Bush is wishy washy... Now says Osama should be taken seriously... [Archive]

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Taco John

01-26-2006, 01:11 AM

On September 13, 2001, Bush declared Osama Bin Ladin our Nubmer One Priority, and that we will not rest until we've found him...

By March of the next year (2002) he flipped, and said he didn't know where Osama was, didn't care, and stated that catching Osama is not a priority (http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/03/20020313-8.html)...

So now what is this dope saying?

NOW he says that Osama is a threat who should be taken seriously. How nice George.

Bush says takes threats from bin Laden seriously

By Caren Bohan
Reuters
Wednesday, January 25, 2006; 6:08 PM

FORT MEADE, Maryland (Reuters) - President George W. Bush said on Wednesday he took Osama bin Laden's threats of another attack seriously and invoked the al Qaeda leader's recent audiotape to defend a domestic eavesdropping program.

"I understand there are some in America who say, 'Well this can't be true, there aren't still people willing to attack.' All I would ask them to do is listen to the words of Osama bin Laden and take him seriously," Bush said at the National Security Agency.

"When he says he's going to hurt the American people again or try to, he means it. I take it seriously and the people of NSA take it seriously and most of the American people take it seriously as well," Bush said.

Democrats have criticized Bush for authorizing the warrantless monitoring of international telephone calls and e-mail messages of people in the United States suspected of aiding al Qaeda.

Critics say the program, conducted by the NSA, violates the U.S. Constitution and the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which makes it illegal to spy on U.S. citizens in the United States without the approval of a special secret court.

Bin Laden in an audiotape that aired last week warned that al Qaeda was preparing attacks in the United States but was open to a conditional truce with Americans.

"Just last week ... we heard from Osama bin Laden," Bush said. "The terrorists will do everything they can to strike us. I am going to continue to do everything I can within my legal authority to stop them."

Top Senate Democrats sent a letter to Bush on Wednesday asking he outline, by February 1, any changes in current law he would propose to improve surveillance of suspected terrorists.

"We are ... gravely concerned that sometime in 2001, in apparent violation of federal law, you authorized the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on Americans in the United States without court approval," said the letter, signed by Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and others.

The senators noted that in a speech in 2004, Bush said, "When we're talking about chasing down terrorists, we're talking about getting a court order before we do so." They quoted Bush saying, "A wiretap requires a court order."

Democrats have noted that in special cases the NSA is allowed to conduct domestic surveillance but has to obtain a warrant within 72 hours.

Democrats in the Senate and House of Representatives also pressured Republicans on Wednesday to submit Bush's domestic eavesdropping program to the scrutiny of Congress' intelligence oversight committees.

'FAR-FETCHED'

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Democrat of New York, said the administration's argument it needed to bypass the warrant process in order to go after al Qaeda was "far-fetched."

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican, plans hearings on the NSA program on February 6.

Bush told reporters he would continue to authorize the eavesdropping program.

"The American people expect me to protect their lives and their civil liberties and that's exactly what we're doing with this program," he said.

Touring the NSA in Fort Meade, Bush visited a room with a large screen highlighting statistics about cyberspace, including one saying over 592 billion instant messages were sent daily. That was projected to grow to 1.38 trillion by 2007.

The NSA is one of the most secretive of the U.S. spy agencies. Founded in 1952, it uses high-tech equipment such as satellites and bugs to pick up foreign electronic signals such as telephone calls and computer messages.

Taco John

01-26-2006, 01:25 AM

Personally, I think the video is a fake (http://newsmine.org/archive/9-11/binladen/death/israeli-intel-bl-dead.txt).
I think Osama is long dead (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/07/17/attack/main515468.shtml), and that this tape of Osama is nothing but doctored video (http://newsmine.org/archive/9-11/binladen/after-death/swiss-binladen-tape-faked.txt) used to provide cover when George Bush and the people who put him in power (and I'm not talking voters) need it most. I think the one prior to the election is a fake. I think this is all engineered, and the videos, just like the terror alerts, are released at strategic times. Like days before the election... what a coincidence... Or right after the Democratic primary... what a coincidence... or when Bush's approval ratings going into primary season started to drop... what a coincidence. Or when Americans start to get outraged about the subversion of the Constitution and are open to impeachment... What a coincidence...

