Yassar Arafat, dead at 75

[SDRonEbay]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6402008/?GT1=5809

[VashFC]

I was wondering how long he was going to last like that.... not long obviously.This will make things interesting...

- Chris

[Zydeco]

bush as presadent again and Yeasser Arafat dead. Im goin to build a underground bomb shelter.

[Dano]

all you guys with your presidential opions need to keep them to yourself, some ppl may not share your same view... but we dont need to start arguements on here about that, and its going to happen....

thats crazy about arrafat.. nuts..

-Dan

[JESTER]

Well, I am sure Israel will be happy. Still not sure my opinion on him. I always sort of liked him, a president that carried a pistol on his side.

And they actually wanted to burry him in Isreal..... They really didnt think that the Isrealis would go for that, did they????

[themadscientist]

I never thought much of Arafat but I do not look foward to th power struggle for leadership of the PLO. It`s going to get very violent over there when the whackjobs are cut loose.

[vicki]

If anything Arafat's death is going to open up opportunities for peace talks and the prospect for peace.

[CybeRise]

yeehaaw the witch is dead!

Anyways if you have always liked arafat just be aware that he has murdered thousands of people and is responsible for the turmoil in Israel/Palestine. Shimon Peres agreed to give him 95% of what they were asking for and arafat still prefered to kill jews over making peace. Even his own people were shocked that he turned the israelis down.

It's sad to see how the left always loves tyrants. Today Arafat and yesterday Stalin.

http://www.protestwarrior.com

[PalmerWMD]

If anything Arafat's death is going to open up opportunities for peace talks and the prospect for peace.

Sorry Vicki, but I must repectfully disagree.He was one of the most moderate leaders on his side.

Many of younger guys arent interested in talks anymore and just want the enemy off their lands by any means neccessary.

After decades of ethnic cleasning & summary expulsions, I am not sure I can blame them.

On this note: RIP for a man who dedicated his life to his peoples national survival and who resisted oppression and ethnic cleansing to his last very day.

Quite unlike the cowards in many national governments whose personal comfort and privileges are more important to them, than justice for their people.

Fred

PS: Justice is more important than peace.Peace sometimes just makes it easier for the bad guys to get away with it.

[CybeRise]

lol here are some of my fellow warriors

http://forum.protestwarrior.co...8af2b

[GoinBoostYey]

Im not so sure this will make peace any easier, I think it could possibly turn for the worse. Which in no way shape of form is good.

[rico05]

I agree w/ you -]stm[-....

I'll bring the Quickcrete and you bring the hotdogs and we'll head to Canada and build our shelter there. Seriously.

[Drift Machine]

Definately RIP, as Fred said he is a man who dedicated his entire life to his people.

Hopefully Sharon isn't far behind..... He is just as 'bad' as Arafat was.

EDIT: CybeRise I just went to that forum and all I have to say is that has to be the biggest group of uneducated people on the internet.
Modified by Drift Machine at 9:00 AM 11/11/2004

[Ace 2.0]

its about time!!!!!!!!he was just a hatefull,crazy,old terrorlst!

[SDRonEbay]

Believe what you will but there are more things at stake here with him dead. Arafat was one of the Palestinian leaders who believed in the prophecies of Revelations. One of the most controversial aspects was the rebuilding of the Temple of Jerusalem. Israelis want to rebuild it at the Dome of the Rock and Arafat said no way, Hussien. (just a little Middle Eastern humor)

Anyway, the importance of he and others protecting that site is because the rebuilding of the Temple of the Jerusalem is supposed to take place in the messianic era (the second coming of Christ). Like I said at the beginning of this, believe what you will. But anyone celebrating the death of Arafat and considers themselves a Christian should read up on their history to get a better understanding of the secret dealings other Palestinian leaders are making and have made with the Israelites.

Ace, this isn't directed towards you. You were the last to post.

[NY94J30]

Sorry Vicki, but I must repectfully disagree.He was one of the most moderate leaders on his side.

Many of younger guys arent interested in talks anymore and just want the enemy off their lands by any means neccessary.

