salon.com contacts DFU over FR's role in murder of Nick Berg by Islamofascist Terrorist b*st*rds

email from salon.com reporter | 5-12-04 | dfu

[doug from upland]

(Note to Admin Moderator: if trolls join this thread to disrupt it or cause problems for FR, please immediately remove stupid, foolish, numbskull, airheaded, threatening, nonsensical comments.)

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Apparently, I am in the middle of a controversy regarding the brutal murder of Nick Berg by the Islamofascist terrorist b*st*rds.

I received the following FReepmail today from a salon.com reporter and spoke to him off the record. I will either call him back on the record or he can use my comments here on the record.

Salon.com inquiry, your post on the "enemies list"
From (redacted) | 05/12/2004 11:45:13 AM PDT read

Doug,

Hello. My name is (redacted), and I'm a reporter at Salon.com. On March 7, you posted a list of signatories to an ANSWER protest; that list, which is now being discussed by a few left-leaning bloggers, includes the name of "Michael S. Berg," who is the father of Nick Berg, the man beheaded in Iraq.

It seems as if you just posted a copy of the list from the ANSWER site, but the trouble is, your list appears much longer than the one on their page. Michael Berg's name -- and many others -- is not on their page.

So I wonder if you can tell me where you got your list -- have you any idea why yours is longer than the one they have?

I also wonder what you think about the fact that you named these people enemies; do you really think they're enemies? Some people on left-leaning blogs are floating the theory that Nick Berg was detained or singled out by U.S. authorities in Iraq because of the list you posted. I wonder what you think of that idea?

I'm not trying to attack you; I'm a reporter trying to get to the bottom of this story, and it'd be great to get your input. Can you e-mail or call, or let me know where to reach you? Thanks so much.

--(redacted)
Reporter, Salon.com (phone number redacted)

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NOTE: my first suggestion was to tell the report to ask ANSWER why many of the names have been removed from that original post.

Here is my post from a few months ago -- HERE IS THE ENEMY -- they have posted their names

Here is the link for the following excerpt on an FR thread -- Beheaded Man's Firm Was On Right-Wing 'Enemies' List

Original source -- original article by Fintan Dunne

Beheaded Man's Firm Was On Right-Wing 'Enemies' List
Breakfornews.com ^ | May 12, 2004 | Fintan Dunne
Posted on 05/12/2004 12:59:00 PM PDT by Tarantulas
Beheaded Man's Firm Was On Right-Wing 'Enemies' List

The family firm of beheaded American Nick Berg, was named by a conservative website in a list of 'enemies' of the Iraq occupation. That could explain his arrest by Iraqi police --a detention which fatally delayed his planned return from Iraq and may have led directly to his death.

Nick Berg, 26 disappeared into incommunicado detention after his arrest by Iraqi police in March, 2004. He vanished again after his release 13 days later. His body was found last Saturday in Baghdad, and a video of his beheading --supposedly by a radical Islamic group-- was posted on the Internet on Tuesday.

The official story of his gruesome murder has many dubious aspects, not least the real reason why Iraqi police detained the young man at a checkpoint. New research by BreakForNews has uncovered a plausible explanation.

The FreeRepublic.com web site and forum has a reputation for right-wing views, often fanatical Republican and relentless pro-war activism.

On 7th March, 2004, just three weeks before the first anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, an 'enemies' list of anti-war groups and individuals was posted on the Free Republic forum.

It began: "Here you are, FReepers. Here is the enemy."

The list had been copied from publicly available endorsements of a call to action for an imminent anniversary antiwar protest on 20th March, 2004. The protest was being organized under the banner of the A.N.S.W.E.R Coalition (Act Now to Stop War & End Racism).

Among those listed as having endorsed the call to action was this entry: "Michael S. Berg, Teacher, Prometheus Methods Tower Service, Inc."

That's Nick Berg's father, Michael who acts as business manager for his son in their family radio communications firm, Prometheus Methods Tower Service.

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Here is my immediate reaction --- what is the color of the sky in the fantasy world which Fintan Dunne calls home?

I can't wait for her next story. Let's set the scenario. Two guys are driving to the airport. Their upper radiator hose bursts, the car overheats, and they miss their flight. They get to the airport a few hours late and are able to catch the next plane. The plane crashes. Fintan Dunne headline: Pep Boys Implicated in Death of Innocent Travelers. If anyone could conceive such twisted logic, it would be Ms. Dunne. Without a defective radiator hose, they would have made it to the airport on time. Without a defective radiator hose they would not have been on the flight where the shoebomber detonated his loafers in the seat just behind the wing.

Do we have an official "enemies list"? If so, what do we do to them? Who is keeping track?

I will let you make some comments before I make additional on the record comments. Please don't be crazy. Think through your argument carefully. Some of this may appear on salon.com and we can perhaps help them get up to about 2 cents per share.

