Don't write us off completely...We may drive a little slower than you would like but we 'WILL' get to where we are going!

We didn’t fight for the Socialist States of America,

we fought for the “land of the free and home of the brave.”

...and don't you forget it!

Source: The Steady Drip

Grey-Haired Brigade

They like to refer to us as senior citizens, old fogies, geezers, and in some cases dinosaurs. Some of us are “baby boomer” getting ready to retire.

Others have been retired for some time. We walk a little slower these days and our eyes and hearing are not what they once were. We have worked hard, raised our children, worshipped our God and grown old together. Yes, we are the ones some refer to as being over the hill and that is probably true.

But before writing us off completely, there are a few things that need to be taken into consideration. In school we studied English, history, math, and science which enabled us to lead America into the technological age.

Most of us remember what outhouses were, many of us with firsthand experience. We remember the days of telephone party-lines, ten cent gasoline, and milk and ice being delivered to our homes. For those of you who don’t know what an icebox is, today they are electric and referred to as refrigerators. A few even remember when cars were started with a crank. Yes, we lived those days.

We are probably considered old fashioned and outdated by many. But there are a few things you need to remember before completely writing us off. We won World War II and fought in Korea and Viet Nam in a few years with out all of the fancy equipment they have now. We can quote the pledge of allegiance, and know where to place our hand while doing so. We wore the uniform of our country with pride and lost many great friends on the battlefield.

We didn’t fight for the Socialist States of America, we fought for the “land of the free and home of the brave.” We wore different uniforms but carried the same flag. We know the words to the Star Spangled Banner, America, and America the Beautiful by heart, and you may even see some tears running down our cheeks as we sing. We have lived what many of you have only read about in history books and we feel no obligation to apologize to anyone for America.

Yes, we are old and slow these days but rest assured, we have at least one good fight left in us. We have loved this country, fought for it, and died for it, and now we are going to save it. It is our country and nobody is going to take it away from us. We took oaths to defend America against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and that is an oath we plan to keep. There are those who want to destroy this land we love but, like our founders, there is no way we are going to remain silent. It was the young people of this nation who elected Obama and the Democratic congress. You fell for the “Hope and change” which in reality was nothing but “Hype and lies.” You have tasted socialism and seen evil face to face, and have found you don’t like it after all.

You make a lot of noise but most are all too interested in their careers and “Climbing the social ladder” to be involved in such mundane things as patriotism and voting. It appears that we care more about our grandchildren than some care about their children. Many of those who fell for the “great lie” in 2008 are now having buyer’s remorse. With all the education we gave you, you didn’t have sense enough to see through the lies and instead drank the kool-aid. Now you’re paying the price and complaining about it. No jobs, lost mortgages, higher taxes, and less freedom. This is what you voted for and this is what you got. We entrusted you with the Torch of Liberty and you traded it for a paycheck and a fancy house.

Well, don’t worry youngsters, the Grey Haired Brigade is here, and in November we are going to take back our nation. We may drive a little slower than you would like but we get where we’re going, and in November we’re going to the polls by the millions. This land does not belong to the Imposter in the White House or to Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. It belongs to We the People, and We the People plan to reclaim our land and our freedom. We hope this time you will do a better job of preserving it and passing it along to our grandchildren.

So the next time you have the chance to say the Pledge of Allegiance, stand up, put your hand over your heart, honor our country, and thank God for the old geezers of the Grey-Haired Brigade.

The Girl Scouts Are No Longer Just For Girls...the poor boy believes he is a "girl"

Girl Scouts of America Colorado Gone Wild

Source for the following: News Busters
NBC Denver Station Pushes Colorado Girl Scouts Into Accepting Boys Who 'Identify' as Girls

NBC's Denver affiliate KUSA-TV reports that the mother of 7-year-old "transgender kid" Bobby Montoya was told by a troop leader that boys could not join the Girl Scouts. When the TV station contacted Girl Scouts of Colorado, they spurred a completely different answer. Girl Scouts are now apparently "inclusive" enough to welcome children who "identify as girls," regardless of their actual bodies.
Felisha Archuleta, the boy's mother, told KUSA she was told Bobby could not sign up. "I said, 'Well, what's the big deal?' She said 'It doesn't matter how he looks, he has boy parts, he can't be in Girl Scouts. Girl Scouts don't allow that [and] I don't want to be in trouble by parents or my supervisor.'" The Girl Scouts announced their "accelerated support" for the GLBT lobby:

"Girl Scouts is an inclusive organization and we accept all girls in Kindergarten through 12th grade as members. If a child identifies as a girl and the child's family presents her as a girl, Girl Scouts of Colorado welcomes her as a Girl Scout. Our requests for support of transgender kids have grown, and Girl Scouts of Colorado is working to best support these children, their families and the volunteers who serve them. In this case, an associate delivering our program was not aware of our approach. She contacted her supervisor, who immediately began working with the family to get the child involved and supported in Girl Scouts. We are accelerating our support systems and training so that we're better able to serve all girls, families and volunteers."

