Sen. Murray Praises bin Laden's Good Deeds

NewsMax.com ^ | 20/12/2002 | NewsMax.com

[DocFarmer]

Sen. Murray Praises bin Laden's Good Deeds

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., is under fire today for praising terrorist leader Osama bin Laden, leader of the 9/11 attacks that killed thousands of Americans.

"We’ve got to ask, why is this man [bin Laden] so popular around the world?" Murray said to pupils Wednesday at a government high school in Vancouver, Wash. "Why are people so supportive of him in many countries ... that are riddled with poverty?

"He’s been out in these countries for decades, building schools, building roads, building infrastructure, building day care facilities, building health care facilities, and the people are extremely grateful. We haven't done that.

"How would they look at us today if we had been there helping them with some of that rather than just being the people who are going to bomb in Iraq and go to Afghanistan?" Murray said, according to The Columbian, the daily newspaper in Vancouver.

Blame America First for Not Being a 'Better Neighbor'

The Associated Press today quoted Murray as telling the students: "War is expensive, too. Your generation ought to be thinking about whether we should be better neighbors out in other countries so that they have a different vision of us."

Most mainstream media have largely downplayed or even ignored Murray's remarks.

Until the ever-dependable Sean Hannity brought up the issue tonight, even Fox News Channel barely mentioned Murray. Like the other media, it was too busy in the feeding frenzy over Trent Lott, toppled for his far less offensive comments.

'Outrageous and Despicable'

Chris Vance, chairman of the Washington State Republican Party, said Murray’s comments were not only offensive but untrue.

"It is absolutely outrageous and despicable to imply that the American government should learn a lesson from the madman who murdered thousands of American citizens," said Vance. "I know Senator Murray has a habit of sticking her foot in her mouth, but this goes way beyond a simple gaffe.

"Patty Murray sent the message to these students that the United States somehow deserved or brought on the September 11 terrorist attacks. I think all decent people can agree that we most certainly did not, that this was an unprovoked attack of terrorism.

"And where on earth does Senator Murray get the idea that Osama bin Laden built roads, schools and day cares? He ran terrorist camps in Afghanistan that trained the killers who carried out the 9/11 monstrosities. It is the American government and the American people who lead the world in helping people of impoverished countries, not murderers like bin Laden.

"If Patty Murray really believes what she said, she should think twice about running for re-election. It’s one thing for her to be wary of engaging in war, but to say these kinds of outrageous and untrue things is just beyond the pale."

Osama's Gift of Hatred

Michael Swetnam, chairman of something called Potomac Institute for Policy Studies in Arlington, Va., told the Associated Press:

"Mostly he did underwrite - and so did many Arab charities - several fundamentalist Muslim schools throughout Afghanistan and Pakistan that teach a very, very fundamentalist, right-wing version of Islam that preaches hatred for the West," Swetnam said.

Hatred for the West? That sounds like the P.C. left wing, not right wing.

Bin Laden’s version of Islam tells Muslims that "people in the West are trying to attack your religion, oppress you, and the only way to fight that is to rise up against the United States and its crusader buddies, Israel and Europe," Swetnam said.

See Also:

http://www.newsmax.com/showinsidecover.shtml?a=2002/12/20/133001

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=30114

http://www.columbian.com/12192002/clark_co/345147.html

[joyful1]

You are both sick and stupid. I refuse to off the heads of Senators and Congressman based upon propaganda and "headline getting news".

I refuse to accept a traitor for a Senator, whose first agenda is to "blame America first."

[TigersEye]

Please go back to the "Hate America First, Appease the Terrorists" hole you climbed out of. You are sick and perverted.

[InvisibleChurch]

time for her to resign

[moneyrunner]

I have read your response. However, I’m not about to get sucked into your attempt to change the subject from Murray to Bush. One of today’s problems is the moral obtuseness of those on the Left like Murray who seriously believe that we deserved what we go on 9/11.

Murray, after identifying Bin Laden as a terrorist makes the claim that he is popular in the Moslem world because of his charitable efforts. Bin Laden’s charities are not familiar to me and I am genuinely interested to see how much of it occupies his time and resources. However, I am not ready to take Murray’s word for these efforts. Understand?

Murray then goes on to claim that ”He’s been out in these countries for decades, building schools, building roads, building infrastructure, building day care facilities, building health care facilities, and the people are extremely grateful. We haven't done that. "How would they look at us today if we had been there helping them with some of that rather than just being the people who are going to bomb in Iraq and go to Afghanistan?" Murray said, according to The Columbian, the daily newspaper in Vancouver.

As even you admit, Murray is dead wrong about this misrepresentation of our foreign aid efforts.

To make it clear to even you, Murray claims that Bin Laden’s Moslem support is the result of building … day car facilities … while we have not done anything to help the people in this part of the world.

As I said, not only is Murray factually wrong, she manages to create an aura of moral superiority for the worst terrorist of the 21st Century. She is a moral cretin and those who support her are no better.

[americanbychoice]

He build schools? As a feminist senator she should be aware that the Taliban did not allow women to get an education. Going to school carried the death penalty.Am I missing something? Dumb "B"

[moneyrunner]

go=got

[kstone]

Maybe you should check your facts. Even while the Taliban was in power, the US was the largest provider of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan at over $100million/ year. In case you haven't noticed, the US annually allocates over $15billion to foreign aid. The only other nation that is even close is Japan, and they don't have the liability of providing for the defense of the free world. In fact, they don't even provide for their own defense.

You must be a Liberal, because the Liberal answer is always to confiscate more taxpayer dollars to send to the useless and dispicable.

[kstone]

"I also refuse to get into some sort of immature "junior high" debate."

Read: "I have no facts to back up my nonsense so I'm going to pretend to be superior to you without substantiating my previous claims." You sound like several other Liberals I know. Why don't you just admit that this woman was spouting nonsense and that the US is in fact the largest supplier of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan?

