WHO WILL REBUILD UKRAINE?
The West should convert frozen Russian assets, both state's and oligarchs' owned, into a full seizure and set them aside for the future rebuilding of Ukraine. Like the Marshal Plan, call it the Putin Plan.
A HERO IS BORN.
I am staying put. I will not run away and abandon my people. The fight is here in Ukraine. What I need are weapons and ammunitions, not a ride out of town like former Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani - President Volodymyr Zelensky.
IT IS WHAT IT IS.
"There is too much hate in America because there is too much anger in America." - Trevor Noah.
WORD!
A life without challenges is not a life lived at all. A life lived is a life that has problems, confronts problems, solves problems and then learns from problems. - Tunde Fashola.
NOW, YOU KNOW.
When fishing for love, bait with your heart and not your brain, because you cannot rationalize love. - Mark Twain.
JUST THE FACT.
In our country, you can shoot and kill a nigger, but you better not hurt a gay person’s feelings - Dave Chappelle
DO YOU?.
“What you believe in can only be defined by what you’re willing to risk for it." - Stuart Scheller.
HEDGE YOUR CRISIS.
Never get in bed with a woman whose problems are worse than yours. - Chicago PD.
OUR SHARED HUMANITY.
Empathy is at the heart of who we are as human beings. - Cardinal Matthew Kukah.
#MeToo MOVEMENT: A BAD NEWS GONE CRAZY.
"To all the women who testified, we may have different truth, but I have a great remorse for all of you. I have great remorse for all of the men and women going through this crisis right now in our country. You know, the movement started basically with me, and I think what happened, you know, I was the first example, and now there are thousands of men who are being accused and a regeneration of things that I think none of us understood. I’m not going to say these aren’t great people. I had wonderful times with these people. I’m just genuinely confused. Men are confused about this issue. We are going through this #MeToo movement crisis right now in this country." - Harvey Weinstein.
RON DELLUMS: UNAPOLOGETICALLY RADICAL.

"If it’s radical to oppose the insanity and cruelty of the Vietnam War, if it’s radical to oppose racism and sexism and all other forms of oppression, if it’s radical to want to alleviate poverty, hunger, disease, homelessness, and other forms of human misery, then I’m proud to be called a radical.” - Ron Vernie Dellums.
FBI director outraged by Lockerbie bomber release
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Delicious Digg Facebook Fark Newsvine Reddit StumbleUpon Technorati Twitter Yahoo! Bookmarks Print Featured Topics: Barack Obama AP – In this photo taken Thursday, Aug. 20, 2009, Libyan Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, who was found guilty of the …
Play Video Terrorism Video:Maliki vows to fight terrorism Reuters Play Video Terrorism Video:Ridge Changes Tune On Terror Alert Levels KDKA Pittsburgh Play Video Terrorism Video:USS Scranton returns to Norfolk 13 News, WVEC Hampton Roads By DEVLIN BARRETT, Associated Press Writer Devlin Barrett, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 13 mins ago
WASHINGTON – FBI Director Robert Mueller sharply criticized Scotland's justice minister for releasing the Lockerbie bomber, an act that "gives comfort to terrorists" all over the world.
Mueller sent a letter to Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill, who cited compassionate grounds in his decision to let Abdel Baset al-Megrahi return to Libya because he has prostate cancer and was given only months to live by British doctors.
The angry tone of the letter is out of character with the normally reserved Mueller, indicating his outrage is personal as well as professional. He also sent copies to the families of the Lockerbie victims.
"I have made it a practice not to comment on the actions of other prosecutors," Mueller wrote. "Your decision to release Megrahi causes me to abandon that practice in this case. I do so because I am familiar with the facts, and the law. ... And I do so because I am outraged at your decision, blithely defended on the grounds of 'compassion.'"
Before he became FBI director, Mueller spent years as a Justice Department lawyer leading the investigation into the 1988 airplane bombing that killed 270 people, most of them Americans.
Mueller said Thursday's release was "as inexplicable as it is detrimental to the cause of justice. Indeed your action makes a mockery of the rule of law."
His letter was dated Friday, and was made public Saturday.
Releasing the convicted bomber "gives comfort to terrorists around the world who now believe that regardless of the quality of the investigation ... the terrorist will be freed by one man's exercise of 'compassion.'"
