Yes. It has been confirmed and the President of The United States just gave a speech on live TV announcing that U.S. special forces including the CIA have killed Osama bin Laden. It is now Sunday night, May 1st 2011.
The first thing that comes to my mind after, “Wow. I wonder why or how Bush couldn’t get this guy?” … and, “Obama really seems ready to pull that trigger doesn’t he?” … is this; cutting off a limb doesn’t stop the tree from growing. I’m glad that this guy who “supposedly master minded the September 11th” attack on the United States is finally killed. But this takes me back to the days following September 11th and the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. I seem to remember a speech given by the then leader of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf.
Pervez Musharraf said in a speech soon after September 11th 2001 that the United States needed to “uproot the tree of terrorism” and not just cut off the “branches and leaves.” If one was to do a search for “tree of terrorism” you would also come up with the story of Gary Kasparov, the famous chess player, who supposedly asked Pervez Musharraf why he was allowing his country to “water” this “tree of terrorism.” Either way, it doesn’t matter to me who started the concept or asked first using the phrase “tree of terrorism.” The concept is the most important thing on my mind right now.
Many people right now reading this would say, “Hey. Shut up already. We got him. Can’t you be happy for that for one minute.”
And I would say back, “No. This takes us off the main focus of what our main problem is which is that much of the world hates us. Why? Because we (as well as the English, the French, etc…) have supported dictators who have oppressed their people’s for decades if not hundreds of years. And Obama is just a figure head. And if you cut that head off, many more heads will appear. So I go back to the tree of terrorism analogy. If you cut the branches and leaves off, don’t you still have a tree? You need to uproot that tree. You need to take it down completely.
I am by no means one of those who is a part of the “hate America first” crowd or thinks that the whole world’s problems are because of the United States. No. I think the United States is a great country. I think the United States is one of the most generous countries. After Iran had an earthquake 15 years ago, there were actually large donations and help coming from the United States to Iran. Think about that. After all the hate, funded terrorism, and chest pumping from Iran towards the U.S. (as well as holding Americans captive for one year 30 years ago), it is amazing that Americans still want to help. But this is what make as America so great. We offer a helping hand to everyone. All that being said, I think that through a very lopsided and “corporate dollar first over other country’s citizens” approach to our foreign policies has lead to a certain type of failure.
Some would argue that our foreign policy has been a great success, especially for American companies. I would say that it was a great success in terms of profit for our companies working out of Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East; but it has to be seen as a failure when you think of how much hatred other countries have towards us for supporting dictators in these countries who systematically crush any democratic grass roots movement. Our country has assassinated foreign leaders who have opposed our corporate interests there.
You really have to face this head on. You can ignore it and say, “Ah, just bomb them all.” Sure. That would be like pouring gasoline on a fire. You could say, “They don’t like our freedom.” A talking point from the G.W. Bush era. That talking point is actually quite absurd. Why would someone want to bomb you because they don’t like your freedom? They (people from African, Middle Eastern, East Asian and Asian countries) have lived in oppressed countries where a family member can be taken away at night and never seen again for his political beliefs or religious beliefs. People living in squalor and dirt who have nothing to live while being oppressed by a ruthless dictator who has killed many of their family members…. yes… this is how people come to hate the U.S. We have to see this for what it is. We have to admit that we have supported nasty, inhuman leaders who have crushed their people all in the name of big corporate or military strategic interests.
Think about this; before Saddam Hussein ruled Iraq, there was a democratically elected leader. What happened to him? Saddam Hussein overthrew him with the support of English and American intelligence. And now think about Iran. In 1951 Mohammad Mosaddegh was the democratically elected leader. But he wanted to nationalize the oil industry so his own people could benefit. Winston Churchill on behalf of British Petroleum had Dwight D. Eisenhower (then president of the U.S.) create “Operation Ajax.” Operation Ajax was the overthrowing of a democratically elected leader in Iran all because of oil. So you had the Shah of Iran ruling with an iron fist for decades crushing all forms of political opposition not to mention his killing and torturing his own people.
So if we had not intervened in Iraq and Iran 50 years ago, you would have had two democratic countries which would have had great influence on their neighbors and therefore possibly having a completely different world dynamic other than what we have now. If we supported true democracy around the globe instead of supporting dictators in the name of corporate profit, we probably would still have the World Trade Center Towers and nothing out of the ordinary would have happened on September 11th 2001.
So Osama bin Laden is dead. I’m asking that people think about one thing; a branch with leaves has been cut off. The tree still stands and many new leaves are springing up every day. What are we doing to take this tree down? Or will we keep our heads in the sands until another terrorist attack levels a city. I say this… we need to truly support democracy around the world. The people in Syria are ready for democracy. The people in Iran are ready for democracy. The people in Egypt have spoken and have thrown out the U.S. supported dictator. The people in Libya have spoken and are trying to throw their dictator out. The United States needs to support freedom for all people around the world or we will never live in freedom but live in fear of terrorism.
And this is all coming from a man (me) who is far from that anti-U.S. left. I am a gun rights supporter. I have many views which some would consider to the right and some to the left. I consider myself an independent thinker. I love my country I was born in; the United States of America. But I am not blind and have the knowledge of our checkered past of supporting bad rulers around the globe. Now is the time for a positive change to our foreign policy. Yes, Osama bin Laden is dead. But is the last? No. We need to get the rest of the world on our side again like it was before, during, and right after World War II. We need to stand up for truth and freedom for all; not just us.
