history and bin laden

I admit to having a sneaky admiration for Bin Laden.

Before you unload, I have similar admiration for Hitler and Stalin, Pol Pot, Genghis Kahn etc.

Obviously the admiration isn't for their cruelty or devestation.

For the most part, they were people who were ruthless but determined and probably knew their end but took the ultimate risk in their actioins. How many of us would be so bold.

Despite the US attempting to paint Bin Laden as just "one who hated freedom" or even against Christianity, even his final records show his only purpose was to get the US out of Arab lands.

Who amongst us would take on the US and expect to live? None I suspect and so it was bravery (misguided) but not cowardice as most would suggest.

Menachem Begin was a terrorist before he came Prime Minister of Israel and Nelson Mandela was a terrorist in early years. Perhaps it could be said George Washington was a terrorist against the Brittish government.

So terrorism is not easily defined.

Ah but Bin Laden killed innocents on 9/11. Yes and what happenned to Dresden with incendiary bombing of refugees and atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshime and Nagasaki of purely civilain populations.

Yes it is all obscene and the winners write history for the most part.

They say the those that play with matches tend to get burnt and IMO the US has been the most destabilising force in the world for years.

They threw over elected governments, supported terrorists and subversives etc.

Why was Saddam Hussein in power? Because the US gave him arms to fight Iran depite his previous use of biological weapons. Without US support Iran would have got rid of him.

Bin Laden was there because the US supported by training and supplying weapons to him against the Russians.

The US has supported dictators everywhere where it suited their puposes.

So why should they be surprised when the chickens come home to roost.

And we want to be part of that!