« STAR TREK WAND A REALITY? | Main | Morning Thoughts... »

August 30, 2006

Hit and Run Done For Allah The Merciful

by Jack Lee

He just floored it, he was trying to kill me. There was no question. He was trying to center me with his hood and run me over at full speed. The only thing that saved our lives was that he had to make that slow, 90-degree turn around..." Michael Allsep, a doctoral student in history and victim of hit and run driver.

Police said, Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar, 22, born in Iran, but a US citizen, appeared to deliberately drive his rented, Jeep Cherokee into 9 pedestrians, before fleeing the scene. No, this is not the recent San Francisco incident. This was March 2006, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina; not exactly where you would consider some radical Muslim to be knocking off the public.

The media and locals called it an act of [terrorism] and apparently that infuriated a number of the compassionate and caring CH students. Because they staged a protest to enlighten everyone this was just a case of "hit and run" and that was all. But, apparently that was not all, as they were about to discover.

For your consideration, here is a copy of the letter prepared for police by the suspect Taheri-azar. It was read into the court transcripts and made public:

In the name of Allah, the merciful, the compassionate.

To whom it may concern:

I am writing this letter to inform you of my reasons for premeditating and attempting to murder citizens and residents of the United States of America on Friday, March 3, 2006 in the city of Chapel Hill, North Carolina by running them over with my automobile and stabbing them with a knife if the opportunities are presented to me by Allah.

I did intend to use a handgun to murder the citizens and residents of Chapel Hill, North Carolina but the process of receiving a permit for a handgun in this city is highly restricted and out of my reach at the present, most likely due to my foreign nationality.

I am a servant of Allah. I am 22 years of age and I was born in Tehran, Iran. My father, mother and older sister immigrated to the United States in 1985 when I was two years of age and I've lived in the United States ever since.
I attended elementary, middle and high school in North Carolina and I was accepted into the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I began my college career in August 2001 and graduated in December 2005 with a bachelor's degree in psychology and philosophy with Allah's help.

I do not wish to pursue my career as a student any further because I have no desire to amass the impermanent and temporary fame and material wealth this world has to offer. However I made the decision to continue my studies and to graduate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill so that the world will know that Allah's servants are very intelligent.

Due to the killing of believing men and women under the direction of the United States government, I have decided to take advantage of my presence on United States soil on Friday, March 3, 2006 to take the lives of as many Americans and American sympathizers as I can in order to punish the United States for their immoral actions around the world.


In the Qur'an, Allah states that the believing men and women have permission to murder anyone responsible for the killing of other believing men and women. I know that the Qur'an is a legitimate and authoritative holy scripture since it is completely validated by modern science and also mathematically encoded with the number 19 beyond human ability. After extensive contemplation and reflection, I have made the decision to exercise the right of violent retaliation that Allah has given me to the fullest extent to which I am capable at present.

I have chosen the particular location on the University campus as my target since I know there is a high likelihood that I will kill several people before being killed myself or jailed and sent to prison if Allah wills. Allah's commandments are never to be questioned and all of Allah's commandments must be obeyed. Those who violate Allah's commandments and purposefully follow human fabrication and falsehood as their religion will burn in fire for eternity in accordance with Allah's will.

Sincerely yours,

Mohammed Reza Taheri-Azar "

At his first appearance, Taheri-azar, a 2005 UNC-CH graduate, told the judge he planned to represent himself and was "thankful for the opportunity to spread the will of Allah." The court appointed an attorney to represent him instead. The attorney then advised his client to keep his mouth shut, but to his chagrin, Taheri-azar told him he would be the one to decide when and what to say. Taheri-azar faces up to a 155 years in prison and is currently awaiting trial.

Now flash forward to August 29th, SAN FRANCISCO. (Reuters) - "At least 13 people were injured in San Francisco around noontime on Tuesday when a male driver went on a hit-and-run rampage through the Laurel Heights and Western Addition neighborhoods near the center of the city, police officials said."

