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Politics : America Under Siege: The End of Innocence -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: hdl who wrote (19527)	10/26/2002 12:47:02 PM
From: DeplorableIrredeemableRedneck	Respond to of 27720

that would be ideal hdl. politics and money rule in the end

To: hdl who wrote (19527)	10/26/2002 2:17:23 PM
From: Richnorth	Respond to of 27720

Nice sentiments! But not very practical! For example, US support for anti-Saddam elements have not produced any positive results since 1990. For very many years, Americans have been insulated naturally from outside dangers by the two vast oceans and the permafrost of the far north and Central America to the south posed no problems. The only danger that America faced was the nuclear threat of the Soviets during the Cold War. But, even then, it was largely all talk and no action. But in this day and age when the world is but a global village and hi-tech weaponry has become ever more sophisticated, American lives can be in danger without any prior warning. There lies the rub against the oft-touted American supremacy in this and that sort of thing. Even the low-tech of the DC snipers got all America on tenterhooks, and motorists pumping gas recently in the DC/Virginia area were more or less resigned to being cut down by a sniper's bullet. To be sure, there will be copycats: Williams (Muhammad) and Malvo have shown Al-Qaeda and other would-be terrorists how simple it is to kill and inflict fear, pain and suffering on the people. I won't be surprised that some motorists from now on may hallucinate about seeing rifle muzzle and sniper scope holes in the boot compartment of the car(s) in front of them and reporting them to the cops using their cell phones. And thus many a motorist would be subjected to a lot of unnecessary embarrassment/annoyance/humiliation. And, of course, there will be pranksters out to gain publicity/notoriety. In just 50 plus years since it went out of its isolationism, America is no longer as safe a place as it once used to be, and it may not be as prosperous as before. Its debt is horrendous to the tune of 3 trillion dollars and counting, and Al-Qaeda is hell bent on disrupting/destroying the economy any which way it can. Why has all this unpleasantness come about? IMHO, it is overly simplistic to say that jealousy on the part of the have-nots and fundamental/extremist Islam are wholely responsible for the troubles America face today. Could it be due to something more insidious or subtle no one has put a finger on yet or would rather not say for any number of reasons? By the way, I'm just asking a question. You are not obliged to answer. But, if you do answer, please do try not to be frivolous with such remarks like "That's dumb." Such remarks require no effort, intelligence, reason and analyses to make.

To: hdl who wrote (19527)	10/26/2002 9:11:11 PM
From: lorne	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 27720

Bin Laden's 'Will' Complains of Betrayal -Magazine October 25, 2002 02:08 PM ET LONDON (Reuters) - A London-based magazine said on Friday it was publishing a will written by Osama bin Laden, the world's most wanted man, in which he complains of betrayal by fellow militants in Afghanistan. The Arabic-language al-Majallah said the will, typed and signed by bin Laden and dated December 14, 2001, was obtained a week ago from a "very reliable" source in Afghanistan. It said the will, typically packed with versus from the Muslim holy book the Koran, depicted a man who appeared desperate and on the verge of death. "Reading it, you get the impression of a dying man. It may be that he was wounded and felt he was dying," Majallah Editor-in-Chief Hani Nakshabandi told Reuters of the will, which is due to be published on Saturday. The date on the will suggested it was written at the height of U.S. military strikes on Afghanistan in retaliation for the September 11 attacks, which ended in the ouster of bin Laden's Taliban protectors from Afghanistan. There was no independent confirmation of the authenticity of the document. Nakshabandi said while wills are normally revealed after the death of their author, it was impossible to verify if bin Laden had actually died. The Saudi-born militant, Washington's prime suspect as mastermind for September 11, disappeared after U.S. troops launched its war on Afghanistan in October 2001. U.S. troops combing the mountains where he was believed to be hiding have failed to find him. But some television stations and Web sites close to his al Qaeda network have published letters attributed to him or messages in his voice, although the dates of these messages was not verified. BETRAYAL In the will, bin Laden repeatedly complains of betrayal by fellow militants, including the Taliban who shielded him. "We saw the cowardly Crusaders (Christians) and the lowly Jews hold fast while fighting us, while soldiers of our nation raised the white flag and surrendered to their enemies," bin Laden wrote in the will, studded with versus from the Koran. "Even the students of religion (Taliban), only a handful of them were steadfast, while the rest fled before they met the enemy," it adds. Bin Laden also asks for forgiveness from his children, saying he had given them only a little of his time since he embarked on his path of jihad (holy war). "I have chosen a path filled with dangers and endured much hardships...treachery and betrayal," he wrote. "If it wasn't for betrayal, conditions would have been different and the outcome would have been a different one." Urging his children to remain faithful to God, he advises them "not to work for al Qaeda," without giving an explanation. But he said his advice was based on an example set by prominent early Muslim leader, Omar bin al-Khattab, who urged his son to shun the post after him. Bin Laden described the New York and Washington attacks as "part of escalating strikes directed toward America" starting with a 1983 attack on a U.S. marine barracks in Lebanon and the 1998 bombing of two U.S. embassies in Africa. The United States has blamed bin Laden for the twin attacks on its embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. But it has accused Lebanon's Shi'ite Hizbollah group for the suicide attack on its barracks in Beirut in which 241 servicemen were killed. reuters.com