Strange days and silly people

[Bruce H]

Aristide Plans to Sue U.S., France for Kidnap -Lawyer

Reuters
Monday, March 8, 2004; 4:03 PM


PARIS (Reuters) - Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide plans to sue the United States and France for allegedly kidnapping him, one of his lawyers said on Monday.



Aristide, who arrived in the Central African Republic a week ago, has repeatedly accused the United States of forcing him into exile after a rebellion plunged Haiti into chaos.

Lawyer Gilbert Collard said he and an American colleague would file identical suits in France and the United States in the next few days once they receive full authorization from Aristide.

"We will file suit against the French ambassador (in Port-au-Prince) and against the (U.S.) military authorities that carried out the abduction of the president," he told Reuters.

"The suits will target the Bush administration and the French government," he said. "If we get support from some African states, we will also appeal to the relevant commission of the United Nations."

Asked whether the lawsuits could succeed, Collard replied: "You never know. In a world where you can abduct a democratically elected president, you have to hope a democratic judge would find a way to do this."

At his first news conference in Bangui on Monday, Aristide appealed for peaceful resistance to what he called the occupation of Haiti and insisted again he had been abducted.

Washington and Paris have denied his allegation of kidnapping, saying he agreed to leave Haiti and signed his own letter of resignation.



The thought of the United States and France setting at the same defence table is just too much to bear without uncontrolled laughter.

 

[jsalcedo]

It would have been much better if we had left him there.

 

[Bruce H]

They should have tied a bucket of bobbers from Wal-Mart to his butt and booted him off the aircraft. Why are leaders of countries, reguardless of size, idiots? The United States has had some real prizes over lthe years.

 

[hksw]

Get a bunch of cameras from various news organizations from around the world in one room (live), have the US Ambassador, french ambassador, other officials from other countries there along with JB and have them (on film taped live) ask him if he would like to go back - free of charge. We'll, of course, pull out our troops.

 

[grampster]

Take him back and drop 'im off at the airport.

 

[QuarterBoreGunner]

Interview with one of Aristides private security detail-

Jacksonville, NC Daily News, March 6
link to full story

snip:
If Jim Refinger knows one thing it's this: Ousted Haitian president Jean Bertrand Aristide is safe.

There was no kidnapping, as some sources reported. There was no injury. And for Refinger there was no mystery.

Refinger was there. The former Jacksonville police sniper and retired Marine was part of a private security team hired to protect Aristide's inner circle.

"We left with him (but) I won't talk about where we went," Refinger said Friday from his home in Jacksonville where he just returned. "We escorted him safely out.

"Everything was done with the full knowledge and cooperation of the president. There was no forcing the president to go anywhere. We protected our principal without a shot fired and he is safe."

Refinger works for Steele Foundation, a security firm based in San Francisco. The company has protection details all over the world and does industrial security and risk analysis, Refinger said.
/snip

On a side note, this guy Refinger sounds like a serious dude.
"He was a Marine 1st sergeant and worked for 16 years with the Jacksonville police department's special incident response team before retiring in July 2002 and going to work for Steele...

...was with 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company from the end of 1966 to the end of 1969. He said he received "a little ding in the leg" from North Vietnamese rocket shrapnel before training enlisted recruits as a drill instructor at Parris Island, S.C.

In 1983, he was an adviser to the Lebanese Army before the terrorist bombing at the Beirut International Airport Oct. 23 that year.

Refinger was the senior enlisted member of Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, and later first sergeant of Headquarters Company of the regiment before retiring from the Marine Corps in 1986.

In addition to his time as a sniper and sniper instructor at the Jacksonville Police Department, he worked as a patrol officer, narcotics officer and later a patrol supervisor."

Wow.

 

[Standing Wolf]

We protected our principal without a shot fired and he is safe.

I'm so relieved.

 

[7.62FullMetalJacket]

I hope Aristide does not use the same lawyers as Martha

 

[HunterGatherer]

I'll meet you halfway Grampster. Let's drop him off over the airport; 2,500 ft. should do the trick nicely.

 

[Triad]

Didn't the US send some SEALs to snatch this guy away from the people who elected him the first time they tried to 'recall' him?

Do you suppose this critter wants to die, or is he one of those that can't believe they can be harmed?