http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/IMAGES/fake-to-real.gif

We're being played with...

http://www.robert-fisk.com/jazbinladen.jpghttp://www.robert-fisk.com/tapebinladen.jpg

CHIEF4EVER

01-26-2006, 02:16 AM

'Hamas' Jenkins

01-26-2006, 05:48 AM

It's an interesting, and frightening theory that I've often worried about myself. I'd like to think that we'd find the definitive answer before the '08 elections, but I doubt that happens unless the Republicans are in desperate need of good PR. Otherwise, being able to consistently go back to the well for the boogeyman is a great tactic, although reprehensible.

patteeu

01-26-2006, 07:14 AM

Personally, I think the video is a fake (http://newsmine.org/archive/9-11/binladen/death/israeli-intel-bl-dead.txt).

What video? Osama hasn't put out a video is a long time.

Radar Chief

01-26-2006, 07:22 AM

What video? Osama hasn't put out a video is a long time.

You’ll also notice that the “video is fake” and “doctored video” hyperlink to the same article from ’02.
I don’t necessarily disagree with Teej that Osama bin Hidden is long dead, but I can’t buy into the conspiracy theory angle he’s go’n for without something a little more solid.

MarcBulger

01-26-2006, 07:56 AM

Chiefs Express

01-26-2006, 08:02 AM

Some day I will require an explanation of your commentary, but today is not that day.

beavis

01-26-2006, 10:49 AM

Some day I will require an explanation of your commentary, but today is not that day.
Why? The Weekly World News has more credibility than the king of misleading thread titles.

'Hamas' Jenkins

01-26-2006, 11:59 AM

Conspiracy,,,,wow. A Pres can't cheat on his wife and get a blow job in the WHiteHouse without the world knowing about it. So do you really think that this secret could be kept?

Face it the Most people in the US even hard core Dems do not trust the left with the Defense of this Nation.

SInce 9-11 No Demacrat has brought any bills to the House Floor on the Behalf of the Defense of this Nation for that matter neither has the Dem Senate. All they have done is bitch and moan bitch and moan....Show me the BEEF.....Where are your plans to defend this nation. You send Harry Reid a freaking Moron and Nancy Palosi who is a crying freaking idiot as your party representation and you want me to vote for the Dem party.

So far the only thing BUsh has done to piss me off is to not build a huge fence on our border to keep them job stealing, Mexicans out of our Country. Hey Mexicans build your own country....

That is absolutely untrue. There were bills introduced into both the House and the Senate by democrats advocating a return of the draft because the sponsors of the bill (Charles Rangel in the House) felt that the current system disproportionately drafted minorities. The senate version of the bill was SR 89 and although I'm unsure as to the specific number of the bill in the House, HR 166 might be correct. That seems like a bill advocating strengthening of national defense to me.

Radar Chief

01-26-2006, 12:05 PM

That is absolutely untrue. There were bills introduced into both the House and the Senate by democrats advocating a return of the draft because the sponsors of the bill (Charles Rangel in the House) felt that the current system disproportionately drafted minorities. The senate version of the bill was SR 89 and although I'm unsure as to the specific number of the bill in the House, HR 166 might be correct. That seems like a bill advocating strengthening of national defense to me.

Howard J. Turkster: I joined the army 'cause my father and brother were in the army. I though I'd better join before I got drafted.
Sgt. Hulka: Son, uh, there ain't no draft no more.
Howard J. Turkster: There was one?

ROFL

patteeu

01-26-2006, 12:21 PM

That is absolutely untrue. There were bills introduced into both the House and the Senate by democrats advocating a return of the draft because the sponsors of the bill (Charles Rangel in the House) felt that the current system disproportionately drafted minorities. The senate version of the bill was SR 89 and although I'm unsure as to the specific number of the bill in the House, HR 166 might be correct. That seems like a bill advocating strengthening of national defense to me.

