Michael Bergs Perspective

filed under Lifetime War (Terrorism)

In order to get the full flavor of the following I'm going to blockquote the entire passage. It's written by Michael Berg, father of Nick Berg who was so horribly killed by terrorists in Iraq. It is an extract from his message of support for the Stop The War Coalition's demonstration, End the Torture - Bring the Troops Home Now, which will be held at the Embankment in London.

My son, Nick, was my teacher and my hero. He was the kindest, gentlest man I know; no, the kindest, gentlest human being I have ever known. He quit the Boy Scouts of America because they wanted to teach him to fire a handgun. Nick, too, poured into me the strength I needed, and still need, to tell the world about him.

People ask me why I focus on putting the blame for my son's tragic and atrocious end on the Bush administration. They ask: "Don't you blame the five men who killed him?" I have answered that I blame them no more or less than the Bush administration, but I am wrong: I am sure, knowing my son, that somewhere during their association with him these men became aware of what an extraordinary man my son was. I take comfort that when they did the awful thing they did, they weren't quite as in to it as they might have been. I am sure that they came to admire him.

I am sure that the one who wielded the knife felt Nick's breath on his hand and knew that he had a real human being there. I am sure that the others looked into my son's eyes and got at least a glimmer of what the rest of the world sees. And I am sure that these murderers, for just a brief moment, did not like what they were doing.

George Bush never looked into my son's eyes. George Bush doesn't know my son, and he is the worse for it. George Bush, though a father himself, cannot feel my pain, or that of my family, or of the world that grieves for Nick, because he is a policymaker, and he doesn't have to bear the consequences of his acts. George Bush can see neither the heart of Nick nor that of the American people, let alone that of the Iraqi people his policies are killing daily.

Donald Rumsfeld said that he took responsibility for the sexual abuse of Iraqi prisoners. How could he take that responsibility when there was no consequence? Nick took the consequences.

Even more than those murderers who took my son's life, I can't stand those who sit and make policies to end lives and break the lives of the still living.

Nick was not in the military, but he had the discipline and dedication of a soldier. Nick Berg was in Iraq to help the people without any expectation of personal gain. He was only one man, but through his death he has become many. The truly unselfish spirit of giving your all to do what you know in your own heart is right even when you know it may be dangerous; this spirit has spread among the people who knew Nick, and that group has spread and is spreading all over the world.

So what were we to do when we in America were attacked on September 11, that infamous day? I say we should have done then what we never did before: stop speaking to the people we labelled our enemies and start listening to them. Stop giving preconditions to our peaceful coexistence on this small planet, and start honouring and respecting every human's need to live free and autonomously, to truly respect the sovereignty of every state. To stop making up rules by which others must live and then separate rules for ourselves.

George Bush's ineffective leadership is a weapon of mass destruction, and it has allowed a chain reaction of events that led to the unlawful detention of my son which immersed him in a world of escalated violence. Were it not for Nick's detention, I would have had him in my arms again. That detention held him in Iraq not only until the atrocities that led to the siege of Fallujah, but also the revelation of the atrocities committed in the jails in Iraq, in retaliation for which my son's wonderful life was put to an end.

My son's work still goes on. Where there was one peacemaker before, I now see and have heard from thousands of peacemakers. Nick was a man who acted on his beliefs. We, the people of this world, now need to act on our beliefs. We need to let the evildoers on both sides of the Atlantic know that we are fed up with war. We are fed up with the killing and bombing and maiming of innocent people. We are fed up with the lies. Yes, we are fed up with the suicide bombers, and with the failure of the Israelis and Palestinians to find a way to stop killing each other. We are fed up with negotiations and peace conferences that are entered into on both sides with preset conditions that preclude the outcome of peace. We want world peace now.

Many have offered to pray for Nick and my family. I appreciate their thoughts, but I ask them to include in their prayers a prayer for peace. And I ask them to do more than pray. I ask them to demand peace now.

Italics are mine.I fully understand, from personel experience and from others misfortunes, that grief takes many forms. Parents of lost ones should be given some leeway and what seems irrational to us may feel perfectly normal to those in states of denial and grief.

BUT, I'm sorry, everything I have read over the last two weeks about Michael Berg indicates he has held these feelings and beliefs for a very long time. Many people are anti-war, thats their choice. But this man is incredibly deluded. For anyone to believe these islamofacist killers "came to admire" Nick just before hacking his head off is detached from reality. And contrary to his belief that Nick "was in Iraq to help the people without any expectation of personal gain," Nicks Emails related his search for work, paying work, to the tune of $1000 a day. No personel gain my ass. The timeline of events disprove Michaels delusionary tale of Bush's culpability. After his detention he roamed around Iraq a free man for 48 hours. He was offered a plane ride out and turned it down because "the road to the airport was unsafe." It wasn't unsafe on his taxi trip to the city of Mosel, after he was released from detention. He was there on his own choice.

