Steel2Velvet Posted June 27, 2007 Report Share Posted June 27, 2007 I very much feel angst for British journalist, Alan Johnston and sympathy for what his family is enduring. Kidnapped by radical "Army of Islam" militants in Gaza on March 12th of this year, Johnston's life is threatened unless certain Islamic prisoners are released in England and elsewhere. Interesting that according to Islamic militants, we "infidels" have no earthly value whatsoever and are deserving of nothing less than death, in the eyes of their God. No value, that is, until it comes time to make a swap of prisoners. Then we infidels are each worth about a hundred of their stock. It is so sick ... so sick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 He's just been released a few hours ago due to an armed seige by Hamas and a prisoner swap amongst these factions . What a tangled web Palestine has become ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edna Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 The islam fanatics are going straight to hell. There was six or seven spanish tourists dead in Yemen two days ago, not the palestinians but the binladen people... or so they say. If they let their women handle politics and men just cook and clean and so, things would be different and we would have some peace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 ... if you could stomach the food everyday , and put up with the house being , at best , half-as*ed clean all the time . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edna Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 Yes, I guess you´re right... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steel2Velvet Posted July 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 It was good news to learn Johnston had been released and not just a little surprising. But I always have trouble with distinctions between Hamas and Fatah. Which one has the good Martyrs Brigade and which has the bad one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 I believe Fatah has the Martyr's Brigade , but these recent developements seem to reveal that these factions or offshoots are not as tightly under the control of any group as one would think . With so much anarchy now , it sounds more like 'The Gangs Of New York ' than anything resembling an organization -even after the Hamas takeover ( weren't they the Syrian -backed 'bad guys' once ?!? ) . A free-for-all after cash , recognition , power , etc . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farin Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 who said that there were 'good guys' and 'bad guys'? and Kevin, I like the "Gangs of New York" metaphor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 One of the symptoms of excess capitalism is that even so-called 'freedom-fighters ' can make a buck and a fortune worth of PR out of the commodity of hostages now . This is nothing new , but the difference is that with the gang-like mentality , they are in it for their own profit first ( or at least their leadership is ) , and if those means accidently bring about a favorable or popular end by some chance , then they'll quickly grab whatever power and credit is offered for that as well . We are in an age of severe synicism and practicality ; not leadership , traditional morality nor loyalty . We're floating without an anchor now . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blind-fitter Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 I hadn't heard about Alan Johnston being released from captivity until reading this thread. I really must get out more. Anyway, that is good news, at least. Many had given up hope of him emerging alive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 Damn you baby-boomers for forsaking your ideals and ' going for the gold ' instead . The world loathes you , and will pay heavily for that betrayal . Was it really necessary that 'you ' did better than papa ?!?! ' The Most Worthless Generation ' , perhaps - and you've ruined your children so it'll take a long time to recover . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edna Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 I don´t feel safe to travel to those countries. I´m a coward, OK, but i always remember a Russian tale my baboushka used to read us: Listen kids, now listen up! You don’t want to get eaten up! So watch out if you travel far - and don’t run off to Zanzibar! Zanzibar is full of sharks, Leopards prowling after dark, Hippos, apes and crocodiles, full of sharp and hungry smiles They would love to nibble you, bite your toes and munch your shoes. So listen up kids, listen hard – and don’t run off to Zanzibar! Away in far-off Zanzibar, there lives a scoundrel knave His favorite snack is CHILDREN! His name is BARMALYEY! He runs around in Zanzibar with greedy, drooling jaws That pirate wants to GET YOU – he lives by his own laws. Of course, it was in Russian, from the 19th Century and it was about Africa... and it was a joke!!! but I always think of this tale when I have the ocasion to go to some "exotic" place... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 I like that poem , edna ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edna Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 (edited) I still know the poem by heart... (the Russian one, I mean)... the sight of this "??" brings me back to my childhood days... Oh oh... my mac doesn´t recognise Russian alphabet... poor Hal, you´re getting so old... Edited July 5, 2007 by Guest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted July 6, 2007 Report Share Posted July 6, 2007 Zanzibar : That's just a cool word to say , and it does conjur exotic imagery too . I'm dying to go there sometime ( knock on wood and take heed I did you mosquitos carrying malaria ! ) . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steel2Velvet Posted July 6, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2007 Didn't they make men's slacks at one time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcM Posted July 6, 2007 Report Share Posted July 6, 2007 I thought it was a candy bar.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Joe Posted July 9, 2007 Report Share Posted July 9, 2007 A great nightclub in NY. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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