If you're looking for the latest hostage and beheading videos, check this...
** Note to readers: This post contains explicit material and language not typical of Drink this... but has not been censored. **
Patiently waiting (but not holding breathe) for outrage coverage of outrage to pop up over this...

Video Shows Beheading of American in Iraq
AP - May 11, 2004CAIRO, Egypt - A video posted Tuesday on an Islamic militant Web site showed the beheading of an American civilian in Iraq, and said the execution was carried out by an al-Qaida affiliated group to avenge the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers. [the rest of this...]
Click this to watch/download the video. *** WARNING: EXTREMELY GRAPHIC FOOTAGE *** Rated MS-17 - Must see if over 17***
These people think nothing of avenging less than a handful of abuses with a be-heading? But people want to question our military's detainment and interrogation procedures.
Newsflash: When you're dealing with savages, you have to speak savage language or the the meaning gets lost in translation.
It's unfortunate that a few of the cases of abuse went a little too far and may or may not have violated the Geneva Convention dependant upon whom you ask and the characterization of the prisoners abused.
Now I'm not normally one to excuse bad behavior by pointing to worse behavior, but seriously people, it's not like they were lining up innocent men, women and children and executing them...
But, still the media continues to sensationalize the abuses, insistent on putting our soldiers and citizens in further danger--which has obviously now begun to manifest.
Even more unfortunate pathetic is the fact that the President of the United States and his Secretary of Defense be obliged to make insincere, pathetic apologies for "alleged" acts of abuse by our own military against detained prisoners before any trial!
An apology was not necessary at this time--and weakened us in the enemies' eyes. What was necessary was an indication of intent to investigate, which was given. (By the way, what happened to innocent before proven guilty and why is the word alleged missing from the majority of the media reports...?)
Appropriately quoting this...
To inquire if and where we made mistakes is not to apologize. War is replete with mistakes because it is full of improvisations. In war we are always doing something for the first time. It would be a miracle if what we improvised under the stress of war should be perfect.
~ Admiral Hyman Rickover
Update: This is a must see video also!
ogrish.com has the video. i don't think i can watch it.
Posted by: maura | May 11, 2004 at 03:55 PM
I watched it...and truly wish I hadn't.
Posted by: King of Fools | May 11, 2004 at 05:43 PM
ditto for me, but watching it really puts the prisoner abuse photos in perspective, Nick would love to be treated like those in the photos were as opposed to the brutal end he met with. To do that to another human being, no care, without remorse, it's quite staggering and testifies to the honorless nature of the Jihadists. A Jew wrote recently, "there will never be peace in the Middle East until they [Islamists] start loving thier children more than they hate ours."
Posted by: Joefish | May 11, 2004 at 06:57 PM
I watched it, the unedited version. Trying to put it out of my mind. Truly disturbing. Lost in translation? Yep, quid pro quo doesn't tranlsate in phlegm inflected arabic.
Posted by: deltabravo | May 11, 2004 at 07:56 PM
First we were fighting to defend against WMD
Then we were fighting because Saddam was a tyrant.
Then we were fighting for "freedom" and "democracy".
And now we are fighting to avenge the death of a businessman who flew over to Iraq on his OWN volition and ended up beheaded......
Nope, still doesn't make any sense......
Posted by: rb | May 12, 2004 at 12:11 AM
"In war we are always doing something for the first time."
Like the Holocaust yes?
Posted by: rb | May 12, 2004 at 12:21 AM
"He looked at it as bringing democracy to a country that didn't have it," -- Berg's Father
"For the mothers and wives of American soldiers, we tell you that we offered the US administration to exchange this hostage with some of the detainees in Abu Ghraib and they refused.
"So we tell you that the dignity of the Muslim men and women in Abu Ghraib and others is not redeemed except by blood and souls. You will not receive anything from us but coffins after coffins ... slaughtered in this way. How can a free Muslim sleep well as he sees Islam slaughtered and its dignity bleeding, and the pictures of shame and the news of the devilish scorn of the people of Islam - men and women - in the prison of Abu Ghraib?" -- Berg's killers.
"Can there be anything more tragic than this?" -- Mayor of Berg's home town.
Yes, tragic. There is no "right" to be found here. From ANY angle.
Posted by: rb | May 12, 2004 at 12:36 AM
This is not the first--nor unfortunately the last--ritual "slaughter" in the name of Allah. You are right on-point: the media would rather equate nude photos of Iraquis as holocaust-level abuse than dare start to question and analyze the religious war we find ourselves fighting
Posted by: william | May 12, 2004 at 05:41 AM
So rb, you have yet to tell me and my readers your solution to this problem... you seem to think terrorists should be appeased. Can we send them to visit you...?
If you have a better idea on how we should be fighting terrorism, do enlighten us... If not, shut the fuck up and stay off my site.
