Day: May 2, 2011

A New Attitude On American Muslims Needed After Death Of Osama Bin Laden

Now that Osama Bin Laden has been removed from the scene, it is important that our politicians, news media, and the American people reassess their attitude on American Muslims as part of American society.

The Islamic faith is as divided as Christianity is, and while it is important to remember there are extremist and radical Muslims, including those who have attempted unsuccessfully to commit terrorist acts on American soil, that does not mean we should stereotype or scapegoat the vast majority of American Muslims, who are just as patriotic and committed to our democracy as any Americans of other ethnicities.

The hate mongers must be condemned, at the same time that our intelligence agencies must be thorough in their search for those rare Muslims in America who wish us ill!

But let’s remember that it was not only Christians and Jews and Hindus and Buddhists who died on September 11, and in the various terrorist attacks worldwide since September 11, and even before that date. It is clear that it is actually Muslims who have been the greatest number of victims worldwide, because of the murderous intent of Al Qaeda and its supporters as led by Osama Bin Laden.

Just as any other minority group, American Muslims can and will be assimilated into America, with always, however, a watchful eye on those who choose to commit crimes in the name of their God, and working to stop them before they succeed, and putting on trial those who are apprehended, in the most strict terms possible!

Barack Obama: Calm, Cool, Steady Manager Of Crisis

The American people are very fortunate to have Barack Obama as their President in these times!

Not only his reaction to the Great Recession with the effort to revive industry and banking, and his attempt to aid the state governments in difficult times; not only with his concern about national health care for all; not only with his emphasis on education reform to help America return to educational greatness; not only his emphasis on restoring American prestige in the world scene by promotion of diplomacy; but also because he has proved to be a calm, cool, steady manager of crisis, as proved when he saved the ship seized by Somali pirates in April 2009, and more dramatically, the accomplishment of the killing of Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden this past Sunday!

The opposition Republicans have long promoted the myth that only they can defend the nation from terrorism and preserve our national security. But as it turns out, that is far from true in the past, and is certainly now destroyed as a myth as a result of the flawless military operation conducted on Sunday in Pakistan!

Barack Obama’s historical reputation has been improved dramatically by this great moment in our history! It will be one of the first sentences in his biography, certainly in the first paragraph when history is written in the future!

This is a moment for all patriotic and fair minded Americans to salute President Barack Obama as a man of courage, principle, and dignity! Thank God Barack Obama is our President!

A Thrilling Moment Of Patriotism And Pride!

It was absolutely thrilling to witness on television last night and today a rare moment of patriotism and pride, as Americans spontaneously celebrated the successful military mission to kill Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan!

Seeing college students celebrating on campuses all over the nation; witnessing a large crowd outside the White House gates; sharing the joy at Ground Zero, where the World Trade Center was obliterated on that horrible September 11, nearly ten years ago; and just generally realizing that the young, who were children affected by that terrible tragedy a decade ago, were joining with Americans of all ages singing the National Anthem and shouting “USA, USA”, made one extremely proud to be an American! And the pride at the flawless performance of our Navy SEALS was boundless!

It is so rare to have the American people rejoice in unison about any event, so this is a moment to savor, and to hope somehow that a sense of national purpose can be accomplished to solve our many domestic problems in a spirit of unity and sacrifice similar to those brave young men who promoted justice for the three thousand people who died on that fateful day, September 11, 2001!

Does Osama Bin Laden Success Guarantee Second Presidential Term For Barack Obama?

As a result of the successful raid into the Osama Bin Laden compound in Pakistan, the first thought would be that it gives President Obama a tremendous edge in the contest for re-election as President in 2012.

But before we conclude that, we need to look at history, whether military success insures a political victory.

In at least three cases, two American and one British, exactly the opposite occurred.

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was the great hero of World War II and the struggle against Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany. And yet, when the British people voted months after the end of the European war, they chose to vote out the Conservative Party of Churchill and put in as Prime Minister the Labour Party leader, Clement Attlee, who served from 1945-1951.

