Scattersez:
OSAMA BIN WHO?
Remember Osama Bin Laden? He was this six-foot guy who rabble-roused some Saudis into bringing sh_t in the middle of New York several years ago which would forever change our lifestyle. Remember him? Yeah, the guy behind this exasperating ritual of spreading our arms and taking off our shoes everytime we go in and out of the airport.
Yeah, right, the bearded one we see in the white robe holding a rifle in reminiscent videoclips – the one who was responsible for extinguishing 30,000 American lives and was supposed to be brought to justice. It’s just timely to tap ourselves in the shoulder since we’re so concentrated with converting Iraq. (WHOSE BRIGHT IDEA WAS THAT ANYWAY?) Yeah, like, anybody still looking for this guy?
You know, my son had that same problem – always easily distracted. He’d begin with one problem and before he could focus on the solutions, he’d start with two other problems , sometimes totally unrelated. So much so that at times, I’d throw up my hands in desperation and say to him, “You know, son, what if your were President of the United States, do you realize the havoc you would cause?” Then I’d stop myself in the middle and realize in horror what was currently happening and seriously think out the question: “Does the guy up there running things have ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) too?” …oooppss.
There was a main difference between that reality and my son, though. Well, for one thing, my son is smart – amazingly bright. No matter how he juggles the problems and you’d think there was no logic to it, he manages to solve them together in the end. It’s a gift of some kind – you know, If you’re talking computers, linear access bores him, but he makes up for it with a fantastic ability for random access. (Sorry, I’m talking Greek ,here) Anyway, he doesn’t want to be President. (he hates politics) “Dad, don’t watch CNN or Fox-News”, he’d tell tell me,”Watch BBC.” (What does he mean BBC? I like CNN).
Getting back to our subject matter, how and where do we find this guy ? Dear spooks,I don’t really mean to bitch on your job. It’s probably just exasperation ,okay?(‘coz all we’ve had so far is Saddam, WMD, Iraq..Iraq…Iraq) But what does an ordinary guy eager to do his civic duty do to help capture America’s No. 1 Terrorist? I won’t just sit still (We’ve already done that these past years and just trusted our overlords to do what they thought was best for us. Well, that didn’t work, did it ?) What do I do ? I mean now? (I mean, we vote in November, but right now…
I Google. Right. I google.
Let’s see. Type in key words: Osama Bin Laden. Then Search.
What comes out?
Okay, it says here that Osama bin Muhammad bin Awad bin Laden was born in Riyadh in 1957 as the 17th of 52 children sired by Muhammad Bin Laden--Saudi Arabia's wealthiest construction magnate. The Bin Laden Family hails from southern Yemen. A few of them moved north to Saudi Arabia, where they prospered and were joined by the rest of the family following British withdrawal from Aden and the Marxist takeover. Through their construction companies they became the wealthiest non-royal family in the kingdom.
Although net info on the educational institutions he attended have been consistent, (King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah),there has been a disparity with the courses he finished. A number of sites tell us it was management and economics (?),but majority agree that he finished with a degree in civil engineering.
According to the FBI, he had several aliases : Usama Bin Muhammad Bin Ladin, Shaykh Usama Bin Ladin, the Prince, the Emir, Abu Abdallah, Mujahid Shaykh, Hajj, the Director
Some facts or factoids came out too, which I don’t know how to treat when doing this analysis : He is left-handed and walks with a cane.(? FBI Source). I also wanted to find out more about his family life, but came out with some jokes about Bin Laden avoiding sex with his five wives since he kept seeing Bush everytime he snuck under the blanket.(You really have to filter these things). What else? Oh, height: 6’ 4” to 6’ 6”.
Okay, I’ll skip the rundown on the highlights of his notorious terrorist career as combined with a timeline I found on another website ( for expediency) starting from Dec 26,1979 to May 29, 2001.
“The Rewards For Justice Program, United States Department of State, is offering a reward of up to $25 million for information leading directly to the apprehension or conviction of Usama Bin Laden. An additional $2 million is being offered through a program developed and funded by the Airline Pilots Association and the Air Transport Association.”
And the others I picked up are food for pondering..(I just hope I’m not repeating failed intel info, but the sources are there for your review.)
Excerpts from Larry C. Johnson Interviews: (former CIA operative, former US Deputy Director for Counterterrorism from 1989-1993)
In essence, Johnson confirms a meeting between Imad Mugniyah, (Hezbollah security chief responsible for Marine Barracks bombing in Beirut, Lebanon) and Osama Bin Laden. Mugniyah is known to move freely to and from Bekaa Valley and Iran. Traces of the explosives used in the bombing of a US Housing complex in Riyadh ,Saudi Arabia are sourced to Bekaa Valley. Individuals responsible for bombing show links with Bin Laden.
