As SusanG said in a post written earlier on Daily Kos, the American Heritage Dictionary defines terrorism as:
The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons.
And given that McCain has used William Ayers as a wedge issue against Barack Obama, it’s long past time that we fight back, showing McCain’s ties to terrorist groups and sympathizers.
Because unlike Barack Obama, who only knew Ayers from working on a school board, McCain is using terrorist sympathizers in an attempt to win in battleground states such as Ohio and Florida.
So for everybody’s information, I’ve provided an exhaustive list of terrorist groups, sympathizers, and funders that have had at any point in McCain’s life had a relationship with him, as well as listing those that are currently helping his campaign. The list is huge. Please follow me below for the list.
- Carl H. Lindner Jr., funder of South American terrorist groups such as United Self Defense Forces of Columbia (AUC), the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC), and the National Liberation Army of Columbia (ELN)
Back in July, The Huffington Post revealed that Carl Lindner, former CEO of Chiquita Brands International, had funded various Columbian terrorist groups since 1989 through CBI. Chiquita was indicted last year for funding the AUC, plead guilty, and was forced to pay $25 million.
Carl H. Lindner Jr., the billionaire Cincinnati businessman, was CEO of Chiquita Brands International from 1984 to 2001, and remained on the company's board of directors until May 2002. Beginning under his tenure, Chiquita executives paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (known by the Spanish acronym AUC), which is described by George Washington University's National Security Archive as an "illegal right-wing anti-guerrilla group tied to many of the country's most notorious civilian massacres."
Following a Justice Department indictment last year, Chiquita admitted to illegally funding the paramilitaries and agreed to pay a $25 million fine. Chiquita's payments to the AUC began in 1997 and lasted seven years; roughly half of the funds came after the group was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S. State Department in 2001.
This did not stop John McCain from taking Lindner’s money, though. In late June 2008, long after CBI plead guilty, Lindner hosted a $25,000 a plate fundraiser for John McCain and the Republican party. The fundraiser raised about $2 million.
Late last week, Lindner co-hosted a $25,000-per-person fundraiser for McCain and the Republican Party in the wealthy Indian Hills neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. The event raised about $2 million; Lindner also serves on McCain's Ohio Victory Team.
So if Ohio goes red again this year, McCain has a backer of international terrorism to thank for it.
- Omega 7
Omega 7 is an anti-Castro terrorist group. During the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, the group bombed numerious sites in the New York City area including Avery Fisher Hall, Madison Square Garden, JFK Airport, the ticket office of Aeroflot (the Soviet airline), and the Cuban Mission to the United Nations.
As reported by Slate.com, On July 20th, 2008, Joe Lieberman met with the wife of Omega 7 founder Eduardo Arocena, who is currently serving a life sentence at a prison in Indiana. Lieberman promised that he would fight for a Presidential pardon for Arocena.
Members of McCain’s Florida campaign are also strongly in support of the pardon of Arocena and other members of Omega 7 as well. This includes Roberto Martin Perez (he narrated a commercial for Latin Americans for McCain), and Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart (McCain’s senior advisor and spokesman on Latin America).
Like Ohio, if McCain were to win Florida, he would have the sympathizers of terrorist groups to thank for it.
- Iran-Contra
Fellow Kossack Daisy Cutter uncovered an old news report from The Washington Post that revealed that in the 1980’s John McCain gave $400 to Nicaraguan Contra forces. The Contra forces were well known for torture and murder of Nicaraguan citizens that they believed to be working for the leftist government.
- Al Queda
McCain has no actual ties to Al Queda. However, earlier this week supporters of the group endorsed McCain for President, believing that a McCain victory would lead to the destruction of the United States.
From the AP:
Al-Qaida supporters suggested in a Web site message this week they would welcome a pre-election terror attack on the U.S. as a way to usher in a McCain presidency.
The message, posted Monday on the password-protected al-Hesbah Web site, said if al-Qaida wants to exhaust the United States militarily and economically, "impetuous" Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain is the better choice because he is more likely to continue the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"This requires presence of an impetuous American leader such as McCain, who pledged to continue the war till the last American soldier," the message said. "Then, al-Qaida will have to support McCain in the coming elections so that he continues the failing march of his predecessor, Bush."
If AQ had decided to support Obama instead of McCain, the media would be all over it. Unfortunately the media’s narrative remains of Democrats being weak on terror, and Repugs being strong against it. The media doesn’t want to change that perception, and as far as I know Obama hasn’t used it (he should).
- Sarah Palin
No, I’m not saying that Palin is a terrorist. But as a supporter of separatists and the bombers of abortion clinics, she’s making me real nervous.
- Overzealous Supporters
I wrote a list last week about the numerous domestic terrorist attacks that overzealous McCain/Palin supporters were committing against Obama supporters. Almost everything I mentioned was linked back to Daily Kos. Things like the vandalism of a car, slashing tires, and burning lawn signs all meet the definition of terrorism because they are the unlawful use of violence designed to intimidate Obama supporters into either not voting, or casting their votes for McCain. McCain/Palin have allowed these attacks to occur because of the anger and hatred that is allowed to be screamed at their rallies. If McCain/Palin were not allowing this kind of hatred to exist, these attacks, in all likelihood, would not occur. Senator McCain had a great opportunity to put "country first" by putting a stop to this, but he has instead chosen political expediency. He would rather let these attacks happen then turn the wrath of his supporters against him.
So in conclusion, we have terrorist supporters backing McCain in Ohio and Florida, evidence that McCain personally supported Nicaraguan contra forces, McCain’s endorsement by Al Queda, and a running mate and base that are growing increasingly more violent.
Makes an "old, washed up terrorist" like Ayers look pretty pale in comparison, doesn’t it?
UPDATE Judgment at Nuremberg reminded me of G. Gordon Liddy.