Europe Agrees on Funding as Hamas Calls Threats Blackmail Europe Deutsche Welle 31.01.2006
Europe, along with the United States and Russia, agreed Tuesday to continue critical funding to Palestinians but warned election victors Hamas that its future government must give up violence and recognize Israel.
Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, however, derided US and European threats to put financial pressure on his Islamist group as being "in vain", saying they amounted to forcing it to abandon its struggle for freedom.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her partners in the Quartet for Middle East peace -- the United Nations, Russia and the European Union -- pledged overnight Monday in London to keep money flowing into Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas's interim caretaker administration.
"We do believe that Abu Mazen needs to be supported," said Rice, using Abbas's nom de guerre, ensuring that funds will be available to pay for Palestinian police officers and civil servants.
But the Quartet warned that the Palestinians' critical lifeline of foreign aid could be cut off unless Hamas -- perpetrator of deadly suicide bomb attacks on Israelis -- abandons violence, recognizes Israel and embraces the diplomatic "road map" to peace.
That blueprint to peace envisions an independent Palestinian nation existing side by side with the Jewish state. Israel has the right to exist as a peaceful country.
The EU has given about 500 million euros ($613 million dollars) annually to the Palestinians since 2003, but the decisive win by Hamas has left the bloc in a quandary because the group figures on both US and EU terrorist blacklists.
In a statement the Quartet said it believed "that the Palestinian people have the right to expect that a new government will address their aspirations for peace and statehood."
Oiy vey; not another mentality like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Conditions to aid focus on the end of violence
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The election victory brought violent scenes to the streets of Gaza as Fatah and Hamas supporters clashed.
But the statement stressed that "future assistance to any future government would be reviewed by donors against the government's commitment to the principles of non-violence, recognition of Israel and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the road map."
With three months likely to pass before a new Palestinian government is formed, the Quartet's stance amounts to a watch period for Hamas to change its stripes if it wants to be accepted as a serious partner in the peace process.
The Islamist movement swiftly rejected the Quartet's demands. "The conditions posed by the Quartet constitute pressure which serves the interests of Israel and not the Palestinian people," Hamas MP and spokesman Mosheer al-Masri told AFP.
Al-Masri added that if the international aid continued to flow "the next (Hamas) government will ensure that it is used according to the law and not allow corruption.
Democracy won in Palestinian elections, says Hamas
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal accused the west of failing in democracy.
In an opinion piece in the British daily The Guardian newspaper published Tuesday, Hamas supreme leader Meshaal said the West was punishing the Palestinian people for resisting oppression and striving for justice by taking such a hard line.
"The day Hamas won the Palestinian democratic elections the world's leading democracies failed the test of democracy," Meshaal wrote. The West is missing a chance to open a "new chapter" in its relations with the Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims, he added.
"Our message to the US and EU governments is this: your attempt to force us to give up our principles or our struggle is in vain."
A senior Hamas leader, Ismail Haniya, appealed earlier Monday in Gaza City to the Quartet to meet the radical Islamist organization for "a dialogue without preliminary conditions and in a spirit of neutrality."
Pressed on how long the European Union -- a major contributor to Palestinian coffers -- would be prepared to give Hamas, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said: "I think that it will depend how long it takes in time for the formation of the government."
He referred to estimates of three months. "That is the time in which they have to clarify all these things. If we have not got any sign that they move in that direction it will be very difficult," Solana said.
Putin sees refusal of aid as a "mistake" (he may be right- US already pissed Palestinian people off;)
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: President Vladimir Putin approved the continuation of aid and called a halt would be a mistake.
Despite agreeing with the Quartet in London, Russian President Vladimir Putin took a slightly different stance later on Tuesday. Speaking from Moscow Putin said that Russia did not share the West's official view that Hamas was a "terrorist" organization but added that this did not mean the movement could expect Moscow's unqualified support.
"Hamas must leave its radical declarations, must recognize Israel's right to exist and normalize contact with the international community," Putin said. He described the movement's unexpected recent election victory as a "serious blow" to US efforts to broker a Middle East peace settlement.
