Best of the Web Today

Funny Money? A reader noticed something curious in a video from last night's "NBC Nightly News." Richard Engel, the network's Beirut bureau chief, is reporting from southern Lebanon, and at 1:07 in the video, as he's saying, "In Sidon, we found part of the financial district flattened," you briefly see an image of what look like uncut sheets of U.S. hundred-dollar bills.

Now, it's possible to buy uncut sheets from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, at premiums ranging from 12.5% to 275% over face value--but apparently only in denominations of up to $50. Anyhow, somehow we doubt these were collectibles.

A Treasury Department press release dated June 10, 2004, reports that Hezbollah has been involved in counterfeiting American money:

"you briefly see an image of what look like uncut sheets of U.S. hundred-dollar bills"

Iran has long been suspected of counterfeiting US currency - whether they work with N. Korea or not on this, I'd suspect that these sheets of fake $100 bills have an Iranian connection. Anyone know who to contact in Treasury and State to try to get some action on this matter??? That must be a might UN-curious reporter if there wasn't a fuss made about finding sheets of uncut US currency!!!!

Rove has a big big wallet that holds whole uncut sheets of US currency. Thats how he pays all of Bush's oil buddies and Halliburton and funds the supposed War on Terror to complete the neo-con takeover of all aspects of government and further erode civil liberties.

geez, I thought everybody knew that

Sheets of freshly printed, uncut US $100 bills in Lebanon - and the NBC reporter is not just a little bit more curious about how the Hezbo-Nazis are apparently using a counterfeiting operation to print fake US currency to fund their terror operations........

http://www.littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/weblog.php

http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?g=297BEA10-6E1B-4F94-825C-F908472E48ED&f=00&fg=copy

January 16, 2006 -- NORTH Korea has be come a gangster nation, pocketing $700 million to $1 billion a year from counterfeiting of U.S. greenbacks, trafficking illicit narcotics, smuggling contraband smokes and even peddling knockoff Viagra, according to U.S. government estimates. "North Korea is the only government in the world today that can be identified as being actively involved in directing crime as a central part of its national economic strategy and foreign policy," says David Asher, until recently a State Department adviser on Asia.

Pyongyang's global criminal cabal — including Chinese gangs, Russian mafia, Japanese yakuza and an IRA politico — produces a tidy little slush fund for "Dear Leader" Kim Jong Il, which shamefully equals the country's legitimate export income.

Pyongyang's infamous Bureau No. 39 runs the crime-for-profit scheme — including drug production, counterfeiting and smuggling — that uses state trading firms, embassy diplomatic pouches and commercial cargo.

The "payola" keeps Kim Jong Il flush in cognac and caviar, and buys loyalty from the military, security services and other elite. The income also funds Pyongyang's embassies and buys gear for its nuclear/ballistic missile programs.

NY Post

Anyone want to bet it was via Iran, who has been trading with Kim Jong Mentally Il for quite some time now?

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.