"Dot Con," a secret CIA Task Force assembled after 9/11, was instructed to connect the dots, wherever they might lead. According to information released by the 9/11 Commission, the Task Force occupied a windowless room in the northwest section of Washington DC. Populated by four junior research-reading bureaucrats, the group was largely forgotten for months, until plans for the Iraq war were put on the front burner.
The Commission reports that the "Dot Con Task Force did little useful work for six months after 9/11. From the information we have seen, their office was more like a romper room than a serious research institute. We have rough sketches showing a line of dots connecting the Vice President's nose to a particular area of the President's anatomy. Another sketch showed the connection between Saudi oil money and the trouser pockets of the 9/11 hijackers. Still another one showed Christ showering thunderbolts and dots from the heaven's on top of Islam's head.
The walls of the romper room were filled with dots connecting other dots, like stars in the heavens. Pluto was connected to Polaris which was connected to bin Laden's turbin which in turn was connected to Mickey Mouse. The ceiling of this playpen looked like a universe of dots that had become road kill after an Abrams tank wandered by. The floor was embossed with a giant mural showing the Republican Congress clapping like seals after the President had given a late afternoon speech on the dark philosophy of Hegel. In our opinion this was a shocking waste of taxpayer money.
But that's not the worst of it. When Bush decided to go to war (after he had already decided), someone remembered this group and asked the members where the dots led. The Dot Con Task Force had only twenty four hours to get it dots right. The time was more than enough. They simple drew an enormous numbers of dots connecting Iraq to Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and its cells in two hundred other countries. The group embellished the dotting by connecting the interior dots into a shape of WMDs. Held up to the light the chart hinted at the embossed figure of a god-like figure emerging from a burning Bush. When moved, the dots said "Mission Accomplished."
The Commission thinks, if this is the quality of research used to justify the Iraq war, then the Americna people have been conned."
An art gallery in New York has offered $1 million for the original dot con sketches. The Task Force members, who are still employed by the government, sold the sketches and donated the proceeds to the Bush reelection campaign, minus their 15% commission.
American and European intelligence experts have little more than a modest dossier on Osama Bin Laden. They know where he was born, how he earned his money and how many wives and children he has. However, they have far less information on the subjective, psychological side the the man: what is his taste in music, what riles him, what does he read, and so on. Intelligence officials might have gotten lucky.
Al-Jeezera television reports that Bin Laden has been reading books about Americna culture and mores, though it is not clear what language the works are in. Al-Jeezera just reported that Bin Laden has spoken approvingly of Joseph's Heller's Catch-22, published fifty years ago, because it describes the mendacity and weaknesses of a superpower, even when that country appears to be winning wars.
In a taped interview played on Al-Jeezera's Culture Night program, Bin Laden speaks approvingly the Catch-22 (the voice has been authenticated). He cites the scene in which the novel's "Soldier in White," who has been badly injured, is hooked up to a machine which reconfigures the man's waste into edible food. "This tells us something about the culture and dining habits of the American cannibals," said Bin Laden. "If this is how they treat their wounded, then now Muslim should allow himself to be captured by the infidel. Better to fall on the infidel's sword."
Osama mentions that the American military has a habit of "using its men like they are machine or camels. In the book keeps sending young men to war even though the government promised not to. They make a person named Yossarian fly bombing missions even when he acted like a lunatic. He was Syrian so it is no wonder the military mistreated him. He was forced to paddle a canoe from Italy to the US. I think he went to Damascus. Americans in Iraq should not believe the unbelieving Bush administration. Bush just wants to be elected. Every decision he makes is for that purpose. He has betrayed his people. American soldiers should follow Yossarian's example and go to Syria or Iran where they will be better treated.
"Every Iraqi knows that America invaded Iraq for the oil. This Catch-22 book proves the point. In the middle of white hot battles an American soldier named Milo Minderbinder--a Jew of course--is making deals to sell military equipment to the highest bidder. Every officer gets a piece of the bribe. This is exactly like Cheney's old company, Haliburton which is profiting from the war. The infidels in Washington will be made rich by the war. They speak false words about patriotism so Americans in small towns cry when their sons and daughters return in death bags. Cheney refused to fight for his country and now shows his bravery by killing ducks whose wings have been clipped to make them slow like old men. I am ready to die for my cause and honor the exulted Prophet. But Bush and Cheney hide behind their weak words. They are eager to kill their youth but neither tasted battle when they had a chance."
"The book shows that American businessmen become rich during the second Great War. There is no difference in Iraq and later when the infidels invade Syria and Iran."
"I encourage all who practice jihad against the infidels to read this book because it shows the true purpose of American wars. To produce more wealth for the richest Americans. Cheney and Bush are puppets for the American oil industry. The search for Weapons of Mass Destruction was always a lie and a ruse to get Americans to war."
