Al-Jazeera Airs Tape of Weeping Aid Worker

[maddezmom]

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Al-Jazeera television aired a video Friday showing kidnapped CARE director Margaret Hassan weeping and pleading with the British people to act to save her life. Meanwhile, a car bomb exploded Friday near an American armored vehicle in the northern Iraq (news - web sites) city of Mosul, wounding five U.S. soldiers, the military said.


Please, please I beg of you, the British people, to help me," Hassan pleaded. "I dont want to die like Bigley," referring to British hostage Kenneth Bigley who was decapitated on a video posted this month on an Islamist Web site.


"Please help me," she begged. "This might be my last hour."


Hassan, shown speaking in front of a bare wall, at one point broke down in tears and buried her face in a tissue.

more:http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=535&ncid=535&e=1&u=/ap/20041022/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_hostages

[Mika]

1. I guess that the Brits redeploying their troops isn't going to help.

:argh:

[Briar]

2. It helps Bush n/t

[Gregorian]

3. In Bush's world.

We are all weeping.

[AFSCME girl]

7. No kidding! n/t

:mad:

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[nodehopper]

6. just when I think I can't hate him more I do

But I also hate the people targeting aid workers and independent journalists who really try to let the world know what is going on there. WTF?

[malachi]

8. Testicles? The chimp has none. He is a fuckin' coward.

At every point in his life where the situation demanded an ounce of courage he cut and ran. Leaving his daddy and others to fight his battles and clean up his messes.

[wicket]

5. oh god, please let her be ok...

:(

[nodehopper]

9. eff this sh*t, she is a 52 year old who spent 30 years helping Iraqis

CARE is one of the only aid agencies still operating in Iraq. It hurts me when American soldiers are ambushed and killed, but I understand why this is happening, I understand that they are fighting against occupation. But this is BULLSHIT.

[ECH1969]

11. Al-Sadr was fighting the occupation

Al-Zarqawi is out to kill everyone who isn't a fanatic that supports him.

[Sideways]

15. You Got The Hot Line To Al-Zarqawi?

I just spent two years in the ME and all of my contacts say Al-Zarqawi is a CIA fabrication. But you must have his cell phone number to have this kind of red hot information. Sheesh....I am not buying what you're peddling.

[byronm]

17. CIA fabrication

Al-Zarqawi does sound like a fabrication to me

[ElectroPrincess]

25. If he is still alive, he sure "gets around" ...

Every time we drop bombs the military Public Affairs offices announce that it's a suspected safe house for Al Z. Damn! He seemingly has more accommodations (safe houses) than Howard Johnson's.

/Sarcasm OFF

[Say_What]

13. CARE suspended operations in Iraq after her kidnapping

http://www.4ni.co.uk/nationalnews.asp?id=34288

Pray that they release her unharmed.

[demokatgurrl]

14. It's moments like this when I thiink we should just pull

the troops and all of our people out and let them rot to hell.

Of course there are other, more rational moments when I realize we created the mess and now have a responsibility to clean it up. But this just makes me very, very angry.

[Minstrel Boy]

18. Resistance, black ops and criminals.

There are lots of factions in Iraq, and they don't always show their true face. It's murky out there.

It makes most sense to believe this abduction is mostly about $$$.

[mzmolly]

10. OMG. Thanks again Mr. Bush.

:cry:

[Az_lefty]

12. This is so sad.

boy, the shrub* has certainly made this a safer world to live in...

:scared:

[maddezmom]

16. and the no-response response from the British FM

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1538&ncid=732&e=1&u=/afp/20041022/wl_uk_afp/iraq_britain_hostages

[Chicago Democrat]

19. These horrors will only end after we LEAVE IRAQ!

and APOLOGISE FOR THIS ILLEGAL WAR
and PAY REPARATIONS
and PROSECUTE THE ARCHITECTS OF THIS WAR CRIME

Peace NOW

[tomhayes]

20. Honestly, I don't think you can leave immediatley

I don't think the pleading of one hostage should change a entire countries foreign policy.

You need to remember that who ever kills this woman has a choice to kill her or not. They (the hostage takers) have an agenda but if it only took one horrible video tape like this to get the British to pull out I do think it would embolden the hostage takers in the future.

If the hostage takers had a platoon of British TROOPS in detention I can see how that would and should improve their position.

Now I know the Brits and The Americans have killed civilians in this war and I'm NOT defending that, but do you really want kidnapping civilians to actually affect policy?

