The Amboy Times

Lockerbie Bomber not Sick?

The people who released him certainly are.

JUSTICE secretary Kenny MacAskill was last night under pressure to reveal more details of the medical evidence that led to the release of the Lockerbie bomber, after it emerged that only one doctor was willing to say Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi had less than three months to live.

Labour and Conservative politicians have demanded the Scottish Government publish details of the doctor's expertise and qualifications, amid suggestions he or she may not have been a prostate cancer expert.

The parties have also raised questions over whether the doctor was employed by the Libyan government or Megrahi's legal team, which could have influenced the judgment.

 

The evidence provided by the doctor is crucial as compassionate release under Scots law requires that a prisoner has less than three months to live.

Doubts about Megrahi's life expectancy have already been raised by American relatives of the 270 victims of the bomb that blew up Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie on 21 December, 1988. But last night the Scottish Government said it would not publish details of the individual who gave the crucial advice.

Compassion for the families of the 270 innocent people who were mudered is still pending.

 

(...)

 

Last night a spokesman for the Conservatives said that the Scottish Government must now identify the doctor.

He said: "This is no ordinary case of patient confidentiality. This is the background to a very important decision so the normal rules do not apply here.

"At the very least, we must know the qualifications of this doctor, whose opinion was clearly crucial, the only one to say that Megrahi had a life expectancy of less than three months

 

"It appears from the report that he was not a specialist. We also need to know if he works for the NHS or was employed by the Libyans or Megrahi." Read the whole article.

 

What makes this story even more gruesome is it seems to confirm reports that al-Megrahi's release may be tied to an oil deal with the Libyan government. 

Culture of Corruption trading cards

Hey kids! Be the first on your block to get the Culture of Corruption Collectable cards!

Collect 'em, trade 'em, give them to your liberal friends!

Lockerbie: An Oil for Terrorism Deal?

It sure looks that way.

Was it an oil deal? Convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi flew home from a Scottish prison on Thursday, freed by the Scottish government on compassionate grounds because doctors say Megrahi's cancer will kill him within three months. But was that the real reason? Could Britain have traded Megrahi in return for lucrative deals with the energy-rich North African nation?

British officials strongly deny any such arrangement with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. But on Friday, Libya watchers and oil analysts said they believed that the decision to free the only person convicted in the 1988 Pan Am Airlines bombing was connected to British investment interests. "It [Megrahi's release] was a matter of when, not if," says Molly Tarhuni, manager of the international security program at the London-based think tank Chatham House. "It's a very strong possibility" that a deal was struck, she says. "There are benefits to Britain having done it. This was the last in a long chain of deals."

Yes, some twenty odd years later justice comes crashing down and a mass murderer is welcomed as a returning hero.

Hat tip, PaleoCon Command Center for the cartoon.

JW sums it up succinctly.

Another demonstration of the urgent need for energy independence -- as much as possible, as soon as possible. Imagine the moral compromises and foreign policy blunders that would not be up for discussion without the economic blackmail made possible by the current global demand for oil and gas.

Moreover, citizens of the US and other Western nations have to let our leaders know that our lives are in no uncertain terms to be part of any deal with terrorists. Our safety is not a bargaining chip. We have to let our outrage be known to the powers that be or we are certain face even greater dangers only to have them forgiven...no, rewarded! By those who have sworn to protect us.

 

Lockerbie Bomber Released

Absolute madness from Scotland.

GREENOCK, Scotland (CNN) -- The man convicted of murdering 270 people by blowing up Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, two decades ago received a boisterous welcome when he landed in his native Libya on Thursday.

Abdelbeset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi, suffering from terminal prostate cancer, was freed from prison in Scotland, with Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill citing compassionate grounds for the release and saying al Megrahi was "going home to die."

Bert Ammerman, whose brother died in the bombing, called al Megrahi's release "ludicrous."

"First of all, he got his compassionate release when he got life imprisonment and not capital punishment, which Scotland doesn't have," Ammerman told CNN. He should have remained in prison, then after his death, his body could have been returned to Libya, he said....

Al-Megrahi's release disgusted many victims' relatives.

Here's what some of the other family members said,

"You get that lump in your throat and you feel like you're going to throw up," said Norma Maslowski, of Haddonfield, New Jersey, whose 30-year-old daughter, Diane, died in the attack.

