President-elect Roh Moo-hyun appears to have reevaluated his policy toward the United States at a time when tension is escalating over North Koreaâs pursuit of nuclear weapons. Now that he has been exposed to Privelaged Information about who's who.
His cautious approach to the U.S. was evident Saturday when he called for restraint of the growing anti-U.S. sentiment sparked by the acquittal of two U.S. soldiers whose armored vehicle struck and killed two 13-year-old schoolgirls in June.
The vehicle was in the middle of the convoy, at the age of Thirteen you would hope they had a little better luck at ducking thru traffic
Recently, tens of thousands of protesters have held candlelight vigils across the country, including near the U.S. Embassy, and some of them have called for the withdrawal of the U.S. troops stationed here. These protest happen nightly here in the South
Roh, who once called for the withdrawal of U.S. troops and equal relations between the two countries, seemed to have toned down his rhetoric.
The president-elect appeared to have taken into account the fact that widespread anti-U.S. sentiment could deal a blow to cooperation between the two countries at a time when South Korea badly needs U.S. help to defuse the tension touched off by the Northâs nuclear issue.
His call for restraint also seems to have come in response to the anti-U.S. sentiment showing signs of causing a backlash from the U.S. Recently, some in the U.S. have called for the withdrawal of its military and taking military strikes against nuclear facilities in the North, and a boycott of South Korean cars.
The former lawyer said he would first deal with North Koreaâs development of nuclear weapons before seeking a revision of the controversial Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), the legal code governing the rights of the 37,000 U.S. soldiers stationed here.
Rohâs move indicates he would play a leading role in resolving the nuclear issue by mediating between North Korea and the U.S. after dispelling concerns of the Bush administration about his U.S. policy.
Roh has been accused by his detractors of being a radical and an anti-U.S. politician.
Earlier, Roh, who has never visited the U.S., said he would not visit the country just to take photos with American politicians and that he would not kowtow to the U.S.
Having repeatedly denounced Washington for its hawkish policy toward the North, Roh stressed he would keep intact outgoing President Kim Dae-jungâs policy of engaging the reclusive country, the opposite stance from that of U.S. President George W. Bush, who branded the North as part of an ``axis of evil,ââ together with Iran and Iraq.
Posted by: Richard ||
12/29/2002 09:53 am ||
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Like other politicians we could name, President-Elect Roh seems to wish to have his cake and eat it too. "Gee, guys, you didn't take me seriously did you? It was only local election stuff, local politics but you know how we love you!"
And we didn't even get kissed.
That the South Koreans chose to elect a politician who wishes them to face South then bend over and spread their cheeks is their right and their problem, not ours; we should remove our troops lest we inhibit their love life. The bitter pill here is that we must do something about the North Korean regime. It is obvious why they were included in the "Axis" and their nasty habit of exporting weapons to our enemies must be brought to an immediate halt before (at least we hope it's before) they begin to export WMD to the usual suspects. Sending this "problem" to the UN is an exercise in futility unless it is intended as another example of the absolute impotentency of the UN.
Perhaps it is time to provide a reality check to those who oppose America and all we represent. We should also announce that failure of the UN to quickly resolve this problem will leave us no option but to provide complete assistance to Japan (should they wish it) in creation of a nuclear force to counter North Korea.
China, South Korea and Russia seem to believe this is only an American problem which they can sit back and enjoy. Let us just place the logical conclusion to their actions on their plate and see how they enjoy the meal offered. The alternative of a nuclear Japan should focus the attention of those enjoying an "American" problem on the reality of the situation.
And when the policy is announced, we can all blow a kiss to South Korea, China and Russia - let it never be said that we haven't learned the lessons of international diplomacy.
#2
That was very well written Ed, I agree completly with your words. Its a pain in the bumm living down here and everyday I awake I wonder "Why am I here?". I'm ready to kick butt but these darn people down here are arsse backwards,..
Posted by: Richard ||
12/29/2002 9:18 Comments ||
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#3
Unfortunately, the Koreas - like China and Japan - have absorbed a huge dose of Confucianism into their cultures. Confucianism dictates an almost religious devotion to stable, unified, and enduring social order. It puts it's entire value in the "group" at the expense of the individual, and individual rights.
Basically, it's all about sucking up, and being beaten down. They have no appreciation for individuality, independent thinking or (individual) human rights.
