Merged Lockerbie bomber alive after 9 months

We've all been hearing for many weeks about what the US senators say they'd like to investigate. We also know that they have been supplied with copious written evidence, which it appears they didn't even bother to glance at before coming back on TV and demanding answers to the same questions all over again. We also know that they are labouring under a series of misapprehensions bordering on the idiotic, and have shown a repeated distaste for any attempt to explain to them where they're going wrong.

The tenor of their rhetoric is becoming more and more tinged with a bloodthirsty desire for vengeance, without even taking care that they're calling for vengeance on the right person. When you've heard your country being derided for even having the concept of compassion on its statute book, repeatedly, for weeks, as if compassion was some sort of mortal sin on a par with infanticide, then yes, retorts about nations who think it's a good thing to kill people as a punishment are likely to find their way past the clenched teeth.

Rolfe.
 
Just out of curiosity, does EJ believe Scotland is run by the clergy? Why else would he defer to a cardinal's opinion as if he spoke for the whole country?

Because he has the same opinion virtually everyone here has. On this one, the Yanks can stick it.
 
Kopji note. Apoligies for the disorganization of my homework assignment, I was never a very good student and probably won't change now.
Page 1
Summary:

convicted mass-murdering terrorist Islamist scum set free and what now? Who pays and how?

personnell should be spelled with one "l"
Judiciary should be capitalized, and only has one "r"

The Fool makes an appearance and seems the wisest so far.
The Buddha mistakes Scottish government for some kind of monarchy and recommends invading Scotland. Or was it Libya?Caustic Logic pot stirring.

Was he suffering enough from cancer?

Beerina 'told us so', a decidedly ominious development.
ponderingturtle offers Stephen Hawking as an example of how doctors fail to see to it that someone dies on time.
decidion should probably be spelled 'decision', just a guess though

comany should be company

Skeptic makes a time stamped prediction that he will live long and prosper

Brainster makes a sensible suggestion that he stops injesting haggis.

From some blog:
Diplomatic relations between Tripoli and Washington hit a set-back earlier this year when a State Department official made caustic comments about a speech in which Gaddafi had called for a 'jihad' against Switzerland.

US energy companies operating in Libya, including Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips were warned their interests could suffer as a result. The row was resolved when the State Department official apologised.

Sweet little Switzerland? Like in The Sound of Music? How awful. We were such worms to apoligize. This is Obama's fault(TM).
The Libyan foreign minister — linked to the Lockerbie bombing and an attack on a disco in Berlin that killed American soldiers and expelled from Britain for plotting to kill Libyan dissidents — will be honored this week in Washington by US and Arab business executives...

The refurbishment of Mr Kousa's image began with his appointment as Libya's envoy to talks that led to a $2.7 billion compensation fund for the relatives of the victims of the Lockerbie disaster.

We are not the Evil Empire for nothing.
Caustic congraulates the mods on leaving the thread in American Politics.

Skeptic is offered odds.

Thus ends page 1

Caustic pot stirring. Will he die in three months or eight?

Cleon is making too much sense when he says this makes no sense. #47 is the first time it is asked if this is a joke.

dtugg falsely asserts that all 'pieces of crap' all die in US prisons

Grenme, an apparent resident of Folsom Prison, takes exception to the claim

[Kopji loses concentration as the discussion drifts to what the US law does rather than what Scottish law does.] ZZZzzzzzzz
Page 3

The Rolfe Cat attack

Kopji Questions for later - I thought he was the attack planner?

"Too bad if you would quite like to know who actually did bomb that plane."

This might be a source of US concern.


#86 funk de fino "It's our law. Deal with it and stop crying."
(I'll hear this many times... Sensible enough)

#89 Rolfe - You can disagree all you like, but it's our law and we're keeping it that way.
(Sensible enough)

#96 Rolfe introduces the idea that despite the conviction in Scottish court, he is innocent.

#97 funk implies something about him being muslim, and that is good enough

Rolfe -
The SCCRC reported that there were six grounds on which the conviction was likely to be unsafe and unsound, and an appeal was in progress but adjourned. It is recognised by those who have perused the evidence presented that the appeal was inevitably going to succeed.

kopji - So far this seems very weak from my pov. Maybe this is a cultural difference that will be hard to overcome between Scotland and the US. In the US a truly innocent person would be released after 20 years and then sue us.
#109 Beerina gets it.

