DebateGate
General Category => 3DHS => Topic started by: Mr_Perceptive on September 08, 2007, 09:50:39 AM
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Iran fined $2.65 billion for terrorism
By Matt Apuzzo, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON — Iran must pay $2.65 billion to the families of the 241 U.S. service members killed in the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, a federal judge declared Friday in a ruling that left survivors and families shedding tears of joy.
U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth described his ruling as the largest-ever such judgment by an American court against another country. "These individuals, whose hearts and souls were forever broken, waited patiently for nearly a quarter century for justice to be done," he said.
Iran has been blamed for supporting the militant group Hezbollah, which carried out the suicide bombing in Beirut. It was the worst terrorist act against U.S. targets until the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
Hundreds of people crowded into a federal courtroom to hear Friday's ruling. Parents have grown old since their children were killed. Siblings have grown into middle-age. Children have married and started families of their own.
Weeping spectators stood and erupted in applause and hugs as Lamberth left the bench.
The ruling allows nearly 1,000 family members and a handful of survivors to try to collect Iranian assets from various sources around the world. Finding and seizing that money will be difficult, however, and the families are backing a law in Congress that would make it easier for terrorism victims and their families to do so.
Families were encouraged by Libya's decision to ultimately accept responsibility for the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am flight over Scotland. The country, once a pariah by Washington's view, agreed to compensate the families of the 270 victims. Part of the $2.7 billion has been paid. A final $2 million installment to each family is outstanding.
"This is a sense of victory, of winning a battle," said Paul Rivers, who was a 20-year-old enlisted Marine on the second floor of the barracks when it exploded. "When we win the war is when we collect, when we make them pay for what they did."
Iran has denied responsibility for the attack. The nation did not respond to the 6-year-old lawsuit and was represented only by an empty table.
Family members said they hoped Friday's ruling would pressure foreign governments not to sponsor terrorism. Lynn Smith Derbyshire, whose brother, Vincent Smith, was killed in the attack, said countries won't stop until "it begins to actually cost them money to kill Americans."
Some disagreed about whether that will happen. Roxanne Garcia-Bates, who was 16 when her brother, Randy Garcia, was killed, said she was surprised to find a sense of comfort being with the other families in court. She said she was pleased that Lamberth had made such a strong statement, but doubted that Iran would change anytime soon.
"You can't take enough money away to get them to stop what they're doing," she said.
All agreed that emotions remain raw to this day.
Rivers described being one of the second floor's five survivors. All but him lost arms or legs, he said. He was buried in the rubble for two hours, he said. Debris had punctured his eardrum and "I literally had rocks inside my head."
Shirley Murry of Baltimore, who was 16 years old at the time, described the tense days of waiting around the television for word of her brother, Ulysses Parker. Today, every time the news carries a story about a fallen soldier or an explosion overseas, she said it's like that first day all over again.
Lamberth said the law "offers a meager attempt to make the surviving members whole." He said he hoped the judgment would alert Iran that terrorism has consequences and help in the families' healing process. Pausing, he added:
"That's all I can do."
Find this article at:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-09-08-iran-penalty_N.htm
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probably wont see this money until the regime change happens in the next few years
hoefully sooner than later
the mullahs have between 2-8 years left
(http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t295/DarksideGoose/600px-Ahmadinejad-jihad-my-ride.jpg)
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Can we get that in American currency, like $20 bills, or will this have to be in camels? ;)
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once the mullahs are eliminated i bet we can get it in $20
(http://i4.tinypic.com/542k9so.jpg)
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This is really hilarious. If Iran has to pay Americans $2.65 billion for the families of 241 dead Americans or almost $11 mil per stiff, WHAT will the U.S.A. have to pay for every 100,000 dead Iraqis? or 2 million dead Vietnamese? Do they pay more if the victim was raped first, like that 14-year-old Iraqi girl? (Her family had at least enough class to turn down the money offered, and asked instead for the televised execution of the soldiers responsible, but it looks like the joke's on them, even there, because all the soldiers have pled out, leaving only the main instigator, who will be tried in a civilian court.)
