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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Karen Lawrence who wrote (40605)	8/28/2002 3:34:20 PM
From: greenspirit	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

JOLO, Philippines — Muslim extremists linked to the Al Qaeda terror network beheaded two of six Jehovah's Witnesses they kidnapped in the southern Philippines and dumped their heads in a public market, authorities said Thursday. Thursday, August 22, 2002 foxnews.com Brig. Gen. Romeo Tolentino, army commander on the southern island of Jolo, said the heads of the two male hostages were found in bags with notes denouncing them as ``infidels.'' The bags were left at food stands about 100 yards apart at the main market in the town of Jolo. The attached notes called for "jihad" or Islamic holy war, included a passage from the Quran and were written in Arabic and the local Tausug dialect, Tolentino said. "They did this because they want to punish the nonbelievers of Allah," he said. The two men were abducted along with four women on Tuesday a few miles outside the town of Jolo in Patikul district, a stronghold of the murderous Abu Sayyaf group that survived a U.S.-backed military campaign to wipe it out. Police said the hostages had been selling Avon cosmetics, herbal teas and medical supplies on the predominantly Muslim island about 600 miles south of Manila. Tirso Bendijo, husband of one of the surviving captives, Nori Bendijo, denied newspaper reports that the six were trying to spread their religion. "They didn't even have religious leaflets," he said. "They were just trying to add some income." AP Masked members of Muslim extremist group Abu Sayyaf. For the second consecutive night, the army on Wednesday shelled suspected Jolo island hideouts of the Abu Sayyaf, known for mass kidnappings of Filipinos and others, including Americans and Europeans. Some have been beheaded. On Thursday, hundreds of army reinforcements, including elite fighters who received counterterrorism training from U.S. troops this year, arrived in the town of Patikul from other villages on the island. Tuesday's kidnappings were the first by the Abu Sayyaf since the United States began supporting a Philippine military campaign to eradicate the group in February. A six-month U.S. military mission in the area ended last month. At that time American and Filipino officials boasted that the Abu Sayyaf had been decimated. The latest killings and abductions were a major setback for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's attempts to restore law and order in the Philippines and for Washington's focus on Southeast Asia in its war on terror. Military spokesman Col. Jose Mendoza denied that the kidnapping shows the Abu Sayyaf still has much power. "What we have now in Jolo are splinter groups that are saying they are still around," he said. "They staged this abduction because they are feeling the pressure." Officials said the two dead were Lemuel Bantolo, 21, and Leonel Mantic, of an unknown age. Mantic's 23-year-old widow, Emily, was feared to be one of the surviving captives along with Bendijo, 41; Cleofe Bantolo, 46; and Flora Bantolo, 40. The relationship between the captive Bantolos and victim Lemuel Bantolo wasn't immediately known. Police and military officers say the kidnappings were led by Muin Maulod Sahiron, a nephew of Radullan Sahiron who heads the Abu Sayyaf group in Patikul. Police said two men with pistols stopped a jeep carrying the Jehovah's Witnesses and forced them out on Tuesday. The driver was left behind and alerted authorities. Two other people in the vehicle, who were Muslims, were not taken hostage. Police also found Avon products and herbal teas in the jeep. A spokesman at Avon Products Inc.'s New York headquarters, Victor Beaudet, said the abductees were not employees or official Avon representatives. The Abu Sayyaf has often kidnapped for ransom, but more frequently has abducted poor Filipinos, mostly Christians, to serve for weeks or months as slave labor. Kidnapped women are sometimes forced to marry guerrillas. On May 27, 2001, Abu Sayyaf rebels raided a tourist resort and abducted three Americans and 17 Filipinos. Days later, the gang beheaded American Guillermo Sobero from Corona, California. They also beheaded several Filipino hostages. That kidnapping saga ended on June 7 when U.S.-trained and backed Philippine soldiers tracked down the rebels. They rescued American missionary Gracia Burnham, but her husband Martin and Filipino nurse Ediborah Yap were killed in the raid.

To: Karen Lawrence who wrote (40605)	8/28/2002 3:47:04 PM
From: Nadine Carroll	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 281500

The cable never surfaced, and the dates don't line up to support the conceit of a newspaper single-handedly launching (or stopping) a war. Let me get this straight. So now Raines is innocent of Krauthammer's charge, because Cynthia Cotts of the Village Voice is running to the defense of the reputation of Willian Randolph Hearst? rolfmao! politics sure makes strange bedfellows! So the Times made a slight error. The real issue is judgment. Was it news when Scowcroft and Kissinger critiqued Bush's war strategy within days of each other? Of course it was. Sensing their own vulnerability, the warmongers decided to attack the messenger. Well, there were also those previous 23 anti-war NYT stories that had the hawks somewhat primed for action, know what I mean? Like the stories that omitted the testimony of Iraqi dissedents wrt Saddam's imminent acquisition of nukes, and made a page one case out of a single missing Iraqi dissident at the Senate hearings. Contrary to Krauthammer's suggestion that Kissinger had been "kidnapped," the gravelly voiced diplomat was all over the talk shows last week, declaring his support for a carefully crafted preemptive strike Excuse me? Does she think that Krauthammer meant it literally? Kissinger is voicing well reasoned criticism, which the Times is portraying as widespread revolt against a totally unreasoning, cowboy policy. The depictions of both the policy and the 'revolt' are politically motivated exaggerations, to say the least.

To: Karen Lawrence who wrote (40605)	8/28/2002 4:58:45 PM
From: Eashoa' M'sheekha	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 281500

Bush Doctrine Violates Constitutional and International Law Killer Clown News Netwerk – ( KCNN ) August 29,2002 15:00 M.S.T. CRAWFORD – TEXAS The President of the World’s only SuperPower was arrested at his Prairie Chapel ranch today for threatening to Violate both Constitutional and International Law.Gee W. Bush has been placed under house arrest where he is now “ consulting “ with his lawyers. It remains unclear as to whether “ threatening “ to violate constitutes a criminal offence under Section 3 of the Constitution governing the Presidency and the Rome Statute Of the ICC established this year. Texas Whitehorse spokesman Ari Fisherman suggested it nothing more than poor communication and there was no need to get into a frenzy. “ We believe this is a error on the part of the Law makers at this point “, Mr. Fisherman said, “ But we insure America and the International Community will have full co-operation from the President during this “ churning “ process “.Asked what he meant by “ churning “, he said the President was in the process of making home made butter when he was placed under house arrest , and invited everyone down to the cellar to continue during consultation. Impacting Buttery Soft………..