Posted on 12/14/2001 10:34:47 PM PST by spycatcher
Last spring, President George W. Bush faced his first major foreign-policy challenge when an American EP-3E surveillance plane was hit by a Chinese fighter and forced to land on Hainan Island. Tensions flared even further as China detained the 24 American crewmen for 10 days, the standoff eventually resolving after both plane and crew were finally released. Still, U.S.-Sino relations remained ominously chilly throughout the year, until they were overshadowed by the events of Sept. 11.
Post 9-11, the Bush administration's focus has, of course, been riveted on the terror war, and China has gone off the main radar. But despite Beijing's public support for the coalition's war on terror, regular rumblings of Chinese complicity with the terrorists have surfaced. Among them was a WND report of some Chinese fighters assisting the Taliban.
Now, author Gordon Thomas has written a book claiming that Beijing had an actual role in the Sept. 11 attack on America. In "Seeds of Fire," Thomas purports to show how Beijing is positioning itself to become America's "new major enemy."
An investigative journalist from Ireland and author of 38 books, Thomas points out that on Sept. 11, a transport plane from Beijing landed in Kabul. A Chinese delegation had gone to Afghanistan to sign a deal with the Taliban – reportedly brokered by Osama bin Laden – to provide the Afghans with missile-tracking technology, state-of-the-art communications and air-defense systems. In return, says Thomas, the Taliban would order Muslim separatists in northwest China to stop their activities.
In a Sept. 13 report, the Washington Post confirmed that Beijing had just signed a deal with the Taliban to provide Afghanistan "with much needed infrastructure and economic development assistance."
Due to the fall of the Taliban at the hands of opposition forces and the United States, however, "the goods were never delivered," Thomas told WorldNetDaily.
The delegation, says Thomas, included senior officers of the People's Liberation Army and the Bureau of State Security, as well as managers from two of China's leading defense contractors.
In his book, Thomas contends that hours after the plane landed in Kabul, CIA Director George Tenet received a coded "red alert" message from Israeli Mossad agents that presented a "worst case scenario" – that China would use a surrogate, bin Laden, to attack the United States.
Thomas also claims that the head of Pakistan's intelligence service was in Washington to meet with Tenet on Sept. 11, and that he briefed Tenet that day on the links between bin Laden and China.
The intelligence agent "told [Tenet] that China had made a decisive decision," wrote Thomas. "It was prepared to infuriate America and its allies in supporting bin Laden and the Taliban because Afghanistan fitted into China's own long-term strategic plans."
Saying that bin Laden has traveled to China numerous times to meet with officials there, Thomas contends that "almost certainly he talked to them about obtaining" material to build weapons of mass destruction.
China's President Jiang Zemin, adds Thomas, waited three days to contact Bush about the Sept. 11 attack and told the U.S. president that, vis-à-vis the war on terrorism, China would find itself in a "difficult situation, given our well-known position of opposing any interference in the internal affairs of any country."
Washington sources say that Bush "gritted his teeth and said he would push on without China," Thomas wrote.
The author also cites what he calls the "happy parties in the streets of Beijing" following the 9-11 attacks. "They're selling videos there with commentary saying, 'America had it coming,'" said Thomas. "Their message is: 'America can be defeated.'"
On another note, Thomas believes President Bush's decision to pull out of the ABM treaty will cause Russia and China to strengthen their ties – to the detriment of the United States. "It's in China's interest to see the U.S. destablilized," he added.
I do not consider the men and women of our armed forces to be cowards. They are probably the most brave people on earth because they are in the service of cowards.
Well said!
Ya know dog, I've always thought you to be an intelligent guy, if somewhat unrealistic. But to drop this "racism" issue into a matter of military strategy and alliances causes me to finally agree with your main detractors - you ARE smoking way too much hemp, IMHO.
I thought you were some kind of Constitutionalist?
Civilians run the military, hoot-man. I guess only Ron Paul could run the military, in your foggy thought-processes.
Only thing is, the American people don't want Ron Paul anywhere NEAR command of the military.
You would have preferred to watch TV every day for the body counts on each side to sort of equalize like 150 enemy and 96 friendlies. Then 200 friendlies to a meager 50 enemy dead. This process would then satisfy your need to view a fair fight.
I'll bet you always root for the underdog in sports matches. I pity you. You will never understand that somebody has to be #1. You are the fortunate one who is blessed to be a U.S. citizen and cannot see the sacrifice that it took to get where we are today. Too bad. Those soldiers over there will fight and die for your rights anyway. You have the right to be like you are.
The "race card" refers to the inappropriate labeling of an action to be racist which clearly is not or using race to deflect from obviously racist actions as is the case in the variety of affirmative action policies held by our various American government and private enterprises.
Using others as pawns when you are not prepared to take action yourself is wrong. In this case, it is racism and bigotry squared. The Northern Alliance is not even close to understanding that they are about to be discarded and demonized should they try and maintain control of their own nation.
You will never understand that somebody has to be #1.
Another fine product of the American media/education propadanda system. This has to be the stupidest rationale for America's constant bullying the rest of the world I have seen. "Well, somebody has to bully these people and it may as well be us." Asinine is the only way I can describe it. Oh...and suicidal.
Nope. Demigod ALWAYS wants more dead Americans.
Specifically, more dead white Republican Americans.
Wes jus be mean ole racist bullies.
Just call him Reverend Demigod Jackson!
Are you suggesting that there are no civilian cowards?
When the KKK spews racist nonsense, such as asserting that white couples don't have to get marriage licenses, they are obvious.
Our actions show a complete disregard for human life. To many, the Northern alliance and the Taliban whom we are using like chess pieces on a board, are just "Rags" (Sinkspur's favorite word for them).
There can be no justification for that sort of total disregard for human life.
Just for your info, I"ve watched demidog debate all over the net and "focus" is not one of his strengths. I'm actually surprised he hasn't morphed this conversation into something totally unrecognizable...although the racism remarks are pretty much off the wall.
Another sui generis point of view - for an American.
Yep. You're just plain stupid.
Dropping bombs is not taking action. Sending in special ops to work with the NA is not taking action. Coordinating movements with the NA is not taking action.
Nobody's listening to you, Demigod.
You and Zviadist are like a couple of teenage girls who wear each other's clothes while the rest of us just sit here and laugh like hell.
If we inserted the requisite number of troops needed for this operation and the Afgans participated like they are now, the death toll on the Afgan side would be staggering. These guys don't wear uniforms. It would be a huge UN syle failure. In this case it is better to let the locals do the ground operation with our support. The job is getting done beautifully.
It doesn't put your own pawns at risk in the same fashion does it? I know you're just unwilling to grasp that, so I won't expect an answer.
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