Posted on 01/13/2005 5:27:39 AM PST by kipita
Sir Mark Thatcher has pleaded guilty in South Africa over his part in an alleged coup plot in Equatorial Guinea.
The son of former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was fined three million rand (£265,000) and received a four-year suspended jail sentence.
Sir Mark, who denies any knowledge of the plot, agreed a plea bargain with prosecutors.
He admitted breaking anti-mercenary legislation in South Africa by agreeing to finance a helicopter.
It has been reported the businessman said he did not know the helicopter's alleged purpose - that it was to be used in the coup attempt, instead believing it was to be used as an air ambulance.
Speaking outside court, an emotional Sir Mark said: "There is no price too high for me to pay to be reunited with my family and I am sure all of you who are husbands and fathers would agree with that."
Baroness Thatcher also expressed her relief at the outcome, saying: "This has been a difficult time for all of the family - obviously I am delighted that it has been brought to an end.
"I know that what matters to Mark now is to be reunited with Diane and the children as soon as possible."
Her son will now be able to leave South Africa for the first time in five months.
But the Equatorial Guinea authorities are likely to continue pressing for the opportunity to question him.
If Sir Mark was unable to pay the South African fine, he would incur a five-year prison sentence, with his four-year suspended sentence on top of that.
Jail terms
Meanwhile, the Zimbabwean lawyer for a close friend of Sir Mark accused of leading the alleged coup plot, former SAS officer Simon Mann, says that his jail term has been reduced from seven years to four by a court in Harare.
Mann was last year found guilty of illegally buying weapons in Zimbabwe, which were allegedly intended to be used in the Equatorial Guinea coup plot.
A further 14 men were found guilty in Equatorial Guinea of being involved in the alleged plot to overthrow President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who has ruled Africa's third-largest oil producer for the past 25 years.
Nick du Toit was jailed for 34 years, while opposition leader Severo Moto, who is in exile in Spain, was given 63 years in absentia.
Both men escaped the death penalty demanded by the prosecution.
Sir Mark, 51, was arrested in August at his home in South Africa and released on bail.
News of Thursday's hearing in Cape Town came as a surprise. The defendant was not expected back in court until 18 February.
After his plea, his lawyers released a statement saying: "It should be noted that Sir Mark was not charged with any involvement in the attempted coup d'etat in Equatorial Guinea.
"The plea bargain was entered into solely as a result of his financing of the charter of a helicopter in circumstances where he should have exercised more caution."
Sipho Ngwema, a spokesman for South Africa's Directorate of Special Investigations, also known as the Scorpions, said Sir Mark had promised to co-operate with South African investigators.
I couldn't agree more. Many think that having a democracy is a right, but it is not. It is a priviledge, and an honor, that has to be earned. The people of the nation have to fight for it. They shouldn't wait for the US to come in an slay their demons for them.
It is for this reason i wish more Iraqis would help fight for their freedom.
And governments quite often abuse their citizens. But, with a personally-financed coup, there is a much shorter chain of command to go through to get results. If Coup Dictator A doesn't improve conditions quickly enough, then along comes Coup Dictator B to fire him and take over. This is what I mean by a democratization of the governance process. No elections to mess with, no pleading to one's representatives for change, etc. Simply remove A, install B, and get on with it.
Then oceans of blood would be an understatement?
A trifling and temporary inconvenience for the "customers," to be sure. But surely you've had instances where you've had to wait in line during a shift change, or you've come across a new stock clerk that can't tell you which aisle the Scotch tape is on. These things are to be expected with "shift changes" or new management.
But to paraphrase Thomas Jefferson, the Tree of Liberty must be watered with the blood of tyrants and patriots from time to time!
A good statement from an intellectual. But to see, feel and experience the horror of war and human suffering changes you forever. It truly has to be worth it, and one has to suffer for a long time for it to be worth it.
kipita: "A good statement from an intellectual. But to see, feel and experience the horror of war and human suffering changes you forever. It truly has to be worth it, and one has to suffer for a long time for it to be worth it."
Ah, but what is warfare and death and suffering but mere abstracts in a paradigm of meta-spatial realities as determined by the individual who chooses to accept such nebulous pseudo-experiences, when, in fact, the comforting certainty of nihilist existentialism is awaiting, much like one's favorite blanket and mug of hot cocoa after a long day on the tundra.
Then why fight for the material (business sponsored warfare) when the "other side" is so much better. Lets just get high and wait to be "taken over" to that better, other side.
Also, don't forget Einstein’s advice, "complex things should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler".
Good questions. First, there's more profit in "life" and concquering "countries" than there is in nihilist existentialism. Also, you meet hotter women. Second, what is "getting high" other than peeking over the self-imposed and socially-imposed barriers put around us, and seeing that the man behind the curtain is no wiser than us, therefore setting us free into a world of Nietzchian Supermen where we all battle each other for control of the realm around us, and doubly-therefore re-instituting the struggle that Sir Mark Thatcher and others are engaged in here on terra firma. No thanks.
My idea is that countries, if not owned by an individual, should be owned by private companies, which could then use them as marketing tools much like the name-placement arrangement with many NFL stadiums today. Think of it, since Sir Mark has failed in Equatorial Guinea, Bill Gates could step in and create Equatorial Microsoft! This is simply the logical extension and conclusion of many of John Locke's and Adam Smith's ideas. Think of it this way: Wal-Mart supplies many more of life's necessities than does the federal government, and much more economically, as well. Why not put Wal-Mart in charge of the U.S., and Kraft in charge of France (which prides itself on cheese production) and Ragu in charge of Italy. This would be the true Locke/Smith utopia!
I can understand where you're coming from but don't forget, the PC and public Internet (not ARPNet) were envisioned with a little bit of help. As far as companies or individuals owning countries, human society has tried that latter and the world trend is towards the former. So you just may have a point there.
The PC was a private venture by companies, wasn't it? And the Internet was the pet of the military/government, but they turned to universities (with the help of private industry) to create it. Governments are so passe; companies and profit - that's where its at now. So buy stock in Wal-Mart, Microsoft, etc., and start plotting which countries they should leverage, and you could be going places. Since you're in Spain, you may want to start networking now with whichever U.S. corporations are active there and see if you can get in on the groundfloor.
The computer and ARPNet were government (mostly military) created entities but the hippies (via LSD) were the real visionaries of the PC and public Internet. In fact, in the 1970s, corporations would hire hippies to give them guidance based on their (hippies) visions. If I had to guess, I'd say you were a young male who's educated and insightful. He's a website that may suit your interest:
Kurzweilai.net
You probably have been there before.
Thanks for the Web address. Also, its no coincidence that the former bass player from Iron Butterfly ("Inna-Gada-Da-Vida"), now deceased, and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, former guitarist for Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers, have both worked as government consultants in the field of rocketry.
I guess acid freaks have a role to play in this field, but just don't put them in charge of checking the O-Rings and making sure the cargo bay doors are closed!
Do you think LSD users would be useful in planning the Locke/Smith corporate utopias ("countries") that I'm proposing?
I don't know if the LSD-"think outside the box" hippie type people exist as they did in the 70s. But I'm excited about the "intellectual thinkers" and their visions. But I'm not one of them and am therefore not qualified to answer your question. But I've read some of the pages on Kurzweilai and they use similar words as you use. And speaking of music, it was Kurzweilai who created the musical instrument that Stevie Wonder envisioned. Maybe there is still a connection between genus level intelligence and music.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.