Kopji note to self: The Scottish judicial system is not respected enough by the Scots to do a good job, nobody agrees with their own system's legal conviction, but we are not to challenge the same flawed system when is considered. This expectation does seem a bit irrational.
#117 Caustic Logic -
I meant to engage angry and ignorant Americans. Was a little upset when it was moved, twice I think, but then it was quickly plopped back here. I wouldn't care now if it was moved, to about anywhere but the CT ghetto. I'll leave it to a pro to figure out just where it best fits.

Well thank you Caustic. If the Evil Empire (that's us) were even half as evil as you think, Scotland's legal system would not even make a snack.
Page 4

#140 Rolfe makes the case that the Scottish court system convicted a completely innocent person. (The word you might be looking for is scapegoat).

#148 Shaun from Scotland accuses the US of funding Irish terrorism.

#153 Rolfe - What's not to like?

Kopji - As I mentioned somewhere, despite the generally low opinion of Americans, there is here an almost naive US belief in justice. This may equate to a certain disbelief that for 20 odd years nobody in Scotland cared enough about justice to speak out, even though they knew they were being unjust. A judge or politician could be impeached here for that, it is a very serious accusation to Americans, although apparently not to Scots. page 5

#173 - Rolfe
Documents were sought by the defence that the government was determined would not be released. Even the parts of the appeal that weren't covered by this veil of secrecy were clearly strong enough that the appeal was likely to be successful. Which would leave everyone in the embarrassing position of having 270 unsolved murders on their hands.

Kopji - I must admit that from the Evil Empire's pov, it boggles my admittedly non-political mind as to what massive world shattering secret the Scottish military or government could be hiding from us. #171 Wildcat gets it, certainly by #178

#187 Rolfe - It matters because Frank Duggan is the voice US residents hear...

Kopji - This is not really in the news until recently with our dislike of BP oil, spilling evil Brittish oil all over our American beaches. (And we not profiting). Anyway - I've never heard of him, he's not doing a very good job. #188 E'J. Armstrong - The deep anti-Britishness of the USA governing bodies is on show yet again...

Kopji - That EJ - He always cracks me up. And actually, this is simple transference of his own hatred. Americans would likely be confused by the hatred directed at them by some forum posters. "Duggan is quite pro-active in making sure only his side of the story gets an airing."

kopji - ZZZzzzz He's way overpaid. This is NOT news in the US.

EJ - "I know its annoying for Usans but there is not going to be any change in the decision. You will just have to suck it up."

Kopji - I feel I need to remark that a common theme that gets repeated a lot is this one yet nobody has complained till now. #201 lionking gets it

#209 Rolfe - There's a lot of serious hypocrisy going on here. The US commentators (up to and including Obama) because they completely fail to acknowledge that it was in the interests of America just as much as anyone else to release Megrahi.

Kopji - I'm sorry Rolfe, but you are wrong on this. I would chalk it up to a cultural misconception that I'm not sure the UKan's are fully getting. Obama would be impeached in a heartbeat if there was evidence that an innocent person was imprisoned for 20 years because nobody was interested in justice. THAT can go in CT. page 6

Well, ok I'm done. If there is something really stunning in the remainder you can give the post number. Sorry for the incomplete assignment but I think I get the drift. My conclusion stands. If US politicans are demanding an audience, the Scots can probably mark it up to election season here. You see, real justice matters a lot to Americans, not just the appearance of justice to serve some weird political purpose. This may surprise you, but it might be worth understanding about us. I mostly ignore the entire discussion that someone was released and lived too long. This seems up to Scottish law and I can accept their verdict. What is harder for me to understand is the sort of lassize faire attitude about justice. If the US is making 'noise', maybe we are under the mistaken impression that anyone there cares. This does not recommend a country.
Sorry if I failed.
 
I trawled back through the thread, but I couldn't find a really encapsulating post or post. The discussion developed.

The bottom line is that the compassionate release had nothing to do with any oil or other trade deals, was arrived at according to all the proper rules, and Karol Sikora had nothing to do with it.

If you want to castigate the Scottish justice system for running a kangaroo court/show trial, locking a man up for multiple murders on evidence that wouldn't be enough to support the issue of a parking ticket, persistently obstructed his appeal, and in the end blackmailed him into dropping the appeal so that he could get home to his family before he died of cancer (possibly misleading him as to how long he might still have left to live in the process), be my guest.

Guilty as charged.

Except, the Scottish criminal justice system was actually doing the US Department of Justice's dirty work for it. It was the CIA and the DoJ who set up the frame in the first place, and the Scottish courts, to their eternal shame, went along with it.

Try this article I just saw this evening
. Would have trouble explaining it better myself.

This is what there is to get outraged about. I just didn't think that was what people were getting aerated about.

