[Winona Online Democracy]
Actually, the U.S. government has known about Osama bin Laden for quite some time from his years of employment by the CIA. As an "asset" in the American effort to assist the fundamentalist Afghani Mujahedin in their war against the Russians, bin Laden received American money and assistance in creating an underground network of religious militants to facilitate and coordinate acts of disruption and sabotage. The U.S. government has been aware for quite some time of bin Laden's capability to support and coordinate terrorist-type activities. One bit of history I suggest we try to learn from is the pattern in U.S. foreign policy over the last 60 years or so of immediately-expedient support going to questionable parties who later go on to become adversaries after the situations wherein they might have been helpful have resolved themselves. This trend would seem to begin with American assistance to Joseph Stalin in the 1940's, and has been a factor in many of the United States' more recent military conflicts. Manuel Noriega, Saddam Hussein, and Osama bin Laden were all given significant assistance in their various activities when those activities were beneficial to the United States, then later became the targets of American military attacks when these activities ceased to be useful and became detrimental to U.S. interests. The $43 million given to the Taliban last May by the Bush administration (in exchange for their suppression of opium cultivation) would seem to fall into the same category. One can only wonder and speculate what future threats the U.S. is creating in its current war in Afghanistan. (One such speculation was made by Ole Holsti, a Duke University political science professor who gave a lecture here at Reed College in which he pointed out that the situation in Pakistan is potentially volatile, with the government fairly friendly toward the West but a significant portion of the population adherent to fundamentalist religious beliefs. In other words, the current situation in Pakistan closely resembles that of Iran in the 1970's.) It does seem that the U.S. has substituted one group of religious militants for another in supporting the Afghani Northern Alliance against the Taliban. Hey, if there was a credible terrorist threat against Oliver North, maybe we shouldn't regard the personal-security measures demanded by Jesse Ventura with quite so much scorn. >From: "Mary Jean Kinzie" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: "On-Line Democracy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [Winona] Fw: Learn from History!! >Date: Sat, 17 Nov 2001 10:14:06 -0800 > >An e-mail from a friend that I thought worth sharing: > >----- Original Message ----- >From: Kay Stone >To: Edgar & Dorla Johns >Cc: Iris Guynn ; Creta Stickney ; Connie Herrick ; Jean Kinzie ; Marylois >Skochdopole >Sent: Friday, November 16, 2001 6:01 PM >Subject: Learn from History!! > > > > > > > > > Subject: FW: LEARN FROM HISTORY!! > > > > > > >> > > > >> You know, it's funny. I remember very vividly the Oliver > > > North hearings, > > > >> but did not recall the name of Osama bin Laden as the > > > terrorist that > > > >> North was threatened by. Has this slimeball been around > > > that long?. > > > >> > > > >> It's pretty evident, in hindsight that we should have > > > listened to OLLIE! > > > >> > > > >> I was at a UNC lecture the other day where they played a > > > video of Oliver > > > >> North during the Iran-Contra deals during the Reagan > > > administration. I > > > >> was only 14 back then but was surprised by this > > > particular clip. There > > > >was > > > >> Ollie in front of God and Country getting the third > > > degree. But what he > > > >> said stunned me. He was being drilled by some senator I > > > didn't recognize > > > >> who asked him; > > > >> 'Did you not recently spend close to $60,000 for a home > > > security > > > system?' > > > >> > > > >> Oliver replied, 'Yes I did sir.' > > > >> > > > >> The senator continued, trying to get a laugh out of the > > > audience, 'Isn't > > > >> this just a little excessive?' > > > >> 'No sir,' continued Oliver. > > > >> > > > >> 'No. And why not?' > > > >> > > > >> 'Because the life of my family and I were threatened.' > > > >> > > > >> 'Threatened? By who.' > > > >> 'By a terrorist, sir.' > > > >> 'Terrorist? What terrorist could possibly scare you that > > > much?' > > > >> 'His name is Osama bin Laden.' > > > >> > > > >> At this point the senator tried to repeat the name, but > > > couldn't > > > >pronounce > > > >> it, which most people back then probably couldn't. A > > > couple of people > > > >> laughed at the attempt. Then the senator continued. > > > 'Why are you so > > > >> afraid of this man?' > > > >> 'Because sir, he is the most evil person alive that I > > > know of.' > > > >> > > > >> 'And what do you recommend we do about him?' > > > >> > > > >> 'If it were me I would recommend an assassin team be > > > formed to eliminate > > > >> him and his men from the face of the earth.' > > > >> > > > >> The senator disagreed with this approach and that was > > > all they showed of > > > >> the clip. > > > >> > > > >> It's scary when you think 15 years ago the government > > > was aware of > > > >> Osama > > > >> bin Laden and his potential threat to the security of > > > the world. I > > > guess > > > >> like all great tyrants they start small but if left > > > untended spread like > > > >> the virus they truly are. > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> > > > > > _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp --------------- This message was posted to Winona Online Democracy Please visit http://onlinedemocracy.winona.org to subscribe or unsubscribe All messages sent to the list must be signed with your actual name. Posting of commercial soliticitations is not allowed on this list. Report problems or questions to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
