Possible Hoax? the Yahoo story about the terraists supporting *

[Ruby Romaine]

Come on. Did you see the authors name?
Opherra McDoom!!!!!

is it April Fools Day yet?

Purported Al Qaeda Letter Calls Truce in Spain
Wed Mar 17, 4:56 PM ET Add World - Reuters to My Yahoo!
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/nm/20040317/wl_nm/security_spain_truce_dc&e=2&ncid=721

By Opheera McDoom

[eyesroll]

1. It seems Opheera McDoom has quite a few Reuters credits

I'd say this isn't a hoax.

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&edition=us&q=Opheera+McDoom+&btnG=Search+News

[Occulus]

13. I mentioned the Google results for her name

in another thread related to this. There were exactly five unique results among eight listed, including this particular story. All of them were from no earlier than Feb. 28 of this year, and the dates that are listed as the date posted span less than a month.

Now add her supposed name into the mix. I'm very suspicious of this.

Does anyone know where this reporter is from? Anything at all of her credentials?

And isn't the name "Ophera McDoom" rather... serendipitous?

This stinks.

[eyesroll]

17. I did a search of her byline on Reuters' Web site

and got hits going back to Feb. 28.

Her Google proper search turned up a byline from 2003.
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/01/15/1042520670323.html

She seems to exist.

This seems a bit elaborate for a full-blown hoax. The story could still be planted, but the reporter exists.

[proud patriot]

2. Something stinks about it

Because it still says that it has not been rated

[Ruby Romaine]

4. Smells like eau de Rove to me!

Could they hack into Yahoo?

[arcane1]

7. I'm seeing a rating

Avg Rating: 3.68, 408 votes - Your Rating: 5

[ConcernedCanuk]

9. LOL - now you know who rated it just before you !!

.
.
.

:dunce:

[proud patriot]

10. The only the rating I saw was when I rated it

But when I click on the link now it says
it has not been rated .

:crazy:

[ConcernedCanuk]

8. Sure it's rated, over 400 votes

.
.
.

"Avg Rating: 3.68, 407 votes"

:shrug:

[Must_B_Free]

16. Notice it's now the " Islamic militant group" instead of Al Qaeda?

Wha Happan?

[Art_from_Ark]

21. They want to make sure everyone gets the connection to "Islam"

:crazy:

[AmericanErrorist]

23. The Al-Qaeda system has broken up

since the anti-terror campaign begun, the new organization is de-centralized.

[Earth_First]

3. This has to be a joke...

The statement said it supported President Bush (news - web sites) in his reelection campaign, and would prefer him to win in November rather than the Democratic candidate John Kerry (news - web sites), as it was not possible to find a leader "more foolish than you (Bush), who deals with matters by force rather than with wisdom."

In comments addressed to Bush, the group said:

"Kerry will kill our nation while it sleeps because he and the Democrats have the cunning to embellish blasphemy and present it to the Arab and Muslim nation as civilization."

"Because of this we desire you (Bush) to be elected."

[ConcernedCanuk]

15. There's only one person that comes to mind when I read that article

.
.
.

"Bush, Blair and Rumsfeld. They are the funny trio"

Credits to:

http://welovetheiraqiinformationminister.com/

[everythingsxen]

5. Not a hoax...

it is bogus though.

It is straight out of the Nazi (Bush*) playbook.

[Fovea]

6. No, she's a real Reuters reporter.

And the story sounds marginally legit.

I love the comment about them wanting Bush to win...
I guess they are right about Kerry's lack of support among
foreign leaders, at least al Qaeda leaders.

[Windy]

12. it appears legit

Apparently this is a group that is known in egypt. The message was posted on islamic websites too. Who knows though.

[seabeyond]

11. no one more foolish than you bush

it wasnt bush/rove who did this. even to win an election he would never allow something like this to be said about him. he knows it is true, and his ego couldnt/wouldnt do it

[EdGy]

14. whether it's a hoax or not,

the logic is very sound.