The whole story and interview segment afterward from KUSA (a Gannett property) was completely one-sided. No one who disapproved of encouraging "transgender" politicking was given a second of air time.
Corey Barrett of the local "LGBT Center" insisted on change to a "healthy" liberal approach: "There has definitely been this increase of questioning at an early age. I think it's all about providing a healthy environment for them for that to happen. Everyone needs to be prepared or at least have an idea from a policy and procedure stand point how they're going to address that. And make sure that the public is aware of that." KUSA's online story linked directly to their website.
Psychologist Shawn Worthy was brought into the studio to urge parents to overlook little "external manifestations" like which gender you actually are:

"If I were talking to my kids I would say, 'You know what, we determine how great people by who they are, by how kind they are, how smart they are, by what kind of people they are and not by how they dress, or the color of their skin or any other of those physical properties, because those are just external manifestations.’ I would encourage my kids to get to know the person and then make a decision if that's a good person, if that's a good friend or not."

ABC News has also picked up the story, but its online report also excluded any conservatives. Instead, the P.C. line is emphasized:

Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, said she was pleased with the policy of the Girl Scout leadership, "whether it was a change of heart or it just got taken upstairs and they explained the existing policy.

"These cases should be about the children," said Keisling. "The Girl Scout leader kept saying the 'boy's parts,' and that is not the Girl Scout leader's business and, frankly, not something a Girl Scout leader should have been talking about to a parent or anyone else.

"One of the things Girl Scouts learn is inclusivity and civility, and I think they smartly realized that they can't be uncivil or exclusionary."

Kiesling said that age 7 is not too young for Bobby to decide whether he's a girl or a boy. "Who is to decide who is a boy and who is a girl?" she asked. "We see this all the time."

"I don't think it's such a big deal," said Archuleta. "We don't need therapy. Bobby doesn't need therapy. If Bobby wants to be a girl, that's what we'll do."

Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tim-graham/2011/10/27/nbc-denver-station-pushes-colorado-girl-scouts-accept-boys-who-identify-#ixzz1cBbo2spK

_____________________________

And this from Public Advocate of the United States

The Girl Scouts are no longer just for girls?
The Girl Scouts of America have gone dangerously far from their Christian, moral origins.
In Colorado, they have announced a new official policy, one with horrifying ramifications.

“If a child identifies as a girl and the child's family presents her as a girl, Girl Scouts of Colorado welcomes her as a Girl Scout.”

Basically, all it takes for a boy to be a Girl Scout is to wear feminine clothes and check the right box.
7 year-old boy Bobby Montoya is just the latest tragic story of this sort to surface.

This poor boy believes he is a "girl.”

You see, his mother actually claims that he made this choice for himself at the age of 2!
And now, the Girl Scouts of America are endorsing this disturbing “parental method.”
Of course, it is really not a surprise the Girl Scouts would take such a radical and anti-moral stance.
Over the years, the Girl Scouts leadership has turned them into a major supporter of the radical liberal agenda.
They have created an openly political think tank, the Girl Scout Research Institute, whose main purpose is to initiate teenage girls into their radical agenda.
They actively support the UN and have partnered with them in creating liberal programs for teenagers.
The Girl Scouts have also taken strong stances in support of Abortion and the Homosexual Agenda.
And now, they have opened the door to the total corruption of children.
They are encouraging young, confused boys to reject who they are and to masquerade around as girls.
Real girls will be forced to accept these boys as just another girl.
What happens if a 40 year old man “believes” he is a 7 year old girl at heart? Will he be allowed to join the Girl Scouts too?

Public Advocate will never rest as long as our children are in danger from the ideology of these radicals.
Will you stand with me today to fight back?