Idealism is noble and necessary but what would Michael have us do. Send a peace delegation to meet with OBL? Clinton sent one to visit Arafat. Gave him 90% of his asking price, what he got in return was a view of him walking away and the continuing Palestinian violence of today. A delegation to see OBL wouldn't walk away, they would be the star attraction in the next video. I have said this before, These. People. Will. Kill. You! Anti-war types, capitalists, Priests, mothers, fathers, appeasers and war mongers. We all have a target on our backs. Nothing will stop them except their deaths. And the only thing you will hear from them is another airplane aimed at the Sears Tower, the Eifel Tower, or the center of Berlin.

Abu Ghraib an Isolated Incident......

filed under Crime Wave

.....or something more? The Washington Post, based on detainees declassified testimony, paints a disgusting example of inhumanity, but interestingly, the article only implicates a small number of MPs at the Iraqi prison:

Previously secret sworn statements by detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq describe in raw detail abuse that goes well beyond what has been made public, adding allegations of prisoners being ridden like animals, sexually fondled by female soldiers and forced to retrieve their food from toilets.

Some of the detainees described being abused as punishment or discipline after they were caught fighting or with a prohibited item. Some said they were pressed to denounce Islam or were force-fed pork and liquor. Many provided graphic details of how they were sexually humiliated and assaulted, threatened with rape, and forced to masturbate in front of female soldiers.

By all accounts it seems to be isolated to one cellblock, 1A Tier 1, and during the night shift when Spec. Charles A. Graner Jr was in charge. All the conspiracy mongers and much of the media will be disappointed.

Certainly this is far from over, much more may come out. But at this point everything points to a few inhuman bastards.

They Call Him Flipper; Flipper....

filed under International Politics

John Kerry, he flips and flops, but mostly makes himself look rather silly as he wheedles for votes.

On Wednesday, Kerry said he might appoint an anti-abortion judge to the Supreme Court, but not if it had just a narrow 5-4 pro-choice majority.

"That doesn't mean that if that's not the balance of the court, I wouldn't be prepared ultimately to appoint somebody to some court who has a different point of view. I've already voted for people like that. I voted for [right-to-life] Judge [Antonin] Scalia," Kerry said.

On Thursday he said:

"I want to make myself clear," said a Kerry statement issued by his campaign. "I believe that a woman's right to choose is a constitutional right. I will not appoint anyone to the Supreme Court who will undo that right."

During the Democratic primaries, Kerry vowed to only back pro-choice justices. He also pledged to filibuster to block any Bush nominees to the high court who weren't pro-choice. As Kerry straddles both sides of yet another issue, you all need to be careful as another Kerry induced "Boston Fog" rolls in.

Deposition or Inquisition? -- You Be The Judge

filed under Lawyer Lotto

Shamelessly stolen from Hog on Ice

I am all done with law for the week, except for some nickel and dime BS that can be taken care of in a few minutes. What a relief. Today, I actually had to get into a carping match with a lady attorney. I always hate those rare moments when opposing counsel crosses the line and the veneer of professionalism drops. For a few seconds, you find yourself and another attorney acting like TV lawyers, living down to everyone's expectations.

I guess I can tell what happened. My client was being deposed, and the other attorney was asking her a lot of questions only her lawyer or an expert could answer, and my client kept saying she didn't know the answers. Which is exactly what you're supposed to do when you don't know an answer.

The other lawyer started raising her voice and talking in a very nasty tone and essentially reading my client the riot act because there were so many things she didn't know. At that point I stepped in and told her she was harassing my client, and I made an objection. I said, "If she doesn't know, she doesn't KNOW!"

Crazy. You can ask just about anything you want at a deposition, but it has never occurred to me to ask a deponent about things that are clearly beyond his expertise and experience. Why waste the time? I guess the idea is to lay the groundwork for a frivolous motion to dismiss. "The plaintiff admitted under oath that she had no idea what her damages were. The plaintiff admitted under oath that she did not know the names of any less-qualified males who were hired after she applied for the job." What kind of idiot judge would pay any attention to that? There's a pile of evidence sitting at your lawyer's office, supporting your case, and you're not familiar with all of it because YOU'RE NOT A LAWYER. Oh, yeah, that's a silver bullet for the defense.

I have never seen a lawyer be that nasty to a deponent before. I consider that kind of behavior bush league. Call me old-fashioned. Ordinarily, no matter how bitter the dispute is, you remain civil, because that's what a professional does. You can't work with nuts who get emotional over every disagreement. Opposing counsel may be your enemy, but they are also your co-workers, and aside from that, every time you treat another lawyer badly, you set him or her up for that day in the future when you need a favor. And that day always comes.