I think it was wrong for the other countries to pull out because of it and I think that it would be wrong for the Brits or U.S. too.

This WOULD in fact create a slippery slope argument for kidnappers.

Why leave Iraq after what they have already done? They need to stay and make it right. They need to change their policies and what they are doing in Iraq and change from Occupiers to re-constructionist.

Let’s just hope the Iraqi reconstruction can make it with out a Jim Crow law.

-Tom

[Chicago Democrat]

21. Our presence is the cause of all this trouble... The Arab countries

have already offered to replace our ground troops, but Bush rejected it because they would only do it under UN command.

No one is talking about doing this in response to the kidnapping; its because its the ONLY CORRECT COURSE OF ACTION. Kidnappings are a symptom of the root cause which is this unjust war.

So my position is the Kucinich plan... UN in .... US out....

Only the UN has any legitimacy left. Only the UN can garner MUSLIM nations to REPLACE the US troops. The US can station Aircraft carriers off the coast and assist the UN troops with Air Cover. The main thing is to UNDO the Neo CON illegal Allawi regime/laws etc and replace it with WHATEVER THE MAJORITY OF IRAQIS WANT.

Also the US must be prosecuted for War Crimes, esp Bush.
Also the US must pay reparations

[Catt03]

39. Sounds good

but I am convinced the Iragis do not want us there.

If an election were held today, Islamic fundementalists would win, That would be almost as bad as Suddam.

As far as al-Zarqawi,he is a cheap hood and nutcase.

I want someone to just pay the damm ranson.

[LiberteToujours]

22. PLEASE don't kill this woman

This woman is innocent and she has spent her life helping the people of Iraq. This stuff just makes me absolutely sick. These are real people and we're watching them beg for their lives and then we hear several days later that they are dead. These are REAL people, this is not a fucking movie. I don't know what we can do. But it seems like with every hostage I feel worse than the last one. Maybe it's because this one is a woman or maybe it's because she is so totally innocent, but if they kill her I don't think I'll be able to be rational about it. I'll want revenge and I'll want the perpetrators to suffer and bleed and scream in pain. I hate myself for that but I hate war even more for making me feel that way. I HATE war. It brings out the absolute worst in everyone. Just let this woman go.

[The Magistrate]

23. Make No Mistake, Ladies And Gentlemen

The people who do this thing are absolutely vile, and absolutely responsible themselves for what they do. There is no shred of justification for this; it cannot be blamed on anyone else but the persons who decided upon the action; it is not an action of the U.S. government for propaganda purposes but an intentional act of Islamic fundamentalist radicals who act on their own for their own ends. They will torment for a while and then will kill this woman, who is an abomination to everything they hold holy, and will feel damned good and proud about themselves as they do it. There is nothing that can be done about it.

"Know your enemy."

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[LiberteToujours]

27. I agree completely

Let's cut the politics just for once, here. What these radicals are doing is absolutely disgusting and inexcusable. Period. Let's stop making excuses for them.

[ElectroPrincess]

28. We have NO right to express moral outrage ...

Some would contend the "Shock and Awe" and NOT so precision "Executions" via our guided bombs is EQUALLY disgusting and inexcusable.

Just because we are spared the immediate aftermath to innocent people, doesn't make us morally pure.

War, by it's very definition, conventional or guerilla (terror) tactics, is "insanity in action."

My point, no one side can claim the moral high ground. We are all killing innocents, both the coalition and the insurgents.

[The Magistrate]

29. Want To Win An Election, Ma'am?

Or soothe your sensibilities by demonstrating your superiority to the common herd...?

"Get'cher score-cards here! Can't tell the players without a score-card!"

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[ElectroPrincess]

31. No, I was just establishing perspective ...

I remember my Brother's best friend enduring a horrible and slow death compliments of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.

I'm a Veteran and I want to see our young Men and Women come home as soon as is feasible for stability.

[The Magistrate]

34. Establishing Perspective, Ma'am

Is a useless exercise just now. Any statement that could be construed as alibi-ing for these vicious religious sadists, as suggesting an equivalence between them and ourselves, will cost votes, and assist the reactionaries to maintain themselves in office. The mass of the people know better, both in this country, and in Iraq. They know this particular act is monstrous, and no other act set beside it, however monstrous, makes this act any the less so.

"In politics and war, only what is simple can succeed."