For the Family,
Eugene Delgaudio
President, Public Advocate of the United States

__________________________

Mastering Obama's Strategies with Chuck Norris

The following from: Creators.com

The 8th Miracle To Save America

By Chuck Norris

Despite high unemployment, continued bad news across fiscal America and a presidency that has lacked luster and restorative productivity, Barack Obama's stats continue to rival his top GOP challengers. And let's not forget that he still has the mainstream media hypnotically backing him or that his campaign machine hasn't even unleashed its billion dollars, according to Mike Huckabee, to combat his competitor.
Conservatives are right in asking, "Which GOP presidential candidate could survive, let alone have victory over, the Obama machine?" But maybe the strategy for victory lies in a unique plural solution.
Last week, I concluded my recommendation of the book "Seven Miracles That Saved America" by noting: "I also believe we need an eighth miracle to save America — a providential and pivotal moment that spares our country from falling off into four more years of the Obama transformational abyss."
Here is what I believe that eighth miracle would look like. It's not a single person, but a group of people, a formidable team — brought together by an unparalleled idea and unbridled patriots — that ensures the ousting of our incumbent president and the restoration of our country.
As a six-time undefeated world karate champion, I, like any long-term titleholder, will tell you that I obtained such a status by (among other things) mastering my opponents' strategies, not approaching every competition the same way, and by leveraging my foes' weaknesses and strengths against my own.
In a column a few months back, I introduced a martial arts practice that does just that; the art of jujitsu is to use an opponent's weight and strength to your advantage. I believe that this is what the GOP candidates and anti-Obama citizens must do in the 2012 presidential election.
This presidential race is unlike any before it. It is unique on many fronts, not only by the size and formidableness of the Goliath in the White House but also by the unique wisdom, experience and skill set of each potential GOP presidential nominee.
How many times have you heard from others, "There are strong elements I like in all of those running for the GOP nomination"? (During one debate, even the candidates themselves were splicing one another together as possible vice presidential nominees.) You may not want to see all of them sitting in the Oval Office, but wouldn't you want to see most help the country by serving in some position in the next president's administration?
Who wouldn't want to see a brilliant, experienced former House Speaker Newt Gingrich as a part of the Cabinet? Who doesn't appreciate the resolve and moral fortitude of Rep. Michele Bachmann and former Sen.Rick Santorum? Who doesn't want to utilize the business backgrounds and leadership of Herman Cain and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney? Who doesn't like the emboldened constitutional spirit and frugal fiscal passions of Rep. Ron Paul? Who doesn't appreciate Gov. Rick Perry's advocacy for Texas jobs and against frivolous lawsuits with tort reform? And who wouldn't want to use the foreign affairs experience of former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman?

So herein lies my political jujitsu idea. After a fair fight for the GOP nomination, why couldn't the Republican contenders join together with an unparalleled strategy that could send the Obama campaign compound (including the mainstream media) in a tailspin? Why couldn't the winner create a united front and say, "A vote for one of us is a vote for all of us"? Why couldn't they create a Cabinet that would utilize all their skill sets to resurrect our republic? Why should the next GOP president try to sell the American public on new, obscure Cabinet members when these candidates have been vetted before our eyes for months? Would this idea not also rally those following the various candidates and keep our votes from splitting over a third-party candidate?
I can't think of any preceding presidential race in which this could have been done with the field of GOP nominees, but I also can't think of any preceding presidential race in which an idea such as this was needed more than it is now. This GOP political dream team also would be a true test of the contenders' patriotism and leadership servitude. Do they love and want to save our country enough to take a second, third, fourth, fifth, etc., seat among the presidential administration?
No idea is without its limitations and faults, but 99 percent of those across this country with whom I've broached this idea are certain that it would rally the majority and usher in a new president. Almost everyone who hears it also asks, "Why haven't the presidential candidates thought of this?"
That is exactly my question and challenge. Does any GOP presidential candidate have the courage and resolve to rally the GOP contestants and then the American public behind a political dream team comprising all of them?
Forget the presidential rhetoric. Forget presidential election business as usual. Forget typical GOP infighting. Desperate times call for desperate measures and strategic ingenuity.
I will conclude by repeating the impassioned plea at the end of last week's column. I feel as if we are standing at a crossroads similar to that at which George Washington stood when he wrote to James Madison in 1786, just a few years before the first president's inauguration: "No morn ever dawned more favorable than ours did; and no day was ever more clouded than the present! Wisdom, and good examples are necessary at this time to rescue the political machine from the impending storm."
Follow Chuck Norris through his official social media sites, on Twitter @chucknorris and Facebook's "Official Chuck Norris Page." He blogs at http://chucknorrisnews.blogspot.com. To find out more about Chuck Norris and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2011 CHUCK NORRIS
DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM

Islam ~ what YOU need to know (What part of 'kill' do you not understand?)