The driver, was taken into custody by the police about 30 minutes after the suspect ran over his first victim.
He was identified as Omeed Aziz Popal, from Afghanistan. "I can't believe this happened today,'' said Homa Aziz, a cousin who lives in Hayward. "Omeed is not that kind of boy. I don't know what is wrong with him. He is the nicest boy.'' The family believes he just went off the deep end from stress. Maybe so and if that is really the case, then I hope he gets the psychiatric help he needs. No doubt Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar could use some of that mental health help too.

(Doink! - Idea!) Maybe we are going about this so-called War on Terrorism all wrong. Instead of sending in the Marines, maybe we should be sending in teams of psychiatrists with fold out couches? Just a thought, cause you know there's a Lot of craziness in the middleast. Do we even have enough shrinks in the world to handle all the wann-be bombers and nutty dictators and wacky Imams leaders?

Digressing a bit, when was the last time you read that a terrorist act was done by some local Muslims to avenge some unknown Muslims in some far off regional conflict? I wrote about this oddity Aug. 16th, "Getting to the Truth." These were bizzare acts by Muslim radicals of course, not your mainstream nonviolent Muslim... that goes without saying doesn't it? I mean, if you are going to go around blowing up people or running them over with your SUV you have to be pretty darn radical, right? I wonder.... is radical becoming the PC term for saying they're just plain nuts? Which takes us back to the paragraph above...I say send in the shrinks armed with lithium and haldol! Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad might be a real nice guy if he was on anti-psychotic meds.


Posted by Post Scripts at August 30, 2006 03:53 PM

Comments

This guy and our own Mr. McVeigh are EXACTLY the same kind of crazy. The philosophy they may espouse to justify their sicko-psycho-ness is completely irrelevant. So let's just not be goin' all bigoted. It's not helpful.

I only skimmed about the Afghan guy from yesterday, but there was a bit where his wife said that he believed he had a devil in him. These guys have to be persuaded to take their devils off to the mental health, otherwise we have to put them in the jail, which is also not helpful.

Posted by: Libby at August 31, 2006 12:51 PM

Libby: "..let's just not be goin' all bigoted."

Jack: Bigot defined: Irrational intolerance or suspicion of a particular group, race, or religion.

The important two words that define bigotry are "irrational prejudice". To be prejudice ( you can substitute intolerance if you wish) is not to be irrational, for we are all prejudice against something and usually for good reason. If a share of stock continues to slide, I won't buy it. You can say, I am prejudice against that stock compared to those other stocks that are going up, that's not only rational, but its smart. Keeps me out of financial trouble!

Well reasoned, logical prejudice, which is not bigotry, comes in response to the attacks on 9/11 where nearly 3000 people were slaughtered in New York, Washington DC and a field in Pennsylvania.

Well reasoned, logical prejudice, which is not bigotry, comes as a response to sneak attacks by ideological killers and suicide bombers. It comes from reading the newspapers about them, where almost every day these killers of many nationalities, in many parts of the world are driven on by their ideology and they kill indiscriminately. They take great pride in announcing the murders (they call victories) and show no remorse for taking innocent life.

Well reasoned, logical prejudice, which is not bigotry, comes as a response to all this and more. Everywhere they pop up, somebody dies. On trains in Madrid, a department store in London, a bus or a train outside London, a hijacked airliner or machinegun slayings in the Athens airport.

Their intentions were made clear from the first time they killed Olympic athletes in Munich in 1972. Attack after attack after attack for over 30 years and it's getting worse...wake up.

"5,000 terrorist attacks have been documented as committed by Muslims since 9/11/01 (a rate better than three per day)." No, Libby, the report didn't say radical Muslims, but if it makes you feel better consider it said.

Reference:

(http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Pages/TheList.htm )

And your counter to all this, "Well, what about Timothy McVey? or you want to toss out something about the Crusades a thousand years ago. (*?!)

_________________________________________________

The sign above the train station says "WELCOME TO DENIAL". The train, loaded with the [rational] passengers has long since departed the station. All that remains, standing alone in the dark, are the last few so-called-intellectuals still debating, who by virtue of their own sort of bigotry, remain in DENIAL...and there they shall stay forever.

Don't miss the train Libby.

Posted by: Jack at August 31, 2006 05:45 PM

Jack, Well said...both times.

There was also the incident in Seattle, I think it was just last week. This may be a new "trend". Not only do they get to terrorize and injure or kill they also get to tie up the courts, get lots of free press, and play the greatest American game: I'm just a victim!

