Al-Qaida-Linked Group Claims Responsibility For Jordan Attacks That Narrowly Miss Hampton Roads-based Navy Ships.


(AP) -- Attackers fired at least three rockets from Jordan early Friday, with one narrowly missing a Hampton Roads-based U.S. Navy ship and killing a Jordanian soldier. It was the most serious militant attack on the Navy since the USS Cole was bombed in 2000.

Another rocket fell close to a nearby airport in neighboring Israel, officials said. Jordanian and Israeli authorities said militants fired the Katyusha rockets from a warehouse in the Jordanian Red Sea port of Aqaba.

A group linked to al-Qaida claimed responsibility in an Internet statement. The statement purportedly from the Abdullah Azzam Brigades could not immediately be verified.

The U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, based in Bahrain, said two American amphibious ships attached to the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit were docked in Aqaba, about 210 miles south of the capital, Amman, when the rockets were fired toward them.

One rocket sailed over the bow of the USS Ashland and slammed into a Jordanian army warehouse at the port, killing soldier Ahmed Jamal Saleh, a Jordanian security official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

The soldier died in an ambulance taking him to hospital, while another unidentified Jordanian also was wounded, the official said.

The rocket flew over the USS Ashland's bow at about 8:44 a.m. and left an 8-foot-hole in the warehouse roof in the vicinity of the Ashland and USS Kearsarge, Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Charlie Brown told The Associated Press. The U.S. military also used the warehouse, which stored goods bound for Iraq, according to Jordanian authorities.

The USS Ashland is homeported at Little Creek Amphibious Base in Virginia Beach. The USS Kearsarge is based at Naval Station Norfolk.

No American sailors or Marines were injured in the attacks on the vessels, which were participating in exercises with the Jordanian military and had docked at the mouth of the Red Sea port earlier this week.

The Ashland and the Kearsarge later sailed out of port as a result of the attacks, Brown said.

Navy Cmdr. Jeff Breslau said security measures employed by the Navy after the October 2000 attack on the USS Cole in Yemen that killed 17 sailors were in place in Jordan.

"When we pull in, we work very closely with the host nation to conduct a threat assessment in the area," Breslau told CNN by telephone from Bahrain.

The Abdullah Azzam group was among several that claimed responsibility for previous attacks on Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, including the Oct. 7 car bombing of a hotel in the resort of Taba, which borders Israel, and the July 23 Sharm el-Sheik bombings that killed at least 64 people.

"A group of our holy warriors ... targeted a gathering of American military ships docking in Aqaba port and also in Eilat port with three Katyusha rockets and the warriors returned safe to their headquarters," the statement said.

The attacks come amid a time of tension in the region marked by Israel's withdrawal from the Palestinian Gaza Strip and the Egyptian attacks. Islamic extremists have long criticized Jordan's U.S.-allied moderate government for its peace treaty with Israel and close ties with the West.

The three Katyusha rockets -- weapons routinely used by Palestinian militants and Lebanon's Hezbollah group in attacks against Israel -- were fired from an Aqaba warehouse rented this week by four people holding Egyptian and Iraqi nationalities, Jordan's state-run Petra news agency reported citing preliminary investigations.

Police launched a massive search for the four, cordoning off the coastal city at the northern tip of the Red Sea. Police helicopters hovered overhead, scouring the rugged desert terrain for the suspects as security forces stopped cars to check identities.

The Jordanian official said another missile landed near a public hospital about a mile away from the port. It was unclear if there were any casualties or damages caused.

In neighboring Israel's Red Sea resort of Eilat, police and witnesses said a Katyusha rocket slammed into a taxi traveling near the city's airport, but it did not explode.

"I heard a noise, the car shook, and I kept driving for two more meters (yards)," said Israeli cab driver Meir Farhan, 40, who suffered mild wounds. "I didn't realize what it was, (but) when I went out of the car I saw a hole in the ground on the asphalt."

The rocket left a small crater in the road about 15 yards from the Eilat airport fence, local police commander Avi Azulin said.

Aqaba and Eilat are about nine miles apart and located on either side of the Jordan-Israeli border.

Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, speaking in southern Israel, said the attacks were "intended to hit the Israeli side and the Jordanian side as well."

Jordan, which is home to 1.8 million Palestinian refugees and their descendants, and Israel signed a 1994 peace deal.

