BREAKING CNN: Prosecutors say a former *GOP* congressman and U.N. delegate sent $$$ to Al Qaeda!!

[Bicoastal]

Just a banner right now...

....let us cross our fingers and pray they're Neo-Cons...

ON EDIT: YUP!

WASHINGTON (AP) - A former congressman and delegate to the United Nations was indicted Wednesday as part of a terrorist fundraising ring that allegedly sent more than $130,000 to an al-Qaida and Taliban supporter who has threatened U.S. and international troops in Afghanistan.
The former Republican congressman from Michigan, Mark Deli Siljander, was charged with money laundering, conspiracy and obstructing justice for allegedly lying about lobbying senators on behalf of an Islamic charity that authorities said was secretly sending funds to terrorists.

:wow:

From his Wikipedia bio:

"Siljander was elected by special election as a Representative from Michigan's 4th congressional district to the 97th Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of David A. Stockman, and was subsequently reelected to the two succeeding Congresses, serving from April 21, 1981 to January 3, 1987. He was defeated in the 1986 Republican primary by his successor Fred Upton. He served on International Relations Middle East and Africa Subcommittees. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination to the 100th Congress in 1986.

Siljander was appointed by U.S. President Ronald Reagan as an alternate representative to the United Nations General Assembly, serving from September 1987 to September 1988. He is president of Global Strategics, Inc., a consulting firm in Washington, D.C., operates an import-export firm and works as a radio commentator. He was an unsuccessful candidate in 1992 for nomination to the 103rd Congress and is a resident of Reston, Virginia.

Siljander takes an interest in conflict resolution, particularly in Islamic countries, and in recent years has tried to publicize the common ground between Christianity and Islam, particularly in the Koran's portrayal of Jesus. This is a turnaround from a previous position in which he objected to the Koran being read at a prayer breakfast. He is widely traveled, having visited at least four continents, and is also one of the few American politicians to have visited Libya in recent years."

Again, :wow:

[nancyr]

1. Pray it's not one of ours!

[Zueda]

3. GOP n/t

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

41. WATCH OUT!!!!

This is a planted story.

Do some more study on this guy. He broke from the corporacrats and is yet another patsy.

All of us have to remember how this dictatorship operates: WITH VENGEANCE!!!

[CoffeeCat]

87. If he is a patsy....

...what exactly are they using him for, now?

What purpose is he serving?

Does this have something to do with our current elections?

[harmonicon]

104. I've worried about this too...

We shouldn't convict this guy based on a news report.... judging from his surname, this guy probably isn't a WASP, and could be taking the fall for some higher up who can't be written off because of race. Or maybe he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and thought he was working for legit charities.

[CJCRANE]

109. Could be a limited hangout.

They hang this guy out to dry to take the heat off the higher ups.

[dantyrant]

116. Well...

agreed. I think it goes without saying that the criminality involves more relevant people than this clown. Of course, there's always the risk that this could have the exact opposite effect as that which was intended, and that it'll be a loose thread that, when pulled, unravels the myth.

[Zueda]

2. Woah!

here's a little more info:

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8U75TFO2&show_article=1

[originalpckelly]

4. Republican congressman from Michigan, Mark Deli Siljander

YES! HE'S A REPUBLICAN!

:rofl:

[tridim]

7. I didn't even need to ask. Of course it's a Repuke.

Wonder when they're going to indict Bush and Cheney for supporting and manufacturing terrorism?

[mod mom]

5. The former Republican congressman from Michigan, Mark Deli Siljander. says your link

[TwilightGardener]

6. HA! Eat it, GOPers, you're the party of Al Qaeda!!!

[malaise]

13. Shit this is funny

:rofl: :rofl:

[0007]

120. A steaming hot hot shit sandwich for the freepers to eat on today.

How will they spin this one on freerepublic.com?

[LSK]

8. its about time for Britney or Paris to crack a fingernail now

This stuff must be covered up!

:sarcasm:

[malaise]

9. Rethug

Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Congressman Mark Siljander

[uppityperson]

10. k&r

[zabet]

11. Whoa!!

All kinds of things running
around my mind now!!
GOP = Al Qaeda, terrorist supportin',
treasonous bastards.
NO SANCTUARY - to Gitmo with these
traitors!!
They are Enemies of the State!!!

