Almost as lopsided a deal as Nolan Ryan, Leroy Stanton, Frank Estrada and Don Rose for Jim Fregosi. Or Paul O'Neill and Joe DeBerry for Roberto Kelly. Or maybe Rico Carty for Jim Panther. Or Manny Trillo, Julio Franco, George Vukovich, Jay Baller, and Jerry Willard for Von Hayes. Shoeless Joe Jackson for Braggo Roth, Ed Klepfer and Larry Chappell. Jay Buhner, Rich Balabon and Troy Evers for (arrrrgh) Ken Phelps.
"Pakistani militants savor a sweet deal," by Syed Saleem Shahzad for Asia Times, May 20 (thanks to the Constantinopolitan Irredentist):
KARACHI - Pakistani authorities claim that no deal was made regarding the release at the weekend of the country's envoy to Afghanistan, Tariq Azizuddin, who had been in the captivity of the Pakistani Taliban for three months.But this is pure fantasy. There certainly was a deal, orchestrated by pro-al-Qaeda Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, and far from indicating any move on the part of the militants to negotiate, they are expected to launch more and more attacks on Pakistan to build up pressure and minimize Islamabad's role in the United States-led "war on terror".
To underscore this, a suicide bomber on Sunday killed 11 people and wounded 22 at a market in Mardan close to a Pakistani military camp in North-West Frontier Province.
On Saturday, Islamabad freed 55 Taliban militants ranging in importance and also paid a sum of 20 million Pakistani rupees (US$287,000) to the militants. In turn, Azizuddin, who had been abducted in Khyber Agency, and dozens of Pakistani security officials were released by the militants.
The freed Taliban included the top commander from eastern Afghanistan, Mufti Yousuf, who had been arrested in Peshawar in Pakistan by a team of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and who was being held in detention at the IB's Karachi's office. Muslim Dost, a former Guantanamo Bay prisoner who was in the custody of the Inter-Services Intelligence, was also handed over to militants in Razmak, North Waziristan.
Maulana Abdul Aziz of the Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) in Islamabad is expected to be released soon. Aziz was apprehended during the military operation against the radical mosque last year....
You forgot Milt Pappas for Frank Robinson.
Rewarding people for kidnapping will only produce more kidnappings.
Societies should consider making it a very serious crime to pay any kind of ransom for the release of kidnapping victims.
What about Kevin Mitchell for Kevin McReynolds.. arrghh...
how about On Oct. 12, 1989, Dallas traded Walker and four draft choices to Minnesota for five players and eight draft choices, including the Vikings' first-round selections in each of the next three seasons.
for the record: Muslim killers in jail for killing , upon release resume killing...it is a fact.
of course the only way to deal with terrorists who kidnap people is to execute any prisoner(s) that they wanted freed for any person harmed by the terrorists. but this is not to be since we have too many taliban sympthizers in the pakistan militery and in the usa too many neo (lib) cons who think that all muslims are just like us.
Bright side. I used to think the Indians were bad for releasing 3 jihadis for a hijacked plane. The Pakis are real wussies by this account - for one diplomat, they are releasing 55 Jihadis and paying a ransom.
In other words, whenever we really have to go to war with them, they'll be real softies. Something they demonstrated during Operation Enduring Freedom when Paki Jihadis, who were itching for a war, got s#!% scared when JDAMS started dropping around them.
Why not turn over the remanats of the Bhutto family to Mehsud, so as to save themselves future abductions?
How 'bout Paul Warfield for the right to draft Mike Phipps?
You just can't talk stupid deals without alluding to Cleveland.
Haid:
OK, here's one for you:
Bert Blyleven (who should be in the Hall of Fame) from Cleveland to Minnesota, August 1, 1985 for Curt Wardle, Jay Bell, Jim Weaver, and...Rich Yett.
Rich Yett, yet!
Cordially
Robert Spencer
Yes, Robert. I see you're a baseball fan. As a diehard Indians fan (oy!) I of course wasn't about to mention anything truly painful. :)
I also agree that the great Bert Blyleven should be in the Hall. He's also one of the nicest guys alive and today he's an AWESOME color commentator for the Twins. I'll be taking in a game at the Dome later this summer with a friend and we intend to deploy large "Circle Me, Bert!" placards.
Who in the hell is Rich Yett?
I'm not certain what any of this has to do with the jihad, but it's been just about as depressing.
Thanks.
Regards,
HAID
Paid a ransom, hey? So THAT'S where the US dollars in aid are going.