And they like it that way.
That's why Japan is perfectly happy to sit there and let N.Kor build all the nukes they want. It would be far, far worse in their eyes to confront their neighbor. In their (obviously illogical) view, "Rocking the boat" would only make things worse.
#4
historically the US has been willing to be the bad cop to the South Korean/Japanese good cop. They have to live in the region after all. We did the same in Europe. After a long enough period of time it seems that our allies lose grasp of the game and think that its their good cop role that is getting the progress and if only the bad cop would go away everything would be love and kisses.
They miss the point that the bad cop is the only thing keeping them from war.
#5
Here's th ekicker: "He would first deal with North Koreaâs development of nuclear weapons before seeking a revision of the controversial Status of Forces Agreement..."
Gee, once we deal with the Chonger's nukes, there won't be a need for a SOFA, since there won't be a need for US troops to be in Korea, since there won't be a North Korea.
#6
Fine with me, Sarge: Our troops are there because of North Korea. Remove NK, and there's no need to spend money or keep troops there. A member of the Axis of Evil gone, and the troops are freed up to be reassigned elsewhere. I'm for it.
North Korea warned that confrontation with the United States was inevitable as tensions escalated over its decision to expel United Nations monitors from a controversial nuclear site.
"Inevitable is the confrontation with the imperialists as long as they do not abandon the aggressive and predatory nature," said a commentary in Sunday's edition of the Rodong Sinmun newspaper -- the mouthpiece of the ruling communist party. It appears the Sabor Rattling is geeting ready to cross that little line of sobriety
"The imperialist reactionaries are seriously mistaken if they think they would bring the Korean people who regard independence as their life and soul to their knees with pressure," it added.
The latest salvo in the war of rhetoric came after the North Korean government organization in charge of Korean affairs said in a statement that the United States was "desperate to bar the Korean nation from achieving reconciliation and cooperation by itself."
"Timed to coincide with its futile 'nuclear racket', the US is deepening the crisis on the Korean peninsula by shamelessly meddling in the issues related to the inter-Korean relations and hamstringing the process to warm them," said the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland in a statement Saturday.
The accusation coincided with an anti-US rally in Pyongyang by some 10,000 people who called for "sacred anti-US resistance". 10,000 people? I've seen more people at animal cruelty protest
North Korea has come under widespread international condemnation for taking a series of steps to restart a nuclear power plant that could be used to produce weapons-grade plutonium. Oops, Dear leader forgot to sensor that line
Posted by: Richard ||
12/29/2002 07:45 am ||
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Dear Leader probably only persuaded the 10,000 to turn up with the promise of "a free continental breakfast".
Korea Herald
South Korean president-elect Roh Moo-Hyun has called for "self-restraint" in protests against the acquittals of two U.S. soldiers involved in the June accident that claimed the lives of two Korean girls, as Seoul is working with Washington to solve a "more pressing" issue - the growing nuclear threat from North Korea. Yasss... The threat of nuclear anihilation would seem a bit more pressing than a traffic accident...
"I earnestly appeal to you to exhibit self-restraint on the candlelight vigils," Roh told representatives from a civic group and the parents of the two girls Saturday. "Now that I've been elected, we don't need them anymore..."
It is the first time that the president-to-be, who held a more critical view of the United States than his conservative rival Lee Hoi-chang during the presidential campaign, has met the activists and the parents of the two girls since his election. He hasn't needed to before. There was a campaign going on, and the demonstrators were benefiting him...
During the meeting with Roh, however, the representatives said they would continue with peaceful demonstrations. "Naw. We got nothin' better to do..."
After Roh met them for about 90 minutes, about 1,200 citizens joined a candlelight vigil and demonstration near the U.S. Embassy in downtown Seoul, demanding U.S. President George W. Bush's apology and the revision of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), a legal code governing the status of U.S. soldiers stationed in South Korea. Some protesters scuffled with police who were blocking them from marching onto the embassy. They meant kinda peaceful demonstrations.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
12/29/2002 10:03 am ||
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Arab leaders looking for a way to avoid a U.S.-Iraq war they fear would ignite their volatile region are considering the possibility of pressing Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to step down and go into exile, diplomats say. But the diplomats say the idea has not yet coalesced, and it would be useless to make such an offer until Saddam believes he has no other no option. "There is a strong feeling that the United States is after Saddam and not after weapons of mass destruction and therefore efforts should focus on how to persuade Saddam to leave," one Arab diplomat said on condition of anonymity. While newspapers have carried reports of offers made to Saddam to flee to Egypt or Libya, even Cuba or North Korea, no government has commented officially on the prospect.
