sundevil777

From today's Wall Street Journal.... http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB106419296113226300,00.html COMMENTARY The KGB's Man By ION MIHAI PACEPA (Mr. Pacepa was the highest ranking intelligence officer ever to have defected from the former Soviet bloc. The author of "Red Horizons" (Regnery, 1987), he is finishing a book on the origins of current anti-Americanism._ The Israeli government has vowed to expel Yasser Arafat, calling him an "obstacle" to peace. But the 72-year-old Palestinian leader is much more than that; he is a career terrorist, trained, armed and bankrolled by the Soviet Union and its satellites for decades. Before I defected to America from Romania, leaving my post as chief of Romanian intelligence, I was responsible for giving Arafat about $200,000 in laundered cash every month throughout the 1970s. I also sent two cargo planes to Beirut a week, stuffed with uniforms and supplies. Other Soviet bloc states did much the same. Terrorism has been extremely profitable for Arafat. According to Forbes magazine, he is today the sixth wealthiest among the world's "kings, queens & despots," with more than $300 million stashed in Swiss bank accounts. * * * "I invented the hijackings [of passenger planes]," Arafat bragged when I first met him at his PLO headquarters in Beirut in the early 1970s. He gestured toward the little red flags pinned on a wall map of the world that labeled Israel as "Palestine." "There they all are!" he told me, proudly. The dubious honor of inventing hijacking actually goes to the KGB, which first hijacked a U.S. passenger plane in 1960 to Communist Cuba. Arafat's innovation was the suicide bomber, a terror concept that would come to full flower on 9/11. In 1972, the Kremlin put Arafat and his terror networks high on all Soviet bloc intelligence services' priority list, including mine. Bucharest's role was to ingratiate him with the White House. We were the bloc experts at this. We'd already had great success in making Washington -- as well as most of the fashionable left-leaning American academics of the day -- believe that Nicolae Ceausescu was, like Josip Broz Tito, an "independent" Communist with a "moderate" streak. KGB chairman Yuri Andropov in February 1972 laughed to me about the Yankee gullibility for celebrities. We'd outgrown Stalinist cults of personality, but those crazy Americans were still naïve enough to revere national leaders. We would make Arafat into just such a figurehead and gradually move the PLO closer to power and statehood. Andropov thought that Vietnam-weary Americans would snatch at the smallest sign of conciliation to promote Arafat from terrorist to statesman in their hopes for peace. Right after that meeting, I was given the KGB's "personal file" on Arafat. He was an Egyptian bourgeois turned into a devoted Marxist by KGB foreign intelligence. The KGB had trained him at its Balashikha special-ops school east of Moscow and in the mid-1960s decided to groom him as the future PLO leader. First, the KGB destroyed the official records of Arafat's birth in Cairo, replacing them with fictitious documents saying that he had been born in Jerusalem and was therefore a Palestinian by birth. The KGB's disinformation department then went to work on Arafat's four-page tract called "Falastinuna" (Our Palestine), turning it into a 48-page monthly magazine for the Palestinian terrorist organization al-Fatah. Arafat had headed al-Fatah since 1957. The KGB distributed it throughout the Arab world and in West Germany, which in those days played host to many Palestinian students. The KGB was adept at magazine publication and distribution; it had many similar periodicals in various languages for its front organizations in Western Europe, like the World Peace Council and the World Federation of Trade Unions. Next, the KGB gave Arafat an ideology and an image, just as it did for loyal Communists in our international front