How dare you question liberals' patriotism? How dare you?

Gore Laments U.S. 'Abuses' Against Arabs

By JIM KRANE, Associated Press Writer Sun Feb 12, 9:08 PM ET

JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia - Former Vice President
Al Gore told a mainly Saudi audience on Sunday that the U.S. government committed "terrible abuses" against Arabs after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and that most Americans did not support such treatment.

Gore said Arabs had been "indiscriminately rounded up" and held in "unforgivable" conditions. The former vice president said the Bush administration was playing into al-Qaida's hands by routinely blocking Saudi visa applications.

"The thoughtless way in which visas are now handled, that is a mistake," Gore said during the Jiddah Economic Forum. "The worst thing we can possibly do is to cut off the channels of friendship and mutual understanding between Saudi Arabia and the United States."

Gore told the largely Saudi audience, many of them educated at U.S. universities, that Arabs in the United States had been "indiscriminately rounded up, often on minor charges of overstaying a visa or not having a green card in proper order, and held in conditions that were just unforgivable."

"Unfortunately there have been terrible abuses and it's wrong," Gore said. "I do want you to know that it does not represent the desires or wishes or feelings of the majority of the citizens of my country."

On
Iran, Gore complained of "endemic hyper-corruption" among Tehran's religious and political elite and asked Arabs to take a stand against Iran's nuclear program.

Iran says its program is for peaceful purposes but the United States and other Western countries suspect Tehran is trying to develop nuclear weapons.

"Is it only for the West to say this is dangerous?" Gore asked. "We should have more people in this region saying this is dangerous."

Several audience members criticized the United States for what they described as "unconditional" U.S. support for
Israel, saying U.S. diplomats helped Israel flout U.N. resolutions that they enforced when the measures targeted Arabs.

Gore refused to be drawn into questions about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"We can't solve that long conflict in exchanges here," Gore said.

Also at the forum, the vice chairman of Chevron Corp., Peter Robertson, said
President Bush's desire to cut U.S. dependence on Mideast oil shows a "misunderstanding" of global energy supply and the critical role of Saudi Arabia.

In his State of the Union address this month, Bush pledged to cut U.S. dependence on Middle East oil by 75 percent by 2025.

"This notion of being energy independent is completely unreasonable," Robertson said at the economic forum, which opened Saturday.

"I believe Middle Eastern oil can and must play a certain role in the system," Robertson said. "Saudi Arabia's massive resources will continue to promote international energy security and serve as a moderating force in balancing supply and demand."

Cherie Blair, wife of British Prime Minister
Tony Blair, made a plea at the forum for women's rights, telling Saudi leaders that the dearth of women in the work force was "undermining economic potential" of the kingdom.

Irish President Mary McAleese urged Saudi Arabia to learn from Ireland's economic transformation, which hinged on opening the country to the outside world and ushering women into the workplace.

news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060213/ap_on_re_mi_ea/saudi_gore

He's a douche.

Whatever happened to class?

Not to say you're wrong or anything, but in exactly where does the article say Al Gore lied?  Or, what are you contending he lied about?

Cool flaming Gore pic though.

Quoted: Not to say you're wrong or anything, but in exactly where does the article say Al Gore lied?  Or, what are you contending he lied about? Cool flaming Gore pic though.

Gore told the largely Saudi audience, many of them educated at U.S. universities, that Arabs in the United States had been "indiscriminately rounded up, often on minor charges of overstaying a visa or not having a green card in proper order, and held in conditions that were just unforgivable."

That's not exactly indiscriminate, is it?  Actually enforcing the laws on the books? Also, there's the fact that the 9/11 terrorists visas were renewed about 6-8 months after the attacks.

Quoted: Not to say you're wrong or anything, but in exactly where does the article say Al Gore lied?  Or, what are you contending he lied about? Cool flaming Gore pic though.

I think its this:

Al Gore told a mainly Saudi audience on Sunday that the U.S. government committed "terrible abuses" against Arabs after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and that most Americans did not support such treatment.

Gore said Arabs had been "indiscriminately rounded up" and held in "unforgivable" conditions. The former vice president said the Bush administration was playing into al-Qaida's hands by routinely blocking Saudi visa applications.

Quoted:

Not to say you're wrong or anything, but in exactly where does the article say Al Gore lied?  Or, what are you contending he lied about?

An article in the mainstrean press, such as the AP, will likely never be guilty of actually saying that AlGore is lying.

But what do you think of this AlGore statement:

'Gore said Arabs had been "indiscriminately rounded up" and held in "unforgivable" conditions.'

