One of Bin Laden's more confusing statements was: "any state that does not mess with our security will automatically secure its own." His use of the word "state" or "welaya" in Arabic led to some confusion about whether he means "U.S. state" or "country." Al Qaeda sympathizers however seem to suggest through messages posted on jihadi websites that bin Laden was addressing U.S. states independently, attempting to cause division between them and the government. They suggested that states can secure themselves by voting against Bush, not sending troops to war and pressuring the government to stop aggression against Muslims.

Is ABC News not a good news source either?

I read that entire thing, and didn't see the quote you pulled anywhere in there. Are you sure your link is correct? The article you linked to seems to be simply a "here's what other people are saying" kind of thing, which draws no conclusions at all.

The whole fourth paragraph.

Ah. Weird. Don't know how I missed that before. Well, it's still totally different than the article this thread was based on. ABC is indeed a much more reliable source than any tabloid, but that "article" isn't even a news piece. It's a summary of reporting from other sources. The sources, in this case, being "messages posted on jihadi websites." And hell, even they couldn't agree on the actual message. The whole thing is thrown into question by this sentence:

They suggested that states can secure themselves by voting against Bush, not sending troops to war and pressuring the government to stop aggression against Muslims.

This makes it difficult to put much stock in the opinions of these "Al Qaeda sympathizers," since states certainly don't send troops to war. My guess is that these Al Qaeda sympathizers posting on jihadi websites don't really quite understand how the American electoral system works.

bean

STAFF

Los Angeles, CA

NOV 01, 2004 08:18 PM

s5 said:
he meant "state" as in "nation", not "state" as in "a state in the united states of america".

otherwise, why would he have attacked new york and washington, DC? he looks at america as an organism of government policy and private transactions that ultimately work against him and his causes. new york city was considered a target because it hosts the engine of american financial transactions. the fact that it's in "a blue state" is of no consequence to bin laden.

Ding.

Mike11

Titusville, FL

OLD SKOOL

NOV 02, 2004 03:34 AM

tenmile said:

Mike said:
I never see you take a shot at anything. All I ever see you do is take a shot at other people after they posted their opinion. Why dont you start giving your opinion and joining the conversation instead of telling other people that their opinions are wrong.

ding
ding
ding
ding
ding

You're right though, I am more likely to call someone on their shit than to foist my opinion on folks.

[Edited on Nov 01, 2004 5:52PM]

It makes me happy to see that I wasnt 100% correct.

Vampirate

Durham, NC

October 2004

NOV 02, 2004 01:29 PM

lostarchitect said:

lepton said:
I haven't seen one person discredit the content of the story. You just complain because it doesn't fit with your views.

nobody's saying bin laden didn't actually say that, and hence noone's trying to "discredit the content" of this story.

the point is not what he said, it's how the post uses it.

Yeah, the reason this is "bullshit" is because everyone is trying to give it some sort of partisan spin. What the fuck does it matter if Osama bin Laden endorses one presidential candidate or the other? Does anyone seriously think that it's going to influence a single vote?

legionnaire

Belgium

November 2003

NOV 02, 2004 01:32 PM

StackedUpXXII said:

lostarchitect said:

lepton said:
I haven't seen one person discredit the content of the story. You just complain because it doesn't fit with your views.

nobody's saying bin laden didn't actually say that, and hence noone's trying to "discredit the content" of this story.

the point is not what he said, it's how the post uses it.

I kinda wish he had finished the video with "I'm Osama bin Laden, and I approved this message."

Honestly, did he think he was going to sway that portion of the electorate who were waiting for him to weigh in on our domestic policies? As far as I can tell the whole thing was just some stupid vanity ploy on his part to have his name back in the newspapers.

Hussein

I'm lost

March 2004

NOV 02, 2004 01:34 PM

legionnaire said:

StackedUpXXII said:

lostarchitect said:

lepton said:
I haven't seen one person discredit the content of the story. You just complain because it doesn't fit with your views.

nobody's saying bin laden didn't actually say that, and hence noone's trying to "discredit the content" of this story.

the point is not what he said, it's how the post uses it.

maybe it's just me, but his stance on health care seemed really vague.

PAGE:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

BOARDS:

TOPICS:

NEWS: Bin Laden threatens 'Red States'

bean

STAFF

Los Angeles, CA

NOV 01, 2004 08:17 PM

bean

STAFF

Los Angeles, CA

NOV 01, 2004 08:18 PM

Mike11

Titusville, FL

OLD SKOOL

NOV 02, 2004 03:34 AM

Vampirate

Durham, NC

October 2004

NOV 02, 2004 01:29 PM

legionnaire

Belgium

November 2003

NOV 02, 2004 01:32 PM

Hussein

I'm lost

March 2004

NOV 02, 2004 01:34 PM