The Katyusha rockets are a largely inaccurate unguided weapon that have been used by Palestinian militias in attacks on Israel plus during the 1975-90 Lebanese civil war by most parties to that conflict. The 127mm Katyusha rocket has a range of up to 17 miles.

The Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah is known to possess several thousand Katyusha rockets and has used them to attack Israeli positions along Lebanon's southern border with the Jewish state.

Aqaba, once a sleepy city, has grown into a regional tourist attraction for mainly eastern Europeans and U.S. and other military personnel serving in Iraq and seeking a short respite from the battlefield.

A ferry service also operates regularly between Egypt's Sinai peninsula port of Nuweiba and the Jordanian resort across the small stretch of the Gulf of Aqaba.

Jordan's King Abdullah II has transformed Aqaba into a free trade zone in 2001, attracting investments that include chains of American fast-food joints.

Iraq, whose ports have been damaged in wars since the late 1980s, also often uses Aqaba for imports from the Far East and Asia. U.S. warships also use Aqaba as a refueling stop.

2005 Associated Press.


DS

We should just bomb the area!


Don Cardi

:rolleyes: Right-wing...

A man of many words, huh?

So what should the military do, sit there doing nothing so that more American servicemen and woman can be maimed and killed by these cowards?

What do you suggest that we do? I am interested to hear what Ideas you have.


Don Cardi

Enzo, I am confused by your reply? Where do you stand in this war on world terrorism? You respond like that because he said that the area where the terrorists fired from should be bombed?


DS

DC you are not seriously suggesting that we should bomb Jordan are you?

We should just bomb the area!
[/QB][/QUOTE]


Did I say Bomb Jordan?

Bomb the area ....the area where the warehouse is, not Jordan, the warehouse area.


My apologies if I wasn't clear enough for you.


Don Cardi

This is incredible. I post a news story about terrorists firing missles. And you two guys look to start a political debate because someone says that we should strike back at them for firing the missles.
Unbelievable!


DS

I'll be reasonable.
First of all, I don't live in the USA, so I can't really start a political thread, since politics in the USA are totally different than those in my country, especially because there are so many hardcore Jesus fans in the bible-belt.

Second of all, I didn't read the news in the original posts. I only think that a "bomb 'em all" reaction isn't the right reaction. And terrorism is like the maffia, quick, invisible and deadly. Those terrorists were probably not around anymore. BTW, I too think terrorism should be exterminated.

Third, I'm leftwing. And, ... shit, now I'm starting a political discussion... Sending troups wasn't the right decision. Bush should've cleared the economic mess in his own country first. Then he should've brought tough diplomacy (Saddam's not a wuss)...
If that didn't work, okay, send troups. But before you do that, make a plan, so the USA wouldn't be in the situation in which they are now, in which Americans are killed in Iraq. Not knowing when they can go home. Nobody wants a second Vietnam, but it can happen.

Fourth, if America wants to help the world, don't start liberating Iraq. Don't get me wrong, Saddam was hell, he must have been removed. But there are fanatic religious leaders in Israel too, in Palestina, and in the USA (yes, I mean the neo-cons).
It's fine by me if America wanted to invade Iraq for economic reasons (OIL!), but then don't sell it as a war for freedom. If you really want to solve worldproblems, start in Africa.

On 9/11, 2,500 people died in NY, while 45,000 died in Africa by starvation. Every day! So there's the G8, Bono, ... It's a good thing much more money went to Africa since the last G8, but it's still nothing compared to what America spends on the war Iraq. If al the money that is spend on the war sinds april 2003 went to Africa, the world would be further than where it is today.

Sorry for the politics. Sorry for my sloppy English. Sorry for my unlogic structure, I'm 16, I don't debate much, I just expressed my feelings. Thank you.

I read the news now, and I still think "bombing the area" isn't the right thing to do. Civilians and soldiers can be killed, and that's exactly what Don Cardi didn't wanted.

DC:

Enzo it is nice to hear the voice of reason.

DC where was this warehouse? I thought it was in Jordan, in Aqaba. And wherever it is, do you think the terrorists are still there waiting for our planes? I doubt it.

As for the other post about how reasonable people are making "political" statements about the propositioni that we "carpet bomb them all" (a reaction I would expect from the likes of Sonny Corleone, btw), these are not political statements. They are statements that go to the heart of the military strategy. Nombing a relatively friendly country like Jordan is hardly going to improve the hopeless mess we have made in Iraq.

Um.....what did you think would happen?

