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Fifth Column
Venezuelan Diplomat Joins Chicago Communists Plotting Trump Resistance
2016-11-18
[DAILYCALLER] A Marxist, a Venezuelan diplomat and an illegal alien headlined a meeting of organizers of the Trump resistance as they announced their plan to shut down reliably Democrat Chicago, aka The Windy City or Mobtown
... home of Al Capone, a succession of Daleys, Barak Obama, and Rahm Emmanuel,...
 on Saturday and Washington, D.C. on Inauguration Day.

The Chicago branch of Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER)
...a blanket far-left anti-American group. Its steering committee consists of socialists, communists, civil rights advocates, and left-wing organizations from Moslem, Arab, Paleostinian, Filipino, Haitian, and Latin American bunds. Many of the organization's founders had ties to Ramsey Clark's International Action Center, and the Workers World Party...
 met in Chicago’s northwest side neighborhood of Albany Park to plot their next move in their resistance of the Trump presidency.

Chicago ANSWER was one of the radical leftist groups that helped to organize anti-Trump protests when his campaign tried to hold a rally in March; that rally was canceled after protesters clashed with attendees.

As TheDC reported last week, the group is responsible for organizing rallies in Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C., the Socialist paradise of San Francisco
...where God struck dead Anton LaVey, home of the Sydney Ducks, ruled by Vigilance Committee from 1859 through 1867, reliably and volubly Democrat since 1964...
 and Albuquerque.

Since holding those rallies, the group has announced "mass marches" on Inauguration Day in Washington and another one in reliably Democrat Chicago, aka The Windy City or Mobtown
... home of Al Capone, a succession of Daleys, Barak Obama, and Rahm Emmanuel,...
 on Saturday; the group hopes to "shut the streets down" at both rallies.

On Nov. 15, the group held a meeting to plot its next move in its ongoing resistance of the Trump in a space normally operated by the Mexican Solidarity Network, a less well-known group in the mold of La Raza.

CHICAGO ANSWER organizers, Stephanie and Mika, co-chaired the evening and Mika said he was also an organizer with the Party for Socialist and Liberation, a radical Marxist group and a frequent partner of ANSWER.

Mika fired up the crowd.

"What do want?" he yelled at the crowd.

"Justice," the crowd roared back.

"When do we want it," he screamed again.

"Now," the crowd roared even louder.

"People can and must be organized in a deepening resistance," Stephanie said. "As united as possible, as myrmidon as possible."

She also said she was willing to "work with anyone to resist this administration."

Stephanie said Hillary Clinton
... former first lady, former secretary of state, former presidential candidate, sometimes described by her supporters as the smartest woman in the world, usually described by the rest of us as a crook...
 used "sexist fear" to get elected but was still "fighting the right wing by any means necessary.

Jesús Rodríguez-Espinoza is the Counsel General for the Venezuelan consulate in Chicago and while the rest of the speakers accused Trump of the normal litany of grievances -- that he’s a racist, homophobe, misogynist and charlatan -- Rodriguez said his diplomatic position forbade him from weighing in on Trump.

"Because of my diplomatic position, I’m going to be very careful about what I’m going to say tonight," Rodriguez-Espinoza said.

"Before I was the Counsel General in Chicago, I was a regular citizen in Venezuela just like you, in 2002, was moved in my basement because of the attack against Hugo Chavez. Because of that I started getting involved in politics.

Rodriguez-Espinoza said he became a supporter of Chavez after that.
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Europe
Our Boy Baltazar To Lead Assange's Legal Team
2012-07-24
Ay-Pee. What? Ramsey Clark was unavailable?
Wikileaks says it has hired Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon to lead the legal team representing the group and its founder, Julian Assange.

Garzon won global fame for aggressively taking on international human rights cases. He is best known for indicting former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet in 1998.
But he's got 11 years of free time
Wikileaks said Tuesday that Garzon recently met with the Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where the group's founder is holed up seeking asylum, to discuss a "new legal strategy."
"We are innocent under the Federation of Planets Rules"
Assange is currently fighting extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning about allegations of sexual misconduct.
he reeaaaaallly doesn't want to go back. Perhaps Roman Polanski could make a film about him?
Wikileaks said in a statement posted on its Twitter account that Garzon has expressed "serious concerns" about "the lack of safeguards and transparency" with which actions are being taken against Assange.
"Plus he damaged the West. I consider that a plus!"
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Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Ramsey Clark: Siege on Gaza must end
2011-01-06
[Ma'an] Former US Attorney General William Ramsey Clark said Wednesday that what he witnessed in Gazoo was "far beyond expecations."

