I've castigated the Philippines' Arroyo government time and again for caving into terror.
I didn't know the half of it:
A ransom of $6 million was offered and paid out to the Iraqi rebels holding Filipino truck driver Angelo de la Cruz hostage, to ensure his release before President Arroyo's scheduled State of the Nation Address (Sona) on July 26, a high level Philippine intelligence officer told the Tribune yesterday.This offer was alleged to have been approved by the President herself, who then tapped Malaysian emissaries for the job, the intelligence officer, who asked for anonymity, said.
So. The Coalition has lost 50 humanitarian workers in Iraq, and an al Qaeda-affiliated group has six million dollars in cash. It's time to recognize a new Coalition, one initiated by the new Spanish government. We'll call it the Coalition of the Prostrate.
Give a lukewarm welcome to the Philippines as the newest memeber of the club.
(Hat tip to Zomby Boy and Michelle Malkin.)
Shall we suggest that we subtract that amount from our annual economic aid to the Phillipines?
Is it just me, or does it piss anyone else off that everyone is scared to death of offending the jihadis but no one is scared of being on the wrong side of the US?
Are there no consequences?
It ain't just you, Frank.
As an American Ex-pat living in the Philippines I have been watching this story unfold since its inception.
If this is the true ending to this story a lot of people will be paying a heavy price. And it won't be monetary!
Given the history of the Phil Gov paying and allowing others to pay ransom i tend to believe the story carries some weight.
I sent you a couple of trackbacks to my posts of the last couple weeks, but they didn't aeem to go thru.
BTW I have been remiss in adding you to my blogroll, that has been corrected.
The last thing the government of the Philippines needs is to send a clear signal to their home-grown Moro terrorists that it's not only OK to take hostages, but that they can make some money doing it.
Prostrate? C'mon Steve, you can do better than that.
Coalition of the Castrate(d) is not only catchier, but references the fact that those countries have no balls, so to speak.
Is it just me, or does it piss anyone else off that everyone is scared to death of offending the jihadis but no one is scared of being on the wrong side of the US?
To me it's the opposite. This kind of thing implicitly acknowledges and relies upon the moral superiority of the United States.
Disgraceful! It is one thing to withdraw troops to secure release. It altogether another thing to fund the next half dozen hostage takings.
Apologies for what appears to be multiple trackbacks to this article. I do not know why that happened.
Many people confuse prostrate and supine. Belly-up, neck offered, is more accurate for what the Spanish and Filipinos have done.
Any word on if the Filipino troops are as annoyed as the Spanish troops were?
The Philippines by giving material aid to the terrorists have simpply shown what that they've chosen to be with the terrorists. Lay some sanctions on 'em.
Would it be politically incorrect to call them the Manilla Folders? ;-)
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