Hamas must make the transition from being a radical opposition movement to the governing party of the Palestinian people, Putin said, adding however that the fact of Hamas' coming to power in the Palestinian territories was not sufficient grounds for cutting off aid to the Palestinians.
"Refusal of aid to the Palestinian people would be a mistake in any event," he said, adding: "Our foreign ministry has never described Hamas as a terrorist organization."
Except perhaps:
31.1.06
Foreign Policy: Think Again: Islamist Terrorism
Foreign Policy: Think Again: Islamist Terrorism
Pundits and politicians of all stripes are quick to offer their wisdom on what fuels Islamist terrorism. It just so happens that much of what they say is wrong. Poverty doesn’t produce terrorists, a solution to the Israel-Palestine problem isn’t a cure-all, and young Muslim men aren’t the most likely to turn to terror. If we are going to fight a "war on terror", the least we can do is understand who we are fighting.
Future terrorists? Most madrasas do not provide the skills that international terrorist groups look for in recruits.
“Fixing the Israel-Palestinian Problem Will Make Terrorism Go Away”Hardly.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is important, but it is by no means the only issue inspiring the ideology of global jihad. There are several pivotal conflicts around the world that animate militant Islamist ideology, from the Caucasus and the Balkans to the Southern Philippines and the intractable Kashmir conflict. Militant Islamists also see a connection between their local issues and global politics.
To them, Muslims are victims in every conflict and the West is responsible for Muslim suffering and powerlessness.
That is to say nothing of the fact that the significance of each regional conflict varies from one jihadi group to the next.
For Algerian jihadists, their war, provoked by the refusal of the pro-Western Algerian military to accept the results of elections won by Islamists in 1991, is as significant as Palestinian resistance to Israel. Pakistani and Kashmiri jihadists spew the greatest amount of venom in their publications against “Hindu India,” not Jewish Israel. Russia also sits high on a jihadist’s hit list, when the jihadist in question is Chechen.
Radical Islamists want nothing less than the restoration of Islamic sovereignty to all lands where Muslims were once ascendant, including Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ethiopia, Hungary, Sicily, Spain, and even parts of France.
Yes, a resolution of the Palestinian issue would remove a key irritant in Western relations with the Muslim world. But these ambitions are unlikely to be satisfied by an Israeli-Palestinian settlement.
“Poverty, Unemployment, and Lack of Education Make Terrorists” Prove it.
Poverty, unemployment, and lack of education are serious problems in some of the world’s most populous Muslim countries. There is, however, no evidence of a correlation between these social and economic ills and terrorism.
Terrorists are not always poor and prosperity does not end terrorism. In fact, in the world’s 50 poorest countries, there is little terrorism. It is too soon to dismiss socio-economic conditions completely, but studies have generally found that terrorists tend not to be from societies’ most deprived groups.
Instead, terrorists are generally well educated and unlikely to be poor. In India, for example, terrorism has occurred in one of the country’s most prosperous regions, Punjab, and its most egalitarian, Kashmir (where the poverty rate is less than 4 percent, compared with a national average of 26 percent).
The sub-continent’s poorest regions, such as North Bihar, have not produced any terrorist activity. In Arab countries such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia, as well as in North Africa, terrorists do not originate in the poorest and most neglected areas, but in some of the wealthiest regions and neighborhoods.
Terrorist groups, like other employers, impose standards of quality in their recruitment efforts. Research shows that terrorists tend to be of “higher quality”—more educated or accomplished in other jobs and pursuits. These individuals are more likely to turn to terrorism when the economy is weak and jobs are in short supply. When the economy is good, “high-quality” persons generally have access to lucrative jobs relative to their “low-quality” counterparts, and the cost of leaving a good job in order to participate in a terrorist movement is relatively high.
That helps explain why engineers and other technical persons with a history of underemployment get involved in terrorism. They are both available and desired by terrorist organizations, particularly during periods of economic stagnation and downturn.
“Young, Unmarried Muslim Males Are the Most Likely to Become Terrorists”No.
It is de rigueur to suggest that young, unmarried, Muslim males are the most likely population to become terrorists or to support terrorism. But from the perspective of the global supply of terrorists, this claim is false. Consider the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka. They are the world’s single largest group of suicide bombers. Their cadres are not Muslim, but Hindu by religion and nearly 40 percent are female.