Rolfe.
 
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For more, better and up-to-date information on the progress of this affair, see the following collection of articles that have just appeared on Professor Black's blog.

The Lockerbie case: Letters to the Editor

There's a fair bit of reading in there, but anyone who actually wants to understand what's going on (as opposed to just making ill-informed drive-by comments) should take the time to peruse it.

Rolfe.
 
One of the conditions for his 'release' was that he dropped his appeal; which was apparently going to have some interesting new evidence.

Oh well, it may be published in 30 years time. Possibly.

Here's a good chunk of it - in the attached PDFs: http://www.megrahimystory.net/

And the autobiography upcoming is supposed to reveal more. It's a weird world.

Kopji did some homework, saw through my sarcasm and pot-stirring, and has some thoughts. Yes, I provoke. If it annoys you, it's working. If you say something about that, that's awesome. Your post is long and I only skimmed it so far. Things that pop out:

Obama would be impeached in a heartbeat if there was evidence that an innocent person was imprisoned for 20 years because nobody was interested in justice. THAT can go in CT.

I suggest edits - there's plenty of EVIDENCE. If there were accepted PROOF legally establishing a cover-up/frame-up, there would be repercussions, depending what exactly was established. I'm not sure in the slightest impeaching the current US president would be among them.

Are you sure you're not just making an extreme prediction of outcome to rule out the supposed cause? That's gotta be some kind of logical fallacy. If your argument there made ANY sense, I'd have recanted everything I've learned and sent you a million dollars by now. Ergo, you make no sense. Right?

[Kopji loses concentration as the discussion drifts to what the US law does rather than what Scottish law does.] ZZZzzzzzzz

Sort of skimmed that myself.

Well thank you Caustic. If the Evil Empire (that's us) were even half as evil as you think, Scotland's legal system would not even make a snack.

Well how evil do I think the empire is? And in a way, we have been kind of chewing on the judicial system there...

You see, real justice matters a lot to Americans, not just the appearance of justice to serve some weird political purpose.
In general, I can agree with you on that. Unfortunately, appearances is all we ever get. And I think this instinct for justice (which is more Human than American) is the reason 99% of Americans have been denied the facts of this case, and remain convinced that justice WAS served in the case against Megrahi.

So - the appeal is in the picture,as linked at the top of this post. It could have proven his innocence (or not, given how the courts over there work). It was somehow surrendered by Megrahi right before his release, in what could well be a shady trade -off. It's a complex situation full of misunderstandings I'm trying to sort out in a series of posts at my blog, going day-by-day through the decision process. I admit I don't fully know what I'm talking about at all points, but it's about the core info, cited and linked, and arranged chronologically. Starts on 3 August with links forward. Anyone who can follow it, and spots any errors of fact or reasoning, let me know there or here. They're done on the anniversary days, so it's a constant deadline for me. Series ends 20 August, with I think a climax on the 19th. Don't miss it!
 
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Someone really should be having a word in the ears of the US Senators, they appear distinctly out the loop...

ScotlandOnSunday said:
US SENATORS will this week bypass the UK and Scottish governments to issue a public call for "whistleblowers" to come forward with fresh evidence about the Lockerbie case..

Senators Issue Whistleblower Call Over Lockerbie

Whether any 'whisteblowers' would be persuaded to be quite so candid with the senators given the US attitude and treatment of such individuals and their information shared on previous occassions (see Salinger, Coleman, Aviv) is somewhat doubtful indeed. Nevertheless, if they did recieve some information, what would the senators intend to do with information obtained using such surreptitious methods from pronounced conspiracy theorists, cranks and troofers!? Or would it be simply too cynical of me to think that any information the senators may want to hear will be pounced upon with great fervour from 'reliable' sources, while information they do not wish to hear will be consigned to the 'cranks' bracket?

With Megrahi's release on compassionate grounds fast approaching it's first anniversary it would seem the furore it set to only intensify over the coming week. However, the dust kicked up by this furore may well finally force some of those content to score some political points, or choose to ignore the travesty of Megrahi's conviction in the first instance, to face up to some very uncomfortable questions. Questions about the safety of Megrahi's conviction may well usurp any questions over any diagnosis or oil deals.

Ironically, there is a article in the NY Times exploring the concerns over the whole Lockerbie case seen from one of the victims families and Dr Jim Swire and a show currently on at the Edinburgh Festival which uses Dr Swire's not yet published transcripts. Notably, Frank Duggan has slipped in a show broadcast in Scotland last week in a hapless attempt to redress the balance of the article.

