Sure OBL is a nutcase. But even nutcases can have a rational. In the case of OBL, his reasons for wanting the USA to be precisely where it is today were clear a decade ago.
This isn't an anti-American rant. Its an anti-American foreign policy and anti-American government rant and there is a huge difference.
It isn't anti-American to be critical of American foreign policies which led to 9/11 and continue to contribute to the next 9/11.
It isn't pro-American to blindly accept every idiotic self serving scheme coming out of the Whitehouse.
Most Americans I've met are likeable enough. Some are even knowledgeable and informed. But most Americans know little about the outside world, little about American foreign policy and they would be wise to learn what their country has been doing for the last 60 years in the middle east. Maybe then they might be able to figure it out when their leaders tell them bold faced lies about their intention to bring peace and democracy to the middle east.
Here are some facts all Americans should know:
Fact: The suspected 9/11 hijackers came from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Lebanon or Egypt. Not a single one came from Iraq. In fact not a single shred of solid evidence has ever been produced which links the events preceding and including 9/11 to Iraq. Since 9/11, Iraq has been closely linked by American foreign policy and thats not because of poor intelligence although that is also a problem.
Fact: Before the Supreme Court appointed Bush Jr. President of the USA, most of his advisors belonged to a right wing think tank known as "Progress for a New American Century" (PNAC). This group advocated pre-emptive attacks against possible future competitors, assuming regional hegemony by force of arms, controlling energy resources around the globe, maintaining a permanent-war strategy, etc... Not content to starve Iraq into submission, one of their stated primary objectives before Bush Jr. took office, long before 9/11, was to invade and occupy Iraq.
Fact: Unconditional American support of Israel's ethnic cleansing of Palestine as well as billions in military and economic support has turned millions of Palestinians into landless refugees. Palestinians blame the US as much as Israel for the theft of their dignity, property and future. Each day as Israel kills more innocent Palestinian civilians, annexes more Palestinian land, demolishes more Palestinians homes and builds Jewish only colonies over the ashes, 1.4 billion Arabs and Muslims become more angry at Israel and the US.
Fact: Saudia Arabia and Egypt are among the world's most oppressive regimes. Their leaders rely completely on American support to maintain their brutal grip on power. Both nations have secret police which imprison, torture and execute anyone who attempts to make these regimes less oppressive. Egypt like Israel recieves billions each year in economic and military aid from the US. Its a bribe for Egypt's leaders in exchange for not complaining too loudly about the smoke of burning Palestinian homes and ignoring Israeli victims' pleas for help. Both Egyptian and Saudi leaders rely on American support to maintain power. Ordinary Egyptians and Saudis blame the US for their oppressive governments.
Seldom does our news ever interview Palestinians, Egyptians or Saudis. Usually we get a filtered view from an "expert", which usually represents the American or Israeli view rather than the facts. These so called experts aren't interested in informing us but in manipulating our opinions and obfuscating the real issues. That's why the Facts as people knew them didn't add up to 9/11.
But its a small world and if you want to know what people like OBL think, you can read their own words:
Read OBL's words for yourself. Don't rely on an "expert" to interpret his meaning. His problems with the west seem clear enough and are shared by millions of Arabs and Muslims around the world. Few people agree with his methods, but since 1997 far more Arabs and Muslims listen to nutcases like OBL than ever before.
The Iraq invasion did more for OBL's causes than anything he could have done himself. I suppose he can thank the Bush adminstration for helping his cause.
This isn't an anti-American rant. Its an anti-American foreign policy and anti-American government rant and there is a huge difference.
It isn't anti-American to be critical of American foreign policies which led to 9/11 and continue to contribute to the next 9/11.
It isn't pro-American to blindly accept every idiotic self serving scheme coming out of the Whitehouse.
Most Americans I've met are likeable enough. Some are even knowledgeable and informed. But most Americans know little about the outside world, little about American foreign policy and they would be wise to learn what their country has been doing for the last 60 years in the middle east. Maybe then they might be able to figure it out when their leaders tell them bold faced lies about their intention to bring peace and democracy to the middle east.
Here are some facts all Americans should know:
Fact: The suspected 9/11 hijackers came from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Lebanon or Egypt. Not a single one came from Iraq. In fact not a single shred of solid evidence has ever been produced which links the events preceding and including 9/11 to Iraq. Since 9/11, Iraq has been closely linked by American foreign policy and thats not because of poor intelligence although that is also a problem.
Fact: Before the Supreme Court appointed Bush Jr. President of the USA, most of his advisors belonged to a right wing think tank known as "Progress for a New American Century" (PNAC). This group advocated pre-emptive attacks against possible future competitors, assuming regional hegemony by force of arms, controlling energy resources around the globe, maintaining a permanent-war strategy, etc... Not content to starve Iraq into submission, one of their stated primary objectives before Bush Jr. took office, long before 9/11, was to invade and occupy Iraq.
Fact: Unconditional American support of Israel's ethnic cleansing of Palestine as well as billions in military and economic support has turned millions of Palestinians into landless refugees. Palestinians blame the US as much as Israel for the theft of their dignity, property and future. Each day as Israel kills more innocent Palestinian civilians, annexes more Palestinian land, demolishes more Palestinians homes and builds Jewish only colonies over the ashes, 1.4 billion Arabs and Muslims become more angry at Israel and the US.
Fact: Saudia Arabia and Egypt are among the world's most oppressive regimes. Their leaders rely completely on American support to maintain their brutal grip on power. Both nations have secret police which imprison, torture and execute anyone who attempts to make these regimes less oppressive. Egypt like Israel recieves billions each year in economic and military aid from the US. Its a bribe for Egypt's leaders in exchange for not complaining too loudly about the smoke of burning Palestinian homes and ignoring Israeli victims' pleas for help. Both Egyptian and Saudi leaders rely on American support to maintain power. Ordinary Egyptians and Saudis blame the US for their oppressive governments.
Seldom does our news ever interview Palestinians, Egyptians or Saudis. Usually we get a filtered view from an "expert", which usually represents the American or Israeli view rather than the facts. These so called experts aren't interested in informing us but in manipulating our opinions and obfuscating the real issues. That's why the Facts as people knew them didn't add up to 9/11.
But its a small world and if you want to know what people like OBL think, you can read their own words:
Read OBL's words for yourself. Don't rely on an "expert" to interpret his meaning. His problems with the west seem clear enough and are shared by millions of Arabs and Muslims around the world. Few people agree with his methods, but since 1997 far more Arabs and Muslims listen to nutcases like OBL than ever before.
The Iraq invasion did more for OBL's causes than anything he could have done himself. I suppose he can thank the Bush adminstration for helping his cause.
