Peace Activists face death unless the U.S. meets demands

[win_in_06]

It's been a while since we've had one of these gruesome beheadings. I hope we can get these people out alive.

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/12/02/D8E8B85G1.html


"Al-Jazeera television broadcast a videotape Friday in which kidnappers of four Christian peace activists threatened to kill their hostages unless all prisoners in U.S. and Iraqi detention centers are released. The kidnappers gave the two governments until Dec. 8 to meet their demands"

[Ian David]

1. How sure are we they're being held by Iraqis and not U.S. or British?

Remember those Brits who were arrested "working under-cover" driving a car packed with explosives?

Could this be a "false flag" operation designed to intimidate peace activists?

[win_in_06]

2. It could be. I hope they wouldn't go so far as to behead them.

[FtWayneBlue]

3. This appears to be legit. I know a local CPT activist, Cliff, and

he is the real deal. He rode a bicycle for many miles (35-40?) from his home to set up a sattelite Camp Casey here in Ft. Wayne for a couple of weeks. It was fairly well supported while he was here, but no one stepped up to the plate to keep it open when he had to leave. I got the following e-mail today from his organization:

From: "Doug Pritchard, Toronto ON"
<[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, December 01, 2005 4:54 PM
Subject: CHICAGO/TORONTO - A request for statements of
support


CPTNet
CHICAGO/TORONTO - A request for statements of support
December 1, 2005
As you probably know, four of our colleagues, Harmeet,
Jim, Norman and Tom, are missing in Baghdad, Iraq. We
want their safe return home. Their families are very
worried about them. We do not know with whom they are
staying, but there appears to have been a
misunderstanding. They are peacemakers, not spies. CPT
has consistently opposed the war and the continuing
presence of multinational forces in Iraq.

If you, or your organization, could issue a statement
which underlines the firm commitment to peacemaking by
CPT and its personnel, it would be very helpful at
this critical juncture. You might wish to incorporate
the comments made in the previous paragraph. You might
also wish to
affirm the work of CPT as you understand it. We seek
to reduce violence and to advocate on behalf of the
human rights of all Iraqis. We do so in all of our
other current projects as well--in Colombia,
Palestine, Canada, and the Mexico/USA Borderland. We
work for peace in Iraq and for an end to the
Occupation of Iraq.

Please word your statement in such a way that it
appeals to the humanity of the current hosts of our
loved ones and avoids any negative stereotyping. If
you feel like you need more information, or want to
check the exact wording of your statement with us, you
may call Jo Roberts at [phone] between noon
and 8 pm EST.

If you have connections in the Middle East, it would
be particularly helpful for you to translate your
letter into Arabic and distribute it to your contacts
and media in the Middle East.

It would also be helpful to distribute it to your
contacts and media in your own region. For those of
you who live in countries which are a part of the
Occupation of Iraq, especially the USA and the UK,
this is also an opportunity to advocate for an end to
the Occupation.

We would appreciate receiving a copy of your
statement at Together we can end the scourge of war
and violence.

Doug Pritchard and Carol Rose
Co-Directors
Christian Peacemaker Teams

[Zodiak]

7. I have no doubt the activists are real

it is the kidnappers we are talkng about, and yes, I remember the stories where the Brits were caught in a false flag operation. I believe the sitation was resolved by an American military break-in on a sovereign Iraqi prison.

I also agree that there have been no beheadings since before the election. Funny that.

Lastly, the kidnapping elements in Iraq have a history of letting peaceful people (chiefly, people from peaceful countries) go. If these Christian acivists are beheaded, then it would certainly not be consistent with what we have seen in the past.

Interpret that as you like, but I never really believed that fat, bejewelled "terrorists" (from the films) are entirely responsible for beheadings in Iraq that seem to be consistent with timing that favors Bush's agenda. Horrible kidnappings occur in Iraq every day, but they are not high-profile. The high-profile ones seem rather suspect, in my opinion, much like the fortuitous (for Bush) Bin Laden tapes from before the election.