Clark said the trip had been tough and the journey exhausting. He waited for several hours at Cairo airport before he crossing to the blockaded coastal enclave by land at Rafah, he said.
And boy were his arms tired...
In a joint presser with the Gazoo government's Prime Minister Isma'il Haniyeh, Clark called for an end to the violations of Paleostinians' rights and said support should be given for the establishment of a Paleostinian state.

The former US official urged Arab leaders to initiate an end to Israel's siege of Gazoo by making transit through the Rafah crossing on the Gazoo-Egypt border as easy as possible.

"This country must be open to the world. The international community in general and the Arab world in particular must take the first step."

Clark promised to help efforts to reconcile Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, and Fatah, and urged the parties to prioritize national interests and end their rivalry.

"You can make that decision, and we hope to see Paleostine united and independent."
You'll be a long time dead before that happens, Ramsey.
Asked about his motivation to visit Gazoo, he said he came to show solidarity and to see first-hand the destruction wrought on the Strip by Israel's December 2008 offensive.
...and my attention whoredom needed a recharge.
"What I saw was far beyond expectations," he said.

Haniyeh thanked Clark for his visit, and asked him to encourage other international dignitaries and heads of state to travel to the Strip.
Ramsey Clark on line two, sir.
Who? Oh, him. I could've sworn he was dead.
Should I put him through?
Nah...
The Gazoo prime minister reiterated Clark's call for an end to the siege, and said Paleostinians would remain steadfast.

The Hamas premier called for Washington to stop employing double-standards in the region.

Clark was Attorney General under US President Lyndon Johnson in the 1960s, and later went on to represent former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic. Both were charged with war crimes.
Yeah, Ramsey's first order of business with his clients should be to help them write a will, because, guys, I'm really not a very good lawyer. They'll save you a seat in hell...
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Home Front: WoT
Stewart sentenced to 10 years
2010-07-16
Radical Lawyer Lynne Stewart must serve a decade in prison - a sentence that could keep her behind bars until she turns 80.

Flanked Thursday by family and supporters, Stewart, 70, quietly wiped away tears as U.S. District Judge John Koeltl handed down his decision to give her 10 years and a month for helping a blind extremist cleric relay messages to terror cohorts in Egypt. The stiff sentence was four times what she originally faced.

Koeltl said Stewart had "abused her position as a lawyer" and that her original sentence was "not adequate."

The controversial civil rights attorney was convicted in 2005 of helping Omar Abdel Rahman pass messages from prison. She had represented him after the feds charged him with plotting to blow up city landmarks. Stewart was initially sentenced to 28 months.

In an unusual move last year, the federal appeals court ordered that she be re-sentenced because the judge in her initial trial did not rule whether she perjured herself.
The judge in her first trial was Koeltl. Who got his ass reamed by by the appeals court. Looks like it got his attention.
Stewart was shocked by the new sentence. "I'm somewhat stunned by the swift change in my outlook," Stewart told the judge. "We will continue to struggle on, and we will take, of course, all available options to do what we need to do to change this."

Former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark, her co-counsel in the terrorism case, called the sentence "a travesty, a total injustice."
Haven't you died yet?
Federal prosecutors had requested Koeltl hand down a 15 to 30 year sentence for the perjury and for abusing her position as a lawyer. "Lynne Stewart broke the oath she swore as an attorney and now stands sentenced in the system of laws that she betrayed," U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said.

Stewart and her defense lawyers had asked Koeltl to uphold the original 28-month sentence, arguing that she suffers from life-threatening medical problems and that she never perjured herself.

At the time of her 2006 sentencing, she brazenly told the judge she could do the 28 months "standing on my head."
Ooooops...wrong answer.
Yesterday, Stewart, who has battled breast cancer and other illnesses, was more circumspect. "I have since learned, judge, that nobody, particularly this 70-year-old woman can do 28 months standing on their head," she told Koeltl, adding that 15 years would be "a death sentence."
Well well...it appears schadenfreude is back in town.
And having a belly laugh ...
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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Resistance Conference in Beirut Declares Resistance's Victory, U.S. Policy's Defeat in Region
2010-02-11
The first conference of the Arab-International Forum for Support of the Resistance was held January 15-17, 2010 in Beirut. Over 3,000 individuals from the Arab, Islamic, and Western world were in attendance; figuring prominently among them were leaders of the Palestinian, Lebanese and Iraqi resistance movements, and representatives from Iran and Syria.