'Fast and Furious' ~ I'm not a law enforcement officer; I just played one on TV

Source: News Busters

'Fast and Furious' White House Gun Control

By Chuck Norris | April 05, 2011

Since the very first days of this president's administration, the drug-fueled cartel violence in Mexico has provided a stalking horse for the gun control agenda. Early on, both Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Attorney General Eric Holder cited Mexican violence as a reason to renew the Bill Clinton gun ban of 1994. After those trial balloons were shot down, the ball was passed to Mexican President Felipe Calderon, who repeatedly has blamed American gun rights for Mexican violence. And more recently, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives cited cartel mayhem as justification for an attempt to mandate the reporting of all multiple long gun sales in border states. This regulation would force dealers to report all purchases of more than one long gun if the guns are magazine-fed and larger than .22 caliber — effectively creating a registry.
But now, shocking revelations that grow bigger every day completely undercut the argument for additional restrictions. In fact, they illuminate bureaucratic arrogance, recklessness and hypocrisy of the highest order in the hallways of the Obama administration — including the spreading stench of a massive cover-up.
As it turns out, the ATF was already aware of efforts by shady characters to undertake mass gun purchases in border states, because law-abiding gun dealers reported the attempted purchases voluntarily. But ATF agents acting on "orders from Washington" encouraged gun dealers to complete these transactions against the dealers' better judgment. Worse yet, the guns — thousands of them — then were allowed to be smuggled, or "walked," into Mexico and into the hands of drug cartels. And worst of all, these guns now are turning up at crime scenes — including where a U.S. federal agent was murdered.
The operation is called "Fast and Furious," and it's absolutely appalling — but it's all true, and there is still much more to come. Attorney General Holder has attempted to deflect the call for an investigation by asking the inspector general of the Justice Department to look into the matter. Sounds good on paper, but this is the same IG whose office ignored the first expressions of concern from rank-and-file agents who now have turned into whistle-blowers.
The ATF has been stonewalling inquiries from Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and now Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., has joined the fray — and he has subpoena power as chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. CBS reporter Sharyl Attkisson is on the story like a bloodhound, in a performance decidedly atypical of the mainstream media. You can catch up on the major developments on her page at http://bit.ly/dNDBJP.
I'm not a law enforcement officer; I just played one on TV. But you don't have to be Walker, Texas Ranger, to understand that there are very good reasons that law enforcement agents, as a rule, do not allow guns to "walk" into the hands of criminals. And to their credit, numerous rank-and-file ATF agents understood this truism, as well, objecting to the "Fast and Furious" operation from the get-go. Their superiors told them they "have to break some eggs to make an omelet" and then apparently threatened the agents with career discipline if they continued their objections.
The agents also were warned that the operation had been approved at the highest levels of the Justice Department — levels that are populated by presidential appointees, not career law enforcement officials. And now the Mexican government has elevated the scandal into an international incident, launching its own investigation and warning that "sanctions will have to be carried out with the full force of law to (whoever) could have been responsible."
Barack Obama himself was questioned about the scandal by a reporter from Spanish-language station (link) Univision. He quickly passed the buck, claiming ignorance of the operation and saying, "There may be a situation here (in) which a serious mistake was made, and if that's the case, then we'll find out and we'll hold somebody accountable." But a presidential effort to pin the tail on the donkey ignores the tremendous scope of "Fast and Furious," which apparently involved personnel from not only the ATF and Justice but also the Homeland Security and State departments. Any attempt to lay this massive botch at the feet of an individual ignores systemic problems that "Fast and Furious" illustrates in the federal bureaucracy. (See my remarks above about arrogance, recklessness and hypocrisy.)
At least one federal bureaucrat was better-prepared than Obama to launch the tactics of diversion. When this explosive story first began to unfold, the ATF's chief spokesman, Scot Thomasson, issued a memorandum to ATF field offices nationwide. The memo said, "ATF needs to proactively push positive stories this week, in an effort to preempt some negative reporting, or at minimum, lessen the coverage of ('Fast and Furious') in the news cycle by replacing them with good stories about ATF."
It's going to take a lot more than that to cleanse this stain. In the meantime, proponents of gun control — including the White House — should focus on bringing U.S. government agencies into compliance with our existing laws before pushing new restrictions on the rest of us.
To find out more about Chuck Norris and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/chuck-norris/2011/04/05/fast-and-furious-white-house-gun-control#ixzz1c1ss559G

_____________________________

Hillary knew?

Are the citizens who vote for corrupt politicians also corrupt?

