bin Laden Tapes: Real or Fake?

[Leanmean]

"And -- we just happened to find a video tape of bin Laden talking about the attacks lying around this abandoned house!" What luck!



Of course MY first response when I have visitors is to pull out the old video camera and start filming! (Just kidding) Perhaps the Goddess Boodikka can relate, but for the average Joe Schmoe (or Afghani), it just seems odd. We'd all love to believe it's real, but something seems fishy.



Now don't go and get your underwear in a knot. I believe the Holocaust happened and that we put a man on the moon.

[paul]

Well, I haven't seen the tape Lean but I'm inclined to believe it's real. Having said that, you're right about something seeming a little fishy. With all the bombing, we happen to come across the one tape from a man who has been careful not to implicate himself. Hmmm. Then again, perhaps I shoudn't be too quick in my acceptance of this tape.

[Graham_Start]

Regardless of whether it's real or not, people will believe what they want to believe (witness the OJ Simpson trial).



I'm inclined to believe that it's legit, because --



ï bin Laden is no stranger to the TV cameras

ï bin Laden has a big ego

ï bin Laden uses videos as a means of distributing his "motivational" speeches (kinda like a really twisted Anthony Robbins)

ï bin Laden had set up "guest houses" throughout Afghanistan and Pakistan for foreign Al Qaida recruits travelling there for "studies"

ï bin Laden probably doesn't care about whether we have proof of his involvement -- because as we are seeing now, his followers will continue to believe that he is justified, and his sypathyzers will not accept any evidence against him. I'm willing to be that if he himself came out and said "Surprise! It was me all along! Fooled ya!" that there would still be a number of people who would claim it was not really him, that it was a trick by the US or Israeli gov't, or whatever...



The two scariest types of people in the world are those who will believe anything, and those who won't believe anything.

[fellow]

Damn Graham. I could not have said it better my self. Hi Paul! Hi Lean!I believe that the tape it real. I wonder what is next? Continued long term US involvement in Afganistan with Tons and Tons of money spent? Constant attacks on the US by radicals- Then we get go after them again and again? Just like Israel. In this situation, peace is not an option for these radicals and we must not forget Sept 11- This to me is a war of extermination.One that reluctantly we can not back down from.

When I went to Cuba in 96' on a humanitarian visa I was really suprised at how many people over there hated us and had these upsurd stories fed to them by Castro and his band of murdering gangsters. Just a couple I heard was the US was going to attack at any minute and the reason it had not rained in a few months was that the US had launched a giant invisble sponge over Cuba.

Hey look I know the US is not without blame- we have set up puppet governments all over and supported some really bad governments- But I value my freedom and these terrorist F***s have got to be taught a lesson or else all those new and upcoming Bin Ladens in Pakistan and the Iraq crew will think that we will keep taking it. I say let the sleeping giant awake........