Posted on 10/07/2001 11:43:07 PM PDT by abigail2
The real bin Laden
by Joseph Farah
I just finished a book I consider a must-read for every American who wants to understand our common enemy in this terror war.
After reading Yossef Bodansky's "Bin Laden: The Man Who Declared War on America," I fear our leaders may be seriously underestimating the capabilities of this terrorist leader.
Read it and you will no longer have any doubts that this war has been waged against us for a long time. Only on Sept. 11 did most Americans wake up to the threat that has been looming for years. This has been, until now, a totally one-sided war.
What do I mean?
I mean I am now 100 percent convinced that bin Laden operatives were behind the downing of TWA Flight 800 and the Oklahoma City federal building bombing, as well as with the terrorist acts U.S. officials have previously charged him – the bombing of the USS Cole, the Khobar Towers bombing and the bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
Osama bin Laden is one capable terrorist. But he is much more than that.
Bin Laden has worked throughout his terrorist career with many state sponsors – including, but not limited to, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Pakistan and Afghanistan. So cunning is this mastermind of terror that he successfully bridged the ideological and religious gap between Sunnis and Shiites, he successfully brought together in partnership Iran and Iraq despite their bloody differences that resulted in a war that killed more than 1 million people, and he successfully has won the hearts and minds of millions of radical Muslims worldwide.
The worst mistake we could make is to underestimate him and the vastness of his terrorist cabal, which includes many of our so-called allies in this war.
Bodansky reported in this prophetic book, first published in 1999 and republished quickly following the Sept. 11 attacks, bin Laden's goals of destroying U.S. airliners and other strategic and civilian targets. His No. 1 enemy is the United States. How U.S. intelligence agencies could have missed this threat is hard to understand. All they had to do was read Bodansky's book to have a complete understanding of what makes him tick and how he operates.
This is going to be a tougher fight than the West faced with communism. Mutually assured destruction will not work as a deterrent. They will stop only when their ultimate goal is achieved or they are all dead.
What is their ultimate goal? World domination by the kind of Islamic radicalism we see in the Taliban Afghan regime or in Sudan or in Iran.
"We believe that God used our holy war in Afghanistan to destroy the Russian army and the Soviet Union … and now we ask God to use us one more time to do the same to America, to make it a shadow of itself," bin Laden told an interviewer in 1977.
They have been working on this plan diligently for years. Beginning in the mid-1990s, bin Laden's operatives and closest allies began establishing a terrorist infrastructure right here in the United States.
Right under our noses, Ayman al-Zawahiri, bin Laden's right-hand man, established residency in California, setting up terrorist networks, making key contacts and laundering funds to be used in this war against us.
Let's assume there are, as Muslims claim, some 7 million Islamic followers in the U.S. Is it inconceivable that 10 percent of them are sympathetic to bin Laden's goals? That's an army of 700,000. But maybe that's too many. Let's suppose it's only 1 percent. That's a fifth column of 70,000. But let's be really, really conservative and say it's only .1 percent. That's 7,000 potential operatives living right here in the USA.
No wonder there are those in government who admit the chances of further dramatic terrorist attacks on the U.S. are 100 percent.
While I hope and pray the attacks on Afghanistan inflicted heavy, irreparable damage to bin Laden's death machine in Afghanistan, I fear this war is just beginning. I fear America is woefully unprepared for what's coming. And I pray that our leaders and the citizens of the United States will read this book and begin to understand the danger this foe presents to our civilization and way of life
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The above adjectives stricken as redundancies.
Do yours. The terrorist missile theory was pushed early in the investigation. It wouldn't stick because of the limitations of known terrorist weaponry. So the center fuel tank story was cobbled up. When that fell apart under scrutiny, the cargo door story was floated.
Believe what you want -- I couldn't care less. If it was a covered up friendly fire incident, I'm sure the new stampede to attribute it to terrorists makes fedgov apologists (i.e., _Jim) very happy.
Have no fear, I am sure GW, and Cheney do not have to rely on Farrah for their information, Thank God. I would imagine they are privy to the profiles of people such as Bin Laden and others of his sort. Let's get a grip on reality here, this is not meant to be offensive, just being in touch with reality.
How many of us understand what's driven him to insanity?
Levels of insanity that'd result in his leading the extreme & murderous action(s) we've witnessed?
There're so many here on this forum who at one time or another, expressed outrage at the moral & cultural direction our society has taken, (especially over the past decade) seems are the very same things he claims to be fighting against with his Jihad.
Difference being?
We conservatives lay the blame at the feet of the Liberals & their reckless abuse of OUR constitutional freedoms; which have certainly manifest in some mighty seemy behaviors & accompanying lifestyles that're fully protected -- even encouraged by the mainstream establishment of late?
While this guy & his "radical" Islamic followers?
They lay the blame at the feet of all of us living here, it'd appear.
They've apparently reasoned that because we have permitted the decadence to begin with?
Actually profiting on via our capitalist society?
We and our capitalism are to blame for said decadence & as such?
We are all the enemy of them & their Islam, to the death.
Like it or not, that is precisely what I suspect is fueling their outrage, their seemingly eager willingness to die in suicidal attacks et al.
That's who we're fighting here with this Bin Laden character & yea, I *think* those in charge understand this fully.
This war is against religeous ideals & just how people should lead their lives in the eyes of God; be it the Word of Jehovah or Allah really makes no difference.
There're alot who'd have to admit IF He were to return here now??
Would He not be really angry at what He sees happening with us in our nation, AS WELL AS in the rest of the world?
Interestingly enough in the past?
These religeous-based cultures simply isolated themselves, globally speaking; much in the same way our Amish, Quakers, & Mennonites isolate themselves here in the USA?
However, in this satellite age of instant communications?
These Islamic cultures & their ways must be horrified, feel desperately threatened by what they're seeing & percieve as the decandent western culture(s) that're coming to get them.
While we merely regard the smut as an expression of freedom, a right which we may or may not ignore as our, choice?
One rarely finds technology of any kind in the homes of our Amish, Quaker or Mennonite communities, eh?
There needn't be any wonder why these religeous peoples carefully control the exposure of these technologies either, given their devote belief in God & His Holy Word?
Any doubts of their concern(s) regarding our technology is easily sated by spending one, single *evening* viewing programming offered by say, HBO?
Problem is, *since* their side, the Muslims, represent half the world's population?
I truely wonder how it'll all wash out in the end IF more & more of these Muslim peoples agree there is indeed a "Holy War."
A Holy War which needs to be enjoined by them all?
I've heard (FNC?) that once this war settles down?
Our government will be taking a hard look at what it is allegedly precipitating, & thus provoking these Islamic fundementalist terrorist behaviors/actions.
Probably not a bad idea, IMO.
But, talk about a double-edged sword.
Why aren't we attacking 24/7?
Well according to my wife's perspective, they are all potential enemies. If she spots an obvious Muslim anywhere she goes into high alert. I have instructed her to segregate Sikhs and Shriners from her wrath.
This is probably a typo for 1997. 1977 can't be right because the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan began in December 1979 and the Soviet Union did not collapse until 1991.
Afghanistan DID NOT defeat the Russian Army.
The United States, using Afghanistan defeated the Russian Army.
We supplied weaponry, funds and resolve for the entire duration of the war. And our NGO aid workers were everywhere.
There is a lot in this link on the meaning of September 11 -- a real "who done it?" including perpetrators' motives, Biblical numerics of 11 and occult meanings of 11.
I suspect it will turn out to be something a little less obscure. BL or SH's birthday, etc.
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