"Catch-22 has shown me that our struggle is against American wealth and power and those who command it. Be generous to those who fall under your sword in Iraq. Remember it was the old, rich white men who sent them to kill you. Make your holy targets where the seats of power are.
______________
James Frakes, psychologist and theologian at Waker State in Topeka, Kansas, laughs at the bin Laden account. "The man doesn't have a sense of humor. Perhaps he was reading the Bora Bora Cliff Notes. Obvioysly, he is reading the book for his own themes. However, Catch-22 is also a stinging rebuke of the commercialism of war. Osma got that right.
Catch-22 is not the easiest book to read in translation, assuming that was the case. Much of the humor is lost. He's not the first to accuse Bush of going to war for the oil. Cheney Haliburton connection smells even to the non-partisan observer. And Cheney and Bush went out of their way during Vietnam to avoid strenuous service. Bin Laden probably wants to remind people of that. What is startling to me is the softening of his tone towards the infidel foot soldiers doing the dirty work in Iraq. Osama seems to be directing his wrath at the aging white men who are quick to send their sons and daughters to war. Ironically, what we are getting from Global Enemy Number One however twisted and distorted, is the kind of dialogue we should be having in America, especially during an election season. Even Bin Laden seems to understand that patriotism can be misused. Bush and Cheney have said those who raise questions about the war
might give aid and comfort to the enemy.
From a psychological perspective it is very difficult for people and nations to look at their Shadow sides. America is a great, good weathly nation. However, we are somewhat naive to think we could force democracy on Iraq at the point of a gun. Our naivete is our Shadow. We have much power threoughout the world but we don't know much about the world. We don't speak language. National Geogrpahic has shown we are very weak on geography, history, and culture. This weakness is also part of our Shadow--what we drag behind but don't really ackowledge. 9/11 was devastating for many reasons. The scars remain. Today more than 50% of Americans believe Iraq was involved in 9/11. That is absolutely false but is consistent with our uncritical naivete. Europeans are flabbergasted that we accept our government's remarks as truth."
"It's hard to say whether this terrorist is changing his tactics or strategy. He has certainly put himself in the middle of the election campaign. If the jihad is directly against the holders of power in the West, it could be a whole new ball game. What is most telling is that Bin Laden has dropped some of his religious fervor. He's beginning to sound like a politician.
Let's hope he doesn't read Mailer's The Naked and the Dead."
American and European intelligence experts have little more than a modest dossier on Osama Bin Laden. They know where he was born, how he earned his money and how many wives and children he has. However, they have far less information on the subjective, psychological side the the man: what is his taste in music, what riles him, what does he read, and so on. Intelligence officials might have gotten lucky.
Al-Jeezera television reports that Bin Laden has been reading books about Americna culture and mores, though it is not clear what language the works are in. Al-Jeezera just reported that Bin Laden has spoken approvingly of Joseph's Heller's Catch-22, published fifty years ago, because it describes the mendacity and weaknesses of a superpower, even when that country appears to be winning wars.
In a taped interview played on Al-Jeezera's Culture Night program, Bin Laden speaks approvingly the Catch-22 (the voice has been authenticated). He cites the scene in which the novel's "Soldier in White," who has been badly injured, is hooked up to a machine which reconfigures the man's waste into edible food. "This tells us something about the culture and dining habits of the American cannibals," said Bin Laden. "If this is how they treat their wounded, then now Muslim should allow himself to be captured by the infidel. Better to fall on the infidel's sword."
Osama mentions that the American military has a habit of "using its men like they are machine or camels. In the book keeps sending young men to war even though the government promised not to. They make a person named Yossarian fly bombing missions even when he acted like a lunatic. He was Syrian so it is no wonder the military mistreated him. He was forced to paddle a canoe from Italy to the US. I think he went to Damascus. Americans in Iraq should not believe the unbelieving Bush administration. Bush just wants to be elected. Every decision he makes is for that purpose. He has betrayed his people. American soldiers should follow Yossarian's example and go to Syria or Iran where they will be better treated.
"Every Iraqi knows that America invaded Iraq for the oil. This Catch-22 book proves the point. In the middle of white hot battles an American soldier named Milo Minderbinder--a Jew of course--is making deals to sell military equipment to the highest bidder. Every officer gets a piece of the bribe. This is exactly like Cheney's old company, Haliburton which is profiting from the war. The infidels in Washington will be made rich by the war. They speak false words about patriotism so Americans in small towns cry when their sons and daughters return in death bags. Cheney refused to fight for his country and now shows his bravery by killing ducks whose wings have been clipped to make them slow like old men. I am ready to die for my cause and honor the exulted Prophet. But Bush and Cheney hide behind their weak words. They are eager to kill their youth but neither tasted battle when they had a chance."
"The book shows that American businessmen become rich during the second Great War. There is no difference in Iraq and later when the infidels invade Syria and Iran."