DC Aqaba is IN JORDAN. And that warehouse you wanted to bomb is also used by the US Military to store stuff that gets shipped to Iraq. Should we have bombed out own supplies, or did someone in security drop the ball at the warehouse?

So what's wrong with being a Jesus fan? Seems to me that the ones that you should be worrying about the ones who claim to be hardcore EXTREMIST Allah fans.


So then how can you make a statement before reading the details of the story? How do you post " right wing :rolleyes: " without knowing what the story was about?

First you write this.....
and then you write this....

And what the hell does sending toops into Iraq or Afghanastan have anything to do with terrorists firing missles at a U.S. Navy Vessel? An economic mess? What are you talking about?

So you say that we should invade and liberate and already liberated place like Isreal? Palestine? My own country? Obviously you feel that the religious people who believe in Jesus in my country should be exterminated.


So in esssence, what you really mean by that statement is that the lives taken on September 11th by terrorists is really no big deal because many more people died in Africa from starvation. What kind of logic or reasoning is that?

IMO this translates into " Screw the people of Iraq who were torured, killed, mistreated. Screw the woman who were raped and abused. Screw the fact that these people were under the thumb of an abusive dictator and his sons. Screw the fact that at any time, Saddam could have provided assistance to terrorist groups around the region, as he had done in the past. Screw the security of the world. " That is what your statement translates to.

The best part of this is, with all the BS you wrote here, you never once addressed the fact that terrorists attempted an attack on a U.S. Naval ship! I guess that something like that really doesn't matter to you.

Now, Don T, in response to your post :

Give me a break here. He just made a verbal assault on your country and it's religious beliefs and you call him the voice of reason?

The three Katyusha rockets were fired from an Aqaba warehouse RENTED this week by four people holding Egyptian and Iraqi nationalities. I would think, or at least hope, that the locations where we store our ammo would be off limits to non U.S. Military people.

These attacks are only going to get worse, and I think it's now time for us to stop trying to fight a politically correct war and instead let our Generals, not our politicians, fight a war that will secure both the lives of our military and our children and the future of our country.

Remember the attack on the USS cole. It didn't stop there. It only elevated.

And maybe you can ask the "voice of reason" what his country has done to contribute to the betterment of the world.

Don Cardi

Have no fear, Sidious is here.

If you can't comment about the US because you don't live there (by your own admission), what makes you so positive about the "bible-belt?" Granted, the southern United States are "red" states. But nearly the entire West Coast, including the majority of the state of California, is liberal (how ironic...from my home state of NY, California is to the left).

Mess? Our economy is doing quite well, thanks. Although this does go to show how the media portrays the situation. Yes, our economy was in a decline post-9/11 and with the dot-com bubble burst. However, Bush has done good things, including the tax-cut, which has stimulated our economy.

Also, the idea that we should've "taken care of our own mess" first is rather convenient, don't you think? Where would the Bosnian's be if we told Bill Clinton, "sorry, we're going to hold all of your foreign policy decisions until after we impeach you." Hmm? Let Milosevic have his way, I say! Dammit! We've gotta mop up the Oval Office's mess (literally).

Wait...you mean to try diplomacy...like when Saddam kicked out the inspectors in '93? Or what? Be like France and Germany, dirty deeds done cheap under the table by corrupting the Oil-for-Food program? Or UN diplomacy, the same diplomacy that wanted to wait out Milosevic's genocide in Yugoslavia and besmirched Clinton for sending in troops?

By the time coalition forces went in, any nuclear capabilities he had were long gone. I thank God that Israel bombed his nuclear development facility in '81.

It took us 18-months before we invaded Iraq. Congress approved force. What do you think was happening in those 18 months? Just playing cards, smoking cigars? Rule #1 is that soldiers die. Rule #2 is that doctors can't fix rule #1. I don't care how much planning is done, casualties go hand in hand with war, which is a sad and tragic fact.

However, what would you have proposed to prevent US casualties? An air-only attack? I would've preferred it, but it would've cost many more civilian casualties if we just went in and carpet bombed Iraq. What else? Maybe we could give them laser guns set to stun so nobody would hurt anybody else?

Correct me if I'm wrong (and I'm not, so don't bother), but nobody asked FDR when our boys were coming home, despite what was happening in Guadalcanal, on the beaches of Normandy, etc. Nobody wondered where his timeline was. They knew we were there to kick ass, and wouldn't leave until Japan and Germany agreed to an unconditional surrender to allied forces. Same with Iraq. Granted, I want our troops out now. However, our troops most likely won't leave until Iraq can be relatively stable and the Iraqi police force can *handle* the insurgency, if it still exists at the time we leave.

