Why "they" love Bin Laden....

[Guest Frank Zappa Mask]

from www.drudgereport.com

 

Sen. Murray asks students to ponder bin Laden’s popularity

 

 

The Associated Press

 

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VANCOUVER, Wash. — Why is terrorist leader Osama bin Laden so popular in some parts of the world?

Perhaps, said Sen. Patty Murray, it’s because he and his supporters have spent years building goodwill in poor nations by helping pay for schools, roads and day-care facilities.

 

At an appearance before a high school honors class, Murray, D-Wash., offered what her spokesman called an intentionally provocative challenge for students to ponder.

 

"We’ve got to ask, why is this man (bin Laden) so popular around the world?" Murray asked during an appearance Wednesday at Columbia River High School. "Why are people so supportive of him in many countries that are riddled with poverty?"

 

The answers may be uncomfortable, but are important for Americans to ponder — particularly students, Murray said.

 

"He’s been out in these countries for decades, building schools, building roads, building infrastructure, building day-care facilities, building health-care facilities, and the people are extremely grateful. We haven’t done that," Murray said.

 

"How would they look at us today if we had been there helping them with some of that rather than just being the people who are going to bomb in Iraq and go to Afghanistan?"

 

Chris Vance, chairman of the Washington state Republican Party, called Murray’s comments offensive.

 

"It is absolutely outrageous and despicable to imply that the American government should learn a lesson from the madman who murdered thousands of American citizens," Vance said. "I know Senator Murray has a habit of sticking her foot in her mouth, but this goes way beyond a simple gaffe."

 

Murray’s comments "sent the message to these students that the United States somehow deserved or brought on the September 11 terrorist attacks," Vance said. "I think all decent people can agree that we most certainly did not, that this was an unprovoked attack of terrorism."

 

Vance called on Murray to retract her comments and apologize.

 

An expert on terrorism, who co-wrote a book profiling bin Laden and al-Qaida, said Murray’s comments, published yesterday in The Columbian newspaper, were mostly on the mark.

 

"That’s kind of a generalization, but mostly accurate," Michael Swetnam, chairman of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies in Arlington, Va., said yesterday.

 

Since about 1988, bin Laden, believed to be the mastermind behind the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, has been on a mission to build schools, roads and even homes for widows of those killed in the fight against the Soviets in Afghanistan, Swetnam said.

 

There is even a rumor that bin Laden helped build an Afghani orphanage, although Swetnam said he has been unable to confirm that.

 

"Mostly he did underwrite — and so did many Arab charities — several fundamentalist Muslim schools throughout Afghanistan and Pakistan that teach a very, very, fundamentalist, right-wing version of Islam that preaches hatred for the West," Swetnam said.

 

Bin Laden’s version of Islam tells Muslims that "people in the West are trying to attack your religion (and) oppress you, and the only way to fight that is to rise up against the United States and its crusader buddies, Israel and Europe," Swetnam said.

 

Murray, in her remarks to students, said she doesn’t know where she comes down on the question of whether to try to counter bin Laden. Building infrastructure in Third World countries would "cost a lot of money, and we have schools here and health care facilities here that are really hurting," Murray said.

 

"War is expensive, too," she told the students. "Your generation ought to be thinking about whether we should be better neighbors out in other countries so that they have a different vision of us. It is a debate I think we ought to have."

 

Murray, the state’s senior senator, supported sending U.S. troops to Afghanistan to fight the Taliban and al-Qaida. But she was among 23 senators who voted against a resolution authorizing President Bush to use military force in confronting Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. The state’s junior senator, Democrat Maria Cantwell, voted for the resolution.

 

Copyright © 2002 The Seattle Times Company

 

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[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Murray’s comments "sent the message to these students that the United States somehow deserved or brought on the September 11 terrorist attacks," Vance said.

 

Judging just by what was written here, I don't think that's true at all. Her question was regarding why Bin Laden is looked at as a hero in the middle east, not a statement that the US "deserved" the 9/11 attacks. Have we really done anything to build infrastructure or help the economies of the mid east? No, and we shouldn't have to. We've got to deal with our own problems before giving money to a nation that's just going to get wasted on a cruel dictator's new presidential palace.

[Guest MrRant]

There is a pretty big firestorm up here when she said that.

[Guest Vern Gagne]

There were no day care facilities and paved roads in Afghanistan under the Taliban, and any school was a fanatical islamic terrorist training camp.

