called it instead what it is, in fact - a pretext for permanent "New World Order" wars of conquest serving the interests of Wall Street, the US military-industrial complex, and all other corporate interests profiting hugely from a massive scheme harming the public interest in the near-term and potentially all humanity unless it's stopped in time.

On the morning of 9/11, the Bush administration didn't miss a beat telling the world Al Qaeda attacked the World Trade Center (WTC) and Pentagon meaning Osama bin Laden was the main culprit - case closed without even the benefit of a forensic and intelligence analysis piecing together all potential helpful information. There was no need to because, as Chossudovsky explained, "That same (9/11) evening at 9:30 pm, a 'War Cabinet' was formed integrated by a select number of top intelligence and military advisors. At 11:00PM, at the end of that historic (White House) meeting, the 'War on Terrorism' was officially launched," and the rest is history.
Chossudovsky continued "The decision was announced (straightaway) to wage war against the Taliban and Al Qaeda in retribution for the 9/11 attacks" with news headlines the next day asserting, with certainty, "state sponsorship" responsibility for the attacks connected to them. The dominant media, in lockstep, called for military retaliation against Afghanistan even though no evidence proved the Taliban government responsible, because, in fact, it was not and we knew it.

Four weeks later on October 7, a long-planned war of illegal aggression began, Afghanistan was bombed and then invaded by US forces working in partnership with their new allies - the United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan or so-called Northern Alliance "warlords." Their earlier repressive rule was so extreme, it gave rise to the Taliban in the first place and has now made them resurgent.

Chossudovsky further explained that the public doesn't "realize that a large scale theater war is never planned and executed in a matter of weeks." This one, like all others, was months in the making needing only what CentCom Commander General Tommy Franks called a "terrorist, massive, casualty-producing event" to arouse enough public anger for the Bush administration to launch it after declaring their "war on terrorism." Chossudovsky, through thorough and exhausting research, exposed it as a fraud.

He's been on top of the story ever since uncovering the "myth of an 'outside enemy' and the threat of 'Islamic terrorists' (that became) the cornerstone (and core justification) of the Bush administration's military doctrine." It allowed Washington to wage permanent aggressive wars beginning with Afghanistan and Iraq, to ignore international law, and to "repeal civil liberties and constitutional government" through repression laws like the Patriot and Military Commissions Acts. A key objective throughout has, and continues to be, Washington's quest to control the world's energy supplies, primarily oil, starting in the Middle East where two-thirds of known reserves are located.

Toward that end, the Bush administration created a fictitious "outside enemy" threat without which no "war on terrorism" could exist, and no foreign wars could be waged. Chossudovsky exposed the linchpin of the whole scheme. He uncovered evidence that Al Queda "was a creation of the CIA going back to the Soviet-Afghan war" era, and that in the 1990s Washington "consciously supported Osama bin Laden, while at the same time placing him on the FBI's 'most wanted list' as the World's foremost terrorist." He explained that the CIA (since the 1980s and earlier) actively supports international terrorism covertly, and that on September 10, 2001 "Enemy Number One" bin Laden was in a Rawalpindi, Pakistan military hospital confirmed on CBS News by Dan Rather. He easily could have been arrested but wasn't because we had a "better purpose" in mind for "America's best known fugitive (to) give a (public) face to the 'war on terrorism' " that meant keeping bin Laden free to do it. If he didn't exist, we'd have had to invent him, but that could have been arranged as well.

The Bush administration's national security doctrine needs enemies, the way all empires on the march do. Today "Enemy Number One" rests on the fiction of bin Laden-led Islamic terrorists threatening the survival of western civilization. In fact, however, Washington uses Islamic organizations like Islamic jihad as a "key instrument of US military-intelligence operations in the Balkans and the former Soviet Union" while, at the same time, blaming them for the 9/11 attacks calling them "a threat to America."

September 11, 2001 was, indeed, a threat to America, but one coming from within from real enemies. They want to undermine democracy and our freedoms, not preserve them, in pursuit of their own imperial interests for world domination by force through endless foreign wars and establishment of a locked down national "Homeland Security (police) State." They're well along toward it, and if they succeed, America, as we envision it, no longer will exist. Only by exposing the truth and resisting what's planned and already happening will there be any hope once again to make this nation a "land of the free and home of the brave" with "a new birth of freedom" run by a "government of the people, by the people, for the people" the way at least one former president thought it should be.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at: lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

Source:
http://counterpunch.org/lendman06012007.html
Reply

Zman
06-02-2007, 06:17 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Muezzin
I seem to recall stipulating that this thread would stay open providing there was a distinct lack of insults, including mockery, hostility etc...

There's more than enough of that to go around in the World Affairs forum already.
:sl:

You are right. I believe that certain individuals are attempting to derail the thread and forcing the mods hands into closing it, thereby, denying the members additional information.

IMHO, I believe the better path would be to punish the individual, rather than the entire forum. Maybe you can revoke a persons posting privileges for a certain amount of days, instead.

That would be an alternative to closing the thread.

Their actions remind me of an Aya which roughly translates: "they attempt to dim Allah's light..."

That's what they're doing in their efforts to close the threads. Deny us further knowledge. Because knowledge is power...
Reply

Amadeus85
06-02-2007, 08:04 PM
Asia’s Islamic extremists add beheadings to their arsenal

Friday, June 1, 2007 - Updated: 11:40 AM EST



A Thai police officer examines a plastic bag containing the head of a man in Yala province, southern Thailand, May 14, 2007. (AP)

NA PRADU, Thailand - It took two days for the young Muslim assassin to calm his nerves before the slaying.
Then, Mohama Waekaji says, he walked one cool morning to a rice mill, carrying a knife and following orders from a guerrilla commander to behead the 72-year-old Buddhist owner.
He asked the elderly man, Juan Kaewtongprakam, for some rice husks. As he turned to collect them, Waekaji says, he slashed the blade through the man’s neck.
"I didn’t dare to disobey," the 23-year-old Waekaji said in an interview with The Associated Press _ the first time a Thai militant accused of a beheading has spoken to the Western media. "I knew they would come after me if I did not do what I was told."


The killing in February was one in a spate of beheadings that has shocked Thailand, a nation with no past history of the practice, and fueled fears that the brutal terrorist tactics of the Middle East are spreading in Asia.
Twenty-five beheadings _ including 10 already this year _ have been reported in southern Thailand since an Islamic-inspired insurgency erupted in 2004, claiming more than 2,200 lives. Militants in the heavily Muslim region seek independence from mostly Buddhist Thailand.
"Beheadings are certainly on the rise outside of the Middle East proper," said Timothy Furnish, professor of Middle Eastern history at Georgia Perimeter College. "These groups do take their cues from ... hardcore Islamic thought coming out of the Arab world. Beheading infidels not only shocks, but also demonstrates Islamic bona fides to other groups."
Thai authorities say jihad videos from the Middle East, captured from rebel training camps, may be inspiring young men like Waekaji. One clip said to have come from Iraq shows a woman lying on her side on a patch of grass as a man slowly cuts her throat with a long knife. Blood spurts from the wound, the screaming finally stops and her head is completely severed.
"The inspiration is clearly coming across the Internet or through DVDs clips," said Zachary Abuza, an expert on terrorism in Southeast Asia at Simmons College in Boston.
"Islamist militants in Southeast Asia are very frustrated that the region is considered the Islamic periphery," Abuza added. "... Militants of the region are actively trying to pull the region into the Islamic core. They want people to understand that their jihad is a part of the global jihad."
Beheadings have been linked to other militants across Asia, including groups in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Indian-held Kashmir and Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation. In the mostly Roman Catholic Philippines, at least 37 people have been decapitated in the last decade by the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf.
Beheadings are not solely a tool of guerrillas. Its imposed as punishment under some strict interpretations of Islamic law such as in Saudi Arabia and under the former Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
Waekaji’s account of his journey _ from quiet, average student to a confessed killer _ offers insights into how young Muslims fall under the influence of militant Islamic thinking

He was attending a private Islamic school in Pattani province when a school buddy persuaded him to join a religious event at a mosque. There "ustad," or teachers, told him about an organization to liberate southern Thailand, asking him to take an oath to become a servant of Allah, obey the teachers and take the secrets of the organization to his grave.
Although confused and with little knowledge of politics, he took the oath and began secret training at age 19.
His teachers stressed the sufferings of Muslims in Palestine and Afghanistan and also in Thailand, where many Muslims feel they are second-class citizens in a Buddhist-dominated land.


The teachers detailed the Tak Bai tragedy of 2004 when Thai security forces confronted Muslim protesters, resulting in the deaths of 85. The victims died of suffocation when authorities arrested 1,300 people and stacked them on top of each other in trucks.
"I was shaken when I heard the story. I was revengeful and I did hate them, those who did this to us Muslims," Waekaji said at the prison in Na Pradu, about 680 miles south of Bangkok.
His story could not be independently confirmed, but Waekaji has made a formal written confession and the police have filed a case against him in criminal court.
During rigorous training, he learned how to do knuckle push-ups, wield knives, swords and guns and how to take a life by squeezing an opponent’s Adam’s apple with his hands or breaking a victim’s neck.
After two years, he was sent out to burn tires and spread nails on roads to puncture tires and distract police before attacks staged by his comrades.
"They recruit responsible, tight-lipped and trouble-free teenagers ... people who can carry out orders and who don’t attract attention to themselves," said Thai army Col. Shinawat Mandej. "They train their minds before training their bodies. They get them at the most vulnerable age when they need something to believe in and turn them into cold-blooded killers."
When the order came to slay the mill owner _ a person he had seen but didn’t know _ Waekaji said he was frightened, both by the orders and what his leaders would do to him if he failed.
"It was too late to want out," he said, his eyes closed and his head downcast. "It was either me or him."
Police found the man’s headless body at the rice mill and his head in a nearby field that separates Muslim and Buddhist villages. Waekaji was arrested and charged with the killing about two months later.
Leaflets left in mailboxes and motorcycle baskets in Pattani the day of the beheading warned: "We will give Thai Buddhists three days to leave our land. Otherwise, we will kill you and burn your houses. ... Thai Buddhists will never live peacefully. You will be killed cruelly."

http://news.bostonherald.com/interna...format=&page=1
Reply

- Qatada -
06-02-2007, 08:07 PM
Aaron, if they're not doing an Islamic act, how can they be Islamic Extremists? :? Call them something else maybe?
Reply

Amadeus85
06-02-2007, 08:21 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Fi_Sabilillah
Aaron, if they're not doing an Islamic act, how can they be Islamic Extremists? :? Call them something else maybe?
Yeah i ahree with you actually.Islamic terrorism sounds as idiotic as christian terrorist. Next time i will use different word. :)
Reply

- Qatada -
06-02-2007, 08:23 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Aaron85
Yeah i ahree with you actually.Islamic terrorism sounds as idiotic as christian terrorist. Next time i will use different word. :)

Thanks! :)



Peace.
Reply

Cognescenti
06-02-2007, 09:52 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Zman
:sl:

You are right. I believe that certain individuals are attempting to derail the thread and forcing the mods hands into closing it, thereby, denying the members additional information.

IMHO, I believe the better path would be to punish the individual, rather than the entire forum. Maybe you can revoke a persons posting privileges for a certain amount of days, instead.

That would be an alternative to closing the thread.

Their actions remind me of an Aya which roughly translates: "they attempt to dim Allah's light..."

That's what they're doing in their efforts to close the threads. Deny us further knowledge. Because knowledge is power...
Why sir, that is fiendishly clever. To arms! To arms! Up and to your posts good men and women of the realm. Join me to defeat the scurrilous Christian terrorist conspiracy in Iowa.
Reply

Cognescenti
06-02-2007, 09:56 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Fi_Sabilillah
Aaron, if they're not doing an Islamic act, how can they be Islamic Extremists? :? Call them something else maybe?
You have a valid point but they do advocate a separate Islamic state from the Thais. I suppose you could call them anti-Budhist separatists or anti-Thai revolutionaries, both of which seem strained.
Reply

Cognescenti
06-02-2007, 10:05 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Muezzin
I seem to recall stipulating that this thread would stay open providing there was a distinct lack of insults, including mockery, hostility etc...

There's more than enough of that to go around in the World Affairs forum already.
I assume that means me. I modified my post, but in retrospect it hardly seemed that harsh. The contention that a guy with a Saturn and a gasoline can in Iowa is accurately termed a "Christian terrorist" is patently silly. The original poster, it seems to me, is the one throwing gasoline on the fire.
Reply

Zman
06-03-2007, 02:40 AM
format_quote Originally Posted by Cognescenti
You have a valid point but they do advocate a separate Islamic state from the Thais. I suppose you could call them anti-Budhist separatists or anti-Thai revolutionaries, both of which seem strained.
The Southern Islamic Provinces, were already an independent Islamic Kingdom that was annexed by the Thais.

If anything, they seek liberation from occupation.

As for the "beheadings" and attacks on Budhhists, Insha Allah, I'll be posting on the abuses, murder the Thai government & Budhhists Have been perpetrating against the Muslim minority for a long time...
Reply

Cognescenti
06-03-2007, 03:54 AM
format_quote Originally Posted by Zman
The Southern Islamic Provinces, were already an independent Islamic Kingdom that was annexed by the Thais.

If anything, they seek liberation from occupation.

As for the "beheadings" and attacks on Budhhists, Insha Allah, I'll be posting on the abuses, murder the Thai government & Budhhists Have been perpetrating against the Muslim minority for a long time...
Not this again? Is everything an us vs them thing with you? And before there were any Muslims in SE Asia there were....<fill in blank>.

The only good news is it a stretch to blame the situation in Thailand on the US.