I'd guess brainwashed over crazy.

McVeigh was a victim of his own stupidity and I think he knew that at the end.

Posted by: Tina at August 31, 2006 08:19 PM

Tasker says there are NOT over 5000 Muslim terrorist attacks of record since 9/11 and he dismisses the terror list as C@#%, but offers not one bit of proof why?

Here are few recent entries...things that Tasker calls C@#$, like they never happened:

August 31, 2006, BANGKOK, Thailand At least 22 bombs exploded almost simultaneously Thursday inside commercial banks in southern Thailand, killing one person and wounding 27 in a region bloodied by a Muslim insurgency, police said.

Aug. 30th, Uighur militants in the predominantly Muslim Xinjiang region of north-west China, have been prevented from bombing oilfields, power plants and major roads, Chinese police said.

Aug. 30th., Chilling details of the martyrdom videos said to have been recovered by police investigating the alleged plot to bring down transatlantic jets have been revealed. One man caught on tape chanted: 'As you bomb, you will be bombed; as you kill, you will be killed,' before adding that he hoped God would 'accept our deed'. Those were the UK plane bombers...and the list goes on and on.

I could copy the list and print it out here, but to what end, you've seen this tale of terror before and he didn't believe it then and he won't believe it now.

Tasker must believe there is no Muslim terrorist problem! lol
But, hey... I really don't care what Tasker thinks, because outside of Moveon.org, I doubt there's .05% of the people in the USA that even come close to sharing his eccentric criticisms. I don't know what he believes in ...who could know? He's never once expressed any ideas...just criticisms...thats really getting b-o-r-i-n-g.

Posted by: Jack at August 31, 2006 11:07 PM

Lest we forget...here's just a few of the terrorist attacks against the US:

1984 - Twenty-two people were killed (2 of them American) and seventy were wounded when a van loaded with four hundred pounds of explosives exploded in front of the U.S. Embassy annex in Awkar, Lebanon. Islamic Jihad (code name of Hezbollah) claimed responsibility for the bombing in a call to the media.
1985 - TWA Flight 847 hijacked, U.S. Navy diver killed
1985 - Achille Lauro hijacking, wheel-chair bound American killed by Palestinian terrorists
1986 - Four Americans were killed and nine people, including five Americans, were injured when a bomb exploded aboard TWA Flight 840 as it traveled from Rome to Athens. The aircraft was able to land safely at Athens airport.
1986 - On April 6, a Berlin discotheque bombing killed a Turkish woman and two U.S. servicemen and injured 230 people, including more than 50 American servicemen.
1987 - A car bomb exploded outside the back gate of the U.S. Embassy in Rome and rockets were fired at the compound from across the street. One passerby was injured in the attacks.
1988 - On April 14 at 8pm, a car bomb exploded in front of the USO Club in Naples, Italy. Five people died and fifteen were injured, including four U.S. servicemen who were injured and US Navy Petty Officer Angela Santos, 21, was killed. Junzo Okudaira, a Japanese Red Army (JRA) member, was indicted in the United States on April 9, 1993 for the Naples bombing. Okudaira is also a suspect in the June 1987 car bombing and mortar attack against the U.S. Embassy in Rome.
1988 - Pan Am Flight 103, outbound from London for New York with 259 people aboard, was destroyed by a bomb on December 21, 1988 while over Lockerbie, Scotland. All aboard the aircraft were killed as were eleven persons on the ground.
1993 - First World Trade Center bombing, February 26: 6 Killed, 1,000 injured
1993 - Attack at CIA Headquarters in McLean, VA, January 25: 2 Killed, 3 injured
1995 - Oklahoma City bombing: On April 19th, a truck bomb shattered the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City, killing 168 people-including children playing in the building's day care center. Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols launched the attack in protest of the US government
1995 - Killing of two US Diplomats in Pakistan, March 8, 1995
1996 - Khobar Towers bombing: 19 American servicemen killed
1998 - US embassy bombings: U.S. Kenya Embassy blown up, 214 killed (12 Americans); U.S. Tanzania Embassy blown up, 10 killed
1999 - Millennium terror plot foiled. Plan by Al Qaeda related groups to attack Los Angeles International Airport, the USS The Sullivans, and tourist sites in Jordan
2000 - USS Cole attacked, 17 U.S. Navy sailors killed
2001 - World Trade Center attacked and the Pentagon attacked by airplanes, 2995 killed
2002 - Reporter Daniel Pearl, kidnapped and beheaded
2002 - Karachi consulate attack
2002 - 2 Marines shot, 1 killed in Kuwait
2003 - Riyadh Compound Bombings kill 9 Americans, among 35 others
2004 - Civilians Nicholas Berg, Jack Hensley, and Eugene Armstrong kidnapped and beheaded in Iraq
2004 - Paul Marshall Johnson, Jr, civilian working in Saudi Arabia, kidnapped and beheaded; 5 other Americans die in attacks in Saudi Arabia in 2004


