CB, I have been mulling this over for days. I am not a historian and speak only from my limited knowledge
of "fundamentalists" as I have learned from a personal perspective I have made clear to you in PM's. I believe it is binLaden's aim and desire to ignite a "holy war" between all! of Islam and the "West" which would now include many nations in the east, including Russia, Japan and even China. He has a vendetta against his own ruling countrymen who cast him out. I assume he has this vision about forging some war where Islamic nations lie over most of the oil reserves in the world and that he has ultimate aim of making the planet an Islamic globe, with oil as his trump card. As I understand it he feels we as members of western nations have defiled Saudi Arabia, the home of Mecca and home of the Prophet Muhammed, All Blessings Be Upon Him, and that we are infidels
Allah has condemned. That, I believe is at the root of his desire for revenge. What the dimwit does not appreciate
is that all the aging lefties, etc, etc, were infuriated by September 11th, and will be even more so after the next one (of which I am certain there will be, possibly dwarfing the first attack). I maintain my unpopular position that before this is over, as the president has made clear, it will boil down to being either for us or against us and those against us, which I believe will not include Russia or China, will face our full wrath, perceived as a "clear and present danger" to the integrity of the United States...which means only one thing. Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Indonesia, Sudan, Lybia, Algeria,...they will face the threat of the bomb. We are as a culture and a people not there yet, but after strike number two, or number three, we will be. One object lesson may do it, maybe not. BiLaden should have watched the memorial in Yankee Stadium yesterday, a unified people who would like to play nice, but don't push 'em too far. Now to justify venturing into politics this far, and since Jay is out until Wednesday I will venture that our financial survival may hinge on Canadian oil reserves which are quite ample though still to a large degree undeveloped. The tar sands projects, a consortium of ten major companies, is working with what is
at least 10-20 larger than the Arctic Reserves. We may well start thinking about no oil coming our way from Islamic
nations for quite awhile. One destroyed tanker going throught the Strait of Hormuz is going to make another
quantum change. We better consider it in our options. We like to talk of gold on this thread but in my view we also
need to start thinking about accessible oil, possibly for longer than any of us imagine.
Jim |
