Free Jack Idema

From RP, this weeks (late) blogburst:

I've concentrated on the story of how the prison riots in Pulacharke affected Jack Idema, Brent Bennett and Ed Caraballo, the three U.S. citizens illegally imprisoned in Afghanistan. Of perhaps greater importance to the long-term campaign to see Idema and his men released, however, are recent events in the Afghan parliament:

Yunis Qanooni's Afghan Parliament has rejected Karzai's list of Ministers. Most of them were Afghans who returned from America, Iran, Germany, or other countries and had fled their own country during the wars against the Soviets, the Taliban, or al-Qaida. Contrary to what some people have reported, the Afghan constitution does allow the Parliament to conduct a "NO CONFIDENCE" vote against Karzai, and hold him accountable for treason under the new Constitution. They can also block the appointment of Ministers. Although it will not be officially announced until next week, Sidiq, the Supreme Court judge Jack and his team arrested for terrorism in a plot to kill then Minister Qanooni, now Chief of Parliament (equivalent to Prime Minister), has been fired. We would not be surprised if Sidiq finds himself arrested again and charged with terrorism sometime after he has left his post.

Judge Sidiq, of course, is the man Idema arrested after he was discovered with the following items on his person:

Photographs of Sidiq with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
Bomb plans
Explosive detonators
al-Qaida and Hezb-i-Islami documents and recruiting cards
A letter from Taliban leader Mullah Omar

It should go without saying, then, that the removal of someone like Sidiq is a step in the right direction for Afghanistan. More to the point of this blogburst, though, is the fact that the decision to eject him from office strengthens Jack Idema's case -- Or, at least, it would do if anyone in the ever-credulous MSM bothered to cover the story.

Instead, when Sidiq gets mentioned by the media at all, it is invariably to paint him as a 'victim' of unjust imprisonment at Jack's hands. Here's the Chicago Tribune, just a couple of weeks ago, giving the terror-sympathising, disgraced judge a platform from which to reinvent himself as a victim who was imprisoned and robbed by Jack:

Moslim said he has visited Idema three times in his prison cell, where Idema has given him tea. [Siddiq] Moslim said he asks Idema to repay about $13,000, to compensate for money, jewelry and possessions Moslim lost when the Americans raided his house and took him away with seven other men. But Moslim also believes the Americans were deceived about him and deserve to be released.

"I want them to have even better treatment," Moslim said. "I don't have anything against them in my heart. But Jack should pay me my money back first."

No news, though, whether some of the 'possessions' Sidiq thinks Jack ought to 'compensate' him for included those detonators and bomb-making plans.

And no news at all on why three decent Americans are still rotting in prison for the 'crime' of detaining a man who isn't even trusted by his own parliament.

So what can we do? Well, anyone reading this with their own blog can sign up for the weekly Free Jack Idema Blogburst by emailing Cao or Rottweiler Puppy for details (links right)