January 24, 2006

  • In the Comments to my last post, a surprising number of women admitted that yes, the female of the species is indeed evil.  Two women suggested that men are assholes making it somehow even out, but they offered no mathematical or other empirical proof, so their unsubstantiated opinions will have to be discounted as mere statistical anomalies. 


    I realize that it's time for me to post some new content, but I've recently been under a cloud of depression even more severe than usual, so a purloined (GREAT word!) political observation, hopefully thought-provoking, will have to suffice.


    As Civildis says, I love you all.


    **********


    America's Top Bin Laden Expert: Osama's Dead, the Tape is Phony: ABC News

     




    Op-Ed by Kevin Barrett, <http://mujca.com/>



     

    As a Ph.D. Islamologist and Arabist I really hate to say this, but I'll say

    it anyway: 9/11 had nothing to do with Islam. The war on terror is as phony

    as the latest "Bin Laden tape." (1)



    It's a tough thing to admit, because I know on which side my bread is

    buttered - and dropping Islam from the 9/11 equation is dropping my slice of

    bread butter-side-down. The myth that 9/11 had something to do with Muslims

    has poured millions, if not billions, into Arabic and Islamic studies. I

    finished my Ph.D. last year, so all I have to do is keep my eyes in my

    pocket and my nose on the ground, parrot the party line, and I'll be on the

    fast track to tenure track.



    The trouble is, it's all based on a Big Lie. Take the recent "bin Laden"

    tape - please! That voice was no more bin Laden than it was Rodney Dangerfield

    channeling my late Aunt Corinne from Peoria. I recently helped translate a

    previously unknown bin Laden tape, a real one from the early 90's, back when

    he was still alive. I know the guy's flowery religious rhetoric. The recent

    tape wasn't him.



    The top American bin Laden expert agrees. Professor Bruce Lawrence, head of

    Duke University's Religious Studies department, has just published a book of

    translations of bin Laden's speeches. He says the recent tape is a fake, and

    that bin Laden has been dead for years. (2)



    Ersatz Bin Laden tapes, "verified" by the CIA, are nothing new. Every "Bin

    Laden" statement since 2001 has been blatantly bogus. The last we heard from

    the real Bin Laden came in his post-9/11 statements to Pakistani

    journalists: "I stress that I have not carried out this act, which appears

    to have been carried out by individuals with their own motivation... I have

    already said that I am not involved in the 11 September attacks in the

    United States... I had no knowledge of these attacks..." (3)



    Then on December 13th, 2001, as George Bush was whining about the

    "outrageous conspiracy theories" that were spreading like wildfire, the

    first and shoddiest of the "Bin Laden speaks from beyond the grave" tapes

    appeared. The video's sound and picture quality were horrible. It showed a

    big guy with a black beard, doing a passable imitation of Bin Laden's voice,

    claiming foreknowledge, if not responsibility, for the 9/11 attacks, and

    chortling over their success. The trouble was, the big guy clearly was not

    Bin Laden. He was at least 40 or 50 pounds heavier, and his facial features

    were obviously different. (4)



    The "Fatty Bin Laden" tape was widely ridiculed, and I have yet to meet an

    informed observer who considers it authentic. (If you haven't figured this

    out yet, go back and look at the images from the tape, and compare them to

    other images of Bin Laden.) But the media let the fraud pass without asking

    the hard questions: Why was the US government waving this blatantly fake

    "confession" video in our faces?



    Perhaps due to the widespread hilarity evoked by "Fatty Bin Laden," the next

    "Osama from beyond the grave" message had no images - it was an audio tape

    delivered to al-Jazeera in fall, 2002. The CIA verified it as authentic, and

    then got a rotten egg in the face when the world's leading voice

    identification experts at IDIAP in Switzerland reported that "the message

    was recorded by an impostor." (5)



    Every "bin Laden" message since then has been equally phony. They are

    released at moments when the Bush Regime needs a boost - and the American

    media goes along with the fraud. Remember the bogus bin Laden tape that made

    headlines right before the 2004 presidential elections? If you didn't figure

    out that it was a CIA-produced commercial for George Bush, I have some great

    bridges to sell you. Walter Cronkite, bless his heart, opined that Karl Rove

    was behind that tape. (6) But the rest of the media just kept pretending

    that the Emperor was clothed.