In an unofficial poll most citizens who vote for corrupt politicians are either ignorant, complacent, stupid, psychological captives, a partner in crime, or any combination thereof. ~ Norman E. Hooben

____________________

Source for the following: Judicial Watch

Washington's "Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians"

At the end of every year, Judicial Watch publishes a top ten list of the most corrupt politicians in Washington, D.C.

• Judicial Watch Announces List of Washington's “Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians” for 2010
• Judicial Watch Announces List of Washington's "Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians" for 2009
• Judicial Watch Announces List of Washington's "Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians" for 2008
• Judicial Watch Announces List of Washington's "Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians" for 2007
• Judicial Watch Announces List of Washington's "Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians" for 2006

Christian Mother Sentenced To Death Row For Her Faith

Source: Asia News
PAKISTANAsia Bibi prays for freedom but judges are hostage of fundamentalistsby Jibran Khan
Ashiq Masih saw his wife in prison. She is frail but “high in spirit”. Prison guard is suspended for having “hot words” with Asia Bibi as prison security is tightened. The family continues to hope for her release, but judges are threatened by Muslim extremists. Pakistan mourns the death of Begum Nusrat Bhutto.
Lahore (AsiaNews) – Asia Bibi continues to pray in death row. She still hopest she might be released soon and return to her family, her husband Ashiq Masih told AsiaNews. The 45-year-old mother of five was sentenced to death for blasphemy and is in jail waiting for her appeal to be heard. She “is weak and frail, but is high in spirit,” he added. She has a new guard because the one in place was “suspended” after she “had a few hot words with” his wife “over a minor issue.”

In recent weeks, the Pakistani press had reported that some of the guards had “tortured” her, an allegation her husband was quick to put to rest. In fact, Asia has been in isolation for the past few months in Sheikhupura prison (Punjab). In order to prevent any possible attack against her, prison officials have tightened security measures around the Christian woman. Islamic fundamentalists have in fact called for death and offered a reward for her murder.

As Ashiq Masih noted, she “is weak and frail” but “high in spirit” and has “been provided extra security” because “the situation is tense”. In light of this, “She is praying for all the people who are praying for her,” her husband said. Unfortunately, “the judicial system is becoming a hostage in the hands of the extremists."

For instance, Judge Pervez Ali Shah, of the Anti-Terror Tribunal in Rawalpindi, was removed from his post after he announced the death sentence against Mumtaz Qadri, the security guard who murdered Punjab Governor Salman Taseer because he had defended Asia Bibi.

“We are praying and fasting for our mother so that she can be with us,” said Alishba Bibi, one of Asia’s children. “Each time I meet her, I can’t hold my tears. My mother tries to hold my hand through the gaps in the grilled window and says, ‘Have faith in the Lord. He will bring me home one day’. Every time I hear these words, I cry to the Lord to bring my mother back so that we can be with her again”.

Asia’s youngest daughter laments the situation. “I have not met my mother. I am scared.” She remembers seeing her “only in pictures” and of being unable to “control my tears”.

“There are times that I even lose all hope to see her ever again. I want to keep the memories of her, smiling and playing with us,” she added.

The family continues to live in hiding in a safe place because they too have been threatened by Islamic fundamentalists.

Meanwhile, another woman who has marked the recent history of Pakistan has passed away. Begum Nusrat Bhutto, 82, wife of former Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, mother of Benazir and mother-in-law of the current president, Asif Ali Zardari, died yesterday afternoon in Dubai.

The authorities have announced a public holiday to mark her death. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has proclaimed ten days of official mourning.

Of her four children, only the youngest daughter is still alive because she has never been interested in politics.

"The Bhutto narrative is beyond history. It belongs to the realm of legends,” the Prime Minister`s Secretariat said in an official statement. “The nation is once more united in their collective grief for a family whose sacrifices remain unparalleled in our lives.”

The Right To Rape ...Is that a natural right? Only if there is a right to practice Islam.

So we have a guy in the White House who says we are not at war with Islam yet he is sympathetic to their cause...  Will the right to rape be included in his next Executive Order?
The following from: Blogger's Base
Is there a right to rape? Only if there is a right to practice Islam. In the first post in this series on the right to practice Islam, we established the fact that aggressively attacking disbelievers is a "religious obligation" binding on Muslims as fard al-kifaya, This post will establish the fact that taking, enslaving and raping captives is a permitted & approved practice of Islam. 

Sheik Taj Aldin al Hilali, The Chief Cleric of Sydney, Australia's largest mosque, ignited a firestorm of criticisim following a recent sermon in which he described women appearing publicly without head scarves as "uncovered meat."  Full Story Continues Here

See Also...
Muslim rape wave in Sweden (link)

See Also...
Pakistan: Rape as a Tool for Conversion to Islam

For Zubaida Bibi, a Christian woman working in a garment factory in the Korangi Industrial Area of Karachi, Pakistan, the workday on October 12 at Crescent Enterprises probably began like most. Her job as a custodian helped make it possible for her to care for her children. But before her shift was over, a Muslim worker at the factory attempted to rape her, and then slit her throat, leaving four orphans without a mother to care for them. And the case of Zubaida Bibi is far from unique: In Pakistan, the phenomena of Islamic men raping Christian women is becoming more common. ... continues here

See Also...
Serial Rape Jihad: UK Muslim Raped females At Knifepoint To Punish Them

Boycott Hyatt... Why not all of them? Your freedom of speech is in grave jeopardy!

1ST AMENDMENT UNDER FIRE

Speak out against Islamic terror? Not at this U.S. hotel

Author warns future of constitutional republic is in serious jeopardy

By Bob Unruh © 2011 WND

A Hyatt hotel in Sugar Land, Texas, has abruptly canceled a previously scheduled tea-party event at which author and Atlas Shrugs founder Pamela Geller was scheduled to speak on the dangers of Islam.
Geller said the decision came about because the hotel was "intimidated" into censoring her planned speech by "CAIR thugs," referring to the controversial Islamic advocacy group Council on American-Islamic Relations.
She accused the Hyatt Place of enforcing Islamic law, or Shariah, under which no criticism of Islam is allowed. In Muslim nations, it can be a death penalty offense, Geller noted.   Story continues here.

 

Gaddafi & Son dead as a frozen fish...Osama Bin Laden pushing up flowers somwhere in the mountains

And the following from: The Daily Mail September 2009

Has Osama Bin Laden been dead for seven years - and are the U.S. and Britain covering it up to continue war on terror?

By Sue Reid
Last updated at 10:59 PM on 11th September 2009

The last time we heard a squeak from him was on June 3 this year.

The world's most notorious terrorist outsmarted America by releasing a menacing message as Air Force One touched down on Saudi Arabian soil at the start of Barack Obama's first and much vaunted Middle East tour.

Even before the new President alighted at Riyadh airport to shake hands with Prince Abdullah, Bin Laden's words were being aired on TV, radio and the internet across every continent.

Genuine picture: Osama Bin Laden in October 2001

It was yet another propaganda coup for the 52-year-old Al Qaeda leader. In the audiotape delivered to the Arab news network Al Jazeera, Bin Laden said that America and her Western allies were sowing seeds of hatred in the Muslim world and deserved dire consequences.

It was the kind of rant we have heard from him before, and the response from British and U.S. intelligence services was equally predictable.

They insisted that the details on the tape, of the President's visit and other contemporary events, proved that the mastermind of 9/11, America's worst ever terrorist atrocity, was still alive - and that the hunt for him must go on.
Bin Laden has always been blamed for orchestrating the horrific attack - in which nearly 3,000 people perished - eight years ago this week. President George W. Bush made his capture a national priority, infamously promising with a Wild West flourish to take him 'dead or alive'.

The U.S. State Department offered a reward of $50million for his whereabouts. The FBI named him one of their ten 'most wanted' fugitives, telling the public to watch out for a left-handed, grey-bearded gentleman who walks with a stick.

Fake? Bin Laden two months later, when he was supposedly dead

Yet this master terrorist remains elusive. He has escaped the most extensive and expensive man-hunt in history, stretching across Waziristan, the 1,500 miles of mountainous badlands on the borders of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Undeterred, Barack Obama has launched a fresh operation to find him. Working with the Pakistani Army, elite squads of U.S. and British special forces were sent into Waziristan this summer to 'hunt and kill' the shadowy figure intelligence officers still call 'the principal target' of the war on terror.

This new offensive is, of course, based on the premise that the 9/11 terrorist is alive. After all, there are the plethora of 'Bin Laden tapes' to prove it.
Yet what if he isn't? What if he has been dead for years, and the British and U.S. intelligence services are actually playing a game of double bluff?

What if everything we have seen or heard of him on video and audio tapes since the early days after 9/11 is a fake - and that he is being kept 'alive' by the Western allies to stir up support for the war on terror?

Incredibly, this is the breathtaking theory that is gaining credence among political commentators, respected academics and even terror experts.

Of course, there have been any number of conspiracy theories concerning 9/11, and it could be this is just another one.