[rwfromkansas]

bump

[yoe]

It would seem that over half the Democratic Party is socialist/Marxist; what has happened here? Why would any American who loves their country vote for people like this? She must have promised them more welfare and government help with their lives and with education being so poor these past 30-40 years, they don't know enought not to vote for people like this.

It is time the word SELF-RELIANCE came back into vogue. John Kennedy’s words of “ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country” seem to have left the planet for the Socialist Democratic Party. I did e-mail her.

[Trust but Verify]

The point is, friend, she actually thinks bin Laden is doing more than WE have around the world. What planet are you and she from? As so many others have pointed out, it's laughable to imagine him building day care centers. How many billions of dollars have US taxpayers sent to every corner of the world? Think we have fed a few million people? Provided sanitation equipment? Built infrastructure to improve lives? I would have to assume Ms. Murray has even voted for some of these bills. Does she not know what's in them?

She's just another cog in the BASH AMERICA wheel.

I have no use for her or those who defend such nonsense.

[yoe]

Perhaps the silly Senator should be reminded of this:

Dear Fellow Patriotic Americans: REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of PanAm Flight 103.

REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993.

REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the Marine Barracks in Lebanon.

REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the military Barracks in Saudi Arabia.

REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the American Embassies in Africa.

REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the USS COLE.

REMEMBER the MUSLIM attack on the World Trade Center on 9/11/01.

REMEMBER all the AMERICAN lives that were lost in those vicious MUSLIM attacks.

Now the United States Postal Service REMEMBERS and HONORS the EID MUSLIM holiday season with a commemorative first class holiday postage stamp.

I strongly urge you to REMEMBER to adamantly and vocally BOYCOTT this stamp when purchasing your holiday stamps at the post office. To use this stamp would be a slap in the face to all those AMERICANS who died at the hands of those whom this stamp honors.

I also strongly urge you to pass this along to every Patriotic AMERICAN you know, whether by email or otherwise and send it to your elected.

[kstone]

I added substance before I commented that you sound like a Liberal. All you've provided is rhetoric while dodging direct questions. Why don't you try providing actual numbers for aid provided by bin Laden and other Muslim groups vs US aid to Afghanistan and other Muslim nations. I guarantee the US provides more humanitarian relief. The figures are easy enough to find. You simply seem to have an aversion to facts that counter your silly and unsupportable position.

[Stultis]

Senator Dumb Bitch Traitor Sneaker Mom: [UBL has] been out in these countries for decades, building schools, building roads, building infrastructure, building day care facilities, building health care facilities, and the people are extremely grateful. We haven't done that.

Humanitarian Work Progressing in Afghanistan

The U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration have overseen some tremendous progress, Collins said. He noted they've been responsible for the construction or repair of 600 schools and the donation of 10 million textbooks, 7,000 metric tons of seed, and $200 million in aid to refugees.

Military civil affairs assets have had a hand in another 127 schools, 400 wells and 26 medical clinics. Collins said a top priority in the coming year will be constructing a series of maternal health clinics throughout the country.

He added that 150 international aid agencies and six separate U.N. organizations assisted in all these humanitarian efforts.

[Stultis]

At this point, I'm not going to go dig up the so-called "good works" of Bin Laden. Let's just leave it at he's done some things that have swayed a people to believe he ain't such a bad guy.

Of course he has. HE HAS MURDERED THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE: Jews, Christians, Kafirs and "False" Muslims. This is his "good work" in the eyes of his admirers. This is the basis for his popularity. He is popular because he is a murderer.

What is your and Murray's difficulty in grasping this. It's not like UBL's cheering section is anything but upfront and voluble on this point.

[maxwellp]

"Most of our elected Republicans don't have a backbone". Sadly, this is too true.

[Grut]

The point is, friend, she actually thinks bin Laden is doing more than WE have around the world.

Doing more 'to win the hearts and minds', certainly. And yes, she's wrong to believe it. But saying, however wrongly, that Bin Laden has been cleverer than we've been isn't the same as supporting him: we can say Clinton was cleverer than Lott without being Clintonites, can't we? And that assertion is true.

This "she's supporting Bin Laden" crap is the kind of baseless villification I prefer to leave to the Democrats. She's wrong on the facts, but that's all she is.

[kstone]

"This "she's supporting Bin Laden" crap is the kind of baseless villification I prefer to leave to the Democrats. She's wrong on the facts, but that's all she is."

I think you've missed the point of most of the anger directed at her foolish comments. The issue is less that she's telling school children that Osama has a good side (when what he is in fact displaying is his manipulative side) than that she is implying that the US is making war where it should be providing humanitarian aid. That is a blatant and poisonous lie. The US has long been the largest supplier of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. Furthermore, when the need arose to prosecute a military action there, civilian casualties were painstakingly minimized and tons upon tons of food and humanitarian supplies were provided to offset any turmoil the military operation caused. In the end, a repressive regime was displaced, the terrorist camps were destroyed and the terrorists sent scurrying, the people of that nation were left with more liberties and material wealth, and a measure of stability has been restored in a lawless land (stability, I might add, that does not arise from the abject terror that the Taliban may drag you from your home in the night so that you may be subjected to public execution for allowing your wife to speak out of turn or for trimming your beard).

The point, my friend, is that this is yet another case of an idiot Liberal trying to teach school kids that WE'RE the real bad guys, and that all the other villains of the world are only relatively more villainous than we are. Several generations have been subjected to this anti-American poisoning of the mind, and some of us have heard all of it that we're willing to take. When such outrageous slander is leveled at our great nation, it is appropriate to take umbrage and express outrage, particularly when it flows from the mouth of a public official in a position to know better.