Last week, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal told reporters that Mideast leaders repeatedly have urged Saddam to try to avert war. But Prince Saud was vague when asked whether Arab leaders — and Saudi Arabia in particular — had urged the Iraqi regime to persuade Saddam to leave power and accept political asylum elsewhere. "Communication is continuing on levels announced and unannounced, but all the Arab countries are involved in preventing any military action against Iraq," he said.
Sabah Salman, Saddam's press secretary during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, does not believe the Iraqi leader would ever bow out willingly. Salman, who defected after the 1991 Gulf War, said Saddam in 1982 called his top aides to a meeting to discuss a demand from the late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini that Saddam step down in exchange for peace. Salman said that when Minister of Health Riyadh Hussein ventured that Saddam should accept the offer "for tactical reasons to test Khomeini's seriousness," the minister was taken to an adjacent room and shot.
"Saddam is keeping the last bullet in his gun for himself," Salman told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from his European exile. Here's hoping he gets to use it reasonably soon. The Arabs are stuck with a big problem if he does: if Sammy steps down, the Arabs will have a say in the new government; if the Iraqis dispose of him, they get to have a say. If we dispose of him, we'll say what comes after. It won't be an "Islamic Republic."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
12/29/2002 04:23 pm ||
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Turkmenistan's former foreign minister accepted blame for an alleged assassination attempt on the president, and heaped praise on the leader in a televised confession Sunday. Boris Shikhmuradov's admission was the latest in a series of televised confessions by people accused of involvement in a recent plot to kill President Sapurmurat Niyazov, who has all but eradicated the opposition after 23 years in power in this impoverished country. Shikhmuradov previously denied any involvement and accused Niyazov of staging the assassination attempt as a pretext for cracking down on government opponents.
On Sunday, Shikhmuradov, speaking slowly, begged for forgiveness and said there was no such thing as a Turkmen opposition, but merely a "criminal group" which sought to take power. "Living in Russia, we took drugs and recruited mercenaries to commit terrorist attacks," Shikhmuradov said. "We were attempting to commit a crime, the goal of which was to take the life of the president and change the constitutional order." Douglas Davidson, the U.S. representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, called this month for an investigation into the Nov. 25 assassination attempt, saying there were reports some confessions were extracted by torture. Y'don't say? Stalin would have been proud...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
12/29/2002 06:08 pm ||
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Things are heating up: the terrorists bungled an assasination attempt, and the target is, understandably, pissed off. Shikhmuradov is the sacrifical lamb to take the heat off.
Source: Washington Post
An aggressive year-long European investigation into al Qaeda financing has found evidence that two West African governments hosted the senior terrorist operatives who oversaw a $20 million diamond-buying spree that effectively cornered the market on the region's precious stones. Investigators from several countries concluded that President Charles Taylor of Liberia received a $1 million payment for arranging to harbor the operatives, who were in the region for at least two months after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and the Pentagon. The terrorists moved between a protected area in Liberia and the presidential compound in neighboring Burkina Faso, investigators say. Taylor's a first-class bad boy. At one point he seemed to have the virtue of not being as bad as Samuel Doe, but that turned out not to be the case. I don't find it at all odd to find him consorting with crooks and terrorists, since he's dabbled in both crookery and terrorism himself. I wasn't aware that anything ever happened in Burkina Faso, though...
Long accused of sanctioning illicit diamond and weapons trading, Taylor and President Blaise Campaore of Burkina Faso deny the charge, which is included in a summary of the joint intelligence findings. "Nope. Wudn't us." The Washington Post obtained a copy of the military intelligence summary, which offers the clearest picture yet of al Qaeda's secretive business operations in West Africa and an elaborate plot that began in 1998 to hide substantial terrorist assets in diamonds. European and Latin American investigations also found evidence that a group of people buying diamonds on behalf of the terrorists were simultaneously attempting to procure sophisticated weapons, such as missiles that could shoot down aircraft, The Post has learned. Investigators have been unable to trace the diamonds since they left Liberia and Burkina Faso. That's why they put their money in diamonds, because they're so difficult to trace...
