Osama: Terrorist or Hero

***For the purpose of this post, I will not factor in any of the conspiracy theories about Bush’s involvement in the World Trade Center bombings. I watched the videos and read the stories. They are interesting and could possibly be true, but I don’t have access to the necessary documents which would allow me to discuss any conspiracy theories. I am writing under the assumption that Osama Bin Laden was the architect behind the attacks on America.***

If, for even one second, you think I am a supporter of Osama Bin Laden, you’re out of your freaking mind. I also don’t think he is a hero if that’s what you expected me to argue. Well, he’s not a hero to the western world at least. I think anyone who can target innocent people, regardless of purpose, is a maniac and a complete jackass. (I don’t mean to offend the funny jackasses on MTV!)

But…

Before we brand Osama “the most horrible human being to ever walk on the planet,” let’s try to break down and understand the events which led to 9/11. Bin Laden was not a crazy blood thirsty killer; he was fighting a religious war. (Religious war is an oxymoron, but not a cool one like jumbo shrimp. People actually die over whose mythical deity is better. I guess it makes sense!) I will give some of the historical factors which I believe led to 9/11, but it is the responsibility of anyone who wants to know the entire story to spend the time and research the information; this is not a history lesson.

Propaganda is extremely important when foreign policy is concerned. We must be careful not to accept anything which is force-fed to us; people who don’t think, deserve to be manipulated. Any person or country who opposes US interest is usually given a bad name. (A perfect example of this is Hugo Chavez. I honestly haven’t studied his life enough to comment, but I do know he can’t be as bad as the press makes him out to be. Venezuela has a lot of oil and the US wants to control it. The fact that Chavez doesn’t bend to the will of the White House is commendable. FYI: according to CNN the price of gas in Venezuela is 0.12 cents per gallon! Think of that the next time your gassing up! Chavez believes it’s the people’s oil! Like I said, I don’t know too much about the guy, but he seems ok.) It’s interesting that the Government which runs Saudi Arabia is similar to the Taliban in Afghanistan. The difference is our government’s desire to remove the Taliban from power in order to install a puppet regime, and the US needs to befriend the Saudis in order to ensure we have oil. [The media labels the Taliban members as bad, but the Saudi royal family members are good.] Don’t buy into the rhetoric about entering the war for some patriotic duty. We were acting in the interest of the US economy. Too bad our leader was an imbecile and the war ended up destroying our financial system. (Yes, I know the housing crisis was crippling, but analysts are projecting the war in Iraq to cost 3 Trillion Dollars! Some even expect the war in Afghanistan to cost double. Our two un-winnable wars made it impossible for the government to deal with the housing crash. Bush is the ultimate gambler, “I have a hunch Saddam has some WMDs. What the hell it’s only 3 Trillion, let’s role the dice! C’mon seven, daddy needs a new source of oil!”)

The interest in the Middle East began with the British, who desired a faster route to India and the Spice Islands. At the risk of getting into too much detail, I’ll just summarize. The Middle East was part of the Ottoman Empire. There were no countries, just a group of Ottoman provinces. Britain placed selected Arabs in positions of power, and the new kings were grateful; they remained under British influence. The British promised the Arabs they could have their own independent nations as reward for helping to remove the Ottomans. (When were the Ottomans driven out? Maybe a few hundred years ago? No! 1918; WWI.)

Eventually, the US replaced Britain as the world’s premier superpower. America has been involved in Middle Eastern affairs ever since. In the 80’s, during the Cold War, Russia was attempting to spread communism and grow its empire, and the United States was forced to prevent Russian expansion. Afghanistan, strategically located, became the perfect location for Russia to gain influence over the Middle East. Why is this important? Because Osama Bin Laden was a member of the Afghan resistance. He and his supporters were trained by the US. (That’s right people, those Al Queda videos of men preparing to fight against the infidels came from American military assistance. It’s hard to imagine a bunch of guys training on what looks like a school yard jungle gym can strike fear in Americans, but those videos were on the news almost weekly.)

The freedom fighters, as they were called, also received weapons and other military equipment. (From President Ronald Reagan’s freedom fighters, to President George W. Bush’s terrorists! You gotta love it!) The Russians were eventually defeated and Bin Laden elevated to hero status in the Muslim world. He had no interest in Afghanistan, but Osama believed in jihad. (There are two jihads in Islam. The greater jihad is an inner struggle towards self improvement. The lesser jihad is the struggle against enemies of Islam.) Bin Laden felt he was doing his duty when he helped to remove the Russians from the nation of his Arab brothers. The US supported him, but when he decided to fight against the “new enemy of Islam,” he was labeled a terrorist.

Knowing how fanatical Bin Laden preached, does anyone think it was wise for former President George W. Bush, prior to the invasion of Iraq, to call the mission a “modern day crusade?” I know the guy was an ignoramus, but come on! How does someone like that get elected to lead the free world. (The US political structure has to be improved. This won’t ever happen again! I’LL MOVE TO CANADA IF PALIN IS OUR NEXT PRESIDENT!!!)

I hate to point this out, but there is no difference between Osama Bin Laden, who fought a religious war against the United States and Pope Urban II, who ordered the first Crusade in 1095 bce. (Who am I kidding, I love to point that out!!!) How many innocent people must have died during the four years of fighting in Jerusalem! Each leader knew there would be collateral damage, but winning for “god” was more important. Why is Pope Urban II remembered as the hero of the First Crusade but Osama Bin Laden is labeled a terrorist; they committed the same atrocities. Two religious terrorists in my view! (The sad thing is, Pope Urban II was a saint compared to some of the other Pontiffs!)