    And the fraud continues. Last week's "bin Laden" tape has been ridiculed by

    America's top bin Laden expert - yet the US media keeps right on holding a

    transparent fig leaf in front of the Emperor's crotch! Professor Lawrence

    believes that this phony tape was designed to distract world opinion from

    the horrific massacre of Pakistani civilians by an errant CIA drone. But it

    may have another, more sinister purpose: To prepare public opinion for

    another false-flag 9/11 style attack designed to trigger a US-Israeli

    nuclear attack on Iran. (7)



    As our top Bin Laden expert Professor Lawrence informs us, the real Bin

    Laden, who insisted that he had nothing to do with 9/11, has been dead for

    quite some time - probably since 2001. The fake messages have been

    fabricated by al-CIA-duh to support the Bush regime and its phony "war on

    terror." It is time for Americans to rise up in revolt against the

    fake-terror masters who are looting US taxpayers, torching our Constitution,

    demolishing our economy, and threatening nuclear Armageddon.



     

    About the author:



    Kevin Barrett holds a Ph.D. in Arabic, with a focus in Islamic Studies, from

    the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a co-founder of the

    Muslim-Jewish-Christian Alliance for 9/11 Truth: http://mujca.com



     

    References:



    (1) "The Making of the Terror Myth." The Guardian 10/15/04















    (5) The Guardian 1//30/02:










    (7) American Conservative 8/1/05:





     

     

Comments (27)

  • Tupac, Elvis, Notorious B.I.G. and Osama...Nothing is what it appears to be.

  • Eccentrique,

    Osama needs to be alive--who and what else will feed the fear machine?

  • lmao, hes either dead, or the best guy to ever play hide an seek!

  • Oh my... I feel cheated out of my freedom to fear :( Without him alive to make us think that Muslims are evil american haters who are going to kill us and take away our freedom makes me feel like something is missing.

    Now, in response to your comment. Yes, Johnny takes up a lot of the little time I have left after my studies. I have three exams next week, so I am probably going to seclude even more. School is hard. And true love? I can't say that I am in a position to claim any 'love' or 'euphoria' yet. Just going through the new person attachment.

  • damn, john. interesting piece you put up...

    cutay is a very cute girl i met at the end of last year...i'm trying to get to know her better, but she is still a student.

    i have a cd for you, but i've been having trouble printing the booklet...

  • Great post, I really enjoyed it and I agree with it too. It does seem like when the Bush machine gets into trouble up pops a bin laden tape

  • I always new right from the moment they 'found' the video right before the elections btwn Bush and Kerry - that the whole thing was mind-terrorism bullshit!

  • RYC:  I'm the one in the middle, hair pulled back, shades on.  :o )  To answer your question, my husband and I usually take 2 vacations a year together, if you can call them vacation.  We usually go to Memphis in May and to the cabin sometime in the winter or fall.  That's about it.  Our next big vacation won't be until the summer before Ashley starts kindergarten - we will take her to Disney World and to the beaches of Florida.  We have to save up for stuff like that though.  We can't afford to just up and go for a week or two whenever, ya know?

    Have a wonderful day.  I'm glad I got my post in this morning, because my afternoon has taken over. 

  • As a Ph.D. Islamologist and Arabist I really hate to say this, but I'll say it anyway: 9/11 had nothing to do with Islam.
     
    If you read the 9-11 Commission Report, it says in there that the black boxes of the planes that crashed into the WTC have the hijackers recorded, yelling, "Allah is the greatest!" seconds before the impact.  And I'm supposed to believe that 9-11 had nothing to do with Islam?

