Here's Danny K. Davis breaking spring rolls with the Tamil Tigers - another pothole and snake in the road weaved away from by the Progressive.
This Thanksgiving, Danny K. Davis treated the Media to another heaping helping of police bashing stuffing, when he was ticketed for driving like an Englshman in Chicago and charged that the two officers invloved picked him, a black man, out of hundreds of other black motorists because he is black. Now -That's giblets!
U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, who is black, said he will go to traffic court to challenge the $75 ticket given to him early Monday by two white officers.http://www.charlotte.com/nation/story/375317.html
"I'm not one of these people who cry racism," Davis told The Associated Press on Friday. "I'm a person who believes in hard work and follows the rules."
Davis, 66, said he was on his way home from co-hosting his Sunday late-night radio talk show, "Talking to the People," and was driving with three black passengers when he was stopped.
"I know that I had not weaved. I mean, I'm not senile," he told the Chicago Tribune. "Had I weaved, I would have said 'I thought I saw a pothole,' or a snake, or something."
Again - I had to highlight that passage of American Political Rhetoric - one quote that will be on the little tongues of every school kid in America someday - unless Danny's Pals the Tamil Tigers get to them first.
If you kids liked Moonman Dan's English Driving School Story this week, let's thumb back for a great lttle tale called Danny and the Tigers.
If you kids think Danny's Dad Rev. Sun Myong Moon is shady gent, take a glance at Danny's pals.
Danny likes underdogs, like the Tamil Tigers of Sri Laanka. Click my title post for Danny K. Davis' recent junket and chat with his underdogs. Let's try to remember Danny K. Davis as he slow-talks his way out of the moving violation:
Now, - This is a long excerpt but it is WOW reading!
Human rights and terrorism issues
Main articles: List of terrorist attacks attributed to the LTTE and Notable attacks attributed to the LTTE
The LTTE is labeled as a terrorist organization as part of a broader allegation that it does not have respect for human rights and that it does not adhere to the standards of conduct expected of a resistance movement or what might be called "freedom fighters".[citation needed] The accusation of terrorism is based in part on claims that the LTTE kills innocent civilians, recruits child soldiers, has been responsible for assassination of political figures and non-military officials, and extensively uses suicide bombers.
[edit] Attacks on civilians
Main article: List of terrorist attacks attributed to the LTTE
The LTTE has attacked non-military targets including commuter trains and buses, farming villages, temples and mosques resulting in large numbers of civilian deaths.
Some of the major attacks resulting in dozens of civilian deaths include the Kebithigollewa massacre, the Gonagala massacre (54 dead), the Anuradhapura massacre (146 dead), the Dehiwala train bombing (56 dead),[67] the Palliyagodella massacre (166 dead) and the bombing of Sri Lanka's Central Bank (102 dead). The LTTE claims that its attacks on purely civilian targets are collateral damage.
Even after the signing of the Ceasefire agreement in 2002, the LTTE has continued to carry out attacks against civilians. They murdered 6 Sinhalese farmers on April 23, 2006 and killed a further 13 laborers on May 30.[68] In one of the deadliest attacks against civilians, a claymore antipersonnel mine attack by the LTTE on June 15, 2006 on a bus carrying 140 civilians killed 68 people including 15 children, and injured 60 others.[69]
On August 14, 2006, a convoy carrying the Pakistani High Commissioner Bashir Wali Mohamed, was attacked by Claymore type directional mine concealed within a rickshaw, killing seven people and injuring seventeen. The high commissioner escaped unharmed. The Sri Lankan Government blamed the LTTE.[70][71]. However, the High Commissioner Bashir Wali Mohamed himself claimed that this was the work of the Research and Analysis Wing of India[72].