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[LiberteToujours]

30. That doesn't make their actions any better

And I can claim the moral high ground if I want because I do not and I never have supported this illegal, unjust war. Both sides are wrong but, right now we're talking about this particular kidnapping. It is beyond the pale and I feel sick for the woman. If someone can actually watch the video of this woman weeping for her life and shrug it off to a "we can use this to drive up antiwar sentiment" they have lost their heart.

And yes, I'm just as passionate about the bombings of innocent Iraqi civilians. But we cannot be morally in the right about the American role in this war if we turn a blind eye to atrocities performed by the other side. Then we're just choosing a side, we don't actually care about the innocent lives.

[The Magistrate]

36. Hear Hear, Sir!

"To understand all is not to forgive all; it is to despise each."

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[samtob]

24. I cannot see this being

any help to their cause. This woman has lived in Iraq for 30 years, she is married to an Iraqi man, has run a charitable operation in Iraq for a long time.

I may be wrong, but if they kill this dear woman, it will cause outrage, and due to her relationship with Iraq, it will be directed at the hostage takers, not Blair.

One has to think these are not Iraqis that took her hostage, there is already outrage by Iraqis in regards to her kidnapping, this will hurt them more than help them in the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people IMO

[ElectroPrincess]

26. Of course it works ...

When we drop bombs, we don't mean to create collateral damage ... but we do end up killing the innocent. Like the Palestinians', the Iraqi Resistance can NOT fight a conventional war. Therefore, although it's morally abhorrent, they do take civilians and other non-combatants.

If they kill this woman, Blair's going down in a big way. Yes, terror (insurgent's mini "shock and awe") does work for an outnumbered and occupied peoples.

Time to alter our plans ... bring others in and loosen the purse strings. Most importantly, use Iraqi labor and existing company skills to rebuild schools and homes.

On edit - Anyone who KNOWS war tactics, also realizes that *reality* is NOT like an American Action Movie. Sorry folks, if they kill this woman, Blair's going down.

[One_Life_To_Give]

41. Sends a message to Iraqi's too

Sends a warning to all Iraqis about staying in line with "their views" of what is acceptable or not. If no one is allowed to feed people/ get supplies thru it becomes a humanitarian disaster that is the fault of the US and it's military. It shows that the US Army cannot protect the people or the food supply.

[phrenzy]

32. Speaking From Pure Emotion...

This fucking fills me with such blood lust it is scary. What the fuck?! This woman couldn't be more innocent - there is no end-around justification or even 'strategic' sense to this. You could argue that the gruesome murders of the previous people were to discourage 'collaboration' or the 'support structure' of the occupation.

In this case, this woman has seemingly dedicated her fucking LIFE to helping the Iraqi people through regimes BEFORE-DURING-AND AFTER Saddam's - She is a pure humanitarian.

This incident is separate in every way from the crime the US committed with it's preemptive war.

If I could sign up to go on a single mission to help free this woman, I would - yes, I know it is hypocritical - Innocent civilians are being murdered by our bombs every day, but maybe this is just too damn up-close and personal - I can't fucking deal with it. To specifically and deliberately target a humanitarian and then (probably) murder her for fun is beyond my comprehension.

[ElectroPrincess]

33. You can do something about it ...

If you really are that incensed, CACI and Haliburton needs more personnel. All you folks who want to "bomb them into the stone age" please feel free to enlist and/or volunteer for these companies.

Me? I'm keeping perspective so we can stabilize the Hell-Hole a.s.a.p. and bring our troops home.

[LiberteToujours]

35. You've got to be kidding me

Just answer one question. How do you feel that you have the right to express outrage over the death of innocent civilians by Americans when you refuse to express that same outrage over the death of innocent civilians by terrorists? Is it really about the civilians at all with you?

[The Magistrate]

37. Clearly It Is Not, Sir

Dead civilians are merely a handy rhetorical clubs to beat the opponent of the moment about the head and shoulders with; there is no real concern whatever for the suffering of innocents....

"Kill one, warn one hundred."

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[ElectroPrincess]

38. As I mentioned before ...

By it's very nature "War IS insanity." The entire situation deserves our moral outrage. My heart aches when a child or a humanitarian is killed. However, the future pregnant women and small children we have and will continue to kill with our "not so" smart bombs are JUST AS DEAD.

It may sound cliche but WAR IS HELL! That's why it should always be the last resort. Morality gets blurred ... it's all sick and outrageous.

[One_Life_To_Give]

40. AZ's Message

Well his message is that he Can and Will kill any Westerners coming to Iraq. Regardless of why they are there.