"This isn't about compassionate release. This is part of give-Gadhafi-what-he-wants-so-we-can-have-the-oil," said Susan Cohen, of Cape May Court House, New Jersey. Her 20-year-old daughter, Theodora, was killed.

"Some hurts can never heal, some scars can never fade," MacAskill said. "Those who have been bereaved cannot be expected to forget, let alone forgive ... However, Mr. al-Megrahi now faces a sentence imposed by a higher power."

"I don't understand how the Scots can show compassion," said Kara Weipz, of Mount Laurel, New Jersey. Her 20-year-old brother Richard Monetti was on board the doomed flight. "I don't show compassion for someone who showed no remorse."

The Scottish authorities showed no compassion for the victims of the Lockerbie victims, allowing al-Megrahi to return home to a hero's welcome.

Related: This Day in Islamic Terrorism: Lockerbie, Gaddafi's Son: Lockerbie relatives "very greedy"

A Note to RINO's

You are the reason the GOP is in the minority...

(CNSNews.com) - Self-identified conservatives outnumber self-identified liberals in all 50 states of the union, according to the Gallup Poll.
 
At the same time, more Americans nationwide are saying this year that they are conservative than have made that claim in any of the last four years

In 2009, 40% percent of respondents in Gallup surveys that have interviewed more than 160,000 Americans have said that they are either “conservative” (31%) or “very conservative” (9%). That is the highest percentage in any year since 2004.

Only 21% have told Gallup they are liberal, including 16% who say they are “liberal” and 5% who say they are “very liberal.”

...so give your party a break, let us run a real conservative and win a few elections, ok?

Whitehouse Drops the "Flag"

That was quick.

Following a furor over how the data would be used, the White House has shut down an electronic tip box — [email protected] — that was set up to receive information on “fishy” claims about President Barack Obama’s health plan.

E-mails to that address now bounce back with the message: “The e-mail address you just sent a message to is no longer in service. We are now accepting your feedback about health insurance reform via http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck.”

Related: Go Flag Yourself

On this Day

This the 40th anniversary of Woodstock. Sure, it was a huge cultural event and I love a lot of the musicians that were there, but I think this is a little more important.

On this day in 1945, Emperor Hirohito of Japan announces the news of his country's unconditional surrender in World War II over a radio broadcast to the Japanese people.

On the afternoon of August 14, a Japanese radio broadcaster told the public that Emperor Hirohito would soon make an Imperial Proclamation announcing the defeat. The following day at noon, Hirohito went on the radio himself, blaming Japan’s surrender on the enemies' use of "a new and most cruel bomb, the power of which is incalculable, taking the toll of many innocent lives." The emperor was not only a political leader in Japan; he was also revered as a near-god, and many Japanese did not fully accept the news of defeat until they heard him speak those unthinkable words.

As sadness and shame engulfed Japan, joy spread around the Western world. In the United States, news of Hirohito's announcement reached airwaves on August 14 (due to the time difference), and that day was declared Victory in Japan--or V-J--Day. That afternoon, President Harry S. Truman addressed a crowd that had gathered outside the White House, saying "This is the day we have been waiting for since Pearl Harbor. This is the day when Fascism finally dies, as we always knew it would." That day, photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt snapped one of the most famous photos ever published, a shot of a sailor in full uniform kissing a nurse in the middle of New York City's Times Square. The photo, published by Life magazine, became a symbol of the general atmosphere of jubilation in the United States following the end of World War II.

Go Flag Yourself

Today's video is by Steven Crowder and stars Michele Malkin and Ann Coulter.

That's [email protected].

Watch this for inspiration.

Ronald Reagan Speaks Out Against Socialized Medicine

What's the best way to boil a lobster? Turn the heat up just a little bit at a time. By the time he realizes what's going on, he's cooked!

Also check out GSGF's kind tribute to Les Paul. (RIP)

What I did on my Summer vacation

I'm back.

Well, it wasn't a real vacation. There were no travails to exotic locations or quiet retreats. I just had to step away from blogging for a while is all. About three months of no terrorism, tax hikes, clueless pols or natural disasters. Damned selfish of me doncha think?

When I was online I kept it light. Following just the basic news and spending most of my time in a non-political realm. As a result, I have a lot of catching up to do. It took me about an hour to clear out my mail box and manage the three month backlog of comments.

Yes I'm back, taking a wrecking ball to totaltarianism.