So you're suggesting...what? We ignore potential threats to America? We're we supposed to just go off and whack Yassar Arafat, because he was a fanatic religious leader? Who next? Sharon? Quaddafi? Castro? Chavez? Jung Il?

Yeah, I tell you. Us kicking Saddam's ass really helped us at the pump, since we're paying record prices at the gas stations. :rolleyes:

Here are some stats, which my apprentice Mr. Baggins posted in another thread, which were conveniently ignored.

-there are 178,200 total Iraqi security forces, with 80,000 fully trained and the rest partially trained.

-Iraqi oil revenue has increased from .2 Billion in June 2003 to 2.47 Billion in July 2005

-GDP increased from 12.1 in 2003 to 21.1 in 2004

-Amount of electricity generated has increased from a prewar level of 3,958 megawatts to 4,446 in July 2005

-the unemployment rate has dropped from 50-60% in June 2003 to 27-40% in July 2005

-the prewar level of phone service subscribers was 833,000. It is now 3,959,562

-the number of internet subscribers has moved from 4,500 before the war to 147,076 this year (does not include statistics from Internet Cafe's)

-the number of commercial TV stations has increased from 0 prior to the war to 29 today

-number of commercial radio stations has moved from 0 to 80

-number of independent newspapers and magazines has went from 0 to 170

-primary school enrollment has increased from 3.6 million in 2000 to 4.3 million in 2003/2004

-67% of Iraqis believe Iraq is moving in the right direction, compared to 51% in 2004

-82% believe there life will be better a year from now, compared to 65% a year ago

-only 4% support insurgent violence

-60% of Iraqis believe there life has improved after the removal of Saddam Hussein

-70% feel the elected Iraqi government represents the Iraqi people as a whole

I can *really* see how we've gone to war for oil.

Gee, the US already give more monetary aid than any other nation in the world, with our ally Japan giving the most per capita.

What should we do? I'd really like your suggestion.

Both are tragedies. Though it sounds like (and I suspect I'm correct) that you're trivializing the murders on 9/11 in order to make your point about Africa.

Africa is in rough, rough shape. But what should be done? They are already #1 priority for the World Bank and the US-led IMF (although Central America is #2). What should be done? Do we give more? Some say the aid isn't helping, it's mis-distributed, and the people aren't getting what they need.

Please explain to me a.) how this is the US fault/#1 problem (although I remember you said we should "clean up our own mess first, am I right?) b.) what exactly the US is supposed to be doing about it.

You're right. We should just take all of our money out of national defense and homeland security, and give it to Africa.

If find it incredibly convenient for someone who isn't an American to talk about how "America should do this" or "America isn't doing enough" whilst ignoring a.) facts about how much foreign aid the US contributes (or rationalizing it and saying the US should give more) or b.) what the US is actually trying to achieve long term through domestic and foreign policy.

Mmm. And we'd be much safer, too. Just like those women in Uday's rape rooms.

Since Germany and France aren't too busy at the moment, why don't they shift some more of those Euros over to Africa. After all, I think it's the US's and her taxpayers prerogative exactly what it does with it's money, not finger-wagging foreigners.

Oh yes, a nice friendly country that is known to support and aid terrorist forces like the Islamic Jihad, Hamas, and other Palestinian terrorist groups. Right. I wanna party with THOSE GUYS!!!

Sincerest regards,
Double-J

You contradict yourself there, if Saddam is not a wuss then tough diplomacy wouldn't do anything to him.

I believe we had a plan, I think we started trying to fight a politically correct war and through us off our plan. Also if we didn't send troops we could have Americans being killed in America.

if it was a "War for Oil" why did we turn the oil fields over to the Iraqi government?

I think that the most important part of the story has been overlooked - that no Navy or Marine personnel were killed or injured. I pray that these creeps are found - and soon!!

Now that's what I would call " A voice of reason."


Don Cardi

Ah, I knew this would happen. Look guys, I don't know much English. It's really hard to defend yourselves in a language you don't know, and I clearly saw you missinterpreted some things. E.g:
What I mean is this: The Bible belt is really important. There are many really hardcore Jesus fans in America. Isn't that true? I'm saying, if a president candidate says he doesn't believe in God, he can't win. That bible belt made the decision in the past elections, more than a war and economics. That is different from my country where we haven't got a situation like that. That's all I say, nothing more.
I a by the way against all religious extreme stuff, if it means christianity, boeddism, islam, or Star trek religion.

