Dear Mr. Bin Laden (As the NYT calls him):
I'm rubber, and you're glue, whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you.
I think that about sums up the amount of intellectual value your recent missive has, don't you?
First of all, I am just so tired of your rhetoric and dogma. You say the same thing, over and over again; repitition in and of itself doesn't lend truth to your statements. This "War Against Islam" that you like to say the West has formented: what was the opening shot? What was the straw that broke the camel's back?
I believe that evidence suggests quite the opposite, that the fundamental nature of Islam NEEDS a constant threat/conflict to continue to exist. (For more info on this idea, visit the Fjordman Report
http://gatesofvienna.blogspot.com/2006/04/fall-of-france-and-multicultural-world.html.) The Fjordman report reflects upon the nature of Islam that was cast when it was formed by Mohammed. In short, Mohammed created the religion of Islam as a reason to incite fellow arabs to fight for him. He funded his society through the pillaging of outside cultures, teaching that no other way but Islam could be condoned. The conversion of heathens to Islam was a reason to invade and conquer, which offered bountiful plunder, and bountiful plunder was an extremely good reason to invade and conquer and convert heathens. See how that works?
So, it seems to me that this "War On Islam" that the west has begun DOES in fact exist - but only as a defense against the (contemporary) attacks of Islam on the west. In other words, they have stuck a razor blade in our halloween candy, and when we came over with our parents to get restitution, they said we started the whole thing. It's children's logic (but extremely effective global politics all the same. It appears that whoever says something first has the most effective claim on truth in the matter.)
Also, I believe that someone should respond to respond to these Bin Laden missives, in some manner. They are already getting global coverage in every single media source, so its not like we'd be lending credibility to them. I would love to see a figure, such as our secretary of Homeland Defense, respond with statments like:
"Mr. Bin Laden. Your cowardly declarations only prove that you are unable or unwilling to put your money where your mouth is. We, the global community, and in particular the United States of America, know that your outrageous and inflamatory statements are NOTHING but hot air. Your ethical and moral standards are reprehensible, and your means serve no ends but your own. You have shown yourself and your followers to be akin to Nazis, and we will exterminate you, your leaders, and your regime as effectively as we did the Third Reich. We stand opposed to EVERYTHING you stand for, and we will not rest until your twisted and evil plans for global domination are put to rest forever. You and your fundamentalism are nothing but a spoiled child, that can't play well with others."
Just say something, for God's sake! Respond with anything except a stupid and badly planned excursion into Iraq, which simply upset the global balance of power, and at least lent some superficial credibility to Bin Laden's "Attack on the West" rhetoric. Verbally show that Bin Ladin is today's Hitler. Find their leaders and kill them. Expose the blatant horrors of daily Islamic life. They don't figh fair, but we don't have to stoop to that level to beat them. But we do have to take our heads out of our asses to do it.
Moving on, we can show their close proximity to Nazis when we examine Bin Laden's call to arms in Sudan. EVERYONE knows the arab junta is actively targeting the black population there for extermination. By giving his sanction to this genocide, Bin Laden blatantly shows his true colors. If he stands for ethnic cleansing, than anyone who stands with him is a rubber stamp of the nazis, aryans, ku klux klan, etc. Bin Ladne and Kim Jong Il have more in common than they know.
I'm only going to touch on Bin Laden's statement that the Dutch cartoonists should be handed over to them for punishment. This is an example of the intolerance of their religion and culture. At its inception, Islam conquered other cultures to assert its supremacy over them (and rape, and pillage and sack and burn.) Anyone that defames the basis of their barbarian imperialism is their enemy, and they want to destoy them. If a person who simply writes/draws a cartoon is an enemy that should be 'punished', then nothing is safe, nothing is sacred. I applaud the Dutch cartoonists, if not for their judgemental cartoons, then their wilingness to stand up for the right to draw them in the first place.
So, in conclusion, I find Bin Laden and his ideals to be akin to the nazis, with his reasoning to be as faulty. And the he has as much right to life as a rabid dog. So would President Bush finally do something with his administration that would be worth remembering and find this guy and kill him?! That would be something I would, maybe not be proud of, but be happy enough with the result that I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.
