Berlusconi caves to terror (?)

Post #176,988 by marlowe 9/29/04 11:54:04 AM 9/29/04 3:09:31 PM Reply	Berlusconi caves to terror (?) [link\|http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/09/29/wirq29.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/09/29/ixnewstop.html\|Always the wrong move] Excerpt: Newspapers in Kuwait, where negotiators were based, reported that the kidnappers had demanded, and received, $1 million for the release of the two Simonas, volunteers who worked for the charity A Bridge to Baghdad on school and water projects. Asked if a ransom had been paid, a member of Mr Berlusconi's office skirted the issue but said: "When you're talking about hostages, there are no two cases alike. "You can't compare how the Italian government reacts to how the British Government does." Mr Berlusconi told parliament that the secret services had located their whereabouts earlier this week, but rather than risk violence, the Italian government had preferred to negotiate. I say: It doesn't work that way. Berlusconi has rewarded hostage taking, and thus encouraged it. Now there will be more of it. Plus, he's funded future terrorist activities. Inexcusable. The memory of [link\|http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/04/16/1081998300849.html?oneclick=true\|Fabrizio Quattrocchi] has been betrayed. [link\|http://fnmarlowe-politics-world.blogspot.com/2004/09/berlusconi-caves-to-terror.html\|Comment on Blogger] [link\|http://www.angelfire.com/ca3/marlowe/politics.world.html#20040929\|Angelfire link] (turn off Javascript to avoid popups) UPDATE: [link\|http://www.news24.com/News24/World/Iraq/0,,2-10-1460_1596669,00.html\|Berlusconi denies he paid a ransom.] But what was there to negotiate, then? ---------------------------------------------------------------- I will not rate. Lucy Ramirez please pick up the white courtesy phone. Kerry is a liar and he doesn't tolerate fights from others. "All the news you wish would go away" [link\|http://www.angelfire.com/ca3/marlowe/index.html\|http://www.angelfire...arlowe/index.html] Edited by marlowe Sept. 29, 2004, 03:05:22 PM EDT Edited by marlowe Sept. 29, 2004, 03:09:31 PM EDT Expand All History
Post #177,028 by Simon_Jester 9/29/04 3:10:33 PM Reply	For Marlowe... Berlusconi has rewarded hostage taking, and thus encouraged it. Now there will be more of it. Plus, he's funded future terrorist activities. Inexcusable. the ends only justify the means if you're a Republican.
Post #177,056 by daemon 9/29/04 6:36:49 PM Reply	Re: Berlusconi caves to terror (?) Well if the red army faction took hostages in Italy, you would not negotiate, if the mafia takes a hostage, you negotiate and pay. Likely something similar here. regards, daemon
Post #177,079 by deSitter 9/29/04 9:57:11 PM Reply	God almighty do you suck -drl
Post #177,120 by warmachine 9/30/04 6:42:38 AM Reply	He has a point I despise Marlowe's opinions as well but he has a point: handing over money is the wrong tactic. Criminal and terrorist gangs will be seeing this as a better source of extortion than just kidnapping native Iraqis. It is necessary to negotiate with terrorists but not to cave in so quickly. Instead, for terrorists, the perception should be that legitimate grievances were addressed, they are less active as a result and certainly not that someone's profiting. For criminals, they can only be found and arrested. In both cases, this is a long and difficult process and there are going to be casualties. Invading Iraq was the wrong idea in the first place but now that we're there, we have to see it through to the bitter end, then get out. If we pull out now, the Iraqi police won't be ready and we'll get another Afghanistan. Matthew Greet But we must kill them. We must incinerate them. Pig after pig, cow after cow, village after village, army after army. And they call me an assassin. What do you call it when the assassins accuse the assassin? They lie. They lie and we must be merciful to those who lie. - Colonol Kurtz, Apocalypse Now.
Post #177,145 by Simon_Jester 9/30/04 9:22:55 AM Reply	Of course he has a point which is why I made the statement I did. If you claim that you can't hand money over to terrorists/kidnappers, then how can you defend Ronald Reagan (et al) on Iran/Contra? The heart of that matter was business dealing with Iran to finance operations for the Contras. No problem, except for the minor difficulty that Iran had taken a small number of Americans hostage.
Post #177,353 by marlowe 10/1/04 1:21:45 PM Reply	Who's defending Reagan on that? Not me. So what are you trying to excuse? ---------------------------------------------------------------- I will not rate. Lucy Ramirez please pick up the white courtesy phone. Kerry is a liar and he doesn't tolerate fights from others. "All the news you wish would go away" [link\|http://www.angelfire.com/ca3/marlowe/index.html\|http://www.angelfire...arlowe/index.html]
Post #177,367 by lincoln 10/1/04 2:40:48 PM Reply	You're not blindly supporting a Republican? man, am I ever glad that I was sitting down when I read THAT! lincoln "Windows XP has so many holes in its security that any reasonable user will conclude it was designed by the same German officer who created the prison compound in "Hogan's Heroes." - Andy Ihnatko, Chicago Sun-Times [link\|mailto:bconnors@ev1.net\|contact me]

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