NationStates Jolt Archive

NEW YORK - A
CIA unit that had hunted for
Osama bin Laden and his top deputies for a decade has been disbanded, according to a published report.
ADVERTISEMENT

Citing unnamed intelligence officials, The New York Times reported Tuesday that the unit, known as "Alec Station," was shut down late last year. The decision to close the unit, which predated the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, was first reported Monday by National Public Radio.

The officials told the Times that the change reflects a view that al-Qaida's hierarchy has changed, and terrorist attacks inspired by the group are now being carried out independently of bin Laden and his second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri.

The CIA said hunting bin Laden remains a priority, but resources needed to be directed toward other people and groups likely to initiate new attacks.

"The efforts to find Osama bin Laden are as strong as ever," said CIA spokeswoman Jennifer Millerwise Dyck. "This is an agile agency, and the decision was made to ensure greater reach and focus."

A former CIA official who once led the unit, Michael Scheuer, told the Times that its shutdown was a mistake.

"This will clearly denigrate our operations against al-Qaida," he said. "These days at the agency, bin Laden and al-Qaida appear to be treated merely as first among equals."
~http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060704/ap_on_re_us/cia_bin_laden;_ylt=Au635X2bURPFRMx5WND2k91vzwcF;_ylu=X3oDMTA0cDJlYmhvBHNlYwM-

Nice to know that we're still looking for the person who masterminded the 9/11 attacks isn't it?

~http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060704/ap_on_re_us/cia_bin_laden;_ylt=Au635X2bURPFRMx5WND2k91vzwcF;_ylu=X3oDMTA0cDJlYmhvBHNlYwM-

Nice to know that we're still looking for the person who masterminded the 9/11 attacks isn't it?
I think this (http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/2002/11/13_Laden.html) says it all:

"The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him."
- G.W. Bush, 9/13/01

"I want justice...There's an old poster out West, as I recall, that said, 'Wanted: Dead or Alive,'"
- G.W. Bush, 9/17/01, UPI

"...Secondly, he is not escaping us. This is a guy, who, three months ago, was in control of a county [sic]. Now he's maybe in control of a cave. He's on the run. Listen, a while ago I said to the American people, our objective is more than bin Laden. But one of the things for certain is we're going to get him running and keep him running, and bring him to justice. And that's what's happening. He's on the run, if he's running at all. So we don't know whether he's in cave with the door shut, or a cave with the door open -- we just don't know...."
- Bush, in remarks in a Press Availablity with the Press Travel Pool, The Prairie Chapel Ranch, Crawford TX, 12/28/01, as reported on official White House site

"I don't know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority."
- G.W. Bush, 3/13/02

"I am truly not that concerned about him."
- G.W. Bush, repsonding to a question about bin Laden's whereabouts,
3/13/02 (The New American, 4/8/02)

It's even nicer to eliminate future terrorists.

Meanwhile, we have 400,000 possible terrorists to eliminate pre-emptively.
http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=490458
( Note: the assumption that they are all muslims appears to be flawed! )

Can CIA spokesperson Jennifer Millerwise Dyck explain to me how "The efforts to find Osama bin Laden are as strong as ever" if you just removed a team dedicated to that and only that.

Is she telling us that that unit was a waste of money and those agents wasted their day doing crosswords and sudoku?

Of course the government is looking for the real terrorists. Just like OJ is looking for the real killers.

Seriously though, I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but this administration has clearly shown that Al Qaeda isn't really on their top ten list of concerns.

Of course the government is looking for the real terrorists. Just like OJ is looking for the real killers.

Seriously though, I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but this administration has clearly shown that Al Qaeda isn't really on their top ten list of concerns.

It doesn't take a conspiracy theorist to say that. It's true and I agree with you on that. Osama bin Laden was just a tool to get people to agree to go to war; now that we're at war, in Iraq of all places, the administration doesn't care about him. It never cared about 9/11 except as a similar tool to get people riled up and supportive of war operations of any kind against Middle Easterners of any kind.

By leaving bin Laden alive, you justify pouring ungodly amounts of money into the cash hog known as the "War on Terror", without ever having to justify anything. In order to maintain one's lack of freedoms, you need to justify safety by keeping a common and feared enemy around.

It's even nicer to eliminate future terrorists.


