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nockergeekFull text of bin Laden's "letter to America"
If you want to consider yourself even remotely well-informed, you should read this, if for no other reason than to see exactly what this man's mindset is. He actually makes one or two good points (scolding us for caving in to industrial lobbying on the Kyoto Treaty), and yet he misses the big picture in many ways. For example:
- Holding the American people accountable for all policy decisions because our elected representatives make those policies, and since we elected them, it's our fault -- never mind that the populace has no say in most (if not all) foreign policy decisions. Same thing with taxes - since we pay our taxes, and money from those taxes are used for aid to Israel and for military spending, then we are directly responsible.
- Condemning us for daring to make our own laws, rather than following Islamic religious laws -- note that this goes all the way up to the Constitutional level. Considering that criticizing, or even questioning, the religious leaders in countries that follow Islamic law (such as in Iran) is a capital crime, I think I'll take my infidel laws, thanks.
- Condeming us for the comercial exploitation of women. While I think that the use of sex to sell things gets ridiculous at times, I'd have to say a culture where a woman can be a sexual person by choice is preferable to one where women are draped in burlap and beaten if they show an inch of skin in public.
- Oh, and by the way, our economy and our media are both controlled by vast Jewish conspiracies, so we're all slaves to Jewish masters who want to destroy Islam. Funny, I though that the entertainment industry (because isn't that what the media really is now?) was controlled by Canadians. Can we declare a fatwa on Canucks too?
In the end, bin Laden's letter looks like the ravings of someone who has carefully crafted a framework that takes a few real issues (America's tendencies to flex political and economic muscle to get its way, and the messy situation in Palestine), a few deeply believed notions (the idea that Shariah law is the only law that should ever be used anywhere), and some bizarre conspiracy theories (a vast "Jewish conspiracy" that's been repeatedly debunked throughout the 20th century), and uses them to justify to himself, his followers, and the world at large that his violent actions are not only justifiable, but righteous.
Of course, Dubya's (and Ashcroft's and Cheney's and Rumsfeld's) logic can be equally spurious at times, so it's not just the Islamic fundamentalists that are crazy fuckheads.
If you want to consider yourself even remotely well-informed, you should read this, if for no other reason than to see exactly what this man's mindset is. He actually makes one or two good points (scolding us for caving in to industrial lobbying on the Kyoto Treaty), and yet he misses the big picture in many ways. For example:
- Holding the American people accountable for all policy decisions because our elected representatives make those policies, and since we elected them, it's our fault -- never mind that the populace has no say in most (if not all) foreign policy decisions. Same thing with taxes - since we pay our taxes, and money from those taxes are used for aid to Israel and for military spending, then we are directly responsible.
- Condemning us for daring to make our own laws, rather than following Islamic religious laws -- note that this goes all the way up to the Constitutional level. Considering that criticizing, or even questioning, the religious leaders in countries that follow Islamic law (such as in Iran) is a capital crime, I think I'll take my infidel laws, thanks.
- Condeming us for the comercial exploitation of women. While I think that the use of sex to sell things gets ridiculous at times, I'd have to say a culture where a woman can be a sexual person by choice is preferable to one where women are draped in burlap and beaten if they show an inch of skin in public.
- Oh, and by the way, our economy and our media are both controlled by vast Jewish conspiracies, so we're all slaves to Jewish masters who want to destroy Islam. Funny, I though that the entertainment industry (because isn't that what the media really is now?) was controlled by Canadians. Can we declare a fatwa on Canucks too?
In the end, bin Laden's letter looks like the ravings of someone who has carefully crafted a framework that takes a few real issues (America's tendencies to flex political and economic muscle to get its way, and the messy situation in Palestine), a few deeply believed notions (the idea that Shariah law is the only law that should ever be used anywhere), and some bizarre conspiracy theories (a vast "Jewish conspiracy" that's been repeatedly debunked throughout the 20th century), and uses them to justify to himself, his followers, and the world at large that his violent actions are not only justifiable, but righteous.
Of course, Dubya's (and Ashcroft's and Cheney's and Rumsfeld's) logic can be equally spurious at times, so it's not just the Islamic fundamentalists that are crazy fuckheads.
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Meaning you. :)