Iceland Tells US to Butt Out on Fischer Residency Offer

[Tinoire]

Iceland Tells US to Butt Out on Fischer Residency Offer

REYKJAVIK (AP) Iceland has rejected a U.S. request to drop the offer of a residency permit for former American chess champion Bobby Fischer, officials said Tuesday.
The U.S. ambassador to Iceland, James Gadsden, asked the country last week to withdraw its offer because Fischer is wanted in the United States on criminal charges.

Fischer, who is being held in Japan, is wanted in the United States on charges of violating U.N. sanctions against Yugoslavia when he played a chess match there in 1992.

But on Monday, Foreign Secretary David Oddsson invited Gadsden to a meeting and told the U.S. ambassador that the Icelandic government stood by its offer, Icelandic officials said.

(snip)

The Japan Times: Dec. 23, 2004

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20041223a2.htm

[BuddhaGirl]

1. Good for Iceland!

eom

[impeach the gop]

2. Good for them

Can't be bothered to find the evil doer responsible (or so we're
told)for 911 osoma.

NOPE! Go after some fancy checker player!

Oh why oh why are we not able to have an adult in charge of the
people's business?

[NYC]

3. An adult?

I would settle for a human.

[rodeodance]

9. other countries should develop the habit of telling us to take a leap!!

[colonel odis]

23. i think they're doing that very quickly. at the rate bush is going,

we'll be hard pressed to find an ally in another year or two.

i'd even look for us to be replaced as the occupying nation in iraq. all russia or china would have to do is tell us to fuck off, and there's not a single, solitary thing we could do about it.

[gmoney]

4. Iceland can have him...

From all I've read, Fischer is a total crackpot, and apparently an anti-semitic crackpot to boot.

I'd say the US has filled its quota of both, thank you.

[girl gone mad]

5. Bobby Fischer is himself Jewish, having been born of a Jewish mother.

Sadly, he is a schizophrenic and was brainwashed long ago by a Christian cult.

Oh and if you wanna know how he got that way, try to imagine yourself growing up in his shoes.

Here's a glimpse into his background, with details of his mother being trailed and hounded by the FBI for being a liberal, and he himself being targeted by both US and Soviet government spies from an early age:

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/4535883.htm?1c

[Warren Stupidity]

7. yes he's (more than) a bit loony

which makes the fact that we intended to prosecute him for playing a chess match in Sarajevo a bit silly. He is also perhaps the worlds greatest chess player, maybe the greatest chess player ever. A non-loony government would ignore his harmless foibles. So it is one loon going after another loon for acting loony. One loon is in control of the worlds top military force and enough nukes to end the world as we know it. The other loon can't even function well enough to do the only thing he actually can do, which is play chess.

Iceland rocks!

[PassingFair]

12. The * family has a PERSONAL vendetta against Bobby,

antisemite though he may be, the real reason for the intercontinental fox chase is because he dissed the royal family in 1992 by not only going to that chess match, but by spitting on the T-papers that he was served ON CAMERA! Pappy was PISSED.

"After disappearing from public view for 20 years, Robert James Fischer returned to play a chess match with Boris Spassky in 1992. At the time of the return match, Fischer was 49 years old. Spassky was 55, was ranked 101st in the world, and had a rating of 2560.

They came to the town of Sveti Stefan, a resort off the coast of Montenegro, 110 km from the civil war in Bosnia, 200 km from besieged Sarajevo. Fischer played despite United Nations sanctions against Yugoslavia and a warning from the United States Treasury Department, which threatened him with severe penalties for playing."


"A memorable press conference:

On 1 September 1992, Fischer gave his first press conference in 20 years. When asked about his reaction to the threats by Washington, Fischer took out a letter from the Treasury Department and spat on it."

[jman0]

17. "world's greatest chess player" ??

"He is also perhaps the worlds greatest chess player, maybe the greatest chess player ever."

Huh? Are you serious?
Never heard of Garry Kasparov i suppose.

