Pubdate: Wed, 13 Jun 2001
Source: Marysville Globe, The (WA)
Copyright: 2001 Marysville Globe/Arlington Times
Contact:  http://www.mapinc.org/media/1288
Author: Zeke Bratkowski

COZYING UP TO TERRORISTS

I find it more than slightly amusing that so many pundits are shocked at a 
U.S. administration cozying with terrorists and/or drug-dealers. We only 
have to look back to the Ollie North days and more recently to the Kosovo 
fiasco.

In 1998, the CIA called the Albanian terrorist organization, the KLA, the 
best armed group in the world (thank you USA). It also happened that 90 
percent of Europe's heroin passes through their hands as well.

Of course, you didn't show any disgust when Gen. Wesley Clark and Madeleine 
Albright were having croissant's and cafe au lait during the infamous 
Rainbouillet 'nego-tiations' (read ultimatum) with drug dealer-terrorists 
who were wanted by Interpol, who we trained, cajoled and started a war of 
independence for.

(If we treated the Middle East negotia-tions the same way as Rambouillet, 
some-one would have been bombed long ago. Not that we solved anything but 
it would be nice to see most conflicts 'negotiated' with the same 
impartiality.)

I haven't seen many statistics about the Kosovo-drug relationship recently 
but if we have problems stopping terrorists from hid-ing heavy weaponry and 
then launching attacks inside Yugoslavia and Macedonia from Kosovo (which 
is probably smaller than many New York boroughs) while our forces are there 
to monitor such activities, I truly doubt that we are doing anything more 
than we've done over the past few years: close our eyes and hope no one 
notices our hypocrisy.

By the way, our good friend Bin Laden was present in Kosovo in 1999 and his 
peo-ple were very active in Bosnia, while our forces were there in both cases.

Terrorists and drug dealers (and Taliban fanatics) are not a problem when 
they serve our needs. The fact that you are outraged shows that you either 
have a very weak grasp of realpolitik or live in the same state of denial 
of our countries involvement with the criminals of this world. Then again, 
since the embarrassing and sheepish performance of our media since the Gulf 
War presentation, you are not alone, but please spare us your outrage.

Too little, too late.

Zeke Bratkowski (Now living in Sherbrooke, Canada)
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MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens