Thoughts on the Post bin Laden World

by Dillon Freed
May 11, 2011

http://www.weeklyblitz.net/1431/thoughts-on-the-post-bin-laden-world

If we were giving a proper burial to bin Laden because we felt it proper – that would be different. But I have more than a hunch that we are doing it so "they won't be mad." If I were flippant, I'd say, if we really wanted to give Osama a proper burial, according to his version of Islamic custom, then we should have thrown his body into the air strapped with explosives.

The movies and documentaries that come out from this operation are going to be fantastic. Unlike the vagueness surrounding the death of Hitler, we have firsthand accounts of bin Laden's passage to Dante's Inferno. The entire operation, according to reports, feels blatantly cinematic, if not high art. For instance, the Navy Seal Team 6, before the real siege, went Ocean's 11- and rehearsing in a mocked up bin Laden compound as President Obama watched in. The photo released of Clinton, Obama, Biden and others in the Situation Room reminded me of a Rembrandt – the intensity jumps off the page and should be nominated for a prize if it is possible to do so.

About the picture: the intensity on Obama's face is one of utter determination, as if he is willing the mission a success thousands of miles away. I like the look of my president – a man whom I am not a particular admirer of. There is something else about him in the picture – I feel his stress. The fact that he is seated in the corner… the most powerful man in the room, sitting the lowest – you would not pick him to be the President, the man who just ordered the kill. I care little about the release of bin Laden's photo and what it will do to radical Muslims: I care more what this photo should do to the radicals – it should frighten them more than anything else out there. The intellectual fire power, military experience, and supreme dedication of our leadership – regardless of political affiliation – is on display for the world to see as are the lead the most skilled special forces in the world. No other nation could have pulled this off.

Thank God for Obama's unilateralism.

If there is an attack soon – watch out for those who blame Obama for killing bin Laden. Even if there be a nuclear attack – are you telling me the Islamic radicals needed bin Laden to die for motivation to use it? Let me say preemptively: Get off it.

The debate is back on over water-boarding as it seems the water-boarding of Khalid Sheik Mohammed gave the initial clue which led to bin Laden's whereabouts. I have made this point before concerning water-boarding as well as the holding of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, which is related. Let's look at some numbers and do some simple analysis: three men were water-boarded a total of approximately 180 times. Anything than can be done on average, sixty times to a single person in one life-time, cannot be considered "torture" – it is just a harsh interrogation method. Real torture would kill you after the third or fourth time of its application – at most. Thus, if there is an argument against the use of water-boarding this would be it: it is not torturous enough. Second, there were only approximately 500 inmates on average ever held at Guantanamo Bay (right now it's less than 200). Now, that average represents, of the 1.3 billion Muslims in the world, approximately: 0.0000385% of the total worldwide Muslim population. This completely refutes the idea that American soldiers were picking Muslims up willy-nilly. Translation: everyone should relax concerning Guantanamo Bay.

If I knew bin Laden or a terrorist had a dirty bomb, and I were POTUS, not only would I water-board him, but I would rip out his fingernails with pliers, stretch him on a board, and do whatever was necessary to stop the ticking time bomb. In a digital world where communication can be coordinated easily, where Facebook and Twitter cannot only be used for good but for evil (no one seems to be mentioning this), where weapons are continuing to become the size of Lilliputians, where jet travel becomes cheaper – this ticking time bomb is not the stuff of movies.

One writer said, after he was voluntarily water-boarded, that the procedure doesn't simulate drowning, but instead, one is drowning. No – that's wrong.

Expect mocking commentary from radicals in Islam that shall assert Obama is ignorant for the execution of this plan. They are well aware that most Americans and Europeans envision Bush as a fool and that being so, will attempt to make Bush seem smarter than Obama for letting bin Laden live. True, there is an argument, not completely ludicrous, to be made that it may have been smarter, in the short run, to let bin Laden live since it would not put fresh chum in the ideological sea, but it is still a wrongheaded appraisal. When you can take out the head of the hydra, you have to take it out, even if more heads spout. Indeed, the more "heads" Al Qaeda has the greater potential for internal fractures. What is more: these radicals do not need extra motivation – most of it is internalized, and most explanations about "external" events and policies "causing" their hatred are often mere palaver. Like the inner-city kid who waits for someone to "look at him" – the radical Muslims wait to be offended – and once offended resort to violence. They depend on loopy, soft-headed people in the West to defend their being "offended."

Obama appears very re-electable right now. But things could change quickly. For instance, one terror attack on our soil – whether fair or not – Obama will be held accountable. If Iran goes nuclear before November 2012, Obama's chances are near to nil. And if the money situation does not get better – the killing of Bin Laden will be forgotten.

If Obama is re-elected for the killing of bin Laden, and his aggressiveness against Gaddafi - it may ironically mean the death of our economy and thus, a resurgence of terrorists whose predatory instinct will activate and attempt to take down the great nation as it falters. Obama seems utterly committed to the Keynesian model, with Krugman on the coattails with a megaphone. Americans have common sense, thus, even if we suppose Keynesian economics work – no one cares. Americans would rather play by old school rules, to run the economy like they run their checkbook. Further, one cannot euphemize the situation any longer – the United States' debt is not like a college loan and a mortgage (as some on the left are saying) – and even if it is – my god, what a terrible analogy given how many people were just devastated and bankrupted by the housing market, and currently how many young adults are burdened by college debt.

Everyone is speaking about the major increase in the recruitment of Jihadists after bin Laden's death (myself included), but what about the number of young men who will now wish to be part of the Navy Seal Team 6? Now that too is recruitment.

Watch for unnecessary hand-wringing by guilt-ridden academics over bin Laden's death – this will display itself as unnecessary worry as to whether bin Laden was armed or not when he was shot. The fact is bin Laden was armed: he has a million human beings as his grenades.

Bin Laden is said to have died in a state of fear, which explains why the coward never signed up himself for what he deemed the most glorious life imaginable – suicide bombing. And if he was scared of the Navy Seal 6 Team – imagine, if hell be real – the fear he feels in this moment.

After bin Laden's death be vigilant for the many forms of relativism that shall arise. To adduce: Palestine's 9/11 celebrations will be compared to American's bin Laden celebrations; Pakistan will claim to the international community that they are a noble nation whose national sovereignty was violated as they harbored an internationally wanted terrorist; the comparison of bin Laden's death as equivalent to the meaning of Hitler's death (which while similar is not of equal import); Obama acted as a terrorist and an assassin; statements that the United States is at it again, meddling in foreign countries, etc.

Also look out for inversions such as bin Laden being declared a dead hero in the Middle East; Obama being called Satan; protests in the Western world, specifically in Europe, where free speech will be inverted with incitement by radical Muslims; etc. Already an Imam has said that Americans rejoicing bin Laden's death were dogs worshiping a lion.

Here in New York City, it was interesting to observe cultural values clash within people. The defiant "fuck him"/Wild West American/Clint Eastwood cultural mentality was grinding against the idea that Americans are noble people who do not celebrate the death of others – even if those celebrating did not admit the latter to themselves. I think the celebrations were in the right measure, for the right duration, and then our focus returned, where it should have returned, to the victims of 9/11.

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