Lets just callthem the Liberation Soldiers of Southern Thailand of Unspecified Religious Ideology (LiSSTURI)
Reply

Joe98
06-03-2007, 07:13 AM
format_quote Originally Posted by Cognescent
Lets just callthem the Liberation Soldiers of Southern Thailand of Unspecified Religious Ideology (LiSSTURI)
..........who want an Islamic state. (LISSTURIWWAIS)

-
Reply

Amadeus85
06-03-2007, 12:45 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Zman
The Southern Islamic Provinces, were already an independent Islamic Kingdom that was annexed by the Thais.

If anything, they seek liberation from occupation.


Some of muslims here so easily justify terrorism.An old buddhist man was beheaded by muslim criminal, but who cares? they fight against occupation :?

Oh just give me a break :enough!:
Reply

Muezzin
06-03-2007, 01:42 PM
I think the issue is not so much justification as that story not really fitting into this particular thread - the first post does state that 'this thread should include all terror attacks that were perpetrated by non-Muslims "Globally", whether they be individuals, groups, organizations, and governments (against their people or other nations), that were under-reported or not reported in the corporate media.'

The above story about beheadings could by all means be posted in a separate thread.
Reply

Cognescenti
06-03-2007, 04:57 PM
Here is a link (PDF file) to the actual Europol study referenced in der Spiegal

http://www.europol.europa.eu/publica.../TESAT2007.pdf

Of the 498 attacks reported, 319 were perpetrated by separatist groups in Spain and France (ETA in Spain, Corsican separatists in France). Of these attacks, only one caused any human casualties (no deaths). There were all apparently designed to be property attacks...either that or both groups suffer from extraordianry degrees of incomptenece. So...for eg., when a French farmer gets ticked off about falling beef prices in France and sets fire to a McDonald's restaurant at night....that is terrorism (he is classified as "Leftist" :) ) Don't get me wrong, arson is a serious crime and ETA is definitely a terrorist organization, but let's try to have a little perspective here. The arson story at the McDonalds did get publicity in the US because people took it as kind of a gag..."haha..look at those silly Frenchmen".

Trying to smuggle peroxid-based bomb making materials onto a bunch of US bound airliners is not funny. I understand that many Muslims are sensitive about the reporting of "Islamic terror" and understandibly feel the perpetrators have subverted their beliefs. I would be as well if something I loved were tarnsihed in such a fashion, but this notion that "Western" <"corporate" or "Zionist-controlled"..pick your favorite adjectives> media are deliberately singling out Islamists is silly. The thwarted Heathrow airliner story was huge, the Madrid bombings were a huge story...ditto the London subway. I was in London 3 days before the attack and the sight of people running in panic out of the same station I had exited 4 days earlier got my attention. Do I need to even mention 9-11? There are at least 15 million people in the NY and Washington metropolitan areas which had some kind of personal experience with the 9-11 attack. Do you think they might want to know what is going on in the world now? Do you think anybody in the US really cares about Corsica? How many Americans do you think even know where Corsica is? The day that Corsican separatists kidnap an American reporter and saw his head off on video in the name of the "purity of the Corsican language" or some other such lunacy, it will be a big story.
Reply

Zman
06-03-2007, 06:26 PM
:sl:/Peace To All

The 1985 CIA-Sponsored Beirut Car Bombing

From Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

On 8 March 1985, a car bomb exploded 9-45 metres [1] [2] from the house of Hezbollah cleric Sheikh Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah in Beirut, Lebanon, in a failed assassination attempt.

The bombing, later discovered to be the work of CIA-trained Lebanese mercenaries, killed more than 80 [3] people and injured 200.

The bomb explosion, equivalent to 440lbs of dynamite[4], occurred in the western Beirut suburb of Bir al-Abed, outside an apartment building. It killed worshippers leaving Sabbath services at an adjacent mosque, and destroyed two 7-storey apartment buildings and a cinema. [5]

While several of Fadlallah's bodyguards were killed in the attack, the cleric escaped injury as he was attending Sabbath prayers at a nearby mosque. [6] The other notable death was Fuad Mugniyah, the brother of Imad Mugniyah.[7]

Locals fired guns in the air, following the blast, trying to clear the roads to allow ambulances to pass. [8] A banner was strung across the blast site by locals, reading "MADE IN THE USA" [9].

Responsibility:

Initially, Fadlallah blamed Israel for the attack, but later accepted evidence [10] that revealed the American Central Intelligence Agency had sponsored the attack, as they had claimed Fadlallah had given support to the Beirut barracks bombing, in which hundreds of American and French soldiers were killed.

Reporter Bob Woodward charged that CIA director William Casey had been responsible, receiving funding from Saudi Arabia, for the attack. [11] Fadlallah would later suggest the amount $3,000,000 as the price that had been offered by the Saudis, for Casey to arrange the bombing. [12]

The U.S. National Security Advisor, Robert McFarlane admitted that those responsible for the bomb may have had American training, but that they were "rogue operative(s)" operating without CIA approval. [13]

Former Lebanese warlord and statesman Elie Hobeika was fingered as one of those likely responsible for the actual operation.[14]

Historical Relevancy:

In 1981, President Ronald Reagan had issued Executive Order 12333, in which it was ruled "No person employed by or acting on behalf of the United States Government shall engage in, or conspire to engage in, assassination.".

This order was rescinded by Reagan four months before the car bombing against Fadlallah, in a November 14, 1984 order

References:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/fromthearc...432945,00.html
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/HD18Aa01.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontl.../etc/cron.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/fromthearc...432945,00.html
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...7011-2,00.html
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...7011-2,00.html
http://www.solport.com/roundtable/archives/000107.php
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/d...00/2516407.stm
http://www.fff.org/freedom/fd0406c.asp
http://english.bayynat.org.lb/Biography/index.htm
http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,965712,00.html
http://www.worldpress.org/Mideast/1891.cfm
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontl.../etc/cron.html
http://www.meib.org/articles/0201_l1.htm
Smith, William E.. "Lebanon Blackmail in Beirut", Time, 1985-5-27.

See Also:

William J. Casey
William Francis Buckley
TWA Flight 847

Retrieved From:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985_Beirut_car_bombing
Reply

Cognescenti
06-03-2007, 07:17 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Zman
:sl:/[i]Peace To All
......<insert material which appears to support my hatred of the US here>....
Retrieved From:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985_Beirut_car_bombing
[/b]
:rollseyes

Don't you mean "copy and pasted verbatim without the application of any critical thinking from...."? Did you even read the references?

You do realize the Woodward story of Casey's last "interview" has raised a few eyebrows? Woodward claims he was with Casey (and no witnesses) as he spoke his last words on Earth..just slipping into coma as he dramatically spilled his darkest secrets...bwahhaa :D

Casey's wife and children deny the story, saying they were with him at all times.

Reagan denied the allegation. His NSA director denied it. A Senate committe found no evidence to support it.

I dare say there were plenty of people in Lebanon who knew how to make a car bomb. Are we to believe the Saudis ordered a contract hit on the good Sheik and hired the CIA to do it? :) Do the Saudis lack the expertise? Were they trying to keep it quiet by hiring the CIA? That is silly.
Reply

Zman
06-03-2007, 09:53 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Cognescenti
:rollseyes

I dare say there were plenty of people in Lebanon who knew how to make a car bomb. Are we to believe the Saudis ordered a contract hit on the good Sheik and hired the CIA to do it? :) Do the Saudis lack the expertise? Were they trying to keep it quiet by hiring the CIA? That is silly.

And I guess the Saudi's and the CIA, never hooked up before?

The Saudi's funded the CIA's Iran/Contra operation.

The Saudi's funded the CIA's involvement in Afghanistan, during the Soviet invasion.

The Saudi's do have knowledge in that area, but, the CIA has a world of expertise that the Saudi's lack and many other's lack.

Are you actually gonna sit there and deny that the CIA has dirty hands when it comes to bombings, sabotage, assassinations, coups, destabilizing governments & nations?

They love that type of work and look forward to any operation, even if it's a hande-me-down, from another nation...
Reply

Cognescenti
06-03-2007, 10:51 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Zman

And I guess the Saudi's and the CIA, never hooked up before?

The Saudi's funded the CIA's Iran/Contra operation.

The Saudi's funded the CIA's involvement in Afghanistan, during the Soviet invasion.

The Saudi's do have knowledge in that area, but, the CIA has a world of expertise that the Saudi's lack and many other's lack.

Are you actually gonna sit there and deny that the CIA has dirty hands when it comes to bombings, sabotage, assassinations, coups, destabilizing governments & nations?

They love that type of work and look forward to any operation, even if it's a hande-me-down, from another nation...
Yes...the Saudis funded the Contras, but they didn't approach the US asking to get rid of the Sandinistas..it was the other way around :D

Your assertion that Reagan changed President Ford's executive order barring political assassinations is mythology.

http://archives.cnn.com/2002/LAW/11/...nation.policy/

....coups, destabilizing governments & nations.......Yeah baby! Your tax dollars at work. That is what we pay them for.
Reply

Zman
06-03-2007, 11:43 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Zman

And I guess the Saudi's and the CIA, never hooked up before?

The Saudi's funded the CIA's Iran/Contra operation.

The Saudi's funded the CIA's involvement in Afghanistan, during the Soviet invasion.

The Saudi's do have knowledge in that area, but, the CIA has a world of expertise that the Saudi's lack and many other's lack.

Are you actually gonna sit there and deny that the CIA has dirty hands when it comes to bombings, sabotage, assassinations, coups, destabilizing governments & nations?

They love that type of work and look forward to any operation, even if it's a hande-me-down, from another nation...

Your assertion that Reagan changed President Ford's executive order barring political assassinations is mythology.

http://archives.cnn.com/2002/LAW/11/...nation.policy/

....coups, destabilizing governments & nations.......Yeah baby! Your tax dollars at work. That is what we pay them for.

Firstly, I never stated nor "asserted" that Reagan changed Ford's Executive order. That's Just your spin in the works.

I mentioned Iran/Contra in the 2nd line, and assassinations in the 5th. They had nothing to do with each other.

Lastly, who is the "We Pay" them to conduct those dirty operations?

The American people, Me, or the government diverting funds to secret black ops, that most of the Congress & Senate don't even know about.

I never signed off on that, and I would imagine that most American citizens never, either...
Reply

Zman
06-03-2007, 11:48 PM
:sl:/Peace To All

CIA Endorsed Italy Bombings In 1970s

Subject: Ex-Spy Alleges CIA Endorsed Italy Bombings in 1970s


Date: Fri, 04 Aug 2000 15:47:14
From: Sid Shniad
(Reuters)
Archives.Econ.Utah.Edu

Rome - An Italian secret service general said on Friday that the CIA gaveits tacit approval to a series of bombings in Italy in the 1970s to sowinstability and keep communists from taking power.

"We cannot say that the CIA had an active and direct role in thebombings, but it is true that they knew the targets and culprits," GeneralGianadelio Maletti told la Repubblica newspaper in an interview from Johannesburg, where the former spy is in self-imposed exile.

Maletti said the military secret service division he headed in the1970s found out explosives were being sent from Germany to the Italianneo-fascist paramilitary group Ordine Nuovo (New Order).

Three Ordine Nuovo members were charged with the bombing ofMilan's Piazza Fontana in 1969, which killed 16 people.

Maletti said the explosives' discovery had been reported to hissuperiors but nothing happened.

"We made the discovery and pointed out that the explosives used in Piazza Fontana came from one of those cargoes (of explosives fromGermany)," he told the paper in the interview conducted in a Johannesburg park.

Maletti did not explain why the explosives came from Germany or who sent them. But he did say West Germany hosted a powerful CIA base at the time.

The Piazza Fontana bombing, now into its eighth trial, is one of themany unsolved crimes which plagued Italy during the height of bloodyurban guerrilla activity from the late 1960s to early 1980s. Italy's Nobellaureate Dario Fo based his play "The Accidental Death of an Anarchist"on the outrage.

SOWING TERROR:

Italian secret services and the CIA were alleged to have colluded in a strategy to keep Italy's increasingly popular Communist Party at bay and the conservative Christian Democrats in power by sowing terror and instability in Italy.

The spy networks were alleged to have supported extreme-right activities and turned a blind eye to killings by extreme-left groups,thereby encouraging the climate of fear.

"The CIA wanted, through the birth of an extreme nationalism and the contribution of the far right, particularly Ordine Nuovo, to stop (Italy)sliding to the left," he said.

Maletti said Italian secret agents were largely aware of what was going on.

Top politicians also knew, he said, but felt it better to look theother way.

"It is obvious they knew, even though there will never be enough evidence to make a conviction stick...The real blame...lies in the fact thatno one (top politician) took any action," Maletti said.

Maletti, on the run over various charges in Italy, including allowing two neo-fascist suspects to flee the country, spoke out following the 20th anniversary of the Bologna railway station bombing, which killed 85 people and injured 200 others.

Prime Minister Giuliano Amato said at a Bologna bombing commemoration on Wednesday he felt "humiliated" by the state's complicity with the crimes committed in those years and by its failure to punish those responsible.

Source:
http://archives.econ.utah.edu/archiv...8/msg00024.htm


"If that's what we pay the CIA to do, then the Italians have every right to sue the hell out of us and bankrupt the CIA & the US government."
Reply

Zman
06-03-2007, 11:54 PM
:sl:/Peace To All


NATO's Hidden Terrorism

Interviewed by Silvia Cattori
By Daniele Ganser
January 22, 2007
Global Research,
Voltaire Network


Daniele Ganser, professor of contemporary history at Bale University, and chairman of ASPO - Switzerland, published a landmark book about "NATO’s Secret Armies."According to him, during the last 50 years the United States have organized bombings in Western Europe that they have falsely attributed to the left and the extreme left with the purpose of discrediting them in the eyes of their voters. This strategy is still present today, inspiring fear for the Islam and justifying wars on oil.


Silvia Cattori: Your book about NATO’s Secret Armies
[1] explains that the strategy of tension
[2] and the False Flag terrorism
[3] imply great dangers.