organizations. High-minded idealism held no mass-appeal in the Arab world, so the KGB remolded Arafat as a rabid anti-Zionist. They also selected a "personal hero" for him -- the Grand Mufti Haj Amin al-Husseini, the man who visited Auschwitz in the late 1930s and reproached the Germans for not having killed even more Jews. In 1985 Arafat paid homage to the mufti, saying he was "proud no end" to be walking in his footsteps. Arafat was an important undercover operative for the KGB. Right after the 1967 Six Day Arab-Israeli war, Moscow got him appointed to chairman of the PLO. Egyptian ruler Gamal Abdel Nasser, a Soviet puppet, proposed the appointment. In 1969 the KGB asked Arafat to declare war on American "imperial-Zionism" during the first summit of the Black Terrorist International, a neo-Fascist pro-Palestine organization financed by the KGB and Libya's Moammar Gadhafi. It appealed to him so much, Arafat later claimed to have invented the imperial-Zionist battle cry. But in fact, "imperial-Zionism" was a Moscow invention, a modern adaptation of the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion," and long a favorite tool of Russian intelligence to foment ethnic hatred. The KGB always regarded anti-Semitism plus anti-imperialism as a rich source of anti-Americanism. The KGB file on Arafat also said that in the Arab world only people who were truly good at deception could achieve high status. We Romanians were directed to help Arafat improve "his extraordinary talent for deceiving." The KGB chief of foreign intelligence, General Aleksandr Sakharovsky, ordered us to provide cover for Arafat's terror operations, while at the same time building up his international image. "Arafat is a brilliant stage manager," his letter concluded, "and we should put him to good use." In March 1978 I secretly brought Arafat to Bucharest for final instructions on how to behave in Washington. "You simply have to keep on pretending that you'll break with terrorism and that you'll recognize Israel -- over, and over, and over," Ceausescu told him for the umpteenth time. Ceausescu was euphoric over the prospect that both Arafat and he might be able to snag a Nobel Peace Prize with their fake displays of the olive branch. In April 1978 I accompanied Ceausescu to Washington, where he charmed President Carter. Arafat, he urged, would transform his brutal PLO into a law-abiding government-in-exile if only the U.S. would establish official relations. The meeting was a great success for us. Carter hailed Ceausescu, dictator of the most repressive police state in Eastern Europe, as a "great national and international leader" who had "taken on a role of leadership in the entire international community." Triumphant, Ceausescu brought home a joint communiqué in which the American president stated that his friendly relations with Ceausescu served "the cause of the world." * * * Three months later I was granted political asylum by the U.S. Ceausescu failed to get his Nobel Peace Prize. But in 1994 Arafat got his -- all because he continued to play the role we had given him to perfection. He had transformed his terrorist PLO into a government-in-exile (the Palestinian Authority), always pretending to call a halt to Palestinian terrorism while letting it continue unabated. Two years after signing the Oslo Accords, the number of Israelis killed by Palestinian terrorists had risen by 73%. On Oct. 23, 1998, President Clinton concluded his public remarks to Arafat by thanking him for "decades and decades and decades of tireless representation of the longing of the Palestinian people to be free, self-sufficient, and at home." The current administration sees through Arafat's charade but will not publicly support his expulsion. Meanwhile, the aging terrorist has consolidated his control over the Palestinian Authority and marshaled his young followers for more suicide attacks. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