A statement from Scotland's government on Saturday noted Mueller has "strong views" because of his involvement in the case. "But he should also be aware that while many families have opposed Mr. MacAskill's decision, many others have supported it," the statement said.
Bert Ammerman of River Vale, N.J., who lost his brother Tom Ammerman in the bombing, praised Mueller for the "frankness and honesty" in his condemnation of the release.
Mueller recounted his own emotional experiences leading the investigation — seeing a teenage victim's single sneaker, a Syracuse University sweatshirt, toys in the suitcase of a businessman heading home to see his wife and children for Christmas.
"Your action," he wrote MacAskill, "makes a mockery of the grief of the families who lost their own on December 21, 1988. You could not have spent much time with the families, certainly not as much time as others involved in the investigation and prosecution."
He ended the Lockerbie letter with a frustrated question: "Where, I ask, is the justice?"
President Barack Obama on Friday called the elaborate homecoming in Libya for the freed bomber "highly objectionable."
Ministers defend Megrahi release
ReplyDeleteMegrahi is the only person convicted over the Lockerbie bombing
The Scottish government has defended its decision to release the Lockerbie bomber, amid mounting criticism on both sides of the Atlantic.
It follows an attack by the head of the FBI, who said freeing Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi made a "mockery of justice".
And Scotland's former first minister Jack McConnell said it was a "grave error of judgment".
Meanwhile, Libya has rowed back on suggestions that Megrahi's repatriation was part of a trade deal with Britain.
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi, reportedly told a TV station that Megrahi's case was "always on the negotiating table" during trade talks, but his spokesman said the comments had been taken out of context.
Business Secretary Lord Mandelson dismissed suggestions of a deal as "offensive".
Your action gives comfort to terrorists around the world
Robert Mueller
FBI boss attacks Megrahi release
'No business deal' over Megrahi
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Megrahi, who has terminal cancer, was freed by the Scottish Government on compassionate grounds on Thursday.
The Scottish Government said last night the Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill had reached his conclusions on the basis of Scotland's "due process, clear evidence, and the recommendations from the parole board and prison governor".
The comments came in response to a letter from Robert Mueller, chief of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, who said the action made a "mockery of the rule of law" and "gave comfort to terrorists".
Mr Mueller is a former prosecutor who played a key role in investigating the 1988 Lockerbie bombing which killed 270 people.
In his letter to Mr MacAskill, he said: "Your action in releasing Megrahi is as inexplicable as it is detrimental to the cause of justice."
Opposition pressure
But in its statement, the Scottish government said: "The US authorities indicated although they were opposed to both prisoner transfer and compassionate release, they made it clear they regarded compassionate release as far preferable to the transfer agreement, and Mr Mueller should be aware of that.
"Mr Mueller was involved in the Lockerbie case, and therefore has strong views, but he should also be aware that while many families have opposed Mr MacAskill's decision many others have supported it."
Megrahi received a hero's welcome in Libya
Mr MacAskill will face questions from his peers when the Scottish Parliament is recalled a week early on Monday.
Labour's Jack McConnell, who preceded the SNP's Alex Salmond, said it was up to the Scottish Parliament to take action to repair some of the "damage" caused by Megrahi's release.
"The way in which the decision has been made and the decision itself have damaged the reputation of the Scottish justice system," he told the BBC.
"It's damaged that reputation, but much more significantly it's also damaged the reputation of Scotland internationally."
Megrahi flew back to jubilant scenes and senior figures have continued to visit the 57-year-old at his home in Tripoli.
On Saturday, Libyan TV showed pictures of Col Gaddafi meeting Megrahi and praising "my friend" Gordon Brown and the British government for their part in securing his freedom.
Shadow foreign secretary William Hague said the British government "urgently needs to clarify the approach that it took" to negotiations with Libya.
The prime minister has yet to make a public comment following the Libyan's release, with senior ministers stressing it was a matter for the devolved Scottish government alone.
Scotland's government defended itself Sunday against unrelenting criticism from the U.S. over the decision to free the Pan Am Flight 103 bomber on compassionate grounds.
ReplyDeleteHis release was met with outrage by families of the U.S. victims of the bombing and criticized by President Barack Obama as "highly objectionable."