It teaches us how NATO - together with the intelligence services or the West European countries and the Pentagon - utilised secret armies during the Cold War, hired spies among the extreme right wing, and organized terrorist acts for which they blamed the left. Becoming aware of this, we can wonder about what is likely to happen today behind our back.

Daniele Ganser: It is extremely important to understand what the strategy of tension truly represents the way it works nowadays. This can help us clarify the present and to see more clearly to what extent it is still in action. Only a few people know what the expression ’strategy of tension’ means. It is very important to talk about it, to explain it. It is a tactic that involves carrying out criminal acts and attributing them to someone else. By the term ’tension’, we mean emotional tension, all that which creates a feeling of tension. By ’strategy’ we make reference to that which increases people’s fear in regard to a determined group.
These secret structures of NATO had been equipped, financed and trained by the CIA, in coordination with the M16 (the British secret service), to fight against the Army of the Soviet Union in a case of war, but also according to the information to which he have access today, to commit terrorist acts in several countries [4]. That is how, since the 70s, the Italian secret services have been using these armies to foment terrorist attacks, with the purpose of causing fear among the population, and later, to accuse the communists of being the authors. The strategy of tension was designed to serve the purpose or discrediting, weakening and stopping communism from reaching executive power.

Silvia Cattori: To learn what it means is one thing. But it is still difficult to believe that our government could have let NATO, the West European intelligence agencies and the CIA act in such a way that could threaten their own citizens’ security!

Daniele Ganser: NATO was at the core of this clandestine network linked to terror; the Clandestine Planning Committee (CPC) and the Allied Clandestine Committee (ACC) were two substructures of the Atlantic Alliance, and they are clearly identified today. But, now that this has been established, it is still hard to know who was doing what. There are not any documents proving who was at the head, who organized the strategy of tension, how NATO, the West European intelligence services, the CIA, M16, and the hired terrorists among the extreme right, distributed each other’s roles. The only certainty that we have is that there was, inside these clandestine structures, some elements that used the strategy of tension. The terrorists from the extreme right have explained in their statements that it was NATO’s secret services that had supported them in this clandestine war. But when we ask for explanations from some members of the CIA or NATO - which I have done for many years - they limit themselves to say that it could be possible that a few criminal elements might have managed to avoid control.

Silvia Cattori: Were these secret armies active in every Western European country?

Daniele Ganser: In my research, I put forward evidence that these secret armies not only existed in Italy, but also in all Western Europe: in France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Turkey, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Switzerland, Greece, Luxembourg and Germany. In the beginning, we thought that there existed only one guerrilla-structured organization, and therefore, that all these secret armies had participated in the strategy of tension, and therefore, in terrorist acts. However, it is important to know that not all these secret armies have been involved in attacks, and to understand what differentiated them. What appears to be clear today, is that NATO’s clandestine structures, usually called ’Stay Behind groups’ [5], were created in the beginning to act as a guerrilla in case of an occupation of Western Europe by the Soviet Union. The United States stated that the guerrilla networks were necessary to overcome the lack of preparedness of the countries attacked by Germany. Several of the countries that were occupied by the Germans, like Norway, wanted to learn the lessons of their incapacity to resist the occupier, and they said to themselves that, in case of a new occupation, they had to be better prepared, to have another option at hand and to count with a secret army in case that the official one were to be defeated. Inside these secret armies, there were honest people, sincere patriots, who only wanted to defend their countries from an occupation.

Silvia Cattori: If I understand well, these Stay Behind groups, whose original goal was to be prepared in case of a Soviet invasion, have been deviated from that goal and were reorganised to defeat the left. From that, it is difficult to understand why the left parties have not investigated this or denounced this earlier.

Daniele Ganser: When we take the case of Italy, it appears that, every time that the communist party has interviewed the government to find an explanation about the secret army that was operating in this country under the coded name of Gladio [6], there was never any answer, under the pretext that it was a ’state secret’. It wasn’t until 1990 that Giulio Andreotti [7] recognised the existence of Gladio and its direct links with NATO, the CIA, and M16 [8]. _ It is also during that time that the judge Felice Casson was able to prove that the true author of the bombing in Peteano in 1972, that had shocked Italy, and that had been attributed up to that moment to the extreme left militants, was Vincenzo Vinciguerra, linked to ’Ordine Nuovo’, a group of the extreme right wing. Vinciguerra avoided blame for the bombing in Peteano with the help of the Italian secret services. Vinciguerra also spoke about the existence of this secret army, Gladio. He explained that, during the Cold War, these clandestine acts had caused the death of women and children [9]. He stated as well that this secret army controlled by NATO, had branches all around Europe. When this information was released, there was a political crisis in Italy. And it is thanks to the investigations of the judge Felice Casson that we got to know about NATO’s secret armies.

In Germany, when in 1990 the SPDs (German Social Democrat Partisans) became aware that in their country - as well as in all the other European countries - there was a secret army, and that this structure was linked to the German secret services, they loudly denounced it as a scandal and accused the Christian democratic Party (CDU). This party reacted by saying: "If you accuse us, we are going to say that, you too, together with Willy Brandt, you have been involved in this conspiracy". This happened at the same time as the first elections of the reunified Germany, which the SPD hoped to win. The leaders of the SPD understood that that was not a good electoral subject; in the end, the story was twisted in such a way as to make the existence of these secret armies seem justified. In the European Parliament, in November 1990, many members exclaimed that the existence of such clandestine armies could not be tolerated and that the European people needed to know the true origin of terrorist acts and that an inquiry was needed. Therefore, the European Parliament wrote a complaint to NATO and to president George Bush Senior. But nothing was done. It is only in Italy, Belgium and Switzerland that there have been public queries. And they are the only three countries that have set some order in this subject, and that have published a report about their secret armies.

Silvia Cattori: What about today ? Are these secret armies still active? Is it possible that there exist secret national structures which escape the control of each State?



Daniele Ganser: For a historian, it is difficult to answer that question. We haven’t got an official report of each country. In my books, I analyse some facts that I can prove. Concerning Italy, there is a report stating that the secret army Gladio has been destroyed. About the existence of the secret army P26 in Switzerland, a report was also issued by the Parliament, in November 1990. Therefore, these clandestine armies, which had stocked explosives in hidden places everywhere in Switzerland, have been dissolved. But in the other countries, nothing was done. In France, while president François Mitterrand stated that all that belonged to the past, we discovered later that these secret structures had always been present when Giulio Andreotti suggested that the French president was lying: "You say that the secret armies do not exist anymore; but, during 1990’s secret meeting in the autumn, you, the French, were also present; don’t say that this doesn’t exist anymore." Mitterrand became quite angry with this Andreotti because, after this revelation, he was forced to rectify his statement. Later, the head of the French secret services, admiral Pierre Lacoste, confirmed that these secret armies existed in France as well, and that France had also been involved in terrorist attacks. [10]. It is therefore difficult to say whether all this has been solved or not. And, even if the Gladio structures have been dissolved, new armies might have been created, still utilizing this technique of the strategy of tension and the False flags.

Silvia Cattori: Can we speculate that, after the fall of the USSR, the United States and NATO have continued developing the strategy of tension and of the false flags in other fronts?

Daniele Ganser: My research is based in the period of the Cold War in Europe. But it is known that there have also been false flags in other places, where the States’ responsibility was proved. For example: the Iran bombings in 1953, for which the communist Iranians were blamed at first. So it happened that the CIA and the Mi6 had used some agents provocateurs to orchestrate the overthrow of Mohammed Mossadegh’s administration, within the framework of the war, to control the oil. Another example: the bombings in Egypt, in 1954, for which the Muslims were accused first. It was proved later that, in what was called the Lavon affair [11], it was the agents of Mossad who had been the perpetrators. This time, it was for Israel to stop the British troops from leaving Egypt, to make them stay there, and also to ensure the protection of Israel. Therefore, we have examples in history showing that the strategy of tension and the false flags have been used by the US, Great Britain and Israel. Given that throughout their history other countries have also used the same strategy, the research must continue in these fields.

Silvia Cattori: These clandestine structures of NATO, created after the Second World War, to supply the European countries with a guerrilla capable of resisting the Soviet invasion, ended up serving nothing but to build criminal operations against the European Citizens? Everything leads to the thought that the United States have another purpose!

Daniele Ganser: You are right in raising this question. The United States were interested in the political control. This political control is an essential element of Washington and London’s strategy. General Geraldo Serravalle, at the head of Gladio, the Italian network Stay-behind, gives an example of this in his book. He tells us that he understood that the United States were not interested in the preparation of the guerrillas against an eventual Soviet invasion, when he saw that, what interested the CIA agents who went to the training exercises of the secret army that he was leading, was to make sure that the army worked, could control the communist militants. Their fear was that the communists took the power in countries such a Greece, Italy and France. Therefore, the strategy of tension was meant to serve that purpose: to orient and influence the politics of certain countries of Western Europe.

Silvia Cattori: You have talked about an important emotional factor in the strategy of tension. Therefore, the terror, whose origin is vague, uncertain, the fear that it causes, all that helps to manipulate the public opinion. Are we not assisting today to the same kind of procedure? Yesterday, we fuelled the fear of communism, today aren’t we fuelling the fear of Islam?

Daniele Ganser: Yes, there is a very clear parallel. During the planning of the war in Iraq, it was said that Saddam Hussein had biological weapons in his possession, that there was a link between Iraq and the Al-Qaeda terrorists. But none of that turned out to be true. By means of these lies, it was intended to make people believe that Muslims wanted to spread terrorism all around, and that this war was necessary to fight against terror. However, the true reason for this war is the control of energy resources. This is due to the fact that the geology, the richness in gas and oil, are concentrated in the Muslim countries. He who wants to monopolize them, must hide behind this type of manipulations. We cannot say that there is not a lot of oil left because the global production - the ’peak oil’ [12] - is going to arrive probably before 2020, and that therefore oil must be taken from Iraq, because people would say that children must not be killed to obtain oil. And they are right. They can’t be told, either, that in the Caspian Sea there are huge reserves and that there is a plan to create a pipeline that would go to the Indian Ocean but, given that it’s is not allowed to go through the South of Iran or the North of Russia, it must pass through the East, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, and therefore, this country must be under control. That is why Muslims are labelled as "terrorists". It is all a big lie, but if it is repeated a thousand times that Muslims are "terrorists", people will end up believing it and thinking that the wars against Muslims are useful; and to forget that there are several types of terrorism, that violence is not necessarily a feature of Islam.

Silvia Cattori: So, these clandestine structures might have well been dissolved, but the strategy of tension continues?

Daniele Ganser: Exactly. The structures might have been dissolved, and other ones could have been formed. It is important to explain how, in the strategy of tension, the tactic and manipulation work. None of that is legal. But, for the governments, it is easier to manipulate people than to tell them that they are trying to get hold of somebody else’s oil. Nevertheless, not all these attacks arise from the strategy of tension. But it is difficult to know which ones are the manipulated attacks. Even those who know the amount of attacks that have been manipulated by the governments to discredit a political enemy, can be confronted by a psychological obstacle. After every bombing, people are afraid, they feel confused. It is very difficult to accept the idea that the strategy of tension, the strategy of false flag, is a reality. It is easier to accept the manipulation and to say: "I have kept informed for 30 years, and I have never heard about these criminal armies. The Muslims are attacking us; this is why we fight against them."

Silvia Cattori: Since 2001, the European Union has created anti-terrorist measures. Later, is has been seen that these measures have allowed the CIA to kidnap people, to move them to secrete places and torture them. Have the European States become a sort of hostages to their submission to the United States?

Daniele Ganser: The European countries have had quite a weak attitude concerning the United States after the attacks on September 11th, 2001. After having confirmed that the secret prisons were illegal, they let them continue. The same happened with the prisoners in Guantanamo. Many voices stood up in Europe to say: "The prisoners cannot be deprived of a lawyer or defence." When Mrs. Angela Merkel mentioned this question, the United States clearly suggested that Germany was a little bit involved in Iraq, that its secret services had contributed to prepare this war, and therefore they must shut up.

Silvia Cattori: Within this context, where there are still many unclear areas, what type of security can NATO give to the peoples it is supposed to protect if it allows the secret services to manipulate in this way?

Daniele Ganser:Concerning the terrorist attacks carried out by the secret armies of the network Gladio during the Cold War, it is important that we are able to determine clearly which is the real implication of NATO in this, to know what really happened. Is this about isolated acts secretly organised by NATO? Until this day, NATO refuses to talk about the strategy of tension and terrorism during the Cold War. NATO refuses all questions related to Gladio. Today, NATO is used as an offensive army, even though this organization was not created to play that role. It was activated in that sense on September 12th 2001, immediately after the attacks in New York. NATO’s leaders affirm that the reason for their involvement in the war against the Afghans is to fight against terrorism. However, NATO is in danger of losing that war. Therefore, when that happens they will be a big crisis, a debate. And this will allow us to know whether NATO is really fighting a war against terrorism, or if it is trying to create an analogous situation to that of the Cold War with the secret army Gladio, where she had a link to terror. The next few years will tell us if NATO has acted outside the mission that was accorded to it: to defend the European countries and the Unites States in case of Soviet invasion, an event that has never occurred. NATO was not funded to take over the oil and gas of the Muslim countries.

Silvia Cattori: We could understand that Israel, who is interested in widening the conflicts in the Arabic and Muslim countries, encourages the United States in that direction. But, we cannot see what it is that interests the European countries and that makes them engage their troops in the wars decided by the Pentagon, as was the case in Afghanistan.

Daniele Ganser: I think that Europe is confused. The United States are in a strong position, and the Europeans have a tendency to think that the best thing is to collaborate with the strongest one. But we would have to think about this more thoroughly. The European politicians give in easily to the pressure put by the US, who is always asking for more troops in this or that front. The more the European countries give in, the more they subordinate, and the more they will find themselves confronted to bigger and bigger problems. In Afghanistan the Germans and the British are under the command of the American army. Strategically, it is not an interesting position for these countries. Now, the US has asked the Germans to engage their soldiers in the South of Afghanistan as well, in the areas were the battle is the hardest. If the Germans accept, they take the risk of being massacred by the Afghan forces which refuse the presence of any king of occupier. _ Germany should ask itself seriously whether she should not rather withdraw their 3000 soldiers from Afghanistan. But, for the Germans, to disobey the US’ orders, to which they are a bit like lieges, it is a very hard step to make.

