> From: Marvin Long, Jr. <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> On Mon, 24 Sep 2001, The Fool wrote:
>
> > You can do nothing and starve. You can rise up and, perhaps, free
> > yourself. It's like a choice between multiple evils. None of the
> > options are good.
>
> While I'm happy to agree that Saddam is the primary source of all Iraqi
> suffering, I think you state this binary choice in a way that vastly
> overestimates the ease with which the people in Iraq can rise up and
> "perhaps" free themselves. Rising up requires weapons, organization,
> unity of purpose, and something resembling a clear goal, a vision of
the
> future. States like Saddam's specialize in depriving people of all
these
> things. In real-world terms, I suspect the choice for each individual
> Iraqi is to shut up and scrounge for a living, or whisper of dissent
and be
> shot because the second or third or fourth or fifth person to hear
> the whisper will choose to inform and perhaps be fed.
>
It's like a meme. If the people see this guy try and resist and although
he gets gunned down he was still willing to try...
To simplify: it's a choice between a slow death, and a fast death.
Granted I don't see free Iraqis happening anytime soon.
OTOH getting back to the real issue (O.B.L. / Taliban); It is quite clear
that he is hoping to spark some kind Christian vs Islam war.
Bin Laden TV Interview Calls On Muslims To Crush 'Scum' Of The West
Exclusive
By Sara Nathan
The Sun - London
9-24-1
Terror chief Osama bin Laden has called on Muslims to wage war against
the "scum" of the West, it was revealed last night. Bin Laden made the
chilling demand in a rare TV interview from his mountain lair in
Afghanistan. The fanatic smirked as he spoke of his "joy and delight" at
the 1998 US embassy bombings that killed 224 people. He launched a
hate-filled tirade against America and its allies. Bin Laden called for
a Jihad, or holy war, to drive Americans out of Islamic lands. He said:
"We cannot leave the house of God to these malicious Jews and Christians.
"Every US man is an enemy. We demand the liberation of our land from
Americans. We call on the sons of the Muslim Nation to pursue Jihad and
inflict pain on America and its allies. "We are duty-bound to protect
the nation against the US, Israel and their allies, and to resist this
occupation." Bin Laden, No1 suspect for the New York and Washington
atrocities, was captured on camera in 1998 by Arabic satellite channel Al
Jazera, based in the Gulf country of Qatar. He predicted a miltary
strike against Afghanistan, whose brutal Taliban rulers have sheltered
the exiled Saudi millionaire. Bin Laden said: "We have chosen the road
for ourselves, and we are not interested by America's missiles. "We warn
them that any strikes against Afghanistan will be seen as a strike
against the State of Islam." He smiled as he admitted he "incited"
attacks on US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya: "The bombing was a grace
from the Almighty, bringing delight to the Muslim world." Bin Laden
praised the bombers, and those who attacked the World Trade Center in
1993. He said: "May Allah accept these young men as martyrs in his cause.
"I view with a high degree of pride these great men who lifted the
humiliation that had befallen our nation." But when quizzed about
America's claim that he spearheaded the attacks, bin Laden said: "Its
allegations are void, unless it meant the association in their
incitement. I admit any day that I was the one who endorsed an edict to
protect the Muslim nation." He added: "Ever since I was a boy I felt
hatred towards the Americans and felt that I was at war against them.
"Three-quarters of the US people support attacks on Iraq. The American
President's ratings are high when he kills innocent civilians." Of the
US intervention in Kuwait, he said: "I'm sure that free Muslim women, let
alone Muslim men, feel ashamed when such scum as the American army are
called upon to defend them." Bin Laden spoke of war between Muslims and
"Zionist crusaders" led by the US and Israel, and called the United
Nations an "infidel regime." He added: "Our enemies move freely in our
seas, land and air space, striking without consulting anyone. "We should
learn a lesson from our brothers in Palestine. "They were known for
their export-bound agriculture, citrus fruits and textiles. They later
became destitutes and cheap labourers for Jews." The smiling lad ringed
in our picture looks like he doesn't have a care in the world as he poses
with 22 of his brothers and sisters. But the 14-year-old is Osama bin
Laden - and within a few years the grinning schoolboy was on his way to
becoming the world's most cold-hearted mass murderer. The bin Laden
children lined up next to a pink Cadillac for this snapshot on a trip to
Falun, Sweden, in 1971. The holiday was paid for by their father
Mohammed, a billionaire building tycoon. Osama inherited a fortune when
his dad died soon afterwards - and used it to build a worldwide network
of terror. ___ Clues That Nailed bin Ladin By Simon Hughes 9-24-1 Thr
Sun today reveals vital clues that have convinced America and Britain
that bin Laden was behind the murderous blitz on New York and Washington.
After the attack, a US spy satellite picked up two known associates of
the terror warlord talking on mobile phones about "two targets being
hit." Then there is Nawaq Al-Hamzi, 25, a hijacker on the plane that hit
the Pentagon. He had been secretly videotaped by the CIA meeting an
associate of bin Laden. FBI agents further traced the plot to bin Laden
by arresting Nabib Almarabh in Chicago. He had been the target of a
long-running probe into bin Laden's ties to the US. Almarabh, Ahmed
Al-ghamdi and Satam Al Suqmi, were suspected of channelling funds to bin
Laden bank accounts. And Al-ghamdi and Al Suqami were among the
hijackers. All three had lived in Boston, scene of two hijackings, and
where a bin Laden terror cell was thought to be based. There is also
evidence bin Laden made millions from dealing in shares he knew would be
affected by the atrocities. Powell ... 'US has the proof' Top German
banker Ernst Welteke said: "There were activities on the international
financial markets that must have needed expert knowledge." Some prices,
like oil and gold, shot up after the hijacks. Others, like airlines and
insurance plunged - and huge profits were made. Investors do deals to
sell later below current prices, thus betting that prices will fall.
US-hating bin Laden was also linked to 1998 attacks on American embassies
and is known to be the mastermind behind the 1993 bombing of the World
Trade Center. Secretary of State Colin Powell has pledged to reveal US
evidence against bin Laden. British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has
received a secret four-page dossier blaming him.