The diamond-buying operation appears to have been hatched in response to a move by the United States in 1998 to freeze al Qaeda assets after attacks on two U.S. embassies in Africa that were blamed on the organization. Senior European intelligence sources said they have been baffled by the lack of U.S. interest, particularly by the CIA, in their recent findings. The CIA, which in the past has downplayed reports of al Qaeda's diamond connections, declined to comment. "CIA."
"Hi! I'm from the Washington Post. I'm calling to ask about one of your intelligence operations..."
[Click]
In the weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency did try to monitor the two senior al Qaeda operatives supervising the diamond trading, who were known to be hiding in an elite military camp in Liberia. Something in Liberia is "elite"? When did that start?
Both men were on the FBI's Most Wanted list of terrorists. The Pentagon prepared a small Special Forces team in neighboring Guinea to snatch the two, but the mission was not carried out because the team could not confirm the targets' identities, according to sources. Being a fastidious people, we hate it when we kill the wrong guys...
The European law enforcement investigations, launched soon after Sept. 11, have focused on three people who allegedly served as conduits to the al Qaeda operatives: Aziz Nassour, a Lebanese diamond merchant; his cousin Samih Osailly; and Ibrahim Bah, a Senegalese soldier of fortune who has trafficked for years in diamonds and guns across Africa. All three deny involvement with al Qaeda or in illegal activities. They also deny indulging in lies, deceit, all that sort of stuff. "We deny everyting!"
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
12/29/2002 10:30 am ||
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Diamonds really are not worth all that much, since they can now easily be manufactured, would it not be justice to see their street value fall to bucks a pound?
#2
Burkina fasso - liberia seem to be allies in Ivory Coast conflict, where liberia is supporting rebels who seem most concerned with opposing pols who played on local sentiment against Burkina Faso (muslim) immigrants. Taylor also seems to have ties with Kaddafi, IIRC. Ivory Coast conflict thus plays out (maybe) as France vs Libya for dominance in West Africa (with Nigeria sitting it out??) A Taylor AL qaeeda connection is a fairly big deal if true, since it links the enitre Kaddafi alliance with the enemies of the US. Of course this info did come from a "european" operation. How much you want to bet that means FRENCH intelligence??
Police have arrested a baggage handler at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport, after two automatic weapons, plastic explosives and a detonator were found in his car.
The man, who is reportedly of Algerian origin, was arrested late on Saturday after a tip-off from a member of the public who saw a weapon in a car boot at the airport.
Other members of the man's family have been taken in for questioning, and the man himself can be held for up to four days without charge.
Paris police have made several arrests in the past two weeks of suspected Islamic militants who, the authorities says, were planning an attack on the Russian embassy in the city.
The man is reportedly a 27-year-old of Algerian origin, who lives in the northern Parisian suburb of Bondy. He has no criminal record, say police. As a baggage handler, he has security clearance for several areas of Charles de Gaulle airport, one of Europe's busiest.
The man's father, two brothers and a family friend were also arrested, after the man's flat was searched. An automatic pistol, a machine gun, five pieces of plastic explosive and two detonators were found in his car, according to police.
Police said before Christmas that they found bomb-making equipment at least one of the addresses raided in the Paris suburbs.
In total, nine arrests have been made since 16 December, when four people were arrested in the Paris suburb of La Courneuve.
All those arrested are said to be of Algerian or Moroccan origin. The arrests stem from an investigation into possible connections between Islamic militants in Europe and Chechnya.
Posted by: Paul ||
12/29/2002 09:09 pm ||
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Either the 1) Frogs are really lucky, 2) this guy is just the tip of the iceberg or 3) the story about him getting busted because somebody caught a random glance into his trunk has been made up to protect a source. I'll bet its #3.
The FBI said Sunday it is looking for five men of Arab ancestry who may have entered the country illegally last week. The agency said the five men are believed to have arrived in the United States on or before Christmas Eve. The five men are: Abid Noraiz Ali, Iftikhar Khozmai Ali, Mustafa Khan Owasi, Adil Pervez and Akbar Jamal, all born between 1969 and 1983. The FBI warned that the names and birth dates may be false. The FBI said it had no indication the men were linked to terrorist activities, but still wanted to question the five "based upon information developed in the course of ongoing investigations." The FBI said it was working with the Customs, Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Transportation Security Agency to find the men. Maybe nothing to it — though the method of entry into the country doesn't say so. Could also be the next attack on us, so I hope they find them quick.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
12/29/2002 04:17 pm ||
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Entering from Canada... Thanks again, Prime Minister Cretin!