New York Times Lockerbie Doubts


* Note to senators: never mind whistleblowers, what about asking some of the family members who after nearly 22 years involvement have an acute awareness of the case and deep knowledge of the insecurities around Megrahi's conviction?

Perhaps by first of all understanding the unsound nature of the conviction of Megrahi at Zeist we may then begin to understand the doubts and mistrust over Megrahi's dropping of his appeal and subsequent compassionate release.
 
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100815/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_lockerbie

The cancer isn't as deadly as it was originally thought.

Actually, that's a very partisan reading of the article and I'd be interested in how you arrive at your conclusion. The doctor quoted is quite specific that he wishes he had focussed more on the statistical likelihoods (or otherwise) of survival.

Incidentally, I think this contrast in bereaved families' quotes is quite interesting:

The Piece Cited by CainKane said:
Rev. John Mosey, from Worcestershire, England, whose daughter Helga, 19, died in the bombing, said it was wrong to criticize those who had assessed al-Megrahi.

"The doctors in the case have been dragged through the mud, when really it is very difficult to assess how long someone will survive," he said. "It was a difficult decision to make and was made in good faith."

Susan Cohen, of Cape May Court House, N.J., whose 20-year-old daughter, Theodora, died in the attack, said Sikora's comments were the latest insult to the victims' loved ones.

"This is an added kick in the face and another example of them throwing rocks in the face of the families," Cohen said Sunday. "This whole thing is about business interests, money and making profits," she said, referring to allegations that oil giant BP pressured Scotland to free al-Megrahi so it could win access to Libyan oil reserves.

I'd still like to know why people in the US think that the SNP gives two hoots about BP getting to drill in Libya, especially given the SNP's continuing desire to tell Westminster to stuff the prisoner transfer agreement where the sun doesn't shine.
 
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That's true that the SNP had lodged opposition to the Prisoner transfer agreement (PTA), but ultimately, they were apparently forced to consider it anyway, if not carry it out. MacAskill sought an exemption from the UK - Libyan prisoners would NOT include al Megrahi. But the UK I guess sets foreign policy, including PTA, and refused to make the exception. So MacAskill went through the motions of collecting "representations," or opinions, on the PTA from government's, family members, and Megrahi. (that was the reason for that 5 August jail cell meeting).

In fact, the PTA's deadline of 90 days expired on August 3 - he could have let it die there, but himself extended the deadline in order to continue for another couple weeks. He eventually did reject the PTA, but only on 19 August. His reason: US gov and family "understanding" that "the bomber' would serve his sentence in Libya. He learned this clearly on July 9, but continued to consider the PTA - with a term that Megrahi's appeal must be abandoned - until the day after the appeal was formally abandoned (18 August ruling).

So maybe he wasn't really forced by the UK to actually pursue the PTA in good faith. Rather, whoever's idea it was, it seems he used the PTA process to kill Megrahi's appeal.

This is a CT and I cannot prove it, but it's extremely compelling, methinks. Comments anyone?
 
I think it was actually a different thread where Kopji called this a "dead issue"in the United States, and Rolfe countered with recent high-profile stories in the UK. I just wanted to add my two cents on the profile of the story.

I don't follow the news closely in general, but on this issue, in the United States it is considerably lower key than it is in the UK press. New York media seems to be different, featuring a lot of coverage. The Wall Street Journal did give front page, top story status to one development (I believe it was the irrelevant lack of full consensus on three months), back in late July. Otherwise, it's running on page 2 or further back.

The UK and especially Scottish press, the developments are more local and involved in THEIR political races and infighting (our Senators aren't alone in that). And per the size of the nation and the number of things it's caught up in around the world, and the amount of celebrities to gossip about in lieu of news, etc. it's not surprising the Megrahi saga takes a large percentage of the news over there than here.

But 'dead issue' is not true. It's the kind of thing the uninformed say to cop out of discussing the issue. They have strong feelings about his guilt and dying in prison, but the issue is too "dead" to actually think about in any detail, or to double-check in the slightest. Not to accuse Kopji of this, just to warn him to avoid such undue impressions by admitting the issue remains relevant - if not to everyone, than at least to the people who matter most in the story's (very large) context.
 
A full 12 months deserves a bump, on the JREF forum's birthday no less, doesn't it?

Any new thoughts, anybody?
 
Yes, the senator really is a moron. After seeing the Obama = Muslim poll results, it seems he is in no way alone on that. It seems some are still stuck on the Sikora nonsense.

Most people I know, remember the trial as a stitch up. The US has just as much dog dirt on its shoes as anyone in this sorry mess.
 
