Down the Rabbit Hole

The military tactics and strategies used by the US reminds me of the way the US has always conducted its wars. Consider the wars against the Indians pursued by the US govt., which not only introduced the practice of scalping but also of putting bounties on Indian leaders' heads. Of course, the strategy of quelling the Indians was the model used by both Hitler and the Afrikaaners in their "final solutions."

Every time I hear Bush slam the "islamofascists" and Osama "where are you" bin-Laden, I am struck how much of what he says about them/him could be said about the US/him and its policies in the mid-east. It's like listening to a mirror image talking to itself. Very weird.

Two things in particular come to mind: Bush has derided several times in his speeches the fact that Osama does not blow himself up or put himself into the front lines. Of course, the same can be said for Bush, right? If he's going to use that as an example, it reflects back on himself pretty poorly.

In fact, I do believe that there is some evidence that bin-Laden has seen "military action" during the Afghan war against the Soviets. Again, this reflects badly on George, who was found AWOL in Viet Nam, a war he "supported."

I also believe that bin-Laden's sons have fought in the US war in Afghanistan--perhaps one even died in action (I will have to look this up). Of course, any question about whether George's daughters might end up fighting for a cause their father believes in so passionately is beyond the pale.

I'm not about to praise bin-Laden, although I think that from one angle what he says about western decadence has some truth to it. In my book, bin-Laden is a throwback "medieval" fanatic who wishes to introduce a form of Islamism that would become totalitarian equal to the Nazi regime, the current US empire, or the Soviets. I am not denying the "power" of his message--somewhat like a Luther--but the ramifications of his vision are distinctly headed in the wrong direction.

The gist, I guess, is that those in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.