How wonderful it is not to be in that deposition now.

Lawyers you can't live with them, and you can't live without them. At least not in the LSA (Litigious States of America).

Greenpeace Case Resolved in Their Favor

filed under Enviromentalists Nightmares

I first noted this story in December. At that time the Justice Department had screwed up their first attempts at prosecution due to some rather piss poor research. The second attempt has reached its conclusion in favor of Greenpeace.

A federal judge in Miami on Wednesday acquitted the environmental group Greenpeace of illegally boarding a ship to bring attention to its cargo, 70 tons of mahogany cut from the Amazon rain forest.

U.S. District Judge Adalberto Jordan ruled that prosecutors had presented insufficient evidence to send the case to the jury. He granted Greenpeace lawyers' request for a directed verdict of acquittal on the ship-boarding charge and a conspiracy count.

[...]

Jordan did not base his ruling on the weighty political and constitutional issues raised by Greenpeace lawyers. Instead, he kept his decision simple, focusing on whether the government had proved Greenpeace violated an obscure 1872 law against boarding ships "about to arrive" at port.

The law originally was enacted to discourage brothels from luring sailors from ships. The practice was known at the time as "sailor mongering."

Jordan found that the Jade, a 965-foot cargo ship, was about six nautical miles from the Port of Miami when two Greenpeace activists climbed aboard and attempted to unfurl a 40-foot banner: "President Bush: Stop Illegal Logging."

Jordan ruled the ship was too far out to sea to meet the definition of "about to arrive" at port. He added that the Jade's location when hired "climbers" Hillary Hosta and Scott Anderson scaled the ladder was "fortuitous" for Greenpeace.

"Greenpeace is now on notice that this statute is out there," Jordan said. "In case of future boardings, caveat emptor."

I smell a rat. I did a Google search looking for charts of the harbor entrance of Miami with no success. Miami is a fairly large and well traveled port. I'am willing to bet the traffic separation scheme (TSS) for Miami Harbor extends at least 6 miles, if not further, seaward. If the TSS is that far seaward the Jade was in the process of entering Miami harbor by the nautical rules of the road. I may update this post later after I contact some fomer shipmates that have access to the nautical charts to Miami.

At any rate there is an unanswered question in my mind. Assuming the ship was outside the TSS (6 miles) when Greenpeace boarded the Jade, they obviously didn't believe their sign could be read from shore at that distance. They had every intent to ride the ship into harbor so their protest and sign would be noticed from shore. Apparently they were stopped from displaying the banner but they also must have still been onboard as the ship proceeded into port. At some point they must reached a position that would have met the intent of the law in question.

I agree with the judges warning, caveat emptor. But as I said earlier, I smell a rat.

I Guess There is More Than One "War For Oil."

filed under Shady Dealings

Australia rapped over E Timor oil

East Timor is at risk of becoming a failed state, just two years after winning independence, Oxfam has warned. It claims Australia is hampering East Timor's finances by laying claim to the lion's share of Timor Sea oil fields. While Australia has been a "generous donor" it has actually reaped 10 times more in revenues from East Timor than it has given since 1999, Oxfam added. Australia makes £1m ($1.7m) a day from a temporary deal granting access to two thirds of the oil fields, Oxfam said. But, the charity argued, if a maritime boundary were set up between the two countries according to international law it would deliver "most, if not all" of these resources to East Timor.

One question, isn't East Timor still under the watchfull eye of the UN?

And You Were Wondering Who That Was......

filed under Shady Dealings

....."escorted" out of the 9/11 hearings on May 19th. Thanks to a commenter ("Ryan") over at Michele's place we have a name to go along with that face, Christopher Brodeur. The question now becomes was he a grieving 9/11 family member looking for answers? Or someone with an agenda that pre-dates 9/11?

And the answer is..... A prior "Mayoral candidate," an author that has written a book titled Perverted Little Creep, that he describes as:

Perverted Little Creep is a nasty collection of essays and cartoons by Christopher X. Brodeur spanning his battles with Mayor Rudy Giuliani over the last 8 years. (Including 6 false arrests, all of which Brodeur won in court.) The book features some of his funny jail diaries, political rants, and a few juicy transcripts of his 22 arguments with Mayor Giuliani on live radio!

5 years, thats a long time, 5 years previous to 9/11 in fact. In an interview done prior to 9/11 Brodeur displays his well established hate for Rudy Giuliani and what he would accomplish if elected Mayor under the Green Party banner. While some of his ideas could be classified as within the "mainstream" many are out in never neverland somewhere. A few select examples:

Stop Recycling, encourage reuse ala the old days when the milkman would reuse the milk bottles, free subways, save water with innovative foot pedal faucets, war on bike theft (it's the number one crime in NYC), separate jury duty rolls from voter registration rolls, ban presidential motorcades in NYC, legalize and tax marijuana, build really affordable housing [ed note -- by affordable he means $50.00 per month.], legalize suicide, mandatory organ donation, [ ed note -- I hope I don't get his brain in a transplant], end all drug prohibition, monitor the mayor (I'll put a tap on ALL my phones!).