It might seem like it to the unsophisticated observer, but when you consider the fact that the Rangel didn't even vote in favor of his own bill it starts to look more like a political stunt than a heartfelt attempt to strengthen national security.

Vote results for HR 163 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2004/roll494.xml)

banyon

01-26-2006, 02:52 PM

Why? The Weekly World News has more credibility than the king of misleading thread titles.

I think Taco was hoping that we'd all remember his previous inconsistent statements. To wit:

(1) "The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him."
- G.W. Bush, 9/13/01
http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/2002/11/13_Laden.html

(2)"Well, as I say, we haven't heard much from him. And I wouldn't necessarily say he's at the center of any command structure. And, again, I don't know where he is. I -- I'll repeat what I said. I truly am not that concerned about him."--White House Press Conference, 3/13/2002
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/03/20020313-8.html

(3)"When he says he's going to hurt the American people again or try to, he means it. I take it seriously and the people of NSA take it seriously and most of the American people take it seriously as well," ---Taco's article

I don't see how these statements can be rendered consistent. The vido fakery is a different matter.

http://www.fbi.gov/mostwant/topten/fugitives/laden.jpg
This photo has been at fbi.gov since I visited there in early 2001. He doesn't look like that shifting photo you posted.

Boyceofsummer

01-26-2006, 03:44 PM

Conspiracy,,,,wow. A Pres can't cheat on his wife and get a blow job in the WHiteHouse without the world knowing about it. So do you really think that this secret could be kept?

Face it the Most people in the US even hard core Dems do not trust the left with the Defense of this Nation.

SInce 9-11 No Demacrat has brought any bills to the House Floor on the Behalf of the Defense of this Nation for that matter neither has the Dem Senate. All they have done is bitch and moan bitch and moan....Show me the BEEF.....Where are your plans to defend this nation. You send Harry Reid a freaking Moron and Nancy Palosi who is a crying freaking idiot as your party representation and you want me to vote for the Dem party.

So far the only thing BUsh has done to piss me off is to not build a huge fence on our border to keep them job stealing, Mexicans out of our Country. Hey Mexicans build your own country....

signed-up and headed to IRAQ! YOU ****ING CHICKEN-HAWK! Put your ASS on the line, not your big mouth.

Donger

01-26-2006, 03:48 PM

That seems like a bill advocating strengthening of national defense to me.

Or, political grandstanding in an attempt to damage the administration.

Donger

01-26-2006, 03:51 PM

That is absolutely untrue. There were bills introduced into both the House and the Senate by democrats advocating a return of the draft because the sponsors of the bill (Charles Rangel in the House) felt that the current system disproportionately drafted minorities.

According to this quote from Rangel, race doesn't seem to be his motivation for introducing the legislation:

Rangel said “if those calling for war knew that their children were likely to be required to serve—and to be placed in harm’s way—there would be more caution and a greater willingness to work with the international community in dealing with Iraq.”

Taco John

01-27-2006, 03:49 AM

The Death of bin Ladenism
July 11, 2002, Thursday
By AMIR TAHERI (NYT); Editorial Desk
Late Edition - Final, Section A, Page 23, Column 2, 918 words

Osama bin Laden is dead. The news first came from sources in Afghanistan and Pakistan almost six months ago: the fugitive died in December and was buried in the mountains of southeast Afghanistan. Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf, echoed the information. The remnants of Osama's gang, however, have mostly stayed silent, either to keep Osama's ghost alive or because they have no means of communication.

With an ego the size of Mount Everest, Osama bin Laden would not have, could not have, remained silent for so long if he were still alive. He always liked to take credit even for things he had nothing to do with. Would he remain silent for nine months and not trumpet his own survival?

Even if he is still in the world, bin Ladenism has left for good. Mr. bin Laden was the public face of a brand of politics that committed suicide in New York and Washington on Sept. 11, 2001, killing thousands of innocent people in the process.

What were the key elements of that politics?