But the weight of opinion now swinging behind the possibility that Bin Laden is dead - and the accumulating evidence that supports it - makes the notion, at the very least, worthy of examination.

The theory first received an airing in the American Spectator magazine earlier this year when former U.S. foreign intelligence officer and senior editor Angelo M. Codevilla, a professor of international relations at Boston University, stated bluntly: 'All the evidence suggests Elvis Presley is more alive today than Osama Bin Laden.'

9/11: Bin Laden originally insisted in official press statements that he had played no role in the atrocity

Prof Codevilla pointed to inconsistencies in the videos and claimed there have been no reputable sightings of Bin Laden for years (for instance, all interceptions by the West of communications made by the Al Qaeda leader suddenly ceased in late 2001).

Prof Codevilla asserted: 'The video and audio tapes alleged to be Osama's never convince the impartial observer,' he asserted. 'The guy just does not look like Osama. Some videos show him with a Semitic, aquiline nose, while others show him with a shorter, broader one. Next to that, differences between the colours and styles of his beard are small stuff.'

There are other doubters, too. Professor Bruce Lawrence, head of Duke University's religious studies' department and the foremost Bin Laden expert, argues that the increasingly secular language in the video and audio tapes of Osama (his earliest ones are littered with references to God and the Prophet Mohammed) are inconsistent with his strict Islamic religion, Wahhabism.
He notes that, on one video, Bin Laden wears golden rings on his fingers, an adornment banned among Wahhabi followers.

Bin Laden in 1998 (l) and, allegedly, in 2002: Sceptics have pointed to a thicker nose and the ring on his right hand as proof it is an imposter

This week, still more questions have been raised with the publication in America and Britain of a book called Osama Bin Laden: Dead or Alive?

Written by political analyst and philosopher Professor David Ray Griffin, former emeritus professor at California's Claremont School of Theology, it is provoking shock waves - for it goes into far more detail about his supposed death and suggests there has been a cover-up by the West.

The book claims that Bin Laden died of kidney failure, or a linked complaint, on December 13, 2001, while living in Afghanistan's Tora Bora mountains close to the border with Waziristan.

His burial took place within 24 hours, in line with Muslim religious rules, and in an unmarked grave, which is a Wahhabi custom.

The author insists that the many Bin Laden tapes made since that date have been concocted by the West to make the world believe Bin Laden is alive. The purpose? To stoke up waning support for the war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan.

To understand Griffin's thesis, we must remember the West's reaction to 9/11, that fateful sunny September day in 2001. Within a month, on Sunday, October 7, the U.S. and Britain launched massive retaliatory air strikes in the Tora Bora region where they said 'prime suspect' Bin Laden was living 'as a guest of Afghanistan'.

This military offensive ignored the fact that Bin Laden had already insisted four times in official Al Qaeda statements made to the Arab press that he played no role in 9/11.

Indeed, on the fourth occasion, on September 28 and a fortnight after the atrocity, he declared emphatically: 'I have already said I am not involved. As a Muslim, I try my best to avoid telling a lie. I had no knowledge... nor do I consider the killing of innocent women, children and other humans as an appreciable act.'

Within hours of the October 7 strikes by the U.S. on Tora Bora, Bin Laden made his first ever appearance on video tape. Dressed in Army fatigues, and with an Islamic head-dress, he had an assault rifle propped behind him in a broadly lit mountain hideout. Significantly, he looked pale and gaunt.

Although he called President George W. Bush 'head of the infidels' and poured scorn on the U.S., he once again rejected responsibility for 9/11.

'America was hit by God in one of its softest spots. America is full of fear, from its north to its south, from its west to its east. Thank God for that.'

Then came a second videotape on November 3, 2001. Once again, an ailing Bin Laden lashed out at the United States. He urged true Muslims to celebrate the attacks - but did not at any time acknowledge he had been involved in the atrocity.

And then there was silence until December 13, 2001 - the date Griffin claims Bin Laden died. That very day, the U.S. Government released a new video of the terror chief. In this tape, Bin Laden contradicted all his previous denials, and suddenly admitted to his involvement in the atrocity of 9/11.

The tape had reportedly been found by U.S. troops in a private home in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, after anti-Taliban forces took over the city. A label attached to it claimed that it had been made on November 9, 2001.

Bush made Bin Laden's capture a national priority, claiming he could get his man - dead or alive

The tape shows Bin Laden talking with a visiting sheik. In it, he clearly states that he not only knew about the 9/11 atrocities in advance, but had planned every detail personally.