[Warren Stupidity]

19. did they ever play?

Fisher was demonstrably the best when he was serious about playing. We can only speculate about a Kasporov/Fisher matchup, which will never happen. But you know that right?

The point wasn't "Fisher is better than Kasporov" the point was that Fisher, nutcase that he is, is an historic figure, a legendary chess player, and his persecution by the bush regime is stupid and ugly. Can we agree on that?

[Somawas]

6. Excellent for Iceland

Fischer is a crackpot.

But given our total crackpot in charge, I favor just about anybody who will tell him to shit in his hat.

[VegasWolf]

8. Yes, I'll drink to iceland! n/t

[madrchsod]

10. oldest continous democracy

, the home country of my heart doctor , bjork, and all the hot water i could possibly want...hmmmm sounds like a good place to me...

[RuleofLaw]

20. Thank you

I always thought Iceland had the worlds oldest continuous democracy. It pisses me off to no end when I hear Americans claim to have the worlds oldest democracy.

[midnight armadillo]

25. Democratic since 960 AD or so

The Althing was the site of their meetings, conveniently located on the intersection of the European and NA continental plates.

They're also the only country to have voted themselves Christian over paganism.

It's a beuatiful country. The women are mostly 5'10", blond and blue-eyed. The national drink is cumin-flavored schnapps, dubbed the Black Death, which must be tasted to be believed.

[RuleofLaw]

28. If you ever have to fly to Europe

Use Iceland Air. On the flight back from Europe to the States there is a 4 hours layover, where they take you on a bus ride to the Blue Lagoon. And outdoors pool heated with thermal heat. Its awesome. Been there in 20 degrees and floated in 100 degrees water outside. Makes you feel 10 years younger!

[MasonJar]

11. There are a ton of Bushites who should go to jail first. Go,

Iceland. I hope the entire world follows your lead.

[Renew Deal]

13. Who the hell cares about a freaking chess game in 1992?

It's such a non-issue. Can't we flex on countries for more important stuff? Why waste it one this? dumb :think:

[RuleofLaw]

21. Why should we care?

Because it is a signal to all Americans that the government never forgives. I think the reason why he is still being persecuted is the same reason for why we are still after the deserter from the Vietnam War. No matter what you do, the government will always be after you so you better behave. Its called control.

[Vidar]

24. Nicely reasoned. Cheering for Iceland.

[Tinoire]

26. Thank you... n/t

[Traction]

14. Well, Iceland doesn't have to worry about the US bombing them

We would never bomb the whitest nation on the planet.

[truthisfreedom]

15. i wonder if there's any good chess players in Iceland?

that aren't drunk?

[cliss]

16. Isn't that cute?

Little Iceland, with its population of 100,000 (?), snubs the stumbling giant the US. They collectively give us the finger, safe in the knowledge that we're MUCH too occupied elsewhere to stomp on little Iceland. We don't have too much prestige anymore. This is going to be par for the course for the next few years.

Well, good for them.

[RuleofLaw]

22. Actually, the US needs Iceland more than they need us

US has a huge Radar station on Iceland. Iceland is selfsufficient with energy (Therma) and have little need for the US to survive. (Besides, Iceland in part of the coalition of the willing, although Iceland doesn't have an army :crazy:

[LynnTheDem]

18. Are bush & his Cartel wanted on criminal charges for violating

the entire UN Charter?

How about for their war of aggression, deemed the SUPREME CRIME by the Nuremburg Tribunal?

How about for violating the United States Constitution?

Etc. Etc. Etc.

[lastliberalintexas]

27. Hmm, if we're going to go after

people for allegedly violating UN sanctions, does that mean Cheney and Halliburton will be next for their sales to/with Iraq in the 90s? If so, I'd have to agree to sacrifice Fischer to the cause.

[Javaman]

29. Iceland another country on morons growing shit list....

God bless Iceland!!! It takes a small nation to show the world what real guts are!!!