[KansDem]

19. They need to be waterboarded!

...with dirty toilet water! :grr:

[alfredo]

12. We need to ask, how many more republicans were involved.

[malaise]

14. Let me see

Poppy & sons, Dick, Rudy, Tom, Dick, Harry, Harry's sister, Dick's cousin.......need I go on!!

[loudsue]

28. Are they trying to throw Sibel Edmonds a bone to shut her up?

Do they think we're going to IGNORE the fact that CURRENT congressmen are involved in this kind of shennanigan?

[MelissaB]

39. I'm wondering the same thing.

I thought of her immediately.

[cascadiance]

47. I wonder if they'll try to twist google's arms to have no news hits for "Sibel Edmonds"...

Kind of like it appeared they did when they arrested Larry Franklin (who she's later named as on of the people she's claiming also is part of the money laundering operation).

I'm guessing she's a bit too visible now though for them to pull that sort of censorship now!

If we get Patrick Fitzgerald to prosecute this case, then I'll get back to writing some newer verses for Gordon Lightfoot's "Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald" to be "Talk to Sibel Edmonds, Fitzgerald!" instead, to see if we can get him pressured into doing what Waxman won't and get her on the stand!

Maybe I can talk to Symbolman to help record it too. He mentioned before that he was thinking about it a year ago or so.

[alfredo]

55. It would be nice to know that someone has been listening.

[99th_Monkey]

85. you read my mind.. is this guy on the list of moles Sibel E. obliquely identified.? nt

[Gonnuts]

126. Exactly ...

and by no means is he the only one. I hate to break it to all you Dem supporters but it's not just Rethugs who have been funding terrorist groups, both parties are complicit in creating enemies to justify the continued servitude to the MIC. Yes, the Rethugs are more arrogant, but does being less benign about treason make you any less guilty?

One of the reasons Ms. Edmonds is being shut-out is it's not just Rethugs she has evidence on, but a culture of corruption that spans both parties and has infested our government to the point that "we the people" are an after thought. So I wouldn't be so smug condemning one party (even though they richly deserve all the scorn we can heap upon them) when both feet connected to this body are filthy.

[Jamastiene]

93. ...and what will we tell the children? n/t

[alfredo]

123. Vote Democratic when they turn 18.

[Mojorabbit]

15. I can't believe I am saying this

but I don't trust the govt and would have to hear more to be sure he is not being railroaded.

[jlake]

17. Agree - this is so bizarre.

[tyedyeto]

84. Why? Repukes have been known to bankroll.....

dictatorial countries. Most notably, Saddam Hussein in Iraq and the Sandinistas in Nicaragua.

Not surprising to those of us who follow truth.

[jlake]

95. What I doubt is the integrity of the DOJ - that they do not have an ulterior motive

or are covering something with a wider scope....essentially I am more paranoid than you.

[balantz]

18. I can believe you are saying that.

And it is a damned good question! Never take our eyes off, and keep peeling back the veneer, they can never be trusted one iota!

[kas125]

100. That's been my philosophy for my entire life

and it's never failed me yet. Every single thing they do or say is suspect. With this bunch, it's not just suspect, it's criminal.

[pnorman]

36. I agree! Here's the part that must have gotten under certain people's skins:

"Siljander takes an interest in conflict resolution, particularly in Islamic countries, and in recent years has tried to publicize the common ground between Christianity and Islam, particularly in the Koran's portrayal of Jesus."

pnorman

[ieoeja]

57. Agreed. When was he doing this for one thing?

The Feds have gone after several people for having ties to these folks long before they first attacked the US. Some may have even dated back to when they were fighting the Soviets and were supposedly the good guys.

[CoffeeCat]

88. I know....that's my feeling...

These bastards engage in crimes and evil far worse than what this guy has done. They
live and breath evil 24/7.

Why is it that they're turning over this guy? As if any of them have any sense of
right or wrong. They're psychopaths. In theory, this guy should fit right in with
their little sadistic playground.

Why is he taking a dive?

[krispos42]

16. I thought only Democrats wanted terrorists to win?

Faluffa Master's brain will explode when he hears this information. Somebody get a moist towelette.

[MiniMe]

22. Don't worry, Faux Noise will put the chiron up with a (D) by his name

That is their usual way to deal with it. I think Mark Foley was a dem while they were in the middle of that scandal.