Even on the issue of support for terrorism, there is reason to be skeptical about the popular convention that young males are leading the pack. In a recent survey of 6,000 Muslims in 14 countries published in Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, females were more likely to support terrorism than were males. What’s more, married and unmarried persons are equally likely to support terrorism. Age matters less than one may think at first blush. In the same survey, some 47 percent of 62-year-olds surveyed were inclined to support terrorism. That percentage was only 10 points higher for 18-year-olds.
Other factors, such as perception of a threat to Islam and opinions about the role of religion in government, have a significantly greater impact on support for terrorism than age or gender.
The bottom line? Ideology and beliefs matter more than social or economic status, age or gender. Focusing outreach and counterterrorism efforts on young, unmarried Muslim males will only overlook enormous sections of Muslim populations who support terrorists.
1 2 next
Pundits and politicians of all stripes are quick to offer their wisdom on what fuels Islamist terrorism. It just so happens that much of what they say is wrong. Poverty doesn’t produce terrorists, a solution to the Israel-Palestine problem isn’t a cure-all, and young Muslim men aren’t the most likely to turn to terror. If we are going to fight a "war on terror", the least we can do is understand who we are fighting.
Future terrorists? Most madrasas do not provide the skills that international terrorist groups look for in recruits.
“Fixing the Israel-Palestinian Problem Will Make Terrorism Go Away”Hardly.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is important, but it is by no means the only issue inspiring the ideology of global jihad. There are several pivotal conflicts around the world that animate militant Islamist ideology, from the Caucasus and the Balkans to the Southern Philippines and the intractable Kashmir conflict. Militant Islamists also see a connection between their local issues and global politics.
To them, Muslims are victims in every conflict and the West is responsible for Muslim suffering and powerlessness.
That is to say nothing of the fact that the significance of each regional conflict varies from one jihadi group to the next.
For Algerian jihadists, their war, provoked by the refusal of the pro-Western Algerian military to accept the results of elections won by Islamists in 1991, is as significant as Palestinian resistance to Israel. Pakistani and Kashmiri jihadists spew the greatest amount of venom in their publications against “Hindu India,” not Jewish Israel. Russia also sits high on a jihadist’s hit list, when the jihadist in question is Chechen.
Radical Islamists want nothing less than the restoration of Islamic sovereignty to all lands where Muslims were once ascendant, including Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ethiopia, Hungary, Sicily, Spain, and even parts of France.
Yes, a resolution of the Palestinian issue would remove a key irritant in Western relations with the Muslim world. But these ambitions are unlikely to be satisfied by an Israeli-Palestinian settlement.
“Poverty, Unemployment, and Lack of Education Make Terrorists” Prove it.
Poverty, unemployment, and lack of education are serious problems in some of the world’s most populous Muslim countries. There is, however, no evidence of a correlation between these social and economic ills and terrorism.
Terrorists are not always poor and prosperity does not end terrorism. In fact, in the world’s 50 poorest countries, there is little terrorism. It is too soon to dismiss socio-economic conditions completely, but studies have generally found that terrorists tend not to be from societies’ most deprived groups.
Instead, terrorists are generally well educated and unlikely to be poor. In India, for example, terrorism has occurred in one of the country’s most prosperous regions, Punjab, and its most egalitarian, Kashmir (where the poverty rate is less than 4 percent, compared with a national average of 26 percent).
The sub-continent’s poorest regions, such as North Bihar, have not produced any terrorist activity. In Arab countries such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia, as well as in North Africa, terrorists do not originate in the poorest and most neglected areas, but in some of the wealthiest regions and neighborhoods.
Terrorist groups, like other employers, impose standards of quality in their recruitment efforts. Research shows that terrorists tend to be of “higher quality”—more educated or accomplished in other jobs and pursuits. These individuals are more likely to turn to terrorism when the economy is weak and jobs are in short supply. When the economy is good, “high-quality” persons generally have access to lucrative jobs relative to their “low-quality” counterparts, and the cost of leaving a good job in order to participate in a terrorist movement is relatively high.