Silvia Cattori: How much do our current government know today about the strategy of tension ? Can they just let the war-doers foment coups d’état, kidnap and torture people without reacting? Have they any means to stop these criminal activities?

Daniele Ganser: I do not know. As an historian, I observe and take notes. As a political adviser, I always say that one must never give in to the manipulations that try to induce fear and to make people believe that the "terrorists" are always the Muslims; I say that this is about a struggle for controlling the energy resources; that some means of surviving the lack of energy must be found without needing to go to a militarization. Problems cannot be solved in this way; they only become worse.

Silvia Cattori: When we observe the demonisation of the Arabs and Muslims in the conflict between Israel and Palestine, we might think that this does not have anything to do with the oil.

Daniele Ganser: No. In this case not. But, in the US perspective, it is definitely about taking control of the energy reserves of the Eurasian block that is situated in a ’strategic ellipse’ that goes from Azerbaijan to Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait and the Persian Gulf, passing through Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. It is precisely over there, in that region where this false war ’against terrorism’ is taking place, that the biggest oil and gas reserves are concentrated. In my opinion, it is not about anything else but a geo-strategic game inside which the European Union can do nothing but lose. Because, if the US takes hold of the resources, and the energy crisis becomes worse, it will tell them: "You want gas, you want oil. Very well, in exchange we want this and that." The US is not going to give the oil and gas for free to the European countries. A few people know that the "peak oil", the maximum production of oil in Europe - the production to Norway and Great Britain - is declining. The day when people will realise that these wars ’against terrorism’ are manipulated, and that the accusations against the Muslims are, among other things, propaganda, they are going to be surprised. The European countries must wake up and understand once and for all how the strategy of tension works. And they must also learn to say "no" to the US. Moreover, in the US also, there are many people who do not want this militarizing of the international relationships.

Silvia Cattori: You have also done some research on the attacks that took place in September 11th 2001 and you have signed a book [13] jointly with other intellectuals who worry about the inconsistencies and contradictions of the official version of these events, as well as the conclusions of the commission of survey ordered by Mr. Bush. Do you not fear being accused of being a "conspiracy theorist"?

Daniele Ganser: My students and other people have always asked me : if this "war against terrorism" concerns indeed the oil and gas, the 911 attacks have also been manipulated, haven’t they? Or is it a coincidence that Osama Ben Laden’s Muslims have struck exactly at the precise moment that the occidental countries were starting to understand that an oil crisis was announcing itself? Therefore, I became interested in what had been written about September 11th and I also studied the official report that was presented in 2004. When we dig into this subject, we realize from the start that there is a big worldwide debate around what really happened on 911. The information that we have is not very precise. What makes one question this 600 page report is that the third tower that collapsed on that day is not even mentioned. The commission only talks about the collapsing of two towers, the Twin Towers. But there is a third 170 meters high tower that collapsed too; the WTC 7 tower. A small fire is mentioned concerning it. I have talked to professors who know very well the building structures; they say that a small fire cannot destroy such a big structure. The official story of 911 and the commission’s conclusions, are not reliable. This lack of clarity puts the researchers in a difficult situation. The confusion predominated as well about what really happened at the Pentagon. In the pictures that we have, it is very difficult to see a plane. We cannot see how a plane would have fallen there.

Silvia Cattori: The Venezuelan Government has asked the US for further explanations to clarify the origin of the attacks. Would this not be the example to follow?

Daniele Ganser: There are many uncertainties about September 11th. Politicians, members of the academia and citizens can all claim to explain what really happened. I think that it is important to continue asking questions. It is an event that no one can forget; everybody remembers where he/she was at that precise moment. It is unbelievable that five years later, we still cannot see clearly what happened.

Silvia Cattori: It is almost as if none of the structures created wanted to doubt the official version. Is it possible that they let themselves be manipulated by the lack of information organized by the ones who organize the strategy of the tension and the False flags?

Daniele Ganser: We are prone to manipulation if we are afraid. Afraid of losing the respect from the people that we love. We cannot go out of this spiral of violence and terror if we let the fear take over. It is normal to be afraid, but we must overtly talk about this fear and about the manipulations that generate it. Nobody can escape their consequences. This is even more serious when the politicians in charge react often under the effect of fear. One must find the strength to say: "Yes, I am afraid to know that these lies make people suffer; yes, I am afraid to think that there is less oil left; yes, I am afraid to think that this terrorism they talk about is the consequence of manipulations, but I will not let myself become intimidated."

Silvia Cattori: Up to what extent do countries like Switzerland participate, right now, in this strategy of tension?

Daniele Ganser: I do not think there is any strategy of tension in Switzerland. This country does not know any terrorist attacks. But, it is true that, in Switzerland as everywhere else, the politicians are afraid of the US and its strong position, and they have a tendency to say to themselves: "They are good friends, we’d better not fight against them."

Silvia Cattori: Doesn’t this way of thinking and of covering up the lies that arise from the strategy of tension make everyone an accomplice of the crimes that it causes? To start with the journalists and the political parties?

Daniele Ganser: I personally think that everyone - journalists, professors, politicians - must think about the implications of the strategy if tension and the false flag. Here we are, indeed, in presence of phenomena that escape from every kind of agreement. That is why, every time that there are terrorist attacks, we must ask questions and try to understand what that implies. It is only on the day that we officially admit that the false flags are a reality, that it will be possible for us to create a list of the false flags that took place in history and to agree upon what should be done. The subject that interests me is how to achieve peace. It is important to open a debate on the strategy of tension and to take cognizance of the fact that this is a very real phenomenon. Since as long as we do not recognize its existence, we cannot act. That is why it is important to explain what the strategy of tension truly means. And, once we have understood, we must not let fear and hatred against one group win. We must say to ourselves that it is not only one country that is involved in this; that it is not only the United States, Italy, Israel or the Iranians, but that it occurs everywhere. Even if certain countries participate in a more intensive way than others. We must understand, without blaming one country or one person. Fear and hatred do not help us to advance, they paralyse the debate. I see many accusations against the Unites States, against Israel and against great Britain, or alternatively against Iran and Syria. But the search for peace teaches us that one must not get lost in accusations based on nationalism, and that neither hatred nor fear are needed; that the most important thing is to explain the reality. And this comprehension will be beneficial for everybody.

Silvia Cattori: Why is your book about NATO’s secret armies published in English, translated into English, Turk, Slovenian and soon Greek, but it is not published in French?

Daniele Ganser: I haven’t found any publisher in France, yet. If any publisher happens to be interested in publishing my book, I will be very pleased to see it being issued in French.

Silvia Cattori is Swiss journalist.

[1] Nato’s secret Armies: Terrorism in Western Europe par Daniele Ganser, preface by John Prados. Frank Cass ed., 2005. ISBN 07146850032005

[2] It is after the attack in Piazza Fontana in Milano in 1969 that the term strategy of tension was heard for the first time.

[3] False flag operations is the expression used to talk about terrorist acts, conducted secretly by governments or organizations, and which are made to be seen as having been conducted by somebody else.

[4] « Stay-behind : les réseaux d’ingérence américains » (« the American interfering networks ») par Thierry Meyssan, Réseau Voltaire, August 20th, 2001.

[5] Stay behind is the name given to the clandestine structures trained to conduct a partisans’ war.

[6] Gladio designates the group of European secret armies that were under the guidance of the CIA.

[7] President of the Council of Ministers, member of the Christian Democracy.

[8] « Rapport Andreotti sur l’Opération Gladio » ("Andreotti Report about the Gladio Operation") February 26th, 1991, Réseau Voltaire’s library.

[9] « 1980 : carnage à Bologne, 85 morts » (« 1980 :bloodshed in Bologne, 85 deaths ») Réseau Voltaire, March 12th, 2004.

[10] « La France autorise l’action des services US sur son territoire » (France authorises the US services to act on its territory ») by Thierry Meyssan, Réseau Voltaire, 8 mars 2004.

[11] LavonAffair, from the name of the Israeli minister of Defense who had to quit his work when Mossad was found to have been involved in these criminal acts.

[12] See : « Odeurs de pétrole à la Maison-Blanche » (Smell of oil in the White House), Réseau Voltaire, Dec. 14 , 2001. « Les ombres du rapport Cheney » (the shadows of the Cheney rapport) by Arthur Lepic, March 30, 2004. « Le déplacement du pouvoir pétrolier » (the transfer of the power of oil) by Arthur Lepic, may 10th, 2004. « Dick Cheney, le pic pétrolier et le compte à rebours final » (Dick Cheney, the iol peak and the final downcount") by Kjell Aleklett, March 9, 2005.« L’adaptation économique à la raréfaction du pétrole » ( the economic adaptation to the rarefaction of oil) by Thierry Meyssan, June 9th, 2005.

[13] 9/11 American Empire : Intellectual speaks out
Also See: "Operation Gladio"

Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Gladio
Reply

Cognescenti
06-04-2007, 12:15 AM
format_quote Originally Posted by Zman

Firstly, I never stated nor "asserted" that Reagan changed Ford's Executive order. That's Just your spin in the works.


Oh is it? Does this sound familiar?

"In 1981, President Ronald Reagan had issued Executive Order 12333, in which it was ruled "No person employed by or acting on behalf of the United States Government shall engage in, or conspire to engage in, assassination.".

This order was rescinded by Reagan four months before the car bombing against Fadlallah, in a November 14, 1984 order"


That is verbatim from your post. That is not my "spin". The claim is false and your protestation is false.


I mentioned Iran/Contra in the 2nd line, and assassinations in the 5th. They had nothing to do with each other.
I don't follow that part, sorry.

Lastly, who is the "We Pay" them to conduct those dirty operations?

The American people, Me, or the government diverting funds to secret black ops, that most of the Congress & Senate don't even know about.

I never signed off on that, and I would imagine that most American citizens never, either...
If you do not pay any Federal Taxes you either have a very skilled tax attorney or you don't make any money or you are going to be in big trouble. I hope it is not the latter two. Honestly, now you are beginning to sound like a Leftie :)

It's like this. The average guy on the street doesn't get to vote directly on the actions of the CIA. This isn't a "town-hall" democracy where everyone meets on Friday night and settles things in a public forum. This is a representative democracy. You have to trust your elected memebers of Congress to provide oversight of the Executive Branch. That is what the Senate Intelligence Committee is for. You want to be on that you will have to get elected Senator for a couple of terms, a task, I think you find difficult given your ant-American views, but you are welcome to try.

As for CIA "black ops" :rollseyes Come on guy. It is an intelligence agency. What do you expect them to do, wear day-glow jackets that say "CIA" wherever they go. A substantial portion of their activities have to be secret or it amounts to unilateral disarmament. When things go over the line, like Iran-Contra for eg., where Congress explcitly forbade funding, people go to jail!

As far as what the majority of the American people want..I think it is clear. They don't want the CIA to screw up again and miss the next 9-11. They don't want them hamstrung by a the blame America first crowd.
Reply

Cognescenti
06-04-2007, 12:25 AM
format_quote Originally Posted by Zman
"If that's what we pay the CIA to do, then the Italians have every right to sue the hell out of us and bankrupt the CIA & the US government."
I know you may not believe this, but I actually read the whole thing you posted on the Italian claims :) I really don't know much about this as it is too old, but the accuser does not claim the CIA did the bombing or hired anyone to do it or provided funding, etc etc. His allegation, which he admits he can't prove, is the CIA knew who was doing it and conspired with the Italian government to not stop them. I am sorry, it is not the job of the CIA to intervene in Italian, purely internal security matters against the wishes of the Italian government. That is the job of the Italian government. While you are at it, ask the Poles or East Germans or the Czechs or the Hungarians or the Estonians, etc., etc., about their pleasant little detour into Communism.
Reply

Cognescenti
06-04-2007, 12:32 AM
Sorry...the NATO's Secret Armies thing is just kooky. Do you even know how many governments Italy has had in the last 62 yrs? Do you know how many years the Socialists ran things in France? Do you really believe that many many thousands of people of differing political ideologies were in on this? I suppsoe they all had to learn the secret handshake too? It is preposterous.

I think we are done.
Reply

Keltoi
06-04-2007, 12:47 AM
I can find an article on the internet describing how Elvis was probably kidnapped by an alien craft. I think discussions are much more fruitful when we are discussing personal opinions and knowledge, not simply pasting articles from the internet.
Reply

Cognescenti
06-04-2007, 01:19 AM
format_quote Originally Posted by Keltoi
I can find an article on the internet describing how Elvis was probably kidnapped by an alien craft. ...
Cool! Did they kidnap his back-up singers too? :)
Reply

Zman
06-07-2007, 06:06 PM
:sl:/Peace To All


What Do You Think About Suicide Bombers?

By Moshe Machover
March 11, 2005
ZMAG

The common motivation behind this frequently asked question is by no means an innocent one. In fact, the question itself is quite strange: why ask about suicide bombers rather than about bombers simpliciter? Is the questioner interested in our view about suicide bombers as distinct from non-suicide ones?

Surely, whether a perpetrator of a bombing commits suicide in the act is -- morally speaking -- not the principal issue: what matters most is the bombing. And why confine the question to bombing? Can our judgment about firing a machine-gun indiscriminately into a crowd differ from that about detonating a bomb in a crowded place?

I will therefore start by considering the principal issue raised by the question: that of indiscriminate killing. Yet, the secondary issue of suicide committed in such an act is nevertheless of some importance, and I do not wish to evade it. I will deal with it later on.

