Money Trail

According to Jaber, insurgent leaders in the area offer cash bounties for killing certain kinds of people: $1,000 for a Shiite, $2,000 for a member of the Iraqi National Guard and $3,000 for an American.

Who is funding these freaks? Is it cash that Saddam looted previously or Saudis?http://www.boston.com/dailynews/324/world/In_triangle_of_death_killing_A:.shtml

Some of the freed hostages went for a pretty penny, various global islamic groups, various wealthy middle eastern backers, many saudi, though less so of late.

My vote goes to the wealthiest, most fundamentalist element in the region, the ones responsible for 9/11 - the Saudi's.

Jag's right, the Philippines paid $6M for their hostage... saving their guy and in effect screwing the rest of the world.

I wonder how much the Poles paid to get this woman back?

Wonder why they didn't fix her flapping teeth while they had her?

Griff wrote:

[i]Who is funding these freaks? Is it cash that Saddam looted previously or Saudis?[url]

These are pocket change numbers. Equivalent to a dollar in the hands of a child. Even possible that America is funding some of this - just as America was the largest financial supporter of the IRA. Bottom line - who cares where the money comes from. We created this nonsense. They would not even exist if we had left Saddam to combat them. No longer matters who they are, what they do, or why they do it. We disbanded the army and police - a major source of such 'freaks'. We did this because God gave us an intelligent president. These 'freaks' are simply symptoms of our own moral leaders.

Don't worry about silly trivialities such as where such pennies come from. Worry instead about the so many more who will do same after we attack Iran. They are but the creation of too much morality, ignorance of history, and not enough pragmatism.

I could certainly be wrong, but I don't think there as as many persons of Arabic descent i n the United States who have romantic notions about terrorism, as there are persons of Irish descent with the same kinds of ideas.

There are many Irish Americans who consider themselves Irish first, and Americans second, and would do anything to help out their oppressed Catholic brethren in the Auld Sod.

Oh come on, Wolf! Don't you think you are being a bit sweeping in that statement? Most of the people of Irish descent that I know aren't even interested in drinking green beer on St. Patrick's Day. Even if every last person in the US with an Irish surname was tithing 10 % of their income to the IRA, what bearing does THAT have on the discussion? The last I heard, the whole Irish/British thing has calmed considerably, and the IRA was never especially interested in attacking the US, anyhow. Talk about a side issue!

I didn't bring it up, I was just responding to a comment in that regard.

Irish Americans in Eastern Cities (NY, Boston, Phila, and sorta Chicago) are possibly different from the Irish Americans in the vast open spaces of the West.

Of course, we have placed 'dead-or-alive' rewards on individuals. I know about the high profile ones. I found this article that suggests that we are running a low-stakes version in Iraq.

Starting on page 20, it discusses neutralizations. Page 21 starts a section on advisory support. Page 22 begins a section on conclusions, in which Phoenix again is directly referred to as an internal security program for the Government of Vietnam. On page 24, the CIA offers its recommendations for improving the Phoenix capability to perform an internal security function. On page 26 it suggests that are rewards program be instituted, and shortly thereafter the Phoenix Directorate created its High Values reward program, putting bounties on the heads of top-ranking VCI. As anyone who watches the news is aware, the Bush regime has transplanted the Phoenix High Value rewards program to Iraq. In fact, the Bush regime is using an updated version of the Phoenix Program worldwide, and will soon start applying it within the United States through its homeland security apparatus. Beware.

Just as we can adopt the methods of our enemies, our enemies can adopt our methods.

Although the American Indians took scalps long before 1492, Europeans promoted the spread and frequency of scalping by trading the natives guns (leading to more deaths) and knives (making scalp removal easier) and, from 1637, by offering bounties for Indian and, after 1688, European scalps.

It appears our 'just war' is fast becoming 'just a war'. :(

the Bush regime is using an updated version of the Phoenix Program worldwide, and will soon start applying it within the United States through its homeland security apparatus. Beware.

Can we get a source?

wolf wrote:

I didn't bring it up, I was just responding to a comment in that regard.

Irish Americans in Eastern Cities (NY, Boston, Phila, and sorta Chicago) are possibly different from the Irish Americans in the vast open spaces of the West.

I can testify to Boston and Philly. Rabid they are, too. :stpaddy:

jaguar wrote:

Can we get a source?

The last bit about Homeland security sounded a little too paranoid. The link is http://www.thememoryhole.org/phoenix/internal-security.htm .

The Phoenix program in Vietnam was certainly real. We are paying bounties for top political and military leaders in Iraq. What is in dispute is whether there are bounties for low-level insurgents, the kind that would turn neighbor against neighbor. That was the weakness in the Phoenix program.

BTW, if the government did offer a $2000 bounty for reporting 'disloyal americans', would you take it? Who would you pick?

BTW, if the government did offer a $2000 bounty for reporting 'disloyal americans', would you take it? Who would you pick?

You'd all be in deep poop.........and I'd be rich. No not that Rich, I'd still be me, but wealthy rich. ;)