For 'American Taliban,' spiritual journey began in suburbia

AP ^ | 12-03-01 | JUSTIN PRITCHARD

[Oldeconomybuyer]

FAIRFAX, Calif. (AP) -- The 20-year-old American who fought alongside the Taliban and was injured in a bloody uprising of prisoners in Mazar-e-Sharif has long been fascinated with Islam.

John Phillip Walker Lindh -- who gave his name in Afghanistan as Abdul Hamid -- apparently began his spiritual journey as a teenager in the wealthy, free-spirited San Francisco Bay suburbs of Marin County.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

[gfactor]

cool. this is a real neat test case for ashcroft....

[mountaineer]

Sounds like a screwed up kid with parents who decided to be enablers rather than parents.

[wideawake]

Memo to parents:

Memorizing a disjointed fantasy novel does not equal "scholarship".

[zip]

Looks like a cold blooded killer to me. Let the Northern Alliance have him. There can be NO sympathy or mercy shown to filth/slime like this. period. (and this is a lot milder than I really feel)

[SpringheelJack]

"Spiritual journey"? Good God, will the media never get it? This is a man that allied himself, and FOUGHT for, a movement that sponsored terrorist activities, banned a whole legion of freedoms (like listening to music, being clean-shaven), and oppressed women. Not only that, he participated in a prison uprising that resulted in the deaths of 40 prison guards, as well as Agent Spann, who was savagely beaten before being shot to death. "Spiritual journey" indeed.

[YaYa123]

Brainwashed my butt!

If he had a weapon, if he was willing to use it on Americans, he's a traitor. Hang him high!

His daddy is going to be on Larry King Live tonight. Gag me! It will be a BS praise-a-thon for a sweet, sensitive guy who just wanted to help poor people.

[demnomo]

Memorizing a disjointed fantasy novel does not equal "scholarship".

Yeah, and his mom claims that she follows the teachings of Buddha! If she had half a brain and could wean herself off of her "every culture/religion is relative and good" kick, she should actually read the Koran and Hadith. Last year, I studied Islam along with my homeschooled son. We had no idea that hatred, greed, raping of non-Muslim women and violence were glorified in these so-called holy books. Some of the passages are scary and downright EVIL. It is a Muslim's religious duty to murder, enslave or convert by force the infidel. Muslim doctrine is hard enough on the people of the book, (Christians and Jews) but there is a special place reserved in hell (and here on earth) for Hindus and Buddhists!!! Maybe that's why she didn't here from her son on Mother's Day...

I have absolutely no sympathy for this traitorous swine and his limousine-liberal parents.

[JD86]

The 20-year-old American who fought alongside the Taliban

Hang him for treason. He took up arms against American troops. If the liberals don't like that idea. Charge him as an accessory to the murder of the CIA agent who was killed. Please note the CIA agent was not named in the article. Anyone know it? Anyone paying attention to the heroes? We must remember.

[Shermy]

I felt sorry for the father, for one the son decllines to use his last name, but go by his mother's, which show some "identity issues." But since he's going to be on T.V., I give the info I've found. He's an attorney for Pacific Gas & Electric. In fact, he's been in the california news once or twice relating to a natural gas price manipulation case...PGE suing "Houston based El Paso Corp."

[demnomo]

His daddy is going to be on Larry King Live tonight.

Major Barf Alert. I could not bear to watch the show. Maybe some of our fellow FReepers with iron-clad stomachs will start a reporting thread. Yeech. Retch. Gag. Ick. Whatever...

[RnMomof7]

"If he got involved with the Taliban, he must have been brainwashed," she told Newsweek. "He was isolated."

Empty eyes..no soul there in eithor of these men pictured. Mom washed her sons mind with the water the world gives..and she now reaps the fruit of her labor

[Brett66]

a "sweet, shy kid" with a pacifist's heart for social justice.

Taking up arms against the United States definitely sounds like Osama's brand of pacifism. He needs to be shot by the NA "while trying to escape".

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for this post! This bs remark by the person playing reportette is very telling: "apparently began his spiritual journey as a teenager in the wealthy, free-spirited San Francisco Bay suburbs of Marin County."

We lived in the free spirited Marin County from 1971 to 74. Most of the so called adults were multiple drug users and often in front of their children. New age replaced their Jewish and Christian religions. If you worked for a corporation, you were an enemy!

It has gotten worse. These lefties of Marin hate President Bush and were among the most rabid in their personal attacks against him before and after the election.

Too many are like this traitor, in love with some other ism and hate America!

However, this does not excuse this piece of trash. He should be turned over to the New Afghan government to be tried by them and treated as however they want to! Typical left winger, he chose to surrender instead of fighting and dying for his cause!

[maranatha]

I think we should email the King show and let them know we are offended that the show thinks we would be interested in a traitor's spiritual journey or his childhood; he is a terrorist and would today shoot an American soldier if he could.

[A Navy Vet]

I don't give one damn sh*t about his childhood, his parents, his background, or his "spritual quest". If he fought for or gave comfort or aid to our enemies, he's a stinking traitor. We are at War! Try him for treason and execute him! Make an example! I'm sick and tired of this *victim* crap. I'll be watching you CNN...hopefully another nail.

[Tarzantheape]

Hang his head on a spike! Screw his parents!

[Yardstick]

Talk about instant hero status in the radical, anti-American leftist community. If this guy does manage to get back over here, he's gonna be knee-deep in unwashed hippie chicks hot for his scrawny, scraggle-bearded bod. I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't become some sort of "cause" for college-age lefties.

My feeling is that he's just a confused punk with bad timing -- if he had pulled this stunt 15 years ago, he would have been a Reagan-supported Taliban "freedom fighter", and we'd be lauding him as a delusional hero of sorts.

Let him receive whatever punishment the law prescribes for this type of treasonous activity, but I have no froth-mouthed "patriotic" bloodlust to see him hung or shot with his body publicly displayed or whatever. In fact, I hope they just jail him because I think he could write an interesting book.

[ozzymandus]

Yeah, his father said, "He's really a good kid at heart". So what if he joined a terrorist organization and spoke approvingly of the murders of American sailors on the USS Cole? So what if he paricipated in a bloody prison uprising in which an American was murdered? IMHO, he should be tried for treason, and his family should be charged with aiding and abetting.

[janus]

I wonder if he registered for the draft when he was eighteen.