FIANLLY, I can't wait to smoke a cigar when Arafat turns room temperature, hope he dies soon (and I mean it):

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3681985
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1098851590225
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apmideast_story.asp?category=1107&slug=Palestinians%20After%20Arafat

FIANLLY, I can't wait to smoke a cigar when Arafat turns room temperature, hope he dies soon (and I mean it):




Oh the humanity of the man.  Need I say more?

Oh, and GWB, will it be a Cuban cigar?

Anyone else LOVE the fall CASTRO took???

YESSSSSSSSSSS ;D :) :D

Anyone else LOVE the fall CASTRO took???

YESSSSSSSSSSS ;D :) :D


Hell yeah!  And maybe after he finally dies, I can get some of those cubans Don Carlos was talking about.

A new headline (couldn't get the story) from ABC News came out only 28 minutes ago entitled:

''Arafat Collapses As His Health Worsens.''

Say it with me.  Going......going.......

  Arafat leave, Hamas take over...

Say it with me. Going......going.......


Arafat isn't the cause of the problems - him dying ain't going to change a thing

Arafat isn't the cause of the problems - him dying ain't going to change a thing


You got that right.  "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss".

I still say the best thing we can do for peace in that region is to stay out of it, and deny monetary or military aid to EITHER side.

Let them fight it out once and for all.  Winner takes all...

You got that right.  "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss".

I still say the best thing we can do for peace in that region is to stay out of it, and deny monetary or military aid to EITHER side.

Let them fight it out once and for all.  Winner takes all...


I agree with your prediction, and suspect that whoever replaces Arafat could be much more militant.  I disagree with your solution.  Why?  In your scenario, if the Palistinians win we have another holocost.  If the Israelis win... they still have to live there, so they can't "win".  Supporting neither side is ok, that is being an HONEST broker seeking a peaceful solution is the only way to bring peace to the region and, by the way, to increase our own security.  Much of the Islamic hatered directed at us comes from our obvioous bias toward Israel, which can only be interpreted as anti-Muslim.  This is a complex issue to be sure, and there is no easy solution.  The history clearly shows that this is not a problem of our creation, but 1 that we "inherited" from the refusal of the European powers to accept the central tenet of Wilson's 14 point, self determination.  It bears similarities to Vietnam as well, although tyhere it was we who abandoned the principle.

READ HISTORY

I thought the fall Castro took was a riot.  Any head of state falling face flat is intrinsically comical.  The sad thing is, if Bush fell flat on his face (literally, not figuratively, like he does every day) the Right would say a liberal terrorist lover tripped him.

As for Arafat, I think it's time for him to go.  I'm not praying for him to die, but his death is the only way he'll leave his post.  I hope Davester is wrong.  I would hate to see Hamas take over!  However, the next fellow in charge of the Palestinian Authority just might make America and Israel realize what a grand old man Arafat was after all!  (I'm being sarcastic about the "grand old man," bit of course).

They've demonized Arafat for so long, and blamed him personally for so much, that a new leader may be necessary to clarify who is doing what to whom.

Perhaps Arafat's famous last words will be, "They won't have old Yasser Arafat to kick around anymore, and I am not a crook!"

On the other hand, maybe the old bastid will rally and live on to be 110!  Can you imagine that?
:o

From what I hear, Companiero Fidel is doing very well, with his knee on the mend.  By the way, don't look for monumental change after he steps down.  He has a leadership cadre ready to step in.

You must realize, re Israel/Palistine, that Israel was created by UN mandate without consulting the Palistinians.  This was understandable given the holocost and the long history of anti-semitism, but does not justify despoiling one people of their homeland for the benefit of another people.  The Jewish slogan at the time was "A land without people, a people without a land", but there were people there, who objected to the partition of their land, and to the UN simply giving partrs of it away.  You should check out the original map of the region (1947).  Granted that the Arabs made war on Israel several times, which explains the current borders, but one has to have some sympathy for the Palistinians.

I'm no fan of Arafat, or of Sharom either, but Arafat's death will only inflame the situation.  Whoever emerges as the new leader will have to prove his nationalist credentials, and how will he do that?  Does the word "intifada ring a bell?

