Those "Silly Attacks on Patty Murray

Seattle Times ^ | Editorial

[Kate in Palo Alto]

THis is what the Seattle Times thinks of efforts to call Patty Murray to account:

Election time is the silly season, and state Republican Party Chairman Chris Vance and Congressman George Nethercutt already have started the shenanigans for the 2004 U.S. senate campaign.

Their gasbaggery last week over U.S. Sen. Patty Murray's conversation with a Vancouver, Wash., high-school class was all spin and distortion.

Wednesday, Columbia River High School honor students studying world history were treated to a discussion with their U.S. senator about world events and U.S. policy. Murray, a former teacher, noted many people in the Muslim nations view the United States with suspicion and posed a question:

"We've got to ask, why is this man (Osama bin Laden) so popular around the world? Why are people so supportive of him in many countries that are riddled in poverty?"

She noted the wealthy bin Laden, believed to be an architect of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, has established goodwill because over the years he built buildings, roads and other facilities for poor areas.

See the rest of the article at:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/134601690_murrayed24.html

[Ann Archy]

Silly woman is what she is....silly AND stupid...dangerous duo.

[Eala]

Seattle is a pathetic little town full of socialists.

Agreed!!!

I live across the lake in Redmond with the normal people.

Well, most here are normal... *\;-)

[Fintan]

She noted the wealthy bin Laden, believed to be an architect of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, has established goodwill because over the years he built buildings, roads and other facilities for poor areas...

...and slaughtered over 3,000 innocent people, all of whom I hope I hope Patty Muuray meets face-to-face in the afterlife...

[Wondervixen]

The gasbaggery of the leftist press isn't going to stop till we get fed up and, like a good old 1776 Revolutionary group, burn their joint to the ground in fury!

[Stultis]

Silly attacks indeed.The woman is a menace to US intrests, she seems to be totally oblivious to work of groups like USAID, Peace Corps, and other govt funded programs that have provided hundreds of millions of dollars and manpower to help the world.

And Afghanistan specifically, including before Sept 11th:

Afghanistan: Complex Emergency Situation Report #1 (US aid BEFORE 911) September 6, 2001

USG Humanitarian Assistance

On September 22, 2000, Assistant Secretary Karl F. Inderfurth re-declared a complex humanitarian disaster in Afghanistan for FY 2001. In addition, U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan William B. Milam issued a disaster declaration for Afghan refugees in Pakistan on February 2, 2001. To date, FY 2001 USG humanitarian assistance provided by USAID/OFDA, USAID/FFP, USDA, the Department of State's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (State/PRM), the joint Department of State/Department of Defense Demining Program, the Department of State's Bureau International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (State/INL) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) totals $173,588,887, including both assistance inside Afghanistan and assistance to Afghan refugees in neighboring countries.

Breakdown of the $173 million is detailed in the source. Interestingly this report is dated September 6, 2001, just five days before 911.

And for a briefing, by deputy assistant secretary of defense for stability operations Joseph Collins, on US aid since the liberation, and many other relevant links, see:

Humanitarian Work Progressing in Afghanistan

(I posted the full transcript of the briefing in message #7, which is quite long. Be sure and scroll on through, however, as there are many more links beginning with message #9.)

[Stultis]

EXCELLENT letter, Doc! Stay safe!!

[Stultis]

Another thread in FR contains a copy of a report by the United States Agency for International Development which shows that in fiscal year 2001, prior to 9/11, the U.S committed $173,000,000 in humanitarian financial aid to Afghanistan alone.

See link in message #45 above.

[Aeronaut]

Why are the dems saying nothing now???

Because they agree with her.

[EternalVigilance]

...and slaughtered over 3,000 innocent people, all of whom I hope I hope Patty Muuray meets face-to-face in the afterlife...

Probably won't happen...there is a large chasm between heaven and hell...

[johnny7]

Good one! If you ever heard of the term “dingy broad” Patty Murray is the poster woman.

She was probably high on “roofies” when she talked to those high school kids.

[jackbill]

Day care centers?????

Of course. Someone has to watch the kids while Mommy goes to the soccer stadium to get beheaded.

[Fintan]

Probably won't happen...there is a large chasm between heaven and hell...

True, but God occasionally has a sense of humor.

[Libertina]

Since women are not allowed to go outside without men and burquas, much less work, exactly HOW MANY "Day Care Centers" are needed?