[Guest Kotzenjunge]

The Taliban was a reactionary Islamic governmental organization, in charge of administering a country. Al Queda is a scattered terrorist organization. Big difference. Also, it says that the only Afghan things confirmed as built were homes for Soviet invasion widows. The orphanages and roads and such were said to be in countries pluralized, and none specified.

 

This is along the lines of how people looked at me like some sort of freak for about a month after 9/11, whenever I'd try to explain why the Islamic world would be so elated at the attacks and their results. We've fallen into the trap of refusing to admit that people who do wrongs to us are actually supported in parts of the world, and as a result thought-provoking questions such as these, which actually try to help people understand our enemies more, are considered unconscionable and evil somehow. A shame, really.

[Guest J*ingus]

"He’s been out in these countries for decades,

 

After getting kicked out of half of them.

 

building schools,

 

Which don't accept 51% of all children.

 

building roads,

 

Which they drove their military vehicles of war over.

 

building infrastructure,

 

A little more specific, please?

 

building day-care facilities, building health-care facilities,

 

A little proof, please?

 

and the people are extremely grateful.

 

When you live in a cave, a mud shack looks downright palatial.

 

We haven’t done that," Murray said.

 

Cause it ain't our fucking country.

[Guest DrTom]

"He’s been out in these countries for decades, building schools, building roads, building infrastructure, building day-care facilities, building health-care facilities, and the people are extremely grateful. We haven’t done that," Murray said.

 

"How would they look at us today if we had been there helping them with some of that rather than just being the people who are going to bomb in Iraq and go to Afghanistan?"

No, we've justed wasted time and money sending them food and grain, medical supplies, building hospitals, and the like. We've even fought to make sure the food and supplies got where they were supposed to go, and all it cost us was a few American lives and a lot of aggravation. We do enough for the rest of the world, without expecting anything in return. America is the most freely-giving country in the history of this planet, and all we get is condemned because some terrorist fuckhead won over a few more hearts than we did. If the Senator would like us to build more roads in Africa, perhaps she should fly down there with a shovel and start digging.

 

And anyone who actually thought this worthless piece of pseudo-journalistic shit was worth a piss is encouraged to lend her a hand.

[Guest Kotzenjunge]

Where have we done that (the fighting for supplies and such) in the area with which we currently have the beef? I saw no mentions of Africa in the story.

[Guest DrTom]

I saw no mentions of Africa in the story.

The article mentioned "poor nations," and there are a lot of those in Africa.

 

Besides, who do you think was the largest contributor of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan even after the Taliban took power?

[Guest Kotzenjunge]

There are a lot of poor nations in Central and South America, as well as Asia.

 

Oh, I believe that we were the biggest humanitarian aid contributors to Afghanistan, but like I said, the only Afghan aid actually noted on the part of bin Laden is that towards those affected directly by the Soviet invasion. Just because we gave the most doesn't mean that others gave nothing.

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

There were no day care facilities and paved roads in Afghanistan under the Taliban, and any school was a fanatical islamic terrorist training camp.

When did you go there?

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Where have we done that (the fighting for supplies and such) in the area with which we currently have the beef? I saw no mentions of Africa in the story.

Somalia.

[Guest RobJohnstone]

women can't work in islam settings therefore there are no daycare centers there, PERIOD. This bitch is crazy. 100 bucks says the left wing media doesn't attack her for this blatent attempt at making bin laden look like ahero, but they shitted on lott for some off handed comment that could have gone either way. Those damn democrats

 

--Rob

[Guest Kotzenjunge]

Where have we done that (the fighting for supplies and such) in the area with which we currently have the beef? I saw no mentions of Africa in the story.

Somalia.

Are they on our list of people we don't like at the moment? I knew very well what he was referencing, but it isn't as if Somalia is one of the nations that we have pegged on the "Countries We'd Like To Turn Into Glass" list.

 

And Robbie boy, it was under the Taliban that no women could work. The rest of the Islamic world is very strict, but none were moreso than the Taliban, and once again, the article says since 1988, well before the Taliban came into power. And good job at blaming this on Democrats again. The media doesn't put words in people's mouths. They might minsinterpret or twist them, but the original words always do more damage, and in this case a good ol' Southern boy let his tongue slip. Get used to it and while you're at it, get an open mind.

[Guest Vern Gagne]

There were no day care facilities and paved roads in Afghanistan under the Taliban, and any school was a fanatical islamic terrorist training camp.

When did you go there?

That's what relief workers have said, who were in Afghanistan when the Taliban(financed by Bin Laden)were in power.