Count me in.
Your friend, Mary
Posted on 10/17/2005 7:21:28 AM PDT by LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe was last night branded "heartless" after he commandeered a London-bound Air Zimbabwe plane to the Italian capital Rome, sparking a four-hour wait for hundreds of passengers after the plane ran out fuel.
Air Zimbabwe has been forced to cancel several domestic, regional and international flights due to a crippling fuel shortage and the company's terrible track record of failing to pay for refueling and landing fees at airports around the world.
Mugabe and his entourage flew into a political storm in Rome Saturday where he was invited by the United Nations. The United States said it was "amazed" by the UN agencies' decision to invite the 81-year-old leader who is banned from travel throughout the European Union, although he can attend UN events.
Furious passengers told New Zimbabwe.com how Mugabe and his group forced a deviation in the plane's route, a decision which led to a four-hour grounding of the plane after Air Zimbabwe failed to pay soon after a refueling had been done.
"It seems Air Zimbabwe were afraid to tell Mugabe that the fuel would not complete the journey," said a passenger on the plane. "Frankly, I was pissed off that our journey was altered to suite Mugabe who dumped us when he got to his destination."
Another passenger confirmed seeing refueling trucks approaching the plane. He described dramatic scenes of seeing the plane's captain angrily remonstrating with one of the men who did the refueling.
"For long periods, we were just being told there was a problem. The nature of the problem was not revealed to us," said the passenger who cannot be named.
"Many people thought Mugabe had caused the problem, if not politically, at least by having diverted the plane and the fuel question was never far from people's lips. Watching the captain arguing with the airport guy, we were pretty much convinced at that point that Air Zimbabwe had not paid for refueling.
"I got the sense that the plane's captain was just a pawn in a grand game. It was heartless for Mugabe and the Air Zimbabwe people to expose him the way they did."
It was not the first time an Air Zimbabwe flight had been grounded after Air Zimbabwe failed to settle its bill. Last month, we exclusively revealed how flights to Harare from London were temporarily suspended after a plane was grounded by airport authorities over non-payment of landing fees.
Aviation experts have expressed fears that the severe foreign currency shortages in Zimbabwe have forced Air Zimbabwe to "cut corners" after failing to buy spares and properly service their planes thereby threatening passenger safety.
The airliner has also come under fire for running unproductive routes tailored to reflect Mugabe's 'Look East' policy. Early last month, the airliner embarrassingly admitted flying only three passengers on its Bangkok-Dubai route.
The Air Zimbabwe spokesman was unavailable to comment last night.
Yea but he's one of our own!....the UN
Yee HA! How about you, wizardoz? Backtrack and see what I'm up to.
*Still* in Buffalo, NY -- Stuttering Stu found his sweater!!!
Stu wouldn't leave for this war until he found his Lucky Sweater. I'm not sure why he thinks it's lucky -- it's got old vomit stains on it and he sure hasn't been lucky in his entire life (except for that one Take Five lotto ticket where he won $25.00). He claims he wore it in Vietnam, but he's only 37 years old. That'd have had him in 'Nam when he was 6 years old. I suppose it's possible. His draft number might have come up.
We're all trying to figure out how to get to Zimbabwe from Buffalo. Pablo #2 offered this: "Just sneak across dee border, mon." I had to tell him that the border -- the Atlantic Ocean -- is a little moist.
The addition of General Flyer has GREATLY increased our arsenal. We might even be able to give each troop a firearm now!
I'm applying to the Salvation Army for bus tickets to New York City. Perhaps we can get to Zimbabwe easier if we get there.
Hopefully,
Laz
Better yet, any Air Zim plane that lands in EU gets impounded and sold off to pay for outstanding fuel debts
These people are incapable of self rule. They were better off under colonialism.
Please add me to the Zimbabwe Invasion ping list.
My eight year old, my five year old and I volunteer to make body bags for the enemy (when you get there)
Oh, and we might be able to send my hubby's BB gun with BB's.
I have to ask.
It was also used in battle as it took out a mean BlueJay when West Nile was in our state.
A side-benefit of putting my invasion updates on this thread is that it will regularly bump a very embarrassing incident for Zimbabwe.
That was an accident. I promise. ;^)
Count me in, too, Laz.
I'll provide psyops - bone crushingly loud heavy metal music, sung in various far eastern languages, with accompanying Helen Thomas videos. They'll crack in mere moments.
Not one mention of the Pope in the entire article, says U.N. invite, and you ask that question?
My army grows daily.
*Still* in Buffalo, NY -- The Salvation Army will be helping with bus tickets to New York City, except for the illegal aliens. The Pablo Platoon will need to find another way, it appears. They needed identification, and none of them has any documentation at all.
Stu has discovered Network Marketing, and says we can all get rich on Amway. He wants me to invest $159.99 on a Amway Startup Package, but I'm finding it difficult to believe a 37 year old homeless guy with no teeth and bad breath will be successful selling Amway door to door. He says he'd hit the interstate off-ramps instead, with a sign saying "Will sell Amway for food". It's hard keeping him focused on the invasion of Zimbabwe.
The Mounties are drunk again. We need an air force for our invasion, but all they could come up with is a flying squirrel. I suppose it will at least avoid detection by radar.
We got a nice block of government cheese, and some donated bread from a free food pantry. We're eating like kings -- provided the kings are rulers of destitute countries, that is.
Wistfully,
Laz
Processed cheese food....doesn't get much better than that.
Cuz the Mexicans keep on spitting out a phrase angrily, and I can only assume they are saying "Yummy".
Sorry, I can't help you there. My struggle with spanish classes nearly kept me from graduating from PSU.
Are they smiling when they say it? Giving you a thumbs up? If they're using a different digit they may not be so happy.
Bad diplomat, no immunity.
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