"In case you didn't know ... Please pass this on.
Terrorist pilot Mohammad Atta blew up a bus in Israel in 1986. The Israelis captured, tried and imprisoned him.
As part of the Oslo agreement with the Palestinians in 1993, Israel had to agree to release so-called "political prisoners." However, the Israelis would not release any with "blood on their hands." The American President at the time, Bill Clinton, and his Secretary of State, Warren Christopher, "insisted" that all prisoners be released.
Thus Mr. Atta was freed and eventually "thanked the US" by flying an airplane into Tower One of the World Trade Center. This was reported by many of the American TV networks at the time that the terrorists were first identified.
It was censored in the US from all later reports."
So, thanks to my Dad, I'm always suspicious of any email I get like this, so I looked it up. The fellow who bombed the bus was a Palestinian who happened to have a similar alias. No connection. Also the account of his arrest are incorrect. Thank you snopes.com!
There are further inconsistencies and falsities in the email, such as the bit about how Ollie North named Osama bin Laden as a scary terrorist at some hearings... when it was really Abu Nidal... and how Al Gore was there... when he wasn't... You can read all about it at http://www.snopes.com/rumors/atta.asp (which links to the North page) if you like.
I'm not especially political so please nobody send me a bunch of spewy comments about my political leanings or tell me I'm a bad American for doubting every little "fact" that gets emailed to me. I just don't like misinformation and especially I don't like sensationalism. These emails are sent out to elicit a response, from the looks of them a knee-jerk one, and I don't like being manipulated like that. How many people read these and believe every word? Too damn many.
In the "other stuff" category: I got my birthday gift from J early, only by about a day and a half which is kind of a record for us. Neither of us is very good at keeping gifts a secret. I wouldn't have gotten this one early except that she left it out in its mailing box a little too long, and in my cleaning for the party I was forced to handle it once or twice. You can't tempt fate like that. So last night it was on the table here and as we noshed I said, "So are you ever going to wrap whatever is in this box from" -- craning neck to read off mailing label -- "Electronic Express Inc.?" So she gave it to me. :)
It's a Sony Cyber-shot 7.2 megapixel digital camera. I will post photos soon, when the baby's hair isn't scary and she's wearing clothes that don't suggest she just popped out of a clown car down at the Big Top. Like right now. Until that time, I do offer this classic shot of her from a week or two ago, right about the time she became keen on picking out her own clothes and putting them on all by herself. Note the creative juxtaposition of stripes and plaids, the playful mixing of shorts with long sleeves, the fun flowered rubber boots. Clearly this young lady will go far in life!
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