The first was a cynical misinterpretation of Islam that began decades ago with such anti-Western ideologues as Maulana Maudoodi of Pakistan and Sayyid Qutb of Egypt. Although Mr. Maudoodi and Mr. Qutb were not serious thinkers, they could at least offer a coherent ideology based on a narrow reading of Islamic texts. Their ideas about Western barbarism and Muslim revival, distilled down to bin Ladenism, became mere slogans designed to incite zealots to murder.

People like Mr. Maudoodi and Mr. Qutb could catch the ball and run largely because most Muslim intellectuals of their generation (and later) had no interest in continuing the work of Muslim philosophers. Our intellectuals were too busy learning Western ideologies of one kind or another — and they left the newly urbanized Muslim masses to the half-baked ideas of men like Mr. Maudoodi and Mr. Qutb and eventually Mr. bin Laden.

Now, however, many Muslim intellectuals are returning home, so to speak. They are rediscovering the philosophical heritage of Islam and the challenges of Muslim political thought. And Maudoodi-Qutbism is now being seen as a pseudo-Islamic version of Western fascism.

The second element that made Mr. bin Laden possible was easy money, largely from wealthy individuals in the Persian Gulf area who believed that they were buying a place in the hereafter while protecting themselves against political opposition in this world. Some paid because they believed they were helping poor and oppressed Muslims. Others paid so militants would go and spend their energies far away from home.

That easy money is no longer available, at least not in large quantities. Many donors have realized they were financing terrorists. Some have been forced to choose between the West, where they have the bulk of their wealth, and the troglodyte mujahedeen of the Hindu Kush.

The third element that made bin Ladenist terror possible was the encouraging, or at least complacent, attitude of several governments. The Taliban in Afghanistan began by hosting Mr. bin Laden and ended up becoming his life-and-death buddies. The Pakistanis were also supportive because they wanted to dominate Afghanistan and make life hard for the Indians by sending holy warriors to Kashmir. The Sudanese government was sympathetic, if not actually supportive, and offered at least a safe haven. This was also the case in Yemen, where in November 2000 I accidentally ran into a crowd of Qaeda militants who had flown in from Pakistan for a gathering.

We now know that Qaeda cells operated, often quite openly, in Muslim countries from Indonesia and Malaysia to Morocco and Tunisia, without being bothered by anyone. The fall of the Taliban means the gang no longer has a secure base. All the other countries are also closed, and in some cases even hostile.

The fourth element was the mistaken practice of many Western powers that sheltered the terrorists in the name of freedom of expression and dissent. We now know that London was a critical haven for Al Qaeda. The murder of the Afghan resistance leader Ahmed Shah Massoud was planned in London. Qaeda militants operated in Germany, Holland, Belgium, France, Spain and Italy without significant restraint.

The fifth element that made bin Ladenism possible was the West's, especially America's, perceived weakness if not actual cowardice. A joke going around militant Islamist circles until last year was that the only thing the Americans would do if attacked was to sue. That perception no longer exists. The Americans, supported by one of the largest coalitions in history, have shown they will use force against their enemies even if that means a long and difficult war.

The sixth element of bin Ladenism was the illusion in most Western nations that they could somehow remain unaffected by the violence unleashed by fanatical terrorists against so many Muslim nations from Indonesia to Algeria.

Mr. bin Laden could survive and prosper only in a world in which these elements existed. That world is gone. Mr. bin Laden's ghost may linger on — perhaps because Washington and Islamabad will find it useful. President Bush's party has a crucial election to win and Pervez Musharraf is keen to keep Pakistan in the limelight as long as possible.

But the truth is that Osama bin Laden is dead.

http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0F1EFF39540C728DDDAE0894DA404482

Taco John

01-27-2006, 03:53 AM

Peter Bergen: Bin Laden has aged 'enormously'
February 1, 2002 Posted: 1:24 PM EST (1824 GMT)

CNN: The last interview you did with bin Laden was back in 1997. How different was the Osama bin Laden we saw in this tape, the interview taped late in October of 2001?