Sorry readers - I have finally tired of the lurking troll who seems to hate my views but can't bring itself to stay away from my site defend the terrorists...
Posted by: tallglassofmilk | May 12, 2004 at 07:51 AM
"If you have a better idea on how we should be fighting terrorism, do enlighten us... If not, shut the fuck up and stay off my site."
If I left your readership would drop by 75%! Besides, I've challenged you, but when have I been personally abusive! I've had to add posts because there is no EDIT function.
In any case, have you noticed that everytime you meddle in the affairs of foreign states to serve your own interests "terrorists" seem to just pop up as if from nowhere!
The solution is simple.
1.Stay out of others affairs. Try to build political consensus against those you disagree with. It's slow and you may not always get your own way. In that case, tough.
2.Accept that others live on this planet and that they may (shock horror!) DISAGREE with you! I'm sick and bloody tired of listening to Americans whinging about their "security" whilst bombing the shit out of poor people halfway around the world.
YOU ARE IN NEXT TO NO DANGER!
The nearest you will ever come to a "terrorist" is some CHRISTIAN white guy with a stash of guns hiding in a shed in Arizona. FACT.
Posted by: rb | May 12, 2004 at 12:00 PM
Last night I went off in my Journal after viewing part of the video. I was in a state for many hours and even today I am still sick to my stomach. I haven't felt such anger and sadness in quite a long time.
Posted by: Donna | May 12, 2004 at 12:55 PM
rb - thanks for exposing yourself as an ignoramus and saving me the trouble.
Clearly you understand nothing about the Islamic religious fanatics--not hard to understand considering you are an atheist. Just because you don't believe in a God doesn't mean others don't.
3,000 people who used to work in the WTC thought they were in no danger too.
Posted by: tallglassofmilk | May 12, 2004 at 01:25 PM
I seem to be a bit late to this party, but I have to add my thoughts:
1.Stay out of others affairs. Try to build political consensus against those you disagree with.
We tried that. We found out that they wanted to kill us anyway. In fact, they killed 3,000 of us because we ignored the threat.
2.Accept that others live on this planet and that they may (shock horror!) DISAGREE with you!
Disagreeing with us is fine. Murdering us because we're "infidels" is not fine. You do realize that thoughts lead to actions, right?
And finally...
YOU ARE IN NEXT TO NO DANGER!
Nope, none whatsoever.
It's not the same world anymore. Deal with it.
Posted by: CD | May 12, 2004 at 04:17 PM
Has nothing to do with being atheist, agnostic, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Wiccan, or whatever, tallglassofmilk. Has much more to do with actually being willing to look, with an open mind, at the beliefs of the religous fanatics. And judge them.
Posted by: Kathy K | May 12, 2004 at 05:00 PM
"rb".
In your statement ("Try to build political consensus against those you disagree with.") its easy to conclude that you would be in favor of the US working with the UN to find solutions to the worlds problems. If could you please answer these questions?
How much faith does an organization deserve that was complicit in the deaths of thousands thru the Oil for food program?
How much respect for human rights does the UN display by promoting the sex for hire trade, and UN sanctioned sex parties in Kosovo?
Of course to have a successful "sex for hire" trade you have to open many branches so the UN expanded operations to Africa to include "sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of civilians, including minors, by its personnel in the northeastern town of Bunia."
So "rb" (lower case very appropriate considering the mentality involved) ... Please explain where is the correct place to "build political consensus?"
BTW thanks for the trackback to my post. And was very pleased to find you are a NASCAR fan. Your welcome to stop over to my racing blog, Full Throttle, if you get tired of "rb's" nonsense!
Posted by: Marc | May 12, 2004 at 05:22 PM
Kathy K - Normally I would wholeheartedly agree with you, but in rb's case, the things that have been posted here repeatedly show a lack of knowledge about religion which I attributed, perhaps incorrectly, to a lack of and closed-mindedness towards faith in general.
Posted by: tallglassofmilk | May 12, 2004 at 05:48 PM
My two cents:
(1.Stay out of others affairs. Try to build political consensus against those you disagree with.
We tried that. We found out that they wanted to kill us anyway. In fact, they killed 3,000 of us because we ignored the threat.)
Nope, never tried that. Check again. The idea is to "stay out of others' affairs." Success in seeking out terrorists is an entirely different matter than success in staying out of others' affairs.
[2.Accept that others live on this planet and that they may (shock horror!) DISAGREE with you!
Disagreeing with us is fine. Murdering us because we're "infidels" is not fine. You do realize that thoughts lead to actions, right?]
And... so... what should the US do when it disagrees with other???
[And finally...
3. YOU ARE IN NEXT TO NO DANGER!
Nope, none whatsoever.
It's not the same world anymore. Deal with it.]
Wrong. It's always been the same unsafe world. Except that people in the US finally has come to (or is forced to) realize this. Deal with that.
