Bush niet welkom in Brussel !

quote:

Op donderdag 10 februari 2005 12:26 schreef Speth het volgende:

[..]

Het valt me altijd op hoe snel Europeanen iets "arrogant" vinden. Volgens mij bevatten zij het verschil niet tussen "arrogant" en "superieur"

quote:

Superieur? Leg eens uit.

quote:

Op donderdag 10 februari 2005 16:06 schreef Speth het volgende:

[..]

Amerikanen hebben alle reden om vrij groots te arriveren, ze zijn immers een veel machtiger land dan het nogal onbeduidende Belgie dat alleen een grote mond heeft.

quote:

Op donderdag 10 februari 2005 16:06 schreef Speth het volgende:

[..]

Amerikanen hebben alle reden om vrij groots te arriveren, ze zijn immers een veel machtiger land dan het nogal onbeduidende Belgie dat alleen een grote mond heeft.

quote:

"Why do they hate us?"

quote:

Op donderdag 10 februari 2005 16:58 schreef Speth het volgende:

[..]

Klopt, dat is ook de reden dat veel Europeanen een hekel aan ze hebben: jaloezie.

quote:

Precies! Amerika is dan ook jaloers op Frankrijk en rechts Nederland is weer jaloers op islamitisch Nederland. Het is allemaal zo makkelijk te verklaren.

quote:

Op vrijdag 11 februari 2005 03:05 schreef Schepseltje het volgende:
wat een bullshit demonstratie, amerika ligt vervoorop als het gaat om milieu en humanitaire hulp en het brengen van vrede (verdrijven van dictaturen). Juist door met harde hand het islamitisch fundamentalisme te bestrijden kun je op lange termijn de stabiliteit in de wereld verbeteren.

Kijk eens naar andere wereldmachten zoals China, waar nog steeds een communistische dictatuur heerst en andersenkenden worden afgemaakt, of Rusland waar ook nog een halve dictatuur is en regelmatig politieke kandidaten 'verdwijnen'. Willen die demonstranten liever dat soort landen aan het hoofd van de wereld hebben?

quote:

I am an employee of Abelag Aviation and I was there during Dr. Rice Arrival.

There was a press stand right in front of the plane. I personnaly took the press with a van to that stand. I told them to stay inside that section that was delimited with a chord, which they didn't do.

One thing that surprised me is that they didn't even get screened before entering the airport zone.

I also remember that time when a reporter from the Belgian RTBF was pushed away by a chinese delegation member during their prime minister arrival in Brussels. Again, that reporter left the press stand that was reserved for her and ran toward the plane.

quote:

Op vrijdag 11 februari 2005 03:05 schreef Schepseltje het volgende:
wat een bullshit demonstratie, amerika ligt vervoorop als het gaat om milieu en humanitaire hulp en het brengen van vrede (verdrijven van dictaturen).

quote:

Op woensdag 9 februari 2005 21:58 schreef SaintOfKillers het volgende:
En wie ligt daar in godsnaam van wakker? Als het hen niet aanstaat, kunnen ze terug oprotten naar hun eigen land.

quote:

Op donderdag 10 februari 2005 12:26 schreef Speth het volgende:
Het valt me altijd op hoe snel Europeanen iets "arrogant" vinden. Volgens mij bevatten zij het verschil niet tussen "arrogant" en "superieur"

quote:

Op zaterdag 12 februari 2005 13:55 schreef Koos Voos het volgende:

HUH ? .. zit je aan de pillen ofzo ...

quote:

Hello there, all this fuss over little old me. That's right; I'm the guy arguing in the photo with the Belgian Protocol Ambassador. Don't believe me? Fine, stop reading.

To answer a few questions. The press was penned and EOD swept. They were screened at the Abelag passenger terminal by a military EOD team. I know this because I did it. I also escorted them out to the tarmac and posted them in the agreed pen where the Belgian Press Liaison and our Embassy agreed they would stay. In fact that’s where they stay for every visit. Nothing new there.

So the plane lands. I position myself between the press and the plane, sunglasses on because airplanes kick up dust and dirt. In addition if the worst happens and there is an explosion I am not blinded by the flash or the debris. Lose you eyes and you are just a casualty. I spent two years on the Secretary of State's Protective Security Detail; I've had my share of flying debris land in my eyes. My job is to be observant and that's hard when a rock is jammed into your eyeball. Besides it was sunny that day anyway. And truthfully what would Hollywood do if we didn't wear sunglasses?

