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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: thames_sider who wrote (29787)	9/27/2001 8:18:23 AM
From: jlallen	Read Replies (5) \| Respond to of 82486

Screw them. If the Pakistanis and the Afghans want to get on board and help us smash the terror networks which have been targeted then they are welcome. If not I don't care if we bully or bomb them into submission as long as we take action to make sure that more innocent Americans don't fall victim to these religious fanatics who have twisted the teachings of the faith they claim to represent. American interests are what concern me, in this case the American interest of internal security and safety of our citizens. I could not care less if anybody sees that as clumsy, selfish or whatever.... JLA

To: thames_sider who wrote (29787)	9/27/2001 8:25:47 AM
From: thames_sider	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 82486

And more from the Indie, on the difficulties of interrupting terrorist funding. [Not to mention that Afghanistan grows masses of opium anyway...] So, George Bush is going to wage economic war on terrorism. Good luck to him – he is going to need it. That was the reaction yesterday among law enforcement officers and financial investigators as they absorbed the gung-ho announcement. The same people who tried and failed to cut off the funds of drug barons in Colombia, South-east Asia and elsewhere, emitted a resounding belly laugh. Presumably, the same branding experts in Washington who advise Presidents to come up with slogans such as the "war against drugs" and "the war against terrorism" are also responsible for the idea that tracing the finances of a terrorism network is a piece of cake. ... Every year, speakers have a good whinge, about the lack of trust between agencies, incompatible legal systems and the way banks, law firms and governments refuse to co-operate when pressed. This year was no exception. High-ranking delegates all said the same thing: international co-operation was not working. Rosalind Wright from Britain's Serious Fraud Office blamed the desire for profit by law firms for claiming lawyer-client privilege when her officials wanted to ask awkward questions. ... Mr Bush revealed a key strand of his global strategy. "We're asking the world to stop payment," he said. "We're putting banks and financial institutions around the world on notice." For that to happen, for terrorists to find they cannot afford the next cargo of Semtex or a round of flying lessons, much will have to change in the world's financial and legal systems. Bank secrecy and lawyer-client confidentiality will have to be waived. States which have built a nice little earner on promoting themselves as secretive offshore havens will have to change their ways. Countries will have to be far less precious about allowing law officers from another jurisdiction to crawl over their banking systems. Companies, banks and law firms will have to ask searching questions of their customers – even at the risk of losing business. Intelligence agencies will have to suspend their mutual suspicion and work together. Laws about seizure of property will have to be changed. Law enforcement bodies will require extra manpower and resources. It is a tall order. Too tall, say those already versed in the failure of the "war against drugs". ... In Britain, our record of tracing and seizing the assets of the IRA is lamentable – not through want of trying but because it is so difficult. For years, the Northern Ireland Office had a special unit charged with cutting off the Provisionals' funds. It knew who was involved, it knew where they were getting the cash from but it could not get to the money. Only about £6m of IRA money was frozen and only a handful of prosecutions were brought. independent.co.uk And lastly, interesting stat for the day... 80% of Afghans (according to a UN survey) rely for their news on the Persian & Pashto output of the BBC World Service radio. I wonder if this includes the world press roundups? With the threat of US attacks, the country is emptying by the day, but he estimates the population to be around 20 million, and that, according to a United Nations survey, 80 per cent of them listen to his output. "We are the national medium. We are the only source of news. There are no newspapers or TV." His colleague Shirazuddin Siddiqi told me recently: "Local radio is government-run and so has no credibility. In any case, most of the radio stations have been destroyed, or damaged and looted. Those that are still up aren't really running. They lack basic production tools, and transmission is tricky when there's no electricity." ... According to Baqer Moin, "People tune in for the latest on the whereabouts of landmines. We give out news of polio vaccination programmes so that fighting groups can hold fire for the day. We also provide analysis in both languages, as well as speeches and religious supplications. All the family sit round and listen, or the women [who are not allowed to work] may listen on their own when the men are out. "There are so many stillbirths that we broadcast information on gynaecological matters, health and hygiene. And music from female singers who have had to leave the country. The word "BBC" is more famous in Afghanistan than in Britain. Muslims pray five times a day. We're known as the sixth prayer. "We recently did a series of programmes and a book on the history of Afghanistan. We were congratulated because it was untainted." ... Even the Taliban listen. We know because they have complained. For instance, when the sacred statues were destroyed, an American professor came on the air and said the perpetrators were ignorant. The Taliban leaders heard that and expelled the BBC boss." Perhaps Bin Laden himself is a listener? "Oh well, he would mainly listen to the Arabic or English service, but having said that, we have had criticism from his followers. They complain through the Taliban." Is there any censorship on the grounds of security or sensibilities? "Our reporting is exactly the same as you hear on the World Service in the UK. It is polite but tough and objective. We never insult anyone. We don't patronise or take anyone for granted." ... our correspondents are currently reporting from Pakistan and Tajikistan. But our studios and transmitters are in the Gulf or Thailand, so war will not stop us broadcasting. In fact, we're increasing our hours." independent.co.uk Fascinating.