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Auggie Doggie
02-21-2002, 08:22 PM
Ever since I got a copy of USA Today from my school just for laughs and saw the Pearl case, I kept a good eye on it.

And now, he was confirmed dead by a tape showing him being gunned down sent to the government. It is even more proof that Terrorism Just Plain Sucks with a capital "S."

Apparently, big brother Reuters (http://www.reuters.com/) reports the following:


U.S. Reporter Kidnapped in Pakistan Confirmed Dead

By Ellen Wulfhorst

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, kidnapped last month in Pakistan while trying to make contact with Islamic extremists, was slain by his captors, U.S. officials said on Thursday, a killing President Bush called a ''criminal, barbaric'' act.

Pearl's family said it was a ``senseless murder'' that had silenced ``a gentle soul.''

A statement issued by local authorities in Pakistan said a videotape received by Pakistani and U.S. officials showed scenes of Pearl's murder. ``The recorded videotape contained scenes showing Daniel Pearl in captivity and scenes of his murder by the kidnappers,'' it said.

One U.S. official in Washington called the tape ``very gruesome.'' He provided no details.

The 38-year-old reporter disappeared in the volatile southern city of Karachi on Jan. 23 while investigating possible links between alleged shoe bomber Richard Reid and Saudi-born extremist Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network.

The group that had claimed to hold Pearl, calling itself The National Movement for the Restoration of Pakistani Sovereignty, accused him of being a spy -- first for the CIA then for Israeli intelligence -- and said it was protesting U.S. treatment of Taliban and al Qaeda prisoners.

``We are heartbroken,'' Wall Street Journal Publisher Peter Kann and Managing Editor Paul Steiger said in a statement.

``His murder is an act of barbarism that makes a mockery of everything Danny's kidnappers claimed to believe in,'' they said. ``Their actions must surely bring shame to all true Pakistani patriots.''

Pearl's family called him ``a beloved son, a brother, an uncle, a husband and a father to a child who will never know him.'' Pearl's wife Mariane, who was with him in Karachi, is more than six months pregnant with their first child, a son.

BUSH SADDENED BY PEARL'S DEATH

In Beijing, President Bush said he was deeply saddened by Pearl's death, saying the killing would only hurt the cause of his captors.

``All Americans are sad and angry to learn of the murder,'' Bush told reporters in Beijing, where he is on the final day of a six-day trip to Asia.

``Those who would threaten Americans, those who would engage in criminal, barbaric acts, need to know that these crimes only hurt their cause and only deepen the resolve of the United States of America to rid the world of these agents of terror.''

Pearl, the Journal's South Asian bureau chief based in Bombay, India, for the past two years, had been working in Karachi for three weeks when he was kidnapped.

Friends said Pearl was smart, sweet, soft-spoken, self-effacing and unlikely to take unreasonable risks. He also was a talented fiddler, guitarist and classical violinist. One of three children, Pearl's father was an academic and his mother a computer consultant.

Pearl's family said in their statement that ``up until a few hours ago we were confident that Danny would return safely, for we believed no human being would be capable of harming such a gentle soul.''

Outside the temporary newsroom in New York of The Wall Street Journal, which was displaced after the Sept. 11 attacks near its downtown offices, Journal reporters said they had been asked by management not to talk about Pearl.

One unidentified reporter said people inside the newsroom were extremely upset. Another called Pearl's death ``a despicable act.''

'JUST A REGULAR GUY'

``He was just a regular guy doing his job. He wouldn't hurt a fly. It's just disgusting,'' the reporter said.

Journal editor Connie Ford, who worked with Pearl in Washington, said: ``We were hopeful this would turn out positively, that there would be a somewhat happy ending.''

Pearl, a Princeton, New Jersey, native, grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles and graduated from Stanford University.

He began his career at small newspapers in Massachusetts before becoming a business reporter at the Pulitzer Prize-winning Berkshire Eagle in Pittsfield, Massachusetts in the 1980s. He joined the Journal in 1990, working in Atlanta, Washington, London and Paris before moving to India.

In New York, the Committee to Protect Journalists called Pearl's death ``brutal, wanton, and senseless.''

``His loss will be felt most by those who knew him best, but all of us are diminished because we have been deprived of his unique voice,'' the CPJ said. ``Danny was skeptical, critical, and courageous in his reporting. He believed firmly in the truth, and he died searching for it.''

Earlier on Thursday, Fahad Naseem, one of three men accused of involvement in the kidnapping said Pearl was abducted because he was a Jew working against Islam, his lawyer said.