That helps explain why engineers and other technical persons with a history of underemployment get involved in terrorism. They are both available and desired by terrorist organizations, particularly during periods of economic stagnation and downturn.
“Young, Unmarried Muslim Males Are the Most Likely to Become Terrorists”No.
It is de rigueur to suggest that young, unmarried, Muslim males are the most likely population to become terrorists or to support terrorism. But from the perspective of the global supply of terrorists, this claim is false. Consider the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka. They are the world’s single largest group of suicide bombers. Their cadres are not Muslim, but Hindu by religion and nearly 40 percent are female.
Even on the issue of support for terrorism, there is reason to be skeptical about the popular convention that young males are leading the pack. In a recent survey of 6,000 Muslims in 14 countries published in Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, females were more likely to support terrorism than were males. What’s more, married and unmarried persons are equally likely to support terrorism. Age matters less than one may think at first blush. In the same survey, some 47 percent of 62-year-olds surveyed were inclined to support terrorism. That percentage was only 10 points higher for 18-year-olds.
Other factors, such as perception of a threat to Islam and opinions about the role of religion in government, have a significantly greater impact on support for terrorism than age or gender.
The bottom line? Ideology and beliefs matter more than social or economic status, age or gender. Focusing outreach and counterterrorism efforts on young, unmarried Muslim males will only overlook enormous sections of Muslim populations who support terrorists.
1 2 next
Qaeda Deputy Taunts Bush for 'Failure' in Airstrike - New York Times
Qaeda Deputy Taunts Bush for 'Failure' in Airstrike - New York Times
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Jan. 30 — More than a week after the Qaeda deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri resurfaced in an audiotape posted on the Internet, Al Jazeera on Monday broadcast a video of Mr. Zawahiri berating the United States for a bombing attack on a place where he had been suspected of being, and threatening further attacks on the United States. Video Report
Mr. Zawahiri, shown wearing white robes and a white turban, said the Jan. 13 airstrike in the northeastern Pakistan village of Damadola had killed only "innocents," and called President Bush a "butcher" and a "failure" for the attack. (true- and dumb to bomb a country that was an ally)
He said the United States had lost its chance for a truce offered by Osama bin Laden in an audio recording broadcast Jan. 19 by Al Jazeera, an Arab satellite network.
"Butcher of Washington, you are not only defeated and a liar, but also a failure," he said, speaking of Mr. Bush. "You are a curse on your own nation and you have brought and will bring them only catastrophes and tragedies."
An American counterterrorism official said that the videotape "demonstrates that Al Qaeda's propaganda apparatus is still functioning."
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the rules of his government office, called Mr. Zawahiri's message "an attempt to reassure the Qaeda rank and file that he's still alive."
Thirteen villagers were killed in the strike, setting off widespread protests in Pakistan. American officials say that several Qaeda figures were among those killed, but have not determined who they were.
"The videotape proves that Ayman is closely following what is happening around him." said Mohammad Salah, Cairo bureau chief of the pan-Arab daily newspaper Al Hayat, an expert on Islamist groups.
Though the message was aired on the eve of President Bush's State of the Union address, the intelligence official said that was not necessarily intentional. Al Qaeda "operates on its own schedule, and I wouldn't read too much into the timing," he said. duh-bu-ya
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Jan. 30 — More than a week after the Qaeda deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri resurfaced in an audiotape posted on the Internet, Al Jazeera on Monday broadcast a video of Mr. Zawahiri berating the United States for a bombing attack on a place where he had been suspected of being, and threatening further attacks on the United States. Video Report
Mr. Zawahiri, shown wearing white robes and a white turban, said the Jan. 13 airstrike in the northeastern Pakistan village of Damadola had killed only "innocents," and called President Bush a "butcher" and a "failure" for the attack. (true- and dumb to bomb a country that was an ally)
He said the United States had lost its chance for a truce offered by Osama bin Laden in an audio recording broadcast Jan. 19 by Al Jazeera, an Arab satellite network.
"Butcher of Washington, you are not only defeated and a liar, but also a failure," he said, speaking of Mr. Bush. "You are a curse on your own nation and you have brought and will bring them only catastrophes and tragedies."