See also: Kebithigollewa massacre
[edit] Assassinations
Main article: Assassinations attributed to the LTTE
The LTTE has long been accused of carrying assassinations of political rivals and opponents. These include:
Alfred Duraiyappah, mayor of Jaffna in the attack that brought them to prominence in 1975
Rajiv Gandhi, Prime Minister of India in 1991
Ranjan Wijeratne, Sri Lankan cabinet minister and former general
Lalith Athulathmudali, Sri Lankan cabinet minister
Ranasinghe Premadasa, President of Sri Lanka
Gamini Dissanayake, Sri Lankan presidential candidate
Major Gen. Parami Kulatunga, third-highest ranking officer in the Sri Lankan Army
Lakshman Kadirgamar, Sri Lankan foreign minister, lawyer and international humanitarian.[73]
Indian courts have issued international warrants to arrest both Velupillai Prabhakaran[74] and its intelligence chief Pottu Amman[75] in connection with the killing of Rajiv Gandhi.[76] The LTTE at first denied any involvement, but later issued a statement in June 2006 acknowledging it and calling the event a "monumental tragedy."[77]
The LTTE has also been accused of killing moderate Tamils and other Tamils with whom it disagrees, such as:
Appapillai Amirthalingam, leader of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF)[78]
Vettivelu Yogeswaran, TULF politician
Sarojini Yogeswaran, mayor of Jaffna
Pon Sivapalan, mayor of Jaffna
Neelan Thiruchelvam, academic and TULF politician
Kethesh Loganathan, political activist and second chief of Sri Lanka Peace Secretariat
Selliah Parameswaran Kurukkal a Hindu priest that blessed Mahinda Rajapakse
The LTTE has vehemently denied involvement in several of these incidents. Others argue these are tit-for-tat killings conducted by partisans of both sides of the conflict. The LTTE argues the Sri Lankan government and government-aided Tamil paramilitaries have also targeted high-profile supporters of the LTTE.
LTTE supporters justify some of the targeted assassinations by arguing that the people attacked were combatants or persons closely associated with Sri Lankan military intelligence. Specifically in relation to the TELO, the LTTE has said that it had to perform preemptive self-defence because the TELO was in effect functioning as a proxy for India. They also draw comparisons between the casualties caused by the LTTE's actions and the actions of European resistance forces against Nazi occupation during the Second World War. However, the LTTE's alleged victims have included unarmed Tamil politicians and civilian moderates who sought a peaceful solution to the Sri Lankan crisis.[79]
[edit] Child soldiers
Main article: Military use of children in Sri Lanka
The LTTE's use of children as front-line troops was proved when 25 front-line troops between the ages of 13 and 17 surrendered en masse to the Sri Lankan Forces.[80][81][82] Amid international pressure, LTTE announced in July 2003 that it would stop conscripting child soldiers, but both UNICEF[83][84] and Human Rights Watch[85] have accused it of reneging on its promises, and of conscripting Tamil children orphaned by the tsunami.[86] Civilians have also complained that the LTTE is continuing to abduct children, including some in their early teens, for use as soldiers.[87] Moreover UNICEF states that the LTTE has recruited 315 child soldiers between April and December 2006. According to UNICEF, the total number of child soldiers recruited by the LTTE since 2001 stands at 5,794.[88][89]
The LTTE, however, strongly denies any responsibility for recruitment of child soldiers. It argues that instances of child recruitment occurred mostly in the east, under the purview of former LTTE regional commander Colonel Karuna. After leaving the LTTE and forming the TMVP, it is alleged Karuna continues to forcibly kidnap and induct child soldiers.[90] Its official position is that earlier, some of its cadres erroneously recruited volunteers in their late teens. It says that its official policy is now that it will not accept child soldiers. It also says that some underage youth lie about their age and are therefore allowed to join, but are sent back home to their parents as soon as they are discovered to be underage.
[edit] Suicide bombing
The LTTE has frequently used suicide bombers as a tactic. They pioneered the use of concealed suicide bomb vests,[57] which are now used by many other organizations worldwide. The tactic of deploying suicide bombers was used to assassinate Rajiv Gandhi, who was killed in 1991 using a prototype suicide vest, and Ranasinghe Premadasa, assassinated in 1993.[91]
According to Jane's Information Group, between 1980 and 2000 LTTE had carried out a total of 168 suicide attacks on civilians and military targets. The number of suicide attacks easily exceeded the combined total of Hezbollah and Hamas suicide attacks carried out during the same period.[91]
[edit] Ethnic cleansing
Main articles: Expulsion of Muslims from Jaffna and List of terrorist attacks attributed to the LTTE
The LTTE has been blamed for forcibly removing (or "ethnically cleansing" [citation needed]) Sinhalese and Muslim inhabitants from areas under its control, including the use of violence against those who refuse to leave. Most notably, the LTTE forcibly expelled the entire Muslim population of Jaffna with two hours notice in 1990.[92] The LTTE are also accused of organising massacres of Sinhala villagers who settled in the Northeast under the dry lands policy.[93][94][95]
The LTTE has apologized for the expulsion of Muslims and has blamed this event on the misconduct of one of its regional commanders. However these expulsions had taken place in Jaffna where the supreme leadership of the LTTE was based. It is therefore unlikely that these expulsions were planned at a local level. Furthermore no punitive action was taken against those who expelled the Muslims from Jaffna. The LTTE has taken the added step of encouraging Muslim civilians to return their homes and livelihoods and providing compensation. However very few Muslims have accepted this offer.
