The world's first celebrity terrorist died peacefully today, a fate that he denied thousands of others during his murderous life:

Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat, 75, the leader who passionately sought a homeland for his people but was seen by many Israelis as a ruthless terrorist and a roadblock to peace, died early Thursday in Paris.

Arafat had been sick with an unknown illness that had been variously described as the flu, a stomach virus or gallstones. He flew to Paris nearly two weeks ago seeking medical treatment and was hospitalized with what Palestinian officials said was a blood disorder.

He had been on a respirator since slipping into a coma November 3.

A hospital spokesman said he died at 3:30 a.m. Thursday (9:30 p.m. Wednesday ET).

For all the crimes he committed and people he terrorized, the most ironic legacy Arafat left was the utter poverty and degradation he rained onto his own people -- while he and his wife lived it up on their money. And now the people of the West Bank will send him off with a hero's funeral, compounding the irony.

Maybe God will forgive him; I don't presume to know His will and judgment. All I know is that Arafat hastened a whole lot of innocent people into His personal audience. Arafat may be hoping He's grateful for the business ... but I rather doubt it.

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» Arafat Is Dead. Period. from Ubique Patriam Reminisci
Okay, it's official. A moment of silence for this peace-loving, kind, gentle, humble, Nobel laureate, gem of a human being. Okay that's enough. Now, I'm going to dance in the streets with my peeps for a while, and send the videotape over to... [Read More]

Tracked on November 11, 2004 12:32 AM

» The Rag Headed Islamo-Pig is finally DEAD! from The Blog Hill
...Will God show mercy to a man who did not repent, and turn his back on the killing he started? No amount of praying by the world populace will help him. Thank you God that this man is dead... [Read More]

Tracked on November 11, 2004 12:32 AM

» Two Tyrants for the Price of One? from voices.in.my.head
"For all the crimes he committed and people he terrorized, the most ironic legacy Arafat left was the utter poverty and degradation he rained onto his own people -- while he and his wife lived it up on their money. And now the people of the West Bank ... [Read More]

Tracked on November 11, 2004 12:38 AM

» my father said it best from Skeet Skeet Skeet
From: $%*@# Bach To: Ben Bach Date: Thu, 11 Nov 2004 00:24:20 -0500 Subject: time for a schnapps Le Chaim, guys, just had a schnapps, now that the bastard is officially dead. DAD [Read More]

Tracked on November 11, 2004 12:47 AM

» Yassar Arafat Dead Again from Diggers Realm
I think he's dead dead this time, but you never know the Palestinians may change their mind. The official announcement was made on Thursday by his senior aide Tayeb Abdel Rahim. "The Palestinian leadership mourns Yasser Arafat ... who died... [Read More]

Tracked on November 11, 2004 1:53 AM

» R.I.H. from Pirate's Cove
Arafat has finally kicked the bucket (though, they apparently do not know why yet.) He is done. Toast (hopefully, literally.) Several world leaders have chimed in:French President Jacques Chirac eulogized Arafat as a [Read More]

Tracked on November 11, 2004 6:47 AM

» Hero? Or One Of The Worst Terrorists? from DOUBLE TOOTHPICKS:Worldviews Behind The News
I compare the media / Axis of Weasels treatment of Arafat's death to imagined (and real) hagiographies of Uday and Qusay Hussein upon their deaths in 2003. It's written as a fake "Rooters News Service" article. [Read More]

Tracked on November 11, 2004 9:26 AM

» Arafat dead. No, really. from bLogicus
After following the press and jumping the gun in my blog entry, Arafat Reportedly Died (Again), I can now safely say that Arafat has indeed passed away. (Thanks to A Physicist's Perspective for the title) Speculation continues over the cause... [Read More]

Tracked on November 11, 2004 9:36 AM

» Arafat Dead from Ace of Trump
Yasser Arafat, one of the most brutal terrorists in history, is dead [Read More]

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» Good Riddance from A Bluegrass Blog
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