Comments on: Breaking: Kidnapped BBC reporter freed? Update: Video added; Update: “Appalling”

By: profitsbeard

profitsbeard — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 20:16:21 +0000

Jailbones-

I think the “powerful ugliness” started with Mogadishu, Daniel Pearl having his head sliced off, children at Beslan being blown to shreds, Nick Berg having his head sawed off, and a thing called 9/11, a while ago.

What do you call people who cut the throat of a flight attendant to intimidate passengers on a plane in order to get into the cockpit where they cut the throats of the pilot and crew, and then fly the jetliners’ vacationers into skyscrapers full of people at work on a nice September morning?

Baddies?

By: flagwaver

flagwaver — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 20:03:00 +0000

BBC reporter = The 5th Column.

That’s like saying Pakistan turned Osama Bin Laden into Hamas.

By: smellthecoffee

smellthecoffee — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 14:18:47 +0000

handed over by his Islamist captors to ruling Hamas officials

Islamist captors–ruling Hamas officials. Department of redundancy department.

By: Jaibones

Jaibones — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 13:46:21 +0000

I think about our very casual references to the Hamas maggots as “savages” and “maggots”, and the Islamist habit of referring to non-Islamists as “infidels”. And if I have it right, the war shrinks say that the first step toward being really effective at killing the other guys is dehumanization.

And then I think we’re set up here for some powerful ugliness.

By: bridgetown

bridgetown — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 11:56:15 +0000

Happy Independence Day, Mr. Johnston!
:)
Great News, but all this talk of Hamas getting credit? For what? For doing what is right? No, they don’t get any extra credit for doing what is expected of civilized people.

By: Skywise

Skywise — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 09:04:37 +0000

Anybody else find the press reactions to this as compared to Steve Centanni’s release (of Fox News) interesting?

By: Christoph

Christoph — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 08:25:06 +0000

Anyone else agree with me that it’s striking how competently Hamas’ security forces dealt with this situation, particularly winning his release?

Christoph: Are you suggesting that his release was somehow fixed to make Hamas look good? Good Lord, man. I would never in a million years have suspected such a thing!

ahem on July 3, 2007 at 11:04 PM
No, ahem, I’m suggesting Hamas’ security forces dealt with this aggressively and competently. Brutal or not, they seem highly capable.

By: Israpundit » Blog Archive » A Lesson From The Release of Alan Johnston

Israpundit » Blog Archive » A Lesson From The Release of Alan Johnston — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 05:29:26 +0000

[...] MSNBC reports on how it was done: Hamas gunmen on Tuesday took up positions around the stronghold of the shadowy group holding Johnston, stepping up the pressure to secure his release. [...]

By: Tim Burton

Tim Burton — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 04:46:56 +0000

When will the left start using this to prove the humanity and decency of the Palestinian people….In fact, how much you want to bet they will claim it was a Jewish conspiracy to slander the “Peaceful” Palestinians?

By: Blue Collar Heresy » Blog Archive » BBC Reporter Alan Johnston freed in Gaza

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 04:30:26 +0000

[...] Other blogger reactions (Thanks in part to MemeOrandum): brownie (Harry’s Place); Allahphundit (Hot Air); Holly in Cincinnati (The Moderate Voice) [...]

By: Webloggin - Blog Archive » Alan Johnston Freed From Captivity

Webloggin - Blog Archive » Alan Johnston Freed From Captivity — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 04:07:37 +0000

[...] See Also: Hot Air Share Article British, journalist, Alan Johnston, Gaza strip Sphere: Related Content | Trackback URL [...]

By: thedecider

thedecider — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 03:54:43 +0000

Khaled Meshaal, the leader of Hamas, is already touting this as proof of the “security” they’ve brought to the strip.

Somehow I don’t think I’d be touting about freeing a hostage from terrorists as proof that the place is ’secure’. I guess it depends on your definition of security. Yeah – let the mob run the place. We’ll all be better then for sure.

By: BREAKING NEWS: BBC Reporter Alan Johnston freed in Gaza

BREAKING NEWS: BBC Reporter Alan Johnston freed in Gaza — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 03:29:45 +0000

[...] Other blogger reactions (Thanks in part to MemeOrandum): brownie (Harry’s Place); Allahphundit (Hot Air) [...]

By: VolMagic

VolMagic — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 03:15:32 +0000

Good news, hope he gets home safe.

Hamas, you gotta give it to them, they know how to work them some propaganda.

By: ahem

ahem — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 03:04:20 +0000

Anyone else agree with me that it’s striking how competently Hamas’ security forces dealt with this situation, particularly winning his release?

Christoph: Are you suggesting that his release was somehow fixed to make Hamas look good? Good Lord, man. I would never in a million years have suspected such a thing!

By: TheSitRep

TheSitRep — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 02:59:50 +0000

I would think about 100 kilotonne should deter further kidnappings. If not then just keep ratcheting it up 1000 kilotonne etc. It will sink in eventually.

By: shooter

shooter — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 02:58:36 +0000

Just one look at their medical professionals should indicate odds are pretty good.
thedecider on July 3, 2007 at 10:47 PM

heh. seemingly ubiquitous these days. Thx Dems.

By: Christoph

Christoph — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 02:57:58 +0000

Anyone else agree with me that it’s striking how competently Hamas’ security forces dealt with this situation, particularly winning his release?

Considering their success in the recent civil war with Fatah, perhaps this shouldn’t be surprising…

By: ahem

ahem — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 02:55:52 +0000

Although, it appears he has lost his toupe’.

Yeah, and a couple of fingers too, apparently.

By: thedecider

thedecider — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 02:47:34 +0000

Exit question: What are the odds that one or more of the gunmen also work for the Beeb?

Just one look at their medical professionals should indicate odds are pretty good.

By: Thomas the Wraith

Thomas the Wraith — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 02:41:07 +0000

Oh wait. I forgot to question the timing. So, I’m questioning the timing. This is clearly meant to distract us from LibbyGate, or the Red Mosque or the second week of Sicko or the poor reviews for that Robin Williams movie or something like that.

By: Stormy70

Stormy70 — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 02:18:17 +0000

I was watching the trailers before Transformers or Die Hard 4 today and I saw a trailer for a film called The Kingdom. It was set in Saudi Arabia and showed some American being kidnapped. It actually showed jihadists.

I will feel better when Johnson is in British hands.

By: P. James Moriarty

P. James Moriarty — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 02:15:21 +0000

Yeah, right….if being turned over to an Iranian-backed terrorist government can be called “being freed”.

By: SilverStar830

SilverStar830 — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 02:07:09 +0000

According to the BeeB, he has been freed.

Here’s video of some of it, what they refer to as him being freed, but he looks like he’s still shackled to me as he gets in the car.

He also looks like he’s been well treated, healthy even. Although, it appears he has lost his toupe’.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHHgzED1ack

By: London Boy

London Boy — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 02:04:27 +0000

I wonder if Johnson will now show more sympathy for the plight of the Israeli soldiers held by Hamas and Hizballah ? More likely he will have a severe case of Stockholm Syndrome and will either have converted to Islam (like Yvonne Ridley) or lash out at the US and British governments – I hope I’m wrong…