The Last of the Jews Are Being Forced Out of Yemen

Yemen will soon be country with-out any Jews. The few that are left, are packing their bags and moving to other to countries to escape the harassment of Jews that has become so prevalent under President Saleh's rule.

The Jews have had a communtiy in Yemen since Biblical times. But no more. Presidett Saleh cannot, or will not protect them.

Last December Moshe al-Nahari, a 30 year old Jewish teacher was murdered in the streets of Reda, Yemen. The man who murdered al-Nahari screamed "convert or die, Jew!" as he shot the man 5 times. And the at the trial in March the victims family were threatened by the murderers family. But the worse was still to come. The judge ruled that the murderer to pay "blood money", instead of prison. Yemen's courts are infamous for taking the side of their citizens who murder Americans, and or attack US interests. And now the same thing has happened with the Jews.

Its been reported that the US government is helping to rescue the last 400 Jews from Yemen. That's a good thing. Its the least the they can do in light of the American governments unwavering support of Saleh. But it still contradicts our governments continued support of Saleh's corrupt regime. But then again our own Government has made habit of covering up for Saleh's anti-American, anti-Jewish feelings, and Saleh's failure to protect not only Jews but other Americans civilians, military personnel and Europeans as well.

Saleh had made his usual promise to protect the Jews, but failed miserably. Probably because he really had no intention of protecting them in the first place. The Jews were moved to a two block area, not near enough room for all the families and the new area was vulnerable to attacks. To make matters even worse they could not sell their homes.

The Jews had already suffered having some of their homes and businesses firebombed, and jiahdist gangs had been harassing young Jewish girls. Even to the point of kidnapping them and making them marry local tribesmen.

This whole story is so sad in so many ways. No one should ever be harassed for their religious faith, let alone have to leave their homeland so as to be able to practice their faith openly. And then we have our own government who less than a month ago praised Saleh and his so called democracy. But unfortunately our government has been praising Saleh for years now, even after he let some of the Cole killers go free, and even after Jihad camps were built in Yemen to train terrorist to kill Israelis. But yet our government continues to heap praises on Saleh's crumbling regime. While it minimizes all the wrongs that are perpetuated in Yemen on a daily basis.

It looks as if our government will continue its support of Saleh and his family till the bitter end. And with each passing day Saleh's rotten regime crumbles a little more. Its just a shame that for the Jews forced to leave their homes, and all the other innocent people killed by terrorists while Saleh looked the other way, that his end has not arrived earlier.

Enough About The Poor Terrorists President Obama! How About Their Victims?

I thought my wife would go through the roof when she heard Obama say "they were brutally tortured". He was talking about the terrorists at Gitmo. Of which two of them who are there are responsible for the brutal murder of our son, and his mates. But then again Obama rarely mentions the victims of the terrorists. He more often than not echos the ACLU's sentiments when discussing the terrorists. Which is fairly easy to summarize: that the terrorists were tortured. And therefore deserve our sympathy. Only three of the terrorists had water poured up thier noses, excue me. I mean waterboarded. And how Obama can compare that to being brutally murdered, and or crippled for life is beyound me. Yet he did, and does.

And that is what concerns us so much. Recent polls demonstrate that the majority of Americans want Gitmo to stay open and the Military Tribunals to continue. Past poll results showed that 69% of Americans did not want the terrorists to be given all the rights of an American citizen. But Obama seems to care more what the far left loonies and some European nations think than what Americans think. I would think that Obama would be somewhat embarrassed that none of the foriegn nations who he said that were so concerned about the terrorists welfare have decided not to take any of them now. Execept for a couple of terrorists here and there. Because no nation wants them, and thats because they know that they are dangerous, and have dangerous friends.

Obama keeps on saying how "there is no neat and easy answer here". But there is, and has been for some time. In short the answer is to keep Gitmo open and the Tribunals going forward. And thats with-out the added expanded legal protections that Obama wants to give the terrorists. All we need is for Obama and a few good politicians is to stand up and say enough is enough to groups like the ACLU, and other so called Human Rights Groups that have been doing everything possible to derail the the tribunals, and to close Gitmo. Can you imagine what the outcome of the Nazi and Japanese War Criminal Trials at the end of WWII would have been like if they were to have been held in this kind of political enviornment?

