November 13, 2002
HULAGU A-GO-GO:
Full text of bin Laden statementReciprocal treatment is part of justice. The incidents that have taken place since the raids on New York and Washington up until now - like the killing of Germans in Tunisia and the French in Karachi, the bombing of the giant French tanker in Yemen, the killing of marines in Faylakah (in Kuwait) and the British and Australians in the Bali explosions, the recent operation in Moscow (when Chechens took theatre-goers hostage) and some sporadic operations here and there - are only reactions and reciprocal actions.These actions were carried out by the zealous sons of Islam in defence of their religion and in response to the order of their God and prophet, may God's peace and blessings be upon him.
What Bush, the pharaoh of this age, was doing in terms of killing our sons in Iraq, and what Israel, the United States' ally, was doing in terms of bombing houses that shelter old people, women and children with US-made aircraft in Palestine were sufficient to prompt the sane among your rulers to distance themselves from this criminal gang. [...]
What do your governments want by allying themselves with the criminal gang in the White House against Muslims?
Do your governments not know that the White House gangsters are the biggest butchers of this age?
Rumsfeld, the butcher of Vietnam, killed more than two million people, not to mention those he wounded.
Cheney and Powell killed and destroyed in Baghdad more than Hulegu of the Mongols.
Here's an example of how, whether we like it or not, Iraq is now an issue between us and al Qaeda. Topple Saddam and we win. Leave him there and we lose. Winning armies gain recruits. Losing armies are plagued by deserters. The choice seems obvious. Posted by Orrin Judd at November 13, 2002 2:28 PM
That's why Bush's timidity is such a problem.
Deal out a few sharp, prompt raps, and after that you can instruct the rest of the world how to behave by postcard and they will comply. It worked for Japan.
Too late now to get the same effect in Iraq. A lost opportunity that it will be difficult to find again.
Of course, we rapped Japan four years after Pearl Harbor
Posted by: oj at November 13, 2002 2:26 PMWould have been five if we had dickered around with an impotent body of gangster nations for a year after Pearl Harbor. Let's get moving. I want an American flag, a Christmas tree, a menorah and several thousand Marines in Tikrit's townsquare on December 25th.
Posted by: JW at November 13, 2002 2:38 PMOf course, we did in 1942, but luckily France had been captured, so we only had to kowtow to the Russians.
Posted by: oj at November 13, 2002 3:32 PMWell, we were a weak nation in 1942. But later we were not and when Truman promised "prompt and utter destruction" and then delivered, even the Japanese, not known for their judgment in international affairs, got the message in just 72 hours.
If Bush, even now, were to promise prompt and utter destruction to our enemies and then -- here is where he falls down -- deliver it once or twice, the rest of the world would be begging for our advice on etiquette.
Harry -- the war must be fought with justice. Destruction must be rained upon the guilty but not the innocent. It takes time and care to achieve this. Give Bush time and I think you'll agree he used an adequate level of destruction.
Posted by: pj at November 13, 2002 5:01 PMI don't think boiling 25,000 Japanese babies in the Sumida River (May 9-10, 1945) was just. Effective, though.
Glenn Reynolds has some thoughts along this line, picking up on someone else. Is there an argument for not being too careful with "innocent" casualties. If the lesson isn't driven home hard, it tends to have to be retaught again and again.
Reynolds, by the way, is, in my opinion, all wrong when he says we held the Germans responsible for Hitler. In fact, we gave them a pass. I'm with Goldhagen on that one.
Obviously, Saddam doesn't do all the heavy lifting. How do we apportion the blame -- to all Iraqis, just Sunnis, just Tikritis?
Nationalism has its discontents.
http://www.juddtech.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/reviews.detail/book_id/1011
Posted by: oj at November 14, 2002 2:51 PM