According to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Al Qaeda has better PR than the US. According to CNN’s American Morning, they’ve also got a decent policy on paid vacations for operatives. From CNN transcripts:
O’BRIEN: It’s not your run-of-the-mill job offer. The salary is decent, the benefits surprisingly good. The only trouble is, from our perspective, is the job is with al Qaeda.
Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr joins us live now from Washington with details of an actual al Qaeda employment contract. Hard to believe, Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hard to believe, Miles. Very bizarre. But some disturbing new insight into the world of al Qaeda.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STARR (voice-over): So what does it take to be an employee of al Qaeda? The U.S. military academy at West point has released documents offering extraordinary details to answer that question. Military officials tell CNN they were chilled when they read a document known as the “al Qaeda employment contract,” which they strongly believe to be authentic. It was seized after 9/11 in the home of an al Qaeda operative in Kandahar, Afghanistan. There is an al Qaeda vacation policy. Married members get seven days of vacation every three weeks. Bachelors get five vacation days every month. Requests for vacation travel must be submitted two-and– half months in advance. Monthly salaries are spelled out, 6,500 Pakistani rupees, about $108 if you’re married, 1,000 rupees, about $17 for bachelors. An extra 700 rupees per wife if you have more than one.
The contract requires al Qaeda members to exercise and stay healthy. But they also get 15 days sick leave a year. The document is one of dozens that special operations command asked West Point to analyze. The idea was to develop a better understanding of the al Qaeda network in their own words. And the contract requires, of course total loyalty, secrecy and adherence to jihad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STARR: Miles, we don’t know how many al Qaeda members actually ever signed this contract. But what the military says it is disturbing. What they remind us is four years ago, they didn’t realize this even existed. They didn’t maybe realize what an organized business venture al Qaeda was, and so their very concerned about they may not know now — Miles.
O’BRIEN: I guess we should all be concerned about that. Thank you very much, Barbara Starr — Zain.
As a state employee, I have more sick time but less vacation time (far less) than those who signed this contract. If it is legit, anyway. I wonder if Al Qaeda-ists get shift differentials? Are those who aren’t quite managers yet dual rate? Terrorism is nothing to laugh at, but the notion of zealots patiently filling out vacation travel request forms is a bit incongruous.