Hmmmm?

Eric The(VastRightWingConspirator)Hun

During the time when the most people were actually being picked up, I was living near an Arab community in California.  Anecdotally, there were quite a few people who just disappeared, presumably after being picked up for questioning.  Of course, if you were white, and weren't involved in the community (and I wasn't, except for a little luck of being in the right place at the right time), you hardly would have noticed.  There was quite a stir, really, but there was very little the local government could do, and the feds weren't being cooperative, and everyone sort of forgot about it after a while.

That was before that weird thing with the INS that I never really understood where they suddenly asked a bunch of immigrants (some legal, some not) to report to the INS in Los Angeles.  Several thousand of them, in fact.  And for reasons I don't understand, they did not have adequate housing during the time they were detained.  As far as I know, there was no outright abuse, but it was widely reported by relatively neutral journalists that the conditions were substandard.

There's also the small matter of, ahem, Guatanamo Bay.

Most of the words Gore us quoted as using are fairly subjective.  I'm not sure how bad something has to be to be "terrible," or if it would be "forgivable."  But I know what he's talking about, largely because I was at the right place at the right time.  So if there was any lies or deception in his speech, I can't see it from the information in that article.

Is it really necessary to let him back in the country?

I think the guy has a one way ticket over the edge.

Hm. After 9/11, the police did make their rounds to inform the Muslim community........to immediately report any violence or property crimes against them.

Such crimes did happen in my town.  But they were frauds, committed by the "victims", cynically using the 9/11 attacks to defraud their insurance companies and banks.

Quoted: Such crimes did happen in my town.  But they were frauds, committed by the "victims", cynically using the 9/11 attacks to defraud their insurance companies and banks.

I didn't really hear about many of these.  We usually don't have this problem because Arabs usually live in communities that are accepting of Arabs.  The trouble is that the would-be racists can't really tell different sorts of non-Americans apart, and so generally misdirects their anger to a Persian or an Indian.

The only incident I can remember hearing about personally was when some rednecks dragged a man behind their pickup, presumably as an anti-Arab statement.  I'm fairly certain the guy died, but I really don't remember.

All-in-all, Arabs are still better off than blacks, and perhaps even better off than jews.  However, I expect in the coming decades we'll see a reversal here, with more love for the jews, and more hate to various brown middle easterners.  Come to think of it, I'm not exactly sure why lots of people don't like jews.  In any case, most of the places that Arabs are living now are still fairly sympathetic and compassionate and accepting.  I get this feeling most of the hate is coming from people who didn't even know what an Arab was until they saw a picture of bin Laden.

And I have to confess, middle-eastern girls, Arab or no, are ridiculously hot.  I so need to meet some cute Egyptian girls or something...

Well, it did happen in Anchor-town.  Immediately after the attacks, there was a concerted effort to address what was perceived to be the inevitible attacks against Muslims after 9/11.  Led by by my friend's father.

Like I said, the retribution attacks agaist Muslims they thought were inevitible did not happen, but one Arab cynically played on those assumptions to commit fraud.

Quoted: During the time when the most people were actually being picked up, I was living near an Arab community in California.  Anecdotally, there were quite a few people who just disappeared, presumably after being picked up for questioning.  Of course, if you were white, and weren't involved in the community (and I wasn't, except for a little luck of being in the right place at the right time), you hardly would have noticed.  There was quite a stir, really, but there was very little the local government could do, and the feds weren't being cooperative, and everyone sort of forgot about it after a while. That was before that weird thing with the INS that I never really understood where they suddenly asked a bunch of immigrants (some legal, some not) to report to the INS in Los Angeles.  Several thousand of them, in fact.  And for reasons I don't understand, they did not have adequate housing during the time they were detained.  As far as I know, there was no outright abuse, but it was widely reported by relatively neutral journalists that the conditions were substandard. There's also the small matter of, ahem, Guatanamo Bay. Most of the words Gore us quoted as using are fairly subjective.  I'm not sure how bad something has to be to be "terrible," or if it would be "forgivable."  But I know what he's talking about, largely because I was at the right place at the right time.  So if there was any lies or deception in his speech, I can't see it from the information in that article.

You seem to presume a lot in your statement.  You presume that people disappeared after questioning for some nefarious reason. Could they have disappeared before questioning ? Could they have been deported ? Are they being held in some super secret detention camp ?

As far as INS asking legal immigrants to come to the office. I have no problem with that, their identities should have been checked with fingerprint comparisons. After witnessing immigration fraud myself I can say that many times I have seen people use other peoples name for visas and only through the fingerprint comparisons.