  • Such a cool piece. It makes more sense than what we are fed through the mainstream t.v. media.  A corpse is so much easier to manipulate.

    and ryc: I'll be back (that sounds like a threat governator style) to writing agian soon. I just need to outrun a few clouds myself. I'm pretty quick too. Sorry for the drama. But my inherent evil made me do it. Now where is the emisis basin? You know I had to look that up? And "Vagina Analogues"! Sir, while you may very well be depressed, it has not seemed to touch your ability to make me laugh! It's selfish, I know, but thank you for it anyway.

  • Mr. Potpourri, perhaps Dr. Barrett means that 9-11 is related to genuine Islam in the same way that the Crusades are related to genuine Christianity.

  • Ryc; “the commenter indicates that I helped them in some way.  To me that's what life is all about.  It's the only thing that gives my life any meaning at all.”
     
    Hey John; I thought that people that lived the life you do are the ones that have set the bar for the rest of us. I thought we are trying to embrace what you already succeed at. The “any meaning at all” bothers me in that what you give to people is so much more than “at all”. You don’t believe that the only time you help someone is writing the story, I hope. Your comments are taken to heart. Always considered because they come from thoughtful, high-level intelligence. The fact we don’t go running to say how  much you helped, does not diminish your impact.
    I’m having a hard time understanding how both you and Boo so vastly underestimate yourselves. It’s almost like you want to do everything to avoid the accolades you’ve earned.
     
    I’m sorry, I’m sounding like I’M JUDGING, and I know your life has been shit on. But you’ve got so much to contribute. However, we all have a right to choose our own path, and I apologize if I’ve offended. I get on these passionate rants and never know how it’ll sound to the other side.
    I wish you only the good side of life.
     
    Peace   Scott  

  • While reading your post, Georgie interrupted our regular programming to give us the lastest information on yesterdays election in the Middle East.  All I'm hearing is confirmation hearings on judges and whats going to be done to hurricane survivors.

  • RYC:  :o )  Which two had you narrowed it down to?  It's funny you mention the "token African-American friend" because I have been begging my dear friend Letisha, who happens to be African-American to go with us this year.  I think she will; she claims to be afraid of being in the sun that long.  I told her to wear a high spf sunscreen and that the boat has a top that will cover half of it. 

  • RYC:  My friend Letisha isn't light skinned, she says, "I'm already dark enough, I don't need to spend a day in the sun".  That's why I told her to wear a high spf sunscreen.  I will have to post a recent picture of me and get that profile pic out of there.  I'm just too lazy.  That picture was taken about a year and a half ago.  My hair is longer and darker now.  It was highlighted in the profile pic and I dyed it black in November of 2004, shortly after that picture.  That picture was at a Halloween party in 04.  I think I posted a pic of me and my best friend and my daughter not too, too long ago,  I will send you a link to it if I can find that post.  :o )

  • RYC: Well, the main reason why she doesn't have internet access is because it's not really worth paying the money for it considering that she hardly ever has time to be online. And I will have just as little time most likely. And if I do have time that means I'm not earning money, which kinda prohibits paying for internet access. Don't worry, John. She wants to have internet (she just needs someone to set it up for her, which will be my job, and she will need a new computer for it, which will be a problem) and there are a ton of internet cafes, too. So, I guess I'll be able to update xanga and check emails every once in a while sooner or later. Besides you can always call me to keep in touch.

  • I knew it was all a conspiracy, What I don't understand is why didn't they just blame it on Saddam? It would hav made it easier to occupy Iraq.

  • Religion ://thereligionofpeace.comof Peace. 'nuff said.

  • Whoops... that's supposed to be Religion of peace. Not sure why that screwed up.

  • Hey John ryc; I'm glad to hear you took my comments as I meant them. What you said today was defining the same life conditions that you're experiencing, but in a much more accurate (positive) way (in my perception, anyway).I'm happy you recognize the help you disperse using the comment sections in various blogs.

    I agree you can't equate your life with Rabookie's.My frustration at what I saw as two good people struggling, when both of you have contributed significantly to how I foresee the path ahead of me, led me to lump you together.

