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On the coming "Discovery" of Bin Laden

Posted by Andreas (Guest) - Friday, January 30 2004, 13:14:28 (EST) from 217.255.204.14 - pD9FFCC0E.dip.t-dialin.net Network - Windows 2000 - Internet Explorer Website: Website title:

1) Thoughts on the Coming "Discovery" of bin Laden 2) U.S. Military Sure of Catching Bin Laden ------------------------------ 1) http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/04/01/con04025.html January 20, 2004CONTRIBUTOR ARCHIVES Thoughts on the Coming "Discovery" of bin Laden -- The Best Propaganda Money Can Buy A BUZZFLASH GUEST COMMENTARY by Eric A. Smith Unless preparations are made for its eventuality, the announcement of Bin Laden's capture will be the death-knell for the 2004 Democratic campaign. And, like the "heroic rescue" of Jessica Lynch or the toppling of Hussein's statue by "jubilant throngs" of Iraqis, it needn't even be real: "Saving Private Lynch story 'flawed,'" BBC "Saving Private Lynch: Take 2," Robert Scheer, L.A. Times "A tale of two photos," Information Clearing House So Democrats must have a pre-emptive strategy in place; the most obvious being, early in the game, to accuse the White House of sitting on Bin Laden for political gain. A better one is to launch an independent investigation to find Bin Laden first and announce the discovery before Rove's political operatives; this would be a huge coup. In case you haven't been paying attention, this election year, Republicans are playing a deadly game of attrition -- death by a thousand tiny cuts, so to speak: extreme reprimanding in Texas, the recall of a governor in California, the installation of inauditable, easily "preprogrammed" DRE e-vote machines in as many counties as will allow them to be stuffed down their throats, relentless and bloody character assassinations in a bought-and-paid-for Murdoch-dominated media empire, absentee ballots counted by an untouchable firm in Saudi Arabia, stacked courts ready to deliver decisions for which 2000's Gore vs. Bush set the precedent. The odds look dire for Democrats (and, by extension, the majority of Americans, though they are as yet blissfully unaware of the slender thread from which all our liberties hang). But, in case you haven't connected the dots, this time the GOP is playing for keeps. Once the fix is in, there will be no turning back: by an invisible, carefully planned coup, the neoconservatives will have transformed America into an autocracy, and any remaining political opposition will be window dressing. And so, I challenge you: this is a battle we perhaps cannot win, but, at all costs, MUST NOT LOSE. The consequences of surrender will be incalculable: one by one, like dominos, institutions we cherish will fall -- environmental laws, social security, independent media, healthy advocacy groups, assistance for the unemployed, impoverished and disenfranchised -- and, foremost, the right to choose our leaders. We will be left with one remaining liberty: the right to choose which products to buy to keep the militaristic money machine well-oiled, and its minders well-heeled. This year, unless YOU act -- BOLDLY, DECISIVELY, PERSISTENTLY AND INCESSANTLY -- the dream our forefathers nurtured to life will die. Don't let the dream die. Stand up and fight for America. Stand up and fight for the vote. This will be your last chance. Sincerely, Eric A. Smith Tokyo A BUZZFLASH GUEST COMMENTARY * * * About the author: Eric A. Smith is a freelance journalist, editor and IT instructor living in Tokyo, Japan. An activist for over 25 years, he has worked with such diverse publications as the RTP Beacon, Common Ground and Adbusters magazine. Smith is currently volunteering to assist Bev Harris of Blackboxvoting.org, Attorney Phillip Berg in 9-11 widow Ellen Mariani's RICO suit against Bush, et al, and is a charter member of the Open Voting Consortium. Smith earned his BA at the University of North Carolina in 1992, and holds MCP, field service technician, A+ and Network+ certifications from Microsoft, COMPTIA and the Control Data Institute. ----------------------- 2) http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=516&e=4&u=/ap/20040130/ap_on_re_as/afghan_bin_laden U.S. Military Sure of Catching Bin Laden Thu Jan 29,11:13 PM ET By STEPHEN GRAHAM, Associated Press Writer KABUL, Afghanistan - The U.S. military is "sure" it will catch Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) this year, perhaps within months, a spokesman declared Thursday, but Pakistan said it would not allow American troops to cross the border in search of the al-Qaida leader. Thursday also was one of the deadliest days for American forces in Afghanistan (news - web sites): Seven soldiers were killed when a weapons cache exploded southwest of the capital. Three other American soldiers were wounded and another was missing after the blast, the U.S. Central Command