Pakistan police in early February arrested Naseem and two other suspects for sending e-mails to media organizations that showed Pearl in captivity.

The Journal is owned by publisher Dow Jones & Co

I wonder how the Wall Street Journal will do without him. Also, I would like to see the WSJ's tribute to a strong member of their team...can anyone tell me where those papers are sold?

Failure
02-21-2002, 08:57 PM
Jesus, that's a truly despicable act. I'm absolutely disgusted and heartbroken for his family and friends.

Vin
02-21-2002, 09:22 PM
What has the world come to? Why must so many innocents be lost? I'm just so sick of all this violence...It makes me sick.

Clayface
02-21-2002, 09:29 PM
Yeah, I heard about this on CNN when I got home from work tonight, and its upset me quite a bit. Almost as much as the Septmeber 11th attacks - i htink because its too close to what happened that day - its all tied together. I'm just completely disgusted and furious over this.

Squall
02-21-2002, 09:52 PM
Terrorism is a plague upon the Earth. It must be eradicated like an infectious, fatal disease would be eradicated -- because both terrorism and infectious, fatal diseases threaten civilization as a whole, down to its core. We must fight. And we must win.

But others can explain it better than I can...

"Peace and friendship with all mankind is our wisest policy, and I wish we may be permitted to pursue it. But the temper and folly of our enemies may not leave this in our choice; the price of liberty is constant vigilance." --Thomas Jefferson, 1786

"Ignorance and bigotry, like other insanities, are incapable of self-government." --Thomas Jefferson, 1817

Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd President of the United States (1801-1809), faced a situation very similar to what we face today. A large, well-equipped band of Barbary pirates had been raiding American and allied seaships for years, usually killing all on board and stealing whatever was on board. Jefferson decided he had to fight back. He sent the U.S. Navy to the shores of North Africa, where they spent four years destroying the Barbary strongholds of Tripoli and Tunis. The lesson? The Barbary pirates NEVER bothered the U.S. again.


"As soon as a war starts, there's always some hippy genius who figures out that wars kill people and makes it their bumper stickers duty to put a stop to it. This never works. It would be nice if homicidal madmen took the advice of our fruitier citizens' fenders more often, but there are several historical examples of where bending over and being polite did not turn pure evil into delicious candy.

Fans of peace and harmony are usually quick to accuse the military of baby killing. Everyone knows that our nation's military can't wait to front a war just to get the chance to kill a few babies, the only fuel on which their magic gold making machines can run. Last month I actually saw a guy with a flag sticker on his car, and he had crossed out "PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN" and wrote in "PROUD TO BE AN AFGHANI BABY KILLER." This of course came with the small cost of several hundred foot-shaped dents in his car. Now, I do agree with him and the other crazies that killing babies is wrong, but the fact is, I think most soldiers are probably too preoccupied with fighting armed religious fanatics to throw an infanticide party. I'm not saying anyone should try to kill babies. In fact, if you're about to execute someone and notice there's a baby on the electric chair, go get that baby off of there. But we can't just stop a war and let the terrorists explode whatever they want because they have children. And you could also look at it this way-- if a baby is being raised in a terrorist camp, I have a feeling it's not going to grow up to be a volunteer worker.

Maybe some day we'll be able to build bombs that can fly into a terrorist camp and conduct extensive interviews to see if the person it's about to blow up is actually a terrorist or just a nun riding a unicorn who happens to be photographing baskets of kittens in a terrorist camp. Until then, the best advice I can give innocent people is to stay a blast radius away from anyone making video tapes about how much they want to destroy America." -- Seanbaby, 2002

Auggie Doggie
02-21-2002, 09:56 PM
Danny's murder is an act of barberism. It makes a mockery of everything that Danny's kiddnappers claim to believe in. They claim to be Pakistaini capitalists, but they actually, most surely bring shame to all true Pakistani patriots.

-Paul Steiger, Managing Editor of the Wall Street Journal, from a report on BBC News

If you must know, I agree with that quote. The people who are trying to distroy their enemies are overreacting and acting hastily. (Sigh) Unfortunatly, this act of stupidity is very common in today's world, even with our kind of people.

Geezil
02-22-2002, 12:29 AM
Originally posted by Auggie Doggie
Also, I would like to see the WSJ's tribute to a strong member of their team...can anyone tell me where those papers are sold?

