Yeetle Box - Rice Stock Declines

The Auckland University Students' Association is seeking Condaleeze Rice's arrest for her role in "overseeing the illegal invasion and continued occupation" of Iraq, Association President David Do said. The group is offering a $3,700 reward for anyone who executes a citizen's arrest of Condaleeza Rice.

The amount of the reward was detemined by the likelihood that anyone would actually arrest Rice and the declining dollar. Association President David Do said, "It's not much money, but it would buy a lot of cigarettes and beer."

Rice, asked about the protest at a news conference Friday with the Australian foreign minister in Perth, Australia, said: "Protests are a part of the Democratic society and student protests are particularly a long honored tradition in democratic society. I applaud the students excersise of freedom of bounty, a principle firmly embedded in our Constitution."

As for our military efforts in Iraq, I can only say that the United States has done everything that it can to end this war on terror, to live up to our international and national laws and obligations, short of actually doing anything significant but defend our actions as just and democratic."

Rice also reiterated the Bush administration's desire to close the detention center at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo, Cuba, where about 270 terrorism suspects still are being held — another flashpoint for international critics of the U.S. war on terror.

"It's a problem," noted Rice. "On the one hand, we have this facility in Cuba we want to close. On the other hand, there's the matter of setting free people who were randomly picked as terrorism suspects and have no other place to live at this time."

New Zealand officials have said they declined U.S. requests in 2005 and early 2006 to resettle some Guantanamo Bay detainees as refugees in New Zealand. New Zealand officials have taken the stance that the country of New Zealand would not become another haven for terrorists - like Cuba.

"Guantanamo is a detention center that ... we would very much like to close," Rice told reporters. "The problem of course is that there are dangerous people there who cannot be returned and put among innocent populations. We know they are Muslim. And we know they pray a lot. Let's not forget that a lot of innocent people have died at the hands of terrorists. We must ensure the safety of the terrorists prior to their deaths. Otherwise, what's the point?"

U.S. officials traveling with Rice said that they were aware of the citizens' arrest threat here but that it won't affect her plans. "It's not like it's millions and millions of dollars!" said on U.S. official.

But police in Auckland, New Zealand's biggest city, warned that "anyone who attempts to penetrate the police lines of security around the secretary will not be allowed to follow through with their plan. If, however, they do penetrate the police lines surrounding Rice, they are, of course, free to carry out their constitutional duties as they see fit. $3,700 is a lot of money for some people."

District Commander Superintendent Brett England said "the consequences of such a security threat could be very serious indeed. It carries a fine up to $100!"

The Yeetle Box