[blondeatlast]

25. Yes, indeed. You heard it hear at DU from MiniMe. first--mark it. nt

[krispos42]

30. Oh, whew. My world makes sense again...

:-)

[mmonk]

20. Interesting.

[robertpaulsen]

31. My kneejerk reaction: it's a patsy to distract from the real treason.

The day I see Marc Grossman's name in a banner at the top of CNN's homepage is when I'll know that MSM is really addressing the heart of the US govt/al-Qaeda connection.

[mmonk]

56. You're exactly right.

[Me.]

59. Is This The Same Islamic Charity Case Fitzgerald Was Working On?

Where J Miller warned them the feds were coming?

[robertpaulsen]

66. I'm not sure. But there's an interesting connection with IARA & Judge Walton.

Judge Walton is the federal judge who threw out a lawsuit filed by a whistle-blower who alleged security lapses in the FBI's translator program, ruling that Sibel Edmond's claims might expose government secrets that could damage national security. He said that he couldn't explain further because his explanation itself would expose sensitive secrets and disrupt diplomatic relations. Edmond's lawyer, Mark S. Zaid, called the decision "Another example of the executive branch's abuse of secrecy to prevent accountability." Ms. Edmond, a former contract linguist, alleged in her lawsuit that she was fired in March 2002 after she complained to FBI managers about shoddy wiretap translations. She contended that she told the FBI an interpreter with a relative at a foreign embassy might have compromised national security. Although the government's lawyers met with Judge Walton at least twice privately, Edmond had claimed the republican appointee dismissed her lawsuit without hearing evidence from her attorneys.

In September 2005, Judge Walton dismissed two claims, but left open the possibility Steven Hatfill, a scientist once named by the Department of Justice as a possible suspect in the anthrax-letter attacks of 2001, could hold officials accountable (count seeking a declaration that former Attorney General John Ashcroft and others unconstitutionally deprived him of employment opportunities). A fourth claim seeking monetary damage from the federal government for alleged privacy act violations, also remains alive, but two counts to hold defendants individually responsible were dismissed. The judge had delayed the case saying that he wanted the Department of Justice investigation of the issue to proceed without interference from Hatfill's civil suit. Many observers of the investigation dismissed the judge's pronouncements about the case - the government had been periodically advertising impending breakthroughs since just about the time the spore-ridden letters were mailed out, some critics pointed out. Mr. Hatfill, a bio-terrorism expert, contends his reputation was ruined when law enforcement officials called him a "person of interest." Hatfill once worked as a researcher at the Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick, Frederick, Md. At one time the FBI had Hatfill under 24-hour surveillance.

Judge Walton also ruled that a Missouri charity financed terrorism and is connected to a similarly named organization in Sudan, dismissing a lawsuit filed by the Islamic American Relief Agency - USA, which is based in Columbia, Mo. The charity had sought to thaw its assets which the treasury department froze in 2004. Lawyers for the Missouri charity had denied any link to terrorism and had said the charity is entirely separate from the Sudanese organization. Judge Walton said his decision was based on both public records and classified documents. Shareef Akeel, a Michigan lawyer representing the charity said nothing in the public part of the record showed that the charity had sent money out of the country for illegal purposes.

http://www.acsblog.org/criminal-law-the-libby-indictment.html

[Me.]

80. Google Is My Friend

With the major media already under fire for compromising the war on radical Islamic terrorism, a recent court decision suggests that the media may have something else to hide in connection with their conduct in national security and terrorism-related cases. The allegation being pursued in the courts is that reporters for the New York Times tipped off two controversial Muslim groups to the fact that federal authorities were going to raid their offices in an effort to find evidence implicating the organizations in alleged terrorist activity.


“The case arose from a Chicago grand jury’s investigation into who told the two reporters, Judith Miller and Philip Shenon, about actions the government was planning to take against two Islamic charities, Holy Land Foundation in Texas and Global Relief Foundation in Illinois. Though the government contended that calls from the reporters tipped off the charities to impending raids and asset seizures, the investigation appears to be focused on identifying the reporters’ sources. No testimony has been sought from the reporters, and there has been no indication that their actions are a subject of the investigation.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/02/washington/02phones.html?_r=2&ref=washington&oref=slogin&oref=slogin


“Believing those calls "endangered the agents executing the searches and alerted the targets, allowing them to take steps mitigating the effect of the freeze and searches," federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald convened a grand jury investigation into the disclosure of its plans regarding the foundations. He wanted to know who in the government had leaked the information.