Posted by: rbb | May 12, 2004 at 07:57 PM
...and that actions have consequences, that no country, even the most powerful one, can do as it pleases without some amount of retrospection. Maybe terrorists cannot be reasoned with. Fine. But they also cannot be eliminated. Where is a cause, there will be recruits. Better think about Plan B.
Posted by: rbb | May 12, 2004 at 08:04 PM
rbb, I'll try to interpret the fragmented English in your post and respond to it:
1) The point of the "stay out of others' affairs" thing is that the terrorists would still want to kill us. How hard is that to understand? They're not after us because we interfered with something. They're after us because they think they're on a sacred mission to eliminate the West. We can either kill them all, or appease them by killing ourselves. Take your pick.
2) I don't understand how asking what the U.S. should do is relevant to dealing with terrorists who are willing to knock down buildings because they disagree with us.
3) So you admit that we have to deal with the threat, but you still think we should "stay out of others' affairs?" That's some doubleplusgood thinking there.
And as to your other point:
Maybe terrorists cannot be reasoned with. Fine. But they also cannot be eliminated. Where is a cause, there will be recruits. Better think about Plan B.
Plan B is to make them realize that if they threaten us, they will die. Maybe there will be less people willing to become terrorists if they know that they might not even live long enough to blow themselves up.
Appeasement doesn't work. Study a bit of history if you don't believe that.
Posted by: CD | May 12, 2004 at 08:33 PM
The American media whines about the freedom of information and then edits everything to their liberal agendas. I want to see the reality of these scumbag terrorists and what they did to 3,000 in WTC and the beheading of that poor man Mr. Nick Berg and everything associated with terrorism; UNEDITED!!! Every day as a reminder!!! That's right, heads coming off, Americans jumping from WTC 90th floor to their deaths, etc.. and see the reality of what terrorists have done to us already.
We see over and over again on the media when the American soldiers strip down (like US prisons do every day) a terrorist scumbag trying to kill Americans and they make a big deal of it. Screw those scumbags and screw the liberal media that exploits Americans for their liberal agenda.
Posted by: jack | May 12, 2004 at 08:51 PM
I just watched the video twice. I have been a Christian since I was a young boy. Christ instucts to love those that hate you. I don't know how to do that here. He did it from the cross; but I can't even do it from this keyboard. Nick's dad... he must be a mess; never mind his poor mother.
My comfort here strangely comes from what I know of the Old Testament. God's people don't lose. I know we are God's people - for we accept His Son as the Christ. Call me a religous fanatic or whatever; but this is a religous war whether we like it or not. It has nothing to do with oil, democracy or WMD. If our way of life is to continue it will be distinctly Christian as has been the case since the founding fathers inked the Constitution.
Hate is what I feel right now - but that makes me like those murdering muslims that did this. I pray God's comfort to Nick's family. I pray God's vengeance on his killers. I pray American people will see that the greatest power we have is not found in bullets, planes, troops, or government - but in knowing, loving, and following God's true, only begotton Son - Jesus Christ.
Posted by: DD | May 12, 2004 at 09:02 PM
I think it's time to remove all followers of Islam from our country. It's also time to start getting rid of (killing) all useful idiots (liberals) starting with the elected on down to the members of the Million Mom March!
Posted by: Rick | May 12, 2004 at 09:24 PM
A wise man once said "There is no peace for the wicked" Read that and be warned...
Posted by: BL | May 12, 2004 at 10:45 PM
Saw the pictures and it was enough. My reaction? Completely ENRAGED! Amidst my nuclear meltdown in anger, my heart goes out to Nick and his family. I can't imagine what his mother must be going through right now. What they've done to nick is so inhumanely horrendous, so atrocious, so overwhelmingly unbelivable that I can't believe these Islamic terrorist bastards are part of the human race. War is never a pretty solution. But, to take the life of an innocent so atrociously and then to revel in the partaking of the horrendous inhuman act is pure EVIL. The only thing these FUCKING BASTARDS understand is terror, so why doesn't our government mete it out to them with EXTREME PREJUDICE and wipe out every last FUCKING sebastion of fundamental Islam and its extremists? Fuck these BASTARDS from Hell. God may have mercy on them, but we're definitely NOT God.
Posted by: Joe | May 12, 2004 at 11:13 PM
I just watched the video. I had been wrestling with it, kinda of not wanting to know, but also feeling I needed to see it. It made me sick to think that humans could do such terrible things and take delight in it... Screaming out the glory of your 'god' while savagely butchering an innocent. If that's what their god truly wants then i'm afraid there isn't enough room on the earth for civilized people and Islamic Jihadists. Frankly, I'm not too convinced that the majority of Muslims disagree with this type of behavior. Sad. I'm a forgiver by nature but my heart just hardened, as I'm sure many have over the last few days.
Posted by: mike | May 13, 2004 at 12:30 AM