Slow News Day

So some over-adrenalined guys with super-modern versions of slingshots killed some guy over the weekend.

I am of course talking about the killing of Osama bin Laden, if I spelled his name correctly. Now, I know, I do my best not to get into politics, and I will try and glaze over it as much as I can here, but I figured the topic was worthy of at least one post. Plus, I'm really bored.

Way back in 2001, I was recovering from major abdominal surgery (it was supposed to be minor but as almost always, there were... complications), and i crawled out of my comatose state and staggered forth from my man-cave (yes, I live in a man cave, so?), and I was immediately called to the TV to see planes smashing into the sides of the twin towers. My first response was "That is the fakest thing I have ever seen."

Yes, I was the very first 9-11 truther. Or at least one of the first. Frankly, by the age of 31, which I was at the time, I had seen so many horror and action movies that I was quite jaded to the special effects used in films. And my first response to the footage that was being shown was that it was quite fake. Granted, I was recovering from major surgery a mere 2 weeks before that, and I was fresh from sleep, but I'd run out of painkillers the week before, so I was at least partially mentally alert. The footage, apparently shot by someone who "just happened to be filming the side of the twin towers," looked unbelievably fake. None of the glass was shattering as the plane slammed into it, the building wasn't rocking back from the impact, though they are designed to sway in a light breeze, and the explosions seemed to fly outward from the building instead of slightly inward, as you would expect the mass of the huge airplane's momentum would force it that way. In any case, nothing that followed that first view of the supposed "recorded footage" of the airplane slamming into the tower convinced me that my first impulse was incorrect. My nephew, who was about 12 at the time, has recently informed me that there was no actual footage of the planes slamming into the towers, and that I was horribly mistaken. Well then, what was I watching that fateful day? It wasn't a hollywood movie... or was it? Who can say? I certainly can't now, I have only my eyewitness memories, not even of the actual site, but of what i was seeing and hearing from my TV that day. Everything since then may be open to debate, but I'm not doubting what I saw and heard, despite what my nephew says. And that it was a terrible tragedy and great loss of life was without doubt.

About a year or two after this, as far as I can recall, we were nearly convinced bin laden was responsible, and avidly seeking proof to launch an attack against al qaeiuoyda (i'm sure it's got at least a couple of those vowels in it). I saw the actual video of the supposed "proof" that he was responsible. OBL released a tape talking about how "america was very touchy ever since that 9/11 thing" (i'm paraphrasing since it was translated and I can't say for sure what he actually said) and THAT was apparently all the proof that we needed to blame him. Now, I'm not saying he wasn't a bad guy and the leaders of terrorist organizations have no business expecting a long and happy life, but I don't take what i saw and heard there or on 9/11 as "indisputable proof" of his guilt. However, that he was guilty of other terrorist acts is most likely without doubt.

I'm no peacemonger. I personally wouldn't shoot someone unless I had no other choice in defense of self or someone I loved, but i recognize the need for violence, even wars, at times. Or at least, I respect the rights of human beings to follow their biological desires for territory or resources, and realize that I am but one small voice of reason among the screaming masses, and to say I personally know what is right for everyone or not would be sheer lunacy on my part. So when "seal team six," who actually does not exist according to anyone who is asked, comes home from wherever they are and wants to crack a few beers in celebration, I'd be happy to buy them a round or two. They managed to accomplish their mission with, as I understand it, the loss of one helicopter to "mechanical failure." Since the first time I heard the story, the helicopter was shot down by small arms fire, I assume "mechanical failure" was brought on by dozens of rounds of screaming hot lead penetrating the chopper's fuselage and engine areas in this case, and the story was later changed to make it seem like there was less resistance. I've also heard that the first warning shot was fired into OBL's forehead. I, of course, was not there. No, I am certainly safer over here thanks to the actions of seal team six, bless their nonexistent selves, and I personally would have suffered something akin to a "bowel failure" had I been in their shoes that day. So, good for them!

However, some things confuse me. Nothing new there. One, according to some stories, and granted there's a lot of different versions floating around out there, but according to one article, the CIA knew about that place for some time, and apparently kept coming to the conclusion that OBL was there. Now, correct me if I am wrong, but, doesn't that imply months, perhaps years of knowledge about the supposed location of OBL's hideout, during which time we didn't do anything about it? I mean, the article clearly stated that they'd discussed it on numerous occasions, and if you are going to come to that same conclusion more than once or twice, some time must have passed between meetings, am I right? Certainly, I applaud the efforts to verify the location of the target before actually committing ourselves to the assassination, but doesn't that imply the move is a bit more political in nature than the sheer desire for revenge?

It certainly does distract anyone from wondering if our president was actually born in Hawaii or not, whether the recently released birth certificate is real, and seems to blow Donald Trump's chances for election out of the water. Now, I'm definitely not a republican, and I'm not saying I care one way or the other, because I don't. I hate politics. The timing just seems a bit suspicious, doesn't it?

In any case, hopefully the "hunt for justice" is now over, we can stop invading third world countries, bring our troops home, and maybe, just maybe, TSA agents can stop molesting 6 year old girls in the name of airport security. Is it too much to hope for? Probably. But I am ever the optimist. :-)