Posted by: Jack at August 31, 2006 11:23 PM

You guys never address my point. A terrorist is a terrorist, and their motivations are irrelevant. You go on an on about the dreadful things the Islamic terrorists have done, but there are also Basque terrorists and Pro-Life terrorists (my personal favourite) and Maoist terrorists: just about any creed you want to name has, or has had, it's terrorists.

These terrorists are generally a small minority of the creed espousers as a whole, and it is very, very wrong to impute their sicko-psycho-ness onto the entire population. That is: there is no such thing as a logical, well-reasoned prejudice.

The day Iran drops the bomb on us, we can let fly. I intend to elect to my government people smart enough to prevent any such thing. You all, seemingly, can't hardly wait, and elect your representatives accordingly.

Posted by: Libby at September 1, 2006 02:38 PM

"Judging millions of Muslims based on the actions of those dozen is IRRATIONAL and UNREASONED."

It sure is, Tasker, and I think you guys should knock it off immediately. YOU are the ones who keep framing the argument this way. Our side has made it very clear that it is radical terrorist muslims we are dealing with and that they do not represent all of the people or all muslims. The people of the region that would like a chance to live in peace and freedom know that even if you don't.

"The day Iran drops the bomb on us, we can let fly. I intend to elect to my government people smart enough to prevent any such thing. You all, seemingly, can't hardly wait, and elect your representatives accordingly."

Gosh, Libby, I sure hope you're one of the "lucky" ones to win that lottery

We have seen what your side called "the smartest" of your people. In eight years they failed to protect us from, prevent, or even bother to notice acts of terrorism. Except for one little thing: a plan to take out Saddam which Clinton the boy wonder passed on to the next guy, GWB, a republican. The smart guy on your side was too busy winning the most popular boy award...just like high school.


Posted by: Tina at September 1, 2006 09:10 PM

TASKER: I posted a link to a website that details killing by linked terrorist groups around the world of some 5000 combined terror attacks that have occured since 9/11/01. I could have posted any number of website that had the same information, including government sites...sorry if this random choice site didn't meet with your approval.

Unfortunately for us, those terror groups that have been doing the en'mass killings are ideologically linked, of course some are outright connected to each other via a network of terrorists and some are just independantly motivated, linked only by a cause or do you deny this? The very acts of murder which they brag about identify them as radicals, who could argue otherwise?

If all these people were the Irish IRA we would be talking about that, if they were the Red Army Brigade, we would be talking about them too, but they are not sir! They are what they are...radical Muslims bent on jihad to spread Islam around the world by conquest and I will tell the truth about them until my last breath, whether you like it or not!

This information comes awfully late in the game...but the fact is, I didn't link them to Islam - they linked themselves and proudly, many thousands of times! Where were you? I didn't infer that Isalm is teaching them to kill, but they are claiming their authority to kill comes from the Holy Koran. Should I deny this, like you do?

I didn't want any of this, but here it is!

You can be in denial all you want, but don't condemn others when they choose not to be in denial.

History has proven, repeatedly, denial is not the answer.

It takes courage to confront dangerous issues as soon as possible and to address them quickly to minimize the damage.

The facts are staring you in the face or do you deny such attacks are taking place? Are you denying that Muslim zealots are behind the attacks? Are you saying a few isolated insane acts by an anti-abortion killer are on par with the level of insanity we face daily from Islamic radicals? Where are you coming from, I really don't get your logic. You just don't make a whole lot of sense.

