The USA Lost the War on Terror

The USA lost the War on Terror the day it started. The fact that there is a “War on Terror” means that we lose. It bears repeating that Terrorism is a tactic. This so-called “War on Terror” is just an excuse for an endless war entailing increased government powers, spending, opaqueness, and tabling other “less important” issues.

Osama Bin Laden announced a few years ago that his new goal was to destroy the United States economy. He’s doing a hell of a job, and although Bush loves to talk about what he should get away with because of 9/11 - Bush doesn’t like talking about Osama bin Laden. You would think that after 2 wars and hundreds of thousands of people killed that one of them would be Osama bin Laden. But we sure are better off without Saddam Hussein…

The war has cost us an almost unimagineable figure: and we just keep throwing money into the money pit. It’s a good thing all that money isn’t around to be spent onhealth care or education. Our how about shoring up our weakening economy before China sells its US TBills. But then again our national debt is only a meeger $9 trillion dollars. When you get numbers so big you can’t imagine them they stop meaning anything. Let’s just keep spending until we’re in the quadrillions, or how about the oogledillions? That’s the cool thing about numbers - they are infinite so all of our made-up words actually mean some exorbitantely huge figure. Unfortunately when you divide the national debt by the human population you can feel the scope of how much money we owe. Every person in the country owes $30,000. And thanks to Bushes tax cuts I have an extra $5 every year I can put towards that. I know that the rich get hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax breaks compared to my $5, but I really can’t complain: they are better than me anyways. But thanks to George W. Bush, when Ma and Pa kick the bucket I won’t have to sell the farm!

So Osama wins the economic victory. How much has the US spent on the war on terror? Hundreds of billions of dollars. Osama? Flight school for a few and plane tickets for 19 people. Okay so that’s not exactly fair but the scale isn’t that far off the mark.

So Osama clearly wins at the battle of costing your opponent money - maybe he cuts coupons too. But what about Politically? Directly after 9/11 America’s loss tugged at the heart-strings of the world - seemingly every country offered its support. Today, America is arguably the most hated country on the planet. In addition many Muslim countries have high approval rating for Osama bin Laden. He still won’t win any popularity contests world-wide - but the victory still goes to Osama.

And the most crippling loss that America has sufferred was not directly caused by Osama bin Laden, we caused it ourselves. As Stephen Colbert has put it (roughly):

They are terrorists - that is their job. And our job is to be terrorized!

The terrorists have won because George W. Bush has had his panties in a knot since day one. A great President (FDR) once said, “All we have to fear is fear itself.” Today the President says “You should be afraid of many many different things. I can’t tell you all the things you should be afraid of because they’re classified. Just vote to give all your power and money to me and I’ll make you sure you’re safe. And if you disagree you’re helping the terrorists win”. Anyone who travels feels the effects of our nation’s bowel-wrenching fear. We have to wait in huge lines, take our shoes off, some of us are lucky enough for strip searches - perhaps even luckier are those innocent Americans on the “no-fly” list. And whatever you do, do NOT bring that drink or liquid/gel toiletries on the plane. You are going to have to spend $2 for a bottle of water after the checkpoint. And you didn’t want to be crammed in a plane with people who have deodorant, toothpaste, or mouthwash anyways right? Don’t you recognize the smell of freedom?

Mmm freedom. There’s nothing a blowhard chicken hawk likes to talk about more. Terrorists don’t deserve any freedom of course. Neither do suspected terrorists, because they must have done something bad. Duh, they’re muslim. Why let evidence, trial, or impartial judge get in the way of a good old fashioned wholesome American water-boarding? In America today you can be wiretapped for no reason. Then you can be arrested and tortured with no trial or secret, aka, non-existent evidence. American Citizens have been arrested for exercising free speech! Our Press is incapable of asking poignant questions - so the freedom of press is gone. Freedom from religion is long gone since Bush funds religious groups (who in turn elect him and his pals). By my count, out of the original Bill of Rights, amendments 1,4,5,6,8,9, and 10 are at least in disrepair or at worst are nonexistent.

In sum, Osama has been able to: drive America closer to an economic depression, divide us - pitting American against American, kill and injure thousands of American soldiers, terrorize us, and destroy our freedom.