First, through job experience (only currently employed as a police officer of
20 years experience) and through life experience I have a much better working
knowledge of these issues that you credit me with. I assure you, I have done
my research - for longer than some of the members of this list have been alive.
Second - Bin ladin is a businessman. He has actual, physical business
interests and stock investments which produce large amounts of money. He is
the first businessman terrorist. I made no comment on where he got his
startup funds - that was irrelevent, and still is.
Thirdly - it doesn't matter where he is persona non-grata. He is not subject
to control by the threat of his sponsor government cutting off his funds. He
can afford to hide anywhere he needs to. Afghanistan works for now, other
places might work, if less well, but it isn't as simple a matter as a particular
state pulling his strings.
Fourth - you obviously haven't read, with anything remotely resembling
attention, what I said concerning electronic access. I said nothing about it
from him to us. The Taliban are the ones claiming he has no electronic access
to the world, not me, and we all know that's bullshit. It was from us to him
and his wealth that I was writing about.
Most importantly, and my last comments on this no matter how hot the flame ...
My reaction was prompted by the repeated use on this very list of slurs
such as "diaperhead" and "sand flea", the repeated childish and profane
suggestion that we should turn the women and children of Afganistan into
outlines in a vast sea of glass to kill one man and his friends, and the ease
with which bloody words fell from the fingers of more than a few.
Kill Bin Ladin, and kill every mother's son, black, white, brown, red or
yellow, who ever considered that murder in the name of some wicked hatred is the
answer to any of life's problems. But, unless we have gotten up there and
gotten the blood on ourselves or we are absolutely and unflinchingly willing to
be the first in line to do so this time it might behoove us to choose our words
with more care lest the unintended consequences of those words lead us to deep
regret. And to those who have and those who will - may your God bless you and
keep you.
This is a very different sort of war, with a very different sort of enemy, in a
very different world than even our President's father commanded. It will
require a different sort of answer to this problem if our nation expects to
come out on top in the long run. We can be creative, forceful, direct and
terrible or we can be turn one country after another into a shiny little glass
bauble until nobody's left to hate us at all - if we survive the effort. We
have the power to do either. Most of you are young, intelligent and skilled.
Many of you are possessed of arcane knowledge. We are coming into a world where
this knowledge will be a large and important component of the weaponry in the
arsenal of free and peaceable peoples everywhere. Put your knowledge to use,
however you see fit - or teach me.
I'm done now. Say what you like, I'm done. I have to go out to the airport
and run another security sweep (yeah, we even do that here).
- Richard
On Sat, 15 Sep 2001, you wrote:
> > This is wrong. Bin Ladin is a businessman, pal.
>
> Sorry pal. Do a little research and you will find that
> Bin Ladin has never worked a day in his life. He is the
> son of one of wealthiest Saudi's of the 20th century. His
> father, who *actually* was a businessman, was first involved
> in the oil business and later in international banking. Bin Ladin's
> entire fortune is the result of another mans efforts... His
> father's.
>
> Further, Bin Ladin is personanongrata (sp?) in Saudi Arabia
> even though he has a huge following in Saudi (As well as the
> rest of the Arab world). Also, the Saudi Royal Family is
> terrifed of the bastard... He has a lot more political and
> military power than you want to give him credit for.
>
>
> > Even if it were true that state sponsored
> > terrorism was the sole, or even the most important,
> > source of funding, it must have electronic
> > access to the world.
>
> Where the hell do you think the money came from or do you
> think they just put the whole operation on their VISA card...?...
> Also, even in the most remote, war torn areas of the world
> there is access to almost all forms of electronic communication.
>
> One other thing: The moment these people plop this war into
> your front yard you'll be singing a different tune. My own opinion
> is (And I really could care less what others think of it) smoke the
> Taliban government and all those who support it and let God sort
> them out. I certainly won't bother.
>
>
> M. Peck Dickens
>
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