The guest list included: Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, Hamas Political Bureau head Khaled Mash'al, and Iraqi Scholars Association chairman Sheikh Harith Al-Dhari, who represented the Iraqi resistance. There were also senior officials from Islamic and Arab countries, including Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Mir-Tajeddini, who read a letter from Ahmadinejad; a Syrian Ba'th Party official representing Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad; and numerous Lebanese officials, including a representative of Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, a representative of Lebanese Prime Minister Sa'd Al-Hariri, and former Lebanese prime minister Salim Al-Hoss. Also among the participants was International Union of Muslim Scholars head Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi, as well as officials and intellectuals from various Western countries. The latter included British MP George Galloway, as well as former U.S. attorney-general Ramsey Clark and American attorney Stanley Cohen, who for years have been active in providing legal defense for accused terrorists.

During the conference, in what was in effect a show of strength by the elements of the pro-Iran camp, participants underlined the right to armed resistance against the Israeli and American occupations, and also the importance of the resistance in thwarting the West's policy vis-à-vis the Middle East and creating a just world order. The official website of the conference explained that the idea to convene it was born of the increase in pressure and in attempts to eliminate the option of resistance to occupation after the resistance "proved its great effectiveness in thwarting the hostile plans in Lebanon, Gaza, Iraq, and Afghanistan."[1] The conference's concluding statement called for coordination among all the resistance movements, and declared the resistance in Lebanon, Palestine, and Iraq to be a model for ways of "countering the terrorism being implemented by Israel and the U.S."

Iran's and Syria's representatives stood out at the conference; these two countries' support for the resistance was esteemed by the participants. In contrast, moderate countries, particularly Egypt, were the target of attacks. The concluding statement called for these countries to adopt resistance, sever relations with Israel, act to remove this country from the U.N. and from other international organizations, and to prosecute Israeli and American "war criminals."