    It is easy to be “life-affirming” when you don’t have physical or mental roadblocks.(just call me Dooley!).I have tried to pay attention to the pitfalls that have slowed some xangans down, and learn from them. Being hit with a mid-life disability scares the living heck out of me. I have not tended to  worry much about the future, other than “going to college”, so this experience has been good for me. But it’s the people that make it that, and you made reference to us gravitating towards, and having the highest respect for, quite a few of the same people. I admit I’ve thought it might be a wakeup call for me, a gift from God. But if it was He, then He’s extending a large amount of credit, on a loan that he might not get back. Who knows? It does show we have great taste in people though,eh?

    In regard to Rabookie,and your assertion that she has a very genuine humility, I agree.

    I wanted to shake her up and get what is a terrific girl out showing the world who she is. Others have tried too, including yourself. I hope this break allows her the opportunity to fully see the impact she makes on people. Of course, she could come back all cocky and arrogant, and refuse to speak to us. At which point Sister Amy will be turned loose! J

    I appreciated your advice on Heather’s “five things I like”. In fact, I went directly to the edit box after reading it, and was going to add “fabulous sex” as number 6 on Heather’s attributes.However,I’ve been trying to analyse before reacting, as I tend to react first, then duck! Could it be a trap? Is this really as funny as I think it is? How will visitors take it? Will it ruin Heather’s tribute? So I declined to do it, but it was oh so close. Number 5 was referencing a couple of conversations, in which I thought we were talking “fab sex”,although Heather may have been talking about farming!

    Peace   Scott

     

  • Dear John,

    Great article.  Sorry that I was not aware of your depression ... you can always call me on my cell phone, and I can call you right back with my night-time (post-9 PM) or weekend minutes.

    D.I. Edifice

  • i'm unhappy.  i thought i was the only person thinking we're on the verge of a world war.  how depressing to learn that 60% of americans feel the same way.

    i'm really sorry you're depressed, john.  i feel ya, though.  i really do.

  • RYC:  I like your discordant opinions.  Thank you.  And based on your comment regarding Kina, I will keep her in the loop.

  • I spoke to a colleague today about your post. He believes he is well informed abuot so many issues, that I thought I would ask him about this. He had never heard of it. So I asked him how he checks such things out. Well, as he is a notorious blog hater he goes simply to mainstream media and never thinks to check more deeply, as you and others do. He will verify a Chomsky quote through MSNBC rather than going to Chomsky's blog (Shertzaik posted a link to it a while back, seriously cool) and reading the words right from the horse's mouth as it were. Is it any wonder that the self-appointed literati, who choose to remain ignorant of resources, are as easily manipulated by the government and the media as a child watching Saturday morning commercials for candy? So I thank you again for doing the digging and posting it with associated links. Where I may not be the resident fact checker at our school, at least I have more resources.

    and ryc: Today is my mother's birthday and she is at the side of her sister who is in her very last stages. If there is any time to color her the heroine it is now    When she is more herself, I completely plan to reveal her as the lunatic hippie she really is. ha!

  • You were the first and thank you John. I have decided to enjoy this one, even if somebody dies.

    You are so right about the plebians. They were just getting on my nerves this week. I have a love hate relationship with Shakespeare. He loves me, I hate him. Or that's what I'm spreading around anyway. I get caught up in it and there are so few people to argue points with or even agree with. Hey! What do you think about a literary discussion entry? I may try it out next week. I could not do any book of the month club, but I can do high school lit, and some classics.

  • Hold down the Shift key and left click the link.It should open it in a new browser window.That's the simplest/quickest way.

    No I didn't notice the lack of sister eprops,either.I will track that down. 

  • While I noticed and considered it interesting that the video tapes had downgraded to audio, and that they always came out at a most convenient time for the administration.

    Until most recently, we were even closer neighbors - I lived in Foosland/Gibson City, IL (if you've heard of it at all, its because of the drive in theater) but recently moved to Peoria.

    Forgive me the bickering comments - Sonlit gets to me, and he knows it. I have very little patience for people with no backup besides cronies, and no argument but name calling.

    I find your blog exceedingly interesting. Thanks for giving me something worthwhile to read!

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