Ah yes.. because I guess you are telepathic and know that Osama bin Laden will never again orchestrate acts of terrorism. It's nice that you're so confident, but I had a cousin who died in the WTC, and I don't share your naive optimism in this regard.


Meanwhile, we have 400,000 possible terrorists to eliminate pre-emptively.
http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=490458
( Note: the assumption that they are all muslims appears to be flawed! )

Ah yes! Agreeing with a poll that says a terrorist may be labelled a martyr makes one a potential terrorist! I guess that makes me a potential terrorist too, since I think anyone who dies ostensibly for their religion is by definition a martyr. Are you going to eliminate me, or just make fallacious arguments for me to shit on?

Can CIA spokesperson Jennifer Millerwise Dyck explain to me how "The efforts to find Osama bin Laden are as strong as ever" if you just removed a team dedicated to that and only that.

Is she telling us that that unit was a waste of money and those agents wasted their day doing crosswords and sudoku?


Yes Bin ladens in a hole and having a bunch of people dedicated on tracking someone , when there is no new news is a waste of their time. So instead of them playing sudoku they get to actually do something worthwhile instead of waiting for osama to pop out of his gopher hole to see if he can see his shadow . If he does pop up and become relevent anymore aside from being a symbol he will be curb stomped immediately .

Feel better now ?

It's nice that you're so confident, but I had a cousin who died in the WTC, and I don't share your naive optimism in this regard.

<snip>

Are you going to eliminate me, or just make fallacious arguments for me to shit on?

Depends which of the following you think is true....
A)
Irony n.
1 The use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning.
2 An expression or utterance marked by a deliberate contrast between apparent and intended meaning.

or
B)
Irony n.
Sorta like iron.

Depends which of the following you think is true....
A)
Irony n.
1 The use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning.
2 An expression or utterance marked by a deliberate contrast between apparent and intended meaning.

or
B)
Irony n.
Sorta like iron.

All of the above.

Can CIA spokesperson Jennifer Millerwise Dyck explain to me how "The efforts to find Osama bin Laden are as strong as ever" if you just removed a team dedicated to that and only that.

Is she telling us that that unit was a waste of money and those agents wasted their day doing crosswords and sudoku?

I wouldn't ever beleive something the CIA puts out publicly.

Probably doing something to counteract the NYT slipping of secrets.

Ah yes.. because I guess you are telepathic and know that Osama bin Laden will never again orchestrate acts of terrorism. It's nice that you're so confident, but I had a cousin who died in the WTC, and I don't share your naive optimism in this regard.



Ah yes! Agreeing with a poll that says a terrorist may be labelled a martyr makes one a potential terrorist! I guess that makes me a potential terrorist too, since I think anyone who dies ostensibly for their religion is by definition a martyr. Are you going to eliminate me, or just make fallacious arguments for me to shit on?


I think anyone who dies onstensibly because they hear voices is crazy and should have had mental help . A martyr I think not . now those that feel the west and its customs are inspired by satan and must be wiped off the face of the earth and " Martyr" themselves in the advancement of this cause are just misguided Jihadist...they also should have had some form of mental help or a bullet to the brain ..but they are not martyrs . They are worm food .


I suggest that anyone contemplating being a jihadist first read the thread on oral sex in this forum . see what your missing ?

I think anyone who dies onstensibly because they hear voices is crazy and should have had mental help . A martyr I think not . now those that feel the west and its customs are inspired by satan and must be wiped off the face of the earth and " Martyr" themselves in the advancement of this cause are just misguided Jihadist...they also should have had some form of mental help or a bullet to the brain ..but they are not martyrs . They are worm food .

I think you mostly object to the term "martyr" being used to refer to them because to you, the word has only positive (even saintly) connotations. But it doesn't to me. Whether they need a bullet to the brain or mental help, they can still be viewed as a martyr depending on the definition.

This is one reason why polls must be clear and not misleading. I don't even know what the poll question with this 400,000 statistic was. (I do know that 400,000 were not polled.)

It seems that, particularly with government owned news services, polls are designed so that one can extrapolate "can this person be defined as a martyr?" to "do you support a Holy War against the West" or "are you considering strapping a bomb to your chest," which is what Bog Marsh and others are doing.