Whatever the locality, you should be able to find a copy of the WSJ at any newsdealer that handles a wide variety of other papers and magazines. Just be sure to get there very early in the morning.

Meanwhile, whatever your chosen form of worship, joining in a prayer for all the innocents of the world could also help. (There will assuredly be retribution for all the Daniel Pearls at a future date, and none too soon.)

hello_lola
02-22-2002, 08:01 AM
Even though it seemed less and less likely that he would be recovered alive, I truly felt in my heart that Daniel Pearl would return home. God bless his soul, and his wife, and his kid that will never get to know him. Shame on those horrible people, how on earth do they think that abducting and murdering an innocent person will somehow contribute to ending this conflict and allowing their fellow countrymen to return home safely. If anything, this shows how little they value life, and reduces them and, by association, their sympathizers to nothing more than demons (I would say animals, but no animal kills just because it pleases them to do so). I am angred and saddened by this sick heartless act. Rest in peace Daniel Pearl, and God watch over his family - especially his wife and baby.

DR. BELCH
02-22-2002, 12:36 PM
hello_lola :
If anything, this shows how little they value life, and reduces them ...to nothing more than demons (I would say animals, but no animal kills just because it pleases them to do so).
Cats kill for sport...the only animal besides man who doesn't kill chiefly to eat. But yes, I agree with the sentiment. It seems Pearl's tormentors figured as a journalist, his blood would be worth more than four thousand nameless, faceless people in the Twin Towers. Nothing personal, just business, if you can call terrorism that.

Joe Wagner
02-22-2002, 01:09 PM
I was saddened to hear about this tragedy when I got home from work yesterday. Not only did Danny have to live in a virtual hell for almost a month but he had to constantly put up with these arrogant kidnappers who show their true nature by slaughtering an innocent man - on film none the less.

This truly shows that they lack the sense of morality that many of us contain. It wasn't bad enough that they believed they could make the US government and the Pakistani government give into their every whim and demand but also that they committed the act for no other reason than Danny was a Western journalist and they knew that they would get the headlines. After this Washington thought about negotiating with terrorists. This could only make it worse for any individual outside of their countries respective boarders - having to not only get a story but live in fear of who will come after them next. At one point in time I would have loved to have been a reporter but now it seems they have become a terrorists prey - the focus of more than one attack.

It's sad to see so much hatred in the world for the Western countries - in a lot of instantces religions have been distorted to spread hate, morals have been changed to allow for this hate to grow and fester and policies have been changed to subjugate those people that are considered weak or have different beliefs. I see this policy a lot now - from the range of the Al Queda network to the caves in Pakistan that have been found, containing documents of American buildings and embassy's and even pictures of the World Trade Center being brought to its knees.

Being former military I was greatly disturbed to see these events unfold but maybe, maybe this will strengthen our resolve and make all countries understand who terrorism strikes and why it must be destroyed. One can only hope that the people behind this act are meet with an equal punishment and that someday the world will be free of this terror, once and for all.

Rest in Peace Danny Pearl and may God look over you and your family.

-Joe!

Leaping Larry Jojo
02-22-2002, 01:11 PM
This was a risky, very risky job, trying to do what he did to get his story. If I were a journalist, I probably would have rejected the assignment, especially if I have a family and wife, but some people just have the cajones to do this kind of thing.

Elven Moon
02-22-2002, 02:03 PM
I heard. And I must say, I'm both disgusted and sad. That those horrible people could do such a stupid thing... that poor man :( I wanted to cry when I saw those pictures in the news. And now that I hear he's dead, I really want to cry. Such hatred, I just can't understand it. Why?!?

atf487
02-22-2002, 09:49 PM
This is horrible. I can't say anything else, because it would be mostly profanity and anger. I wish death on those (meanies) that killed Pearl.

James Harvey
02-22-2002, 09:58 PM
Can't say I would've turned down the assignment, honestly. JOurnalism is about passion for the story, and he had it. I was hoping, praying he would return alive, but this is just sickening. I was horrified when I read the news. As an inspriing journalist, I actually don't have any words to express on this spineless actions onpart of the terrorists. Just...awful...

Sandro
02-22-2002, 10:29 PM
Sheesh...This is getting way too out of hand! All this guy was doing was his job; nothing more. With all these random acts of terrorism, kidnapping, murder, etc., the world is turning into a very dangerous place; even if you're trying to do you're job, you're really not all that safe anymore! My condolences go out to Danny Pearl's family; this never should have happened.