So now the plane parks and from behind me I hear voices saying, "Why can't our press come up to the plane?" I'm thinking, "Because that's not what the press people agreed to.” So I ignore the comments because truthfully, that kind of question arises every time in every country – especially from folks who have nothing to do with the press. The conversation behind me turns into, “Hey lets get them over here.” I look behind me and I see several people motioning for them to come closer. Not good. I motion back to the press for them to stay put but I am alone and there are probably 10 people now waving them over. The press sees this and I am overruled. Over the barricade they come at a full sprint. Very bad. I won’t go into the history and name all the people who have been attacked/assassinated from the press pool, including a former US President, because honestly, I already screened them. What I was concerned with was the Secretary of State being stampeded by uncontrolled press. If anyone has ever dealt with press before you’ll know they are extremely aggressive. They will get right in the face of whomever they are trying to film. My job in Diplomatic Security (I do not work for Secret Service) is to protect the Secretary or what ever diplomat I am protecting from harm and embarrassment. She (Dr Rice) was definitely heading for embarrassment.

So I did what any security agent is trained to do. I stopped them, holding my arms out in a line. They knew who I was because I swept them and escorted them out there. So they stopped. Security controls the plane. Security protects the principal. I am security. We, in this case Diplomatic Security Service and the Belgian Surete’, control the area immediately around her. This goes for whatever country we are in and the same protection if afforded any Belgian diplomat in the US. A security perimeter is always established and those that are allowed to enter are always strictly controlled. It’s how things are done. Neither the Belgian Ambassador nor his aides were restricted in anyway. On the contrary, they came out of the perimeter to yell at me. No one was trying to impose US law or authority on anyone. But that’s the way the press have spun it. Why because that’s what they get paid for, to make up controversy. So I guess they were successful and they sold a lot of papers and got a lot of viewers for the evening news.

Continuing on now, the press is right in front of the limo and would have had a great shot. I let them that close because I knew who they were but still they don’t need to be in her face. Incidentally, not one of them complained or said anything. Enter the gentleman in the photo from the left. He’s screaming, in English. The Secretary travels to hundreds of countries every year. Do you expect me to be fluent in all those countries? Belgium has three national languages. Which one should I learn? By the way I do speak German; One of Belgium’s three official languages. But Mr. Ambassador chose to speak English. So English it is. Since that is my native tongue how convenient for me. So now I am confronted by a guy shaking with anger and obviously upset. I tell him to calm down a few times but that doesn’t work. He’s yelling that I can’t do that, I can’t give orders and that I need to treat Belgian press and US press equally. Since I have no idea what he’s talking about I initially just blew him off. Remember, I never met this guy. I don’t know who he is. The press is where I want them so I could care less. I am not getting paid to negotiate press access on the Tarmac when the Secretary of State is coming down the ladder. Remember that was done days ago. All I have to do is delay this guy long enough for her to get in the limo and I am done. No harm, no embarrassment. Now he starts pushing me. This is where a Secret Service agent would have put him on the ground. I however understand that this guy is probably someone important so I warn him. One more time and he’s gone. It’s all on tape. Watch it again if you missed that part. In the US I would have arrested him. In Belgium apparently it’s ok to assault someone and have it shown on TV. And we Americans are supposed to be the violent ones?

Show’s over, Secretary’s in the limo and they leave. As I made it back to the Abelag terminal, I never even gave the incident another thought. As I said before, in the years I’ve been doing this, this was not the first press guy who ever yelled at me. It wasn’t till after I got back that I found out who he was. Interesting, I thought. So that was Belgium’s highest-ranking diplomat. Odd way to conduct diplomacy, pushing and shouting, nicht war? But who am I? I am nobody.

So now you know my side of the story.

Oh yeah, Cardinal - you're mistaken. I never said, "I'll shoot you." Do you honestly think I would still be here if I did? If I had said that, why on earth would the press not show that?!?! Fact is, I didn't. The whole thing is on the web for anyone to see. C'mon dude, a US Agent saying he's going to shoot the Belgian Protocol Ambassador? That doesn't make the news? Sheesh, use your head.

So you work for Surete? Why didn't you intervene after he pushed me? If you really were there then you know who I am. Feel free to call me in my office and talk to me. You should know where I work and I would be very interested in hearing your explaination as to why you insist on claiming I said that, WHEN I DIDN"T. Better yet talk to me next week in the motorcade. You know where to find me.

quote:

Op vrijdag 18 februari 2005 18:10 schreef NightH4wk het volgende:
Hmz, een nuke op Brussel dan is pas rendement voor die wannabe pallies.

quote:

Op vrijdag 18 februari 2005 18:24 schreef SaintOfKillers het volgende:


Ik vind dat de VS het recht niet heeft anderen te nuken zolang hun leider het woord "nuclear" niet kan uitspreken.