Obama is trying to please everyone and in doing so he stands make even a bigger mess out of Gitmo, and the tribunals. If some of those terrorists come to America to be tried and or imprisoned the ACLU and friends will have a field day. And thats not counting the security risks involved. The terrorists will be psycho magnets in prison and out of prison. The possibilities for more innocent people to be killed and or maimed will only increase. But according to Obama I am "fear mongering now" for not agreeing with him. And of course he pulled out the favorite liberals excuse "that Gitmo is a recruiting tool for terrorists". Pure BS.

Obama needs to look at how the misunderstood terrorists have intensified their attacks in the short time that he has been in office. He signed the order to close Gitmo, he has declassified some of the intelligence as well, he has told the Arabic Nations and people how wrong we have been, and how all that has now changed since he is the man in charge. Yet the past 120 days has only seen the terrorists making more gains in Afghanistan, and Pakistan. And who in their right mind really believes that the present government of Iraq can stay in power after we turn tail and split? What the terrorists see is a divided enemy, us. Our President and politicians squabbling over the fate of 240 of their comrades. I know! I know! He blames Bush for all of that too.

I for one would like to know what VP Cheney ment when he said "If Americans do get the chance to learn what our country was spared, it'll do more than clarify the urgency and rightness of the enhanced interrogations in the years after 9/11." I think I already do really. Its simple. The Bush administration stopped more attacks on American soil. And the information that was used to stop those attacks was gained by torture. If so then so be it. But now we have Obama and some other politicians second guessing Bush and his team.

But with politicans like Nancy Pelosi I doubt that we will ever get to know just how effective the enhanced interrogations were. It appears that only the classified documents that do not support enhanced interrogations will be released. Yet Obama tells us to trust him, and people like Pelosi in the decision on what documents should be released to the public.

And how can he compare the terrorists to soldiers that have surrendered to the American military in past wars. They wear no uniforms, they serve no recogized nation, they abide by no rules what so ever, etc. Its as if he was trying every trick in the book to get Americans to sympathize with these brutal murderers.

They are Radical Islamic Killers who have murdered thousands of innocent people just because those people did not believe in their twisted beliefs. Yet now we are told by Obama that Bush and his people were all wrong again. That Bush and people acted out of fear, and too swiftly. And did not follow the rule of law. I hope I am wrong on this, but Obama just may find himself in that same position that Bush and Cheney were in before he leaves the White House. He's got his on war now. Afghanistan and Pakistan. That's all he talked about while on the campaign trail. Which means more terrorists will be caught and have to be imprisoned and maybe tried. And God forbid but we could have another attack here in America. So Obama just may wake up one day and find himself in the real world. Where blaming the previous administration will not help him with his present problems. That just maybe he will have to act out of fear. The fear that thousands of Americans could die again if he does not act swiftly. And if he does I just hope that he want be in the position that he has put Bush and Cheney in.

This article was written by a FBI agent who helped in the investigation of the USS Cole attack. I for one am really glad, and proud of him that he has decided to come forth and tell how justice was railroaded by the Yemeni Regime and the Clinton administration.

I am also happy that the Forgotten Cole Tragedy is finally beginning to to be brought out of the closet and into the public view. Its way overdue. But better late than never. Especially for such an important attack that had ramifications later on for all Americans. The truth needs to be made public. Wrongs need to be set right.

It does not surprise me that Ambassador Bodine's recent remarks about the failed investigation point the finger of blame at the FBI. I have done quite a bit of research on that woman. And her failure to take responsibility for the botched investigation by the Yemenis only go proves that she did not care about the murdered sailors, and their families. And of the bigger picture how the Cole attack was not only a harbinger of more larger and violent attacks by Al-Qaeda, but the prelude to an attack on America.

If you read the article you saw where Bodine blamed everybody but herself. While in fact she was the Ambassador to Yemen at the time. She could have told the Sate Department that Salehs regimes was being uncooperative, and that with their past connections to Bin Laden, and Al-Qaeda a much firmer stance was in order. Yet she did nothing of the sort. On the contrary. She did everything possible to protect Saleh and his regime. All in the name of politics.

