my own drum

News reports are popping up everywhere regarding the re-emergence and apparently unexpected expansion of Al Qaeda’s operations. It seems that while President Bush was telling us that Osama was busy hiding in a cave somewhere being ineffective as a leader, Osama was quietly and efficiently amassing an army for his Jihad. And when I said army, I meant that. Troops are being recruited and sent to Africa for training and indoctrination in the ways of Jihad, and then being dispatched literally throughout the world. Our President may have once again underestimated the situation. Frankly, I think he bit off more than he could chew to begin with.

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While we were all comfy and cozy in our beds, having been told that the Al Qaeda leadership was out of touch, those sly jihadists were ferrying messages to one another between Pakistan and Algeria. A violent Algerian group known as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, or G.S.P.C., has been on American radar for several years. Apparently, the group is quite able to freely communicate with their Al Qaeda leaders in Pakistan. In January, the group switched its name to Al Qaeda of the Islamic Maghreb, claiming that Al Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, had ordered the change. And now this group is recruiting young jihadists from places like Morocco and Tunisia. They train them and they send them back to their countries of origin or Europe to mount attacks.

Here is a statement from Mr. John Negroponte, the Director of National Intelligence. This is a part of his testimony given to the U.S. Senate in Feb 2007, as relating to Al Qaeda.

• Al Qaeda is the terrorist organization that poses the greatest threat to U.S. interests, including to the homeland.


• Al Qaeda is what poses the greatest threat to our interests, including our homeland.


• Al Qaeda continues to plot attacks against our homeland and other targets with the objective of inflicting mass casualties. And they continue to maintain active connections and relationships that radiate outward from their leaders’ secure hideout in Pakistan.

I think what I find most disturbing is that this is news, now. It’s been mentioned that perhaps President Bush took his eye off the ball. It’s possible. After all there was the election to deal with, Saddam Hussein had to be found guilty and executed, the annual summer retreat to Texas, a new Congress to deal with, an old Congress to deal with. Hey at least he didn’t have a hurricane on his hands this year. Good thing I think. Did he perhaps believe that Osama Bin Laden was asleep in a cave, waiting to be captured or killed?

I’ve got to believe that if we can’t find Osama Bin Laden it’s because we haven’t tried. Send a squad of our finest into that mountain with a mission. They all need to be volunteers because most likely it will be a suicide mission, but I bet they get the job done. Maybe someone can get some re-runs of Mission Impossible over to the White House for their evening entertainment and inspiration.

This whole jihad is getting more like Whack-A-Mole every year. As soon as we take down one leader, three more pop up in another part of the world. While one insurgent is shot in Anbar, 10 more cross the border from Pakistan and Iran. It’s is quite difficult to defeat such an army with conventional techniques. We only have one weapon in our arsenal that can be effective against jihad, and that is the nuclear weapon. It’s about time to lay waste to a stretch of Pakistani mountain ranges, and a place called Baghdad. When the world wakes from it’s collective horror, there will be no more jihadists. As much as it sounds like I’m advocating such a move, I assure you that I am not. I’m just running ideas through my head. If you know a better way to extract ourselves from this Jihad Molasses I’m all ears. I just hope the President’s not reading this.

There you have it, another day of “My dick’s bigger than yours”, courtesy of President Bush and Osama Bin Laden.

Finally, and hopefully a little more upbeat, out of the news comes another message intended directly for President Bush. This from the US-Islamic World Forum, currently assembled in Doha, Quatar. As a group they have offered this statement.

Feb 18, 2007

Doha, Qatar

Speakers at the US-Islamic World Forum being held in Doha have asked the US administration to give up its “hegemonic” approach, and be “cooperative” and “diplomatic” to deal with the international issues, especially relating to Muslims.

Bring Our Troops Home!Bring Our Troops Home!