Mistranslated Osama bin Laden Video - the German Press Investigates

Action Report Online ^ | 12/23/2002 | Craig Morris

[Ridin' Shotgun]

I will stay because I have no dual loyalties and no dual citizenship with other countries and don't care to. I prefer to stay right here and work to restore this once great nation, to its founding principles. It may surprise you, but there are many people in this country who don't like the Empire scenario any more than people who would attack us because of it. Will we win? Probably not, but there are some principles that are worth the effort.

[Ridin' Shotgun]

Hey, you were the one who called me on the carpet for it, so I apologised. The madmoiselle private freeped me and called me a moron, so she's forgone her desserts to an apology.

[colorado tanker]

Thanks for your posts, Buckhead. Even though the "translator" is not at the same university as Atta, it's a very curious coincidence that these people are from Hamburg, the center of Atta's cell. Indeed, if these people knew each other, contact through a mosque or mutual friends would be more likely than the school.

Plus, you know that about a thousand US journalists had this tape reviewed so they could try to embarass the administration. The fact that the usual suspects like CNN, CBS, the NY Times and Salon have been silent is telling.

[Ridin' Shotgun]

I don't suppose you're going to try to find those manifests, are you? Why bother with facts. And no, unfortunately, the game probably isn't 'over' yet. And it won't be 'over' until every right you think you're entitled to here in the land of the free, is gone.

[Sabertooth]

Hey, you were the one who called me on the carpet for it, so I apologised. The madmoiselle private freeped me and called me a moron, so she's forgone her desserts to an apology.

No, no, no... You claim that your comment at #99 was a bad attempt at humor. I'll take you at your word.

But look at the subsequent posts. NO ONE got it. Everyone else saw it as an insult, including her. If it was humor, once it became clear that your joke fell flat, what should your response have been?

Seems reasonable to me to offer a mea culpa at that point... defuse the whole thing. Instead, you said... "Please don't waste my time with stupid answers. You're incapable of thinking." At that point you went from inadvertent insult to foot-in-mouth disease. That's when you started getting slammed, and not just by her.

If this is a misunderstanding, whose responsibility is that?

Yours.

So at this point, you don't have the prerogative of deciding whether or not someone you've insulted deserves an apology. You need to step up.

If it'll make you feel better, I apologize for suggesting that you should bleat like a sheep.

[imperator2]

Good luck to you, but I think you are throwing away the baby with the bath water. This is a great country, which has never been better, and never will be better. Enjoy it while it lasts.

[VaBthang4]

Yes yes, thank you.......move along........

[harrowup]

There are too many red flags in this German "analysis" to bear repeating. I am also sorry you included me in such a miserable collection of what passes for human these days... Arator; Inspector Harry Callahan;[redacted];Mojo; Z2; Navigator;[redacted];ironword...

[BJClinton]

...an organization that promotes human rights in Saudi Arabia.

ROTFLMAO

[Demidog]

Did I flag you to this? Flagging Mojo was a joke.

[irish guard]

Since you insist on being so picky abut this, so will I. In your responses to me, you never said they used a Lebanese to translator, just AN Egyptian, which is why I have been following up on these posts. Go back and review our posts if you would like, but that is all I am trying to point out. That and the fact that I believe that the US went to pretty good lengths to verify what was said on that tape. Just because they used foreigners, doesn't mean they also didn't have their own linquistic experts who are/were US citizens listen too. I just don't believe the German thing.

[Demidog]

You were the one who decided to be picky. Since you were, I decided to point out that I simply made a statement that wasn't as exclusionary as you asserted.

[RGSpincich]

...an organization that promotes human rights in Saudi Arabia.

ROTFLMAO

I take it you doubt their sincerity. ; )

[DreamWeaver]

What they prove is that the government is lying. Not that unusual.

Not that unusual is true as we all know. Do I think Bin Laden is guilty ? Absolutely with out a doubt. However, as far as the translation goes, yes it is possible ( who knows ?) that it was mis tanslated because we needed a " smoking gun". For people here to absolutely deny the possiblity of mis translation IMO are people who use selective reasoning. They believe our govt has lied on many occasions before but refuse to even think there is a possibility Regarding this tape. Selective reasoning.

[irish guard]

You were the one who told me the US had AN Egyptian listen to the tape, so I simply assumed you meant one......Never say die kind of guy huh? Admirable

[Skip Ripley]

Since you do not speak Arabic yourself and are relying on the say so of persons you have neither met nor can vouch for don't you think it would be more accurate to say "alleged errors"

Aw hell, I'm sorry, that would require you to approach this issue with even the slightest grain of objectivity.