Do you think now that at times while she is alone with her consciousness that she reflects how she may have been able to not only help get justice for 17 murdered sailors, but have been instrumental in preventing 9/11? I seriously doubt it. She was your typical politician. More concerned with her own future in politics than the lives of 17 murdered sailors. Let alone the much larger picture that the investigation could have and would have revealed.

The Agent relates how members of the Yemeni Parliament at the time called for "Jihad" to be declared against the FBI Agents in Yemen. I know this to be true. I read the same thing. I also read in their records at the time how the Generals People Congress in Yemen stated " we do not care about no sailors or ships from America! What can they do to us? Nothing!". And unfortunately they were right. Because two American administrations did nothing about the Cole attack. In fact later on Bush rewarded Saleh's regime with more money, and assistance. And he also promoted Bodine for her failures. She was later fired though for incompetence. Even Bush could not protect this idiot from herself for ever.

A Big Thank-You is an order for this agent who stepped forward and wrote this article for the Washington Post. And all the other FBI agents who helped in the investigation. They had to fight the Yemeni regime and their own government to try and obtain justice for the murdered sailors, and their families. I for one am extremely proud of them all. I still have a few letters from that time from agents whose names I will not disclose who told me how bad they wanted to see justice served.

As for you Ms. Bodine. You should be ashamed yourself. I hope at times you do reflect on all the misery that you have caused, and continue to perpetuate with your denials. History will not be kind to you Ms. Bodine. As more of the truth is revealed how you and your bosses covered up for the Yemeni regime at the cost of 17 Sailors lives, the real truth will then be written about you and your selfish behavior. And of course how you prevented all the clues from being discovered that would eventually lead to the biggest attack on American soil. In a way I feel pity for you.

Clinton will not protect you no longer, and I am sure that Bush will not either as well. Your alone now. With nothing but your memories of how you could have done the right thing. How you could have stood up to both President Clinton, and Saleh, and demanded that justice be served for the murdered sailors, and their families.

Our Letter to President Obama Asking Him Not to Close Gitmo and Release the Terrorists

We asked that our letter be delivered to President Obama instead of meeting with him when we knew already that he was going to dismiss the charges against Al-Nashiri.