"I encourage all who practice jihad against the infidels to read this book because it shows the true purpose of American wars. To produce more wealth for the richest Americans. Cheney and Bush are puppets for the American oil industry. The search for Weapons of Mass Destruction was always a lie and a ruse to get Americans to war."
"Catch-22 has shown me that our struggle is against American wealth and power and those who command it. Be generous to those who fall under your sword in Iraq. Remember it was the old, rich white men who sent them to kill you. Make your holy targets where the seats of power are.
______________
James Frakes, psychologist and theologian at Waker State in Topeka, Kansas, laughs at the bin Laden account. "The man doesn't have a sense of humor. Perhaps he was reading the Bora Bora Cliff Notes. Obvioysly, he is reading the book for his own themes. However, Catch-22 is also a stinging rebuke of the commercialism of war. Osma got that right.
Catch-22 is not the easiest book to read in translation, assuming that was the case. Much of the humor is lost. He's not the first to accuse Bush of going to war for the oil. Cheney Haliburton connection smells even to the non-partisan observer. And Cheney and Bush went out of their way during Vietnam to avoid strenuous service. Bin Laden probably wants to remind people of that. What is startling to me is the softening of his tone towards the infidel foot soldiers doing the dirty work in Iraq. Osama seems to be directing his wrath at the aging white men who are quick to send their sons and daughters to war. Ironically, what we are getting from Global Enemy Number One however twisted and distorted, is the kind of dialogue we should be having in America, especially during an election season. Even Bin Laden seems to understand that patriotism can be misused. Bush and Cheney have said those who raise questions about the war
might give aid and comfort to the enemy.
From a psychological perspective it is very difficult for people and nations to look at their Shadow sides. America is a great, good weathly nation. However, we are somewhat naive to think we could force democracy on Iraq at the point of a gun. Our naivete is our Shadow. We have much power threoughout the world but we don't know much about the world. We don't speak language. National Geogrpahic has shown we are very weak on geography, history, and culture. This weakness is also part of our Shadow--what we drag behind but don't really ackowledge. 9/11 was devastating for many reasons. The scars remain. Today more than 50% of Americans believe Iraq was involved in 9/11. That is absolutely false but is consistent with our uncritical naivete. Europeans are flabbergasted that we accept our government's remarks as truth."
"It's hard to say whether this terrorist is changing his tactics or strategy. He has certainly put himself in the middle of the election campaign. If the jihad is directly against the holders of power in the West, it could be a whole new ball game. What is most telling is that Bin Laden has dropped some of his religious fervor. He's beginning to sound like a politician.
Let's hope he doesn't read Mailer's The Naked and the Dead."
Iraq is mistakingly referred to as another Vietnam. Nothing could be farther from the truth. To be sure, the WMD is apparently a ruse, just like the Gulf of Tonkin incident. Both President Johnson and Bush have exaggerated the dangers of doing nothing. There is talk of sending more troops to Iraq. There is also talk of fighting a wider war, including Syria and perhaps Iran. French journalist Patrick Foupee has written in LeMond that American special forces are already operating in Syria. Some people might conclude this is the beginning of another secret war, such as America fought in Laos and Cambodia.
Nixon had a secret plan. Bush apparently has a secret plan, too, because he is the only one who knows the details. America feared that if it didn't support a corrupt regime in Vietnam, the neighboring countries would fall to Communism. The Bush administration fears that, if we don't kill every terrorist in Iraq, the neighboring countries won't fall to democracy. The domino theory is back, but inverted.
The Bush administration's iron-fisted application of democracy in Iraq and the Middle East is complicated by the religious issue. In "Call to Arms" Bob Woodward describes Bush as believing "democracy invested with the Christian religious instinct is the right antidote to tribalism in the Middle East." Bush makes no bones about Christ being the most influential leader in his life. To that end he has ordered that all civilian contractors in Iraq be practicing Christians. The administration argues that it makes no sense to put Jews in Iraq, given the hostility towards Israel. Bush has made it clear that every Christian missionary who applies for a visa to Iraq should receive the document in a timely fashion. Bush has ordered American and coalition troops to protect the missionaries as they build churches and schools. He has strongly recommended that US soldiers contribute money to these efforts.
So Iraq is nothing like Vietnam. Vietnam was a political and military blunder based on bad intelligence, questionable ideology, and ex-patriots who sold America a bill of goods. The war in Iraq is based on the highest principles, including democracy and religion. America's only aim is to bring democracy to Iraq, even at the point of the gun. The liberated Iraqies will quickly realize that
the American president is infallible because he has learned everything he knows from his Warrior God.
Iraq will also realize that the American god has a high standard of living, clean water, and 24-hour electricity. As Secretary Rumfeld suggested to Woodward, primarily in body language "Islam doesn't have a chance when we bring in air conditioning."