Indiscriminate Killing:

Indiscriminate killing of persons who are non-combatants and who may well be innocent is an abhorrent atrocity and must be condemned without reservation. Where the intention or the likely effect is the murder of many innocent non-combatants, the act is all the more heinous. This is so irrespective of the larger goal in the name of which the act is perpetrated. An atrocity can in no way be justified or excused even if committed in the course of a just war or a struggle for liberation from oppression.

Yet, the aims and circumstances do make a difference -- not to the culpability of the act itself, but with respect to additional blame that may be associated with it. An atrocity committed in an unjust war or in the service of oppression is doubly ****able: for its aim as well as the means. On the other hand, where an evil is committed by those who resist oppression and in the course of struggle for liberation, the oppressor must be regarded as an accessory to the outrage. This is because the oppressor must know that those driven to despair and outrage by their miserable condition are likely to respond by deranged desperate outrageous acts; this in no way exculpates the latter, but it does make the former a causative contributor to evildoing. Oppression is the root cause.

Does A Perpetrator's Suicide Make A Difference?

Within an armed conflict, suicide killing -- whether by bombing or by other means -- is almost in all cases perpetrated by the weaker side, often by the downtrodden. So the hidden agenda behind the question posed at the outset, asking us to comment on suicide bombings, is to make us focus on the violence of the oppressed and turn our attention away from that of the oppressor. We must not fall into this trap. Yet the question deserves a straight answer.

In a case of indiscriminate killing of random victims, the suicide of the perpetrator does make some difference. However, the difference does not concern the degree of abhorrence or culpability of the act, but the character of the perpetrator. It is this: a soldier firing a missile from the safety of a helicopter or a tank into a densely populated area is not only a war criminal but also a coward. An officer or politician ordering such acts from the safety of an office is a war arch-criminal and an arch-coward. But suicide bombing -- however abhorrent -- is clearly not a cowardly act. In some limited sense -- which in no way implies moral approval! -- it may even be regarded as heroic. (One of the definitions of "heroic" in the WordNet Dictionary of Princeton University is "showing extreme courage; especially of actions courageously undertaken in desperation as a last resort". And in the Shorter Oxford Dictionary one of the definitions is "having recourse to bold, daring, or extreme measures". Courage has no moral value whatsoever in itself; it is only laudable when in the service of good.)

Eyeless In Gaza:

Contrary to the propaganda spread by some Western politicians and their media lackeys, suicide killing is by no means an invention of Islamic fanatics, nor is it unique to them. In fact, it is widespread in many cultures. In modern times it has been practiced, for example, by the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka. Kamikaze bombing by Japanese pilots in the Second World War is also similar in many respects.

But it is important to point out the positive attitude to an extreme act of this sort in the Judeo-Christian tradition. I am referring to the story about Samson in the biblical Book of Judges. Samson, who terrorized the Philistines, was captured by them (using his lover Delilah as honey-trap, in a ruse reminiscent of the capture of the nuclear whistle-blower Mordechai Vanunu using an attractive Mossad agent).


This is how the story ends (Judges XVI, 21-30):

But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house. ... Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand. And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many of us. And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars. And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon them. Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines [were] there; and [there were] upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport. And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes. And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left. And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with [all his] might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that [were] therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than [they] which he slew in his life.

This story of the suicidal killing of thousands of men and women, most of them no doubt innocent, by the blinded and humiliated Samson, is taught approvingly to present-day Israeli children. The protagonist is conventionally referred to as "Samson the Hero" (Shimshon Haggibor).

The 17th Century revolutionary English poet John Milton, a devout Christian, is even more panegyrical in his glorification of this suicide killing. At the end of his great poem Samson Agonistes (verses 1664-1672) he says:

O dearly-bought revenge, yet glorious!
Living or dying though hast fulfill'd
The work for which thou wast foretold
To Israel, and now ly'st victorious
Among thy slain, self-killed;
Not willingly, but tangled in the fold
Of dire necessity, whose law in death conjoin'd
Thee with thy slaughtered foes, in number more
Than all thy life hath slain before.

Of course, we need not accept the judgment of the Book of Judges (any more than the creationist story of Genesis). Nor should we blindly follow Milton in this matter. But let us beware of facile one-sided lack of compassion towards the miserable wretches driven by oppression and humiliation to horrendous deeds.

Moshé Machover is an Israeli dissident, and founding member of Matzpen (The Socialist Organization in Israel); now living in the UK. Professor emeritus, Philosophy Department, King's College, London.

Source:
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=7417
Reply

Zman
06-07-2007, 10:22 PM
:sl:/Peace To All

The Irgun: First 20th Century's Zionist Terrorists

The following Segment gives a summary of the Jewish terror group, the Irgun, and their deadly operations against the Palestinian Arabs & the British Mandate forces.

Those extremely violent and deadly operations, led to the theft of Palestinian land and the creation of the Zionist State of Israel.

The Irgun proved that terrorism can create the desired results.

They were the beacon for the modern day 20th and 21st century terrorist groups.

The documentary, is narrated by Walter Cronkite...

11 Minute Segment From The Documentary:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZu0i...wtopic%3D39804

Reply

Zman
06-09-2007, 06:39 PM
:sl:/Peace To All


Occupation, Not Islam, "Drives Suicide Attacks"

By MARILYN H. KARFELD,
Senior Staff Reporter
Saturday, June 9, 2007
The Cleveland Jewish News

In the wake of Sept. 11, Robert Pape, a professor in international security affairs at The University of Chicago, speculated on TV news shows on the causes of suicide terrorism.

“Like everyone else, I jumped to the conclusion that it was radical Islam,” he says. “I even bought a Koran to see what’s wrong with Islam.”

After searching for data on suicide terrorism and finding that the government did not begin to track such attacks until 2000, Pape began to collect his own information.

He compiled data on 462 suicide bombings from 1980 to 2004 and later updated his findings to 2006.

His book Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism was published in 2005.

Contrary to his initial impression, Pape discovered that half of the 462 suicide attacks were by people who were secular or even anti-religious.

The world leaders in suicide bombings were members of the Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka, a Marxist and Hindu group.


Over 30% of Muslim suicide bombers were not Islamic fundamentalists, Pape learned.

For instance, some belonged to an anti-religious extremist Marxist group in Turkey, the Kurdish Workers Party or PKK.

“Over 95% of all suicide attacks are not religious,” Pape says.

Rather, they are driven by the political goal of compelling foreign combat forces, with their tanks and fighter aircraft, to leave territory “the terrorists consider their homeland or they prize greatly.”

Only 5% are random, isolated attacks, the products of any ideology, religion included, Pape adds.

“Every suicide campaign since 1980 has been carried out by groups seeking self-determination for territory,” he says.


Pape spoke to the CJN before addressing the annual banquet and fundraiser of the Cleveland chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

The following day, he spoke to the counter-terrorism task force of the Cleveland field office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

In the Jewish state, Pape says, 75% of suicide bombings are in Israel proper, directed against targets such as bus stops and pizzerias.

Suicide terrorists avoid what he calls “hard” targets, such as railroad stations and even shopping malls, which are too well defended.

At settler outposts in the West Bank, Pape says terrorists will attack and run away so they can do it again and again before getting shot.

“Inside Israel proper, they know it’s highly likely the best way to achieve killing is through suicide attacks.”

If suicide bombers were motivated solely to become martyrs and go to heaven, they would stand in front of Israeli tanks.

“No,” he insists. “The motivation is to kill the largest number of people. It’s not about how to die.”


Suicide bombers are typically walk-in volunteers from blue-collar and middle-class backgrounds with no experience in killing.

Of the 462 he studied, 232 were Arabs.

They are not being brainwashed in madrassas, he says.


“They are already perfectly willing to die.” They are then taught the mechanics of how to commit suicide bombings.

Only 10% are poor. “These are not individuals who have nothing to lose,” Pape says. “They would have led productive lives.”

They are also highly educated, with 54% having some college education, compared with 12% in the surrounding society.

The common denominator “driving suicide attacks” in the Jewish state is anger at the Israeli occupation, says Pape.


“Deep anger is the critical circumstance. When you mix it with personal motives of revenge and social prestige, you trigger the suicide terrorist.”

When Israel withdrew from Gaza and allowed Hamas to win a parliamentary election, the “second intifada came to a halt,” he maintains.


In his 2003 article in American Political Science Review that profiled suicide bombers, Pape advised Israel on how to stop the second intifada.

“Israel should unilaterally withdraw from Gaza and areas of the West Bank and build a security fence,” he suggested.

“Israel did about 70% of what I said. I would have moved the fence to the Green Line. Suicide attacks since summer 2004 are down 90%.”

Hamas is still an Islamic fundamentalist organization, he points out. If religion motivated suicide attacks in Israel, they would be continuing.


The Defense Department has been funding Pape’s studies, and he has spoken in Washington to the CIA, Department of Homeland Security, the National Security Agency, the FBI and members of Congress. Before the 3rd Infantry Division was sent to Iraq as part of President Bush’s surge of 21,500 combat troops, Pape addressed about 150 of its officers.

The recent surge of American troops in Iraq will make a bad situation worse, Pape says.

“If we remove our troops, there will be a substantial decline in the number of suicide terrorist attacks.”


Lebanon exemplifies his conclusions, Pape claims. Hezbollah was born in July 1982, created by the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon.

When Israel finally withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah did not follow Israeli soldiers to Tel Aviv, Pape notes.

“The suicide attacks stopped completely. To this day, there’s not been another suicide attack by Hezbollah.”


If Israel would completely withdraw from the West Bank, Pape predicts that Hamas would end its suicide attacks.

He acknowledges that Hamas keeps saying they want to run Jews out of Israel proper. But Pape says they aren’t doing this through suicide bombings.

While it’s possible that Hamas would some day adopt this strategy, he says governments do not build policies on things that are purely hypothetical.

As for Iraq, the U.S. has an interest in a stable Persian Gulf region and maintaining access to oil.

We “don’t cut and run,” Pape says. “But our policy can’t be to stay and die.”

The U.S. needs a third way that begins with our core interest, access to oil, which is integral to our economy, Pape says.

“Offshore balancing” is what he recommends. “Military forces are poised (outside of Iraq), ready to intervene if necessary. We wouldn’t go to war to spread democracy at the barrel of a gun.”

Pape insists he is all for humanitarian intervention but not at serious risk to American lives.

“Our current policy is increasing the risk of another 9/11. It’s creating so much hatred.”


Unlike Vietnam, where America simply pulled out its troops with minimal repercussions, immediate withdrawal is not possible in Iraq, he believes. In Vietnam, the U.S. had no real interests. But leaving Iraq abruptly would damage U.S. interest in Persian Gulf oil and hurt the world’s economy.

Instead, Pape suggests a phased withdrawal beginning this year and taking place over the next three or four years. It took Al Qaeda six years after its first terrorist attacks in 1995 to come to the U.S. for 9/11, he notes.

“This, unfortunately, is the reality of Iraq.”

Occupying Iraq has been “just foolish. It’s a tragedy that leaves us in the worst of all possible worlds. It’s time to change policies.”

mkarfeld@cjn.org
Reply

Zman
06-13-2007, 09:50 PM
:sl:/Peace To All


'Pregnant' Suicide Bomber Strikes Military HQ

Courtesy Of: Times Online
By Richard Beeston,
Diplomatic Editor
April 26, 2006

Sri Lanka was sliding back into civil war yesterday, after the military launched air strikes and shelled rebel Tamil positions in retaliation for a suicide attack that left the country's top army officer badly injured.

There were fears that the island's uneasy four-year ceasefire was unravelling and that simmering ethnic conflict could reignite into the sort of all-out war that raged in the 1980s and 1990s.

The bloody sequence of events was triggered yesterday morning when a suspected member of the Black Tigers Suicide Squad penetrated the heavily fortified Sri Lankan Military Headquarters in Colombo.

Posing as a pregnant woman and showing forged identity documents, the Tamil bomber concealed explosives around her waist and set off her device next to a car carrying Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka, the recently appointed Army Chief of Staff.

Witnesses reported seeing a "fireball" as the explosion ripped through the compound, leaving a circle of dead and wounded.


MASTERS OF THE HUMAN BOMB:


The Tamil Tigers were not the first to use the human bomb, but they perfected the art and were the first to celebrate bombers as heroes in the way that Japan did its Kamikazi pilots.

The first suicide attack was a 1987 truck bombing in an army camp that killed 40 troops.

It has since been estimated that the Tigers have been responsible for a quarter of all the world's suicide attacks in the 25 years before the last Iraq War.

The complete article can be read at:
http://timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2151783,00.html
Reply

Zman
06-17-2007, 08:04 AM
:sl:Peace To All


MERCENARIES OFTEN A PRESENCE IN TERRORIST ATTACKS

SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR TELLS THIRD COMMITTEE AS IT BEGINS DISCUSSIONS ON SELF-DETERMINATION


Courtesy Of: The United Nations
Fifty-sixth General Assembly
Third Committee
26th Meeting (AM)

Committee Chairman Proposes Postponement of Racism, Racial Discrimination Issues.

When terrorist attacks were investigated, it was imperative to research whether mercenaries were also involved, the Special Rapporteur on mercenaries told the Third Committee this morning as the panel opened its debate on self-determination.

The Special Rapporteur on the question of the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination, Enrique Bernales Ballesteros, told Committee members that mercenaries were often a presence in terrorist attacks.

They were also used frequently in battles over self-determination.

Mercenaries would also likely be involved in other criminal activities, he said, including actions that could finance attacks.

Those people were trained to destroy, and they were void of human sentiment.



If the international community wanted to be successful in fighting terrorism, it would have to look into the actions of mercenaries.
One instrument that could be helpful in combating their use, Mr. Ballesteros said during an interactive discussion later in the meeting, was the International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries.

The Convention had been approved by the General Assembly in 1989, but did not come into force until 20 October because not enough countries had acceded to it.

