Cite, please? I’ve never heard anything remotely close to this statement, so I’d fine it interesting to see some evidence.
…and I’d also find it interesting.
Welcome to The Straight Dope, by the way!
Okay, straight from the link you gave:
“IF HE EVER DID MAKE SUCH A REQUEST - WE WOULD THINK OF STOPPING…BEFCAUSE AFTER ALL HE IS OUR PRESIDENT AND HE IS OUR LEADER.”
That doesn’t say she would obey him, which to me would imply that there was at least a possibility he was directly responsible. She said she would think of stopping, which due to her obvious (in other portions of the interview) reverance toward him is understandable, but implies that she doesn’t take orders from him.
If my boss tells me to stop doing something, I stop. If someone I admire tells me to stop doing something, I’ll look more critically at what I’m doing, then make a decision.
You know, suicide bombing isn’t just an individual effort, guys. We keep saying that Arafat can’t control what people choose to do, but he CAN control the infrastructure they use to do it.
A suicide bomber needs an explosive belt, which needs to be manufactured. Which means the explosives need to be smuggled into the country. One the bomber has the belt, he or she has to be trained in how to use it, given intelligence on how to avoid checkpoints, provided with means to smuggle the weapon into Israel, etc.
There is a very large infrastructure behind the suicide bombers. There are accountants, purchasing officers, soldiers, bomb-makers, police officers, and at the very top of the whole thing, Yasser Arafat.
Wake up and see what’s going on. We’re focusing on whether or not he’ll SAY something, while ignoring the fact that he’s actively taking part in the bombing.
Maybe we should just ask Osama Bin Laden to come out and denounce terrorism, and then we can all make nice and play together.
Sam is correct that suicide killing is backed by an institutional infrastructure. (And he forgot to mention the existence of $10 - 25,000 cash payments to the deceased’s family.)
Let me add a clarification, though. Not all suicide killers are part of Arafat’s command structure. In addition to the PLO-affiliated Al Aksa Martyrs Brigade, there is also Hamas. (Less significant, there is also the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Islamic Jihad).
All I known is, once Israel had the Palestinians locked down, hey! After endless sucide bomb attacks, they ended!
As soon as Israel pulled out- BOOM!!! They started again.
Enough of the politically correct diatribes. The Palestinians, while they have some true grievances, have chosen a poor method of furthering their cause. It is hypocritcal of the US to ask Israel to renounce its War on Terror when we are engaging in one ourselves.
Want to make friends with the Arab World? How about the “with us or against us statemnet” W? Very simple. Saudi Arabia- don’t like Israel rounding up Palestinians? Too f’n bad.
What nukes do YOU have? That is what I thought- ZERO. And hey, we have plenty of oil under this caribou herd, you desert wandering FUCKS.
I’m so sick and tired of cowtowing to the Muslim world. If most of these Muslim leaders had their druthers, they would love the to see the U.S. completely eradicated, I don’t care WHAT their religion says.
When are we going to realize it is us against THEM???
:mad:
Vinnie, what about the two this week, while Israel are still engaging in the offensive?
You want to fight all the Muslims? Fine, just leave me out.
Vinnie,
Got any evidence to back yourself up, particularly with regards to Muslim leaders “love to see the U.S. completely eradicated,” or did you just pull such bigoted crap out of your appendix?