OSAMA BIN FREE AS A BIRD!
What is this? Osama bin Laden, arch-enemy, mass murderer, hater of the Western world, war criminal, standing in front of a camera dressed in virginal white, with a golden robe tossed over his shoulders, announcing his message for the American people!
What is this? Saddam Hussein, who did not mastermind 9/11, sits in a guarded cell somewhere in Iraq, looking like nothing more than a crazed, demented old man, while Osama bin Laden, who DID mastermind 9/11, goes free as a bird around the mountains and valleys of the Middle East, protected by his loyal and loving friends, their womenfolk properly masked and covered in burdensome robes, preaching their sermons of afterlifes entrenched at Allah's side, these warlords and Talibans, thumbing their noses at the troops who are combing the hillsides in a fruitless search.
What is this? How did we evolve from an angry hornet's nest of a society chasing down the evil perpetrator of a terrible deed, a deed that tumbled two prestigious buildings to dust and pulverized those thousands caught inside, to that of a society concentrated on a War with a little country that had sanctions against it, that was not bothering us at the moment, that had nothing to do with the terrible destruction we had suffered?
It is a little bit like calling out "Remember the Alamo!", then going to fight mosquitoes in the forest. It is a little bit like saying "Remember Pearl Harbor" and moving to attack Cuba!
I mean, Shock & Awe was a bit like watching fireworks on the Fourth of July, and there was a lot of flag-waving and back-patting. We puffed up with pride in America and spread our love to encompass those poor Iraqi who were supposed to greet us with hugs and kisses, but instead were too busy looting to care!
One didn't dare suggest it was the wrong war at the wrong place at the wrong time, because then the threats and intimidation began. The Dixie Chicking! "Let's lash them to a bomb and drop them into Baghdad!" Speak out against George Bush and his war and one was not "Supporting the Troops". Charlie Daniels wrote his song about the flag and the rag, Alan Jackson sang about his confusion over Iraq and Iran, and Americans everywhere talked about what a monster Saddam was and what a good thing we had done.
Osama bin Laden slipped to the back of our minds as we exulted over the deaths of two of the monster-babies, Uday and Qusay, and then chuckled because we cornered their Daddy in a rabbit hole, shaking with terror, confused, frightened.
Somewhere, perhaps in the back rooms of political planning and agendas we do not fully understand, our focus went from the matter at hand to other, less pressing concerns. And now we are swept up in a fierce little war, where "insurgents" are desperately battling Americans and we have daily bombings of dusty cities, soldiers blown apart in Humvees, many of them lacking proper armor, moving onward with our determination to turn a quagmire into a Democracy and write the name of George Bush into our history books as the Great Liberator.
In the meantime, Osama bin Laden, who doesn't look much like a man living in cowering terror in a cave, who doesn't look much like a man dying of kidney disease, who doesn't look much like a man riddled with guilt over his sins, still mouths his nasty words of "jihad", or whatever the proper term might be, threatening Americans to "shape up or die" in his dirty little grudge fight against us all!
President Bush, after he had finally faced the calamity of 9/11 (and I presume had finished his perusal of My Pet Goat), stated that he wanted Osama bin Laden "Dead or Alive". It's a good thing that he gave himself some leeway there, because Osama is undoubtedly alive. Where he is, no one seems to know. Clambering about the mountains of Pakistan, roaming through the cities of Syria...it's anyone's guess. But, wherever he is, whatever he is planning in his evil, possessed mind, he had time to make that chilling video to warn Americans of his intentions.
John Kerry said we let him slip through out fingers. I believe that. You don't send an emissary to capture your enemy. You must face him yourself. The Bush forces, including Tommy Franks, say they weren't sure Osama was in the caves of Tora Bora. But, it is for sure, they did not go themselves to find out. Instead, they sent in Afghan troops...some of whom may have been Osama sympathizers, who knows? Or some of them may not have been in a big hurry to die for America!
The only thing we know for sure is that Osama bin Laden is free...free as a bird...and he will use his beak and talons to wreak havoc on more Americans! Stopping this man should be our primary concern. We should leave the Iraqi to the Iraqi and bring our attention back to the real war, terrorism.
Will capturing or killing Osama bin Laden halt terrorism? Of course not. But, as some Mafia don stated, you have to start by cutting off the head of the snake. Then, hopefully, the tail flops around, unable to survive. But, if another Osama rears his ugly head, then you go after him, too. Terrorist activities depend upon organization. Without it, it is difficult for them to survive.