FBI director Robert Mueller said in a letter to Scotland's government that al-Megrahi's release would give comfort to terrorists all over the world. Speaking Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union," Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that releasing the bomber was "obviously a political decision."
But Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond told BBC Radio that it was wrong to assume that all those affected by the bombing were opposed to al-Megrahi's release.
"I understand the huge and strongly held views of the American families, but that's not all the families who were affected by Lockerbie," Salmond said. "As you're well aware, a number of the families, particularly in the U.K., take a different view and think that we made the right decision."
British lawmakers expressed concern about a possible souring of relations between the London and Washington over the issue. "I hope that there is no fallout from this for Scotland, and I hope that there is no fallout from this for the U.K. in terms of our relationship with the U.S., which is a key relationship for us," British employment minister Jim Knight told Sky News television.
Britain and the U.S. have criticized the lavish reception al-Megrahi received Thursday, when a flag-waving crowd of hundreds greeted him at Tripoli's airport. Britain is reconsidering a planned visit to Libya by Prince Andrew, a British trade envoy, in response.
"This is a real setback for the anti-terrorist cause and takes our relations with Libya back to where they were for too long, a bad place," U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, a Connecticut Independent, told CNN.
Al-Megrahi has maintained his innocence, but last week dropped his appeal so that he could be released on compassionate grounds.
The British and Scottish governments have denied that they struck a deal with Libya to free the Lockerbie bomber in return for greater access to the country's oil and gas.
Libyan officials have claimed al-Megrahi's fate had formed part of trade talks in recent years, while the country's leader Moammar Gadhafi on Friday thanked British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Queen Elizabeth II for "encouraging the Scottish government" to take their decision — a claim denied by both Downing Street and Buckingham Palace.
Lieberman said allegations al-Megrahi's fate was tied to British oil interests were shocking, and urged Brown to authorize an inquiry into the circumstances of the release.
"I don't want to believe that they are true, but they are hanging so heavily in the air that I hope that our friends in Britain will convene an independent investigation of this action by the Scottish justice minister to release a mass murderer," he told CNN.
Brown's office insists that the government in London does not meddle in the work of Scotland's administration — which has wide powers over domestic issues, but has no say in areas such as defense or foreign affairs.
"No one I think seriously believes we made any other decision except for the right reasons," Salmond said. "I think it was the right decision. I also absolutely know it was for the right reasons."
He said al-Megrahi's release was consistent with Scotland's legal system, which allows for the release of prison inmates who are terminally ill.
At the heart of the brouhaha are questions over whether Britain decided to release Megrahi in order to gain favorable treatment from Gaddafi on multibillion-dollar energy and defense contracts. London says there was no deal - and that the decision to release the convicted terrorist was made by Scottish authorities on compassionate grounds because Megrahi, the only person jailed for the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jet in which 270 people died, has terminal cancer. But a British businessman with close ties to Libya says that while there may not have been a clearly defined backroom deal between British and Libyan officials, London knew that Libya was likely to retaliate if Megrahi died in jail. "Had he died in prison contracts might have been suspended," said the businessman, who did not want his name used because he does not want to jeopardize his ties with the North African nation.
ReplyDeleteScottish parliamentarians hurried home from their vacations on Monday, in order to question Scottish Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill about whether British officials were involved in the decision to free Megrahi. MacAskill insists he alone made the decision. Megrahi has just a few months left to live, according to medical reports cited by MacAskill. That hasn't stopped Libyan officials from making plans to have the Libyan man as the "main guest" at Gaddafi's splashy celebrations on Sept. 1 to mark the 40th anniversary of the leader's bloodless coup.
Gaddafi's son Seif al-Islam - who has no government position now but is a possible successor to his father - told Megrahi on the plane home from Scotland that "you were on the table in all commercial, oil and gas agreements that we supervised in that period," according to the transcript of their conversation aboard the flight shown to Britain's Sunday Telegraph. Britain's Business Secretary, Peter Mandelson, has confirmed that Megrahi's status was mentioned when he met twice with Seif during the past few months, once during Seif's blowout 37th birthday party in a resort in Montenegro in June, and again in early August on the Greek island of Corfu, where the men were both vacationing. But Mandelson says he told Seif that Megrahi's release was for Scotland to decide.