(For the ignorant, both Osama and Urban fought for “god.“ Allah is god and god is allah. Same faith, the only difference in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam is the changes brought on by the prophet each chooses to follow. Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad are all prophets from the same lineage!)

From the American perspective, Osama is a terrorist. He ordered the killing of innocent citizens, and he felt the operation should have been carried out by any means. Bin Laden didn’t care about the collateral damage, which makes him evil, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that he achieved his main objective of affecting the US economy. (I think it’s amazing that the term used for killing civilians is “collateral damage.” How is that acceptable?) I don’t agree with the methods used by Al Queda, but I do admire the courage to take on the most powerful nation in the world.

I felt a sense of pride when twitter announced that Bin Laden was dead. (We live in a different world. Tweets are the best news source around. I remember, during the CNN coverage, hearing Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was the first person to tweet about Osama’s death; CRAZY! How in the world did he know?) I can remember the fear I felt on September 11, 2001. I continued to look at the skyscrapers in Boston, fearing they would be the next targets. (How dumb does the government think we are that they used the bullshit color fear system. “Today, the fear level is orange.” Does anyone question that Bush created the system on his own?) I always found comfort when I heard the news reports of Bin Laden’s failing health and horrible living conditions. Having to move around from cave to cave with no luxuries seemed fitting; if we couldn’t find him, at least he was struggling.

Osama was horrible, but I can at least understand why he did what he did. I am not a proponent of any violence, because I believe what separates humans from the other animals is our ability to reason. Diplomacy should always be the only option. (Anyone who believes Osama Bin Laden was a crazy psychopath, lacks education.) The Al Queda boss did what most leaders choose to do; he decided not to consider the innocent lives of the civilians when drawing up his master plan. Did Bush consider the innocent lives of the Iraqis who were killed during operation ‘Shock and Awe?’ How was that not an act of terrorism? (As a history major, I was offended by W’s recklessness. Iraq is located in the cradle of civilization and this guy decided to drop bombs on some of the world’s most historical sites.)

I know what people are going to say, “We can’t sit back and do nothing. Someone has to pay for 9/11!” I agree, but the way Bush went about exacting revenge can only be described as “Bushian!” Our military had the capability to capture Bin Laden, years ago; targeting Saddam Hussein was the dumbest strategy ever. In a way, Bush helped Bin Laden; Al Queda became the most treasured organization for radical Muslims. Bush was the prefect recruiting tool for the radicals. His decisions couldn’t have been any more perfect from a marketing standpoint. I was happy for America when special forces killed Bin Laden because, regardless of religious or political views, the world is a better place without Osama; I just can’t bring myself to high-five over someone being shot. (But I understand the celebrating that occurred around the country. Any American, who lived through 9/11, had to feel jubilant.)

The troops finally accomplished the Mission—only 8 years after Bush stood on that aircraft carrier with the huge “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED” banner and proclaimed victory. (Anyone who voted for W should be forced to donate $100 to cancer research!) My sense of pride was quickly replaced by a sense of inadequacy once the details, of Bin Laden’s life on the run, were revealed. Are you kidding me? The guy was living in a mansion! It was a slap in the face. I can’t walk onto a plane with a beverage because of this man, and he’s living the good life in a mansion? UNBELIEVABLE! The very freedoms that Bush launched the war to “protect” were ripped from every American citizen. “Thanks Bush, these TSA freedom-cavity searches actually make me feel safer!”

Religion is such a horrible entity. Cancer, AIDS, the Plague; nothing has killed more people than faith! We have to consider the Islamic point of view. (I understand Muslims need to make monumental strides in the treatment of women, but bombing Middle Eastern cities will not help improve women’s rights.) Bush wanted to bring American freedom to the people of Iraq, but how is a Muslim supposed to accept some of our cultural principles. We have thongs which are marketed to 10 year-old girls. We have horrible teenage pregnancy rates, divorce happens in half of marriages, and STDs are spreading faster than a stripper’s legs. Are those the standards we want to share with the world. It’s easy to judge the cultural values of other nations, but let’s not forget to turn the microscope on our own society; we’re not the finest example.

Bin Laden is no hero of mine, but I can understand why he is revered amongst Muslims. Regardless of what anyone thinks, Osama Bin Laden is a terrorist, so are Pope Urban II and W. The former president should honestly be forced to answer for lying to the American people, launching a war in order to kill Saddam, risking the lives of American troops,  and ordering the murder of thousands of innocent Iraqi citizens. (No one can argue that Bush didn’t invade Iraq in an effort to out shine his father. Never mind, people can argue anything! I mean, someone had to argue that he was the right man for the job during the election! How would you like to have that assignment? “Ok, all you have to do is convince the world that W is intelligent.” I QUIT! I wish wars were fought like in the past. The president should have to be on the front lines leading the troops.)

Bin Laden killed innocent Americans to fight his war, and Bush killed innocent Iraqis to fight his. What is the difference? I can’t justify the deaths! There are millions of people who die every year due to unnecessary gang violence, and we always hear the same quote, “Why are these kids killing each other for no reason?” When are people going to stop killing each other for religious reasons?

*****If you are a deranged, Super-Patriotic American, with a limited education, and you are incapable of comprehending my views…PLEASE DO ME A FAVOR; When you shoot me, aim for the head so I can die instantly. There is no need to make me suffer–What Would Jesus Do!*****

@PeteTeix617