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Patty Murray just lo-o-o-o-ves that Binny...
Why is terrorist leader Osama bin Laden so popular in some parts of the world? Perhaps, said Sen. Patty Murray, itâs because he and his supporters have spent years building goodwill in poor nations by helping pay for schools, roads and day-care facilities. Yep. That's probably it. I shoulda thought of that. Especially the day-care facilities. Yemen, Sudan and NWFP are chock full of them. That should have been the tip-off... At an appearance before a high school honors class, Murray, D-Wash., offered what her spokesman called an intentionally provocative challenge for students to ponder. "Weâve got to ask, why is this man (bin Laden) so popular around the world?" Murray asked during an appearance Wednesday at Columbia River High School. "Why are people so supportive of him in many countries that are riddled with poverty?" Golly, Patty! Tell us why! The answers may be uncomfortable, but are important for Americans to ponder â particularly students, Murray said. "Heâs been out in these countries for decades, building schools, building roads, building infrastructure, building day-care facilities, building health-care facilities, and the people are extremely grateful. We havenât done that," Murray said. We haven't? When did we stop? How about the bucks we've been dropping down the rathole of foreign aid since the end of WWII? What about the Peace Corps? Forty years of fraud? "How would they look at us today if we had been there helping them with some of that rather than just being the people who are going to bomb in Iraq and go to Afghanistan?" Since we have, guess they'd be looking at us with the same sullen, ungrateful expressions, huh? Chris Vance, chairman of the Washington state Republican Party, called Murrayâs comments offensive. "It is absolutely outrageous and despicable to imply that the American government should learn a lesson from the madman who murdered thousands of American citizens," Vance said. "I know Senator Murray has a habit of sticking her foot in her mouth, but this goes way beyond a simple gaffe." Murrayâs comments "sent the message to these students that the United States somehow deserved or brought on the September 11 terrorist attacks," Vance said. "I think all decent people can agree that we most certainly did not, that this was an unprovoked attack of terrorism." Vance called on Murray to retract her comments and apologize. Murray somehow mixes cause with effect. "Why are people so supportive of him in many countries that are riddled with poverty?" she asks. Perhaps it's because of his Islamist message. He's big in areas riddled with Islamism. Look at the correlation: with the exception of the artificial riches brought from oil â a natural resource that foreigners, for the most part, exploit, while paying revenues to the guys that own the ground â Islamist countries are among the poorest in the world. It's not that Islamism catches on where people are poor; it's that people are poor where Islamism catches on. FOLLOWUP: Here's Patty response... Having a challenging and thoughtful discussion about America's future reflects the best values of a free democracy;Ummm... None of that addresses the stupidity of the comments. Dissent for the sake of dissent is nothing but posturing and vapor. Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2002-12-20 |
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