[lowbridge]

We are actually sharing oxygen with them.

Their brain isn't getting it's fair share.

[anniegetyourgun]

"The family firm of beheaded American Nick Berg, was named by a conservative website in a list of 'enemies' of the Iraq occupation. That could explain his arrest by Iraqi police --a detention which fatally delayed his planned return from Iraq and may have led directly to his death."

The flights of fancy that some on the Left take must be quite expensive, given the cost of jet fuel these days. Just this paragraph alone represents leaps and extrapolations that could land one in the next galaxy.

[alisasny]

Iz its just comical and I hope doug is laughing too.

Sadly it may come at the expense of poor Nick Berg however..... that is not our problem at this point. If his father is going to be an ass and blame Bush then all is fair in love and war.

[alisasny]

Neither makes sense since doug copied the list and had no idea who the members of the list were....

[alloysteel]

Sure they are. It's all Bush's fault.

Nobody said logic is involved. Might be some Froot Loops, though. Or bad angel dust.

[Billthedrill]

Some people on left-leaning blogs are floating the theory that Nick Berg was detained or singled out by U.S. authorities in Iraq because of the list you posted.

Uh, let me get this straight. They're positing that NICK Berg got detained because MICHAEL Berg's name was on a list? And just how did the Iraqi cops figure that one out? Magic? The CIA passed them the Master List Of All Americans Who Are Related To One Another? Tea leaves? Ouija board?

Son, take some advice. Other people's paranoia isn't your problem.

[MNJohnnie]

Ok, ANSWER actively opposes the US Governments position on every issue. I guess that kind of explains why we would think of them as enemies. ANSWER oppose the US Government for the SAKE of opposing the US Government, NOT from any vision of a better alternative solution. By doing that, Answer is a propaganda arm for the Terrorists. I do not know if Answer does this KNOWINGLY or just cannot figure out the logical conclusion of their actions.

[onyx]

Doug, I have only read one blog from a
crackpot wherein he cited FR as a site of
"right-wing haters" and he also provided a
link to your post naming the answer folks.

I pinged you to that thread.
I can find it if you wish.

Salon can take a flying you know what.
I didn't know they were still being
propped-up and in business.

[July 4th]

If anything, your post got him offered a free trip home at the expense of the US taxpayer. He should have taken it.

[Greg_99]

ya know............if we have this much power................................maybe we should use it for (ahem) useful stuff.

[Vigilantcitizen]

First, does this sound like reality:

Iraqi police officer: I have suspect, named Joe Jones in custody.

Iraqi police supervisor: Standby Achmed while I surf FR for info on suspect. Hey...he's an anti-war communist protester, arrest him.

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Don't think so.

Secondly, Nick Berg was pro-Bush and pro-Iraq war. His father is the Answer member.

Third, the state department offered Berg a flight home.

The left is really going overboard in their conspiracy theories over Berg's death. They are doing more damage to their own cause than we ever could.

[SauronOfMordor]

Another poster on another thread expressed the possibility that a telecom specialist, known to be associated with supporters of the anti-American Iraqi resistance, and with no sensible economic reason for being there, might have been drawn there with ideas of helping the anti-American side with their communications.

And then discovered too late that "dead men tell no tales".

[antaresequity]

Dear Salon,

I think they are all enemies of the free state. They advocate replacing a government of, for and by the people, to a centralized socialist form of government. Anyone subscribing to such thought is an enemy of the state.

Nick Berg's father is an enemy of the state.

Michael Moore and George Soros are enemies of the state. If I had my druthers, they all would be given the option of deportation, or internment.

We are at war against those who hate this country and its judeo-christian values and ethics [liberals], and we are war against Islamic-Muslim culture and countries. Islam is evil. 99.9% of all terror and war has Islam as a common denominator. THIS IS NOT A WAR AGAINST TERROR.

Its that simple for me.

[MizSterious]

Amazing logic, isn't it? I wonder what they're smokin' over there?

[Clara Lou]

Well, well. Mr. Talbot can sure pick the losers, can't he?

[Ron in Acreage]

ANSWER posted the list themselves. You apparently posted the list and added the headline. They are the enemies of America.

[Williams]

I'd also like to point out the terrorists would just have readily killed the father as the son, and I would have just as quickly been outraged and wanted to see the terrorists killed.

[Enterprise]

Well said. I trying to formulate something along those lines but you nailed it precisely.

[Poohbah]

Michael Moore and George Soros are enemies of the state. If I had my druthers, they all would be given the option of deportation, or internment.

Your option leaves them alive and able to cause mischief.

[narby]

Obviously the left is feeling the heat over their guilt in getting Berg beheaded because they pushed this prison hazing scandal in the media.

Attack seems to be their best method of defense, since otherwise they have none.