The LTTE feels the expulsion of Sinhalese civilian from the North East of Sri Lanka is a necessary step to safeguard the rights of the Tamil minority.[citation needed] The LTTE alleges that most of the North East lands were originally owned by Tamils, who were forcibly evicted to make way for government-aided Sinhala colonization schemes. These schemes, they argue were created with the sole intent of making Tamil civilians a minority in their traditional homelands and hence a means to further deprive them of their rights under the present district-based unitary political system.[citation needed] However, Muslims and Sinhalese have formed over half of the population of the East province throughout recent history. Furthermore, the existence of archaeological evidence shows that the Sinhalese have inhabited both the Eastern Province and the Northern Province for over two thousand years. In fact, most of the place names in the north and east of Sri Lanka are of Sinhalese origin. Scholars acknowledge the existence of a Tamil kingdom in Jaffna for about 300 years from around 1200-1500 CE, but there is no evidence of a Tamil kingdom in the Eastern province. Therefore, the basis for the LTTE's claim of the Eastern province as a traditional homeland of the Tamils remains contentious.[96]
See also: Gonagala massacre
[edit] Execution of POWs
The LTTE have executed prisoners of war in spite of a declaration by the LTTE in 1988 that it would abide by the Geneva Conventions.[97] Notably, the LTTE massacred most of the 400 to 600 police officers captured after their surrender to the LTTE in 1990.[98][99][100] The LTTE also executed 200 Sri Lankan soldiers captured during an attack on the Pooneryn army camp,[100] and hundreds of soldiers who had surrendered during the attack on the Mullaitivu army camp.[101][102]
See also: Massacre of police officers in Eastern Sri Lanka in June 1990
[edit] Allegation of Extortion
Some people alleged that a group claiming to be "fund raisers for the LTTE" forced the Tamil expatriates to give them money.[103] The group threatening the safety of their relatives or property in areas of Sri Lanka. This involves pressuring the people to directly give the group money, or to indirectly fund its activities by patronizing businesses connected with it (La 2004)[citation needed]. Although intelligence services have raised concerns about such activities, which are particularly controversial in Canada, few formal complaints have been made. During raids by the RCMP, the World Tamil Movement (alleged of funding the LTTE) was found coordinating a number of illegal activities in order to control the Tamil diaspora in Canada.[104] A report by Human Rights Watch outlines the intimidation and extortion Tamil expatriates experience from the LTTE.[105]
[edit] Proscription as a terrorist group
At least 32 countries have listed the LTTE as a terrorist organisation.[106][107][108] As of May 2007, these include:
India (since 1992)
The United States of America (since 1997)[109]
Malaysia[110]
The United Kingdom (since 2000)[111]
The European Union (since 2006; representing 27 countries)
Canada (since 2006)[112]
The UN has also passed Resolution 1373, asking member countries to identify and limit activities of any organization that carries out terrorist activities. The UN has not published its own list of terrorist groups, and has left their identification to the discretion of member countries. Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan also suggested that the LTTE should face travel curbs and other penalties if they keep using children as soldiers. In a 2006 report to the Security Council, Annan also recommended other sanctions such as arms embargoes and financial restrictions against the LTTE.[113] Australia[114] and other countries have listed the LTTE as a terrorist group in accordance with Resolution 1373. Canada does not grant residency to LTTE members on the grounds that they have participated in crimes against humanity.[115]