BERGEN: He's actually quite similar. I mean, in terms of his demeanor and his voice -- these kinds of things are quite similar. The big difference is that he's aged enormously between '97 and October of last year.

This is a man who was clearly not well. I mean, as you see from these pictures here, he's really, by December he's looking pretty terrible. But by December, of course, that tape that was aired then, he's barely moving the left side of his body. So he's clearly got diabetes. He has low blood pressure. He's got a wound in his foot. He's apparently got dialysis ... for kidney problems.

I mean, this is a man who has a number of health problems, apart from the fact that anybody running around the Afghan mountains is not going to be in great shape.

CNN: And, of course, the question that people continue to debate is not only is he not well, is he still alive today? Peter Bergen, thank you very much for coming along to share your insights with us this morning.

Healthy Bin Laden
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/IMAGES/laden2001.jpg

December 2001 Video... Near dead Bin Laden:

http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/IMAGES/laden2001dec.jpg

Taco John

01-27-2006, 03:54 AM

US casts doubt on bin Laden's latest message
By Toby Harnden in Washington

...The recording was dismissed by the Bush administration yesterday as sick propaganda possibly designed to mask the fact the al-Qa'eda leader was already dead. "He could have made the video and then ordered that it be released in the event of his death," said one White House aide....

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2001/12/28/wbin28.xml

Taco John

01-27-2006, 03:55 AM

Pakistan's Musharraf: Bin Laden probably dead

Pakistan's president says he thinks Osama bin Laden is most likely dead because the suspected terrorist has been unable to get treatment for his kidney disease.

[A Bush administration official] said U.S. intelligence is that bin Laden needs dialysis every three days and "it is fairly obvious that that could be an issue when you are running from place to place, and facing the idea of needing to generate electricity in a mountain hideout."

http://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/south/01/18/gen.musharraf.binladen/

Taco John

01-27-2006, 03:55 AM

Dr. Sanjay Gupta: Bin Laden would need help if on dialysis
Renal dialysis -- talking about hemodialysis -- is something that really is reserved for patients in end-stage renal failure. That means their kidneys have just completely shut down.

The most common cause of something like that would be something like diabetes and hypertension. Once that's happened, if you're separated from your dialysis machine -- and incidentally, dialysis machines require electricity, they're going to require clean water, they're going to require a sterile setting -- infection is a huge risk with that. If you don't have all those things and a functioning dialysis machine, it's unlikely that you'd survive beyond several days or a week at the most.

http://edition.cnn.com/2002/HEALTH/01/21/gupta.otsc/

Taco John

01-27-2006, 03:56 AM

Magazine runs what it calls bin Laden's will

The editor-in-chief of a London-based Arab news magazine said a purported will it published Saturday was written late last year [2001] by Osama bin Laden, and shows "he's dying or he's going to die soon."

http://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/10/26/binladen.will/

Taco John

01-27-2006, 03:58 AM

Bin Laden's voice was detected regularly until [14 December 2001] by intelligence operatives monitoring radio transmissions in Tora Bora, according to the Pentagon.

Since then, nothing has been heard from the al-Qa'eda leader and President Bush has hinted in private that bin Laden's silence could mean he has been killed.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2001/12/28/wbin28.xml

Taco John

01-27-2006, 03:59 AM

Fox News
Report: Bin Laden Already Dead

Wednesday, December 26, 2001

Usama bin Laden has died a peaceful death due to an untreated lung complication, the Pakistan Observer reported, citing a Taliban leader who allegedly attended the funeral of the Al Qaeda leader.

"The Coalition troops are engaged in a mad search operation but they would never be able to fulfill their cherished goal of getting Usama alive or dead," the source said.

