If Bin Laden only wanted the spot light, he would have sprung up long before now and very often.
To generalize… many Americans (and citizens of other countries… but I’ll focus on America) don’t know how to think long-term. We think about one year out… and some people only about a month out. We may plan in advance for vacations or Christmas presents or whose house we’re going to for Thanksgiving. We may even plan out what new tree we want to plant in our yard and realize we have to do it in the fall to have any results the next spring; or even two years from the planting.
But for the most part, we just don’t look much further out than a year… or maybe even two years. It’s hard enough at times to get people to put money into their savings or retirement plan because we want what we want right now. We don’t want to save for five years to be able to finally buy a computer or new clothes or a new car or a house… we want it right now.
So it’s hard to fathom that other people actually plan things or plot things out for YEARS into the future. It’s hard to understand that there are people… groups of people… citizens of other countries or even cults who plan things out for their life and the lives of their children and grandchildren.
I do not believe for an instant that Bin Laden or any other terrorist was just sitting around one day and said “hey… lets blow up the Twin Towers next week”. No… it was planned and plotted for months… for years in advance.
So Bin suddenly showing up and saying “hey… here I am and we might do something bad again” is not a spontaneous act or small warning. These “people” have plans and plots against us and some of them are scheduled out for years. It could be that it was in the works that they would blow things up on 9-11-01 and then six years later they would do something else. I picture a time-line filled with schedules of terrorism throughout the world.
I’m not sure what Bin’s thoughts were when he decided to come out with another tape. Does he really think Americans will say “gee… this guy is serious… I guess I’ll convert to Islam like he told me to because if I don’t, the big bad man will attack us again”. We don’t respond well to threats or slavery.
How do I feel after hearing his words? Angry and full of disbelief that this man actually thinks we’re going to throw in the towel and fall to our knees. Why should we… because he may attack us again?
My concern is that our leaders don’t feel the same way I do. Oh… I’m sure Bush feels that way, but what about Congress? There are too many who want us to abandon this cause to rid the world of terrorism and retreat to our warm, cozy homes.
Okay… you’re right… I am not on the front lines fighting; but I support ANYONE who fights for our freedom and free choice.
