EDITORIAL: Setting aside for a moment his pre-Age Of Reason worldview and psychopathic capacity to kill-without-feeling anyone that contradicts it, it must be said that Osama Bin Laden is a razor-sharp observer of world affairs, and as such his comments are no more or less credible than the average Fox News talking head. To wit: he says that despite the U.S. being the mightiest military power on Earth, 19 men flying planes into buildings were able to entirely change America’s compass. Who does not agree with that? And who, in hindsight, does not agree that the over-reaction to 9/11 was a huge strategic blunder that divided America, alienated us from the rest of the world and, ultimately only played into Osama’s hands? He goes on to to say that the Neo-Cons and Al-Qaeda have the same basic agenda, albeit for different ends. That, too, is essentially true and it gets back to what he said about America changing its compass after 9/11 — which is to say when we reacted to 9/11 as a military problem instead of a criminal justice problem, America’s agenda and Osama’s agenda became knotted and entwined. That should have never happened. Which is why we will NOT be marking the sixth anniversary of 9/11. We have have wallowed in this mire long enough. We are done being afraid. And we are fairly sure that Osama spends every 9/11 masturbating to CNN in his cave. Not our scene, baby.
