The War on Terror and The Affected Subprime Loan Problem
(La guerre contre le terrorisme et le problème de prêts au logement)
SECTION I: Against Insulting Cartoons
Yes, I heard the new audio message claimed to be from Mr. Osama bin Laden on the ABC Web site, “accusing Europeans of abandoning the ‘etiquettes of disputes and morals of fighting.’”
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4484466&page=1
According to Al Jazeera,
Wednesday's message is believed to be bin Laden's first for 2008 and follows up an hour-long, audio missive from December 27 in which he warned Iraq's Sunni Arabs against fighting al-Qaeda in Iraq and vowed new attacks on Israel.
In November, he urged European countries to end military participation with US forces in the Afghan conflict.
The Saudi-born al-Qaeda leader, blamed for the September 11, 2001 attacks on US cities, issued a number of messages late last year after a hiatus of well over a year raised speculation that he might be dead or incapacitated.
He is believed to be hiding in remote areas between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
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http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/ED5D9DB3-BC76-4BFA-B562-1D1AF6E36BBA.htm
BBC also reads:
It is not clear when the message was recorded. The last audio message attributed to bin Laden appeared in November but he has not been seen on video since October 2004.
He is believed to be in hiding on the rugged border area between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
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SECTION II: Another Cause of Subprime Loan Problem
BBC posted two pictures one above the other in its Web page: US President Mr. George W. Bush and AlQaeda Leader Mr. Osama bin Laden.
They might be being displayed with ironic intent, since both have remarks: “Bush speech hails Iraq 'victory'” and “New ‘bin Laden tape’ threatens EU,” respectively.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
After six and half years since September 2001 while spending billions of dollars and sacrificing 4,000 US soldiers among hundreds of thousands of US troops mobilized, the US President cannot arrest Mr. Osama bin Laden who is believed to be hiding in the border area between Pakistan and Afghanistan by everybody.
No Al Qaeda leaders have been brought to justice in a US court in public.
This can be a source of moral hazard in the US public at large.
It will affect psychology of workers in the US financial sector, too.
Mr. Osama bin Laden responsible for the 9/11 Terror has not been arrested. But, US President Mr. George Bush in fact captured and executed then Iraq President Saddam Hussein. And, US President Mr. Bush has claimed that he has won, while Mr. Osama bin Laden has been sending messages for the attack on EU.
As US President cannot achieve his main goal but is allowed to claim his victory, US financial sector workers would not feel the pricks of conscience if they do not achieve expected performance but claim that they are not responsible when their selling sub-prime loan embedded commodities has caused such a big turmoil in the US economy.
In 1980’s and 1990’s, it was impossible to mobilize so many financial sector workers to deal with such high-risk financial commodities in a large scale against their conscience.
But, in 2000’s, suddenly the climate in Wall Street has changed along with the proceeding of the War on Terror, and some leaders of financial institutes, responsible for the subprime loan problem, get used to all the more show little pang of conscience as if they were the US President who is proud of having executed Saddam Hussein but letting Mr. Osama bin Laden get away as a matter of fact.
SECTION III: Redefinition of the War on Terror
According to “Bush at War” by Mr. Bob Woodward, President Mr. George W. Bush truly delved into implication of some word he was going to use in his speech in the wake of the 9/11 Terror:
“That’s way too vague,” Bush complained, proposing the word “harbor.” In final form, what would later be called the Bush Doctrine said, “We will make no distinction between those who planned these acts and those who harbor them.” It was an incredibly broad commitment to go after terrorists and those who sponsor and protect terrorists, rather than just a proposal for a targeted retaliatory strike. The decision was made without consulting Cheney, Powell or Rumsfeld.
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It is not wise at all to use an official phrase that will make more enemies than friends.
Even if the policy is set along with the determination, “We will make no distinction between those who planned these acts and those who harbor them,” an official address should not adopt such a phrase, since it will most probably make more potential enemies than actual friends among foreign countries.
But, as it was Iraq that US President Mr. Bush must have been always thinking about, he chose the phrase and its official proclamation.
US President Mr. Bush adopted the expression and disseminated the idea into US citizens, so that the people would easily accept the plan to attack Iraq later and take on Saddam Hussein eventually, since it was his longstanding pending issue.
US President Mr. George W. Bush must have wanted to put a final end to the Persian Gulf War his father had fought as the US President but left with a kind of half way solution.
So, in his defining the reaction and countermeasure against the 9/11 Terror, it must be “war (that would lead to invasion of Iraq)” but not “crackdown on terrorists (focused on only AlQaeda in Afghanistan).”
My proposal is to redefine it from “The War on Terror” to “The Law Enforcement on AlQaeda and Mr. Osama bin Laden as well as the Collateral War on Terror.”
Then, financial sector workers will also redefine what they have been dealing with as not only (too) highly rated commodities but also too-high-risk subprime-loan embedded commodities.
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In addition, I cannot fully accept the audio tape as a real and true proof of lively activities of Mr. Osama bin Laden or even his existence.
Would somebody who ever ordered the kamikaze attack on the US Department of Defense proclaim a war on cartoons?
Would not such a big-time player try to find other graver cause when proclaiming a war on EU?
Anyway, if the concrete fact is that after six and half years since September 2001 while spending billions of dollars and sacrificing 4,000 US soldiers among hundreds of thousands of US troops mobilized, the US President cannot arrest Mr. Osama bin Laden, some workers in the US financial sector may find an analogy with, or an excuse in, the proceeding of the War on Terror for their irresponsible practices of selling high-risk commodities under the disguise of highly-rated securitized commodities.
(Today March 20, the Vernal Equinox Day, is a national holiday in Japan.
But, the Wikipedia shows some interesting incidents that happened on March 20:
1815 - Napoleon enters Paris after escaping from Elba with a regular army of 140,000 and a volunteer force of around 200,000, beginning his "Hundred Days" rule.
1942 - World War II: General Douglas MacArthur, at Terowie, South Australia, makes his famous speech regarding the fall of the Philippines, in which he says: "I came out of Bataan and I shall return".
1995 - A sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway kills 12 and wounds 1,300 persons.
Indeed, it is the day of war and terror. But, good or bad,
1969 - John Lennon & Yoko Ono marry in Gibraltar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_20
I wish it would be one of best days in your life projected to 365-day circle every year.)
“LET US PRAISE HIS GLORY”
(Lassen Sie uns Lob seiner Herrlichkeit)