I will return to answer the other "accusations."

There - that's it! The line that divides the American approach from the rational approach.

I think Don Cardi's response fully justifies a good ol' fashioned Yeee-ha!

What a great reply. It is nice to find someone a year older than me who shares my thoughts about the Americans and their war.

Americans...first of all, I never fully understood why they are supposed to be named "Americans". ". The last time I looked, America was a full continent, the "New World", and it has 35 countries inside it. I mean, most countries have their own unique name, and out of that, you can get the name of the collective nationality. I am a Peruvian, because I come from Peru. The people from Mexico are the Mexicans. The people from England and the English. The people from Russia are the Russians, and so on. Who ever designed that the people from the United States would be called "Americans"? Is that fair anyway? For the other 34 countries inside the American continent, why should we bother in calling you Americans? I'm an American then, as are the people in Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Panama, Canada, and so on. You must be thinking now, in a typical "American" fashion: We are the ONLY Americans in the planet, because we are citizens of the god blessed United States of America.
Bullshit.
I'll leave it at that, because I have already talked enough about the whole "American" subject.

I also don't understand why the war in Iraq has even taken place. It was so avoidable, so irrational. War on terrorism, huh? Bush has taken advantage of how terrified you were because of the 9/11 attacks, and therefore this war has been justified by the hopes of riding the world (the United States especially) from terrorism. Right. I can't believe that you seriously bought that Bush declared war so that you would sleep peacefully and that this war would be an honourable and admirable one.
You must be thinking: But there was no other way.
How did the war start? By looking for weapons of mass destruction. Were there any? No. Did they have to send an army to look for them? No. Could they have sent a branch of scientists and peacekeepers to look for them? Yes. Was it completely unnecessary? Yes.

When the whole search for the weapons of mass destruction ended, what did they do? They arrest Hussein for alleged crimes and other reasons. Who are the Americans to judge a foreign man 3 continents away? They simply didn't have the right. Why should they take out a foreign ruler after an invasion, and why should they even invade the country? Nobody asked them to. If the people from Iraq really detested Hussein then I'm sure they would have risen up. History shows that when a population simply cannot stand their ruler, then they will rise up and remove him from power. Was this the case? No.

I'm fed up with this. Watch CNN someday and you will find out how they disguise the news. It is sickening to watch, really.

I have no problem being called a Hispanic-United Statesman...


Us Americans think we are big, we are bad, we can call our sports whatever we want, we can name ourselves whatever we want.

Keep on generalizing every American, we are the ugly, disgusting, fat, MOST POWERFUL country in the world!!

EDIT: Arrogant American Smiley.

There - that's it! The line that divides the American approach from the rational approach.

I think Don Cardi's response fully justifies a good ol' fashioned Yeee-ha! [/b][/quote]Want to talk about a rational approach? You have the nerve to comment on MY response to what happened with that attempted attack on an AMERICAN vessel, but you don't have the nerve to comment on what the people who just blew up your country's train station and buses attempted to do to that vessel! Wake up! Terrorists are attempting to kill us!
Here's what your rational approach in the past has gotten my country, your country and other countries and it's people :

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

1982–1991
Lebanon: Thirty US and other Western hostages kidnapped in Lebanon by Hezbollah. Some were killed, some died in captivity, and some were eventually released. Terry Anderson was held for 2,454 days.

1983
April 18, Beirut, Lebanon: U.S. embassy destroyed in suicide car-bomb attack; 63 dead, including 17 AMERICANS. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility.
Oct. 23, Beirut, Lebanon: Shiite suicide bombers exploded truck near U.S> military barracks at Beirut airport, killing 241 MARINES. Minutes later a second bomb killed 58 French paratroopers in their barracks in West Beirut.
Dec. 12, Kuwait City, Kuwait Shiite truck bombers attacked the U.S. embassy and other targets, killing 5 and injuring 80.

1984
Sept. 20, east Beirut, Lebanon: truck bomb exploded outside the U.S. embassy annex, killing 24, including 2 U.S. MILITARY.
Dec. 3, Beirut, Lebanon: Kuwait Airways Flight 221, from Kuwait to Pakistan, hijacked and diverted to Tehran. Two AMERICANS killed.