As far as substandard housing, how is any agency going to house 20 times the people it usually does while giving everyone the color tv and private bathroom.

What are the abuses at Gitmo you are talking about ? The Koran flushing. Those people are being fed better than I am bet. But they are there for a reason it should not be a country club.

Gore clearly was over the top with his misrepresentations and half truths.

gore lying?  What a shock!

Sometime, when I get the chance, I need to send 350 people in Florida a thank you gift.

We were so close to having that nutcase as our president.

Nail his tongue to a palm tree.  

Every time this nut opens his mouth it remind me how close he was to being the President.  The Horror, The Horror

My heart goes out to the poor innocent moslem pigs who are "detained" at GITMO.They were only trying to kill Americans soldiers who are at war with them. (sob....while wringing my hands...sob.)

All the torture.....(sob) that these "brave freedom Fighters" who only want to cut non-believers heads off on TV..........have undergone at the hands of the "mean Americans" who allow them to bang their heads instead of removing them. Al gore is my hero. He invented the internet. He is a wise man much beloved by A-Rabic freedom fighters  and other  violent revolutionary anti-American factions around the World....much like peanut head karter another friend of the islamik pee po.  


Moslem's should be given their own forum here so that they can discuss how to destroy America, free from the acid sarcasim our dead soldiers,mothers,fathers,brothers,sisters and children demand.   [

Quoted: gunsafety.kisscentral.net/images/gorepoops.gif

I was waiting for that, thanks

I've read though this thread a couple times.

I have a theory:

aaronstaple =

Quoted: And I have to confess, middle-eastern girls, Arab or no, are ridiculously hot.  I so need to meet some cute Egyptian girls or something...

I bet you are looking forward to meeting 72 of them?

Maybe al gore should just move to saudi

How much money did the appearance earn him...he said what the customer wanted to hear, just like a clown or any other entertainer...

On a lighter note, my "paper boy" is Egyptian, our kids go to school together, yesterday I complained that the comic section was missing some pages, he laughed...
Pete

It only takes two words to understand Al Gore:

ASS KISS

Gore in principleless. He speaks to the audience in front of him.

He is the opposite of a leader. He is the ultimate follower.

Hey, Gore! You lost, move on.

Quoted: During the time when the most people were actually being picked up, I was living near an Arab community in California.  Anecdotally, there were quite a few people who just disappeared, presumably after being picked up for questioning.  Of course, if you were white, and weren't involved in the community (and I wasn't, except for a little luck of being in the right place at the right time), you hardly would have noticed.  There was quite a stir, really, but there was very little the local government could do, and the feds weren't being cooperative, and everyone sort of forgot about it after a while. That was before that weird thing with the INS that I never really understood where they suddenly asked a bunch of immigrants (some legal, some not) to report to the INS in Los Angeles.  Several thousand of them, in fact.  And for reasons I don't understand, they did not have adequate housing during the time they were detained.  As far as I know, there was no outright abuse, but it was widely reported by relatively neutral journalists that the conditions were substandard. There's also the small matter of, ahem, Guatanamo Bay. Most of the words Gore us quoted as using are fairly subjective.  I'm not sure how bad something has to be to be "terrible," or if it would be "forgivable."  But I know what he's talking about, largely because I was at the right place at the right time.  So if there was any lies or deception in his speech, I can't see it from the information in that article.

That's absolute BULLSHIITE, plain and simple.

There were approximately 1,600 individuals of Middle Eastern origin who were arrested or taiken into custody immediately after September 11th.

An anti-Administration website actually puts the number at 1,200, but let's use the higher number for this discussion. That website is Hate Free Zone Washington

Of those 1,600 folks, approximately 600 are still being held for one reason or the other, the rest have either been deported or released.

1,600 people 'disappearing' in a nation of almost 300,000,000 means that is is very unlikely that you or anyone else in your neighborhood or 'Arab Community' would have noticed it, unless that 'Arab community' was some sort of 'al Qaeda Central'!  

Who knows how many 'second waves' were prevented by the roundup of these approximately 1,600 individuals who were here illegally, anyway, after September 11th.

But thank God, they were rounded up and detained.

And you should thank God, as well, I would think.....

Want to see a real Hejira of Middle Easterners from this country?

Just let something happen here that resembles anything that commonly happened in Israel during the late Intifadah, and you will witness a real mass exodus.

Exodus ?  Should that word even be used in connection with this discussion?

Eric The(SuddenlyNativist)Hun