I think that a good way to decrease your chances of a malfunction is to use a canopy that is not so sensitive to body position - meaning a lightly loaded canopy, with an aspect ratio that is not extreme. I think this same logic also applies to reserves. Isn't this part of the reason why reserves have conservative aspect ratios? People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

Remember it is not like being at terminal while going through 2.5, you have a lot of time when you exit at 2.5. Even with 14 jumps, I think you should be comfortable with deploying your main at that altitude. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

You can have a pad sewn into the bottom of the main container (against your back) to take up the extra space if you want to put a smaller/out of the normal range of main for your container. Have to be careful to not leave loose corners that can snag a line. Many that strive for the smallest package on their back would never be satisfied with this, but you are a big guy, you won't gain much advantage by spending money on a new container that is only slightly smaller. Don't get ahead of yourself, You are more likely to skydive for a very long time if you stay with a canopy that is larger than you need. Not everyone jumps at high wingloadings. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

This is a report from the Toronto Star, about a wild accusation against the administration that was made on TV by the Gen. It is convenient for many to dismiss any story from Fox News. Please attack the substance of the story, if you can, not the source. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

Fox News reporting on a Toronto Star story: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,97772,00.html General Clark Gets Called Out Three months after Former NATO Commander and now Democratic presidential candidate Wesley Clark (search) insisted that a mysterious caller on September 11, 2001…a caller Clark first said was from the White House…pressured him into linking the attacks with Saddam Hussein, the caller has now identified himself. He is Thomas Hecht of Montreal, founder of a Middle Eastern think tank based in Israel. He says he made the call to pass on information of a potential link he heard about from Israeli sources, and, he says, he did not pressure Clark at all. What's more, Hecht tells the Toronto Star that he did not make the call on September 11 but sometime in the days afterward, adding, "I don't know why I would be confused with the White House. I don't even have white paint on my house." People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

Is the complaint against SDLV that you must have been trained there to do a "fun" jump? People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

There are lots of used reserves on the market, why the interest in a used reserve from a team? What happened to yours? People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

From reading some of the Vigil patent, it seems to confirm what I read in an earlier post, about it becoming "more accurate" with successive jumps. Something about how the Vigil calculates freefall time remaining based, at least partly, on previous jumps, as opposed to just monitoring the current altitude and speed, I suppose. I wonder if this is a good idea actually (is it a good idea to base the current jump on previous jumps?), and how it compares to the method used by the Cypres. The patent is not easy to read and understand. Any insiders with more insight? People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

The Viper is now available? I'm suprised we haven't seen some mention of it lately here. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

You mean the present reality being that Palestinians are so often characterized by news sources as the oppressed victims, instead of as the party which only pretends to want peace? People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

Alternatively, be able to set a jump mode so that after the unit detects an open canopy for a certain length of time, it would then disable itself. Of course this might make it useless for some malfunction modes, but would still allow it to save you if you don't pull at all. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

Honest reporting doesn't pretend to be unbiased. If they are wrong, describe the innacuracy. Many would say they should be dismissed just because of their bias, that is very wrong, in my opinion. From the top of their homepage: HonestReporting is a fast-action website dedicated to ensuring that Israel receives fair media coverage. We scrutinize the worldwide media for anti-Israel bias, then alert and enable subscribers to respond directly to the news agency concerned. HonestReporting has over 55,000 subscribers worldwide, and is growing daily. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