So when are the Iranians gonna pay? You might try asking the International Court of Justice at The Hague, which about 30 years ago ordered the U.S. to pay "massive reparations" to Nicaragua for its sponsorship of the Contra terrorist movement there. Oh, it's OK, don't bother asking the World Court when the U.S. paid up on its judgment - - I'll tell ya: Never! That's right, the U.S. has not paid one cent on account of that judgment.
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The funds were seized long ago .
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I was gonna say "outrageous," but then I remembered Iraq. Why condemn America for a candy-store heist when she's still trying to pull off one of the biggest bank jobs in history?
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If i recall correctly the majority was back during the hostage crisis. I think St. Jimmy did it.
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Pat Robertson and James Dobbs are American Mullahs.
The only difference between an Iranian Mullah and an American Mullah is that I would imagine an American being a morally-corrupt, self-hating gay coke-addict before I would an Iranian one.
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Can we get that in American currency, like $20 bills, or will this have to be in camels? ;)
Nice.
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Can we get that in American currency, like $20 bills, or will this have to be in camels? ;)
Nice.
Oh yeah, I get it...because Iran is so backward?
Like when they have a terrible natural disaster hit one of their cities, I bet over 1800 people lose their lives or something. There are probably 300,000 refugees and I bet looting and violence occur too.
That would never happen in an economic juggernaut like the United States. Hence the comment on camels.
Nice one! Ha!
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menthol or filtered?
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Can we get that in American currency, like $20 bills, or will this have to be in camels? ;)
Nice.
Oh yeah, I get it...because Iran is so backward?
No because it was a funny thought, middle east...Camels instead of money...get it? If you didn't find it humerous, I expect you wouldn't laugh or even comment. What I wouldn't expect is PC deconstruction on a joke ::)
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No because it was a funny thought, middle east...Camels instead of money...get it? If you didn't find it humerous, I expect you wouldn't laugh or even comment. What I wouldn't expect is PC deconstruction on a joke ::)
Oh, I got it. Middle East = camels. Yeah.
And damn those PC deconstructionists for calling you on your blatant racism.
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No because it was a funny thought, middle east...Camels instead of money...get it? If you didn't find it humerous, I expect you wouldn't laugh or even comment. What I wouldn't expect is PC deconstruction on a joke ::)
Oh, I got it. Middle East = camels. Yeah. And damn those PC deconstructionists for calling you on your blatant racism.
I guess that was supposed to be a joke too. Well, as long as it made you chuckle
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I wasn't joking.
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Oh I see. So everytime we see something on Funniest Home Videos, showing someone falling off a camel while visiting the middle east, that's blatant racism. Boy, I feel sorry for your acute lack in humor Js :-\
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You are entirely incorrect. You are subscribing to the recent revisionist theology that states that ethnic background and other factors define "race". This is simply incorrect. Ethnicity and Race are often used interchangeably although such use is incorrect and often results in people talking past one another.
Humans are divided into races as determined by scientific, not social. criteria, primary being skull size and shape. Skulls are thus be divided into 4 main human races:
Caucasoid, Negroid, Mongoloid & Australoid
Therefore, following this train of thought, a social entity such as a tribe or a nation or any subgroup cannot be defined as a race in tis itself, therefore your statement is inaccurate. Calling Arabs "names" cannot convert you into a racist. Making derogatory comments about a super group such as mongoloid can.
Following this analysis, you have been unduly influenced by 20th century revisionists, a typical foilable in the PC world we live in.
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It was a bigoted remark.
What would be the similar equivalent for Kenya?
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What would be the similar equivalent for Kenya?
Depending on how you look at it, either "elephant" or "giraffe."
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It was a bigoted remark.
So says the representatuve of the PC Police