said. U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty's prediction about capturing bin Laden comes as the Army readied a spring offensive against Taliban and al-Qaida holdouts. A U.S. official hinted Wednesday that the offensive might extend into Pakistan. Bin Laden, chief suspect in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that sparked the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan, is believed to be holed up somewhere along the mountainous border. Pakistani Brig. Javed Iqbal Cheema, a senior security official who coordinating counterterrorism efforts with U.S. officials, said Pakistani policies do not allow American troops to operate in the country. The U.S. commander in the region, Gen. John Abizaid, said Thursday American forces will continue conducting "limited military operations" along the Afghan border, but he has no plans to put U.S. troops inside Pakistan against Pakistani wishes. Since last month's capture of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites), American commanders in Afghanistan have expressed new optimism about finding bin Laden. Hilferty said the military — the United States has 11,000 men in the country — now believes it could seize him within months. "We have a variety of intelligence and we're sure we're going to catch Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar this year," Hilferty said. "We've learned lessons from Iraq (news - web sites) and we're getting improved intelligence from the Afghan people." Hilferty declined to comment on where he believed bin Laden or Mullah Omar, the former Taliban leader, might be hiding. Earlier this week, the American commander of coalition forces in Afghanistan, Lt. Gen. David Barno, told the British Broadcasting Corp. that he expects bin Laden to be brought to justice by year's end. American forces are pinning hopes for better intelligence from Afghans on new security teams setting up in provincial capitals across a swath of southern and eastern Afghanistan. The security teams are supposed to open the way for millions of dollars in U.S. development aid and allow the Afghan government to regain control over lawless areas largely populated by ethnic Pashtuns, from which the Taliban drew their main support. This month alone, about 70 people have died violently, including two international peacekeepers killed by suicide bombers in Kabul. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the bomb attacks. The spring offensive touted by U.S. defense officials Wednesday would come just when the new security teams are supposed to be up and running, and warmer weather opens the high mountain passes. Hilferty said he could not talk about future operations. Pakistani officials said Thursday they would not allow American forces to use their territory for any new offensive. Cheema said he had not heard of the plan for a spring offensive. U.S. forces used Pakistani bases and airspace during the campaign that led to the ouster in late 2001 of the Taliban regime, but Pakistan insisted it only provided logistical support. "As a matter of fact they (the United States) have not contacted us for this purpose," Cheema told The Associated Press. A Pakistani intelligence official said Pakistani authorities had no specific information about bin Laden's whereabouts. Pakistan President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, a key U.S. ally, would face withering criticism from political opponents, particularly Islamic hard-liners, if American forces deploy inside Pakistan. Abizaid called Musharraf a "strong ally" of the United States and said, "We'll help him where he wants help. "The idea that we would work uncooperatively with the Pakistanis is not one that I'm entertaining," he said. Despite periodic reports that the Taliban are making a comeback in Afghanistan, "I believe the Taliban is in deep trouble," both as a military and political force, Abizaid said. Pakistan says it has arrested more than 500 al-Qaida men over the past two years; many of them have been handed over to the United States. Residents have reported seeing a small number of foreign personnel on such operations, but Pakistan denies it. "We will not allow any foreign troops to conduct any operations in Pakistan," Pakistani army spokesman Gen. Shaukat Sultan said. "Whenever they (the United States) ask for such thing, we always decline." In January, Pakistani forces raided a border village where al-Qaida fighters were believed to be hiding. The interior minister said 18 suspected terrorists were captured. ___ Associated Press writers Bob Burns in Washington and Munir Ahmad in Islamabad, Pakistan, contributed to this report. --------------------- - BACK TO INDEX - REPLY - QUOTE - EDIT - DELETE -

The full topic: On the coming "Discovery" of Bin Laden Andreas - Friday, January 30 2004, 13:14:28 (EST) On the coming "Discovery" of Bin Laden parhad - 01/30 14:24

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