ladies and gentlemen,
as you've all heard by now, osama bin laden (obl) was killed by us special forces in abbottabad, pakistan.
he was shot in the head and buried at sea.
videos and photographs are promised at some later date. perhaps some dna. so far we've only a narrative from our standard sources (government, media, "experts").
you may recall that my work in pakistan was just north of abbottabad. i'm familiar with the military base there. or at least as familiar as one can get driving around the premises, looking at the guards and passing on. i remember a sign along the highway outside the base that said, "Be a Proud Pakistani". i had asked surkhab if he'd take my picture under that sign but we never got around to it. it was a pretty busy highway and, given the neighborhood, maybe not the best place to get out and take pictures.
i'm sure my friend ryan, in particular, can just see my taking a picture outside of this military compound triggering a gun battle between the pakistani army, al quaeda, us special forces and maybe even the taliban.
i'd get gunned down, shot 486 times like i was someone important and not some schlepp that was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
returning to "reality"...
if the reports about the whereabouts of obl are true, and i have no reason to believe they are, i was within 1/2 mile of him on several occasions last year.
i do have some thoughts on all of this but they are deeply intertwined with other threads of wisdom i've garnered over the years.
so, i issue this official, code red warning:
what you are about to read is not a travel log.
if that's what you're looking for, come back another day.
the following comments are uncensored and might upset some.
for those who wish to continue, scroll down to read the rest of this post.
OK let the lying begin (er...continue)!!
i draw your attention to the center ring of our circus where you'll see the new "we-got-em" dance and hear the new mega-hit song, "oh boy o-sa-ma's dead" sung to the music of "ding-dong the witch is dead." there'll be jugglers and clowns and sights to amaze!
don't take your eyes off of your tv set for a moment or you may miss the programming you are obliged to undergo.
oh my, oh my. so many lies where does one start.
here's one possibility. this is page 46 from the final NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) report on WTC Building 7. never heard of building 7? google it and watch a 47 story steel high rise building collapse completely in less than 7 seconds. then ask yourself how it is possible that such an event could occur in broad daylight in new york city and most people, even those who live in new york city, still don't know anything about it. i point this out to folks who say our government can't keep a secret. Once you've seen wtc 7 come down you'll understand why the government wants to keep this all hush-hush.
anyway, there is something very special in this page. a number, to be specific. 32.196.
(note, if you're reading this on my blog go to my flickr account and see "Nist Graph of WTC 7" http://www.flickr.com/photos/52559215@N07/ )
