They who can give up liberty to obtain temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Benjamin Franklin
The public reaction to the long overdue death of Osama bin Laden continues to amaze me. Many of us of course cheered the demise of the person responsible for the violent deaths of thousands of Americans, and for our ongoing wars. And naturally there were a good many people who were pretty well “ho-hum” about the whole thing. From the loony left we still hear a good deal of weeping and wailing that our killing of the “Great Sheik” will anger Muslims world-wide and cause them to attack us. I guess that is correct in part, as I understand that radical Muslims are still quite upset over loosing their fearless leader, but consider, with or without Osama, when did they not attack non-Muslims (or anyone else that disagrees with ‘em) at every chance? Then to, there are those folks who immediately suspect yet another government conspiracy, that Osama is well and fine, and probably living the life of Riley in Iran. With only slightly less fanfare we also have those who are constantly arguing the case against the CIA’s use of unconventional interrogation to find out where this nutcase was hiding.
At any rate, if bin Laden isn’t dead, I’m sure that he’ll appear on worldwide TV one of these days, and like Mark Twain once did, announce that “the reports of my demise are greatly exaggerated”. But for now, even Al-Qaeda has publicly admitted that he’s gone and they have appointed his successor. The proof of his death will probably be when the UN complains about fish in the Arabian Sea suffering from food poisoning! Personally, no I don’t think he should have been buried at sea… his mangy carcass should have been slathered with lard, sewn into a pig skin, and hung on public display in New York City’s Times Square, Muslim idealism and sensitivity be dammed! But still, the good thing about the sea burial is that there’s no body and no martyr for the radicals to declare a holy shrine or whatever they do when their leader runs off to paradise. But barring a body to display, I would like to see the famed pictures that Mr. O has decided to keep secret.
Just goes to show ‘ya though, attitudes do change! In 1941 the Empire of Japan attacked the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor killing 2,400 people (mostly military personnel), and sinking a bunch of ships. Once the shock had died down a bit, the American people reared back on their hind legs, bared their fangs, and in four years had extracted a most terrible revenge on the Japanese Empire. Sixty years later the 9/11 attack killed almost 3,000 people (nearly all unarmed civilians), knocked down the pride of New York City, and brought about a completely different response. In a fit of panic, the American people blamed themselves for the death and destruction, doing the “sackcloth and ashes” thing while weeping piteously, and allowed Congress to pass the ill named “Patriot Act” which stripped us of many freedoms guaranteed us by our Constitution, as well as creating the Department of Homeland Security which effectively makes us a police state! Keeping the armed forces in the game (despite having military veterans declared “potential terrorists”), we have the US Northern Command tasked with all sorts of specialized jobs in direct support of the DHS. Additionally we have the Transportation Safety Administration (those “hero’s” who draw a fat government paycheck for groping children and strip searching elderly ladies at the airport) cluttering up the scene and costing us billions of dollars every year. Huh… if all this had happened to the Americans of 1941, the government would have two major fights on their hands, one overseas against our attackers, and the other with the highly irate American people who were demanding their freedom back! Well, I for one have a hard time believing that modern day Americans are so terrified of another Islamic attack that they literally give up their freedom and beg the government to “protect” them from a few wild-eyed radical nuts. The folks I grew up with were quite capable of handling a few terrorists all by themselves! We really don’t need the DHS though, a few million pistol packing Americans with a bad case of mad would, I’m sure, convince the terrorists that it would be much safer to stay home and blow each other up! And on that note, heaven help the miserable soul that tries to terrorize my wife! He will, in short order, find himself flayed alive and hung out to dry! (She tends to get a bit difficult when someone disturbs her peace and quiet.)
Certainly we live in interesting times, but you can bet your bippy we're not going to make things any less interesting by apologizing to the world for every perceived wrong, and running about in a completely mindless pursuit of “Safety and Security at any cost”. I also find it strange that the home of a people who once challenged (and beat) the worlds premier colonial power in a war over individual liberty and freedom is so rapidly giving up that liberty today in a mad search for security, while at the same time the young people of the Middle East are rising up in protest, and demanding their freedom from totalitarian rule!
Other that a possible spasmodic attack or two, Al Qaeda's day is done and gone. Mr. O apparently figures that the war is more or less over, and wants to bring nearly 30,000 troops home, while Leon Panetta, our new defense secretary tells us that al-Qaeda is defeated. Yet Congress, in its infinite wisdom, extends the insidious Patriot Act for another four years and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says "Even as we mark this milestone, we should not forget that the battle to stop al Qaeda and its syndicate of terror will not end with the death of bin Laden", both inferring that only government can save us from continued attack by Islamic fundamentalism. Well Ms. Clinton, I notice that the Islamic world has not risen up in yet more anger and rage at the US, but rather they are angry and raging well enough, rebelling against the very same totalitarian fundamentalism that created bin Laden, and from which he drew his strength!