After decades of ethnic cleasning & summary expulsions, I am not sure I can blame them.

On this note: RIP for a man who dedicated his life to his peoples national survival and who resisted oppression and ethnic cleansing to his last very day.

Quite unlike the cowards in many national governments whose personal comfort and privileges are more important to them, than justice for their people.

Fred

PS: Justice is more important than peace.Peace sometimes just makes it easier for the bad guys to get away with it.

Fred, while I agree with a lot of what you said - particulary in regards to the need for justice - I'm not sure that the death of Arafat necessarily - or likely - portends the rise of a more intransigent stance. The fact is that while, yes, Arafat was a freedom fighter, he was also corrupt and engendered much of the political turmoil. That said, and corrupotion aside, as the occupation persisted, he made some shrewd political calculations, but was always walking a thin line as between political and social factions. He had need to balance the defiance and despair and destitution of the subjogated - and clearly their natural rage - with the hope and optimism of a settled agreement and the creation of a Palestinian state. As to whether or not this situation will change, it is up to the new leadership to shape and frame ideas in a manner that makes it possible. The borrom line, I guess, is that while Arafat's fight was noble, I'm not so sure he was.

Another crititcal issue is the framing of Arafat as the intransigent party. The fact of the matter is that Camp David was not nearly the magnanimous offer that the Clinton Adminstration and Barak - not Peres as was said above - would have you think. It was a bungled effort to begin with on Barak's part in terms of his negotiating stance as well as the ultimate conception of "concesssions." The land to be returned was not contiguous and many aspects of sovereignty were to be witheld.

The problem is is that the perceptions of the situation on the ground is shaped by media reports - i.e. Cyberise's clearly uninformed statement in regards to Camp David II - with little real understanding of the history. social context or of the actual diplomatic exchanges. Read more, then form opinions.

Modified by NY94J30 at 1:27 PM 11/11/2004
Modified by NY94J30 at 5:26 PM 11/11/2004

[StrangeLove]

I agree w/ you -]stm[-....

I'll bring the Quickcrete and you bring the hotdogs and we'll head to Canada and build our shelter there. Seriously.

Can I come too? I'll bring the shovels and p0rn

America is on a downward spiral, and its a ride I don't want to be on

[SDRonEbay]

Can I come too? I'll bring the shovels and p0rn

America is on a downward spiral, and its a ride I don't want to be on

Not to rain on you guys' parade but you can't hide from the inevitable. And if I could be scared of the unexpected, I wouldn't hide in Canada. My people were driven there a long time ago and it didn't stop their families left behind from being slaughtered.

It's so important for everyone to get involved. You wouldn't run away from some guy threatening your family in your home would you? Stand up for what you believe, always. Educating yourself and your family and spreading it to your communtity...creating a loud voice with that community and being heard by the government. That's progress.

I swear...some people have a Cobra Commander complex..."RETREAT! RETREAT!"

[StrangeLove]

I've been trying to get invovled. I'm well educated, and so is my family.

Have I given up? I'm close to it. The election has proven to me that country is headed to the crapper.

The country is divided, and thats not going to change. The saying "If you can't beat them, join them" does not apply to this situation.

My saying "If you can't beat them, move to japan"

[Altiman94]

he was a terrorlst plain and simple. I agree with you vicki. There will be a peace in the future. Maybe not for 5 + years but there will be peace.

[Jesda]

Sharon is an overzealous ***. Arafat was a god damn thug. I see an open door for peace.

[I30T]

Ariel Sharon is a douche.

[StrangeLove]

Sharon is an overzealous ***. Arafat was a god damn thug. I see an open door for invasion.

[vicki]

Arafat was uncooperative with the U.S. and in peace talks. Sure, everyone wants justice and Arafat was a nationalist who stubbornly fought for his country. Even if it means hurting them more in the long run. Whether you'd like to accept it or not, Arafat did not stabilize the region. He's been the only Palestinian leader since the birth of Israel so whether or not this conflict can be resolved at all is still unknown. My knowledge of the history of the Middle East and the I/P conflict is far from expert so I won't pass too much judgement on that but all I know is that an open door is more welcoming than a locked one. Granted, the situation there could get a lot worse before it gets better, there is still a higher prospect for a peace agreement.

