Posada Goes Free
While my last entry regarding Paris Hilton seems to have fueled some anger, this is an entry which should not merely fuel anger, but dump kerosene on an already burning fire.
In 1976, Cubana Flight 455 was downed by two timed bombs. All seventy three people on board were killed. Cuban, Venezuelan, and American investigations traced the planting of the bombs to two Venezuelan passengers employed by Luis Posada’s private detective agency based in Venezuela, both of whom admitted to the crime. Following their admissions, Posada was arrested, charged with masterminding the bombing, and subsequently jailed. He was, at the time, a CIA asset.
In 1977 Posada escaped from jail and fled to Chile, from which he was immediately extradited. He would thus serve a further eight years before an operation financed by Jorge Mas Canosa helped him, once again, escape. Canosa was the then head of The Cuban-American National Foundation, which was created in 1981 as an initiative of the Reagan White House, and received US funding with the purpose of financing anti-Cuban terrorist initiatives.
After Posada’s second escape, he was relocated to El Salvador, where he was integrated into US operations there. He would go on to also operate along side another CIA asset, Félix Rodríguez, in coordinating support for the Contras under the direction U.S. Major General Richard Secord, who was assigned the task of directing such operations for Oliver North.
It should be noted that documents released yesterday by the National Security Archive substantiate Posada’s connection to the bombing of flight 455, which makes what I’m getting to all the more sickening and hypocritical.
In May of 2005, Posada was detained for entering the United States illegally. Released on bail last month, today a US judge dropped the immigration charges against Posada due to ‘illegally obtained statements made by Posada that were used against him’.
US authorities have said that they will not entertain extradition applications to have Posada transfered to Cuban or Venezuelan authorities despite requests from both nations that he be.
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May 8th, 2007 at 6:01 pm
Ah yes, the brilliance of the American legal system.
May 8th, 2007 at 6:14 pm
Where to begin?? What to say even???
The American Justice system at its best, no less. They let a previously convicted mass murdered (73 victims) off on what seems to be a technicality of sorts because of “illegally obtained statements”, yet manage to jail a blond bimbo (sorry, but it seemed fitting) for DUI.
Sometimes it just seems like things are just soooo fscked up these days that you just don’t know what to think any more. :-p
May 8th, 2007 at 6:45 pm
Immigration status has nothing to do with the fact that the man is a terrorist/murderer and should be extradited. If not to Cuba or Venezuela at least to a third country where he can be tried by those nations and serve a sentence.
May 8th, 2007 at 6:51 pm
I wonder if those geniuses who signed and made that Paris Hilton petition will make one and sign it to have this man imprisoned or extradited.
Somehow I am guessing… no.
May 8th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
How do you pan through these articles daily without crying?
May 8th, 2007 at 8:03 pm
They won’t entertain extraditing a known terrorist but, should they choose (and they have in the past), they will detain anybody that looks like they might be from the middle east and drag them off to one of their secret prisons to be shackled naked next to other detainees.
Someone ought to tell the United States government that their head isn’t suppose to fit in their ass like that.
May 8th, 2007 at 10:40 pm
Probably because he isn’t dark skinned with black hair and a moustache.
May 9th, 2007 at 12:08 am
I was JUST going to mention this!
This was the part that got me, and it even got mentioned by CNN:
May 9th, 2007 at 12:42 am
And yet the “West Memphis Three” are still locked up despite a error filled comfession that was illegally obtained, and no physical evidence linking them to the crime.
May 9th, 2007 at 5:45 am
Listen i aint defending the Americans, but all governments are corrupt in many ways they take avantage of their own people for their own personal gain. Sometimes ignorance is bliss cause you can drive yourself mad about the injustice and obserditity that goes on day to day in this damn $h*thole we call earth.
May 9th, 2007 at 10:07 am
In the Old Country we call Egypt the ” Mother of the Earth “….
May 9th, 2007 at 10:54 am
um. wtf?
how can the judge even do that with a straight face? How can he go home and sleep at night? You know, I think I lose more sleep over crap like this than those idiots perpetrating them.
It should really be the other way around. Because then maybe, just maybe people in power wouldn’t be making such asanine decisions.
And swordfish….i dont think any of us make it through a day of reading such articles without crying. Or without getting hyper frustrated at the current state of affairs.
May 9th, 2007 at 8:30 pm
This series of events represents perfectly the ethos of the United States. Illegal covert action - blow-back - cover-up and spin, rinse and repeat. It’s such a perfect story, it’s almost a freaking parable.
May 10th, 2007 at 10:04 pm
They’re not terrorists when they’re on your side. And it’s not a lie if you believe it, either. Too bad the masses don’t get it, thanks to Fox, CNN, and all the others. In fact, were it not for Democracy Now, I wouldn’t have a clue, either… And I’m paying attention! Most Americans have no idea their foreign policy is creating enemies. Their enemies tell them, but who believes a terrorist?