And it boils down to this....either they survive, or we do. There is no other choice.
What is this? Saddam Hussein, who did not mastermind 9/11, sits in a guarded cell somewhere in Iraq, looking like nothing more than a crazed, demented old man, while Osama bin Laden, who DID mastermind 9/11, goes free as a bird around the mountains and valleys of the Middle East, protected by his loyal and loving friends, their womenfolk properly masked and covered in burdensome robes, preaching their sermons of afterlifes entrenched at Allah's side, these warlords and Talibans, thumbing their noses at the troops who are combing the hillsides in a fruitless search.
What is this? How did we evolve from an angry hornet's nest of a society chasing down the evil perpetrator of a terrible deed, a deed that tumbled two prestigious buildings to dust and pulverized those thousands caught inside, to that of a society concentrated on a War with a little country that had sanctions against it, that was not bothering us at the moment, that had nothing to do with the terrible destruction we had suffered?
It is a little bit like calling out "Remember the Alamo!", then going to fight mosquitoes in the forest. It is a little bit like saying "Remember Pearl Harbor" and moving to attack Cuba!
I mean, Shock & Awe was a bit like watching fireworks on the Fourth of July, and there was a lot of flag-waving and back-patting. We puffed up with pride in America and spread our love to encompass those poor Iraqi who were supposed to greet us with hugs and kisses, but instead were too busy looting to care!
One didn't dare suggest it was the wrong war at the wrong place at the wrong time, because then the threats and intimidation began. The Dixie Chicking! "Let's lash them to a bomb and drop them into Baghdad!" Speak out against George Bush and his war and one was not "Supporting the Troops". Charlie Daniels wrote his song about the flag and the rag, Alan Jackson sang about his confusion over Iraq and Iran, and Americans everywhere talked about what a monster Saddam was and what a good thing we had done.
Osama bin Laden slipped to the back of our minds as we exulted over the deaths of two of the monster-babies, Uday and Qusay, and then chuckled because we cornered their Daddy in a rabbit hole, shaking with terror, confused, frightened.
Somewhere, perhaps in the back rooms of political planning and agendas we do not fully understand, our focus went from the matter at hand to other, less pressing concerns. And now we are swept up in a fierce little war, where "insurgents" are desperately battling Americans and we have daily bombings of dusty cities, soldiers blown apart in Humvees, many of them lacking proper armor, moving onward with our determination to turn a quagmire into a Democracy and write the name of George Bush into our history books as the Great Liberator.
In the meantime, Osama bin Laden, who doesn't look much like a man living in cowering terror in a cave, who doesn't look much like a man dying of kidney disease, who doesn't look much like a man riddled with guilt over his sins, still mouths his nasty words of "jihad", or whatever the proper term might be, threatening Americans to "shape up or die" in his dirty little grudge fight against us all!
President Bush, after he had finally faced the calamity of 9/11 (and I presume had finished his perusal of My Pet Goat), stated that he wanted Osama bin Laden "Dead or Alive". It's a good thing that he gave himself some leeway there, because Osama is undoubtedly alive. Where he is, no one seems to know. Clambering about the mountains of Pakistan, roaming through the cities of Syria...it's anyone's guess. But, wherever he is, whatever he is planning in his evil, possessed mind, he had time to make that chilling video to warn Americans of his intentions.
John Kerry said we let him slip through out fingers. I believe that. You don't send an emissary to capture your enemy. You must face him yourself. The Bush forces, including Tommy Franks, say they weren't sure Osama was in the caves of Tora Bora. But, it is for sure, they did not go themselves to find out. Instead, they sent in Afghan troops...some of whom may have been Osama sympathizers, who knows? Or some of them may not have been in a big hurry to die for America!
The only thing we know for sure is that Osama bin Laden is free...free as a bird...and he will use his beak and talons to wreak havoc on more Americans! Stopping this man should be our primary concern. We should leave the Iraqi to the Iraqi and bring our attention back to the real war, terrorism.
Will capturing or killing Osama bin Laden halt terrorism? Of course not. But, as some Mafia don stated, you have to start by cutting off the head of the snake. Then, hopefully, the tail flops around, unable to survive. But, if another Osama rears his ugly head, then you go after him, too. Terrorist activities depend upon organization. Without it, it is difficult for them to survive.
And it boils down to this....either they survive, or we do. There is no other choice.
posted by Herma Snider at 10/30/2004 03:32:00 PM
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