Bin Laden, according to the source, was suffering from a serious lung complication and succumbed to the disease in mid-December, in the vicinity of the Tora Bora mountains. The source claimed that bin Laden was laid to rest honorably in his last abode and his grave was made as per his Wahabi belief.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,41576,00.html

Taco John

01-27-2006, 04:00 AM

Translation of Funeral Article in Egyptian Paper:
al-Wafd, Wednesday, December 26, 2001 Vol 15 No 4633
News of Bin Laden's Death
and Funeral 10 days ago

Islamabad -
A prominent official in the Afghan Taleban movement announced yesterday the death of Osama bin Laden, the chief of al-Qa'da organization, stating that binLaden suffered serious complications in the lungs and died a natural and quiet death. The official, who asked to remain anonymous, stated to The Observer of Pakistan that he had himself attended the funeral of bin Laden and saw his face prior to burial in Tora Bora 10 days ago. He mentioned that 30 of al-Qa'da fighters attended the burial as well as members of his family and some friends from the Taleban. In the farewell ceremony to his final rest guns were fired in the air. The official stated that it is difficult to pinpoint the burial location of bin Laden because according to the Wahhabi tradition no mark is left by the grave. He stressed that it is unlikely that the American forces would ever uncover any traces of bin Laden.

Taco John

01-27-2006, 04:01 AM

Israeli intelligence: Bin Laden is dead, heir has been chosen

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Wednesday, October 16, 2002
TEL AVIV Osama Bin Laden appears to be dead but his colleagues have
decided that Al Qaida and its insurgency campaign against the United
States will continue, Israeli intelligence sources said.

Al Qaida terrorists have launched a new campaign of economic warfare and
are targeting shipping in the Middle East, according to U.S. intelligence
officials.

The Israeli sources said Israel and the United States assess that Bin
Laden probably died in the U.S. military campaign in Afghanistan in
December. They said the emergence of new messages by Bin Laden are
probably fabrications, Middle East Newsline reported.

But Bin Laden's heir has been chosen and his colleagues have decided to
resume Al Qaida's offensive against the United States and Western allies,
the sources said.

http://www.welfarestate.com/binladen/funeral/israel-intel.txt

Taco John

01-27-2006, 04:03 AM

Karzai: bin Laden 'probably' dead

Monday, October 7, 2002 Posted: 2:34 AM EDT (0634 GMT)

KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Osama bin Laden is "probably" dead, but former Taliban leader Mullah Omar is alive, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said.

Karzai's comments came on the eve of the anniversary of the start of the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan as part of the war on terrorism.

The campaign ousted the Taliban regime, which the United States said harbored bin Laden's al Qaeda terrorism network, the group blamed for the September 11 attacks.

"I would come to believe that [bin Laden] probably is dead," Karzai said on CNN's "Late Edition" on Sunday.

"But still, you never know. He might be alive. Five months ago, six months ago, I was thinking that he was alive.

"The more we don't hear of him, and the more time passes, there is the likelihood that he probably is either dead or seriously wounded somewhere."

http://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/central/10/06/karzai.binladen/

Taco John

01-27-2006, 04:04 AM

11/30/2002 - Swiss scientists: "The recording is a fake"

Scientists in Switzerland say they are almost certain that an audio tape attributed to Osama bin Laden is a fake. ... Researchers at the Dalle Molle Institute for Perceptual Artificial Intelligence, in Lausanne, believe the message was recorded by an impostor.

In a study commissioned by France 2 television, researchers built a computer model of Bin Laden's voice, based on an hour of genuine recordings. Using voice recognition systems being developed for banking security, they tested the model against 20 known recordings of Bin Laden. The system correctly identified his voice in 19 of them.

This meant there was only a 5% risk of error in their conclusion that the latest tape is a fake, Professor Hervé Bourlard, the institute's director, told the Guardian yesterday

http://www.guardian.co.uk/alqaida/story/0,12469,851112,00.html

Taco John

01-27-2006, 04:05 AM

12/2/2003 - Swiss Scientists: "We won't verify other tapes"

Swiss researchers who last November analysed a tape attributed to Osama bin Laden say they won’t be scrutinising the latest recording broadcast by the Arabic television network, Al-Jazeera. The Swiss analysts said the previous tape was almost certainly faked, despite US claims to the contrary. The Dalle Molle Institute for Perceptual Artificial Intelligence (Idiap) in Martigny told swissinfo on Wednesday that it had no intention of analysing the latest tape.