The Islamic charities deny any wrongdoing. But one of them, The Global Relief Foundation, was reported to be under suspicion of assisting al Qaeda. The other, the Holy Land Foundation, was directly accused by then-Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill of providing financial support to terrorists.

Summarizing new developments in the case, the New York Sun said that "The case entered the courts in 2004, when the Times learned that prosecutors from Chicago were seeking records of phone calls that Ms. Miller and Mr. Shenon had made during several weeks in 2001—around the time they published stories on two Islamic charities with suspected ties to terrorists…Prosecutors…have claimed that the two reporters had tipped off the groups about impending raids and of the government's decision to freeze their assets. The government has said the phone records are relevant to a grand jury investigation into who inside the government had originally tipped off the reporters. The Times has maintained that the reporters did nothing beyond routine reporting."

According to an article on the website of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, an attorney for the Global Relief Foundation (GRF), Roger Simmons, admits that Shenon called the charity on Dec. 13, 2001, seeking comment on the seizures that were going to take place the following day. However, Simmons denied that GRF destroyed any documents and notified the FBI agents that GRF had learned of the raid in advance.”

http://www.aim.org/aim-column/the-return-of-patrick-fitzgerald/

[MissB]

21. I thought your thread was a joke.

:wow:

[klook]

23. "the common ground between Christianity and Islam"

is interpreted by Republicans as cash, it seems.

[alfredo]

24. "How can you read the book of the devil at a prayer breakfast?"-

Mark D Siljander

[tandot]

26. The party who claims to protect us from terrorists ... is funding terrorists

:wow:

[Raster]

29. And that is probably not even the half of it. cheney*/bush* has been the terrorists best friend,

and number one recruiter. Not to mention suspect in 9/11 complicity. Oops, sorry, forbidden subject.

Wake up America!:kick:

[Fleshdancer]

27. Treason.

This goes way beyond politics for me. Out of the four deployments my brother has been on since 9/11, three of them were in Afghanistan (actually he's there right now for his third).

I can't begin to describe my anger. I don't necessarily expect the best out of most Congress people, and I certainly don't think much of most of the Republicans, but this...this hurts.

[Elspeth]

35. Yes. Treason.

And I wonder whose agent he was.

[blondeatlast]

32. Get this: Siljander's a batpoop nutjob FUNDIE (from TIME, 1981):

"I'm part of the silent majority that was heard Nov. 4 ," says Siljander. "My support comes from morally concerned citizens who are sick of the situation in this country." Siljander pledges to battle the Equal Rights Amendment, pornography, abortion, school busing and "big spending." He will champion the neutron bomb, the MX missile and prayer in public schools.

A former prefabricated-house salesman and state legislator, Siljander made his mark by mixing politics and religion. He drew money and manpower from right-to-lifers and support from the Moral Majority—though emphasizing he was not that group's candidate—and spoke on school prayer and "the Christian's role in American government." Rodebush complained that his rivals, including two conservative candidates, had their campaign literature handed out in church bulletins.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,954747,00.html

[OneGrassRoot]

38. You're killin' me, blondeatlast!!!

"batpoop nutjob"...."smarmy assbutt" (something like that)....:rofl: :rofl:

Thanks! :applause:

[blondeatlast]

43. Credit where credit is due: My mom called GWB a "smarmy assbutt."

God rest her soul, she fought the RRRepublicans every chance she got.

[OneGrassRoot]

44. Smart woman indeed. :) n/t

[mmonk]

58. Batpoop nutjob fundies are the worst.

[alfredo]

33. CNN link

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/01/16/former.congressman.indicted.ap/index.html

[Kingofalldems]

34. MSM and at least one DUer says: "This is bipartisan!"

Just like Abramoff. :sarcasm:

[paparush]

37. Pull on this string..and lets see what unravels!

[Kansas Wyatt]

49. Certainly this falls into the category....

Where someone knowingly funding terrorists can be sent to Gitmo and water-boarded for information on who else is involved. Think any of those in favor of water-boarding would suddenly be against it?