Dear Mr. President Obama,

Our son's name was Gary G. Swenchonis, Jr. He was a Fireman in the US Navy. He was killed in the attack on the USS Cole on 10/12/00. This letter is an appeal to you to take some long overdue action on the behalf of the 17 sailors murdered in that attack. It is an appeal for justice for their families as well.
We have been fighting against the Yemeni government and our own government for eight long years to obtain a modicum of justice for our son and his 16 mates. It's our sincere hope that you, President Obama, and your administration will help us.
President Clinton promised the nation action in the wake of the attack, but never followed through. President Bush wrote to me, and he promised action as well. However for eight years not one of the killers was held accountable by our government or the Yemeni government.
It was not until just these past few months of the Bush administration that we finally saw some concrete measures when we witnessed the case of Ali Hamza al- Bahlul. It was the first time my family and I received any comfort through this long ordeal. We attended the trial at Guantanamo Bay Prison, and I was fortunate enough to testify. The Military Commission staff conducted themselves with the utmost professionalism in all their duties, and we are proud to have them representing us in court as our lawyers. The nation can be proud of the conduct of the Military Commissions.
Bahlul was Bin Laden's media secretary and propagandist. He produced a video that glorified the murders of our son and sixteen other sailors and the wounding 39 more sailors. The video's purpose was to incite others to murder. Our family believes he received an appropriate sentence.
But besides that one instance of justice, we have had to listen and watch with broken hearts as the Yemeni government coddled our son's killers. The guilty were pardoned, given light sentences that were later reduced, or not even tried for the attack. We understand that all the members of the terror cell that attacked the United States that day are walking around free in Yemen.
Yet our government still supports President Saleh and his corrupt regime even though he blatantly aids and abets Al-Qaeda, Hamas and terrorism. Our government supports Saleh and his duplicitous regime even though he did everything possible to hamper with the US investigation into the Cole attack. And he was successful. Our government supports Saleh and he has used US military assistance to engage in a near genocide of his own citizens in the Sa'ada region, called "Yemen's Darfur".
President Obama, now I fear these sailors who died in the service of the United States will be abandoned again. It will be one more tragedy in a long list of tragedies in the Cole attack. With the suspension of the trials at Guantanamo Prison, we are deeply and painfully concerned that Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri and Tawfiq bin Attash will evade justice like all their terrorists friends did in Yemen. These men had a significant role in the terrorist attack that killed my son and 16 other sailors. They are in US custody. We have a right to expect a just outcome. However, our fear is if the terrorists are tried here in our federal courts, they will go free. The bias in favor of the defendant built into our system of criminal justice becomes magnified and disproportionate in terrorism cases which are in fact not crimes but national assaults.
Regardless of one's view on the definition of torture, there is evidence they murdered American citizens in cold blood. I don't see how that fact can be ignored and justify their release. The debates revolving around the use of torture does not lessen the severity of the heinous crimes that they are charged with. We have had to watch helplessly as the killers of our son and his mates were tried and then one by one released by the Yemeni regime. I begged our leaders to stop that parody of a trial at the time. They did not. We implore you not to put the families through that nightmare again.
Our Representative and Senator Cornyn along with some other senators are actively working on other issues for us in regards to the attack on the USS Cole. His office has informed us that there will be a Judicial Hearing this year on those issues. It's my heartfelt hope that you President Obama will stand with us and support that hearing.
We the families of these forgotten heroes have been denied answers for years to the most basic questions. My wife and I were so happy to read in the paper that the goal of your administration is to make our government as honest and transparent as it could be. It was a breath of fresh air. Your words gave us hope that we may actually get answers to our questions after eight long years.
I would also like to ask you if you could personally look into the issue of why the Cole Families have not been able to collect the monies awarded to us in a Federal Court under the Death on the High Seas Act. It's been two years since our lawyers won that case. And we are still waiting. The monies awarded were only for our loved one's future wages. How can our own government ignore a Federal Court's verdict?
The Justice Department has taken issue with releasing the funds from the Sudan which provided assistance for the attack on the Cole. Our own government is fighting us again. And how ironic is it that we were told that the Justice Department is there to help victims of terrorist attacks. We are not asking for taxpayer monies. I never have and never will. We want the nations that supported Al-Qaeda such as the Sudan and Yemen to be held responsible, not the American taxpayer. I think that if the 9/11 families had been treated this way, that there would have been a national outcry against such callous treatment from their government. But they were a much larger group of victims than us and they had the press focused on their plight.
Your assistance on these matters would be greatly appreciated. I know that we the Cole families are a small group and that is one of the reasons that we have been ignored by two administrations. Yet unfortunately, I think that small groups of victims of terrorist attacks may continue to grow here in America. And victims like those of the Cole and Embassy attacks will see more of their fellow Americans join our group. It's my hope that you as the President will see to it that these small groups will be treated equally, with the same rights and dignity as a large group of victims that has suffered the loss of loved ones murdered by terrorists. As Judge Doumar stated in his ruling "It's a further tragedy that the laws of the United States, in this instance provide no remedy for the psychological and emotional losses suffered by the survivors."
Small groups of victims of terrorism have no high profile advocates like the terrorist do. All we can do is to beseech our elected politicians so the real victims are not forgotten. Sometimes partisanship rears it insidious head, and justice for the true victims is lost in the process. I think its way past time that Congress passed a Bill that will ensure that American Victims of Terrorist Attacks will have legal and financial recourse at obtaining justice, regardless if it's just one family and or thousands of families. And not have their own government as their greatest and most formidable opponent to obtaining justice. The laws, passed to help victims, have been watered down to where it is practically of no use to the victims and/or their families.
I know that the press and the Human Rights groups only normally speak for the accused such as the terrorists who helped to murder our son and his mates. But even though they are dead, they still have rights too. We their families do as well. We have no pro bono lawyers. We have no press to champion our cause on the TV, in the newspapers and or the internet like the terrorists do. We have only our elected leaders, the lawyers that we pay if we can afford them and other citizens sympathetic to our plight and our cause.
We hope and pray that you will be willing to help us change that, Mr. President. We hold out hope that with you as our new President that the plight of small groups of victims of terrorism such as the Cole Families and their murdered loved ones will no longer be ignored by their government. We hope and we pray that you will even go so far as to ensure that future groups of Americans will never have to endure what we have had to endure, at least in regards to the problems I have stated.
Thank you for your time in these most important issues.