I agree with squall on his stand on terrorism; it's gotten out of hand and must be eradicated. It will no longer be tolerated. End of story.

I'm really beginning to see a lot of parallelisms of this war and World War II. WWII started for the United States with the attack on Pearl Harbor and this war started with September 11th; in WWII, the Allies were fighting fascism/nazism and in this war, we're fighting terrorism. This is really both interesting and in a way frightening.

God, I'm so sick of all this crap. Later, maybe I'll feel better in the morning.

Clark J. Kent
02-22-2002, 10:49 PM
You want to know my proposed solution?

Airlift the entire Middle East right into space. Throw them off into oblivion and let them fight over deserts and rocks and act like the savages they are. I don't think those fundamentalists and terrorists that the Middle East is INFECTED with are fit to so much as LOOK at normal people.

Just get rid of all of them. I never want to see or hear them again.

Calhoun07
02-22-2002, 11:13 PM
I heard a quote on the CBS morning show today with Bryant Gumble while I was getting ready for work. Somebody made a statement that they never believed they would kill Daniel because he was such a kind and caring soul. That statement actually made me quite angry. THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO WOULD FLY A PLANE INTO A SKY SCRAPER AND KILL FIVE THOUSAND KIND AND CARING SOULS! There is no reasoning with those people at all.

Leaping Larry Jojo
02-23-2002, 02:58 AM
Originally posted by Clark J. Kent
You want to know my proposed solution?

Airlift the entire Middle East right into space. Throw them off into oblivion and let them fight over deserts and rocks and act like the savages they are. I don't think those fundamentalists and terrorists that the Middle East is INFECTED with are fit to so much as LOOK at normal people.

Just get rid of all of them. I never want to see or hear them again.

I don't quite agree with this. I am pretty sure the Middle East is only part of the problem. There are terrorists of any given nationality stationed everywhere, ready to strike at any time. Not to be paranoid, but I still think this requires an international effort to temper the problem. Unfortunately, I don't believe we can ever stamp out the problem (in the same way that a new deadly disease will pop up after we cure AIDS), but steps toward a better future must be taken by everyone IN THE WORLD starting soon.

Squall
02-23-2002, 06:05 AM
My prayers go out to Daniel Pearl's family and friends, and the Wall Street Journal. He is yet another senseless casualty in the War on Terrorism.

"Sandro885," my point exactly! Before Sept. 11, 2001, the U.S. and the rest of the World was basically "playing games" when it came to terrorism. Terrorism wasn't seen as an act of war, it was seen as a criminal offense. A bomb would go off, or a plane would get hijacked, the main perputrators would get arrested, put on trial, convicted, and sent to jail. Well, after Sept. 11, 2001, the U.S. changed terrorism from a criminal act to an act of war. In other words, the gloves are off, and we're playing for keeps now. It was a mistake to ever allow terrorism to be a simple criminal offense.

And what's the difference, you ask? A criminal offense occurs when a person or people have been threatened or hurt. An act of war occurs when an entire nation is threatened or hurt.

And I'm tired of hearing the argument that the War On Terrorism is somehow the U.S.'s fault, because of foreign policy decisions that the U.S. has made, etc. That's insane! That's like saying it's my friend's fault his apartment got robbed because he decided to live in an apartment that was within walking distance of the robber! :mad:

God bless the USA and her allies. Death to the social disease known as terrorism!

Sumi_Masen
02-23-2002, 08:45 AM
I just wish all the terrorism would STOP! People who have family in the military worry every day that something might happen to their loved ones.........I know that I'm totally freaked out about the thought of my brother being killed!
I personally think that the terrorists should have to suffer as much as everbody in the US has, but then again, do you really think that they care how many people in THEIR country die? They don't! I'm so sick and tired of all this terorism crap! I hope they all burn in hell.

Watagashi
02-23-2002, 08:51 AM
I what in the galactic universe could drive a person to such an extreme insanity that they would capture an innocent person and shoot him down like that without feeling a single bit of remorse or sadness. I actually pity them for being so barbaric that they don't see anything wrong with not just killing innocent people, but for killing THEIR people. I can't wait until this stupid war is over and we can all live in peace once again.

The Mad Hatter
02-24-2002, 01:44 PM
I remember reading a great editorial cartoon that came out right after his death. One person said, "he was just trying to show the world what these people are like!" The other replied, "he did."

Terrorism to achieve an end is bad enough, but this is just sensless, and has achieved nothing but the wrath of the Pakistan and US governments.