Just saying.... Use this stuff to dump all their bullshit back in their laps.

[tekisui]

40. This could be just the beginning.

He wasn't alone. This story needs to be followed and dug into. This will hurt the gop more than the long running Culture of Corruption.

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[blondeatlast]

68. Repeat it loudly and often at the bars, water coolers, on pretend cell phone calls...

Absolutely.

[Maraya1969]

107. Never thought about pretend cell phone calls. That would be a great

way to inform the ones with their heads in the sand. Just make sure we say the word "Republican" often.

[blondeatlast]

42. His business? A paramilitary outfit? That's what it appears to be: Global Strategies, below:

Government
Global Strategies Group supports military and civil government departments wherever they have a need. We’ve facilitated government programmes in North & South America, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe. Whether it is managing currency exchange programmes, protecting critical infrastructure or educating rural populations, our team create innovative solutions to complex challenges.

http://www.globalgroup.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=68

[Oilwellian]

53. managing currency exchange programmes?

ROFL...in other words, money laundering.

Sibel Edmonds gallery of rogues:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-dNjrVhc2U

[mmonk]

60. It all fits.

[AtomicKitten]

45. Wow. This is surreal.

[fed-up]

46. I wonder if he had any "puts" in the stock market on 9/11 ??? nt

[Nickster]

48. Islamic Charities.....Didn't Judith Miller railroad an investigation that Patrick Fitzgerald was

running into funding being funneled from these charity fronts? Judith got the heads up from someone to stop that investigation........just seems to fit, with this new info, doesn't it?

[AntiFascist]

50. Just goes to show, right-wing terrorism is a product of the right-wing...

not any particular nation-state.

[Warren DeMontague]

51. Sure. Next you're going to tell me that the government uses our tax dollars to import the same drugs

that it also uses our tax dollars to "fight".

Pshaw!

[Raster]

52. "...I have no recollection of crack cocaine being sold on the streets of America...

...to illegaly fund the Contras in South America..."

http://www.csun.edu/coms/ben/news/cia/

In August of 1996, the San Jose Mercury News published a three-part investigation by Gary Webb into the U.S. government's links to the trade in crack cocaine in South Central Los Angeles. Webb's investigation uncovered links between the Central Intelligence Agency's covert war against Nicaragua and convicted Los Angeles drug dealer "Freeway" Ricky Ross, whom the Los Angeles Times in 1994 had dubbed the "one outlaw capitalist most responsible for flooding Los Angeles' streets with mass-marketed cocaine." (20 December 1994 p. A20)

Oh, and in case anyone is keeping the suspicious suicide score, Webb was found dead in a hotel room, official cause of death: SUICIDE!

[AntiFascist]

71. And we're certainly not fighting over control of heroin in Afghanistan

:hide:

[goforit]

54. MIHOP all the way. AL Qaida founders......GWBUSH and Dick Cheney!!!!

[lonestarnot]

61. Yes they did! MIHOP! fuckwads!

[lovuian]

78. I'm a MiHopper

totally agree

[Pacifist Patriot]

62. It's stories like this that remind me how jaded I have become.

My instinct is to wonder what is being covered up by throwing this guy under a bus.

[Fleshdancer]

64. now that I'm over my initial shock, I'm wondering the same thing. eom

[CoffeeCat]

89. Could this guy be disposable garbage to them...

...but a useful body for making the case that no elected official should have
Muslim connections or ties to Africa?

Are they asserting through this guy---that any elected official who has
any ties to the Muslim religion or Africa---will eventually end up
as an Al Queda operative?

[Tatiana]

76. I think a good majority of us feel the same way.

Money laundering, paramilitaries????? These are not things that one person alone can do. Who else is in on this (that they don't want us to know about)?

[mzmolly]

63. Doing the "kings" bidding perhaps?

Wowza!

[Norrin Radd]

65. I thought there was no such thing as conspiracies??

Gatekeepers in the Dungeon told me so.

[lovuian]

67. Al Qaeda = Bush and Republicans and Hasert too

and Al Qaeda

[Qutzupalotl]

69. Link to BBC article

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7193038.stm

[blondeatlast]

70. Kick because the media will kill this... nt

[Disturbed]

72. 42 Felony charges. Wow!

