Photos of the Ex-Hostages. Awful lot of flags here....

[leftchick]

Former hostage Don Sharer of Bedford, Ind., poses in front of his home, Nov. 3, 2004. Sharer was working at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran when he and other Americans at the embassy were taken hostage by militant students on Nov. 4, 1979. Fifty-two of the hostages were held for 444 days. The White House said Thursday, June 30, 2005, it is taking seriously the allegations of some former American hostages who say they believe that Iran's president-elect was one of their captors. Sharer, along with three other former hostages told The Associated Press that after seeing Iran's president-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on television, they have no doubt he was one of the hostage-takers. A close aide to Ahmadinejad denied the president-elect took part in the seizure of the embassy or in holding Americans hostage. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)







Former Iranian hostage William J. Daugherty stands Wednesday, June 29, 2005, in front of his home in Savannah, Ga. Daugherty, a retired CIA staff officer, was held hostage in Iran for 444 days after the seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran by Iranian militants. (AP Photo/Stephen Morton)

There are about five more photos of Dahgherty on Yahoo each with the flag in back of him.

[Ilsa]

1. Those are excellent shots, and I can understand why they'd want to

be photographed by their flags. It doesn't surprise me that a hardliner like the new president-elect was a captor then.

[buff2]

2. Drumming up support for another war that the idiot wants to start....

with Iran. Geez....a person can really see through all this bu$h propaganda.

[Todd B]

3. Hmm, how convenient

How convenient.. the White House is taking the allegations seriously.

It's like.. oh, I don't know, they planted a story in the media as a nice cover for war?

I'm not too cynical, am I? *g*

[VOX]

4. Yellow journalism wrapped in the flag. Smell the Swift-Boat stench?

Col. Chuck Scott says: "Militant Islamic fundamentalism is our avowed enemy." Could it be any more obvious what the intent of this story is?????? :nuke:
http://cgi1.usatoday.com/mchat/20041025001/tscript.htm
<snip>
Col. (Ret.) Charles Scott: First off, Islam is not a threat; it's a major religion. Radical militant Islamic fundamentalism is our avowed enemy. These characters want to destroy our society and establish militant Islamic states round the world. They will do anything to achieve their goals. As a close Iranian friend of mine has said (with a tear in his eye) "You can't change or retrain these militants. You just have to kill them." We need to be less selective in our war on terror and go after countries that are the source of their inspiration and their financial support.
<snip>

[leftchick]

6. "You just have to kill them."

yes indeed. This is the start of the bogus cause for a strike against Iran. Thanks for the link. The USA coporate media, including the AP which did these photo shoots, are expecting to drum up support for a new imptoved invasion in the ME.

There were some more good links on the other ex-hostages in the LBN thread. I think I will add them here. It is pretty damn clear when you see their backgrounds what is going on. Wrap it up in a flag and VIOLA! AmeriKan support!

[Toots]

8. Oh I don't know maybe Ollie North can give them more weapons

He is good at trading with "Militant Islamic fundamentalism is our avowed enemy." The same people who committed the treason of the seventies are in this Administration with the only exception being Ollie North and he is their biggest cheerleader.

[Frederik]

11. Wow

This is amazing.

"As a close Iranian friend of mine has said (with a tear in his eye) "You can't change or retrain these militants. You just have to kill them." "

"We need to be less selective in our war on terror and go after countries that are the source of their inspiration and their financial support."

And soon, Ahmedinejad will be spun as the supreme grand wizard of the International Jihad. We just have to nuke Iran, you see, because it is the Heart of Darkness from which all this Wickedness emanates.

Holy camel. Duck and cover.

[leftchick]

14. Then there is the absolute DENIAL by the actual Hostage Takers

but this stuff never makes the US tv...

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/05A0C669-2069-4874-B746-9AD2FF0AE84C.htm

Abductors deny Iran leader siege role


Thursday 30 June 2005, 14:44 Makka Time, 11:44 GMT


Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is accused of being a hostage-taker



Iranian veterans of the 1979 seizure of hostages at the US embassy in Tehran have denied claims that President-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad played a role in the siege.

Their comments come after several former US hostages who were held for 444 days by student followers of revolutionary leader Ayat Allah Ruhollah Khomeini said they were sure Ahmadinejad was a key player in the abduction.

"Mr Ahmadinejad was never one of students following the path of the imam that took the spy den (US embassy). He was never there," said Mohsen Mirdamadi, a former hostage-taker who went on to become a member of parliament.

He said a picture circulating on the internet and the printed media portraying a thickly bearded hostage-taker leading out a blindfolded American hostage did not show Ahmadinejad.

"Those who say he was one of the students are making a mistake. Even last night I was shown a picture but the person in the picture had little resemblance to him"


"Those who say he was one of the students are making a mistake. Even last night I was shown a picture but the person in the picture had little resemblance to him.

"I think that it is the picture which has led to the mistake. As I said he was never there. He was never among us even when we were deliberating over the issue," said Mirdamadi.

[oasis]

17. Swift boat vet tactics. Feed the public the bull until they believe it's

gospel.

[Generic Guy]

5. So they are posing with flags?

I see no problem with it.

[pnb]

7. Whats wrong with the flags?

n/t

[leftchick]

9. check KrazyKat's post and link

I suspect these folks are working up some war on Iran fever for ameriKans. I find the whole story of The Iran president being their captor highly suspect.

[Frederik]

10. Just heard on CNN

other hostages do not remember having seen Ahmadinejad.

I think this is suspicious. It is clear that they are trying to find an excuse to confront Iran, and now you get these hostages saying "the other guards told me Ahmadinejad was particularly anti-American"...

It could of course be true, and not just another Swift Boat stunt, in which case it will still be used for what it's worth.

[oasis]

12. Putin was KGB, let's attack Russia too.

:eyes:

[Obamarama]

13. I don't see a problem with them being photographed with flag...

As much as I gag at the jingoistic fervor heaped upon the American flag by the nationalists intent upon hijacking our democracy, I don't have a problem with these pics. Nor do I think they were staged to appear hyper-patriotic.

It seems natural that these ex-hostages would be flying their flags and it seems natural that they would be photographed in front of them. I for one can't imagine what it must have been like to endure what they did. They, of all people, have a good reason to love their country. As much as I vocally criticize what's presently happening to our country at the hands of an inept, malicious administration, I would like to think that if I had been through what they had been through I'd be able to seperate the wheat from the chaff (sp?) and still be absolutely relieved and thankful to be an American, and probably a little outwardly so.

The other thing you shouldn't forget is that the bulk of the former Iran hostages, if I am not mistaken, were civilian foreign service workers who were serving our country. If for that reason alone, I think they deserve a little respect.

I just think there's enough things to jump on and criticize without trying to villify innocent people who respecfully served our country. In other words, even if it does turn out to be some sublte nationalistic display it's only a molehill in my estimation. Don't you think we have enough mountains to climb?

[Walt Starr]

15. Five former hostages claim he was a captor

Other former hostages clim he was not.

Those who headed up the student revolution at the time claim he was not.

For my part, I believe the five who claim he was a captor are mistaken.

[leftchick]

16. AOL had an AP photo on the fromt page most of the day

I have tried to find a link to no avail but it shows the B7W photo from 79 next to the Iranian Pres. I have got to say initially I really believed this report. But after seeing the photos side by side there is no effing way it is the same person. Add to that the reports from BBC and other foreign press on the follow ups it just does not jive. I also have my doubts after reading up on some of the folks making the accusations and the AP and Washington Times breaking the story. This smells to high heaven!