“What I observed is someone who continues to be creative at using low tech in an efficient manner.”
“, when you step back and look over the last 20 years of all the significant terrorist attacks against the United States in which Americans were killed or injured, you discover -- I ran the numbers -- it's roughly 72 percent of all Americans killed and wounded in international terrorist attacks since 1968 have been carried out by these two individuals, Mughniyah and bin Laden.”
“ Well, there was also testimony in this sealed document, or what was unsealed in the plea agreement, that Iran was providing weapons and training along with encouragement through Mughniyah. So, weapons, explosives, training. So it was not Osama bin Laden, the lone wolf. But rather, he at least had some ties from a country that has been very active in terrorism over the last 20 years.”
- Al-Fadl’s testimony regarding the attempted acquisition of uranium, given on February 6, 7, and 13, 2001 during the trial at the United States District Court of the Southern District of New York.
Prosecution witness Jamal Ahmad al-Fadl detailed his efforts to assist Bin Laden in an attempt to acquire uranium, presumably for the development of nuclear weapons, from a source in Khartoum, Sudan, in late 1993 or early 1994. Although Bin Laden has made statements in the past regarding his interest in acquiring weapons of mass destruction for a jihad (holy war) against the West, Al-Fadl’s testimony—if it proves to be credible and accurate—provides important evidence of his actions to do so.
Although the information that Al-Fadl revealed in the trial has probably been known for some time by the U.S. government, it adds important new information to the public domain on the efforts of Bin Laden and Al-Qa’ida to acquire nuclear weapons, including specific names and places.
Excerpt from Bin Laden Interview by ABC John Miller, May, 1998:
(referring to other Islamic Movements)“ They should, however, avoid side fronts and rise over the small problems for these are less detrimental. Their fight should be directed against unbelief and unbelievers…”
Emblem of Al Qaeda Training Manual
Emblem shows an ellipsoid drawing of the world depicting Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia at the center, emblazoned with an Arabic script (sorry, can’t read Arabic). The ellipsoid world is pierced from bottom to top with a sword held on its hilt by a hand.
Maps of Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia
Now after all that input (phew!), where can Osama be hiding?
Here’s my (not US$25 M, but invaluable) contribution : Since his last noted or perceived presence in the mountains of Tora-Bora, bordering Afghanistan and Pakistan was not vindicated by cruise missile attacks or operations, and neither his death confirmed, it is safe to assume that by now (three years),he has escaped the dragnet and somehow made it into Pakistan. How? It’s easy. It’s a Muslim country. He blends in the terrain. He could’ve made it out disguised as a veiled woman accompanied by a coterie of other veiled real women and kids , before mixing with the population. How Musharraf would handle that is , of course, another question. As a Muslim himself, Musharraf balances the sensitivities of a lot of Fundamentalists in his country. So, is there an effective dragnet within Pakistan? Maybe. Still, with US pressure, the sentiments of fellow Fundamentalists would be to get him further away as they would want to protect their most precious commodity as well as avoid inviting attacks on their own mini-bases. Their most precious commodity could easily be detected if he used the airspace, even if it were a private aircraft, so Osama had to be transported through land. And whereto?
To go further inland or north (Kasakhstan,etc.) would invite slow travel (mountainous terrain),border uncertainty and easy detection.
Although Pakistan shares a border with Iran, the authorities there are just as antsy about guesting Osama as their refugee at this time. Taking cue from the dictum that the Hawks in the US are bullies, as evidenced by the different US treatment of North Korea and Iraq (North Korea got a little more respect than the emaciated Iraq, even if both countries were accused of harboring WMD), Iran made no pretense of developing its nuclear missile capability, which it claims, is aimed at countering Israeli nuclear threat. Certainly, guesting Osama at this time would add to Iran’s vulnerability. At best, they may keep him at bay, outside its borders, but accessible for consultations.
So, what’s left ? The coast. The coast is clear. Pakistan shares a common coastline with Iran. With the aid of a fast or even moderately fast-moving seacraft , rapid mobility to the neighboring countries within the Gulf region is assured. I can actually give you the name of a coastal village, but this is good only for 48 hours. We have a moving target, remember ?
A basic rule for survival of a guerilla fighter, specially if his enemies are right behind his back, is to throw his enemies off his tracks. What’s this noise we hear coming from Sudan – just a few speedboat hours from Pakistan’s coastline ? Arabian militia massacreing innocent Sudanese ? Is this a job for the US World Cop or is this where Osama wants us to bring our forces ?
I’d rather bet on the coastline away from Sudan where we don’t hear any “noise”.
Okay, guys ,you’ve got your job to do. I just blog here. Anyway, with my luck, I’ll
have a fatwa on my head in 48 hours.
And please don’t tell me converting Iraq is more important.
