Bush wanted to bomb Al-Jazeera

You don't have conspiracy laws then?

Walter Hinteler wrote:

You don't have conspiracy laws then?

Talking about killing someone isn't a crime.

Paying someone to do it, is.

Ordering someone to do it, is.

§ 32, 2
Whoever declares his willingness, whoever accepts the offer of another, or whoever agrees with another to commit or incite the commission of a serious criminal offense, shall be similarly punished.

Fedral wrote:

Walter Hinteler wrote:

You don't have conspiracy laws then?

Talking about killing someone isn't a crime.

Paying someone to do it, is.

Ordering someone to do it, is.

Didn't know that - thanks - since it's different here:

(German) Criminal Code (StGB)

Quote:

§ 32, 2
Whoever declares his willingness, whoever accepts the offer of another, or whoever agrees with another to commit or incite the commission of a serious criminal offense, shall be similarly punished.

Looking at what the Mirror usually published, I have my sincere doubts that the story really is true - there have been too many hoaxes before.

However, if this story really is untrue and White House (and Downing Street) come out now to comment that will do little to convince many in the Middle East.

Fedral wrote:

Walter Hinteler wrote:

You don't have conspiracy laws then?

Talking about killing someone isn't a crime.

Paying someone to do it, is.

Ordering someone to do it, is.

Didn't know that - thanks - since it's different here:

(German) Criminal Code (StGB)

Quote:

§ 32, 2
Whoever declares his willingness, whoever accepts the offer of another, or whoever agrees with another to commit or incite the commission of a serious criminal offense, shall be similarly punished.

Walter Hinteler wrote:

Looking at what the Mirror usually published, I have my sincere doubts that the story really is true - there have been too many hoaxes before.

However, if this story really is untrue and White House (and Downing Street) come out now to comment that will do little to convince many in the Middle East.

you're probably right, although i'm not sure what harm it will do to atttempt damage control, for the benefit of however many moderates there may be in the Middle East.

Remember the "flushing the Quran down the toilet" nonsense?

This is the kind of thing that INFURIATES me.

Two charged over leak of Blair-Bush conversation on conflict

By Jason Bennetto and Ben Russell
Published: 18 November 2005

A civil servant has been charged with trying to leak a transcript of a confidential and controversial conversation between Tony Blair and George Bush about the Iraq war.

A document containing a transcript of a conversation between the two leaders was sent to a rebel Labour MP, allegedly in an attempt to cause Mr Blair embarrassment over Iraq.

But the MP returned the document to Downing Street, who called in the Metropolitan Police's Special Branch to investigate.

The transcript of the conversation, understood to have taken place in a face-to-face meeting in the US, is believed to reveal that Mr Blair disagreed with Mr Bush about aspects of the war in Iraq.

The document also revealed details that, if disclosed, could have endangered the lives of British troops.

A civil servant at the Cabinet Office is accused of sending the document to a former researcher for a Labour MP. The civil servant and the researcher were charged yesterday under the Official Secrets Act with unlawfully obtaining a confidential document about sensitive international relations.

The MP, Tony Clarke, who had rebelled on the issue of Iraq, claims he immediately contacted the authorities when, as he alleges, his researcher gave him the document in April or May last year. Mr Clarke, who lost his seat of Northampton South at the general election earlier this year, told The Independent: "My researcher was worried about the content of the report and did entirely the right thing.

"Having read the document, I realised it was highly sensitive and it was clear the lives of British troops would have been under threat if it had been made public. As a consequence, I placed it in the hands of the authorities."

David Keogh, 49, a communications officer at the Cabinet Office, is accused of sending the document to Mr Clarke's researcher, Leo O'Connor, 42, between 16 April and 28 May 2004.

It is understood Mr Keogh had been on secondment at the Cabinet Office from the Foreign Office at the time of the alleged offence. Mr O'Connor will be accused of giving the document to his MP at his constituency office in Northampton.

In August last year, Mr O'Connor was arrested at an address in Northamptonshire in connection with investigations into alleged breaches of the Official Secrets Act 1989. He was later bailed. Mr Keogh was held the following month. The two men could be jailed for up to two years if they are found guilty.

Both men were released on police bail yesterday to appear at Bow Street magistrates' court on 29 November.

Mr Keogh, from Northampton, is charged under section 3 of the Act which makes it an offence if a crown servant, without lawful authority, makes a damaging disclosure of information or a document relating to international relations.

Mr O'Connor is charged under section 5 of the Act, which makes it illegal to have come into the possession of government information, or a document from a crown servant, and if that person discloses it without lawful authority.