Posted by: Jack Lee at September 2, 2006 09:30 AM

"Did you look at that website Jack Lee posted a link to above? That vile site is an attack against all Muslims."

The policy of our country is not made by a website.
I have not heard a single leader of our party speak against "muslims" (as in THE Muslim community as a whole)...if you have, you know what to do.

The religion is what it is...it is practiced apparently in different ways by different people. It's no secret that a fairly large number, many of whom are in positions of power, are vowing to illiminate Israel and the US and in fact all infidels including athiests, Christians, and all who will not convert. They use their holy book as the compelling force of their actions.

"That list is crap. You can define 'terrorist attack' as just about anything, apparently. If a Christian man beats his wife, is that "Christian terrorism"?

Tasker, get serious.

You guys keep wanting this to be about a few nutcases, just little isolated incidents...and the enemy loves you for it.

It won't be the first time in history that people found themselves on the wrong side of things. And it's so unfortunate. It makes the effort much more difficult, might even cost some lives, and definitely helps to prolong the duration...but hey, that little reality is outside your particular sphere of interest. I have to start questioning the sanity of those who refuse to even consider the possabilities before them. Do you ever wonder if you are mistaken? Do you ever have any doubts? Have you ever considered how important your little bit of energy is to the success of our efforts to stop the crazy unfounded assault on western civilization and the freedom we have come to love? Have you ever thought about the greatness of a nation, your nation, the United States, that has demonstrated a strong willingness to work with other nations in partnership and peace to make things better? We have done that under presidents from both parties. We are a giving nation. We give as a nation and we give as individuals. This is precious, it is worth preserving and worth our consideration as we ponder the need to stop terrorists from destroying all hope of freedom and choice.

Posted by: Tina at September 2, 2006 02:08 PM

Tasker when you have something meaningful to say come back and see us.

Posted by: Jack at September 2, 2006 06:54 PM

Libby, OK I'll bite.

"Pro-Life terrorists (my personal favourite)"

This is really lame. I don't know how many idiots calling themselves Christians have actually commited brutal acts of murder on abortion clinic personal. We can't include the people who peacefully hold up signs across the road from clinics since the left venerates the protest as being an holy institution. The number is, therefore, quite small and has diminished to zero in the past 10-15 years or so. This is decidedly different from what terrorist organizations around the world are plotting and planning and carrying out. There is no comparison and your careless equating of the two shows a huge amount of disrespect for the victims of terrorism. It's the same reckless disregard that pro-choicers have for the unborn, so it doesn't really surprise.

Posted by: Tina at September 3, 2006 12:49 PM

Tina, get this: According to one internet source they claim there have been over $13 million in property damage caused by violent anti-abortion groups since 1982 (25 years). This includes about 150 arsons, 4 bombings, and 2 shootings." Most of the fatals can be traced to just one person, Eric Rudolf who acted alone. Now if you toss in Timothy McVey, the Unibomber and oh say, 20 more John Does, saying they did something akin to domestic terrorism, that would make up roughly about 1% or 2% of the total deaths by radical Islamofacists in any 6 month period since 2001. Can we draw any sort of equivilancy here? Hardly...ok, maybe we should bring up the death toll from the Crusades again?

Posted by: Jack at September 3, 2006 08:04 PM

Behold....Tasker the victim....again. Life is just a real B***h for poor tasker.

Posted by: Nick Freitas at September 4, 2006 03:07 PM

Please, Jack don't toss Tasker...I kinda like him.

Posted by: Tina at September 4, 2006 05:56 PM

Me: The day Iran drops the bomb on us, we can let fly. I intend to elect to my government people smart enough to prevent any such thing. You all, seemingly, can't hardly wait, and elect your representatives accordingly.

Tina: Gosh, Libby, I sure hope you're one of the "lucky" ones to win that lottery.

If all this "Islamo-fascist", "the enemy" stuff that you guys truly wallow in -- is in fact driven by a real fear that you really will get blown up -- you have to get therapy. I'm sorry, you just do. Something is really, really, not right.