Yes, the senator really is a moron. After seeing the Obama = Muslim poll results, it seems he is in no way alone on that. It seems some are still stuck on the Sikora nonsense.

Most people I know, remember the trial as a stitch up. The US has just as much dog dirt on its shoes as anyone in this sorry mess.

Dr. Karol Sikora: "Disinfo campaign no fake!"

There's an awesome new cartoon at the Guardian's site by Martin Rowson. Check it out:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cartoon/2010/aug/21/lockerbie-bomber
 
On the anniversary of Megrahi's release from gaol; Sweden confirms the original prime suspect for the bombing, Abu Talb, has been freed, his whereabouts now unknown:

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/why-was-terrorist-talb-cleared-over-lockerbie-1.1049638

Thanks, clg. I saw that, and will have to read it closer. The twist of his quiet release and fading away is new and interesting, but I'm not at all sure Abu Talb was directlyinvolved. He may have been, and either way is definitely an interesting thread. Without him and those unusual clothes found at Lockerbie, investigators would have had to snap down to Malta to "stumble upon" Megrahi without any evidence to lead them there. Now that would have been awkward...

And like Megrahi, he was once identified by Tony Gauci, despite looking nothing like the 6" tall, 50-year old barrel-chested man Gauci first described. That's not a good recommendation for his actual guilt, IMO.

The other clues, from what I had read before, are reported here with a misleading clarity. The proof of his presence on 23 November isn't solid, and the circled date also matches his sister-in-law's delivery of a baby, which he explains he helped with somehow. In Sweden, not any of the places the bomb is alleged to come from.

I admit I'm a little unclear on some of this myself, so maybe the case is stronger than I thought. But my suspicion is he was sort of a practice Megrahi, helping draw the old PFLP-GC line down to Malta, where the Libyan line was to emerge.
 
I think it was actually a different thread where Kopji called this a "dead issue"in the United States, and Rolfe countered with recent high-profile stories in the UK. I just wanted to add my two cents on the profile of the story.

I don't follow the news closely in general, but on this issue, in the United States it is considerably lower key than it is in the UK press. New York media seems to be different, featuring a lot of coverage. The Wall Street Journal did give front page, top story status to one development (I believe it was the irrelevant lack of full consensus on three months), back in late July. Otherwise, it's running on page 2 or further back.

The UK and especially Scottish press, the developments are more local and involved in THEIR political races and infighting (our Senators aren't alone in that). And per the size of the nation and the number of things it's caught up in around the world, and the amount of celebrities to gossip about in lieu of news, etc. it's not surprising the Megrahi saga takes a large percentage of the news over there than here.

But 'dead issue' is not true. It's the kind of thing the uninformed say to cop out of discussing the issue. They have strong feelings about his guilt and dying in prison, but the issue is too "dead" to actually think about in any detail, or to double-check in the slightest. Not to accuse Kopji of this, just to warn him to avoid such undue impressions by admitting the issue remains relevant - if not to everyone, than at least to the people who matter most in the story's (very large) context.

Caustic, I've spent hours reading over yours and Rolfe's so called 'proof' and find it rather long in assumptions, short in substance, and heavy on emotional baggage. It definitely belongs in CT. The 'theory' foundation being that vast swaths of European courts are inept, stupid, easily manipulated, and perhaps corrupt - and it is all the US's fault.

That's it in a nutshell, to use a phrase.

The international court had all the information you have, and still found him guilty. They interviewed over what, 400 people? And I might agree or disagree with them, but... so what?
Not to accuse Kopji of this, just to warn him to avoid such undue impressions by admitting the issue remains relevant - if not to everyone, than at least to the people who matter most...
I know the difference between a mountain and a molehill and I think you do too. I also know that to turn a molehill into a mountain takes a lot of mud.
 
Kopji, you just crashed and burned with total failure. Did you feel it happening? Did you notice you've got no backup? Where are the smart people who agree with you? Are there any? They're being quiet if so.

I imagine you like a guppy drifting about in your bowl with no awareness and no memory. I do however pity you, and will refrain from commenting on any thing else substandard that I see you posting. If you happen to get on target ever, I'll let you know. Otherwise, it's unofficial ignore.

Everyone else:

Hey, Time's website just saw fit to post some *conspiracy nonsense* about Megrah's release, suggesting it's plausible that Megrahi might be innocent and his appeal was wrestled away to keep it quiet. I think I agree with everything in this article, so anyone could ask me to defend any of the *insane* points therein.

Please read this
 

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