What can you say other than, asshat, ass clown, fruitcake, or nutjob! And why the hell was he even allowed into the hearings? I'm not one to restrict anyones right to free speech, but there are limits. The 9/11 hearings are a function of the US Senate, as such they deserve the same respect for its rules and regulations of conduct as if they were held under the Capital dome.

As for the rest that disrupted the hearings the last two days, many wanted questions asked they felt weren't being addressed by the Commission. There has been an established method for the publics concerns and questions. In fact many Commissioners questions have been quoted directly from letters submitted from the public. But these people would rather make a "show" of the hearings for no reason other than grandstanding and attempting to publicize a previously established agenda.

UPDATE: This Moonbat has a Moonbatress, and she has a blog. Wouldn't you know it, Moonbats that flock together, stay together, she likens their form of protest to that of Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks.

Britney Confesses Lesbian Love

filed under Media

I guess that famous Britney, Madonna kiss was just a tease of reality.

Pop princess BRITNEY SPEARS has confessed she's had a sexual experience with another woman.

The TOXIC singer responded to fellow chart star JANET JACKSON's confession she was once in love with another woman - by revealing she is as experienced as the 38-year-old.

Britney tells the German edition of FHM magazine, "I may not brag about it as much, but as far as sex goes, I've done similar things to what Janet Jackson has done."

At the weekend (15/16MAY04) Spears was reportedly spotted flirting with a gorgeous brunette she picked up in notorious gay and lesbian club in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Two thoughts. Will Britney's next "marriage" be held in Massachusetts. And given Britney's demonstrated lack of talent I suspect her paramour was someone high up in the management of her recording company.

Tipped off by Kevin

Investment Deal Signed to develop Philippine Mining Industry

filed under Pinoy Business

Aussie junior Lafayette Mining [ASX:LAF] has dared where few other Aussies have gone and is getting closer to achieving what has seemed impossible: getting a mine off the ground in the Philippines.

The Melbourne-based company today (Tuesday) confirmed it had obtained project equity funding and subordinated debt commitments (totalling US$10 million) from two foreign investors, South Korean-based LG International Corp (LG) and the resources investment arm of the S.Korean Government, KORES. Together they now own 26 percent of the proposed US$42-$45 million Rapu Rapu polymetallic project, which Lafayette (who holds the remaining 74 percent) hopes to commission in late calendar 2004/early 2005.

Breaking -- UN Oil For Food Internal Audit Leaked

filed under Crime Wave

Online source Mineweb has obtained a United Nations internal audit report that "cracks open the door on hitherto secret details of the disgraced Iraq Oil-for-Food Programme. The report details irregularities that went on for years, with hundreds of millions of dollars not properly accounted for, hinting at disarray in the programme from start to finish. The report was never forwarded to the UN Security Council."

The leaked audit has implications not only for Benon Sevan and his office, but the OIOS and the UN Board of Auditors and, perhaps, the Secretary General himself. The Board, which is made up of General Assembly members South Africa, the Philippines, and France, was supposed to keep an eye on things on behalf of the member states and shares the responsibility for auditing UN operations with the OIOS.

Audit No. AF2002/23/1 offers a unique glimpse into the UN’s scandal ridden “humanitarian” involvement in Iraq where $10 billion 10 billion – nearly one year’s worth of Iraqi gross domestic product – may have been embezzled. Further exploitation occurred in expired medicines and food shipped to Iraq, or in missiles and other contraband smuggled into the dictatorship camouflaged by phony contracts. In fact, Iraq was even re-exporting OIP goods at times. Most worrying, some of the money may have made its way to terrorists.

The UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) addressed the April 2003 report to Benon Sevan, the quasi-retired but still diplomatically-immune Executive Director of the Office of the Iraq Programme. Sevan’s name cropped up in a list of recipients of oil-trading vouchers issued by Saddam Hussein’s regime. The vouchers have been linked directly to kickbacks to Saddam as one aspect of an elaborate sanctions busting and graft scheme tolerated by the UN.

The UN has wavered on coming clean about its corrupt program; initially appointing an internal team to assess allegations, then haltingly acceding to requests for independent scrutiny, only to regress by sending intimidating letters letters to contractors. Things improved somewhat last week when the UN agreed to sequester OIP documents for outside investigators to examine.

Those interested in the ongoing UN scandal can also visit Friends of Saddam the definitive place for all things related to the Oil for Food Program.