The first country to ban the LTTE was its early ally, India. The Indian change of policy came gradually, starting with the IPKF-LTTE conflict, and culminating with the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. Sri Lanka itself lifted the ban on the LTTE before signing the ceasefire agreement in 2002. This was a prerequisite set by the LTTE for signing of the agreement.[116]
[edit] Criminal activities
One factor that has benefited the LTTE greatly has been its sophisticated international support network. While some of the funding obtained by the LTTE is from legitimate fund raising and extortion among the Tamil diaspora,[117][118][119][120][121][122] a significant portion is obtained through criminal activities, involving sea piracy, human smuggling, drug trafficking and gunrunning.[123][124][125]
[edit] Sea piracy
The LTTE are reported to hijack ships and boats of all sizes, and it is common practice for them to kidnap and kill the crew members on board the hijacked vessels.[126]
The LTTE has been accused of hijacking several vessels in waters outside Sri Lanka including the Irish Mona (in August 1995), Princess Wave (in August 1996), Athena (in May 1997), Misen (in July 1997), Morong Bong (in July 1997), MV Cordiality (in Sept 1997) and Princess Kash (in August 1998). When the LTTE captured the MV Cordiality near the port of Trincomalee, they killed all five Chinese crew members on board. The MV Sik Yang, a 2,818-ton Malaysian-flag cargo ship which sailed from Tuticorin, India on May 25, 1999 was reported missing in waters near Sri Lanka. The ship with a cargo of bagged salt was due at the Malaysian port of Malacca on May 31. The fate of the ship's crew of 15 is unknown. It is suspected that the vessel was hijacked by the LTTE and is now been used as a phantom vessel. A report published on June 30, 1999 confirmed that the vessel had been hijacked by the LTTE.[126]
[edit] MV Farah III incident
In a notable incident since the signing of the Ceasefire Agreement in 2001, the crew of a Jordanian ship, MV Farah III that ran aground near rebel-controlled territory off the island's coast, accused the Tamil Tigers of forcing them to abandon the vessel which was carrying 14,000 tonnes of Indian rice and risking their lives.[127] The crew said that LTTE fired four times to force them out of the vessel after failing to explode it in choppy seas three days after. The skipper of the vessel said;
"First they tried to set up a bomb and explode the anchor cable and when it failed they ordered us to weigh anchor"
He also said that the Tigers dismantled and removed all radio communication equipment and radar from the vessel.[127] On May 1, 2007 Sayed Sulaiman, the chairman of the ship's owners, Salam International Trading Company gave an interview to the BBC Tamil service, saying,
"We hear from the parties who are concerned with the ship, the insurance company etc., that ... everything that could be taken – like the rice, lights, generators – has been taken from the ship. The ship is now bare." [128]
On October 16, 2007 the New York Daily News reported the arrest of members of the LTTE in a massive plot to loot ATMs in New York City.
[edit] Pilferage of tsunami donations
In May 2007, two Tamils were arrested in Australia. They were charged for raising thousands of dollars in Australia under the pretense of being for charities and aid for those affected by the 2004 Asian Tsunami, which killed 35,000 people in Sri Lanka, but instead using the money to fund the LTTE.[129] Australian Federal Police conducted raids across Melbourne and Sydney and charged the two men with "being members of a terrorist group, financing terrorism and providing material support for terrorism".[129] The Australian Federal Police alleged that the men have provided significant funds as well as electronic and marine equipment to the Tamil Tigers since July 2002. Commenting on the possibility of the LTTE engaging in other similar incidents, Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Kieran Walshe said "We are concerned that that sort of thing is taking place in Australia, that Australian citizens are being duped into making contributions to what they believe to be honest fundraising activities in terms of relief for people in distress."[129].