This conference was held a year after the shift in the balance of power in the Middle East that led to the crumbling of the moderate Arab camp which had been a counterbalance to the pro-Iran camp in the Arab world and had vehemently opposed the resistance organizations. The crucial factor in the weakening of the moderate camp was Saudi King Abdallah's reconciliation with Syria. Saudi Arabia, which reached an agreement with Syria on the establishment of a unity government in Lebanon despite the electoral victory of the March 14 Forces -- a Saudi ally -- paved the way for Syria to return to Lebanon with no guarantee of Hizbullah's changing its policy, and without Syria having to provide anything tangible in exchange.
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Afghanistan
Queries rise on soldier's kidnapping
2009-07-25
A U.S. soldier kidnapped by the Taliban is at the center of an escalating controversy about how he came to be captured - an event that could be a propaganda bonanza for the insurgents.
I'm not the only one who caught the smell of aged mackerel, huh?
The Pentagon declined to comment on allegations that Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl left his post unarmed on June 30 before his capture in eastern Afghanistan.
Reports said he strolled off base in the company of three locals. He left his weapon behind. He said on the vid that he'd fallen behind while on patrol -- which simply doesn't happen -- and was snagged.
"All I can tell you is, the conditions surrounding his capture are under investigation," spokesman Lt. Col. Mark Wright told The Washington Times. "Its not wise at this point to reach conclusions prior to the investigation being completed."
I was just reading a story the other day on that dipwad who deserted his unit to North Korea in 1965 or thereabouts. Maybe this isn't another chapter of that story, but that means one of the sets of facts presented is 99 44/100 percent hooey.
Military blogger Matthew Burden, who runs the BlackFive Web site, told The Times that the soldier "walked off [his base] with a water bottle and [a military ration pack] on some kind of he-man expedition." He said he received this information from a contact involved in the massive manhunt the military has launched and confirmed it with two other sources.
I used to hang around the O Club, too. Some of the stories I heard were true. Most of the ones with that extra twist of inside information weren't.
Fox News military analyst retired Lt. Col. Ralph Peters sparked a firestorm of controversy last weekend when he called Pfc. Bergdahl a "deserter," adding that if that were the case, "the Taliban can save us a lot of legal hassles and legal bills" by killing him.
Even if the "he-man expedition" story's true, that still makes him a deserter. He wasn't ordered on a he-man expedition.
Outraged lawmakers of both parties wrote to Fox News demanding an apology for the comments.
They were shocked, y'see. Shocked!
The 23 House members, all U.S. military veterans, wrote that they watched the comments "with incredulity and disgust," adding that Mr. Peters view was "was repulsive and deserves to be repudiated by your news organization." The Republican signatories include Reps. Darrell Issa and Duncan Hunter, both from California.
I kinda expected that reaction. I heard Peters' remarks and I thought they were on target. They're not complaining about the accuracy, but because somebody's feelings were hurt.
Mr. Peters told The Times Thursday that he regretted his remarks. "I unquestionably over-spoke in the heat of the moment," he said. "I hope Pfc. Bergdahl comes home safely for the sake of his family, and so he can face military judicial proceedings."
He'd better come up with a lot better story than he told on the vid. And get rid of the beard.
Mr. Peters added that he had been angered by what he called the news medias "lionization" of Pfc. Bergdahl. "Nothing will make me back down from my conviction that Pfc. Bergdahl does not deserve to be made a hero."
He's either a deserter or a dipshit, take your pick. Neither is a hero.
A Fox News spokeswoman, who asked that her name not be used, said the network had not received the letter.
"Until we actually receive an official communication, it ain't been communicated..."
Analysts say the controversy underlines the degree to which the soldiers fate is becoming a media spectacle, which could have profound implications for the way U.S.-led military operations are perceived in Afghanistan and around the world.
Actually, there hasn't been all that much foofaraw about it. Domestic politix overshadows all. But what is there appears deserved. I can't think of any other U.S. troops who've deserted in Afghanistan.
"Terrorism has always been theater," said former FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss.
Except that we don't appear to be talking about terrorism, do we?
Pfc. Bergdahl appeared, earlier this week, in a video released by his Taliban captors, saying he was their guest and being well-treated. He said Americans were being misinformed by their leaders about the situation in Afghanistan and urged them to demand the withdrawal of the U.S. military.
That ain't gonna help his case except maybe with Ramsey Clark...
Mr. Voss, who now works for Insite, a New York-based security consulting firm, said the audience for the video was "people in the region and beyond trying to decide whose side theyre on" in the fighting between Taliban insurgents and the U.S.-led international coalition. "Already you are seeing people saying this guy is being better treated than [U.S.-held] detainees at Guantanamo Bay or Abu Ghraib ... If the U.S. government remains silent, those observations will stand."
Regardless of how he's actually being treated, I'll betcha they keep saying that right up until they chop the boy's head off. Then they'll drop the subject.
Mr. Voss said the video was "very well orchestrated ... they are feeding him, there is nothing threatening visible. They have put a lot of thought into this. Tthe Taliban propaganda effort was "increasingly sophisticated, they are learning."

"The Taliban do information operations better than anyone, certainly better than us," said Mr. Burden. Meanwhile, the U.S. "military is focused on one thing and that is getting him back."
Link


Home Front: Culture Wars
Geronimo's Great Grandson Asks Yale Secret Society to Return Ancestor's Skull
2009-02-19
It's the stuff of legends: an elite secret society that includes what would become some of the most powerful men of the 20th century allegedly invading the grave of an Apache chief to steal his skull for fraternal rituals. It's also the stuff of a new lawsuit filed Tuesday by descendents of that Apache chief.

On the 100th anniversary of the death of Geronimo, 20 of his blood relatives have asked the courts to force Yale University and the school's secret organization, Skull and Bones, to release his remains for return to his native land and a proper burial.

The lawsuit also names President Obama, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Army Secretary Pete Geren as defendants because they are responsible for maintaining Geronimo's remains on a U.S. Army base in Oklahoma, the group said.

Skull and Bones has never said whether any of Geronimo's remains are in its possession. The descendants say they are investigating long-held claims that in 1918, members of Skull and Bones, including Prescott Bush, the father of George H.W Bush and grandfather of George W. Bush, invaded Geronimo's grave at Ft. Sill and stole his skull, some bones and other items buried with him.