   Just learned Yasser Arafat has died...

    Parliament Speaker, Rauhi Fattouh, is to be sworn-in until elections can be held. 

   Half the world will say good riddance, the other half will mourn a great man.

    One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter..?  *shrugs...*

   

Having heard this rumour several times I checked the BBC page to confirm it.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3984841.stm

It's worse than that, he's dead, Jim...

And looks like he's going to be buried in Ramallah... What I don't get is why not his family burial spot (in Gaza, IIRC)?  I mean, what's the point of a family burial ground if you end up being buried somewhere else?

READ HISTORY


Read history! And have to argue with facts.  I always find it remarkable that people who say
they distrust everything that the government says or does here at home are very ready to
swallow every thing they say or do outside of the USA, in the name of the American people.
The disenfranchisement of the Palestinian people for the creation of the Israeli state was
bungled by the west so supremely that it has left us with this ugly, ever escalating, situation
ever since.  You may cheer the passing of Arafat, but do not make the mistake of turning a
blind eye to the fact that his people are seriously mourning, and are seriously afraid.  They
are in crisis mode and the way this situation is handled(immediately) by the international
community could determine the direction of the whole Middle East, and by extension the security
of the world.

Finally!

Enjoy hell Arafat!

Aussie PM tells it like it is:

''"I think history will judge him very harshly for not having seized the opportunity in the year 2000 to embrace the offer that was very courageously made by the then Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Barack, which involved the Israelis agreeing to 90 per cent of what the Palestinians had wanted...'' -John Howard.

Ok.. god i can't believe im going to say this..

BUT GO GW!!!!!!

Arafat was ( and will be rememberd as) a complete jerk.

However, we are only going to get somebody worse, basically, Hammas or Islamic Jihad are leading the way already.

Of course, if History teaches us anything, it's that things go in circles, eventually there will be a very large war between us an Islam, (it's already beginning) we will all kill one another, be happy for 400 years and get pissed off again, it goes in cycles.

It's worse than that, he's dead, Jim...




Just so you know, I get the reference.  ;)



Cat

Ok.. god i can't believe im going to say this..

BUT GO GW!!!!!!

Arafat was ( and will be rememberd as) a complete jerk.

However, we are only going to get somebody worse, basically, Hammas or Islamic Jihad are leading the way already.

Of course, if History teaches us anything, it's that things go in circles, eventually there will be a very large war between us an Islam, (it's already beginning) we will all kill one another, be happy for 400 years and get ticked off again, it goes in cycles.

I'm was not a big fan of the late Chairman Arafat, either.  I tend to have problems with anyone who has been in a position of power for decades.  Arafat was obstructionist at times, but worse than that, I believe he was corrupt.  You know, power corrupts.  It seems he squirreled away several billions spread across several accounts internationally.  Typical of a leader of people under duress and poverty.

On the other hand, the American press does not give us the full story on why Arafat did certain things.  They don't talk much of the divided "bantustans" offered the Palestinians in the most recent settlement plan.  Nor do they mention it was Barak who walked out on them, not Arafat. 

It's fair to remember Arafat as a malfactor, but it's important not to demonize him too much.  Unfortunately, only a few great leaders---Jesus, Ghandi, MLK---have succeeded by being angelic in demonic situations.  The next decade of Palestinian--Israeli relations might be a d@mned sight worse because of Arafat's absence. 

Arafat earnt his place in hell with the Berlin Olympics..


It's fair to remember Arafat as a malfactor, but it's important not to demonize him too much. Unfortunately, only a few great leaders---Jesus, Ghandi, MLK---have succeeded by being angelic in demonic situations. The next decade of Palestinian--Israeli relations might be a d@mned sight worse because of Arafat's absence.


Yeah, they will suffer, the radicles will probably think the Israli's poisoned him (cus 75 year olds never get ill ::)) Hmmm.. I dont agree with the whole angelic in demonic situations, although i don't want to take away from what he did, MLK's private life was raught with pretty bad acts. Jesus.. well, if your gonna tell me Jesus was the son of god then i will leave you be, however Jesus the man, well there is a big ass gap we know nothing about, you think there might be a reason for that, it's always been something that i have been curious about...