I hate polls. Pretty much any poll used in the news media. Ugh.

It seems that, particularly with government owned news services, polls are designed so that one can extrapolate "can this person be defined as a martyr?" to "do you support a Holy War against the West" or "are you considering strapping a bomb to your chest," which is what Bog Marsh and others are doing.
That reminds me of the pilot for the Norm MacDonald comedy show they were going to have on Comedy central but it got canceled before it got off the ground. Apparently no one finds Norm MacDonald funny after the first time.

It doesn't take a conspiracy theorist to say that. It's true and I agree with you on that. Osama bin Laden was just a tool to get people to agree to go to war; now that we're at war, in Iraq of all places, the administration doesn't care about him. It never cared about 9/11 except as a similar tool to get people riled up and supportive of war operations of any kind against Middle Easterners of any kind.


Explain Afghanistan then .

Explain Afghanistan then .

A minor series of fruitless endeavors designed to make it seem as if we're doing jack shit against the perpetrators of 9/11, before romping off into Iraq so that Bush can do what his daddy didn't do.

So who is the scapegoat going to be for releasing this information that is going to hinder the nonexistant search for terrorists?

A minor series of fruitless endeavors designed to make it seem as if we're doing jack shit against the perpetrators of 9/11, before romping off into Iraq so that Bush can do what his daddy didn't do.

Yeah, because all we're out to do is kill brown people :rolleyes:

http://putfile.com/pic.php?pic=7/18513473597.jpg&s=f10

DU is thata way.

I think you mostly object to the term "martyr" being used to refer to them because to you, the word has only positive (even saintly) connotations. But it doesn't to me. Whether they need a bullet to the brain or mental help, they can still be viewed as a martyr depending on the definition.

This is one reason why polls must be clear and not misleading. I don't even know what the poll question with this 400,000 statistic was. (I do know that 400,000 were not polled.)

It seems that, particularly with government owned news services, polls are designed so that one can extrapolate "can this person be defined as a martyr?" to "do you support a Holy War against the West" or "are you considering strapping a bomb to your chest," which is what Bog Marsh and others are doing.

I hate polls. Pretty much any poll used in the news media. Ugh.


Especially because most people do not even consider that polls are a simple marketing tool that uses questions that will produce the desired result .
They just never get past the headline ...and just look at the way the question was worded or at the question itself...NEWSPAPERS are in the game to make money ...polls are suspect unless you are going to look at the questions and the way thet are framed and who was being asked...the demographics of the poll are as important as the question..and the sampling number...did they walk into a Mosque that had a wahabi teacher as an Iman and ask one hundred people and extrapolate from that ?

polls are Bullshit.

Polls said that there was NO way Kerry could lose .

Yeah, because all we're out to do is kill brown people :rolleyes:

That sounds more like the truth than anything GWB has ever said.

Yeah, because all we're out to do is kill brown people :rolleyes:


Well, I know for a fact that many people in this country consider American lives worth more than foreign lives, and especially worth more if said foreigners are from a predominately dark-skinned country.

Hence, people justify Nagasaki and Hiroshima (hundreds of thousands) with Pearl Harbor (three thousand), or the invasion of Iraq (tens of thousands) with 9/11 (three thousand). It's the old American lives are equal to ten or more foreign civilians equation.

But, I didn't say anything about "killing brown people" nor is my point that our foreign policy is dominated by racism, so your comment is a strawman.

A minor series of fruitless endeavors designed to make it seem as if we're doing jack shit against the perpetrators of 9/11, before romping off into Iraq so that Bush can do what his daddy didn't do.


really.....?.. then why is Osama in a hole and most of his henchmen dead or in gtmo or some other deep dark place ....those that were not curb stomped with 500 lb laser guided bombs ?

And why is Afghanistan a new struggling democracy ?

Why did so many Afghans actually vote for the first time in their lives ?

Why is Afghanistan DESPITE the best efforts of those Al-Queda members still alive and active and the Taliban..still kicking their ass five ways from Sunday ? Stomp ...stomp ...STOMP...every time a taliban or Al-Queda head comes out of the gopher hole.....then its ..." please lets negotiate" ...:D :D

Then its back to the long trip to the wilderness of Pakistan and the Gopher holes...leaving hundreds of dead wanna be Jihadist and if not thousands in the ground or in a prison cell .