1985
April 12, Madrid, Spain: Bombing at restaurant frequented by U.S. SOLDIERS, killed 18 Spaniards and injured 82.
June 14, Beirut, Lebanon: TWA flight 847 en route from Athens to Rome hijacked to Beirut by Hezbollah terrorists and held for 17 days. A U.S. NAVY diver executed.
Oct. 7, Mediterranean Sea: gunmen attack Italian cruise ship, Achille Lauro. One U.S. tourist killed. Hijacking linked to Libya.
Dec. 18, Rome, Italy, and Vienna, Austria: airports in Rome and Vienna were bombed, killing 20 people, 5 of whom were AMERICANS. Bombing linked to Libya.

1986
April 2, Athens, Greece:A bomb exploded aboard TWA flight 840 en route from Rome to Athens, killing 4 AMERICANS and injuring 9.
April 5, West Berlin, Germany: Libyans bombed a disco frequented by U.S. SERVICEMEN, killing 2 and injuring hundreds.

1988
Dec. 21, Lockerbie, Scotland: N.Y.-bound Pan-Am Boeing 747 exploded in flight from a terrorist bomb and crashed into Scottish village, killing all 259 aboard and 11 on the ground. Passengers included 35 SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY students and many U.S. MILITARY personnel. Libya formally admitted responsibility 15 years later (Aug. 2003) and offered $2.7 billion compensation to victims' families.

1993
Feb. 26, NEW YORK CITY: bomb exploded in basement garage of World Trade Center, killing 6 and injuring at least 1,040 others. In 1995, militant Islamist Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman and 9 others were convicted of conspiracy charges, and in 1998, Ramzi Yousef, believed to have been the mastermind, was convicted of the bombing. Al-Qaeda involvement is suspected.


Nov. 13, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: car bomb exploded at U.S. MILITARY headquarters, killing five U.S. MILITARY servicemen.

1996
June 25, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia: truck bomb exploded outside Khobar Towers military complex, killing 19 AMERICAN servicemen and injuring hundreds of others. Thirteen Saudis and a Lebanese, all alleged members of Islamic militant group Hezbollah, were indicted on charges relating to the attack in June 2001.

1998
Aug. 7, Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: truck bombs exploded almost simultaneously near 2 U.S. EMABASSIES, killing 224 (213 in Kenya and 11 in Tanzania) and injuring about 4,500. Four men connected with al-Qaeda two of whom had received training at al-Qaeda camps inside Afghanistan, were convicted of the killings in May 2001 and later sentenced to life in prison. A federal grand jury had indicted 22 men in connection with the attacks, including Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden, who remained at large.

2000
Oct. 12, Aden, Yemen: U.S. NAVY destroyer USS Cole heavily damaged when a small boat loaded with explosives blew up alongside it. Seventeen SAILORS killed. Linked to Osama bin Laden, or members of al-Qaeda terrorist network.

2001
Sept. 11, NEW YORK CITY, ARLINGTON, VA., and SHANKSVILLE, PA.: hijackers crashed two commercial jets into twin towers of World Trade Center; two more hijacked jets were crashed into the Pentagon and a field in rural Pa. Total dead and missing numbered 2,9921: 2,749 in New York City, 184 at the Pentagon, 40 in Pa., and 19 hijackers. Islamic al-Qaeda terrorist group blamed. (See September 11, 2001: Timeline of Terrorism.)

2002
June 14, Karachi, Pakistan: bomb exploded outside AMERICAN consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, killing 12. Linked to al-Qaeda.

2003
May 12, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: suicide bombers killed 34, including EIGHT AMERICANS, at housing compounds for Westerners. Al-Qaeda suspected.

2004
May 29–31, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: terrorists attack the offices of a Saudi oil company in Khobar, Saudi Arabia, take foreign oil workers hostage in a nearby residential compound, leaving 22 people dead including one AMERICAN.
June 11–19, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: terrorists kidnap and EXECUTE Paul Johnson Jr., an AMERICAN, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. TWO OTHER AMERICANS and BBC cameraman killed by gun attacks.
Dec. 6, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: terrorists storm the U.S. CONSULATE KILLING 5 before being subdued by Saudi security who killed 4 of the militants.
------------------------------------------------------------

Rational my ass! I have no problem with the military personel, who are involved in the coalition's war on terrorism, bombing these bastards that want to destroy the world! We are doing them a favor and sending them to their 72 virgins! Why are you soooo worried about using rationale in killing terrorists? We are talking about an attack lauched by terrorists! We are talkiing about terrorists who attacked your country and mine, along with many other countries! So what is your problem with my wanting our soldiers to bomb them?

