“LONDON (Reuters) - Bin Laden Group, the business empire owned by relatives of the world’s most wanted man, is seeking advice from British public relations firms on how to distance itself from the black sheep of the family . . . The bin Laden family has repeatedly condemned the September 11 attacks and has been quick to point out that it disowned Osama many years ago when he lost his Saudi Arabian citizenship . . . `‘It is a big family. There is a black sheep in every big family,’’ Osama’s sibling Abdullah Mohammed bin Laden told The Boston Globe newspaper last month.”
—Boy. Can you imagine Thanksgiving at the bin Laden house? With Osama banished to the dreaded Kiddie Table? Not given any drumsticks? “I’ll go and get the pumpkin pie,” says Ma bin Laden, “unless OSAMA has destroyed that, TOO.” I’d love to get a load of her mimeographed New Year’s greetings: “Pauly graduated from high school. The twins have learned to talk. And Osama killed 8,000 people and became the most wanted criminal in the world.”
My favorite quote in the original story was, “There is a black sheep in every big family,” which I really think has to take the Vast Understatement Award for 2001. I’d love to hear the family reuinion tales of Betsy Hitler, Stanley Stalin and Minnie Mao . . .
That reminds me of a TRUE STORY a friend told me recently:
"Yesterday, I was on the bus travelling home from work. A man of Arabic-appearance got off at the stop before mine and I noticed that he had left his bag behind. I grabbed the bag and ran after him, caught up with him and handed him back his bag. He was extremely grateful to me and when he checked the contents of his bag I noticed what appeared to be large bundles of banknotes and white powder. He looked round, made sure nobody was looking and whispered to me: “I can never repay you for all your kindness sir, but I will try to, with a word of advice for you and your friends: Tell everyone you care about to stay away from Liverpool.”
I was terrified. “Is there going to be a terrorist attack?” I whispered.
we may never know who you are -
so I can’t address you personally.
You killed several thousands of
our friends…perhaps not people who we
knew personally, but people like us.
People who worked hard to make a living,
who loved someone, who were loved by
someone, who worried about making a better life
for their children and grandchildren, who
believed in God and the American Dream,
who criticized this country for its
insufficiencies and cared enough to
try and change things and ensure a better
future, not just for us, but for the world.
People who leave behind scores of loved
ones, friends, pets, neighbors, coworkers,
and members of their faiths.
Perhaps even people who derived from your
own country and who sought refuge here.
Your act was a slaughter of the innocents.
You are like an insidious cancer that strikes
without warning, ravages bodies, tears families
apart, and in the end can never destroy the soul.
You are the ultimate coward.
You may topple our buildings, collapse our
communication systems, disrupt our government,
crash our markets, and leave behind the carnage
of bodies, but you will never destroy the soul of America.
We made this country from the bits and pieces
of the rest of the world; we took the best,
the worst of every culture and nationality,
race and creed, and made an alloy that may be
dented, but not even a trial by fire can melt.
I don’t know what God you believe in, or what
hateful rhetoric you espouse, or what your
misguided political beliefs might be that allows
you to do what you did today without a fear of
eternal damnation. I only know that you may
win a battle or two, but you will never win this war!
We have the entire history of the world on our side,
and no dictator, despot, or madman has survived
as long as America has thrived and prospered.
If you accomplished anything at all today, it
was to give America a wake-up call, and we will
now rise up stronger than before.
You are defeated before you’ve even begun, there
in your private hell and later in your eternal one.
Someday your people may even need our help,
and because we are America, we would respond.
May God bless the friends we lost, their families,
friends, neighbors and coworkers. We will help them
rebuild from the ashes.
May God continue to bless America, help her to
protect us all, and may she continue to shine as
a beacon of democracy and hope to the rest of the world.
A note from the author:
“In deepest sympathy to those who have lost a loved one.
Permission to share.”
Praise God, The Flag Still Flies! edited to append italicized note from the author concerning copyrights - if only the poster had followed the author’s request. - ub
Mom bin Laden: Osama, you didn’t invite that Omar boy over, did you?
Osama: Of course I did, woman! You said I could bring a friend. Who are to order me about?
MBL: I’m telling you, Sammie, I just don’t like the look of him.
OBL: That’s what you said about Saddam, and all the cool kids hang out with him.
MBL: Sammie, if all the cool kids were fighting a jihad against the infidels, would you do it?
OBL: Of course!
MBL: Irving, get in here and talk to your son, please!
Irving bin Laden: Not now, the game is on! Detroit is losing. I put 500 dinars on those infidels!
Dad bin Laden: Osama, would you like to cut the turkey?
Osama: (waving the electric cutter over his head wildly) The streets will run with your blood, infidel, and then I will claim my place in paradi…
Dad: sighs Do you have to do this every year? Just cut the turkey!
Osama: But daaaaaaaaad, I work all yeeeeeeear on that speech!
Mom bin Laden: Oh, Harold, let the boy say his speech…
“Well, we got there and there was a big sign and a chain across across the dump saying, ‘Closed on Thanksgiving.’ And we had never heard of a munitions dump closed on Thanksgiving before, and with tears in our eyes we drove off into the sunset saying, 'Death to America, death to Israel, Allah is great,” and looking for another place to put the weapons of mass destruction."