But of course we still have the " wanna be " home grown Osama types...those that are getting their terrorist 101 educations right in our free speech homes . Thankfully most are dumb as dirt and get caught before they jump on a bus and blow themselves up....but some will make it..even a blind squirell finds a nut occasionally.

Fuck Osama let him rot until he has the balls to show himself ...and die like the rodent he is ...the real Threat is the idiots who would be like him . The ones we live with .

Well, I know for a fact that many people in this country consider American lives worth more than foreign lives, and especially worth more if said foreigners are from a predominately dark-skinned country.

Hence, people justify Nagasaki and Hiroshima (hundreds of thousands) with Pearl Harbor (three thousand), or the invasion of Iraq (tens of thousands) with 9/11 (three thousand). It's the old American lives are equal to ten or more foreign civilians equation.

But, I didn't say anything about "killing brown people" nor is my point that our foreign policy is dominated by racism, so your comment is a strawman.

American lives to me are worth more than foreigners, because they are my countrymen. Of course, there are some Americans that aren't even worth a pair of third world goats.

It's not skin color, it's citizenship.

That sounds more like the truth than anything GWB has ever said.

Only if you beleive kanye west.

really.....?.. then why is Osama in a hole and most of his henchmen dead or in gtmo or some other deep dark place ....those that were not curb stomped with 500 lb laser guided bombs ?

And why is Afghanistan a new struggling democracy ?

Why did so many Afghans actually vote for the first time in their lives ?

Why is Afghanistan DESPITE the best efforts of those Al-Queda members still alive and active and the Taliban..still kicking their ass five ways from Sunday ? Stomp ...stomp ...STOMP...every time a taliban or Al-Queda head comes out of the gopher hole.....then its ..." please lets negotiate" ...:D :D

Then its back to the long trip to the wilderness of Pakistan and the Gopher holes...leaving hundreds of dead wanna be Jihadist and if not thousands in the ground or in a prison cell .

But of course we still have the " wanna be " home grown Osama types...those that are getting their terrorist 101 educations right in our free speech homes . Thankfully most are dumb as dirt and get caught before they jump on a bus and blow themselves up....but some will make it..even a blind squirell finds a nut occasionally.

Fuck Osama let him rot until he has the balls to show himself ...and die like the rodent he is ...the real Threat is the idiots who would be like him . The ones we live with .Not up to date on the Afghanistan news, are we?

really.....?.. then why is Osama in a hole and most of his henchmen dead or in gtmo or some other deep dark place ....those that were not curb stomped with 500 lb laser guided bombs ?

Global terrorism has increased threefold since 9/11.

And why is Afghanistan a new struggling democracy ?

Why is the Taliban reemerging?

Why did so many Afghans actually vote for the first time in their lives ?

A ballot box isnt big enough to hold all the bloody bodies.

Well, I know for a fact that many people in this country consider American lives worth more than foreign lives, and especially worth more if said foreigners are from a predominately dark-skinned country.

Hence, people justify Nagasaki and Hiroshima (hundreds of thousands) with Pearl Harbor (three thousand), or the invasion of Iraq (tens of thousands) with 9/11 (three thousand). It's the old American lives are equal to ten or more foreign civilians equation.

But, I didn't say anything about "killing brown people" nor is my point that our foreign policy is dominated by racism, so your comment is a strawman.


Trostia you are not really an idiot so why would attempt to overlook the whole history of the war in the Pacific and the pre history of Japans war in China and manchuria ...with the sop of "Pearl Harbor"...

Talk about strawman...yours is on fire go put it out .

Not up to date on the Afghanistan news, are we?


Yes I am extremely up to date...what with family members being up in the mountains rounding up and killing taliban types....What would you like to know about them getting their ass kicked so bad they are now either hiding or going back to car bombs..when not trying to negotiate so they can run ?


I'd say you may want to check your source of news .

Global terrorism has increased threefold since 9/11.

So has global cowardice with dealing with terrorist .



Why is the Taliban reemerging?

because its the traditional season for fighting in Afghanistan and they get to pop out of their holes and get some sun before they die or have to back into hiding .



A ballot box isnt big enough to hold all the bloody bodies.