One can only rationalize rationalize that if someone gets offended when someone else says bomb terrorists and terrorist strongholds, then that someone who takes offense to that kind of reaction must be a supporter or sympathizer of terrorism.
There's no other explaination.

A United States Navy Vessel was fired upon today, BY TERRORISTS, and you members from other parts of the world decide not to respond to that but instead use this forum to take your shots at America and it's people. So I must conclude that the sentiment by those who made these posts about America feel that we deserve what we get. What a disgrace.

Now I think I've heard it all on here. This one really takes the cake!


Don Cardi

Amazing, how quickly some people will criticize us, the people of the United States of America, yet have no problem with the fact that, as a country, we buy an incredible amount of their exports. That we have wiped the noses and asses of many countries when they are in need of aid. That the generosity and compassion of our people is unsurpassed. That we are the first ones in and, in many cases, the last one out.

Yes, this was a country founded by revolution. We are a young and brash country by most standards, and our people reflect that. However, I don't see many other countries that literally have people DYING to get in. I don't know of any other country that is so attractive that folks from other countries will shove themselves in ship containers under inhumane conditions, stuff themselves in the back of trucks, throw themselves onto the open sea in rowboats, risk being shot at by border patrols, all just for a chance at a life here. I don't know of any other country where anyone can attain fame and/or fortune, as long as they are willing to use the brain and body that God gave them.

So, take your Yee-has and your nasty comments about Americans, and think of all that next time you feel it necessary to take a swipe at the greatest superpower ever.

It was OUR ship that was fired upon. An AMERICAN ship. And if we decide that bombing the culprits is necessary, then I'm sure the pilots will give out a hardy YEEEEE-HAAA when they drop the bombs.

THANK YOU Babe!

Artist: Lee Greenwood
Title: Proud To Be An American

If tomorrow all the things were gone,
I’d worked for all my life.
And I had to start again,
with just my children and my wife.

I’d thank my lucky stars,
to be livin here today.
‘ Cause the flag still stands for freedom,
and they can’t take that away.

And I’m proud to be an American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.

And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘ Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.

From the lakes of Minnesota,
to the hills of Tennessee.
Across the plains of Texas,
From sea to shining sea.

From Detroit down to Houston,
and New York to L.A.
Well there's pride in every American heart,
and its time we stand and say.

That I’m proud to be an American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.

And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘ Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.

And I’m proud to be and American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.

And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘ Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.


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

Don Cardi

How about...No? OK?

I can hardly see any point in arguing with the people on this board. Their heads are so stuck up in their asses that they can hardly see any truth in what they are talking about. It is really sad, that an intelligent foreigner's point of view is completely different to that of the average American, but I find further efforts to prove my point unnecessary.

...

I just re-read that post again, and I feel compelled to write another reply to it. Helping another countries, huh? Taking out rulers when nobody asks you to? How about Noriega in Panama? Why on earth did you take him out? Or Hussein? It seems the Iraquis never asked you to. Or can you honestly say about 51% of the Iraqui population answered, in a poll that they wanted him out? Were they even asked if they wanted him out? No. You Americans have your own notion as to what needs cleanup and change. The world is being made to fit only yourselves and your whims. So, this quote, I think, suits you the most:
"Any country's problem is the United States' problem". Horseshit. You have no right to meddle in some other country's affairs.

About the exports and all of that. It is simply business. You are not doing any country a favour by receiving the exports. I can't believe you really pointed that out as a fact for the defense.

Those people who get in are people who have lost their hopes about their country. Shame on them. Unfortunately, the United States' bullshit is the world's bullshit, so how can you prevent thousands of morons wanting to get in every day? It all depends on the individual, really. And to prove your lack of intelligence regarding the points you chose to be presented, those people are treated harshly and violently while they are either inside the US or trying to get inside, by whom? By the Americans. They endure the worst situations thanks to whom? The Americans. If I were you, I would not have brought that up, because it only shows the cruelty the Americans have towards strangers.

"Take a swipe at the greatest superpower ever"? That is the most arrogant comment I have ever read, and also the most ridiculous. But hey, I guess it's good to be an American! god bless america, right?!

I can't believe this.