What manna for the Western authorities! This put the terrorist back in the frame over 9/11. The Washington Post quoted U.S. officials saying that the video 'offers the most convincing evidence of a connection between Bin Laden and the September 11 attacks'.

A euphoric President Bush added: 'For those who see this tape, they realise that not only is he guilty of incredible murder, but he has no conscience and no soul.'

In London, Downing Street said that the video was 'conclusive proof of his involvement'. The then Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, added: 'There is no doubt it is the real thing. People can see Bin Laden there, making those utterly chilling words of admission about his guilt for organising the atrocities of September 11.'

Yet Professor Griffin claims this 'confessional' video provokes more questions than answers. For a start, the Bin Laden in this vital film testimony looks different.
He is a weighty man with a black beard, not a grey one. His pale skin had suddenly become darker, and he had a different shaped nose. His artistic hands with slender fingers had transformed into those of a pugilist. He looked in exceedingly good health.

Furthermore, Bin Laden can be seen writing a note with his right hand, although he is left-handed. Bizarrely, too, he makes statements about 9/11 which Griffin claims would never have come from the mouth of the real Bin Laden - a man with a civil engineering degree who had made his fortune (before moving into terrorism) from building construction in the Middle East.

For example, the Al Qaeda leader trumpets that far more people died in 9/11 than he had expected. He goes on: 'Due to my experience in this field, I was thinking that the explosion from the gas in the plane would melt the iron structure of the building and collapse the area where the plane hit and all the floors above it only. That is all we had hoped for.' (In reality the Twin Towers' completely fell down).

The words of the true Bin Laden? No, says Griffin, because of the obvious mistakes. 'Given his experience as a contractor, he would have known the Twin Towers were framed with steel, not iron,' he says.

'He would also known that steel and iron do not begin to melt until they reach 2,800 deg F. Yet a building fire fed by jet fuel is a hydrocarbon fire, and could not have reached above 1,800 deg F.'

Griffin, in his explosive book, says this tape is fake, and he goes further.

'A reason to suspect that all of the post-2001 Bin Laden tapes are fabrications is that they often appeared at times that boosted the Bush presidency or supported a claim by its chief 'war on terror' ally, British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

'The confession tape came exactly when Bush and Blair had failed to prove Bin Laden's responsibility for 9/11 and both men were trying to win international public support, particularly in the Islamic world, for the anti-terrorist campaign.'

Griffin suggests that Western governments used highly sophisticated, special effects film technology to morph together images and vocal recordings of Bin Laden.

So if they are fakes, why has Al Qaeda kept quiet about it? And what exactly happened to the real Bin Laden?

The answer to the first question may be that the amorphous terrorist organisation is happy to wage its own propaganda battle in the face of waning support - and goes along with the myth that its charismatic figurehead is still alive to encourage recruitment to its cause.
As for the matter of what happened to him, hints of Bin Laden's kidney failure, or that he might be dead, first appeared on January 19, 2002, four months after 9/11.

This was when Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf told America's news show CNN: 'I think now, frankly, he is dead for the reason he is a kidney patient. The images of him show he is extremely weak.'

In his book, Professor Griffin also endorses this theory. He says Bin Laden was treated for a urinary infection, often linked to kidney disease, at the American Hospital in Dubai in July 2001, two months before 9/11. At the same time, he ordered a mobile dialysis machine to be delivered to Afghanistan.

How could Bin Laden, on the run in snowy mountain caves, have used the machine that many believe was essential to keep him alive? Doctors whom Griffin cites on the subject think it would have been impossible.

He would have needed to stay in one spot with a team of medics, hygienic conditions, and a regular maintenance programme for the dialysis unit itself.

And what of the telling, small news item that broke on December 26, 2001 in the Egyptian newspaper Al-Wafd? It said a prominent official of the Afghan Taliban had announced that Osama Bin Laden had been buried on or about December 13.

'He suffered serious complications and died a natural, quiet death. He was buried in Tora Bora, a funeral attended by 30 Al Qaeda fighters, close members of his family and friends from the Taliban. By the Wahhabi tradition, no mark was left on the grave,' said the report.

The Taliban official, who was not named, said triumphantly that he had seen Bin Laden's face in his shroud. 'He looked pale, but calm, relaxed and confident.'

It was Christmas in Washington DC and London and the report hardly got a mention. Since then, the Bin Laden tapes have emerged with clockwork regularity as billions have been spent and much blood spilt on the hunt for him.

Bin Laden has been the central plank of the West's 'war on terror'. Could it be that, for years, he's just been smoke and mirrors