The skill to safely navigate the hazards of power and the powerful |
2 0 0 0 T i m e s . c o m |
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The World at a Glance |
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Within the Mayflower doughnut shop in Chicago, there sits a bit of wisdom; it reads: "As you ramble on through life, brother, whatever be your goal, keep your eye upon the doughnut and not upon the hole". Which is to say, there are more important things to do, in settling the score for 9-11. Going after Osama bin Laden will not solve the problem that he created. It will not solve the problems we took on trying to inform other Islamic terrorists that we have the power to bring pain to their part of the world. Threats mean little to such people. If we need to bring anything to justice, it should be the notion that spawns terrorist activities. While no one can kill an idea, we can make it too expensive for a group, a community, a state, its government and/or its people to subscribe to such notions or to shelter, or support, those radicals who design assaults on other civilizations. KILLING OSAMA MAKES NO SENSE Finding and killing Osama may cause far more than damage than he could ever inflict upon the U.S. and its people. In fact, such actions may be playing into bin Laden's grand scheme. Revenge is a dish best served cold Let's give the matter some serious thought. Kill Osama; and, you give religious radicals a martyr to sing about for centuries. Not only will they sing about him, they will instruct their children to become like him--"Pick up your sword and become the risen Osama". We don't need to hear the chanting:
"Osama
has died.
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Considering his poor state of health, Osama's days are numbered, regardless of what we do. Nevertheless, if we are careless and flush with the passion for a killing, we just might trash all the toys and trinkets that we hold so dear. Let me spin a bit of prose for you; and then, let you decide how to deal with the situation. Don't go running off to claim the $100 million prize put on the head of Osama bin Laden. For one thing, just how long would you expect to live to spend it when your identity became public in the Middle East?
Well, here goes nothing! When I get through, you will have a good idea where to find Osama, dead or alive. If, after hearing the story, you still want to go after him, then you are probably as stupid as he says you are. We pick up the story shortly after the death of Osama's father. Osama takes his share of his father's fortune; and, heads for Sudan to start up a business empire to rival that of his father. Over the years, Osama builds a thriving banking and farming industry. Like his father, he also goes into the heavy construction business. By way of his banking interests he sees an opportunity to cash in big, building a major road between Khartoum and Port Sudan. This is not just an ordinary road going between Khartoum and the Red Sea. This road will also run parallel to a massive oil and gas line going from the oil fields of northern Sudan and the main shipping port to export this oil to the world. With billions of dollars of oil and gas moving down this road, there is no way in hell that the Khartoum government is going to risk its construction by contracting corrupt local companies to do the job. Since Osama was known to be an honest farmer and banker, it was decided to give him the construction deal. What really clinched the deal was Osama's proposal to bring in Chinese subcontractors, complete with Chinese labor and Chinese military security guards. |
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The saga of bin Laden construction company goes on and on; however, the main point of this tale is this. China became beholding to Osama bin Laden in more ways than I have time to tell. Say anything you want about the Chinese, they are as good as gold (and oil) when it comes to paying their respects to those who set them up in this fantastic arrangement with Khartoum. Now, I want you to picture an ill Osama bin Laden departing Afghanistan two weeks before 9-11. Needing dialysis for failing kidneys, and, wanting to be nowhere near Tora Bora when the Trade Towers go down, Osama decides to go back to his roots (and his businesses) in Sudan. There you will find him today, sequestered within a Chinese military garrison, being provided the medical services he needs to stay alive. In full knowledge of his whereabouts, the U.S. and China have come to a deal. Osama is not to be allowed egress nor to have direct communications with his subordinate militants. In return, the U.S. will not submit sanctions on China nor Sudan; and, China will not threaten its trade relations with the U.S. When Osama bin Laden finally expires (from natural causes), the Chinese have been asked to refrigerate his body; and, to transport it back to Pakistan, where it can be claimed by the Pakistani military as a prize of war found well east of Tora Bora. Well, at least that's the plan so far. There is some discussion regarding the possible return of bin Laden to Yemen for burial in a family grave site. However, the logistics of such a decision require that the world be unaware of the role that China has played in keeping a lid on Osama after 9-11. The Chinese claim that they had no indication that 9-11 was about to occur prior to the event itself; and, there is little reason to believe that they would risk Chinese-U.S. relations by partaking in such a conspiracy. The Chinese are not stupid. The U.S. had no intention of bringing pressure upon China for its discrete diplomatic disclosure of the situation in 2002. If the U.S. pressured the Sudanese government, the oil deal with China would have collapsed; and, Saudi Arabia would have exploited the situation to send the world oil prices rising out of sight. As it turned out, the government in Khartoum had no idea that Osama was just down the road taking care of business. |
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