Renditions Program Poster Boy El-Masri Assaults German Mayor
Last Friday, Khaled Al-Masri, aka. Khaled El-Masri, was arrested after assaulting the mayor of the Germany city of Neu-Ulm. A German citizen of Lebanese origin, Masri gained notoriety as the most visible “victim” of America’s program of “extraordinary renditions.” While on a trip to the Balkans in early 2004, he is alleged to have been illegally seized by the CIA and rendered to Afghanistan, before being released in Albania six months later.
According to German press reports, Masri attacked Mayor Gerold Noerenberg in the latter’s office, punching him and throwing a chair at him. The mayor is reported to have suffered cuts and bruises and a broken finger in the attack. Following one day of sick leave, he returned to work on Tuesday, his left hand fully bandaged except for the thumb and index finger. (See photo here.) Masri is a resident of a suburb of Neu-Ulm. The city has come to be known as perhaps the most important hub of jihadist activism in Germany. (See “Southern German Towns Become Hub of Jihadism”.)
The attack on Noerenberg is just the latest in a series of violent crimes committed by Masri in Germany in recent years. He has thus far served no jail time for these crimes. In January 2007, the unemployed Masri assaulted an instructor in a worker-retraining program, leaving the victim hospitalized for three days. According to information from the Neu-Ulm District Attorney’s Office that has been reported in the local media, Masri is supposed to have “pulled the man by the hair and thrown him against a wall. Then he threw a table at him, punched him in the face and stomped on him.” (For source and further details, see here.)
In May of the same year, Masri drove his car through the front door of a local supermarket and then set the building on fire, causing a reported €500,000 ($735,000) in damages. As Masri’s lawyer has admitted, the immediate motive for the attack was his client’s dissatisfaction about a defective iPod. Just last month, as reported in the local Neu-Ulmer Zeitung, Masri sent a death threat to the owner of a local company after two workers spoke to one of his six children.
Masri’s outbursts of violence appear, moreover, to have preceded his alleged “rendering” by the CIA. Thus, according to a February 3, 2007, report in the Neu-Ulmer Zeitung, Masri had a first run-in with the law in Germany “some years” earlier, at which time he assaulted a worker in a welfare office. In this incident as well, he is reported to have thrown a chair at the victim.
The Germans are not about to neglect centuries of German psychological study into deviant personalities. They are indeed the foremost proponents of the psychological “cure”. To send someone to the slammer is to admit that their Jungian methods are a waste of time – even though some of us know that already. We’ll just have to be patient.
Is there some compelling reason to let this violent waste of skin continue using our collective oxygen supply?
Hmm? Anyone?
I thought not.
Correlations, corelations, correlations – why researchers avoid to connect the dots between criminality/ criminal predisposition (uniformly rating it as a result of some oppression) and “revolutionary” activities, always described in positive terms (see “change & hope”, “I want to change the world”, etc.).
Most of luminous leaders of revolutions and violent upheavals along history had/ have criminal background – the society as a whole would greatly benefit if a causal connection between criminal pre-dispositions and left-wing activism would be established, thus opening a way for finding a treatement for the “I want to change the world!” affliction.
I can’t think of a better place for El Masri to be than in Germany. I’m sure we’ll soon a Der Spiegel piece on how the poor boy was radicalized by that evil nazi, George Bush. You get what you deserve, krauts.
“Most of luminous leaders of revolutions and violent upheavals along history had/ have criminal background”
hmmm, not the theoricians ! even Ben Laden appears as a “civilised” person !
We must have this man.
Our Secretary of State must immediately bring this bundle of radical pathology to our shores.
5. misanthropicus:
“Most of luminous leaders of revolutions and violent upheavals along history had/ have criminal background”
interesting theory, but citation needed.
“causal connection between criminal pre-dispositions and left-wing activism”
like bombing abortion clinics? or like bombing federal buildings?
oh you forgot that there are bad guys on both sides. never mind.
“Masri’s outbursts of violence appear, moreover, to have preceded his alleged “rendering” by the CIA.”
No! That can’t be! It HAS to be George Bush’s fault! I mean, isn’t everything?
RE #9/indy: [...] “causal connection between criminal pre-dispositions and left-wing activism” — like bombing abortion clinics? or like bombing federal buildings? oh you forgot that there are bad guys on both sides. never mind. [...]”
Yes, there are bad guys on ANY side, including buddhists – however, the overwhelming abundance of criminality amongst the left-wing revolutionaries/ violent upheaval leaders in the past century in the world makes rogue buddhists or guys like Tim McVeight marginal figures.
As far as bombing abortion clinics – what about destroying radio stations relays or bombing biology research labs?
11. misanthropicus
do you mean they watered the tree of liberty with blood?
That’s incredibly ironic don’t you think?
Progressives by definition want change. You can’t help that. Conservatives by definition want things to stay the same.
Neither one are right or wrong. “it takes all kinds to make the world go round”
RE #12/indy: RE 11. misanthropicus: “[...] do you mean they watered the tree of liberty with blood? [...] Progressives by definition want change. [...] Conservatives by definition want things to stay the same. [...]”
1) as the “tree of liberty” goes, the positive factors that allowed it grow generally were of liberal essence (liberal not in the curent acception of the notion);
2) as gaining & maintaining political power, the left has a grandiose record of murder -
3) as “progressives by definition want change”, it would be a good idea for you to come with some qualifiers for change. Change, per se, is not positive as the last century’s lefty propaganda has well innoculated in so many people’s minds.
Now, after clarifying a bit this “change invariably equals good” liberal postulate/superstition which is used to arouse the perennial useful idiots, we don’t make a mistake when assign the revolutionary bloodshed & misery to the large amount of criminals always present in the left-wings ranks and to their murderous activities.
Leftiness is a pathological state, not a state acquired through meditation, study, observation, and concern for society’s betterment -
#13 misanthropicus
(i realize we’re way off topic here, but i don’t mind)
1)”as the “tree of liberty” goes, the positive factors that allowed it grow generally were of liberal essence”
examples make points better. I would point to the civil war and say you’re wrong.
2) “as gaining & maintaining political power, the left has a grandiose record of murder -”
wow, are we talking over the course of history? you think one side is more murderous than the other? I bet a guy could spend a lifetime researching that one, and when he’s done he will have wasted a lifetime.
3)”it would be a good idea for you to come with some qualifiers for change”
qualifiers for change: basic human rights? interracial marriage. child labor laws. right for women to vote…etc etc etc etc etc
4) this part confused me, probably just a couple missing words, not sure exactly what you’re trying got say. although i caught the “left wing’s murderous activities”
what do you mean? who are you talking about? are you saying ‘liberals’ are violent? because I have always felt that it was the other way around, (example, KKK) but I’m all ears if you care to explain.
“Leftiness is a pathological state, not a state acquired through meditation, study, observation, and concern for society’s betterment”
where do you get this? I’m not sure what you’re pointing at again. you must be picturing something in your head when you write that and i’m curious as to what half retarded left leaning wind bag you are picturing.
Stumbled across this bit of enlightened journalism with thoughtful comments while reading the diplomatic cables furnished by Wikileaks and the NYT regarding the State Dept’s warnings that the German’s should not apply for international arrest warrants for the CIA operatives who took Mr. Masri away. Apparently, Khaled Al-Masri is not an uncommon Lebanese name. Our CIA men or their hirelings got the name right but the man wrong, after all. Could Mr. Rosenthal elaborate after all this time to assure us that, better than the CIA, his villain is the right man.