Statement By Special Rapporteur On Mercenaries:

ENRIQUE BERNALES BALLESTEROS, Special Rapporteur on the question of the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination, said the mandate of the Special Rapporteur also included, among other things, armed conflict, terrorism, covert operations and trafficking in arms.

All States were asked to investigate the use of mercenaries in all criminal activities in their countries.

He said a visit to El Salvador was still pending, as was a visit to Panama. Such a visit would allow opinions to be collected and facts to be gathered that could link the use of mercenaries and terrorism.

A study would also be carried out about the link of private security forms.

There would also be an investigation about the situation in Peru about activities carried out by the former President. In this case, as well as in the case of aggressions against Cuba and the situation in Colombia, the Special Rapporteur observed links between mercenaries and terrorism, particularly through the illegal trafficking of drugs.

There was a meeting about private security firms which offered people opportunities to take part in military action.

One of the conclusions of that meeting was that there needed to be a further analysis of the legal definition of mercenary...

He said, as in all the reports, there had been a focus on the use of mercenaries in Africa.


There was no internal conflict or other problem where mercenaries were not involved.
Mercenaries were seen in Angola, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, among other places. In the western parts of the countries, which were rich with precious stones and oils, outside interests, including Mafias, had hired mercenaries to enable them to get rich from those resources.

The General Assembly and the Security Council had both passed resolutions against that, and those resolutions needed to be respected to protect the people of the region.

The terrorist attacks of 11 September had proved that there was a need for a more effective strategy to tackle terrorism.


The presence of mercenaries usually occurred in connection with other criminal activities, and it would be a mistake to discount the use of mercenaries in terrorist attacks.

Many attacks resulted from a defamation of religious, cultural or political conflicts.

Those people were trained to destroy, and they were devoid of human sentiment.

Mercenaries were behind many terrorist attacks, and they were often used to assassinate political leaders.

When investigating a terrorist attack, there should always be an investigation into whether mercenaries were involved.

If the international community wanted to be successful in fighting terrorism, that should be seriously considered.

Source:
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/20...hc3650.doc.htm
Reply

Zman
06-19-2007, 02:19 PM
:sl:/Peace To All


Israeli Sentenced To Prison For Bomb Attack In Prague

The Associated Press
Published: June 18, 2007
The International Herald Tribune

PRAGUE, Czech Republic: An Israeli citizen has been sentenced to five years in prison for carrying out a bomb attack that targeted the owner of a downtown Prague casino in 2004, an official said Monday.

Judge Bohuslav Horky said the Prague Municipal Court on Monday convicted Yakov Moshaylov of being a threat to the public, and sentenced him to five years in prison.

Moshaylov, who will serve his term in an Israeli prison, was also expelled from the Czech Republic indefinitely, Horky said.

Moshaylov, who immigrated to Israel from the former Soviet Union, was arrested in September 2004 in Israel for having thrown a bomb under a car in front of Prague's Casino Royal the previous month. The blast lightly injured 18 people, most of them foreign tourists.

The target was the casino's owner, Israeli citizen Assaf Abutbul, who was not injured and left the country a few days later. The casino has since closed.


Moshaylov was extradited to the Czech Republic for trial in January 2006 under the condition that he serve his prison term in Israel.

Source:
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/...-Explosion.php
Reply

Cognescenti
06-19-2007, 02:55 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Zman
:sl:/Peace To All

...The target was the casino's owner, Israeli citizen Assaf Abutbul, who was not injured and left the country a few days later. The casino has since closed...

Is this supposed to be a terror attack? It sounds like an organized crime "hit" that went wrong. The target was another Israeli.
Reply

Zman
06-19-2007, 04:04 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Cognescenti
Is this supposed to be a terror attack? It sounds like an organized crime "hit" that went wrong. The target was another Israeli.

A bomb was involved, people were hurt, and it doesn't matter if the target was another Israeli.

I was in a pharmacy once, and 2 employees were Joking around, one said to the other that "I'll kill you, if you keep this up."

There was a cop around who knew both of them, and he advised them not to Joke around like that, because they can arrest people who claim that they'll murder anyone, even if it's in Jest.

They consider it an act of terror, now. It's not plane murder, any more.

If they arrested and made a federal case about the JFK plotters, which had no explosives, no weapons, and no actual terrorism took place, and it was ruled as a terror act.

In Prague, you had the oposite happen...
Reply

Cognescenti
06-19-2007, 04:40 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Zman

A bomb was involved, people were hurt, and it doesn't matter if the target was another Israeli.

I was in a pharmacy once, and 2 employees were Joking around, one said to the other that "I'll kill you, if you keep this up."

There was a cop around who knew both of them, and he advised them not to Joke around like that, because they can arrest people who claim that they'll murder anyone, even if it's in Jest.

They consider it an act of terror, now. It's not plane murder, any more.

If they arrested and made a federal case about the JFK plotters, which had no explosives, no weapons, and no actual terrorism took place, and it was ruled as a terror act.

In Prague, you had the oposite happen...
Murder is a crime too, but your thesis was that Islamic terrorism is only a tiny part of the problem. As evidence, you spam the readers with stories about a couple of Israelis fighting over a casino :)

This might make a good Sopranos episode, but very few people own casinos in Prague so you can't expect "Westerners" to view this as an epidemic of terror from Russian Jews.
Reply

Zman
06-19-2007, 07:46 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Cognescenti
...but your thesis was that Islamic terrorism is only a tiny part of the problem...

Your above statement only applies to my first post.

I did give notice (in the very first post), that this thread will be dedicated to non-Muslim terrorism around the world...
Reply

Zman
06-24-2007, 03:37 PM
:sl:/Peace To All

Not Enough For An Act Of Terrorism?

Police Seize Huge Cache Of Explosives From Colorado Home, But Say It's Not Enough For An Act Of Terrorism


Wednesday, June 20, 2007
WinterPatriot

A Colorado man is free on $50,000 bond after a police search of his house discovered a cache of weapons, explosives and volatile chemicals.

Ronald Swerlein of Longmont, CO, attracted the attention of his neighbors by setting off explosions in his garage. Police had been seeking tips after several small homemade explosives were found in a local parking lot nearly three weeks ago.


A police search of the Swerlein home turned up hundreds of volatile chemicals and other weapons, as well as books about bomb-making and revenge.

Swerlein says he's been experimenting with various chemicals to use as rocket fuel.

According to reports from Colorado, police confiscated nitroglycerin, ammonium nitrate, PETN, thermite, and sodium azide, none of which are used as rocket fuels.

They also discovered laboratory-grade glassware worth thousands of dollars.

Ammonium nitrate is the basic ingredient in so-called fertilizer bombs; PETN is an ingredient in plastic explosives; sodium azide produces a toxic gas when it comes into contact with metal; and nitroglycerin is a well-known (and extremely unstable) liquid explosive.

Thermite, as most 9/11 researchers know, can be used to cut steel and may have been involved in the demolition of the three World Trade Center buildings which disintegrated on September 11, 2001.
Police detonated the nitroglycerin in Swerlein's driveway.Longmont Police Sgt. Tim Lewis said the police had seized "cartloads of weapons ... more than I have ever seen in our armory."

Despite the size of the cache and the volatility of the chemicals involved, Sgt. Lewis told reporters that Swerlein had not created enough chemical explosives “for a terrorist action,” although he did have enough to damage his home and others in his neighborhood.

Sgt. Lewis also said, "This investigation is still in its infancy. We're still trying to determine what his intent was."


Considering that the perpetrators of the most extravagant terrorist attack ever committed on American soil were allegedly armed only with box-cutters, it is incomprehensible that a cache of weapons and explosives larger than the Longmont police have in their armory could be described as insufficient for a terrorist action.

How much nitroglycerin does one need to commit an act of terrorism?

Or does that depend on one's religion or the color of one's skin?

And why has this case attracted so little national attention?

Or does that depend on religion and skin color, too?

Source:
http://winterpatriot.blogspot.com/20...xplosives.html
Reply

Zman
06-30-2007, 07:26 PM
:sl:/Peace To All

LUIS POSADA CARRILES: THE DECLASSIFIED RECORD

CIA and FBI Documents Detail Career in International Terrorism; Connection To U.S.


Courtesy Of: George Washington University,
National Security Archive
March 10, 2005

Update - May 18, 2005 - Documents featured on May 17, 2005 edition of ABC's Nightline

Washington D.C. May 18, 2005 - The National Security Archive today posted additional documents that show that the CIA had concrete advance intelligence, as early as June 1976, on plans by Cuban exile terrorist groups to bomb a Cubana airliner.

The Archive also posted another document that shows that the FBI's attache in Caracas had multiple contacts with one of the Venezuelans who placed the bomb on the plane, and provided him with a visa to the U.S. five days before the bombing, despite suspicions that he was engaged in terrorist activities at the direction of Luis Posada Carriles.

Both documents were featured last night on ABC Nightline's program on Luis Posada Carriles, who was detained in Miami yesterday by Homeland Security.

...There is no indication in the declassified files that indicates that the CIA alerted Cuban government authorities to the terrorist threat against Cubana planes. CIA, June 22, 1976, Report, "Possible Plans of Cuban Exile Extremists to Blow Up a Cubana Airliner"

THE CIA CONNECTION

Luis Posada Carriles had a long relationship with the CIA. In February 1961, he joined the CIA's Brigade 2506 to invade Cuba, although the ship to which he was assigned never landed at the Bay of Pigs. While in the U.S. military between 1963 and 1965 the CIA recruited him and trained him in demolitions; he subsequently became a trainer of other paramilitary exile forces in the mid 1960s. CIA documents posted below reveal that he was terminated as an asset in July 1967, but then reinstated four months later and apparently remained an asset until 1974. The documents also show that he remained in contact with the Agency until June 1976, only three months before the plane bombing.

BOMBING OF CUBANA FLIGHT 455

Document 9: FBI, October 7, 1976, Secret Intelligence Report, "Suspected Bombing of Cubana Airlines DC-8 Near Barbados"

In one of the very first reports on the October 6, 1976, downing of Cubana Flight 455, the FBI Venezuelan bureau cables that a confidential source has identified Luis Posada and Orlando Bosch as responsible for the bombing. "The source all but admitted that Posada and Bosch had engineered the bombing of the airline," according to the report. The report appears to indicate that the Venezuelan secret police, DISIP, were arranging for Bosch and Posada to leave Caracas, although this section of the document has been censored.

ORLANDO BOSCH AND ANTI-CASTRO TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS


IRAN-CONTRA AND POSADA (A.K.A. RAMON MEDINA)

Document 14: September 2, 1986, Contra re-supply document, [Distribution of Warehoused Contra Weapons and Equipment - in Spanish with English translation]

After bribing his way out of prison in Venezuela in September 1985, Posada went directly to El Salvador to work on the illicit contra resupply operations being run by Lt. Col. Oliver North. Posada assumed the name "Ramon Medina," and worked as a deputy to another anti-Castro Cuban exile, Felix Rodriguez, who was in charge of a small airlift of arms and supplies to the contras in Southern Nicaragua. Rodriguez used the code name, Max Gomez. This document, released during the Congressional investigation into the Iran-Contra operations, records both Posada and Rodriguez obtaining supplies for contra troops from a warehouse at Illopango airbase in San Salvador.

Document 15: May 27, 1987, Testimony of Felix I. Rodriguez Before the Joint Hearings on the Iran-Contra Investigation [Excerpt]

Retired Air Force Colonel Robert C. Dutton, who supervised the contra resupply operation beginning in April 1986, identified Luis Posada as the true identity of "Ramon Medina" at his appearance before the joint hearings on the Iran-contra investigation on May 27, 1987.

Document 16: May 1987, Iran-Contra Hearings, Testimony of Robert C. Dutton, Exhibit 14, "Reorganization Plan"

For The Complete Information & Declassified Documents:
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB153/index.htm
Reply

Zman
07-01-2007, 02:30 AM
:sl:/Peace To All

UK Agents Had Role In IRA "Human Bomb Attacks"

By Henry McDonald,
Ireland Editor
Sunday September 10, 2006
Observer.Guardian

The controversy over claims that Britain allowed two IRA informers to organise 'human bomb' attacks intensified this weekend.

A human rights watchdog has handed a report to the Police Service of Northern Ireland, which concludes that two British agents were central to the bombings of three army border installations in 1990.

Meanwhile the Police Ombudsman's Office in Belfast confirmed it is investigating allegations by the family of one victim that the bomb in Newry on 24 October 1990 could have been prevented.
The British Irish Rights Watch report will also put the focus back on the alleged MI6 agent 'J118'. Army intelligence officer turned whistleblower Martin Ingram has alleged 'J118' was Sinn Fein's chief negotiator Martin McGuinnesss.

...The 'human bomb' tactic involved forcing civilians to drive vehicles laden with explosives into army checkpoints and included deadly sorties near Newry and Coshquin outside Derry.

Six British soldiers and a civilian worker at an army base died in the simultaneous blasts on either side of Northern Ireland.
British Irish Rights Watch said: 'This month BIRW sent a confidential report to the Historical Enquiries Team on the three incidents that occurred on 24th October 1990... at least two security force agents were involved in these bombings, and allegations have been made that the "human bomb" strategy was the brainchild of British intelligence.

'Questions arise as to whether the RUC, Garda Síochána and the army's Force Research Unit had prior and/or subsequent intelligence about the bombings.

These questions in turn lead to concerns about whether these attacks could have been prevented and why no one has been brought to justice.'
Although British Irish Rights Watch has made no reference to the identities of the informers they allege were involved in the 'human bomb' plot, the group's intervention in the controversy is a significant development.


The group has issued several detailed reports previously outlining cases of collusion between loyalist terrorists and the security forces.

These include the Pat Finucane murder and the killing of Raymond McCord Jr by the Ulster Volunteer Force.