"In this lawsuit, we're going to find out if the bones are there or not," said the group's lawyer, said the group's lawyer, Ramsey Clark, who was attorney general in President Lyndon Johnson's administration.
Link


-Lurid Crime Tales-
Chuck Turner has Saddam Hussein defender Ramsey Clark in his legal corner
2008-12-18
Oh, perfect. Relic of the sixties employs incompetent relic of the sixties as defense attorney. Enjoy Danbury, Chuck...
Indicted City Councilor Chuck Turner is turning to lefty lightning rod and former Saddam Hussein lawyer Ramsey Clark to take up his defense against federal bribery charges.
Oh-oh. Looks like the shoe thrower is outta luck.
Clark, a former U.S. Attorney General who also represented Serb war criminal Radovan Karadzic, will hold a press conference this afternoon in front of the JFK Federal Building where he'll call on U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan to drop his "politically motivated" case, according to a press release from SupportChuckTurner.com.
I think Mike will take his chances against Chuck's crack defense team, seeing how he's got him on audio and video. He's also got state senator Diane Wilkerson as his ace in the hole, who will probably gladly sing to save her own useless ass.
A spokewoman for the U.S. Attorney declined comment. However, former City Councilor Michael McCormack questioned Turner's decision to attack the feds' motive for indicting him. "To accuse the U.S. Attorney of being the local office of the KKK as your defense isn't going to get you very far," McCormack said.
Oh, Chuck's gotta whole deck of race cards...
Renowned Boston defense attorney Robert George called Turner's latest move a high-stakes gamble. "His (Clark's) appearance on behalf of any criminal defendant is a high-profile endorsement of a person's innocence," George said. "On the other hand, this was the defense attorney for people such as Saddam Hussein, which some people may take the wrong way."
Plus...he's a suckass lawyer.
Turner sparked outrage four years ago when he held a press conference and unveiled graphic photos purportedly depicting U.S. soldiers raping Iraqi women. The photos were revealed to be Web porn, but not before the Boston Globe ran with the allegations.
The funny thing is that he's accusing the Feds of using "doctored photos" of him pocketing money.
Clark, 80, who distinguished himself as a civil rights champion as U.S. Attorney General in the 1960s, won the 2008 United Nations Human Rights Prize.
Must've missed that. Was there a parade?
He evolved, however, into a vocal detractor of the U.S. government. He helped found the radical International Action Center in New York and has called for the impeachment of President George W. Bush.
Another one of his non accomplishments he can be proud of.
Reached by telephone at his New York City apartment, Clark refused to discuss his appearance today other than to say he became aware of Turner's case because he "follows civil rights."
Does he follow the corrupt pols taking bribes news?
It's that connection that will resonate with the public, said media strategist Joyce Ferriabough. "When people think of Ramsey Clark, they think of a warrior for fairness, no matter who they are," Ferriabough said.
She's a "media strategist"?
Link


Home Front: Politix
Obama: U.S. should avoid making bin Laden a martyr
2008-06-19
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama says if Osama bin Laden is captured alive, the United States should bring him to justice but in a way that avoids turning the al Qaeda leader into a martyr. After meeting with a team of top foreign policy advisers including some seasoned diplomats he has newly recruited, Obama hit back at efforts by his Republican rival John McCain to paint him as weak on fighting terrorism.
And giving Binny a 'fair trial' makes him look strong?
McCain allies, including former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, have accused Obama of having a 'pre-9/11 mindset' that focuses on law enforcement in fighting the war on terror.

But Obama linked McCain's national security approach to that of President George W. Bush, calling it 'disastrous' and citing the failure to capture bin Laden as evidence of the failure. 'The record shows that George Bush and John McCain have been weak on terrorism,' Obama told reporters. 'Their approach has failed. Because of their policies, we are less safe, less respected, and less able to lead the world.'
Weak on terrorism: you mean Bush didn't kill enough of them?
Asked by a reporter how he would proceed if bin Laden were caught during his presidency, Obama said 'we may not be able to capture him alive.'

'It does not make sense for me to speculate in terms of what the best approach would be in trying him and bringing him to justice,' Obama said. 'I think what would be important would be for us to deal with him in a way that allows the entire world to understand the murderous acts that he's engaged in and not to make him into a martyr,' he added.
Paging Mr. Horton, Mr. Willie Horton to the red courtesy phone ...
'And to assure that the United States government is abiding by basic conventions that would strengthen our hand in the broader battle against terrorism.'
Paging Mr. Clark, Mr. Ramsey Clark to the white courtesy phone ...
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Home Front: WoT
Muslim leaders demand Al-Arian's release
2008-04-20
As Palestinian academic Dr Sami Al-Arian completes nearly 50 day of his hunger strike in protest against his unjust jailing on terrorism charges, a coalition of Muslim leaders has demanded that the government abide by the terms it agreed to earlier and set him free after five years of imprisonment.