An American counterterrorism official said that the videotape "demonstrates that Al Qaeda's propaganda apparatus is still functioning."
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the rules of his government office, called Mr. Zawahiri's message "an attempt to reassure the Qaeda rank and file that he's still alive."
Thirteen villagers were killed in the strike, setting off widespread protests in Pakistan. American officials say that several Qaeda figures were among those killed, but have not determined who they were.
"The videotape proves that Ayman is closely following what is happening around him." said Mohammad Salah, Cairo bureau chief of the pan-Arab daily newspaper Al Hayat, an expert on Islamist groups.
Though the message was aired on the eve of President Bush's State of the Union address, the intelligence official said that was not necessarily intentional. Al Qaeda "operates on its own schedule, and I wouldn't read too much into the timing," he said. duh-bu-ya
Expatica's German news in English: Merkel puts pressure on Hamas during visit
Expatica's German news in English: Merkel puts pressure on Hamas during visit:
GAZA/RAMALLAH - Under pressure for its hardline stance toward Israel, the Islamic Hamas movement, victor in last week's Palestinian elections, pleaded Monday for Western states to open a dialogue with it and transfer funds to the cash-starved Palestinian Authority.
Hamas won an emphatic victory in Wednesday's parliamentary election in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, but the United States and other Western countries have said they will not deal with the organization until it lays down its arms - the movement has carried out hundreds of attacks against Israel - and changes its charter to recognise the Jewish state.
Visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel emphasized these points during a news conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Monday afternoon, and added that Hamas also had to accept all agreements signed by the Palestinian Authority.
"It is unimaginable that Germany could recognise an administration which does not recognise Israel," she said.
But Hamas leader Isma'eel Haneya told a news conference in Gaza City that his movement had sent a letter to the so-called Quartet of the United States, Russia, the United Nations and the European Union asking for direct talks to be held without preconditions, and pledged that any financial aid received would not go to Palestinian militants.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel goes right to the core of the issue and has class. Thats very admirable.
GAZA/RAMALLAH - Under pressure for its hardline stance toward Israel, the Islamic Hamas movement, victor in last week's Palestinian elections, pleaded Monday for Western states to open a dialogue with it and transfer funds to the cash-starved Palestinian Authority.
Hamas won an emphatic victory in Wednesday's parliamentary election in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, but the United States and other Western countries have said they will not deal with the organization until it lays down its arms - the movement has carried out hundreds of attacks against Israel - and changes its charter to recognise the Jewish state.
Visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel emphasized these points during a news conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Monday afternoon, and added that Hamas also had to accept all agreements signed by the Palestinian Authority.
"It is unimaginable that Germany could recognise an administration which does not recognise Israel," she said.
But Hamas leader Isma'eel Haneya told a news conference in Gaza City that his movement had sent a letter to the so-called Quartet of the United States, Russia, the United Nations and the European Union asking for direct talks to be held without preconditions, and pledged that any financial aid received would not go to Palestinian militants.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel goes right to the core of the issue and has class. Thats very admirable.
Ex-UK Environment Minister Sparks Fury Over Claims on September 11 and Iraq War
Ex-UK Environment Minister Sparks Fury Over Claims on September 11 and Iraq War
Michael Meacher, who served as a minister for six years until three months ago, today goes further than any other mainstream British politician in blaming the Iraq war on a US desire for domination of the Gulf and the world.
Meacher, a leftwinger who is close to the green lobby, also claims in an article in today's Guardian that the war on terrorism is a smokescreen and that the US knew in advance about the September 11 attack on New York but, for strategic reasons, chose not to act on the warnings.
Unfolding The Truth-9/11
He says the US goal is "world hegemony, built around securing by force command over the oil supplies" and that this Pax Americana "provides a much better explanation of what actually happened before, during and after 9/11 than the global war on terrorism thesis".
Mr Meacher adds that the US has made "no serious attempt" to catch the al-Qaida leader, Osama bin Laden.
He argues that the explanation makes sense when seen against the background of the neo-conservative plan.
"From this it seems that the so-called 'war on terrorism' is being used largely as bogus cover for achieving wider US strategic geopolitical objectives."