Mr Clarke, a former left-wing councillor, chaired the Northampton Town Football Supporters' Trust. He entered Parliament for the normally safe Tory seat of Northampton South in 1997, unseating the Tory deputy speaker Michael Morris.

He was a low-profile figure, although he rebelled against the whips 11 times during his two terms in Parliament. He served on the Commons Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, which scrutinised the work of the Northern Ireland Office between 1999 and the 2005 election.

A civil servant has been charged with trying to leak a transcript of a confidential and controversial conversation between Tony Blair and George Bush about the Iraq war.

A document containing a transcript of a conversation between the two leaders was sent to a rebel Labour MP, allegedly in an attempt to cause Mr Blair embarrassment over Iraq.

But the MP returned the document to Downing Street, who called in the Metropolitan Police's Special Branch to investigate.

The transcript of the conversation, understood to have taken place in a face-to-face meeting in the US, is believed to reveal that Mr Blair disagreed with Mr Bush about aspects of the war in Iraq.

The document also revealed details that, if disclosed, could have endangered the lives of British troops.

A civil servant at the Cabinet Office is accused of sending the document to a former researcher for a Labour MP. The civil servant and the researcher were charged yesterday under the Official Secrets Act with unlawfully obtaining a confidential document about sensitive international relations.

The MP, Tony Clarke, who had rebelled on the issue of Iraq, claims he immediately contacted the authorities when, as he alleges, his researcher gave him the document in April or May last year. Mr Clarke, who lost his seat of Northampton South at the general election earlier this year, told The Independent: "My researcher was worried about the content of the report and did entirely the right thing.

"Having read the document, I realised it was highly sensitive and it was clear the lives of British troops would have been under threat if it had been made public. As a consequence, I placed it in the hands of the authorities."

David Keogh, 49, a communications officer at the Cabinet Office, is accused of sending the document to Mr Clarke's researcher, Leo O'Connor, 42, between 16 April and 28 May 2004.
It is understood Mr Keogh had been on secondment at the Cabinet Office from the Foreign Office at the time of the alleged offence. Mr O'Connor will be accused of giving the document to his MP at his constituency office in Northampton.

In August last year, Mr O'Connor was arrested at an address in Northamptonshire in connection with investigations into alleged breaches of the Official Secrets Act 1989. He was later bailed. Mr Keogh was held the following month. The two men could be jailed for up to two years if they are found guilty.

Both men were released on police bail yesterday to appear at Bow Street magistrates' court on 29 November.

Mr Keogh, from Northampton, is charged under section 3 of the Act which makes it an offence if a crown servant, without lawful authority, makes a damaging disclosure of information or a document relating to international relations.

Mr O'Connor is charged under section 5 of the Act, which makes it illegal to have come into the possession of government information, or a document from a crown servant, and if that person discloses it without lawful authority.

Mr Clarke, a former left-wing councillor, chaired the Northampton Town Football Supporters' Trust. He entered Parliament for the normally safe Tory seat of Northampton South in 1997, unseating the Tory deputy speaker Michael Morris.

He was a low-profile figure, although he rebelled against the whips 11 times during his two terms in Parliament. He served on the Commons Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, which scrutinised the work of the Northern Ireland Office between 1999 and the 2005 election.

DOHA (AFX) - The Arab satellite channel Al-Jazeera urged the White House and Downing Street today to challenge a UK newspaper report that US President George W. Bush had planned to bomb the Qatar-based station.

'We sincerely urge both the White House and Downing Street to challenge the Daily Mirror report,' the Qatar-based network said in a statement.

The UK tabloid newspaper, citing a Downing Street memo marked 'Top Secret', reported today that UK Prime Minister Tony Blair had talked Bush out of launching a military strike on the station.

'Before making any conclusions, Al-Jazeera needs to be absolutely sure regarding the authenticity of the memo and would hope for a confirmation from Downing Street as soon as possible,' it

This is the kind of thing that INFURIATES me.

Someone hears a totally ludicrous story about America or President Bush.

They decide to print it because 'everyone knows' how evil America and her President are so the story MUST be true.

The story is printed.

The Arab world and the far Left go bonkers about the accusations.

America and the President deny it as total fabrication.

The story is given a second look by many and determined that it probably wasn't true in the first place.

The Arab World and the foaming Left refuse to believe it can't be true since America/Bush are Satan.

The Right and Moderates are left shaking their heads until the next pack of lies and gossip comes out.


This is the current cycle of the news media today.