The 42-count grand jury indictment alleges Mr Siljander lied about lobbying senators on behalf of the Missouri-based Islamic American Relief Agency (IARA).

[ohio2007]

75. Missouri-based Islamic American Relief Agency ? Yes, this story will be swept under the rug

no telling where/who the slush fund money actually went to
or where it actually came from.

From his Wiki page: Mark D. Siljander

The former congressman has a book entitled
A Deadly Misunderstanding: A Congressman's Quest to Bridge the Muslim-Christian Divide that is scheduled for release in June, 2008.

Religion

Siljander takes an interest in conflict resolution, particularly in the Islamic world, and in recent years has tried to publicize the common ground between Christianity and Islam, particularly in the portrayal of Jesus in the Qur'an. This is a turnaround from a previous position in which he objected to the Qur'an being read at a prayer breakfast, asking the emcee: "How can you read the book of the devil at a prayer breakfast?" <1> He is widely traveled, and claims to have visited over 120 countries.<2> Siljander is also one of the few American politicians to have visited Libya in recent years.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_D._Siljander

[lovuian]

79. Missouri OMG Aschcroft territory and McVeigh's home

and Blunts home

its scary

[brentspeak]

73. I'm in concert with some of the earlier posts: I'd withhold any judgement until

we know this guy wasn't the victim of a set-up or a big misunderstanding/mistake.

[ohio2007]

74. 1987 ? that was 20 years ago , when did the money start to flow

that brought this ex Michigan rep all the limelight ?

[blondeatlast]

77. 2003--4, according to the BBC:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7193038.stm

The indictment alleges the charity sent about $130,000 (£66,000) in 2003 and 2004 to accounts in Peshawar, Pakistan, that Gulbuddin Hekmatyar had access to.


Gulbuddin Hekmatyar has vowed to expel international forces

It alleges the charity paid Mr Siljander $50,000 that was stolen from a US development agency.

It says Siljander "engaged in money laundering and obstruction of a federal investigation in an effort to disguise IARA's misuse of taxpayer money that the government had provided for humanitarian purposes".

US attorney for the Western District of Missouri, John Wood, said: "An organisation right here in the American heartland allegedly sent funds to Pakistan for the benefit of a specially designated global terrorist with ties to al-Qaeda and the Taleban."

[eridani]

102. Hekmatyr was on OUR SIDE at the time

He got the lion's share of our money during the 80x, which the bullshit artists of Charlie Wilson's War insist went to Masoud, who only got 1% of it.

[Beetwasher]

81. I'm Just Wondering HOW THE HELL DID BUSHCO EVER ALLOW

This guy to be investigated and busted?

This guy was IN DEEP. This stinks to high heaven. Tin foil firmly ensconced because this guy was most assuredly a player in GOP circles and I would be surprised if he was acting w/out the knowledge of major GOP figures. Sounds like he was a hub for connections between the GOP/xtian radicals and islamic radicals.

So, when does he get sent to Gitmo for his swimming lessons?

[Mithreal]

99. Good question nt

[Kermitt Gribble]

82. I saw them mention this at least 3 times on CNN

this afternoon. Not once did they say he was a republican. He was only referenced as "former congressman".

[Mithreal]

101. Curious, even BBC calls him ex-Republican congressman

Shouldn't it be former Republican congressman?

[WillyT]

83. Funny... Not On CNN's Frontpage Now !!!

Link: http://www.cnn.com/

Not ha, ha, funny either.

:wtf:

[NewJeffCT]

105. still nothing on the CNN website this morning

at least the front page, and a couple of news sections

[TheFarseer]

86. yeah but

he was a liberal Republican :eyes: I expect to hear Insanity and Limpballs trot out this explanation. Wait, actually they will probabably just ignore it.

[flasoapbox]

90. Everytime I think the GOP is done shocking me...

ha ha, oh wow!

[EVDebs]

91. How very Ptech of him.

[dantyrant]

115. PROMIS to behave, EVDebs.

:)

[Jamastiene]

92. Fucking Republicans - traitors to the country. They can't be trusted.

I wonder what bigger shit bomb they are really covering up.