The leaders addressing a press conference to demand Al-Arian’s freedom at the Malcolm X & Betty Shabazz Memorial Educational and Cultural Centre in Harlem this week pointed out that the Palestinian professor is being held in isolation and transferred from one holding facility to another in a seriously weakened state, and without any medical monitoring. His daughter Laila Al-Arian said that even the family does not know where he is being held. The speakers included Malaak Shabazz, daughter of Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz; Ramsey Clark and Sara Flounders of the International Action Centre; Imam Siraj Wahaj, Imam Talib Abdur-Rashid and Aliya Latif of the Council on American-Islamic Relations; Heidi Boghosian of the National Lawyers Guild; Ghazi Khan of the American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights; Mahdi Brey of the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation; and Muhammad Salim Akhtar of the American Muslim Alliance.

Refusal: Al-Arian, a tenured professor at the University of South Florida, was arrested in 2003. The then-Attorney General John Ashcroft claimed it as the “arrest of the most dangerous financier of Islamic Jihad in the Western world.” The Justice Department has spent $50 million prosecuting the case. After a six-month trial, a jury found no evidence that any crime had been committed. Despite the verdict and in violation of the terms of release and deportation set by the Justice Department, the authorities have continued to refuse to release Al-Arian. Instead, they have demanded that he give testimony against others, something he has refused to do.
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Home Front: Politix
Palestinians Ask U.S. To Intervene in Suits Over Terrorist Attacks
2008-02-13
...and not in a good way.
The State Department is considering supporting the Palestinian Authority in its quest to avoid paying hundreds of millions of dollars in judgments won by American victims of Palestinian terrorist attacks in Israel, according to Palestinian officials and defense lawyers involved in the cases.
How about they try to avoid blowing people up so they wouldn't be in this position? Nah. Can't do that. That Resistance™ thingy, ya know...
U.S. officials insist that no decision has been made regarding the complex litigation, which could force the Bush administration to choose between supporting compensation for victims of terrorism and bolstering the Palestinian government as the United States presses for a breakthrough in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Fuck 'em, George. You're gone in 10 months so whadda you care? And you've got about as much chance of a breakthrough in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks as I've got of hitting Powerball. Screw 'em...
Testimony in Israeli courts has connected senior Palestinian leaders -- such as the late Yasser Arafat -- to specific terrorist attacks involved in the lawsuits. But Palestinian officials have argued that it makes no sense for the United States to be providing millions of dollars in aid to the Palestinian Authority while U.S. courts are threatening to bankrupt it.
Oh, man! They're right! So don't send them any more money. So we've solved one part of the problem....
In response to a plea for assistance from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice 13 months ago sidestepped the issue, writing that "the United States is not party to these enforcement proceedings." But in December, a U.S. federal judge asked the government whether it would get involved, creating the current dilemma for the administration. "There has been a rethinking in the State Department that I wholeheartedly welcome," said Afif Safieh, head of mission in Washington for the Palestine Liberation Organization. He said the lawsuits were "politically and ideologically motivated to drive the Palestinian Authority into bankruptcy."
Geeez, that'd be...a tragedy.
Victims, who will meet with top State and Justice Department officials tomorrow, said that a U.S. intervention with the courts would make a mockery of the administration's fight against terrorism. Leslye Knox, a 46-year-old mother of six children and widow of Aharon Ellis, a U.S. citizen who was killed in 2002 while singing at a bar mitzvah in Hadera, Israel, said that she has sued under a law passed by Congress in 1990 after the murder of Leon Klinghoffer by terrorists who seized the Achille Lauro cruise ship. In 2006, a federal judge ordered the PLO and the Palestinian Authority to pay Knox and other Ellis relatives nearly $174 million, but nothing has been paid while Knox has struggled to support her family.
The Pali's won't pay up? Ain't that...shocking.
"Now here are the wrongdoers, they come to the government, and say, 'Hey, help us,' " Knox said. "It's hard to see why the government listens to them. It makes me feel like, 'Who is on my side?' "
Hate to say it, honey, but probably nobody that can do you any good...
"If the State Department tips the scales of justice against the victims in order to support adjudicated terrorists, the war on terrorism will be seen throughout the world as a farce," said David J. Strachman, a Rhode Island lawyer who has spearheaded many of the lawsuits.