Source: Reuters
Pakistani authorities formally arrested a detained Islamic militant on Saturday for a car bomb attack in May that killed 14 people including 11 French nationals, a police official said. Asif Zaheer, who was detained this month for allegedly planning an attack on U.S. diplomats in the southern port city of Karachi, had confessed to involvement in the May 8 bombing in the city centre, a senior police official said. "During the investigation he admitted his involvement in the Sheraton attack," said police official Farooq Awan, referring to the blast outside one of Karachi's main hotels. "We have arrested him for the killings of French nationals... He is the first person arrested for the French killings," he said. At the time, they were rounding up everyone in sight. Guess he was out of sight...
An anti-terrorism court in Karachi on Saturday remanded Zaheer in police custody until January 6, a court official said. The remand would give police more time to investigate and prepare an interim charge sheet, Habib Ahmed, assistant advocate general of the southern Sindh province, told reporters. Police surrounded the court when Zaheer, handcuffed and with his face covered, arrived in a van, witnesses said. "He shouted 'Allahu Akbar' (God is greatest)," one witness said. An alternate translations seems to be "I dunnit and I'm glad!"
Zaheer -- an activist of the Muslim Harkat-e-Jihad Islami group -- was detained on December 14 with two other people, Sohail Noor and Mohammad Yousuf. At the time, police seized a car packed with 10 kg of explosives, which they said was to be used in a suicide attack on U.S. diplomats in Karachi. Another police official, who asked not to be identified, said Zaheer had provided important clues about other suspects involved in the killing of foreigners in Pakistan. It was the pliers. If you really need to know, y'gotta use pliers...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
12/29/2002 10:17 am ||
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Suspected Islamic extremists destroyed four video shops, detonating an anti-tank mine in village Inayat of North-Western Frontier Province of Pakistan where the MMAâan alliance of six religious parties is the government. âNo loss of life was reported in the incident that is believed an act of religious extremism,â a police official in Peshawar revealed to this correspondent on telephonic conversation. "Just another Islamic boom. Nothing to worry about..."
The incident took place in the afternoon of Friday at village Inayat of Bajour region, just 30 to 40 kilometers from the nearest Afghan border. The human rights activists believed that the radicals are trying to impose restrictions like those in Afghanistan during the last rule of Taleban. No one had accepted the responsibility of mining the shops, the police said. They don't have to. People know who they are, even if they don't know their names...
Such efforts, said a Peshawar University professor, meant to deprive the people from their basic right of entertainment that falls under the human rights. âThe attackers did not claim responsibility that means, some extremists are on their way of using the cover of Mutehida Majlas-e-Aamal government in the province that should be checked immediately,â the professor told this scribe on telephone. Since the government of MMA in the province after the October's general elections, posters of scantily clad women have been ripped down from cinema houses in Peshawar. "Scantily clad women" in Peshawar means wearing a light overcoat...
The calls and motivating slogans in favour of Jihad are being displayed on the walls. The MMA government although not banned movies, music and other cultural and esthetic related activities in the province as like other parts of the country. But the religious fanatics are almost every day in the streets of discouraging such activities terming them against Islam. "Mahmoud! That man is smiling!"
"You're right, Aziz. He must be an infidel! We must kill him!"
The Bajour region of Pakistan, where the attacks occurred, Afghan and western intelligence sources have reported that training camps for militants are being operated there. It is feared that some fugitives of al-Qaeda (mostly Arabs) are making their ways in Bajour region where the mining incident took place for their radical activities. However, the authorities in Pakistan denied such reports terming the same as disinformation. "Bajour? Overrun with crazed killers? Pshaw! That statement's so ridiculous, we're not even going to both investigating it!"
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
12/29/2002 10:42 am ||
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The handful of arrests which have yielded from America's alliance with Pakistan, are meaningless in context of the polarization towards the jihadis in NWFP. The MMA's leading element - Jamaat-i-Islami - invited Osama bin Laden to their annual convention in 1998. And the leaders of both the JI and JUI are personal friends of Mullah Omar. The NWFP entity is poised not only to harbor al-Qaeda/Taleban terrorists, but to supply and funnel them into Afghanistan.