He adds: "Given this, it is not surprising that some have seen the US failure to avert the 9/11 attacks as creating an invaluable pretext for attacking Afghanistan in a war that had clearly already been well planned in advance."
Mr Meacher, who was environment minister, says: "The overriding motivation for this political smokescreen is that the US and the UK are beginning to run out of secure hydrocarbon energy supplies."
The US government expressed abhorrence at Mr Meacher's views. The picture is very clear and the agenda was in place long before W took office.
GOP= Grand Oil Plan
Afghanistan, the Taliban and the Bush Oil Team
Trans-Afghanpipeline.htm
The Ultimate Goal was to destroy Iraq; they only reconstruction taking place is US Military bases.....
Full Spectrum Dominance
Michael Meacher, who served as a minister for six years until three months ago, today goes further than any other mainstream British politician in blaming the Iraq war on a US desire for domination of the Gulf and the world.
Meacher, a leftwinger who is close to the green lobby, also claims in an article in today's Guardian that the war on terrorism is a smokescreen and that the US knew in advance about the September 11 attack on New York but, for strategic reasons, chose not to act on the warnings.
Unfolding The Truth-9/11
He says the US goal is "world hegemony, built around securing by force command over the oil supplies" and that this Pax Americana "provides a much better explanation of what actually happened before, during and after 9/11 than the global war on terrorism thesis".
Mr Meacher adds that the US has made "no serious attempt" to catch the al-Qaida leader, Osama bin Laden.
He argues that the explanation makes sense when seen against the background of the neo-conservative plan.
"From this it seems that the so-called 'war on terrorism' is being used largely as bogus cover for achieving wider US strategic geopolitical objectives."
He adds: "Given this, it is not surprising that some have seen the US failure to avert the 9/11 attacks as creating an invaluable pretext for attacking Afghanistan in a war that had clearly already been well planned in advance."
Mr Meacher, who was environment minister, says: "The overriding motivation for this political smokescreen is that the US and the UK are beginning to run out of secure hydrocarbon energy supplies."
The US government expressed abhorrence at Mr Meacher's views. The picture is very clear and the agenda was in place long before W took office.
GOP= Grand Oil Plan
Afghanistan, the Taliban and the Bush Oil Team
Trans-Afghanpipeline.htm
The Ultimate Goal was to destroy Iraq; they only reconstruction taking place is US Military bases.....
Full Spectrum Dominance
The Oil Factor: Behind the War on Terror
The Oil Factor: Behind the War on Terror
Today, 6.5 billion humans depend entirely on oil for food, energy, plastics & chemicals.
Population growth is on a collision course with the inevitable decline in oil production.
George Bush's "war on terror" happens where 3/4 of the world's remaining oil and natural gas is located.
ENTER
Today, 6.5 billion humans depend entirely on oil for food, energy, plastics & chemicals.
Population growth is on a collision course with the inevitable decline in oil production.
George Bush's "war on terror" happens where 3/4 of the world's remaining oil and natural gas is located.
ENTER
Aljazeera.Net - US rejects Bin Laden call for truce
Aljazeera.Net - US rejects Bin Laden call for truce:
"The US has rejected a truce offer from Osama bin Laden, with the White House declaring: 'We do not negotiate with terrorists. We put them out of business.' (You're IN the business...we'd like to put YOU out)
The al-Qaida chief made the proposal in an audiotape broadcast by Aljazeera, and authenticated by the CIA, in which Bin Laden warned of pending attacks in the heartland of the United States.
But he also offered a long-term truce if Washington withdrew its military presence from Iraq and Afghanistan - the latter his former safe haven until US forces ousted his Taliban allies after the September 11 attacks.
Dick Cheney, the US vice-president, on Thursday said the message showed that the al-Qaida network had been driven underground and was now unable to produce video messages, but warned the group was still lethal. BU*SH*IT; you've known where they are all along.
Asked about Bin Laden's truce offer, Cheney told Fox News Channel that it sounded like a ploy. (coming from Cheney, a greedy sociopath, I trust Bin Laden more)
'This is not an organisation that is ever going to sit down and sign a truce,' he said. 'I think you have to destroy them. It's the only way to deal with them.' " FU. Stop bullshi**ing the american people.