As for Osama himself, I can only hope that the last thing he saw in this world was an irate US Navy SEAL, and the last thing that went through his mind was an American 9mm bullet. I would also have liked to see the look on his face when he found out that paradise ran out of nubile virgins a few hundred suicide bombers ago!
At any rate, if bin Laden isn’t dead, I’m sure that he’ll appear on worldwide TV one of these days, and like Mark Twain once did, announce that “the reports of my demise are greatly exaggerated”. But for now, even Al-Qaeda has publicly admitted that he’s gone and they have appointed his successor. The proof of his death will probably be when the UN complains about fish in the Arabian Sea suffering from food poisoning! Personally, no I don’t think he should have been buried at sea… his mangy carcass should have been slathered with lard, sewn into a pig skin, and hung on public display in New York City’s Times Square, Muslim idealism and sensitivity be dammed! But still, the good thing about the sea burial is that there’s no body and no martyr for the radicals to declare a holy shrine or whatever they do when their leader runs off to paradise. But barring a body to display, I would like to see the famed pictures that Mr. O has decided to keep secret.
Just goes to show ‘ya though, attitudes do change! In 1941 the Empire of Japan attacked the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor killing 2,400 people (mostly military personnel), and sinking a bunch of ships. Once the shock had died down a bit, the American people reared back on their hind legs, bared their fangs, and in four years had extracted a most terrible revenge on the Japanese Empire. Sixty years later the 9/11 attack killed almost 3,000 people (nearly all unarmed civilians), knocked down the pride of New York City, and brought about a completely different response. In a fit of panic, the American people blamed themselves for the death and destruction, doing the “sackcloth and ashes” thing while weeping piteously, and allowed Congress to pass the ill named “Patriot Act” which stripped us of many freedoms guaranteed us by our Constitution, as well as creating the Department of Homeland Security which effectively makes us a police state! Keeping the armed forces in the game (despite having military veterans declared “potential terrorists”), we have the US Northern Command tasked with all sorts of specialized jobs in direct support of the DHS. Additionally we have the Transportation Safety Administration (those “hero’s” who draw a fat government paycheck for groping children and strip searching elderly ladies at the airport) cluttering up the scene and costing us billions of dollars every year. Huh… if all this had happened to the Americans of 1941, the government would have two major fights on their hands, one overseas against our attackers, and the other with the highly irate American people who were demanding their freedom back! Well, I for one have a hard time believing that modern day Americans are so terrified of another Islamic attack that they literally give up their freedom and beg the government to “protect” them from a few wild-eyed radical nuts. The folks I grew up with were quite capable of handling a few terrorists all by themselves! We really don’t need the DHS though, a few million pistol packing Americans with a bad case of mad would, I’m sure, convince the terrorists that it would be much safer to stay home and blow each other up! And on that note, heaven help the miserable soul that tries to terrorize my wife! He will, in short order, find himself flayed alive and hung out to dry! (She tends to get a bit difficult when someone disturbs her peace and quiet.)
Certainly we live in interesting times, but you can bet your bippy we're not going to make things any less interesting by apologizing to the world for every perceived wrong, and running about in a completely mindless pursuit of “Safety and Security at any cost”. I also find it strange that the home of a people who once challenged (and beat) the worlds premier colonial power in a war over individual liberty and freedom is so rapidly giving up that liberty today in a mad search for security, while at the same time the young people of the Middle East are rising up in protest, and demanding their freedom from totalitarian rule!
Other that a possible spasmodic attack or two, Al Qaeda's day is done and gone. Mr. O apparently figures that the war is more or less over, and wants to bring nearly 30,000 troops home, while Leon Panetta, our new defense secretary tells us that al-Qaeda is defeated. Yet Congress, in its infinite wisdom, extends the insidious Patriot Act for another four years and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says "Even as we mark this milestone, we should not forget that the battle to stop al Qaeda and its syndicate of terror will not end with the death of bin Laden", both inferring that only government can save us from continued attack by Islamic fundamentalism. Well Ms. Clinton, I notice that the Islamic world has not risen up in yet more anger and rage at the US, but rather they are angry and raging well enough, rebelling against the very same totalitarian fundamentalism that created bin Laden, and from which he drew his strength!
As for Osama himself, I can only hope that the last thing he saw in this world was an irate US Navy SEAL, and the last thing that went through his mind was an American 9mm bullet. I would also have liked to see the look on his face when he found out that paradise ran out of nubile virgins a few hundred suicide bombers ago!
