Free Republic

Free Republic -

First of all, this is what Koch heard Moore say and therefore it is hearsay: “I don’t know why we are making so much of an act of terror. It is three times more likely that you will be struck by lightening than die from an act
of terror.” Then, based on hearsay, Koch stretched the comment into the Koch-interpreted precedent that "it shows where he was coming from long before he produced “Fahrenheit 9/11” and "Moore's point, however, was willfully oblivious to the fact that al Qaeda did not intend 9/11 to be the last word; the organization was working on additional attacks, and if the organization obtained the right weapons, millions of people might be killed".

This is a common and quite annoying deception by arrogant Republicans - the innuendo via hearsay that Democrats and liberals do not take the War on
Terrorism seriously and are weak on counterterrorism measures. The problem that Free Republic has with me - a Democrat and liberal - is that I do
counterterrorism research. I have had the last word in two discussions here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1134467/posts?q=1&&page=54

and

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1163918/posts.

I will tell you - the counterterrorism researchers that I know procede from the caveat that arrogant Republicans and angry Democrats will not share critical information in this election year and that both will be blamed for security gaps that lead to an attack. In other words, counterterrorism research will be ignored in favor of the substandard intellectualism of hearsay and innuendo

This is my hypothesis -

IMO, the plans for the Iraq go back to 1991 with Paul Wolfowitz's and Dick Cheney's anger that Bush Sr did not finish off Saddam. Richard Clarke suggests an overexpenditure perhaps even an obsession with Iraq by the Bush Administration that appears to be more of a deviation from the War on Terrorism than a contribution. Again, the 9/11 Commission does not go back far enough ie a '2/26 [1993] Commission' would have come to the same conclusions as the 9/11 Commission with regard to Al Qaeda Cult
ideology/threat assessment and actionable intelligence/security gaps.

Is this hostingamine.com again?

"Iraq Militants Claim Marine Beheading
41 minutes ago

By NADIA ABOU EL-MAGD, Associated Press Writer
BAGHDAD, Iraq - An Iraqi militant group claimed on a Web site Saturday it beheaded a captive U.S. Marine, in what would be the fourth decapitation of a foreign hostage in the region since May.

The group, called the Ansar al-Sunna Army, posted a written statement on an Islamic Web site claiming that it had killed Lebanese-born Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun, saying he had been lured into a trap involving a love affair with an Arab woman.

Also Saturday, insurgents set off a roadside bomb at an Iraqi checkpoint, killing seven national guardsmen in the deadliest attack on Iraqi troops since the U.S. occupation authorities transferred power to a new Iraqi government five days ago.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said his country was in "a race against time" in dealing with insurgents. He said Iraqi troops "are not ready" to deal with the challenges alone.

About 160,000 foreign troops, mostly American, stayed after Monday's handover of sovereignty to the new interim government. NATO (news - web sites) leaders last week offered military training to the new Iraqi government.

In recent days, Jordan, Bahrain and Yemen have offered military help under certain conditions.

"These countries can support United Nations (news - web sites) operations and play a central and effective role," Zebari said.

The U.S. military in Baghdad said it was checking into the report of the 24-year-old Hassoun's death but had no confirmation.

It was not immediately possible to verify the authenticity of the group's statement.

"We would like to inform you that the Marine of Lebanese origin, Hassoun, has been slaughtered. You are going to see the video with your very eyes soon," said the statement, signed in the name of the group's leader, Abu Abdullah al-Hassan bin Mahmoud.

It also said it had taken another hostage but did not give details.


The group called itself the Ansar al-Sunna Army in Qaim, a town on the Syrian border that has seen frequent clashes between U.S. troops and militants. The message was dated June 20, the day the military said Hassoun, of West Jordan, Utah, was first reported missing — though the posting was dated Saturday.

"We will show a new video of the detention of a new infidel hostage and as recently promised, the beheading of rotten heads," the statement said.

"Withdraw your army and you will be safe. Or else we will keep doing what we are doing."

On June 27, the Arab television station Al-Jazeera broadcast a videotape showing Hassoun blindfolded, along with a statement from militants threatening to kill him unless the United States released all Iraqis in "occupation jails."

In that initial statement, the kidnappers identified themselves as "Islamic Response," the security wing of the "National Islamic Resistance - 1920 Revolution Brigades," referring to the uprising against the British after World War I.

Saturday's claim on Hassoun's death was issued on the same Islamic extremist Web forum where footage was posted last month showing the beheading of U.S. engineer Paul M. Johnson Jr., in Saudi Arabia. The site also often carries claims of attacks by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian militant said to be operating in Iraq (news - web sites).

Al-Zarqawi's movement claimed responsibility for the beheading last month of Kim Sun-il, a South Korean who worked for a company delivering supplies to American forces, and Nicholas Berg, an American businessman, whose body was found in Baghdad in May. Johnson's slaying was claimed by al-Qaida-linked militants in Saudi Arabia, and pictures of his severed head were posted on the Internet.

Another militant group in Iraq claimed last week that it had killed Spc. Keith M. Maupin, of Batavia, Ohio, an American soldier held captive since April. The military has not yet confirmed that it was Maupin who was shown in grainy video footage of a man being shot in the back of the head.

In Saturday's statement, the militants said they used a woman to trap Hassoun.

"As your soldier had a love affair with a young Arab woman, he has been lured from the base," the statement said.

The U.S. military said Hassoun had been absent without authorization since June 20, though after the video was shown it changed his status to "captured."

The New York Times, citing a Marine officer speaking on condition of anonymity, has reported that Hassoun had been traumatized by seeing one of his sergeants killed by a mortar, and was trying to make his way back to Lebanon. The officer told the paper that Hassoun sought the help of Iraqis on the base, was betrayed by them and handed over the extremists.

Hassoun's eldest brother, Mohammad, who lives in a Salt Lake City suburb, denied the report. The Marine's relatives were in seclusion at their Utah home after the Web site posting Saturday.

Ansar al-Sunna Army claimed responsibility for the twin suicide attacks on the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party offices in Irbil on Feb. 1 that killed 109 people. .."

Johnathan

I think there needs to be emphasis in this discussion on what you have referred to in the past as "TOSSing". TOSSing starts with a respectful, polite and informative email to the host's abuse department re: the putative Terrorist Site listing the criteria for what determines a Terrorist Site and showing the host that the Site is involved in the conduct of Terrorism. Yes, the Site should be allowed to stay for a period of time for the downloading of 'research' but then it should be rapidly taken down the by the cancellation of their account based on violation of Terms of Service. This "TOSSing" bypasses the First Amendment argument which could not be avoided in the trial of Sami Al-Husseyn and it is the only method available, other than hacking, for the proactive shutdown of Terrorist Sites. However, citizens with 'research' interests need to work in synche with the 'TOSSers'. This is a rather sophisicated form of citizen vigilance developed by you and appreciated, I suspect, by both Republicans and Democrats like myself.

Thanks,

Philip "Rick" Henika

I am the registered Democrat and liberal who found the registry info re: iraqpress.org ie this info suggests that the story is purposeful disinformation by the Al Qaeda Cult which possibly answers the question at the end of the PROMed post cited by Mitchell.

Iraqpress.org is hardly "liberal". The registry of iraqpress.org ie "faten muheadeen" of
Uxbridge, England. "Faten muheadeen" rhymes with mujahideen so, iraqpress.org may be an Al Qaeda Cult disinformation outlet.

Shermy said: "A similar story-probably the same one-surfaced a few months ago,and turned out NOT to be anthrax." Shermy is correct - 'Bacillus anthracis disinformationus' is the real bug.