Terrorism Through The Eyes Of A Terrorist

If you were to ask what my favorite type of fiction was, I couldn’t narrow it down to one category. I enjoy suspense, true crime, and mysteries. One could only imagine what a pleasure it was for me to read a fictional account of 9/11 told through the eyes of a terrorist.

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Aram Schefrin penned Marwan, An Autobiography of a 9/11 Terrorist in such a way that it made terrorist seem like “human beings” with real lives. Make no mistake, the book does not create sympathy for them. It shows us that even the most evil individuals can be “just like us” in some ways. Mr. Schefrin recently shed some light on his purpose for writing the novel:

“In Chapter 23 of Marwan: The Autobiography of a 9/11 Terrorist, as the hijackers meet in a Las Vegas hotel room to discuss which planes they are going to take, there is an unexpected knock at the door. Everyone’s afraid they’ve been discovered. But it turns out to be a man from Domino’s with two thin-crust pizzas Marwan has ordered up. This completely fictional incident is a key to understanding my approach to Marwan. For one thing, it illustrates that people do not stop living their normal lives while they, for instance, plot mass murder. We tend to think of these men as monomaniacs. But even monomaniacs have to eat. But, more importantly, it illustrates another point.

Although some of them were highly educated in Saudi Arabia, most of the Saudi muscle brought in to handle the rough details of the hijacks had never been in the West before. Like bin Laden himself, all they knew of America was what they had seen on TV or what they had been told by others and the effect of American policy in their own region. So they could not understand, and were indifferent to, what they saw here.

But the pilots were a very different matter. Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Midhar lived in San Diego. Hani Hanjour had spent a lot of time in California, Arizona and Florida. Ramzi al-Shibh, Mohammad Atta, Marwan and Ziad Jarrah were living in sophisticated Hamburg, Germany, and Jarrah came from a westernized Lebanese family. Atta, Marwan and Jarrah spent over a year in Florida. All of them had a great deal of exposure to Western ways. They knew very well what they were attacking.

Al-Shibh, because of his religion, his personality and his politics, was immune to the attractions of the West. Atta had consciously rejected them, out of outrage at Western doings in the Middle East. But al-Hazmi and al-Midhar immersed themselves in some Western behavior particularly involving sex shows, alcohol and prostitutes (much like the Saudi princes on the French Riviera). Jarrah was nearly an American kid: he had been educated in a Christian school, he played basketball, and his romance with a Turkish girl was very un-Islamic. The perception that these men were from an alien culture is, therefore, only partly true.

That was the point which interested me most about these people and the reason I felt I could approach them from Western eyes and turn them into characters Westerners could understand because of their somewhat Western behavior. And I wanted to make one of the characters almost completely Western in the way he thinks and the things he does and believes so that the story rang true to American readers. With the actual histories of these characters, I didn’t think that was farfetched.

I knew that in Germany Marwan had rented fancy red sports convertibles to make the club circuit. And there were other details I knew about him plus the fact that there were many, many details completely unknown that made him the perfect nearly blank-slate candidate to illustrate this point of view. Although he was raised in an Islamic backwater, he was influenced by American TV and very aware of what was happening in Europe and America and went to Germany because he wanted to play a part in that. I suspected that his personal weaknesses and flaws had led a kid who might have become another Silicon Valley clone to become, instead, a killer or, as he saw it, a soldier of Islam. He was the perfect character to illustrate the process by which your perfectly sane neighbor boy might find himself doing insane things.

The point of Marwan, and of the book, being: some of these people were not so different from us. To understand what they did and what others like them may yet do I think it’s important to look at them as we would at any other sad case and try to learn what it might take to stop the continuing creation of people like them.

And that’s what Marwan is about.”

If you’re up for an entertaining and insightful story, pick up a copy. The book is available on the web at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and at Podiobooks.com.

Jesus Died So That We Can Have Peace And Prosperity!

According to Creflo Dollar that is. Of all the things I’ve heard him preach, that is the most vile and disgusting. I don’t claim to be perfect but I know that Jesus died so that our sins could be forgiven, not for our wealth or lack thereof. Take a look and pay close attention when you get to about 2:10 into the video.

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Do these preachers not see the harm they are doing to the body? They are one step away from stating it’s a sin to be working class. I bet they’d go on to claim it’s the unpardonable sin to be poor.

It is certainly not wrong to have luxuries in life…hey I’ve got a number of expensive handbags and other things. But to preach it as gospel is more than disgusting.

For more interesting videos, click here. I should add that I do not endorse all of the viewpoints expressed in all of the videos.

For Those Who Underestimate Obama Supporters…

You are in for a shock if you continue to delude yourself .

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Check out this blog for more videos.

Cindy McCain is Proud Of Her Country, But Is Her Husband “Proud Of” Their Marriage?

I’d say she should focus more on what her husband thinks of their marriage than what Michelle Obama thinks of America. Ms. McCain took the perfect opportunity to make a snide and insensitive remark aimed at what Ms. Obama stated about her newfound pride in America. How perfect that the new revelation came out just a day later. No one knows for sure if an affair between John McCain and lobbyist Vicki Iseman took place; not even Ms. McCain knows that. What I hope she knows is to get an understanding before making pompous remarks disguised as patriotism.

As for Ms. Obama, I see nothing wrong with her stating that she is proud of her country for the first time in her adult life. It wasn’t until I reached adulthood that I developed a genuine affection for the US. As black Americans from her generation and younger, we’ve become saturated with a mindset of defeat and pessimism. Once we shake off the negativity of our parents, we see America for what it really is…a nation to admire in spite of its faults.

