W can set up US a military regime in IRAQ but it will only make us more vulnerable to terrorism.
W can't control the world. It is a pity he and the aides who prop up his ego can not grasp the
idea that others will not serve as their servants and willingly support their political, economic,
and moral view of the world. (Does W have a moral view? You have to wonder, don't you?)
Look at what happened in Bali. Many tourists were there. W's war machine will make it unsafe
for Americans and others wherever they may be:
Bali Nightclub Bombing Kills 187
Sun Oct 13,11:02 AM ET
dailynews.yahoo.com
By IRWAN FIRDAUS, Associated Press Writer
BALI, Indonesia (AP) - A car bomb ripped through a nightclub packed with
foreign tourists on the island of Bali, sparking a blaze that killed at least 187
people and injured 300 others. It was the worst terrorist act in Indonesia's
history.
There was no claim of responsibility, but speculation
focused on Osama bin Laden (news - web sites)'s
al-Qaida network, which U.S. officials have said
operates in Indonesia, the world's most populous
Muslim nation.
"We are very much considering this a despicable act
of terrorism," U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Ralph
Boyce said. The bombing Saturday was on the
second anniversary of the al-Qaida linked attack
against USS Cole (news - web sites) off Yemen that
left 17 sailors dead.
After the car bombing, bloodied survivors fled the Sari
Club at the Kuta Beach resort, some with limbs
blown off. Cars and motorbikes on the road in front of
the club were alight, forming a wall of flames blocking
people's escape.
"Some poor (man) was laying right on the corner and one of his legs was gone,"
said Bruce Baker, a tourist from Australia's Gold Coast. "He was quite
coherent, he was just saying, 'What's going to happen to me?' I said to him,
`You'll be right, mate, someone will come.'"
Seconds before the main blast, what police said was likely a homemade bomb
exploded outside another club about 30 yards away. A third bomb exploded
near the island's U.S. consular office, but there were no casualties.
Officials said Australians, Canadians, Britons, and Swedes, were killed along
with Indonesians. U.S. officials said they didn't know if there were any
Americans among the casualties. Bali is a popular tourist destination with
Australians.
President Bush (news - web sites) condemned the attack and offered the
nation's sympathy to Indonesia and help to find the perpetrators.
Bush also singled out Australia - where many of the victims came from -
noting that the United States' "prayers are also with our friends and allies, the
people of Australia, who are suffering a grevious personal and national loss."
The blasts came three days after the U.S. State Department issued a
worldwide alert for terror attacks and highlighted fears by the United States and
others that Indonesia is becoming a haven for terrorists.
Speaking to CNN, Boyce said that details of al-Qaida activity in Indonesia
uncovered in recent weeks "would indicate that their presence here, as we've
always suspected, is in fact one that we can now more or less confirm."
Asked about Indonesian efforts to crack down on terrorism, Boyce said: "I think
the efforts are going to have to be redoubled, if not more so, in response to this
terrible act, and I think I see every evidence that they are intent on doing so."
In a notice on its Web site, the U.S. Embassy said it "is still trying to assess
the number of American victims," while the attack "highlights the mounting
threat to Americans wherever they are in Indonesia."
The notice said the embassy is "re-evaluating the extent of its presence in
Indonesia" and warned Americans to be vigilant.
The Indonesian government's crisis center in Bali said 187 people had died and
that 309 were hurt, about 90 of them critically.
"This is the worst act of terror in Indonesia's history," Gen. Da'i Bachtiar, the
national police chief, told reporters at the site of the blast. "We have to be more
alert for other acts of terror."
President Megawati Sukarnoputri, whose government has been accused by the
United States and its neighbors of being slow to respond to the terror threat,
flew to Bali and promised to cooperate with the international community in
fighting terrorism.
"The bombings, once again, should be a warning for all of us that terrorism
constitutes a real danger and potential threat to the national security,"
Megawati said. She later visited the site, tears in her eyes, with security
ministers and top generals.
Asked about the suspected origins of the bombers or a possible link to
al-Qaida, she said: "That will be continuously investigated to that this can be
uncovered as soon as possible."
The explosion went off about 11 p.m. in a Jeep-like vehicle and left a huge
crater at the entrance to the nightclub, which was located in the center of Kuta.
It is Bali's biggest tourist area and a maze of clubs, restaurants, shops, hotels
and beach bungalows. It caters to a younger crowd of tourists and surfers.
The blast ignited a huge blaze - apparently caused by exploding gas cylinders
- which collapsed the flimsy roof structure, trapping hundreds of revelers
inside. Footage from Associated Press Television News showed several bodies
strewn among the rubble.
"The place was packed, and it went up within a millisecond," Simon Quayle,
the coach of an Australian rules football team, told Australian Broadcasting
Corp. radio. |