"The US has rejected a truce offer from Osama bin Laden, with the White House declaring: 'We do not negotiate with terrorists. We put them out of business.' (You're IN the business...we'd like to put YOU out)
The al-Qaida chief made the proposal in an audiotape broadcast by Aljazeera, and authenticated by the CIA, in which Bin Laden warned of pending attacks in the heartland of the United States.
But he also offered a long-term truce if Washington withdrew its military presence from Iraq and Afghanistan - the latter his former safe haven until US forces ousted his Taliban allies after the September 11 attacks.
Dick Cheney, the US vice-president, on Thursday said the message showed that the al-Qaida network had been driven underground and was now unable to produce video messages, but warned the group was still lethal. BU*SH*IT; you've known where they are all along.
Asked about Bin Laden's truce offer, Cheney told Fox News Channel that it sounded like a ploy. (coming from Cheney, a greedy sociopath, I trust Bin Laden more)
'This is not an organisation that is ever going to sit down and sign a truce,' he said. 'I think you have to destroy them. It's the only way to deal with them.' " FU. Stop bullshi**ing the american people.
Aljazeera.Net - Zawahiri says he escaped US raid
Aljazeera.Net - Zawahiri says he escaped US raid
Aljazeera has aired a new video in which al-Qaida's deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahiri calls George Bush a butcher and threatens a new attack in the US. (well, he's telling the truth)
Monday's video was his first appearance since a US air strike that targeted him on 13 January in Pakistan.
Al-Zawahiri said he had survived the raid which he said killed "innocents".
The air strike hit a building in the eastern Pakistan village of Damadola, reportedly killing four al-Qaida leaders. Thirteen villagers were also killed in the strike, angering many Pakistanis.
The video appeared to be recorded this month, as it mentioned a call for a truce issued by Bin Laden in an audio tape Aljazeera said was recorded in January.
"US airplanes ... launched a raid on a village in near Peshawar after Eid al-Adha in which 18 Muslim men, women and children were killed in what they call the war against terror," al-Zawahiri said.
"They said this was intended to kill myself and four brothers but now the whole world has discovered their lies ...".
Egyptian-born Al-Zawahri and Saudi-born Bin Laden are believed to be hiding in a mountainous area on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Pakistani intelligence sources said four top al-Qaida fighters were believed to have been killed in the 13 January raid which US officials say was aimed at the al-Qaida number two.
Bush has a way of making enemies.
Aljazeera has aired a new video in which al-Qaida's deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahiri calls George Bush a butcher and threatens a new attack in the US. (well, he's telling the truth)
Monday's video was his first appearance since a US air strike that targeted him on 13 January in Pakistan.
Al-Zawahiri said he had survived the raid which he said killed "innocents".
The air strike hit a building in the eastern Pakistan village of Damadola, reportedly killing four al-Qaida leaders. Thirteen villagers were also killed in the strike, angering many Pakistanis.
The video appeared to be recorded this month, as it mentioned a call for a truce issued by Bin Laden in an audio tape Aljazeera said was recorded in January.
"US airplanes ... launched a raid on a village in near Peshawar after Eid al-Adha in which 18 Muslim men, women and children were killed in what they call the war against terror," al-Zawahiri said.
"They said this was intended to kill myself and four brothers but now the whole world has discovered their lies ...".
Egyptian-born Al-Zawahri and Saudi-born Bin Laden are believed to be hiding in a mountainous area on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Pakistani intelligence sources said four top al-Qaida fighters were believed to have been killed in the 13 January raid which US officials say was aimed at the al-Qaida number two.
Bush has a way of making enemies.
Aljazeera.Net - US journalist in fresh video appeal
Aljazeera.Net - US journalist in fresh video appeal
Jill Carroll, the kidnapped US journalist held in Iraq, has appeared in a new video, weeping and appealing for the release of women Iraqi prisoners.
The video, aired by Aljazeera on Monday, showed Carroll wearing a veil but carried no sound.
Aljazeera said the 28-year-old journalist appealed for the release of women Iraqi prisoners.