In both cases, British Irish Rights Watch claim many of the loyalists involved in these murders were agents for the security forces - allegations that were later substantiated.
Speaking from a secret location in Europe this weekend, Ingram (not his real name) said that while the latest report was not decisive proof over his claims about 'J1118', it raised questions about the role of informers in the 'human bomb' killings.


'This report from a very credible source brings up the question of informers working at the top tier of the IRA who were allowed to commit crimes up to murder while working for the state.
'I stand by what I have said in the past about "J118" and challenge anyone to debate it with me in a public forum.'
Ingram, a former NCO with the army's highly secretive Force Research Unit, said he was prepared to expose his own identity in public in any such debate.

Source:
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/polit...869019,00.html
Reply

Zman
07-01-2007, 03:23 AM
:sl:/Peace To All

Bombs In Assam In India Kill 5, Wound 70

30 Jun 2007 14:51:08 GMT
Source: Reuters

GUWAHATI, India, June 30 (Reuters) - Four powerful bombs set off by suspected separatists exploded in crowded markets and outside a Hindu temple in northeast India's Assam state on Saturday, killing five people and wounding more than 70, police said.

The first two bombs went off in two markets in Tinsukia town in eastern Assam on Saturday evening killing three people and wounding about 30, including eight policemen who were on patrol.

The third bomb exploded in the nearby town of Doomdooma where one person was killed and around 25 others were wounded.

One person was killed and 19 people were wounded in another blast outside a Hindu temple in the central part of the state.

Police suspect the separatist United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), fighting for independence of the oil- and tea-rich state, was behind the blasts. The separatists accuse New Delhi of neglecting the local economy and taking away state's resources.

Victims were mostly roadside vegetable sellers and shoppers. The rebels have been bombing crowded areas across the state for the past six month targeting mainly civilians and businessmen.

More than 20,000 people have been killed since the insurgency began in 1979
Source:
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SP262591.htm
Reply

Zman
07-02-2007, 01:47 AM
:sl:/Peace To All

MI5 Helped IRA Buy Bomb Parts In U.S.

From The Sunday Times
By Enda Leahy
March 19, 2006
Times Online

A FORMER British Army mole in the IRA has claimed that MI5 arranged a weapons-buying trip to America in which he obtained detonators, later used by terrorists to murder soldiers and police officers.

In a book to be published next month, the spy, who uses the pseudonym Kevin Fulton, describes in detail how British intelligence co-operated with the FBI to ensure his trip to New York in the 1990s went ahead without incident so that his cover would not be blown.

He claims the technology he obtained has been used in Northern Ireland and copied by terrorists in Iraq in roadside bombs that have killed British troops.

In the book, Unsung Hero, Fulton tells of his double life in which he had to play a convincing IRA man while working for the British.

“You cannot pretend to be a terrorist,” said Fulton, who now lives outside Northern Ireland. “I had to be able to do the exact same thing as the IRA man next to me. Otherwise I wouldn’t be there.”

His allegations that the security services helped to obtain weapons that killed their own members follow revelations about British infiltration of terrorist groups and collusion in paramilitary killings.
The issue has been the subject of investigations by Lord Stevens, the former Metropolitan police commissioner.

Fulton’s book will include claims from his own experience that MI5 and the Special Branch of the Royal Ulster Constabulary colluded in the murder of their own officers and soldiers and allowed agents to be killed.
Fulton, a married Catholic now in his forties, was serving in the army when he was recruited by military intelligence to infiltrate the IRA.

He later worked for the Force Research Unit, a covert branch of the Intelligence Corps set up to infiltrate paramilitary groups.
For 13 years Fulton was an IRA terrorist, involved first in courier runs, later as a driver and enforcer, and finally as a master bomb-maker in a unit in Newry, Co Down, credited with numerous advances in explosive technologies.

“I was recruited as a serving British soldier,” he said. “I was in the Royal Irish Rangers. I agreed to go into the IRA as a soldier.”

Security sources have said Fulton was implicated in numerous bombings and shootings, allegations on which he declines to comment.

He has said his handlers knew the nature of his role but ignored his warnings of forthcoming bomb attacks, including the Omagh atrocity, which killed 29 people in 1998.
Fulton and four other members of his unit in Newry pioneered the use of flash guns to detonate bombs.

This technology was used in a bomb that killed Colleen McMurray, an RUC officer, in 1992. Her colleague Paul Slaine lost both his legs in the attack. He was later awarded the George Cross for his bravery.

Fulton claims he tipped off his handlers about this attack but they allowed it to go ahead to protect agents.

“Two days before the attack on Slaine and McMurray I knew my officer commanding was using what we called a doodlebug, a horizontal mortar,” he said.

“I told my MI5 handlers and they took me to London for two days. The day I came back the bomb went off. The police were taken off the streets to allow the bomber to get in, set the device and get out.”
The trip to America came after the killing of McMurray, when the IRA had built sufficient trust in Fulton for commanders to send him abroad to buy remote control infrared devices that would allow IRA teams to refine the flash technique and detonate explosives from up to a mile away.

When he told his MI5 handlers about the mission, they arranged with the FBI to procure the detonators for Fulton.

In this month’s edition of Atlantic Monthly, Fulton outlines how an MI5 agent was sent ahead of him by Concorde to make preparations. He has also described the trip in interviews with The Sunday Times over the past few months.

In New York he attended a meeting with FBI agents and British intelligence officers. There he agreed to expose IRA operatives in America to the FBI.

However, the same terrorists, who were arrested months later, were first allowed to procure and send the infrared technology to the IRA.

Fulton claims this technology was used in the Troubles and forms the basis for insurgent bombs in Iraq.
A spokesman for the security service declined to comment.

Source:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...icle742783.ece
Reply

Zman
07-02-2007, 07:04 PM
:sl:/Peace To All

Was There A Christian Terrorism Link In The Virginia Tech Tragedy?

Courtesy Of: IslamiCity
By: Laila El-Haddad
4/20/2007

Of course there was no connection of this incident with Christianity. But there is a point to be made about 'Terrorism, the media, and Virginia Tech'.

"Thanks to you, I die like Jesus Christ, to inspire generations of the weak and the defenseless people."
These are the words uttered by the name now known across America-and much of the world; the name plastered on every newspaper headline, internet magazine, radio and TV station.
But very few networks or newspapers chose to emphasize this statement, or even publish it. It was relegated to the end of the text in almost every article I read on the incident.
Why then is there no media frenzy to uncover and parse to death every possible "Christian fundamentalist" connection that Cho might have had, even seemingly benign ones ("you belonged to the Christian fellowship you say? You attended a local church? The church once hosted a controversial right-wing leader? Your highschool roommate's estranged cousin attended anti-east rallies?).

You get my drift.
There is no question that Tuesday's attack was horrific, and very sad. What I am interested in though is-as is often the case-how the media is covering it?

The coverage initially started out by mentioning- between the lines- that this "did not seem to be an act of terrorism".

Ok I might be picking at straws here but if this isn't terrorism, what is? Not politically motivated you say? Is that the standard common definition of terrorism anyway these days?
The attacker, as in the Baruch Goldstein case, is being described as a mentally unstable wacko, one screw loose too many and the attack as an unfortunate case where a gun that found its way to the wrong hands; an exception to the rule; this despite the fact that a special justice found his insight and judgment to be normal.
The methodical nature of his killing rampage and his pre-rampage preparations seems to add credence to this.
The question I'd like to pose is, given his statement above which was extracted from his so-called "manifesto" and aired on NBC: couldn't this, too, be classified as an act of religious terrorism (by the same standards employed by this media in categorizing "islamic terrorism" or "jihadism" or whatever)?

Or more precisely, to make a fair analogy, couldn't one say that Cho derived "his inspiration" from Christian doctrine or the "Christian culture of martyrdom"?
I dread to think how the mass media would even begin to speculate and evaluate this if those same words were uttered by an attacker who happened to be of Muslim descent (exchanging Jesus Christ with some other Muslim figure.)

Of course Cho, who was the son of South Korean immigrants that worked at a dry cleaners, goes on to deride the upper-class elite and all of their material pleasures and "hedonistic needs", including their Mercedes, gold necklaces, and drinking.

The point is this: in this modern day post-nationalism and globalization, one can seldom make sweeping generalizations about the ideologies driving any killer, whatever the circumstance, whatever the background; Muslim, Christian, brown, pink, or purple, there is usually more than meets the eye; politics are often the driving force, religion a mere cloak.

That, and of course, the fact that the western media and its members needs to wake up and realize they are not as professional and objective as they like to believe: even the best can slip certain routines and begin to utilize prejudicial, unhelpful, and sensationalist labels, taking more liberty to do so with certain groups than others.
Laila El-Haddad is a Palestinian journalist who divides her time between Gaza and the United States.

She maintains a blog at ..http://a-mother-from-gaza.blogspot.com/

Via:
http://freethoughtmanifesto.blogspot...-virginia.html
Reply

Zman
07-03-2007, 09:34 PM
:sl:/Peace To All

Belgian Police Hold 17 In "Terror Plot"

Last Updated:Thursday, September 2006,
17:10 GMT 18:10 UK

Seventeen people have been arrested in Belgium for allegedly planning attacks aimed at "destabilising" the country's institutions, Belgian prosecutors say.

Police raided army barracks and soldiers' homes across the country.

The raids were part of a two-year investigation into extreme-right activists believed to be operating inside the military.

Police seized weapons and a home-made bomb during raids in East Flanders, Limburg and Antwerp.

Searches were carried out simultaneously in five barracks and at 18 private addresses in a wide-ranging operation, Belgian radio reported.

Those arrested were mainly "soldiers and people with an extreme-right ideology who clearly express themselves through racism, xenophobia, Holocaust denial, anti-Semitism and neo-Nazism", the federal prosecutor's office said in a statement.

The main suspect is a serving military man "who intended to put terrorist ideas into practice," it added.

Belgium has seen an increase in apparently race-related crimes and the country's far-right, anti-immigrant Vlaams Belang party (or Flemish Interest) has enjoyed increasing electoral support.

Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5325198.stm


That's one hell of a mass murder that could have happened. And all this from some military men, who swore to protect the people :rollseyes
Reply

wilberhum
07-03-2007, 09:52 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Zman
:sl:/Peace To All




That's one hell of a mass murder that could have happened. And all this from some military men, who swore to protect the people :rollseyes
That is almost as evil as killing for god.
Reply

Zman
07-04-2007, 02:58 AM
:sl:/Peace To All

Terror Raid Yields Largest Chemical Explosives Haul In UK History


Terror Raid: Rocket Lanchers, Chemical Explosives, But No Headlines



--If These Had Been Muslim There Would Be Non-Stop Headlines And Worldwide Coverage--


Posted: 2006/10/06
Courtesy Of: Mathaba.net

This week a British National Party (BNP) election candidate has been accused of possessing the largest amount of chemical explosives of its type ever found in Britain.

Home Secretary John Reid did not hold any special press conferences and it did not make any headlines outside of local newspapers in England and one online news service.

The 22 chemical components recovered by police are the largest haul ever found at a private house in the UK.

The home of another man charged with similar offences contained a rocket launcher and a nuclear biological suit as well as BNP literature and chemicals.
Cottage is an ex-BNP member who stood as a candidate in the Pendil Council elections in May.

The two men from Pendle, England, have appeared in front of Pennine Magistrate accused of having "a master plan" after the record haul of chemicals used in making home-made bombs was found in Colne.

Robert Cottage (49), of Talbot Street, Colne, and David Bolus Jackson (62), of Trent Road, Nelson made separate appearances before the court charged being in possession of an explosive substance for an unlawful purpose. The offences are under the Explosive Substance Act 1883.

Both men were remanded in custody to appear at Burnley Crown Court on October 23rd. Cottage was arrested at his home on Thursday of last week, while retired dentist Jackson was arrested in the Lancaster area on Friday, the same day as he left a dental practice in Grange-Over-Sands.

Mrs Christiana Buchanon, who appeared for the prosecution in Jackson's case, alleged the pair had "some kind of masterplan." She said a search of Jackson's home had uncovered rocket launchers, chemicals, BNP literature and a nuclear biological suit.

-----------

The Above Story Has Also Been Reported By The Following Media Outlets:

1. Chemicals Find: Two In Court

Published Date: 06 October 2006
Location: Burnley
PendleToday.Co.UK


2. BNP Bombs

06.10.2006 21:48

"A Terror Raid That Doesn't Make The Headlines - Despite Chemical Explosives and A Rocket Launcher. "

"Here's A Police Seizure Of Weapons That Wasn’t Splashed All Over The Front Pages."

IndyMedia.Org.UK


3. "A Terror Raid That Doesn't Make The Headlines - Despite Chemical Explosives and A Rocket Launcher (Online Only)"

SocialistWorker.Co.UK

Via:
http://freethoughtmanifesto.blogspot...s-haul-in.html
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Zman
07-06-2007, 08:56 PM
:sl:/Peace To All

Tamil Tigers Honor Dead Suicide Bombers

Courtesy Of The BBC
Last Updated: Thursday, 5 July 2007,
15:11 GMT 16:11 UK

Sri Lanka's separatist Tamil Tiger rebels are marking the 20th anniversary of their suicide bombing campaign.

They are remembering the 322 Black Tigers - members of the suicide wing - who have killed themselves in attacks since 1987.

The bombers have killed hundreds of people, mostly government troops, in their fight for a separate state in the north-east of Sri Lanka.

More than 60,000 people have died since the conflict began in 1972.

A ceasefire signed in 2002 between the government and the Tigers has been undermined by deadly violence that escalated last year.

Garlands

The main ceremonies are taking place in the Tigers' stronghold of Kilinochchi, in the north of Sri Lanka.

Rebels and residents of the town have been placing garlands on portraits of the Black Tigers - both men and women - killed in the suicide attacks.

The rebels' first suicide attack was carried out by Captain Miller on 5 July 1987.

He rammed his explosives-laden truck into a government army camp, killing at least 15 soldiers.