http://newsmine.org/archive/9-11/binladen/after-death/support-iraq-tape-feb03/swiss-wont-verify.txt

Taco John

01-27-2006, 04:07 AM

NEWS
AT&T Labs has a new product called Natural Voices Text-to-Speech Engine which the company claims will revolutionize voice synthesis. The software currently costs "thousands," but AT&T Labs says the software can reproduce "the sounds, inflections and intonations of a human voice" so well that it can recreate voices. While competitors like IBM and Lernout & Hauspie say speech reproduction algorithms aren't complex enough yet to truly replicate human voices, potential Natural Voices clients who have tested the software say it's the closest to "voice cloning" they've ever heard. One of those testers even said Natural Voices could give "plausible deniability that it is a machine."

AT&T builds the "custom voice" part of the program, where an individual's voice can be recreated (even "long-dead celebrities"), by recording 10-40 hours of selected text readings (recordings of dead people can be used as well). Sound files are then cut into fragments and put into databases, a common technique called "concatenative speech synthesis." AT&T Labs refined the technique by breaking the sound recordings into "the smallest number of units possible." (Phonemes?) Concatenative speech synthesis is better at reproducing sentences and intonations because it doesn't rely on fully robotic voices or whole recorded words. AT&T already has computer voices of two men and one woman, and plans to record a child, a grandmother, and Spanish-language voices as well.

...

But as text-to-speech gets increasingly better, other issues arise. For instance, if Natural Voices can eventually perfectly recreate a person's voice and speaking style, new contracts might have to be drawn up for "voice-licensing." The potential for fraud is enormous as well, as people could be easily fooled into thinking they'd received calls from friends, family, employers, etc. As James R. Fruchterman, CEO of Benetech ("a nonprofit organization that uses technology in social-service projects"), said: "Just like you can't trust a photograph anymore, you won't be able to trust a voice either."

http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/2001aug/gee20010801007089.htm

Taco John

01-27-2006, 04:10 AM

Software Is Called Capable of Copying Any Human Voice

July 31, 2001, Tuesday
By LISA GUERNSEY (NYT); Business/Financial Desk
Late Edition - Final, Section A, Page 1, Column 1, 1221 words

AT&T Labs will start selling speech software that it says is so good at reproducing the sounds, inflections and intonations of a human voice that it can recreate voices and even bring the voices of long-dead celebrities back to life. The software, which turns printed text into synthesized speech,...

http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60F14F835590C728FDDAE0894D9404482

Taco John

01-27-2006, 04:10 AM

``If ABC wanted to use Regis Philbin's voice for all of its automated customer-service calls, it could,'' said Lawrence R. Rabiner, vice president for AT&T Labs Research.

http://soundingcircle.com/newslog2.php/__show_article/_a000195-000415.htm

Taco John

01-27-2006, 04:12 AM

Duke Professor Skeptical of bin Laden Tape

(01/19/06 -- DURHAM) - A Duke professor says he is doubtful about Thursday's audiotape from Osama bin Laden.

Bruce Lawrence has just published ?Messages to the World: The Statements of Osama Bin Laden,? a book translating bin Laden?s writing. He is skeptical of Thursday?s message.
?It was like a voice from the grave,? Lawrence said.

He thinks bin Laden is dead and has doubts about the tape. Lawrence recently analyzed more than 20 complete speeches and interviews of the al Qaida leader for his book. He says the new message is missing several key elements.

?There?s nothing in this from the Koran. He?s, by his own standards, a faithful Muslim,? Lawrence said. ?He quotes scripture in defense of his actions. There?s no quotation from the Koran in the excerpts we got, no reference to specific events, no reference to past atrocities.?

While the CIA confirms the voice on the tape is bin Laden?s, Lawrence questions when it was recorded. He says the timing of its release could be to divert attention from last week?s U.S. air strike in Pakistan. The strike targeted bin Laden?s deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, and killed four leading al Qaeda figures along with civilians.