[180crafter]

To quote a very smart man... me:

" The Devil you know is better than the Devil you dont know.

I really feel like things will get worse before they get better. Its not like the early periods of human history where if someone had a difference of opinion, you would kill them and assimilate the town. Now we are stuck in a perpetual struggle. Always.

That portion of the world will never be ok. People will never agree on religion, and the world is going to sht.

Humankind needs to do only one thing: Evolve. Read The Celestine Prophecy, kinda what im talking about, but in dummie terms. Look at yourself, try some self hypnosis videos, and learn to look at the love in things.

Til then... go fk urself.

[hannibal]

I'm sad to say that after all the politcal comments on here, I was expecting a bunch of retarded posts about Arafat's death. But yall surprised me again I'll glad some people are able to recognize Arafat's contributions to the Palestinian people. He did a lot to give his nation hope in a world that did not recognize the struggle of his people. He led his nation against one of the best equipped militaries in the world, and never backed down. Just becuase the US and Israel refused to deal with him lately, doesnt make him a bad guy. Remember, Arafat and the Palestinians refuse to recognize the state of Israel (circa 1948?) and they view Sharon and past PM as just a bunch of thieves.I hope this forces the world to focus on the center of America's recent war on terrorism. And that is the need for a Palestinian state. They dont even want Israel back, just a soveriegn nation where they can live in peace. That sounds easy enough...Our country and president must not let this headline slip away. the Isral/Palestine conflict is the reason why we're fighting in Afganistan and Iraq right now. Victory is when that region is peaceful, not when we've gotten revenge on those who dare to stand up to us.Like Fred said, most of Arafats probable successors want revenge more than anything. That could be a dangerous situation. I'm not moving to Canada; I'm staying right here and letting my voice be heard. Thats the only way to counteract the aggressive, revenge-seeking ideas in our own country.

And the saddest thing to me is that Arafat will never live in that peaceful Palestinian nation he fought so hard to create.

[NY94J30]

Arafat was uncooperative with the U.S. and in peace talks. Whether you'd like to accept it or not, Arafat did not stabilize the region. He's been the only Palestinian leader since the birth of Israel so whether or not this conflict can be resolved at all is still unknown. My knowledge of the history of the Middle East and the I/P conflict is far from expert so I won't pass too much judgement on that but all I know is that an open door is more welcoming than a locked one. Granted, the situation there could get a lot worse before it gets better, there is still a higher prospect for a peace agreement.

The U.S. has ever been a party to peace talks w/ Arafat, nor is it an accurate characterization to call him unccoperative without some qualification and context. Both sides - Israel and the Palestinians - have been intransigent. However, the power dynamic and conflicting points or departure make any negotiation severely dysfunctional. For this reason, Arafat and the Palestinian people have never been offered an acceptable solution.

[Bubba1]

I think Arafat's death could make things more interesting. Not necessarily better, not necessarily worse. He was not the single voice for Palestine.

He did appear more moderate to the western press but if you translate the speeches he gave to his own people in his native tongue. He very much supported suicide bombers. He was a pretty shrewd politician, who played well to his audiences.

People seem to remember the Nobel Prize he shockingly won, but forget that the group this guy created was behind the 1972 Munich massacre, and an Israeli school bombing.

I think his legacy is a very much a mixed bag. At times he inched the peace process along, but at the same time he lined his pockets with international aid money. He flatly refused to account for where all that money went. Though it seems obvious he didn't spend it on his own people. That is one of the reasons the more extremist Hamas is more popular among Palestinians.

I don't see Arafat's passing altering the situation there. its a shame.

[themadscientist]

My saying "If you can't beat them, move to japan"

I think you should rethink that, Japan is screwed up.

[ilovedrifting]

If you want to leave this country then please GET THE **** OUT. no one wants you here, no one is keeping you here leave now you won't be missed