Since then, the main targets of the attacks have been Sri Lanka's politicians and top military officers.

The Black Tiger suicide wing was set up by the Tamil Tiger's leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran, who has spent much of the past 20 years in hiding.

On Thursday, security was stepped up across Sri Lanka, amid government fears that the rebels would try to mark the day with an attack.


Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6274118.stm
Note how the BBC employs "word games," to differntiate between Muslim and non-Muslim violent acts. As to imply that non-Muslim violent acts are more benevolent and condoned by Western media and state institutions.

The following are some examples of the mainstream media's word games and propaganda that is employed against citizens or different societies.

Observe how some deliberately chosen terms used to malign Islam and Muslims are missing in action, when describing the violent acts of non-Muslims:

1. "Separatists," and "Rebels," instead of "Terrorists."

2. "Suicide Attackers," instead of "Suicide Bombers."

3. "Suicide Attackers," instead of "Homicide Bombers," (which is a favorite tearm of "Faux News").

4. The deliberate absence of "Extremism," and "Fanatics."

5. "Suicide Wing" instead of "Terror Wing."

6. "Killing Others," instead of "Murdering, " "Maiming," or "Committing Mass Murder."

7. "Ceremonies," Instead of "Chilling Event," or "Celebrating Murder, Mayhem and the Destruction of Property."

8. Carfeully highlighting that most of the Tamil's attacks were directed towards police and military personnel. As to imply that there is a difference between targeting state law enorcement & military personnel and random civilians (which there is).

The point I'm making is that the media isn't as this detailed when it comes to describing the intended targets of Muslim "extremists." They are rather painted with a much more broader brush. Even acts against military, security personnel or foreign occupation forces, are described by the media as "Terrorism."

9. The article implies that the Tamils have a "Just Cause," and an "Aim," behind the methods to their madness.

In comparison with violent acts that are perpetrated by a fringe element of Muslim extremists, which are described as being general, and randomly targeting anyone & everyone. That there is no Justification, whatsoever, behind their acts (even if they happen to be against military targets and/or occupation forces).

10. The article goes on to describe in such a way as to lead the reader to conclude that this is a time honored occasion, that is acknowledging the sacrifices made for the Tamil cause and it is rewarding those noble sacrifices with this acknowledgement...
Reply

Muezzin
07-06-2007, 09:06 PM
Good points (however, the term 'suicide bombers' is used in the article's title), but last week there was a bunch of hooha about how the BBC needs to become impartial: check it out

Point being, perhaps there are three possibilities with your article:

1) The writer and/or editor deliberately paints the Tamil Tigers in a benevolent light.
2) The writer and/or editor unconsciously paints the Tamil Tigers in a benevolent light.
3) The writer and/or editor attempt to be impartial, but only succeed in looking like a case of political correctness gone mad.
Reply

Zman
07-06-2007, 09:24 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Muezzin
Good points (however, the term 'suicide bombers' is used in the article's title), but last week there was a bunch of hooha about how the BBC needs to become impartial: check it out
:sl:

This is on the money:
Newspapers are becoming viewspapers
Point being, perhaps there are three possibilities with your article:

1) The writer and/or editor deliberately paints the Tamil Tigers in a benevolent light.
2) The writer and/or editor unconsciously paints the Tamil Tigers in a benevolent light.
3) The writer and/or editor attempt to be impartial, but only succeed in looking like a case of political correctness gone mad.

You've made a valid point...
Reply

MTAFFI
07-07-2007, 03:39 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Zman

3. "Suicide Attackers," instead of "Homicide Bombers," (which is a favorite tearm of "Faux News").
You do realize that "faux" is not pronounced like "fox" right? I was just saying because it just looks a little ridiculous since you are totally renaming the whole station

Other than that I would say that I can sympathize with your posts. I think that the media often does do things whether they be outright or otherwise to differentiate between "terrorist" or acts of violence committed by different people. With that said, I have to say I think Muezzins post summed it up pretty well.

Also I would like to add that rather than blaming the media for how they are portraying these killers, why not also post about how the killers are blaming Islam for their actions? Just a friendly suggestion.... Perhaps if they werent using their religion as a means to justify their violence, the media couldnt so easily demonize them and the religion.
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Zman
07-07-2007, 04:19 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by MTAFFI
...Also I would like to add that rather than blaming the media for how they are portraying these killers, why not also post about how the killers are blaming Islam for their actions?

Well, I leave that department to the Presstitutes who participate in this charade, to the political pundits and Islamophobes who yearn for the limelight, recognition and validation for their existence.

As for me, I'll offer the other sides view. And don't go assuming that the other dise means the "terrorists.'

I'll champion the view of the oppressed, the occupied, those who yearn to be treated with equality, respect & Justice.

There is always a reaction to every action. What was the catalyst that sparked these people's grievances and thirst for revenge?

Hamas and suicide bombings materialized after 60 years of occpation and Palestinians constantly yielding their rights and "confidence building measures," didn't produce squat for them.

The Oslo Accords didn't produce anything substantial for the Palestinians.

There were no Palestinian suicide bombings inside Israel in the past. What Israeli actions led to their production?

Hezbollah didn't exist before Israel's invasion & occupation.

What caused 9/11, 7/7, Madrid, etc?

No one wakes up and suddenly decides that: "Oh, I'm in the mood to commit suicide, and blow up a train-full of people."

Just a friendly suggestion.... Perhaps if they werent using their religion as a means to justify their violence, the media couldnt so easily demonize them and the religion.

Just a friendly suggestion...perhaps you shouldn't attack Islam & Muslim nations, nor demonize Islam & Muslims, and those guys will cease to Justify their acts to religion.

Maybe we should muzzle your psycho's, fanatcis and fundamentalists who've been preaching hate & inciting violence towards Muslims, before all this havoc started.

Maybe we should castrate the terrorists at the PentaCon and those Cowboys at Christians In Action, who cause much worse death, destruction and mayhem, than any individual terrorist or terror organization can only dream of.

All this started immediately after the fall of the Soviet Union. The West & the Warsaw Pact kept each other in check. After the Soviets bowed out, we declared victory and acted like we were the world's keepers.

We immediately started to flex our muscles--unfortunately, we ony flex against the weak & helpless, not the strong. because they can fight back and hurt us--and we took the unilateral approach.

Our policies and meddling has led humanity to the brink. So, suck it up and stop blaming other's for what we caused...
Reply

Pygoscelis
07-07-2007, 04:22 PM
I used to think that terrorists resorted to terrorism out of desparation. That they absolutely "needed" a political goal and had no real power to acheive it. I used to think that terrorists would not resort to terrorism if they had other means of acheiving their goals.

I'm no longer sure this is true. I think now that terrorists are simply filled with hate and want to kill the ones they have demonized.
Reply

wilberhum
07-09-2007, 12:21 AM
format_quote Originally Posted by Pygoscelis
I used to think that terrorists resorted to terrorism out of desparation. That they absolutely "needed" a political goal and had no real power to acheive it. I used to think that terrorists would not resort to terrorism if they had other means of acheiving their goals.

I'm no longer sure this is true. I think now that terrorists are simply filled with hate and want to kill the ones they have demonized.
Do you think there is a "Single Cause"?
I sure don't.
I think your first assumptions are still correct, just not the entire answer.
I think your current assumptions are correct, just not the entire answer.
I think some people truly believe they please god, but I don't think that is the entire answer either.
Reply

Zman
07-14-2007, 02:47 AM
:sl:/Peace To All

Eta Plot To Blow Up UK Ferry Foiled
Press Association
Thursday July 12, 2007 7:18 AM
Courtesy Of: The Guardian
Authorities in Spain say they have scuppered a plot by a suspected member of Eta to blow up a ferry carrying thousands of British tourists.
Aritz Arginzoniz Zubiarre, believed to be a member of the Basque separatist group, was detained at a bus station in the Spanish port of Santander.

Reports were conflicting about where in the UK the ferry would be headed.

Newspaper El Pais's website said the suspect had details of at least two potential targets at the time of his arrest. One was the ferry linking Santander with Portsmouth and another was a court in Santander.

But the Daily Telegraph reported that Spanish police said the Pont-Aven, which sails twice a week between Plymouth and Santander and carries up to 2,400 passengers, was one of three possible targets.

It said Pont-Aven operator Brittany Ferries insisted there was no threat to the ferry.
Press coverage which cited unnamed police investigators, said Arginzoniz Zubiarre was waiting for the arrival of explosives and a car when he was arrested on Tuesday.

Newspaper El Mundo said Arginzoniz Zubiarre may have been planning suspected attacks with his girlfriend, named as Saioa Sanchez Iturregi.

Arginzoniz Zubiarre had planned to carry out a terror attack on a public building in Spain using a car bomb, interior minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said.

The ministry said he was carrying a pistol, a timer and false identity documents when he was arrested, and had drawn attention to himself because of a backpack he was carrying.
© Copyright Press Association Ltd 2007, All Rights Reserved.

Source:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/s...774213,00.html
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Zman
07-18-2007, 03:08 AM
:sl:/Peace To All

British Terror

By Margaret Kimberley
Bar Editor and Senior Columnist
Wednesday, 11 July 2007
BlackAgendaReport

Tony Blair is out as British Prime Minister, but remains an unrepentant racist and sub-imperialist poodle.

He has been given a new job, as Middle East "peace envoy." What a joke.

How can a man who took an unwilling nation into war against Iraq become a peace envoy?

Blair is the worst of the lot, a kiss-ass to George Bush who has placed his country in the cross-hairs of worldwide Muslim anger.

Blair has elevated state terror to a level of British national identity - the terror that superpowers exert on smaller peoples - and now the chickens are coming home to roost, with a British label.
Yet the criminal complains, "Why should anyone feel angry about us?"

"What's more, British troops are risking their lives trying to prevent the killing. Why should anyone feel angry about us? Why aren't they angry about the people doing the killing?" - former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Why is anyone angry at Britain?

Perhaps it is because the British are some of the people doing the killing.

Maybe they are angry because Tony Blair left office proclaiming the rightness of occupying Iraq and killing 600,000 people.

Those crazy Arabs and Muslims, they get mad at the strangest things.
It is an understatement to say that Tony Blair left office as Prime Minister of Great Britain under a cloud. He followed George W. Bush like a poodle, or perhaps more like a toad.

Former president Jimmy Carter assigned blamed to Blair along with Bush for causing America's increasing unpopularity throughout the world.
"It's a shameful and pitiful state of affairs and I hold your British Prime Minister to be substantially responsible for being so compliant and subservient."
"Blair followed George W. Bush like a poodle, or perhaps more like a toad."

Blair is shameless in his belief that killing human beings is acceptable as long as it is done by a government run by white people.

Not content to have spent the last six years following Bush like a little shadow, Blair didn't even have the decency to disappear into the sunset and shut up.

After giving Britons a collective sigh of relief upon leaving number 10 Downing Street, Blair again began running for new offices.

After rumors of a Carlyle Group corner office and a European union presidency, Blair assumed the role of Middle East peace envoy.
He will represent Europe, the United States, Russia and the United Nations while simultaneously keeping the rest of the world from laughing or loosing their lunch at the prospect of a true believer in occupation and empire being an honest broker for peace.
The Arab world was unimpressed with Blair's desperate desire to remain employed and a center of world attention.
The Syrian newspaper Tishrin asked,

"How could a liar, who is directly connected with Washington and who is a staunch proponent of the extremist rightist ideology, be a peace envoy?" (*link Tishrin)

Good question.
The damage done by Tony Blair's actions will not disappear over night.

The failed attacks in London and suicide car bombing in Glasgow were reminders that the British have a long way to go in disentangling themselves from Uncle Sam.

The bombings that took place on July 7, 2005 and the recent attempts remind the world that "fighting them over there" does little good in preventing attacks "over here."

When leaders "over here" show contempt for humanity and their right to live, they can't expect peaceful outcomes on their own soil.
Reaction to the terror plots was typically racist and asinine.

Arabs and Muslims were depicted as the only crazed fanatics on earth, when in fact white Christians and Jews are causing more death and destruction than anyone else.
Not only did Blair have the unmitigated gall to claim that he can now be a peace maker, but he disgracefully thumped the bible on his way out the door.

As he left office in a whirl of last minute attention seeking he also announced that he had converted to Catholicism.

While Blair was allowed to profess piety with a straight face, many British Muslims again felt compelled to express their opposition to terror and disassociate their religion from it.

Will British Christians and Jews ever be asked to make similar denunciations?


Will Catholics be asked to denounce Blair and his terrorist acts?

The Archbishop of Canterbury ought to tell the world that he too denounces war and that it is supremely unchristian.

War waged by governments is as much a terrorist act as a suicide bombing.

The victims of soldiers' bullets and bombs dropped from planes suffer as much as anyone caught in a suicide bombing.

Every terror act or even failed act in Britain is an omen for America.
Eight years elapsed between attacks on the World Trade Center. It would be the height of arrogance and denial to think that September 11, 2001 would be the last time that Americans would lose their lives because of anger and hatred directed at their government.

Unfortunately the object of Blair's affection still resides in the White House.

He has adamantly declared that withdrawing from Iraq will be his successor's problem.

Unless he or Dick Cheney are impeached they will find a rationale for bombing Iran.

Americans will have to live with the threat of terror unless their leaders forsake empire building.

The prospect is terrifying, but no more so than for Iraqis or Afghans.

There is some justice involved after all. However, it is unlikely that any lessons will be learned.

Blair's clueless question, "Why should anyone feel angry about us?" is sadly shared by millions of people in his country and in the United States.
Margaret Kimberley's Freedom Rider column appears weekly in BAR. Ms. Kimberley lives in New York City, and can be reached via e-Mail at Margaret.Kimberley@BlackAgandaReport.Com .

Ms. Kimberley' maintains an edifying and frequently updated blog at freedomrider.blogspot.com.

Source:
http://www.blackagendareport.com/ind...=275&Itemid=36
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