That's pretty much it. But State ould proably see it as "Fair Play for Freedom Fighters" or something like that.
The Justice Department will make the final decision, U.S. officials said. "A court has asked the U.S. government to inform it whether it is contemplating filing a statement of interest, but no decision has been made on how the U.S. government will respond," said State Department spokesman Tom Casey.
Yep. We'll...let ya know.
The Palestinian Authority initially argued that it had sovereign immunity, meaning that as a state it was beyond the reach of the U.S. legal system. Former attorney general Ramsey Clark, who was hired to defend the Palestinians, described in a court hearing how he had to "break my neck climbing over literally rubble" of Arafat's compound in Ramallah in 2003, only to be told to ignore the cases.
Ramsey almost broke his neck? Well at least something good came of this...
But U.S. courts rejected the Palestinian claim of sovereign immunity, noting that Palestine is not a state. Judgments have been rendered against the Palestinians in the Knox case and a separate case brought by the children of Yaron Ungar, a U.S. citizen killed in Israel in a 1996 terrorist attack. Ungar's relatives were awarded $116 million, which the Palestinian Authority has not paid.
Again, I don't think they grasp the "paying" concept...
After the Ungar case, about $200,000 in two of the PLO mission's bank accounts were frozen in 2005, a situation that Safieh called a "nightmare."
We could't buy hookers! We couldn't move anything to my our Swiss bank accounts! We were in Hell!!
On June 18, 2005, then finance minister (and now prime minister) Salaam Fayyad wrote to Rice, urging State to intervene, saying that the Ungar lawsuit was a "serious obstacle" to effective Palestinian participation in peace talks and was inconsistent with U.S. foreign policy.
I get it, Salaam. Blackmail? Right? Well, most Americans could give a damn about Palestinian peace, so why don't you pay up, okay?
Abbas also wrote to Rice in November 2006, after another court froze more than $100 million in retirement funds for Palestinian workers that were being managed in the United States.
Dammit! Think of how many Gaza retirees were screwed outta their chances to buy cheap Egyptian motorcycles and knockoff cartons of Marlboro's! And cement!
Rice responded with a neutral letter. She noted that the Ungar case had gone all the way to the Supreme Court, which declined to review it, so "the judgment is final and enforceable in United States courts." She suggested that the Palestinian Authority explore "out of court solutions so as to avoid enforcement actions."
Good luck. Let us know how you make out. Love, Condi...
With a new set of lawyers -- Richard A. Hibey and Mark J. Rochon of the Washington firm Miller & Chevalier -- the Palestinian Authority last year said the Knox judgment should be nullified because the authority was now prepared to litigate the case and offer a vigorous defense.
So I take it Ramsey's no longer their lawyer?
Citing Rice's letter to Abbas, the new legal team urged U.S. District Court Judge Victor Marrero to request a "statement of interest" from State because of the "international ramifications."
The primary one being there'll be no chateau in the south of France for these lawyers if they lose this case. Good luck getting paid by the way, boys...
"The judgment's potential interference with American foreign policy presents a unique and exceptional circumstance justifying relief from a default judgment," the lawyers argued.
Yes, I'm sure interference with American foreign policy is at the forefront of their concerns...
Marrero in December issued an order asking whether the United States contemplated issuing a statement of interest in the case. He gave the government 45 days to respond, but at the government's request, he recently extended the deadline until the end of February.
I think I know how it's gonna go, but it's nice to see State at least make the scumbags sweat...
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India-Pakistan
Ramsey Clark visits Nandigram
2007-11-30
Kolkata: The former U.S. Attorney-General, Ramsey Clark, visited Nandigram on Thursday to see the condition of peasants after the recent violence there. Mr. Clark is participating in an international anti-imperialist conference being held here.

“It was a very moving experience to see the people facing a plight that was brought upon them by their own government,” said Mr. Clark on his return. He was accompanied by Sara Flounders, member, Central Secretariat, of the U.S.-based Workers’ World Party, and Steven Kirschbaum, vice-president, U.S. Steel Workers Associations. Stating that Nandigram clearly represented imperialist designs, Mr. Clarke said that to prevent it, “we must fight unitedly.”

“Power stands in the people, but the question is whether there is will and intelligence to exert that power.” He hoped that the banner of resistance would be held high by the people of Nandigram and carried by the All-India Anti-Imperialist Forum, organisers of the conference, to strengthen the movement.
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