Part of my nightly ritual is to listen to George Noory on "After Dark". I used to listen to Art Bell, but George replaced him and he is doing a great job. Last night, George interviewed Howard Bloom and they were discussing America's war on terror or George Bush vs. Osama.
Much of their discussion was based on a new tape released showing Osama sitting on some rock saying this. While I did not get to hear the whole conversation between Noory and Bloom, I did get to hear a good chunk and I think Bloom had some great points on Bush and his stance on Iraq and the war on terror.
He pointed out that Osama's frame of mind is based on a multi-generational war, we (Americans) think in four-month intervals and are constantly fixated on exit strategies, Osama is prepared to fight forever. Until the last 100 years, Muslims have enjoyed around 700 years of military domination. So we have 700 years vs. four months - who do you like? He also stated that Osama knows that the American public knows it is being bamboozled. Bushy is fighting a war so he can make his cronies rich and we watch and feel helpless. At least I do. And while I disagree with much of what Bushy says, does and stands for, I also feel he is correct on one very important point - to leave Iraq now would be a grievous error.
I think that once we disgracefully left Somalia, with our dead soldiers being dragged through the streets no less, Osama saw hope for a Jihad against the US. He even deemed us a paper tiger based on our piss-poor military display.
Another on the money point by Bloom was the assertion that we are constantly bombarded by the media asking the question of when this war will end - Bloom and anyone that pays attention realizes this war has no end. It has no boundaries. Osama will never stop, the only thing he will do is pause, just long enough to bolster his numbers and support to continue his Jihad.
Pleasant, right? All this said, I'd rather that my biggest concern is trying to figure out which track I like the most on Glennard Da Vinci's newest offering to the Athens Freaky Mix Exchange - I'm going to go with "By Your Side" by Coco Rosie and "Hold You Down" by Alchemist, Prodigy and Nina Sky.
Hold You Down
C$, like many cyber-journalists you have summarized neatly one of the most fucked-up connundrums our country has ever found itself engulfed in.
But - if there is no end to this war, and leaving now would be an error, when do we leave, if ever? I think that is what many Americans are asking themselves, and why many people are so mad at the Dem's. They are the party of opposition at the moment, yet offer no solutions (aside from Murtha's redistribution of troops plan).
It seems to me that even though leaving would cause problems, it is a necessary evil and a giant FUCK YOU that George Bush and his money-hungry buddies need so desperately to hear.
First, thanks KW. And you're so very right, if we don't leave now, when? I cannot answer that, Lord/Allah knows. But do you think leaving right now (other than the glorius feeling of going against Bushy and his cronies) will get Osama off our collective backs? I don't think he and his ilk will stop until we all convert. Lovely.
That made me laugh...regarding 'After Dark', I'm very assured to hear their sources are so credible..."Predictions are presented in-depth, by a top notch group of psychics and prognosticators".
By the way, the link of Bin Laden's newest words of wit and wisdom is from an October 2001 speech. I can't find the entire english translation of this recent speech, but here are some clips:
2006 Al-Zarqawi Tape
Yep, no doubt about it...we're in quite a tough spot now, aren't we? However, there are always choices and alternatives.
"Americans would like to ignore foreign policy. Our previous attempts at isolationism were successful. Unfortunately, they were successful for Hitler
I think that we are misdirecting our efforts. I agree that vigilance is important and that, as much as I hate to acquiesce to President Bush, a hard stance against those that attack us is absolutely necessary; but if we have identified Bin Laden as our enemy and have definitively declared war on terror, then why is it so ridiculous to propose an exit strategy? I don't ask this question hypothetically. I will openly admit that I'm am not as educated as I shoud be on this subject, so my facts may be outdated or just outright wrong. From what I understand though, Saudi Arabia is the biggest supporter of terrorist factions in the Middle East. Iran poses the largest nuclear threat. At no time has Bin Laden been directly associated with Iraqi leadership. As I said, I could be wrong and would certainly like to be pointed in the right direction if so; but if these three statements are correct, then how is this war furthering the cause of American national security? If this war is not furthering that specific cause, then why are we still there, other than to clean up what we, perhaps, erroneously started. So, more specifically, how did we end up in Iraq as a response to terrorist attacks in the first place? If everything that I've written is correct, then I think that we most cetainly need to consider a prompt exit strategy and redirect our efforts towards a more succinct plan to identify and stop our true enemy. If what I've written is wrong, then I apolgize for taking up this space.
