Cannon Fodder For The Masses: Bin Laden and the Mess We Made, page 1

Cannon Fodder For The Masses: Bin Laden and the Mess We Made

I am probably in good company when I say that I have not yet formed an opinion as of yet regarding OBL and the facts/lies surrounding this event. There is more speculation being tossed in the mix of fact and fiction than there is hard evidence. How one is supposed to make any sense of this is beyond me. But what can be analyzed is how the media, elected representatives and American people conducted themselves leading up to, and after the announcement by Obama.

The Media

In the hours before the announcement, talking heads and websites were buzzing with the word that Obama is going to make an unprecedented announcement....and it may be that OBL has been killed. So as the political hacks discuss the possibility and potential effects, we would assume that they have a credible source making these claims, right? Not really. Of course the tweets from Sohaib Athar and Mohsin Shah was the first information put out into the public arena, without us really knowing, but the word of Osama’s death actually came from a tweet by former chief of staff Keith Urbahn.

Now we can give him the benefit of the doubt and say that he is “credible”, but the information did not come from his own personal knowledge of events. Instead, he states that he heard this from a “reputable person”. With that information in hand, he decided it was best to post this info on Twitter. From these tweets by the Pakistani men and Keith Urbahn the media and most the rest of the world began to speculate and salivate at the mouth of what may have happened.

The story has constantly changed when new facts arise and facts that used-to-be are deemed old news. From the start, it was quite apperant that no one knew what was going on. But they still reported false facts and complete distortions of what later became the true story of events. And we are still sifting through lies and falsehoods to figure out what happened.

Needless to say, we got lucky! Very lucky! There would have been many people and media organizations with egg on their faces if the compound raid, and the subsequent death of OBL, would have turned out to be false. Although I believe outlets such as Twitter have their place, the very people we “trust” to provide factual reporting of current events are using sites like this as a reliable source. When in all actuality it is nothing more than heresay and conjecture. Once again, we got lucky. But I think it’s easy to say that the media still took this past the realm of responsible journalism into the world of social media hackery and hearsay.

The Politicians

Oh, what a wicked web they weave! From the beginning of this event, the politicians came out in full force to use the death of OBL to push political agendas, molest the countries patriotism and begin a domino effect of finger-pointing and “I told you so’s”. Now torture has reared its ugly head again as the politicians try to use this as a way to justify horrible acts against other human beings, when it looks as though torture did not play a role in collecting information at all. Let’s also not forget the agreement made within the Geneva Convention. No torture.....but we have let the cat out of the bag on that issue haven’t we?

As most Americans see this event as the catalyst to end the war and bring our troops home, politicians see this as a convenient way to say: “see, the war on terrorism is working and if we stop now the terrorists will come get us”! They argue over who should get the credit, Bush or Obama, and whos political ideology brought OBL to justice.

The recent squabble over releasing the pictures is also quite telling from my point of view. As Americans, it should be our goal to promote safety of our homeland and still maintain a respect for human life and dignity. Those who espouse security as being the number one issue are now the ones criticizing Obama for not wanting to release the pictures due to security and respect issues. I actually agree with Obama. The death of OBL should not be paraded around for the world to see as a trophy of sorts. Doing so does creates a possibility for backlash against America and shows our true colors in how we view the value of life and death.
It is also important to note that OBL was never charged and/or convicted of anything regarding the events on 9/11. In a country that upholds the rule of law and treaties with foreign nations (Geneva Convention) , we may have royally screwed up in that we invaded another sovereign nation to kill a man not convicted in an international trial without that countries knowledge or assistance!

To me this is a tell-tale sign of the true intent of our elected representatives. Will they allow this issue to become a tool for political posturing or chalk it up as a real victory in the “war on terror” they claim to endorse and move on with respect and honor? It is clear that we can no longer expect our politicians to represent the American people with the wisdom and respect in which the average American conducts themselves overall. Moreover, we cannot expect them to honor contracts between nation, or its people.

The American People

What can I say...I’m disappointed! After the announcement, people poured into the streets in DC, NYC and other areas to voice their patriotism and joy over the death of OBL. Was it not just 10 years ago that we fumed when we heard of Middle Eastern people celebrating in the streets when 9/11 occurred? Yet, we do the same when we get “revenge” on the man allegedly in charge of it? I know there is a big difference, but aren’t we supposed to exemplify the best that Man has to offer (or so we think)? Are we not supposed to fight hard for our victories and except them humbly and with grace?

No, we whoop and holler in the streets just like the people we are supposed to be fighting against. Then we bash each other as to whose politics and personal beliefs perpetuated this “grand victory”. We also wring our hands at the possibility of seeing the photos of the dead OBL. To what end? What is the point? To prove he’s dead? No, if your skeptical the pictures will not suffice. I’m willing to bet it would do nothing more than satisfy our inherent need to glorify death and destruction. I think it’s clear that us Americans have some growing up to do.

A final note to my conspiracy-minded friends:

It’s a good thing Obama did not release the photos. Why? We wouldn’t believe them to be authentic anyway. With all the hub-bub surrounding Obama’s BC, SS card etc, I find it hard to believe that we could come to a consensus on the validity of the pictures as a whole. It would have just created a bigger mess in the conspiracy world.

Sometimes we have a preconceived set of ideas or beliefs that cannot be waivered by facts and evidence. If it was proven that OBL died the day of the raid, some people would still claim he was on ice in a CIA freezer or that he died in 2001. We don’t know the whole story and if we did.....would it change anything?

I ask my fellow ATS’ers to take a step back and to take this situation at face value until all the facts are present. Only then will we be able to take a common sense view at this and make a wise judgment from their. Without the whole story, we will only fill in the voids with personal agendas and ill-conceived banter. Until then, we only continue to spread disinformation and falsehoods just as the media are politicians are doing at this very moment.

Thanks for reading.......

SheepSlayer

edit on 5-5-2011 by sheepslayer247 because: paragraph structure