Lawrence believes faulty Pakistani intelligence led to the strike and the civilian deaths, and the tape was leaked by Pakistani authorities to divert attention from their mistake.

?It led to a failed military operation where America got blamed, but they people who are really to blame are the ones who provided the intelligence,? Lawrence said. ?I think this is an effort to say were not going look at this terrible incident that happened.?

Another element that Lawrence takes issue with in bin Laden?s latest message is it?s length - - only 10 minutes. Previously, the shortest was 18 minutes.

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=local&id=3828678

Taco John

01-27-2006, 04:21 AM

Hospital Worker: I Saw Osama

Jan. 28, 2002

(CBS) Everyone remembers what happened on Sept. 11 and, reports CBS News Correspondent Barry Petersen, here's the story of what may have happened the night before.

In a tale as twisted as the hunt for Osama bin Laden, CBS Evening News has been told that the night before the Sept. 11 terrorists attack, Osama bin Laden was in Pakistan. He was getting medical treatment with the support of the very military that days later pledged its backing for the U.S. war on terror in Afghanistan.

Pakistan intelligence sources tell CBS News that bin Laden was spirited into a military hospital in Rawalpindi for kidney dialysis treatment.

"On that night," said a medical worker who wanted her identity protected, "they moved out all the regular staff in the urology department and sent in a secret team to replace them." She said it was treatment for a very special person and "the special team was obviously up to no good."

"They military had him surrounded," said a hospital employee who also wanted his identity masked, "and I saw the mysterious patient helped out of a car. Since that time," he said, "I have seen many pictures of the man. He is the man we know as Osama bin Laden. I also heard two army officers talking to each other. They were saying that Osama bin Laden had to be watched carefully and looked after."

Those who know bin Laden say he suffers from numerous ailments — back and stomach problems.

Ahmed Rashid, who has written extensively on the Taliban, said the military was often there to help before Sept. 11.

"There were reports that Pakistan intelligence had helped the Taliban buy dialysis machines and the rumor was that these were for wanted for Osama bin Laden," said Rashid.
Doctors at the hospital told CBS News there was nothing special about that night, but they declined our request to see any records. Government officials reached Monday night denied that bin Laden received any medical treatment that night.

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Tuesday the United States has seen nothing to substantiate the report.

It was Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf who said in public what many suspected: that bin Laden suffers from kidney disease, saying he thinks bin Laden may be near death.

His evidence — watching the most recent video, showing a pale and haggard bin Laden, his left hand never moving. Bush administration officials admit they don't know if bin Laden is sick or even dead.

"With respect to the issue of Osama bin Laden's health, I just am...don't have any knowledge," said Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

The U.S. has no way of knowing who in Pakistan's military or intelligence supported the Taliban or Osama bin Lade, maybe up to the night before Sept. 11 by arranging dialysis to keep him alive. So the U.S. may not know if those same people might help him again — perhaps to freedom.

Taco John

01-27-2006, 04:26 AM

The guy is dead. We're being duped.

banyon

01-27-2006, 10:46 AM

Taco John

01-27-2006, 05:01 PM

Couldn't tell you. I imagine getting kidney surgery when you're supposed to be on the run might be a little difficult. I don't know anything about the donor list at home, let alone in Pakistan...

And who says he didn't? Kidney replacement surgery isn't a sure thing... Especially if you're stressed out and on the run...

Chiefs Express

01-27-2006, 07:06 PM

The guy is dead. We're being duped.

You feel that way only because you are duped so easily.

Taco John

01-28-2006, 10:13 PM

You feel that way only because you are duped so easily.

I was once duped into believing Tom Cash had integrity. What do you think of that newbie?

Chiefs Express

01-29-2006, 05:23 PM

I was once duped into believing Tom Cash had integrity. What do you think of that newbie?
You don't know shit! You live in cyber space and have no clue as to what he is about.

You are so easily fooled because you have no basis of reality to compare anything to. Once you have a life outside the internet you might find that you don't know as much as you think.

You haven't considered integrity for him since the Beaner incident. You remain stupid and out of touch.