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Bin Laden’s Dead - Good News/Bad News
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Why We Should Expect Another 9/11 |
Hitler committed suicide on 30 April. His death was reported on 1 May. Bin Laden was killed on 30 April. His death was reported on 1 May. Coincidence? |
Article #30 –
Bin Laden’s Dead:
Good News/Bad News
By
Chris Cobar
The good news: Osama bin Laden is dead; the bad news: Osama bin Laden is dead. Rightfully, we are celebrating in America. We should. We’ve earned it; more correctly, our military has earned it. Let us not think or believe that there might not be repercussions.
Yes, we have cut off the head of the serpent. That does not mean that its tail has lost its poison. It can still be lethal.
Using a really inappropriate analogy, Princess Di was to charities what bin Laden was to Terrorism. They were the ultimate fundraisers. As I understand it, Saudi Arabians contributed more to bin Laden than any other group. I do not see them as being so generous with an Egyptian (al-Zawahiri) as they were with bin Laden. Apparently, al-Zawahiri is not so universally liked as was the demigod of destruction. This brings to mind several questions:
- Can al-Zawahiri hold al-Qaeda together?
- Can he keep al-Qaeda from splintering into various factions?
- Can he continue to fundraise the same level of funds?
- Will al-Qaeda disintegrate into multiple, but meaningless entities?
This is all part of the good news. We now have an al-Qaeda which is currently leaderless. We now have an al-Qaeda with diminished financial capabilities. After all, it costs dollars to buy plane tickets, weapons, explosives, guns, rental cars or trucks, hotel/motels, etc. Will they be able to continue to afford it? This remains to be seen.
The good news: it has been universally proclaimed by both sides: the Americans and the Taliban, that bin Laden is deader than yesterday’s fish. Their number one fundraiser is dead. Their supreme chief poobah (a.k.a. Father Fatwa) is dead. Can al-Qaeda continue to be potent?
The White House has also reported that “bin Laden was unarmed at the time of the assault, but resisted.” At first glance, it somehow offends the American sense of fair play and I gotta figure this is not going to play well with our Muslim friends. I’m way over it. From whence I come, no one ticks off the guy with the gun, especially if you don’t have one. Stupid is stupid. So he was unarmed; so what? So were the 2,977 victims of 9/11 and the 223 victims of the East African Embassies’ bombings. (I won’t bother listing all the other victims of his other orchestrated attacks.) Turnabout is fair play.
Now the bad news: bin Laden is dead. Have we made a martyr? Have we turned an Islamic demigod into the ultimate icon? If I was al-Zawahiri, I would be concerned on several fronts:
- Can I hold al-Qaeda together?
- Will they listen to me?
- How can I prove to the world (and al-Qaeda) that I am the worthy successor to bin Laden?
- Does this not mean that I have to pull off some “spectacular” event to prove my worth and keep my title?
- Is 9/11/11 not the most appropriate date to do so?
Also, putting myself in al-Zawahiri’s shoes, I would have to think: is my life insurance policy up to date? America has proven, once again, that they remain determined and committed to taking out their enemies, regardless of the time and effort involved. Bin Laden is now dead. He was No.1; I was No. 2. Now, I am No. 1. Is America going to quit now? Not something that as al-Zawahiri I would want to bet on. Yes, I would be looking for a deeper, darker hole to hide in.
America; we have just experienced a major victory. We have won a major battle. We have NOT won the war. It does continue. Their other side is desperate and now feels compelled to prove themselves. If they want to continue to get contributions, they will have to do something spectacular; we must remain vigilant and prepared.
Sidebar:
If not, I bid you fond farewell.
CC
Thanks for your comments, please keep them coming –
Chris Cobar: rajamuda001@aol.com
Please visit my new blog, www.terrorlog.com
P.S. For those of you who want more than a snappy synopsis of the whys and wherefores of 9/11, I refer you to www.intelwire.com. It is managed by a good friend, John Berger. He is a certified terrorist consultant, who documents his colons and commas. If it's there, you can take it to the bank.