I've been hanging around for a while, and you may or may not have picked up from "Email Its" early incarnation that I conduct only a "virtual" existence in Chico. I actually live in the Bay Area. I ride back and forth to work every day on a terror target, the BART. And that terror target travels through yet another terror target, the Port of Oakland. I work in a building that, alas, gets a great deal of attention from: check it out! we have "Homeland Security" patrol cars down here.

But for some strange reason, it's true, I do not live in fear. I pay attention. We all have to pay attention now. But neither I, nor any other building tenant is organizing a campaign to get all of our janitors of middle eastern descent canned. Cause, you know, they're all very nice men who intend to send their kids to college.

You have all simply got to get a grip.

If you could get a grip, you would have no difficulty with the likeness of abortion bombers to jihadist bombers. It's perfectly plain. It's true that the jihadist bombers are much more active just now, but violence is violence. Tina, you are actually trying to cut the abortion bombers slack because you agree with their cause. And this is, unhappily, the state any number of British muslims are in. It's all the same. And war won't fix any of it.

Did you hear the President today? My Lord. The man was fairly frothing at the mouth. But he was not convincing. For the umpteenth time, if Osama is such a dangerous man, why is he not being pursued ?!?!?!? We're wallowing in Iraq, as a commentator put it today: "Babysitting a Civil War." The Brits are taking it in the shorts in Afghanistan. And all the while Osama is reputedly in Pakistan: a country with a government purported cooperative, but we still ain't got the man. It's very odd.

Posted by: Libby at September 5, 2006 05:55 PM

Libby, you have got to e kidding.

The Brits are taking the shots in Afghanistan? How unbelievably arrogant. Please, Libby, Please ask me for examples of Americans taking shots and doing things in Afghanistan. Please Libby tel me that Americans arent doing enough in Afghanistan.

And no, I find it truly amazing that YOU live in the Bay area....shocker.

Apparently none of you have learned that it is not a question of fear, it is one of understanding and response. No one had a healthy concern of terrorism prior to 9/11, some apparently in the bay area, still dont. Im not asking you to be afraid. Im asking you to let other people, who are trained, and willing to handle the problem FOR YOU, do so! That is apparently to much to ask.

Osama is not being pursued??? Do you people read what you write?

you sound like the same people who burried their head in the sand during every conflict. How many times will OTHER people have to suffer before you realize IT ISNT ALL ABOUT YOU!

But the real issue, once again, is that you are not challenging anything in particular. People on this post say that, maybe its a bad idea that Iran is developing Nukes, and you and Tasker fly off the handle about us being fear mongers. Well news flash Libby, THATS not a policy position. Unless of course you dont think its a bad thing that Iran should have nukes, in which case you would say that.

In the end, this whole debate will end much like every other one we have here. With Tina and I stayin to the end, and you guys just poping up down the road with the SAME argument, slightly re-packaged.

Dont worry, Im sure its noticed by anyone who spends any amount of time reading these posts.

Posted by: Nick Freitas at September 6, 2006 03:58 AM

Nick: "In the end, this whole debate will end much like every other one we have here ... just poping up down the road with the SAME argument, slightly re-packaged.

The really amusing thing is where you don't seem to see that this applies to you as well. Which is probably why I have more fun with this than you do.

And really, the blog was terribly boring before, with you guys all just patting each other on the back, reinforcing your perfectly scandalous prejudices, with nobody to challenge you at all !!

P.S.: Calling a person ignorant ... this is not an argument. This is not a fact in rebuttal. This is not a reiteration of your opinion, even. What this is, is feeble, and you can cut it out, any time.

Posted by: Libby at September 6, 2006 01:52 PM

I got a little more time here:

Nick: "The Brits are taking the shots in Afghanistan? ..."

Shorts! Taking it in the shorts! It's an American idiom. Like getting kicked in the butt.
I thought you kept up. Actually, I'm not all that current; I can't remember whether it's the UN or NATO who's now in charge in Afghanistan. But not us. President K is truly, truly pissed at us. The Brits and the Canadians are taking a shot. The Brits lost a plane, and 14 soldiers, last week or the week before.

Nick: "Osama is not being pursued???"