In 1975, President Gerald Ford mounted a successful rescue mission of 39 US Navy personnel from the ship Mayaguez, which had been seized by the radical Khmer Rouge government of Cambodia. While 41 military personnel died in the successful rescue mission, two more than the number saved, it was still seen as a victory to be able to release the hostages unharmed. But in 1976, President Ford lost to Governor Jimmy Carter of Georgia for a full term in the White House!

And in 1991, President George H W Bush was able to mount a UN offensive which defeated Saddam Hussein in six weeks, the very brief Gulf War! Bush’s ratings hit an all time high for any President, 91 percent, but a year and a half later, only 37 percent voted for Bush against Bill Clinton, the second worst defeated President in American history, despite the great and quick victory over Iraq!

So while it would seem likely that Obama gains a great edge for next year’s election by the death of Osama Bin Laden, there is no certainty in any sense of what the future holds!

Will New Conspiracy Theory Arise Over Death Of Osama Bin Laden?

In a time when we can rejoice in the killing of Osama Bin Laden, one wonders whether a new conspiracy theory will arise.

That theory would be that Osama Bin Laden is still alive, that Barack Obama has lied to us, and that all he is trying to do is calm the public mood about the War On Terror, and help his own re-election efforts in 2012.

The conspiracy theorists could argue that the body of Osama Bin Laden being buried at sea could be a ruse, and that even if a photo of the dead Osama is released, with his face destroyed by a shot in the left eye, that it will be claimed that it is not Osama. The fact that DNA evidence will be claimed as proof will likely be dismissed as false, as well.

Do not be surprised at the above scenario, but the answer is, as always, to ignore the conspiracy theories, and leave it to the loonies who hate our President and do not care about the damage they do to national unity by spreading such gossip as fact!

Peter Bergen, Expert On Bin Laden And War On Terror, Says War Is Over With Death Of Bin Laden!

Peter Bergen, an expert on Osama Bin Laden and the War On Terror, who also met Bin Laden years before September 11, has just declared on CNN that the War On Terror is over!

Bergen claims that no one else can lead with the charisma or following of Bin Laden, that others under Bin Laden are “pygmies”, so that the war against terrorism is over!

One wonders what to make of this, but if it is true, that would be a major boon to the American future, and allow us to spend more time on domestic issues that have so sorely been ignored as we went berserk in spending on the War on Terror!

It could also mean less domestic strife and fear of Muslims in America, and could also lead to the rapid decline of the hate mongers who keep on promoting negativism constantly, including the conservative radio talk show hosts who live on hate and prejudice and propaganda to divide America!

Before we accept what Peter Bergen says as factual, however, we must still have a period of waiting and confirm what Bergen believes to be true, which we can certainly hope is the case!

Adolf Hitler And Osama Bin Laden: Two Most Hated Tyrants Die A Day Apart 66 Years Apart!

Without any question, Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler was the most hated man in American eyes in the 20th century, and when he died by suicide on April 30, 1945, the nation celebrated!

Now, 66 years and one day later, Osama Bin Laden, the most hated man in America in the 21st century’s short history, has been killed in a joint operation with the assistance of the Pakistani government, and his body was claimed by the Americans as proof through DNA testing that it was, indeed, the mass murderer who was responsible for the September 11 attacks and the ongoing War on Terror, the greatest threat since Nazism on American national security!

Evil exists in the world, but one has to believe that justice will be served, and that good will ultimately wins out against the forces of darkness. This worked both against Hitler and Osama Bin Laden, and the thrill felt on V-E Day in 1945 is now spreading throughout America as we celebrate a great moment in American history, which helps to heal the wounds of our losses.

We must remain united against any other evil terrorists who might wish to attack us! This is not time to let down our guard!

PS.  I  have just learned that the German Government announced the death of Adolf Hitler on May 1, the day after his suicide, so at least the announcement of the death of Hitler and Osama Bin Laden were exactly 66 years apart!