[edit] Human smuggling
The Mackenzie Institute alleged that most of the smuggling of Tamil people to Western countries is done under the permission of the LTTE. However, there is no proof that LTTE benefit from this. It further alleged that the people who are leaving Sri Lanka from Tamil Tigers controlled areas pay a few hundred dollars as a forced contribution to the LTTE. In addition to this, people with special skills or a greater wealth than ordinary Tamils may have to pay thousands of dollars to be entitled to leave.[130]
[edit] Arms smuggling
Another one of LTTE's most secretive International operations is the smuggling of weapons, explosives, and "dual use" technologies to keep up with the military operations. The part of the LTTE responsible for these activities is given the nickname "KP Branch", taking the initials of its highest level operative, Kumaran Padmanathan (KP). The workers for the KP Branch are outsiders from the fighting wing of the LTTE, since the identities of the those fighters are recorded and available to law enforcement and counter-intelligence agencies by India's RAW, who had helped train many Tiger cadres in the early 1980s. The KP Branch operates extremely secretively by having the minimum connection possible with the LTTE's other sections for further security. It finally hands over the arms shipments to a highly trusted team of the sea Tigers to deliver them to the LTTE dominated areas.[130]
In order to carryout the activities of International arms trafficking, the LTTE operates it own fleet of ocean-going vessels. These vessels only operate a certain period of time for the LTTE and in the remaining time they transport legitimate goods and raise hard cash for the purchase of weapons. The LTTE initially operated a shipping base in Myanmar, but they were forced to leave due to diplomatic pressure. To overcome the loss of this, a new base has been set up on Phuket Island, in Thailand.[130]
However, the most expertly carried out operation of the KP Branch was the theft of 32,400 rounds of 81mm mortar ammunition purchased from Tanzania for the Sri Lanka Army. Being aware of the purchase of 35,000 mortar bombs, the LTTE made a bid to the manufacturer through a numbered company and arranged a vessel of their own to pick up the load. Once the bombs were loaded into the ship, the LTTE changed the name and registration of their ship. The vessel was taken to Tiger-held territory in Sri Lanka's north instead of transporting it to its intended destination.[130]
Western countries are the main territory for fund raising activities of the LTTE. The money raised from donations and criminal enterprises are transferred into bank accounts of the Tigers and from there to the accounts of a weapons broker, or the money is taken by KP operatives themselves. LTTE's need for resources is mostly fulfilled by the Tamils who reside outside Sri Lanka. In 1995, when the LTTE lost Jaffna, their international operatives were ordered to increase, by a massive 50%, the amount raised from Tamils outside of the island.[130]
[edit] Other crimes
LTTE has also been accused of committing credit card fraud in a number of countries including India and the United Kingdom.[57] In April 2007, the Sri Lankan High Commission in London also accused the LTTE of being behind a credit card scam, however a police spokesman said there was no definite link to the LTTE or Sri Lankan gangs.[131][132][133][134] Williams , a writer at US Institute of Peace Press, alleged the LTTE of crimes such as organized crime, social security fraud, counterfeit currency trading,[131][135] and satellite piracy.[136][137]
In 2007 the New York Police Department arrested a number of LTTE operatives who were planning to use stolen credit card information to steal $250,000 in New York City, and tens of millions more from ATMs worldwide.[57] Overall, Jane's Intelligence Review reported that the LTTE raise up to $300 million a year through various methods, including international credit card fraud and extortion of Tamil expatriates.[57]
[edit] See also
Terrorist attacks attributed to the LTTE
Notable attacks attributed to the LTTE
Assassinations attributed to LTTE
Black July
Kumaran Pathmanadan
Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups
Military use of children in Sri Lanka
Danny wants to help parolled convicts ( ex-offnders in Progressive language) get good paying Federal jobs inorder to get back at hard-working Mexicans ,according to the Chicago Defender:
Passage of the Second Chance legislation will grease the skids for more ex-offender legislation Davis intends to introduce next year. That bill will allow former felons to work at governmental agencies. Of course they will be in non-critical areas such as lawn maintenance, or doing road work etc. Davis has wondered aloud why anyone would need clearance to cut the grass at the CIA. There is no good answer.
Helping ex-offenders transition smoothly back into the community with education and skills can shore up many deficiencies. One of the largest contributions will be taking jobs that former Mexican President Vicente Fox said "Americans won't do."
Our neighborhoods are fraught with folk who don't look like us or speak the language doing jobs that give them a few bucks that don't turn over in our community. If ex-offenders are being hired, at least we know the money will stay in the community.
It's time we took steps that will reverse the unemployment and wage negatives about Black folk. Davis' legislation and pending legislation deserves the support of every Black Chicagoan in and outside of his West Side Seventh Congressional District.
http://www.chicagodefender.com/page/editorial.cfm?ArticleID=10015
Underdogs - the Tamil Tigers and released convicts; snakes and potholes. This stuff gets printed as the news! And people worry about the Writer's Strike?
This litany of horrors is from our good pals at Wikpedia