So Castro Is Out, But Bro Is In

So I have to ask, what difference will it make? I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not an expert on all things Cuban. Based on what I do know, I see nothing to be happy about. According to this article, brother Raul Castro is the Caribbean islands new leader. And what a “great advocate for human rights” he is. No? Some say that this man will usher in a new wave of democracy. How did he get into office anyway? Through a democratic process? So what we have are two brothers with “Conquistador blood” running through their veins passing power from big bro to lil bro. It should not work that way in a modern world. Hopefully, there will be a radical change in Cuba.

Ever Want To Go Back In Time?

I’m sitting here reminiscing about the music that was popular when I was in my late teens. The New Jack Swing era was in full force and one of my favorite “groups” was TLC. Remember the clothing style they made popular? Yeah, I wore the combat boots with colorful band-aids and baggy pants. Hey, they were hyped and I wanted to follow their trend. The most memorable member was the late Left Eye who appeared tough and could rap with the best of them. Next there was Chilli who carried a tune that gave the group an R&B feel. And lastly there was T-Boz who added a finishing touch with her cool, deep voice. The best thing about TLC was that they didn’t flaunt their bodies for the world to see, but simply made great music. Those were the days…

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“What About Your Friends”

Ahh, this is one of my TLC hits.

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“Aint To Proud To Beg”

LOL, I remember the condoms that they’d plaster all over their clothing. The lyrics aren’t as easy on me now as they were then. Well, let’s just say that I was never one to “beg” but I’m much more conservative now than I was in 1992. Btw, don’t be afraid to look at the video…it’s not visually explicit.

Thanks for the memories, TLC!

Andrew Sullivan On Why Hillary Is Losing

I just had to pass along this interesting commentary from Andrew Sullivan’s Blog. There is one utterly striking comment with such truth, it bears repeating:

“there is a reason George W. Bush was so dismissive of him. Bush also knows that Obama is a rebuke. Clinton, in contrast, is a peer.

There really is no reason to vote for the Clintons again. It’s all about them; and this time, it really should be about the country.”

How different would a Hillary Clinton presidency be from Bush’s? Whatever the case, she’s not exactly losing at the moment. But if she’s the democratic nominee, she’d definitely lose. The right will basically cream her. The Clintons were and are hated that much.

Oh Senator Edwards…Who Will You Endorse?

According to CNN Politics.com Sen. Barack Obama met with Sen. John Edwards at his home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It was to discuss the “state of the campaign” and “problems facing American families.” But, these meetings must be routine since Sen. Hillary Clinton also paid a visit to the former presidential candidate. What I and likely every other American would like to know is who Edwards will back for the democratic nomination. I can’t begin to figure it out so I won’t speculate. I do suspect that he will wait it out until voting in Ohio and Texas are over. It would be best if he makes his preference known since endorsements may boost the results for a specific candidate. I bet he’ll keep us waiting.

You Can Take A Soldier Out Of The Front Line But Not The Front Line Out Of The Soldier

It would be an understatement to describe the experiences of military families in this New York Times Article as horrific. It identifies post war stress as the possible cause of soldiers returning home and killing family members. I honestly don’t know what to make of it. Can we really place all the blame on post war stress? Even if we can’t, we must admit one thing: men and women who are already at risk for violent behavior are being recruited, sent to war, and then back home again. It is naive of us to think that people will be honest about their emotional histories during evaluations to determine mental fitness for the military. That is, if such an evaluation exists. I don’t recall ever having a psychological assessment before my brief stint in the Army. Not that I needed one, but you get the point. It is my personal opinion, however, that post war stress is at the heart of the horrors in the article. Below are brief summaries of the types of tragedies that occur among some veterans of recent wars.

Sgts. William and Erin Edwards both served in Iraq. Unfortunately, the war came home with them. Sgt Williams beat his wife regularly and viciously before killing her and himself.

Jose Aguilar, a former marine, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder following the death of his son Damien. It was a blow to the head that killed the 2-year-old. Aguilar had faced child abuse charges previously. I should add that he was sent on a second “tour” of Iraq in between the charges of child abuse and the eventual killing. Who made the decision to send a marine with criminal charges against him back to the front lines?

Sgt. Jared Terrasas beat his wife, was arrested on misdemeanor charges, then sent to Iraq before his case went before the courts. He came back home, and was ordered to complete a marine corps batterers intervention program. Well, Terrasas was only able to attend just a few classes because the marine corp again decided that his services were needed in Iraq. So off he was sent a second time. He survived the evils of war, but he killed his 7-month-old son this time. It was yet again, a blow to an innocent little head. I ask again, why was he sent back to Iraq when there was full awareness of his violent tendencies?

Sadly, these are only a few of the many incidents that can be attributed to war related stress. Many will argue that these soldiers had emotional problems to begin with. But think about this: Can a person go off to war, kill another human being (perhaps several), watch their buddies die, and come back the same person before he/she left? Just a question to ponder.

For more information including some sad and chilling pictures, see War Torn: Violence at Home

What On Earth Is Wrong With The United Kingdom

…since things such as this can take place? I haven’t been to the UK in years so I don’t claim to be an expert on all things British. But I am troubled over hearing about human rights abuses (yes human rights) that are taking place in the Kingdom. I am in no way shape or form knocking Britain, but I need an explanation. How is it that 17,000 honor related crimes can take place in such a progressive nation? Are the British so fearful of threatening political correctness that they are willing to appease primitive practices at the expense of human life? This isn’t about cultural sensitivity or racism. It’s time to call wrong wrong no matter what culture it comes from.

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