[Historic NY]

94. The Republican Taliban, send him to Gitmo.

[countryjake]

96. Kick because this isn't being covered anywhere else! n/t

[MADem]

97. I saw a report about that yesterday morning. The guy was a MI rep in the 80s nt

[CitizenLeft]

98. I wondered when I saw that earlier tonight...

funny, they didn't say at the time that he was A REPUBLICAN. I should've known.

HAH!

[GoddessOfGuinness]

103. Get a load of this...

Congressman Siljander has received acclaim for his work in reconciliation. He received various leadership awards, including the 1996 Mohandas K. Gandhi International Peace Award, for “…recognition of his courageous statesmanship in international reconciliation.” In addition, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright honored Ambassador Siljander, at the United Nations, for his “…efforts toward a more just, humane and peaceful world.” American and international Muslim leaders have lauded Siljander for his compassion and understanding of their culture and distinctive approach to bridge-building techniques.

(From George Wythe College's website, where Siljander is listed as a trustee)

It's distinctive, all right.

[Enrique]

106. this guy is certainly NOT a neocon

from the part you highlighted:

Siljander takes an interest in conflict resolution, particularly in Islamic countries, and in recent years has tried to publicize the common ground between Christianity and Islam, particularly in the Koran's portrayal of Jesus. This is a turnaround from a previous position in which he objected to the Koran being read at a prayer breakfast. He is widely traveled, having visited at least four continents, and is also one of the few American politicians to have visited Libya in recent years."

[NewJeffCT]

108. just did a google search on him & Xinhua of China is the first news agency listed?

it's kind of odd that it's not being covered all that much here in the US, isn't it?

[mmonk]

110. Not odd at all. We live in a closed society now.

[CyberPieHole]

111. Is there a "run~away bride" in the house?

quick the repigs need to divert attention away from this story.:evilgrin:

[NewJeffCT]

112. it's not getting coverage, they don't need a runaway bride

see my post above.

[deacon]

113. How many GOP treasonous bastards does that make now? this guy, scooter libby and randy duke...

...at this rate bush will have to threaten his own country for supporting and harboring terrorists (joke) :)

[yellowcanine]

114. I am not necessarily buying into this just because he is a Republican. The Justice Dept. has been

notoriously inept in successfully prosecuting these "Islamic charity/terra" cases - to the point that one should seriously question if in fact the whole notion is mostly a function of the post 9-11 hysteria.

[flasoapbox]

117. LOL

And he's a religious-right nutcase, too!!

[Pawel K]

118. You would think that this would be big news yet I haven't heard a damn thing about it

I cant even find it on the front page of CNN. I'm tired of this liberul media.

[NewJeffCT]

121. Washington Post picked it up (finally) 20 minutes ago - it's 11:25AM now

hopefully, this will start the ball rolling.

But, we know if it was a Democrat, we'd have 24/7 coverage for weeks.

[Pawel K]

125. Still nothing on CNN, I guess the following stories are much more imporant

Latest News
CNNMoney: Bernanke: Get money to the people

FDA: No OTC cough syrup for little ones 52 min

WITN: Papers show what Marine's wife knew

Snow, sleet close schools in South 18 min

Car, cells of tiger attack victims searched

Ticker: Bill Clinton goes off on reporter

9-year hostage tells of neck chains, illness

WCVB: 22 dogs, some dead, found in car

Five things not to do in the ER

Time: Jesus 'tomb' controversy reopened

After 76 tickets and $19K in fines ... jail

I-Reporter catches possible UFO on tape

Oh no! Is it splitsville for Spider-Man and MJ?

Dog falls off cliff, gets trapped on ledge

Paying attention? Test your news knowledge

CNN Wire: Latest updates on top stories

------------------------------------------------

Thank god they are reporting on a dog that fell off a cliff, we all need to know such important breaking news.

[NewJeffCT]

127. That Spidey-Mary Jane split is HUGH!!! though

[eridani]

119. Um, when he did that, the fundies who became Al Quada were our allies!

The Chevron/US ambassador to Iraq Khalilzad even wrote a nice por-Taliban editorial for WaPo in 1996 or 1997.

[Beelzebud]

122. Haven't really heard a peep about this. If it was a Dem they'd be shouting it from the rooftops...

[Kermitt Gribble]

124. Kick

[Tom Joad]

128. Ronald Reagan did that too, didn't they? to fight the Soviets

and didn't they also send funds to Saddam... when Saddam was at his bloodiest worst?