On a completely different topic, does anyone else find themselves flip-flopping the h and the e when quickly typing the word the? I just did it while typing that last sentence. Wierd.
First, Jules thanks for providing the new link for the 2006 Osama speech. BF, I think you are more well-versed in foreign policy than you give yourself credit. However, I do think we can ask how we ended up in Iraq - unfortunately, that ship has sailed. And while Iraq may not be our true enemy, its strategic spot in the Middle East has all eyes on yet another democratic experiment. The stakes are high, no doubt. Hopefully, we will muddle through this and be better because of it.
One minor point. I agree that we should exercise caution in leaving Iraq, but let's not give Bushy too much credit for this idea. He is only sticking to his guns because he knows that stability in Iraq is the only way he can justify this whole endeavor. If he could own up to the rashness of his misinformed crusade, perhaps I could give him credit for finishing the job.
I'm impressed and a bit intimidated by everyone's knowledge on this subject, but I thought, like Thunderpants (who knows his subject better than he lets on), that I'd add my two cents.
From a strictly uninformed, gut-level, I feel that many politicians, democrats among them, are opposing a pull-out of Iraq simply to seem "tough" and be able to get fence voters in the next election. I think that is what Hillary Clinton is doing with her opposition to a pull-out and her Iran-bashing of late.
Yet, at the same time, I don't feel that sentiments such as Murtha's, that undeniably make well-informed, historically-based claims, are themselves free of outside agendas.
In other words, we live among folks who blow hot air on the lives and deaths of human beings a world away because us American folk see as such people as little more than pieces of a strategic power plan, an economic situation. It's sad because Iran is not just one thing, it is a multitude. Iraq, the same. And Israel, the same. Why is it that it's always Israel that we have to be concerned with aligning to? Why are the other Middle Eastern countries always demonized?
Now, I do realize that there's some scary-ass heads of state who back terrorism and try to get their hands on plutonium, and yes, some are in Iran and Syria and the like, but I refuse to believe that this represents the aim of an entire people of a region, and I refuse to believe that continuing to declare war upon them, continuing to align with their enemy, continuing to be "tough" is going to solve anything. In fact, it will rain more death down us; that's just logic.
What we need instead is a complete paradigm shift in our thinking, our understanding of a region of people with rich and diverse religious and ethical beliefs. Then maybe we can begin to act, even declare war, with a little more understanding.
Don't get me wrong, I'm no pansy-ass liberal. I'm a radical liberal, but I'm no pacifist. I believe war is a part of being human, and it always will be. And, I like revenge. I just like it to be taken out on the right offender, for the right reasons. And I don't like innocent thousands to be caught up in it.
Amen, Louden. And while a paradigm shift is way overdue, I don't think there are enough that agree with this idea. We need a political enema, but how and when is the question.
[4]
I heard that back in terrorist school they lived on the same dorm floor and pulled tubes together, rockin the Cypress Hill.
I admit that I'm pretty ignorant on this subject, but to play devil's advocate (literally?), here's what I've heard from the so-called "Bushies": Saddam tolerated al Qaeda training camps going on in his country, and was harboring al Qaeda No. 2, Ayman Zawahiri, beginning in the early 1990
[7] Mr. Houdyschell...you should check out "Lord of War" if you haven't yet.
"Terror is the most dreaded weapon in the modern age, and the Western media are mercilessly using it against their own people,"
The Western media establishment "...implants fear and helplessness in the psyche of the people of Europe and the United States. It means that what the enemies of the United States cannot do, its media are doing"
-October 2001 interview with Al-Ja-zeera
[2]..."don't think [bin Laden] and his ilk will stop until we all convert":
Yep. And from what I understand, the Sunni extremist viewpoint (previously a la bin Laden) says "until a new caliphate is restored" (a la Ottoman Empire). Now it seems that bin Laden's views have shiften, and he isn't really setting these limits, and simply stating jihad will continue until "we meet God and get his blessing".
vague muthafucka.
Like I said, I don't claim to know $hit. However, this Congressional report seems to be some good, layman's Islam 101 clif note material (and it's only six pages long):
Congressional Research Service Report- Islam: Sunnis and Shiites
Oh, where is Chuck Norris when we need him?