In an attempt to shield the British government from the scandal the office of Prime Minister Gordon Brown released a letter the British leader had written on Thursday to Gaddafi urging to "act with sensitivity" on Megrahi's arrival. By contrast, Megrahi was given a hero's welcome at Tripoli airport by hundreds of ecstatic Libyans - normally barred from holding mass demonstrations - and on Friday embraced Gaddafi in the leader's tent. Those scenes ignited fury in Washington, with White House spokesman Robert Gibbs calling Megrahi's reception "disgusting." FBI Director Robert Mueller wrote to MacAskill on Saturday that his decision to free Megrahi had been "a mockery of the rule of law."
European leaders and the U.S. need that "interesting man" as their political ally, too. Officials in Switzerland on Friday apologized to Gaddafi for "the unjust arrest" of one of his seven sons, Hannibal, and his wife, in June last year, for allegedly beating their servants in a Geneva hotel. Gaddafi had retaliated by blocking its oil exports to Switzerland and withdrawing about $6 billion from Swiss banks.
Both U.S. and European officials are keen to limit Gaddafi's ties to Russia, which is negotiating with Libya to establish a military base there. And E.U. countries also badly need Gaddafi's cooperation in tightening the flow of illegal migrants, many of whom cross the Mediterranean from launching points on the Libyan coast. Compared with all that, the freedom of Megrahi might have been a concession some could live with.
Go to http://www.freewebs.com/fbiblog/
ReplyDelete'FBI CHIEF TERRORIST'
Read paragraph 2).
Straw admits Lockerbie trade link
ReplyDeleteJustice Secretary Jack Straw says trade with Libya was considered
Trade and oil played a part in the decision to include the Lockerbie bomber in a prisoner transfer deal, Jack Straw has admitted.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, the UK justice secretary said trade was "a very big part" of the 2007 talks that led to the prisoner deal with Libya.
However, Mr Straw's spokesman accused the press of "outrageous" innuendo.
Scotland's Justice Secretary granted Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi compassionate release because he was terminally ill.
£550m oil deal
The 57-year-old was serving life in Greenock prison for the 1988 bombing of PanAm flight 103 over Lockerbie, which killed 270 people.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Gordon Brown insisted there was "no conspiracy, no cover-up, no double dealing, no deal on oil" over his release.
But officials admit the prisoner transfer agreement (PTA) was part of a wider set of negotiations aimed at bringing Libya in from the international cold, and improving British trade prospects with the country.
"Libya was a rogue state," Mr Straw told the paper.
"We wanted to bring it back into the fold.
Ms Sturgeon said the Scottish Government was right to reject the "tainted" PTA
"And yes, that included trade because trade is an essential part of it and subsequently there was the BP deal."
Mr Straw said Mr Brown was not involved in the decision to press ahead with the PTA, saying: "I certainly didn't talk to the PM. There is no paper trail to suggest he was involved at all."
Documents released by the UK Government show Mr Straw had originally tried to ensure that Megrahi was exempted from any prisoner deal with Libya, but in December 2007 he changed his mind.
In January 2008, just weeks after the PTA was sealed, Libya ratified a £550m oil deal with BP.
A spokesman for Mr Straw said the minister had always made clear that wider considerations such as trade played a part in the negotiation of the PTA.
He added: "Jack's position has been on the record for some days.
"He has never denied that seeking an agreement with Libya over a Prisoner Transfer Agreement was connected to a wider process of normalising relations with Libya, including on trade, which is in the interests of us all.
"The level of innuendo over this issue in the newspapers is absurd and offensive. It's outrageous and far from the truth."
Megrahi's welcome home in Libya angered many in the US and UK
Deputy First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon said: "All this discussion about the prisoner transfer agreement is academic because al-Megrahi wasn't released under the prisoner transfer agreement.
"Having said that, Jack Straw's comments do tend to support the view that the Scottish Government always took which was that the prisoner transfer agreement was tainted and compromised by trade discussions."
The Scottish National Party MSP added: "That's why I think we were right to both oppose that agreement, but also to reject the application of the Libyan Government to have al-Megrahi released under it."
Conservative foreign affairs spokesman David Lidington said: "It's very hard to square what Jack Straw says today with Gordon Brown's repeated denials of any kind of deal.
"That's why we need an independent inquiry to get to the truth."
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