From honestreporting.com http://www.honestreporting.com/articles/critiques/Ins_and_Outs_of_Choosing_the_News.asp INS AND OUTS OF CHOOSING THE NEWS Journalists covering the Mideast conflict have to answer a hard question each day: "Given the range of newsworthy items that constantly emerge, what should I run with, what's my story?" Whatever they deem "in" will be zapped to tens of thousands of newspapers, radio stations and TV screens worldwide; what's ruled "out" will disappear from world consciousness. This, in a nutshell, is how the media's content decisions shape public opinion. In the past week, such decisions on three major topics fell into a curious pattern ¨D when the news item challenged Israeli policy, it made it "in," but when the item bolstered Israeli policy, it was deemed "out": 1) Israeli Restrictions on Palestinians IN: Both Reuters and the Associated Press released articles on September 8 trumpeting a new Amnesty International report that condemned, among other IDF practices, Israel's use of administrative detention against Palestinians active in terror organizations. OUT: The Israeli government's startling announcement that the Palestinian perpetrators of the (Sept. 9) dual terror attacks in Tsrifin (7 murdered, 30 wounded) and Jerusalem's Caf¨¦ Hillel (8 murdered, 50 wounded) were both, just six months ago, released from administrative detention in an Israeli prison. Israeli policy is to continue administrative detention when necessary. The media's method of selective reporting, however, leaves Israeli policy woefully unexplained. 2) Arafat and Peace IN: Both Reuters and AP (Sept. 13) painted Yassir Arafat as a peace-lover under siege. AP's headline was "Arafat Urges Israel to Return to Peace Talks," while Reuters quotes Arafat saying, "I appeal to you the Israeli people, together we can make peace." OUT: That very day (Sept. 13), masked gunmen from Arafat's own Fatah movement stormed the TV station Al Aribiya in Ramallah, held the employees at gunpoint, then systematically destroyed their equipment as "a warning" for unflattering reports on the PA. Acknowledging his involvement, Arafat later apologized to Al Aribiya in the middle of the night. [The media frequently quote voices of dissent within Israeli politics, but almost never bring equivalent Palestinian dissent. For example, also deemed "out" this week was a remarkable voice of protest from a prominent Palestinian journalist, who wrote an article in a Palestinian daily critical of the Arafat-led PA's "all or nothing" policy. Said Tawfiq Abu Bakr, "It is difficult to find a greater and more deeply rooted culture of self-deception than that in our Arab and Palestinian arena; a culture of daydreams in the height of a burning summer. People cling stubbornly to rosy dreams and delude themselves that these are the facts."] Israeli policy is to remove Arafat, as an obstacle to peace, enemy of Palestinian moderation, and undemocratic strongman. The media's method of selective reporting, however, leaves Israeli policy woefully unexplained. 3) Palestinian Schoolchildren IN: Both Reuters and AP reported large gatherings of Ramallah schoolchildren rallying in support of Yassir Arafat (Sept. 13). AP adds the detail that the children shouted "With our souls and our blood we defend Abu Ammar [Arafat's nom de guerre]," while Arafat "waved and blew kisses from a window." OUT: The Jerusalem Post reported that the children had some other things to say (which apparently didn't interest AP and Reuters): "I'm prepared to go to the Jews myself and to kill them wherever they are," and "At school they tell us, go to liberate Palestine...We have to carry out suicide attacks because the Jews are killing us." And outside Arafat's compound, one group of supporters shouted, "We will sacrifice millions of martyrs on the road to Jerusalem." Israeli policy is to remove Arafat's grip on Palestinian culture, in order to eliminate the ongoing incitement in textbooks and classrooms calling for the murder of Israeli citizens. The media's method of selective reporting, however, leaves Israeli policy woefully unexplained. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

What does Ralph do that is so bad, besides put his label on the end cells? People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

The manual says, "in AUT or ECO press and hold..." People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

Or, Why not work on being able to arch while you look at your handle. It is possible. It used to go: Arch, look, reach, pull. You don't have to lose your arch when you look. Just a suggestion, I am not an instructor. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

Wahhabism is the official form of Islam in Saudi Arabia. From the online Newshour (as on the liberal leaning PBS): ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: Some books used in schools have specific passages that have been criticized in newspaper articles in the United States. One passage from a high-school book reads, "Muslims will fight the Jews just before the day of judgment and will destroy them until the Jew will hide behind a tree or stone, and the tree and stone will say, 'Muslim, servant of god, here's a Jew behind me-- come, kill him.'" The link to the above story http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/jan-june02/saudi_2-15.html People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

I think terrorism breeds poverty (as with the Palestinians). The highest levels of religious leaders in the Arab world call for terrorist acts (when the western press isn't looking). While it may not be the "faith" itself calling for the violence, they deserve to be recognized for what they advocate. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

It should not be Russian roulette. They are not just knocking around. Read the reserve data card. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

I heard of this happening a few weeks back at my DZ. Someone wanted to look at the new unit, and informed the owner that it was off. This was a big suprise to the owner. I don't understand why this should be assumed to be a battery problem. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

More evidence of the connection: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,97063,00.html People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

Definition of evidence: testimony; esp : matter submitted in court to determine the truth of alleged facts The story was much more than opinion. If you think it is false, find the fault in it (edit-then it would be false evidence). Why don't you get it? When the truth is not on your side, getting emotional seems to be the response. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

I don't care. I said the culture should be destroyed, not wipe out countries or millions of people. Destroying the culture of the Taliban was a good thing. That culture is thriving in other parts of the Arab world. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

Laugh if in denial, cry if the truth hurts too much. You claimed there is no evidence. I showed you evidence. Just because YOU don't believe it, or accept it as enough to prove the conclusion (connection of Iraq & al Qaeda) does not make it invalid as a piece of evidence. I heard a lot about this very thing on Fox. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am