And this makes sense because of what ? What revolution for freedom did not leave a body ? freedom is not free.

Yes Bin ladens in a hole and having a bunch of people dedicated on tracking someone , when there is no new news is a waste of their time. So instead of them playing sudoku they get to actually do something worthwhile instead of waiting for osama to pop out of his gopher hole to see if he can see his shadow . If he does pop up and become relevent anymore aside from being a symbol he will be curb stomped immediately .

Feel better now ?
That doesn't reply to my point. Let's see if I can make it clearer.

Two statements:
1) We are dismantling a group focused on hunting Bin Laden.
2) We are searching just as hard to find Bin Laden.

2 cannot be true if 1 is true. They are mutually exclusive statements. And everybody is nodding his head and nobody is saying "wait a minute, that doesn't make sense."

Explain how statement 1) and statement 2) can be true at the same time and you'll get my vote.

So has global cowardice with dealing with terrorist .

No, people are trying to deal with it in different ways instead of creating more terrorism by blowing shit up.


because its the traditional season for fighting in Afghanistan and they get to pop out of their holes and get some sun before they die or have to back into hiding .

I wish people would actually make valid arguments instead of spewing idiotic depictions of the other side.

And this makes sense because of what ? What revolution for freedom did not leave a body ? freedom is not free.

First of all, LAME QUOTE.

Second, Women's Suffrage and Civil Rights movement come to mind.

No, people are trying to deal with it in different ways instead of creating more terrorism by blowing shit up.

and by your own terms they are not doing a very good job are they ?






I wish people would actually make valid arguments instead of spewing idiotic depictions of the other side.


Sorry you did not like my VERY accurate descrption of the situation . It is reality ..you should get in touch with it .


First of all, LAME QUOTE.

Second, Women's Suffrage and Civil Rights movement come to mind.

Go back to school and this time pay attention ..BOTH examples left bodies in the street ...hung on trees and beat to death in the street.
You must have missed that part .

A truism is now considered a LAME QUOTE ?:rolleyes:

I'm out..." I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent "

Try out that lame quote.

I'm out..." I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent "

Try out that lame quote.

If you're going to quote Wilde, at least quote it correctly. :rolleyes:
VERY accurate

You were there were you?

and by your own terms they are not doing a very good job are they ?

Uh, no. The US is not doing a very good job.

Sorry you did not like my VERY accurate descrption of the situation . It is reality ..you should get in touch with it .

Laffo

Go back to school and this time pay attention ..BOTH examples left bodies in the street ...hung on trees and beat to death in the street.
You must have missed that part.

Its different. You claim, by way of your lame "freedom isnt free" quote, that our soldiers are fighting and dying for freedom when in reality thats not the case. In the case of women's suffrage, I dont think many people, if any, died for their freedom to vote. As for the civil rights movement, most african americans went the way of nonviolent protest.

I'm out..." I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent

You could say that all you want, it doesnt mean you have any wit whatsoever.

It's even nicer to eliminate future terrorists.

Meanwhile, we have 400,000 possible terrorists to eliminate pre-emptively.
http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=490458
( Note: the assumption that they are all muslims appears to be flawed! )

That's if you listen to those liberal "Due Processionistas." We got 6 billion potential terrorists to eliminate. 2 Billion in China alone. You know that those people are working to undermine our economy, right?

Its different. You claim, by way of your lame "freedom isnt free" quote, that our soldiers are fighting and dying for freedom when in reality thats not the case. In the case of women's suffrage, I dont think many people, if any, died for their freedom to vote. As for the civil rights movement, most african americans went the way of nonviolent protest.

Doesn't mean that they didn't die for that right. A wave of conservative terrorism swept the south before the civil rights act was passed.

Trostia you are not really an idiot so why would attempt to overlook the whole history of the war in the Pacific and the pre history of Japans war in China and manchuria ...with the sop of "Pearl Harbor"...

Talk about strawman...yours is on fire go put it out .

It's not a strawman, and no, I'm not an idiot. Many people *do* justify Nagasaki directly with Pearl Harbor, on a one-to-one relationship, equating one with the other. That's an argument I've seen made, but none of this is crucial to my arguments concerning the topic at hand; it was an aside based on DM's digression about "killing brown people." Hence it's not a strawman as it's not an argument.