Al Qaeda does need Bush to win in November. Without Bush they are doomed. They need someone running the USA who acts in ways that piss off the rest of the world, including especially in the Middle East. They need someone who alienates all of the USA's allies.

Bush's rhetoric of crusades, his christian fundamentalist backers, his own fundamentalism, all of them are the exact kind of foil that Al Qaeda needs.

Kerry would be a disaster for them. Think about it: a president who actually works with other countries cooperatively, who does not go around using massive amounts of "shock and awe" military force, who acts strategically and rationally. Who might actually be successful in the fight to reduce or prevent terrorism, and to cut down on their ability to find recruits.

Whatever the actual status of this letter, the sentiment expressed in it is 100 percent sound.

[arcane1]

18. and without al Qaeda, Bush is doomed

lots of back-scratching going on there...

[Teddy_Salad]

19. No....

..."McDoom" is an actual surname, I've seen it before.

It is also a village in Guyana.

[brainoverload]

20. how could they not want Bush reelected

Today...

The White House spokesman, Scott McClellan, said: "Terrorists must not be allowed to think that they influence elections or that they influence policy. That would be a terrible message to send."

Yep - I can't think of a single Bush policy that has been influenced by a terrorist's action.

[Skittles]

22. lol!

Welcome to the DU although we here know that Bush was never elected so he cannot be re-elected. We say re-selected. :)

[Oilwellian]

24. Hahahaha

Great first post. Welcome to DU. :hi:

[newyawker99]

27. Hi brainoverload!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[MrPrax]

25. Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades?

This is the same group that claimed to cause the big blackouts last summer...

You will see cars of death, al-Qaeda group warns allies
November 18, 2003

It's interesting because there are reports that AQ was cited as 'foretelling' about the Spanish bombing by this group?

But in their November statement:
"We say to the criminal Bush and his valets among the Arabs and foreigners, in particular Britain, Italy, Australia and Japan: you will see the cars of death with your own eyes in the centre of the capital of tyranny," Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades, the al-Qaeda linked group, said in a statement emailed to the London-based Arab newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi."

Note Spain is not on the list?

"Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades, which has been identified with al-Qaeda in the past, has made claims that turned out to be unsubstantiated - it took responsibility for the August 5 bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia, and the August 14 blackout in the north-eastern US." ???

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/11/17/1069027049283.html?from=storyrhs


If you notice--the Yahoo story-- makes no mention of this alleged groups previous claims and really pushes their legitimacy without offering any real proof other than 'they sent a letter'. In other words, the Reuters story is pushing the 'terrorist win in Spain' angle at the expense of even basic and reasonable skepticsm...

[kcwayne]

26. Terrorists want Bush for the same reason Republicans want Clinton

There is no better recruiting tool for Al Queda than Bush.

They portray him as a dimwitted Christian crusader bent on destroying Islam (which he is), and their collections and suicide mission volunteers go through the roof.

Republicans use the same tactic by rolling out various assertions about Bill and Hillary, and the freepers fill the campaign coffers.

Al Queda relishes the conflict, it is central to their existence. The Bush doctrine of using the military to strike visible targets (which have nothing to do with Al Queda) is knuckleheaded. Bush whines about the evil ones that cruelly take innocent lives, and ignores our own role in killing far more innocent people than Al Queda. It is rediculously stupid to try to use the military to kill a movement. As the atrocities take their toll on the innocents, you simply turn the victims into participants in the movement.

The only way to fight Islamic terrorism is to change the energy policy and technology so that we do not need to depend on doing business in the Middle East. Let them create theocracies based on the principles of the 1st century if that is what they want. Without oil as a financing engine, Islamic radicals that felt the need to strike outside their own lands for some percieved transgression against Islam could not afford a $4.95 box cutter from WalMart. They would be too busy trying to figure out how to use 1st century technology to feed a population that is far to large to be sustained on a bedouin lifesytle.