Don't be a fool and die for your country. Let the other sonofabitch die for his.
-- General George S. Patton
June 18, 2004
American Hostage Paul Johnson Beheaded
Hot from CNN.com
U.S. hostage Johnson apparently beheaded
Islamic Web site posts photos of body of man kidnapped in Saudi Arabia
Friday, June 18, 2004 Posted: 1:58 PM EDT (1758 GMT)
(CNN) -- Three chilling photographs on an Islamist Web site appear to show the beheaded body of American hostage Paul Johnson, who was kidnapped a week ago by Islamic militants connected with al Qaeda.
Abdel Aziz Al-Muqrin, the self-proclaimed military leader of al Qaeda in Saudi Arabia, claimed responsibility for Johnson's kidnapping and the death of another American on the same day on behalf of a group called the Al Falluja Squadron.
On Tuesday, he threatened to kill Johnson in 72 hours unless the Saudi government released al Qaeda prisoners and all Westerners left the Arabian Peninsula.
"We gave you the deadline but you did not respect it," a statement on the Web site said. "This is what we promised to do."
A Saudi security source said, "From our end, we cannot confirm this. We have not found a body yet."
Earlier Friday, Al Arabiya as well as CNN had aired an emotional appeal from Johnson's wife.
U.S. and Saudi investigators concluded an intensive meeting Friday, Saudi officials said, as security forces spread all over the kingdom searching for Johnson.
Johnson, 49, a Lockheed Martin Corp. employee, had been kidnapped Saturday in the Saudi capital of Riyadh. He helped maintain U.S.-built Apache helicopter gunships for the Saudi military.
Al Falluja Squadron says it has ties to al Qaeda.
The State Department has urged all Americans to leave Saudi Arabia, but Johnson's sister, Donna Mayeux, said in a CNN interview that her brother "always felt safe in Saudi Arabia."
"My brother is an honorable man," she said. "He has always treated people with dignity and respect."
Once again Muslim extremists have lashed out at innocents. Mr Johnson was an innocent and was not a threat to anyone in Suadi Arabia.
My thoughts go out to the family of Mr. Johnson.
Again the thought of turning the Middle East into one solid sheet of glass is becoming more appealing.
We cannot negotiate with savages like these ever.
SlagleRock Out!!
Paul Johnson Jr. and his wife Noom
While Mr. Johnson may not have been a high-ranking government official or a man in the military he is an American and here at the Slaughterhouse my flag flies at half-staff for this American senselessly murdered by Muslim extremists
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It might be time to fight fire with fire and resurrect the Phoenix program. I can't help thinking what would the IDF do? Maybe the answer is to take out large blocks of their civilian population for each hostage taking and even more for each execution. Thinning the herd accomplishes 2 things, it elimanates the bad seed and makes the survivors think.
Posted by: Jack at June 18, 2004 02:06 PMThis is a horrible thing but unfortunately these are the ravages of war.Any military man or woman deploying to the Middle East has to realize the danger they face.So too,must the civilians.From Ernie Pyle to Paul Johnson,these civilians were in the position of target,even to the degree that the G.I.s were.
We can't just start killing innocents in retaliation.If we do are we really any better than the Nazis were when they did the same thing? When the resistance fighters would kill a Nazi,dozens were murdered to punish them and prevent their resistance.I, for one don't want to look into the mirror one day only to see a Nazi stormtrooper staring back at me.
Posted by: PappaSlagle at June 18, 2004 06:58 PM