[Stultis]

You stated in your editorial, "Fact is, Murray's information about bin Laden is right. The Associated Press quoted a bin Laden expert saying the senator's comments were "a generalization, but mostly accurate." However, let's look at that a little closer. The "expert", one Michael Swetnam, has been quoted, but his research material hasn't been examined very closely.

Prevailing on Swetnam for further clarification (hopefully there are some news/talk producers reading this) might help get and keep this controversy on its legs. Contact info here:

The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies - Staff Page (Swetnam is the Chairman of the Board and CEO)

For the record, this is the most complete account I could find (in a very quick search) of Swetnam's remarks from the AP report The Times editorial references (some papers cut the reference to hate spewing madrassas at the end!):

An terrorism expert who co-wrote a book profiling bin Laden and al-Qaida said Murray's comments, published Friday in the Columbian newspaper, were mostly on the mark.

"That's kind of a generalization but mostly accurate," said Michael Swetnam, chairman of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies in Arlington, Va.

Since about 1988, bin Laden, believed to be the mastermind behind the Sept. 11 attacks, has been on a mission to build schools, roads and even homes for widows of those killed in the fight against the Soviets in Afghanistan, Swetnam said.

"Mostly he did underwrite--and so did many Arab charities--several fundamentalist Muslim schools throughout Afghanistan and Pakistan that teach a very, very fundamentalist, right-wing version of Islam that preaches hatred for the West," Swetnam said.

~~~excerpted from The Chicago Sun-Times

Finally, more from a Washington (Tacoma) reporter here:

Bin Laden remarks give Murray grief

Exactly how much bin Laden has done to support schools, medical facilities and infrastructure remains conjecture in the intelligence community, though there is evidence he engaged in such activities, particularly in Afghanistan and Sudan.

A Defense Department fact sheet indicated bin Laden had imported heavy equipment to build roads, tunnels, hospitals and storage facilities in Afghanistan during the Soviet occupation and in connection with the establishment of paramilitary training camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Mark Burgess, an analyst with the Center for Defense Information, a nonpartisan group that tracks defense issues, said bin Laden spent five years in Sudan using his own money to fund a number of infrastructure projects for the government.

"He and his organization have been involved in various welfare-type projects and charitable work," Burgess said.

Michael Swetnam, a terrorism expert who co-wrote a book on bin Laden and al-Qaida, told The Associated Press that the terrorist leader has been on a mission to build schools, roads and even homes for widows of those killed in the fight against the Soviets in Afghanistan.

But Swetnam said the schools he financed taught mostly fundamentalist Islam that preaches hatred for the West.

In short UBL apparently has built some infrastructure on his own expense, much clearly for nefarious purposes, in other cases less obviously so. (I suspect road building in Sudan falls into the later category. Not directly nefarious, excepting that he was attempting to ingratiate himself at a time, before the move to Afghanistan, when he seems to have been planning to use Sudan as his terror base.)

Little if any of this appears to be firmly nailed down. Let's be careful, folks, to be scrupulous and not mischaracterize the evidence. We want to take this bitch down, and making the case with both passion AND integrity is the best way to do so.

[vinylsidingman]

I guess Seattle should start building that statue.

Don't they already have a statue of Stalin in one of their parks ?

vsm

[F.J. Mitchell]

The silly "Seattle Times"
like all silly liberal rags
refuse to report what begrimes
their beloved liberal goons and hags.

They'll defend to their death,Patty Murray,
for spewing her treasonous liberal tripe,
and scurry like rats, to dig deep and bury,
any trace of her lusting after Bin Laden's type.

She don't belong in the senate if she meant it,
and apologies if offered, are too little too late.
Her lust for Osama has made her forget,
all but her cravings, for that thug she should hate.

That silly attack on the world trade center,
and our silly mourning for the innocents who died,
while among the enemy there arose not one repenter
as Patty grew closer to the enemie's side

Need we say more, to make it all clear,
to those who are denser than stone?
That the end drawith near, we can see it from here,
and the likes of Patty, the end's counting on.

[solo gringo]

Mabe obl next target will be seattle times if we are lucky

[Kate in Palo Alto]

DocFarmer, I love your writing. It's perfect.

Where exactly do you live?

[Kate in Palo Alto]

F.J. Mitchell, that is such a clever poem! Hope you mailed it off to the Seattle Times, your senators, and your local papers.

Great work!

[F.J. Mitchell]

Thank you,