The footage had a time signature with the date 28 January. Aljazeera's newscaster said in the video Carroll appeals to the US military and the Iraqi Interior Ministry to release all women in their prisons and that this "would help in winning her release". Armed men abducted Jill Carroll, a freelance reporter for the Christian Science Monitor, on 7 January in Baghdad and threatened to kill her unless all Iraqi women prisoners were released.
Her translator was shot dead during the kidnapping.
The latest video of Carroll was widely reported in the United States, but most television stations refused to broadcast more than a few seconds of it, calling it too disturbing.
The Christian Science Monitor expressed deep concern Monday over her fate.
Editor Richard Bergenheim said:
"Anyone with a heart will feel distressed that an innocent woman like Jill Carroll would be treated in the manner shown in the latest video."
Many of Germany's prisoners have been released, because Germany is willing to do the right thing. The USA for ONCE has to do the right thing for this young girl.
Jill Carroll, the kidnapped US journalist held in Iraq, has appeared in a new video, weeping and appealing for the release of women Iraqi prisoners.
The video, aired by Aljazeera on Monday, showed Carroll wearing a veil but carried no sound.
Aljazeera said the 28-year-old journalist appealed for the release of women Iraqi prisoners.
The footage had a time signature with the date 28 January. Aljazeera's newscaster said in the video Carroll appeals to the US military and the Iraqi Interior Ministry to release all women in their prisons and that this "would help in winning her release". Armed men abducted Jill Carroll, a freelance reporter for the Christian Science Monitor, on 7 January in Baghdad and threatened to kill her unless all Iraqi women prisoners were released.
Her translator was shot dead during the kidnapping.
The latest video of Carroll was widely reported in the United States, but most television stations refused to broadcast more than a few seconds of it, calling it too disturbing.
The Christian Science Monitor expressed deep concern Monday over her fate.
Editor Richard Bergenheim said:
"Anyone with a heart will feel distressed that an innocent woman like Jill Carroll would be treated in the manner shown in the latest video."
Many of Germany's prisoners have been released, because Germany is willing to do the right thing. The USA for ONCE has to do the right thing for this young girl.
30.1.06
Budget to Hurt Poor People on Medicaid, Report Says
Budget to Hurt Poor People on Medicaid, Report Says
WASHINGTON - Millions of low-income people would have to pay more for health care under a bill worked out by Congress, and some of them would forgo care or drop out of Medicaid because of the higher co-payments and premiums, the Congressional Budget Office says in a new report.
The Senate has already approved the measure, the first major effort to rein in federal benefit programs in eight years, and the House is expected to vote Wednesday, clearing the bill for President Bush.
"...about 45,000 enrollees would lose coverage in fiscal year 2010...65,000 would lose coverage in fiscal year 2015 because of the imposition of premiums. About 60 percent of those losing coverage would be children. ~Congressional Budget Office, Report
In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Mr. Bush plans to recommend a variety of steps to help people obtain health insurance and cope with rising health costs. But the bill, the Deficit Reduction Act, written by Congress over the last year with support from the White House, could reduce coverage and increase the number of uninsured, the budget office said.
As I said, the US Government does not care about its home land or its people, but you will see how much they pay for this illegal war...where there is Oil.
WASHINGTON - Millions of low-income people would have to pay more for health care under a bill worked out by Congress, and some of them would forgo care or drop out of Medicaid because of the higher co-payments and premiums, the Congressional Budget Office says in a new report.
The Senate has already approved the measure, the first major effort to rein in federal benefit programs in eight years, and the House is expected to vote Wednesday, clearing the bill for President Bush.
"...about 45,000 enrollees would lose coverage in fiscal year 2010...65,000 would lose coverage in fiscal year 2015 because of the imposition of premiums. About 60 percent of those losing coverage would be children. ~Congressional Budget Office, Report
In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Mr. Bush plans to recommend a variety of steps to help people obtain health insurance and cope with rising health costs. But the bill, the Deficit Reduction Act, written by Congress over the last year with support from the White House, could reduce coverage and increase the number of uninsured, the budget office said.
As I said, the US Government does not care about its home land or its people, but you will see how much they pay for this illegal war...where there is Oil.
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