You can get away with a lot in a country of planned-chaos.

[gratuitous]

9. Hmmm

Not Cliff Kindy, by any chance? He is, as you say, the real deal.

Thanks for posting this. I'll try to get our local Church of the Brethren congregation to do a statement in support of the hostage CPTers, even though I don't think anyone knows the hostages personally, we're quite active in and familiar with a lot of their work.

[KansDem]

4. If I remember correctly, there were several beheadings last summer...

...leading up to the November election, then Bush won and-- *poof* --no more beheadings.

Now we are bracing for another one after more than a year, when Bush's poll numbers are at their lowest. Makes me wonder who's really behind this.

[win_in_06]

5. Are you saying if we pull off one of those black masks we could see...

one of Karl's Kronies?

[KansDem]

6. Nothing surprises me anymore...(eom)

[Yupster]

10. Three young girls were beheaded

about a month ago in Indonesia.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4387604.stm

and on edit a 60 year old Buddhist was beheaded about three weeks ago in Thailand

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37995-2004Nov9.html

[maxsolomon]

8. put down the tin foil

these are real activists, the kidnappers are not british troops, and they're going to really be beheaded.

how do i know? how do YOU know?

[Ian David]

11. Media says the kidnappers suspect these guys are spies...

Could this be because we have spies using "Christian peace activist" as their cover?

[maxsolomon]

12. you give credence to the kidnapper's suspicions?

look, islam is one seriously fucked up religion. before you all freak, i feel the exact same way about judaism & christianity. what is essentially the SAME DAMN RELIGION (i.e. worship of a god alternately named yahweh, jehovah, god, or allah) is seen as 3 utterly opposed, competing, incompatable faiths.

muslims are notoriously intolerant of jews or christians, and in the middle of an INVASION, they are logically less so. these "christian peace activists" could be mother teresa crossed with ghandi & it wouldn't matter: NEITHER SIDE IS LISTENING. they are going to be killed, like any other innocent westerners who insist on putting themselves in harms' way in iraq.

bush was right: this is a crusade. another pointless, stupid fucking crusade against islam. walking jesus' walk will not stop this war. only our inevitable retreat will stop it. and its going to take 100's of years to repair the damage.

[win_in_06]

13. But when is the last time you saw a fundie sawing someone's head off?

[maxsolomon]

14. not the point, but a fundie president launched this war, no?

my point is that it is entirely plausable & in fact, more likely, that these peace workers have been kidnapped by jihadis & not british troops pretending to be jihadis.

beheadings on video are a TACTIC. the intent is to horrify us & demonstrate the will to escalate brutality to a point we are unwilling to match. from their point of view, white phosphorus is a pretty horrifyingly brutal tactic, and they are justified in responding. tit for tat, an eye for an eye. if they behead these people, bush will feel that much more justified in using any weapon our tax dollars have been cooking up.

i would imagine that during the 1st, 2nd, & 3rd crusades many fundies did indeed saw someones' head off. if muslims invaded america, you bet your ass they'd do it again.

[Ian David]

16. No, I'm just asking if we give people reason to suspect peace activists...

There are laws against spies posing as journalists because we want journalists to be able to operate without fear of being suspected of spying.

There are laws against police and government agents posing as firemen, because we want firemen to be able to enter buildings without fear of being shot be people who think they are undercover cops.

I am just wondering if we need a law that says spies can't pose as peace activists, because we don't want peace activists to be accused of being spies.

[maxsolomon]

17. laws don't stop spies

that's the whole idea

[catmother]

15. i hope they let them go, but on the other hand you're taking a big

chance with your life if you go into a country like that and preach christianity.

[win_in_06]

18. Ironically they wanted to end the occupation. Just like their captors.

[Ian David]

19. The guys were from Quaker's Friends. Not the most evangelical

They're pretty liberal and easy-going if I remember correctly.

[IChing]

20. Please sign this petition at this link.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2291976

[Ian David]

21. Done! n/t