India accused Pakistan of becoming a terrorist hub and said Saturday that Islamabad was doing little to curb attacks by Islamic militants in Indian-controlled Kashmir. India Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani, citing intelligence reports, said al-Qaida members had relocated to western Pakistan and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir after fleeing U.S. forces in Afghanistan. ``The epicenter of terrorism has shifted from Afghanistan to Pakistan,'' Advani said. That's not something that anybody just noticed. Seems like you can't throw a rock in Karachi without hitting someone on a wanted poster...
Advani's comments came as a Pakistan-based guerrilla group vowed Saturday to step up attacks in India's Jammu-Kashmir state. ``We will continue jihad in Kashmir with full force,'' said Syed Salahuddin, head of the Hezb-ul Mujahedeen, the largest of more than a dozen militant outfits battling Indian troops for Kashmir's independence from mostly Hindu India. That's because the Indos and the Kashmir government said they were going to talk with the jihadis and try and indulge in a little sweet reasons. Sweet reason doesn't go over well in Kashmir.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
12/29/2002 11:09 am ||
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Unidentified gunmen have shot dead a former minister and member of the Punjab provincial assembly in Pakistan. Chaudhry Mohammed Farooq was gunned down while returning from a village near his home town of Sirai Alamgir, about 140 kilometres south of Islamabad. The two vehicles in which the MP and his colleagues were travelling were forced to stop at a blockade and then gunmen fired several dozen rounds from automatic guns. Several men took part in the attack. Local police said it was a highly organised operation. It's violence, it's mindless. It must be Pakistan.
The attack was so sudden that the two armed guards, travelling with the MP, did not have any opportunity to return the fire. They were killed, along with Mr Farooq and his three friends. The assailants were able to escape after the attack and no arrest have been made so far. That's usual...
Chaudhry Farooq belonged to a faction of the Pakistan Muslim League party, which is part of the ruling coalition in the Punjab. He had been a minister in the mid-90s and was an active member of the provincial assembly. Police say the motive of the murder is not clear but, according to a senior official, they are investigating whether it might be related to some tribal feud. More likely that Qazi or Fazl thinks the MMA could pick up his seat in a by-election.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
12/29/2002 11:16 am ||
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Sydney Morning Herald
Religious and community leaders yesterday expressed varying opinions on the Australian Government's terrorist warning advertisements. This should be pretty predictable...
Amjad Ali Mehboob, chief executive officer of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, said: "There will be a tremendous backlash. We will bear the brunt." Displaying vigilance against bloodthirsty Muslims is discriminatory....
Mr Mehboob said he was pleased the advertisement did not mention any specific group, but "we are all aware that it is the Islamic community which is linked with acts of terrorism". It would "increase discrimination and exacerbate the current situation of vilification, harassment and attacks on Muslims, particularly women". Why women? It's the men who wear the turbans. The breeding stock women aren't the ones who explode, for the most part...
He said Muslims believed every citizen "has a role to play against terrorism", but all the advertisement did was give a hotline number and encourage people to dob in each other. "Really, it's a political ad for the Government, telling us how much they are spending on our safety." Not that it's true or anything...
The Premier, Mr Carr, said Australians must guard against Muslims becoming the victims of hoax calls. But they also have to guard against them killing people and trying to subvert their neighbors...
The president of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties, Cameron Murphy, described the advertisement as vague and probably counter-productive. The central message, be alert but not alarmed, seemed to be saying "Panic, but don't panic", Mr Murphy said. "There is no clear advice on terrorism. Telling people to ring a hotline isn't going to solve anything." I'd call the message "be on guard, but don't act like an idiot," so I guess it must be open to intrpretation, if you try hard enough...
Mr Murphy said asking Australians to become informants ran the risk that "some elements of the community will see it as a green light to become vigilantes. We've already got a real problem with discrimination, and our fear is that the advertisement will encourage more of it, and some people will see it as a green light to take matters into their own hands." If you stand on your head and look at it sideways, you might be able to interpret it that way. If you're already predisposed to doing such things.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
12/29/2002 09:52 am ||
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the delightfully named Amjad Ali Mehboob
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/29/2002 12:57 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