Respectfully,

Gary G and Deborah Swenchonis
Remember the Cole! 01/24/09

President Saleh's one of America's partners in the War on Terror(according to Bush and Clinton) stated that public employees and private funds are to donate a day's wages to the people of Gaza Strip. Saleh is also telling his people to hold demonstrations and or donate to funds set up for the Palestinians. In a weekly meeting the Yemeni cabinet approved the measures.

Also of note that old die hard terrorist Sheikh al-Zandani, President Saleh's friend has opened a Jihad camp at his University of Faith in Yemen to train terrorists to go and fight the Israelis. The camp in Yemen will accept volunteers from outside Yemen as well to train in arts of suicide bombing and, terrorism 101. They will then graduate and be sent to apply their new found knowledge of blowing innocent men, women and children up in Israel. All in support of their brothers in Arms, Hamas.

Zandani the head of the University has been designated as a "specially designated global terrorist", and the UN designated him as a terrorist as well. UN 1267 Sanctions Committee. President Saleh refused to take any action against his old terrorist friend though. Scumbags like John Walker Lindh graduated from his University of Faith and then went to fight his own fellow Americans. Some of his students were linked to the USS Cole attack as well. This guy is a real douchbag. And of course he uses the name of God to justify his teachings of hate and violence.

And we are supposed to believe that President Saleh of Yemen is our ally? And yet he continues to receive America Tax payer dollars. So he can then turn around and share it with his Al-Qaeda friends, and psychos like Zandani. That is Zandani in the picture by the way.

Victims of Terrorism Win in Federal Court. But Bush Voids Their Victory.

President Bush's decision to not support the victims of terrorist attacks does not surprise me at all. But to overturn a case that was won in Federal Court by the victims families of Flight 772 is almost unbelievable. A total of 170 innocent people including seven Americans were murdered in that attack on Sept. 19, 1989. Libyan Leader Gaddafi was responsible for that attack and others as well. The seven families of the American victims were the first and only group to win a lawsuit against Libya in Federal Court. But Bush disregarded that verdict completely.

This past August members of congress in a meeting behind closed doors approved a agreement called the Libyan Claims Resolution Act. Bush then signed the Act into law.

The new Act ignores the Federal Court ruling which awarded the victims families 6 billion dollars. The new Act awards the victims 1.5 billion dollars. And more importantly does not hold Gaddafi responsible for the murders. The families members have all agreed not to sign off on the new agreement, and or accept the monies. Instead they plan to continue the fight against their own government and the Libyan Regime. Good for them!! I wish them luck and success.

The New Libyan Claims Act will effectively make it even more difficult for American families who's loved ones have been murdered by terrorists to collect not only compensation from countries and leaders who support terrorism, but also to at least punish those regimes financially.

Bush's decision weakens the Anti-Terrorist Act of 1996. And is insult to all victims of terrorist attack, and their families. It makes every American alive more powerless if they ever become victims of a terrorist attack. Not to mention that this decision on Bush's part undermines the Federal Courts Rulings. One has to wonder why you would even bother to go to court if our own government can ignore the courts verdict when the President and members of congress disagree with that verdict.

Its a know fact that Bush was getting heavy pressure from American Oil companies to open up Libya so as they could drill for oil. And that we as Americans will need all the oil we can get in the future. But Bush could have taken a stand and told Gadaffi that the American Oil companies would be allowed into Libya and that Libya would be taken off the list of countries that support terrorism when Libya would accept responsibility for all the victims deaths from America and other countries, and pay the consequences as well. But instead Bush chose the easier softer road, he caved in to Gaddafi's and the Big Oil companies demands, and in doing so sold out the victims of terrorist attacks and their families again.