Certainly, Arafat was not a saint by any means, but he is dead and I will not speak ill about someone who cannot defend himself (although Arafat couldn't defend himself while he was alive either.)

Ok.. god i can't believe im going to say this..

BUT GO GW!!!!!!



   I don't get it...

Arafat was ( and will be rememberd as) a complete jerk.

However, we are only going to get somebody worse, basically, Hammas or Islamic Jihad are leading the way already.

Of course, if History teaches us anything, it's that things go in circles, eventually there will be a very large war between us an Islam, (it's already beginning) we will all kill one another, be happy for 400 years and get ticked off again, it goes in cycles.


   On the whole Arafat's passing is a positive development. He was a favorite excuse for Likud and Bush administrations to put off the dismantling of Israeli apartheid. Now that excuse is gone.

   I wish Arafat had stayed a civil engineer, and had never contributed to the destruction of Lebanon for Palestine's sake, and the stigmatization of Palestinians and Arabs as terrorists in the minds of millions with only a very superficial grasp of modern mideastern history.

   Here's hoping that Palestinians can raise up a true statesman and reformer now that Arafat is out of the way. Anticipation of some sort of violent power-struggle in his wake is curious to me...I think that speaks more to the distorted image of Palestinian society in the West than it does to the realities of life under occupation and exile at the hands of Israel, and the realities of the legitimate Palestinian struggle for the most basic of civil rights.

   Palestinians have no chance at reclaiming their dignity until they overcome negative stereotypes in the USA, from whence Israeli apartheid is propped up. New leadership is an opportunity for some new clarity.

Hmmm i agree with some of what you say there man, many good points raised, however i dont think he was the only reason that people see arabs as terrorists... it seems to be ingrained in the mindset.

The reason i said i couldn't believe i was saying it was that i almost never agree with GW

Hmmm i agree with some of what you say there man, many good points raised, however i dont think he was the only reason that people see arabs as terrorists... it seems to be ingrained in the mindset.

Actually, it's only ingrained in the US media to justify US support for Israel.

<rant>
People keep mentioning that Arafat didn't accept peace when offered by Barak, well that's because Barak offered less than international law decrees.  Arafat was getting somewhere (and a nobel peace prize) with Rabin until Rabin was murdered by an Israeli.

Arafat wasn't a terrorist, he was fighting in a war against an agressive, religious fundamentalist enemy who stole Palestinian land because they believe their god gave it to them.  Israel is currently (and has been for years) breaching more UN resolutions than Saddam could ever hope to break and is (and has been for years) committing war crimes against the Palestinian people (Jewish settlements on the west bank are a break of the Geneva convention).  The current prime minister of Israel is wanted by the international court on at least two charges of war crimes (slaughter of civilians).

Unfortunately, Yasser Arafat didn't live to see his land free but don't put him down until you read the facts, not the Right wing propaganda fed to you by supporters of terrorism in the US.
</rant>

Totally off-topic...


Now.. we play both kind's of music here, Country and Western.


Now, much as I appreciate Blues Brothers quotations... could I try dropping a subtle hint ;)

I shalt alter it in 2 tics... My grammer is totally awful, when i do any long bits of writing by hand i do block caps so i can get away with not doing all the silly little lines and what not.. people tend to overlook them in caps

Hey Yasser--

   We'll leave the light on for you.

                          Sincerely,

                          Adolf, Josef, and Napoleon
                         
                          (Motel 666)

Yep, he's dead AND THEY BROKE INTO THE END OF CSI:NEW YORK TO TELL ME THAT >:(


The will replay it tonight (Friday).  CBS apologized for that...they said it shouldn't have happened.

LMAO!!!

Hey Yasser--

   We'll leave the light on for you.

                          Sincerely,

                          Adolf, Josef, and Napoleon
                         
                          (Motel 666)


You saying Napoleon's in hell? What for?

You saying Napoleon's in hell? What for?
Because he's French. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Because he's French. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!


   Now, come on Al-B...the French gave us many great things o'er the years...

   French bread
   French fries
   French toast
   French coffee
   French ticklers...