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| Fifth Column |
| Binny cites anti-US author in rant |
| 2006-01-21 |
| Osama bin Laden has a book recommendation for you. In the audiotape released Thursday, the al Qaeda leader said: "If you (Americans) are sincere in your desire for peace and security, we have answered you. And if (President) Bush decides to carry on with his lies and oppression, then it would be useful for you to read the book 'Rogue State.'" That would be "Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower," published in May 2000 with a new edition in November 2005. Its author is William Blum of Washington, D.C. But bin Laden was mistaken about a quote he read that he attributed to the Introduction of "Rogue State." He actually read an excerpt from another of Blum's books, "Freeing the World to Death: Essays on the American Empire." "He made a mistake, he got them mixed up," Blum said. Blum has been speaking out against American foreign policy for nearly 40 years. He said he left a U.S. State Department job in 1967 because he opposed the Vietnam War, and has been writing and lecturing since then. "'Rogue State' was inspired by the bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999," Blum said in a telephone interview from his Connecticut Avenue apartment. "We were told it was an 'act of humanitarianism,' but I didn't believe that for a moment." NATO conducted bombing raids in an attempt to halt ethnic cleansing in that region. America has repeatedly used "bombings, invasions, torture and weapons of mass destruction," Blum said. "It's what we do." Blum said he sees the 320-page "Rogue State" as "a mini-encyclopedia of the many kinds of unhumanitarian actions of U.S. foreign policy." He heard about bin Laden's comments late Thursday afternoon, when transcripts started hitting the Internet. "I was amazed and amused," Blum said. "It's good publicity for the book." Blum described his view of bin Laden's war on America -- although, he added, "I've not been following him as an individual" through the years. "He sees anti-American terrorist attacks as under the category of retaliation," Blum said. "In previous tapes he's used that word -- retaliation. I don't like what they do, but it's understandable intellectually." If Americans read his book, "they would learn what bin Laden is talking about -- our whole sordid record of foreign policy," Blum said. "I think the book would help them understand why we are being attacked." His other books include "Killing Hope: U.S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II" and "Superpower Principals: U.S. Terrorism Against Cuba." Blum and several other writers shared a Project Censored award in 1999 for writing articles about materials supplied by the U.S. to Iraq in the 1980s that enabled the country to develop chemical and biological warfare capabilities. Project Censored, founded in 1976 at Sonoma State University in California, says it honors "stories of social significance that have been overlooked, underreported or self-censored by the country's major national news media." Bin Laden quoted Blum as writing: "If I were president, I would stop the attacks against the United States. First I would give an apology to all the widows and orphans and those who were tortured. Then I would announce that American interference in the nations of the world has ended once and for all." Blum said he used those phrases in "Freeing the World to Death" and in other writings and speeches, but not in "Rogue State." |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #10 Shit-for-brains dept: UK Muslim fatwah against the "animal" George Galloway, the husband of a "palestinian" slut, and current contestant on "Big Brother." Reality shows are no substitute for a good beheading vid. http://www.thesavedsect.com/articles/CurrentAffairs/NoDignityExceptIslam.htm They should say: NO DIGNITY IN ISLAM |
| Posted by: CaziFarkus 2006-01-21 09:34 |
| #9 "We are not fighting so that you will offer us something. We are fighting to eliminate you." --Hussein Massawi, Hezbollah leader |
| Posted by: gromky 2006-01-21 15:38 |
| #8 America's "Brokeback Molehill" Tokyo Rose occasionally provides Bin Laden a lift: Fonzi Give Binny a Ride Fonzi Shills For Osama Bin Laden |
| Posted by: The Angry Fliegerabwehrkanonen 2006-01-21 15:10 |
| #7 Scrappleface (natch): Bin Laden Starts Book Club, Vows to Crush Oprah: When Usama bin Laden, in his most recent threatening audiotape, recommended William Blumâs five year old book, The Rogue State, its sales rank on Amazon.com jumped from 209,000 to 20. That success has launched a new business for al Qaeda that could challenge the dominance of Oprah Winfrey in the book club industry. Members of Usamaâs Book Club will receive personal recommendations from the charismatic leader, as well as the opportunity to review the clubâs latest featured selection every 30 days âat no risk to life or limb, as long as you keep the book and pay the invoice.â ... âMy mission is to make this the biggest book club in the world and get people reading great books again,â said Mr. Bin Laden on a reel-to-reel tape recording released today. âThis is the first step in our ultimate plan to crush the billionaire imperialist infidel Oprah Winfrey, Allah be praised, and to take the reins of power myself as Americaâs media darling.â (caught via Cracker Barrel Philosopher) |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-01-21 12:02 |
| #6 Perhaps Osama Bin Laden is also reading this anti-American author: America's "Brokeback Molehill" Tokyo Rose |
| Posted by: The Angry Fliegerabwehrkanonen 2006-01-21 11:08 |
#5
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| Posted by: CaziFarkus 2006-01-21 09:34 |
| #4 Its a problem for most foreigners. They watch the proverbial shadows on the wall, in this case, the MSM, not understanding that what they see is not necessarily America. They get the crib notes done by some slacker in class and wonder why they fail the exam. Sometimes its just funny. Sometimes it is fatal. To those with the abilities to see cause and effect, they can adjust and make corrections. For those who can not the Americans will remain enigmatic. |
| Posted by: Oming Sponter6302 2006-01-21 09:25 |
| #3 Oprah's Book Club, and now Osama's. Deciding which one is worse is a toughie. |
| Posted by: Desert Blondie 2006-01-21 07:37 |
| #2 I thought "the beach" was good. |
| Posted by: Mctavish Mcpherson 2006-01-21 04:44 |
| #1 He must be sooooo proud. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-01-21 01:53 |