Just like in Cuba with Fidel Castro right? Oh wait, they've been delaying their uprising for 45 years... :rolleyes:

Mmm. Agreed. It just goes to show what Rumsfeld said is true:

"Terrorists just want to destroy things they could never create themselves."

Luckily, they were pretty bad at aiming in this case.

I dunno. I mean, Bill Clinton certainly wasn't a practicing Christian, and he won two terms. Even the recent Democratic candidates, including Dean, Kerry, and Gen. Clark, all had a miraculous religious revival before the primaries, and once they were over, all proceeded to blast President Bush as a "religious, right-wing nut.*"

*Howard Dean

Well, the 13 colonies was getting tedious...I mean, we'd be the 50 colonies+Puerto Rico and Guam+US territories if we weren't the United States of America.

Then again, what about United Arab Emirites?

No, if I met you on the street, I'd say...he's Peruvian OR he's South American.

And believe me, it shows.

Debatable.

So how do you suggest we solve the war on terror? Hmm? How do we stop muslim fanatics from blowing themselves (actually, if they want to go in a field and blow only themselves up, that would be fine) and innocent people up?

As if Peru has any way to talk - you can barely control the guerrilas in your country since the 1980's, let alone handle and attack the proportion of 9/11 on your economy.

Actually, considering how dependant you are on the IMF (which, is ironically lead by the Great Satan, The United States), although I must admit you're better off than your neighbor Argentina.

Mmm. Explain to me what a truly honorable and admirable war is, because I'm kind of lost here. All war is ugly, even if the consequences are good for the world.

Well, actually, it started by wanted to remove Saddam Hussien, who was said to have WMD's from multiple intelligence sources (which still stand behind their original findings that he did have them at one point). We did find chemical and bio weapons (which I believe fall under WMD's?) including ricin, aflatoxin, Crimean hemorragic fever, sarin gas, and a few more goodies I can't think of right now...and guess what? Long range missiles. I wonder what he needed all of that for? Maybe to kill a few more thousand more kurds, I guess.

That's like saying we should've sent Jewish inspectors into Auschwitz to see if the Nazi's were really killing Jews. :rolleyes:

Scientists and peacekeepers, yes, I can see them surviving against the insurgency. So you suggest Saddam should've been left in power? BTW - those same scientists and peacekeepers you mentioned were kicked out in '93 by Saddam.

And even the precious UN couldn't do anything about it *surprise*.

HAHA!! Yeah, alleged. We still haven't found out who pull all those people in shallow graves across Tikrit...yeah. And all those Kurds who were gassed...gee, we have no idea.

I tell you what, we'll let Saddam run Peru. Maybe he can do a better job than your current regime. At least he'd keep your women in line (to the rape rooms, of course).

I don't know...who are YOU to judge a nation that is a whole continent away? Especially considering how much aid you receive from us.

Sorry. When American lives are at stake, I think we do.

You're right! I bet the women in the rape rooms just loved it.

As long as we're at it, I'm sure the Chinese appreciated the Japanese coming in '37 to kill, maim, and torture their citizens in the Rape of Nanking. Yep. Nobody told them to stop those Japanese, though.

BTW - more people were killed in the Rape of Nanking than by the two atomic bombs dropped by the United States on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Also, if we have no right to go across 3 continents to go get foreign leaders...should we have just let Hitler go off and kill some more Jews? I mean, we have no right.

:rolleyes:

Yeah. I believe it. With what? The weapons Saddam didn't allow them to have? You mean if they protested the government, they've be shot? What? You mean that the Jews didn't like the Final Solution? What?

ROTFLMAO.

Mmm, yeah. Right. Those Jews really kicked the shit out of Hitler.

I agree! CNN is horribly liberal biased, it is absolute garbage (except for Headline News which can be impartial at some points).

*Applause for the lady in the front row*

Self-reflection? Or self-effacing? I can't decide which.

Ah. I think it was the former.

Yeah. We'll see how well Peru does without all the IMF aid, and without the US importing it's stuff. Let's see you compete on the world market place. Considering you produce the same exports as any number of other practically nameless latin American countries, you're easily replaceable.

How would you know? To me, it sounds like you've never stepped foot outside of your front door, let alone outside your country.

BTW - I love how every single person who leaves to immigrate to America is a moron. Let's send all those slavs back, because dammit, they gave up on Milosevic...his soldiers raped my daughter and killed my wife, but we can't give up! He's not such a bad guy. I guess I could get used to this ethnic cleansing!

Somehow, I am not at all surprised.