I also can't remember if you're one of our retired law enforcers. The guy is on a dialysis machine! Are you going to tell me that we cannot track down, with four years to do it in, a guy on dialysis? Something is not right. I really do think that somebody had decided that a live boogeyman is better than a dead and/or captured one.

Posted by: Libby at September 6, 2006 07:45 PM

If I misread your original statement, thats a hit on me, sorry about that.

As far as catching osama. The only solution you guys have for cathcing Osama, seems to be weaken our intelligence programs and get out of Iraq. Do you guys understand that there is a division of labor in the military? Tasker was in at one time, so he should know.

Let me explain how it works. Iraq is chalk full of CONVENTIONAL units that by and large AREN'T used to track down individuals. We have people that we use for that, and genearlly speaking we don't use Armored Divisions.

So give me a rational idea for cathing the big guy, or get off the notion of telling the intel community what they should and should not have gotten done by now.

Here is a tip, make sure your plan includes telling Kennedy, Kerry, Pelosi, etc. That listening in on phone calls involving numbers that have a history of belonging to terrorists, isn't exactly a threat to the average American....or is your whole attempt in opposing it fear mongering?

As to your claim that I back away from the debate, please show me one example. Show me one post where I have dropped the ball, and simply moved on.

Liberals have a real tuff time with reality. Generally speaking, your not allowed to make it up how ever you see fit. I have NEVER seen Jack, Tina or myself back down from any argument on this page. You on the other hand have admited as much when you once told me that you "...had a life, or at least a job..." and that you did what you could when you could. So the offer stands. Show me where I have started in on a converstaion, and simply walked away, having completely ignored your statement.

Also, to answer your question, no, I've never been in law enforcement.

Remember Libby, many people read this post without commenting, so the record isn't hard to check.

One more comment, to Tasker. I just want to understand, so please clarify. Your position is that the military is doing horrible things in your name, with your tax dollars?

Posted by: Nick Freitas at September 7, 2006 04:47 AM

One more thing...

Libby. I understand that the Brits are "taking it in the shorts". Is this stunning analysis based off of the figures you gave concerning the loss of 14 soldiers and a plane?

Posted by: Nick Freitas at September 7, 2006 04:48 AM

When I said "we" with regard to Osama, I was of course referring to the CIA. If Osama is in Pakistan, and the Pakistani authorities are cooperating, then the CIA ought to have been roaming the countryside, cultivating relationships, checking out medical supply companies, shipping companies, hospitals, other providers and recruiters of medical personnel and all sorts of things like that, in and around the region, all these four long years. If they haven't been, why haven't they been? If they have, can they truly have turned up nothing all this time? These are questions for Wally. And if you get anything substantive out of him, I will, indeed, send you five bucks.

Now all this comes under the heading of perfectly ordinary law enforcement-type investigation. The only illegal part is where we are doing it in somebody else's country. That's where the CIA comes in.

BushCo's unwarranted and splendidly unconstitutional DOMESTIC surveillance program plays absolutely no part in it.

And for the fourth (and hopefully last) time, casting aspersions upon my character is not any form of legitimate argument. Mr. Rove has been a very bad influence upon you!

Posted by: Libby at September 7, 2006 05:15 PM

Out of curiosity is this the same CIA that your side has continually attempted to hamstring.

I believe it was Clinton that didnt wat the CIA dealing with "unsavory characters".

I realise that to you, something like HUMINT capabilities is not a time factor but a money factor. The truth is, that its both. That HUMIT isbased around building relationships andcontacts that take years to develop, even if you have billions to spend. So when you guys broke that down in the 90's because you didnt think you needed it anymore, well it caused a prbolem...ooops. Hey I thought you guys didnt like the CIA doing shady stuff!?!

as far as teh "unconstitutional" program. I didnt know you guys cared aout that thing. written by all those rich white slave owners and all. have you even read anything other than what Pelosi has ee screaming about the program? I cant believe that even you would want us to hang up on a call to a terrorists cell phone JUST BECAUSE IT ORIGINATED IN THE US. If you really have a problem with it, talk to Clinton, he thought it was bitchin when he was in office.

As far as you character, I will only repeat that it seems odd that when my profession is constantly maligned by peole who dont have a clue, I shouldnt have a right to say something about it. Some of your statements have been incredibly vitrolic, so stop crying about it.

