Posted on 02/07/2002 8:04:48 AM PST by Jean S
Excerpts from John Walker Lindh's e-mails and letters to his family, released by the government Wednesday in a successful motion to keep him in custody:
* Sept. 23, 1998. He suggested to his mother that the "two bombings in West Africa" -- an apparent reference to the August 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania -- "seem far more likely to have been carried out by the American government than by any Muslims."
* Feb. 15, 2000. He suggested to his mother that she move to England. "I really don't know what your big attachement (sic) to America is all about. What has America ever done for anybody?"
* June 24, 2000. Lindh tells members of his family that the United States incited the Gulf War and Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was "heavily encouraged" by an American official to invade Kuwait.
* Fall 2000. After Lindh wrote his family about the October bombing of the USS Cole, his father, Frank, wrote his son: "I confess I was taken aback somewhat by your lack of compassion for the Americans, who after all are only young people your own age who happened to have taken a job that involved being on a Navy ship."
* Dec. 3, 2000. Lindh wrote his mother, referring to President Bush as "your new president" and added: "I'm glad he's not mine."
* Jan. 8, 2001. Lindh writes a family member that "it doesn't make much difference to me whether the Western media reports on the Muslim world or not, because even if the American public knew the reality of what occurs here, they wouldn't care enough to do anything about it."
* Feb. 8, 2001. He wrote his mother that if an Islamic state is ever established in Yemen he would like to build a house there, get married and establish his headquarters in the mountains. He states while it "may be (a) good option" to return to America and visit his family, "I don't really want to see America again."
* March 1, 2001. Lindh told his mother that he was "busy in my studies and I have no intention of interrupting them for any reason in the near future. When I went to Yemen the first time, you demanded my return before I was able to complete my goal of learning Arabic. After returning, I wasted about 9 months in America in which I achieved nothing and forgot much of what I had learned while in Yemen."
* April 5, 2001. "I came here to Pakistan for a specific purpose. I don't intend to leave Pakistan until I finish what I came here for, just as I didn't leave Yemen until I finished what I went there for."
* Undated. He wrote his family about family life in Pakistan and said it "really makes me look upon American society with pity."
* April 27, 2001. Lindh told his mother he was headed off to "some cold mountainous region."
"What has America ever done for anybody?"Give us some credit, John. We did blow the crap out of your Taliban and al Qaeda friends. A few escaped us by scurrying beneath the baseboards. But we deprived them of their sandbox, Afghanistan.
A few of Johnny Jihad's writings that sound like antiwar.com and the some of the above sites:
* Sept. 23, 1998. He suggested to his mother that the "two bombings in West Africa" -- an apparent reference to the August 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania -- "seem far more likely to have been carried out by the American government than by any Muslims."
* Feb. 15, 2000. He suggested to his mother that she move to England. "I really don't know what your big attachement (sic) to America is all about. What has America ever done for anybody?"
* June 24, 2000. Lindh tells members of his family that the United States incited the Gulf War and Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was "heavily encouraged" by an American official to invade Kuwait.
* Dec. 3, 2000. Lindh wrote his mother, referring to President Bush as "your new president" and added: "I'm glad he's not mine."
I wonder if Johnny Jihad will continue to write for these hate America sites while in jail!
* Jan. 8, 2001. Lindh writes a family member that "it doesn't make much difference to me whether the Western media reports on the Muslim world or not, because even if the American public knew the reality of what occurs here, they wouldn't care enough to do anything about it."
I agree with him on this point .... everyone here on Free Republic that cared (before 9-11) that Afghani women were forced to wear burkas ... please be truthful and raise your hand. (looking around) Neither did I, and thats a minor issue. Like most other people, I have so much going on around me that I rarely have time to pay much attention domestic issues in countries halfway around the world. I have enough keeping up with what the liberals are trying to do to screw the American people. Any divergent opinions on this?
Partially true. American officials seemed indifferent to the possibility that Kuwait might be overrun -until it happened, of course.
* Dec. 3, 2000. Lindh wrote his mother, referring to President Bush as "your new president" and added: "I'm glad he's not mine."
Interesting. This was before the Supremes ruled, wasn't it? So he was more perceptive from half a world away than most Democrats were right here.
And, this could be used against him in an effort to establish a motive and mindset.
Partially true. American officials seemed indifferent to the possibility that Kuwait might be overrun -until it happened, of course.
Don't even give them that much. I have read about this supposed "encouragement", read the transcripts, etc. All the US said was that it was maintaining neutrality on the oil dispute between Iraq and Kuwait. There was no inkling of "encouragement".. its just one of those legends that gets passed around so much, its taken as at least partially true.
Jihad Johnny has every right to hate this country, and to state his hatred. That is not a crime. Fighting against the US and US interests, however, is.
You know, the world is full of whiners, all over the place, of every race, creed, country and color. Everyone loves to be the victim.. I'll say this, the Muslims (Arabs mostly) I have known are tops in this category, even the affluent ones... The coolest Muslims I have ever known were these guys from Bangladesh. Never complained or anything.. Nice guys.
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