Posted by: Nick Freitas at September 8, 2006 01:07 PM

One more point on your comment that the CIA has found "nothing". Am I to understand that the CIA has found and done nothing because they havent informed Libby from the bay area of all the information gathered?

You do realize that information gathering and intel production are usually classified things right?

Posted by: Nick Freitas at September 8, 2006 01:09 PM

Well, now we're back around to my original conspiracy theory assertion. I think "we" do know where he is, but "we" have decided that a live boogeyman is much more useful than a dead and/or incarcerated one.

Posted by: Libby at September 8, 2006 07:22 PM

Well ask your boy Clinton. He had pretty good tabs on him from the Sudanese, but I guess you guys weren't that interested.

Posted by: Nick Freitas at September 9, 2006 09:46 AM

Well, Osama hadn't blown anything up yet, had he!! Remember, that was back when the principles upon which this nation was founded really meant something, and we did not kill people who hadn't done anything to us.

Posted by: Libby at September 13, 2006 06:11 PM

Oh Libby, there you go. Now history doesnt begin 5 min. ago, it actually never happened. Im afraid your facts are inaccurate. We had solid intel at that point that he was behind several terrorist acts. Clinton had his reasons for not taking him out. Sometimes they were semi-valid, other times mind boggoling. But, Clinton being the true diplomat, in need for everyones affection, choose not to get Osama.

I guess my other question, is why does this nation have to wait for a whole bunch of people to get blown up on our soil before we kill someone who is killing Americans on other peoples soil? You know, Osama did declare war on the US, wasnt it ok to kill him at that point? Im sure if the terrorist had declared war on you personally, you would authorize us to kill him before he choose to make good on his threats.

The "principles upon which this nation was founded" comment is emotional, but non-sensical. This nation has never been afraid to kill people that kill Americans. So Im not sure where you get the historical precedence for such a statement. Im guessing you just thought it sounded good.

Nice to see you back at this post though

Posted by: Nick Freitas at September 14, 2006 04:10 AM

Nick: The "principles upon which this nation was founded" comment is emotional, but non-sensical. This nation has never been afraid to kill people that kill Americans.

I'm afraid it's you who's got things tangled up. I was referring to that little bit about "innocent til proved guilty"; you know, due process, the Bill of Rights, all that sort of thing. If this does, indeed, sound silly to you, then I think we have identified the problem.

However, this DOES NOT preclude dealing harshly with folk who have, in fact, been proved guilty.

Right now, our Congress, finally up off its knees, is contesting the Executive Branch in that body's determination to water down the standards of proof that have been hitherto required. (The Military Tribunal Thing.) I do hope we win this contest. Cause if we lose, this will no longer be the America that I have lived in for lo, these many years, and I will be very sad, very emotional, indeed.

Posted by: Libby at September 14, 2006 07:55 PM

Oh, Ok so in your alternate universe, the Constitution applys to foregin terrorists. Oh yeah, i did get that wrong, i cant tell you how many times in the Federalist papers it talks about giving the same rights afforded to our citizens to everyone...oh wait...no, It doesnt say that anywhere. Not in any of our founding documents.

This is what Im taking about in our other post. You seem to think that money and troops are all that is needed to fight wars. Well ya see Libby you can send over twice as many soldiers, but if you tie their hands, they wont win. So yes the little rules, regulations and climate or "bad juju" as you refer to it really do matter.

Im sure from your safe home or apartment in the bay area it makes perfect sense to apply our 225 year legal radition to every terrorist we come into contact with. But golly gee wiz, it just deonst make all that much sense to do it on the ground. Sorry Libby, but non-US citizens fighting against the United States are not entitled to the same rights that American citizens are, and you wont find it in the Constitution.

By the way...Have you actually read the Constitution?

Posted by: Nick Freitas at September 15, 2006 12:38 PM

I do find it interesting that you think that foreign terrorists are entitled to "due process" but unborn Americans arent...maybe now we have identified the problem.

An inability to properly analyze information.

Posted by: Nick Freitas at September 15, 2006 12:40 PM

Post a comment




Remember Me?

(you may use HTML tags for style)