Former FBI translator Sibel Edmonds dropped a bombshell on the Mike Malloy radio show, guest-hosted by Brad Friedman (audio, partial transcript).
In the interview, Sibel says that the US maintained 'intimate relations' with Bin Laden, and the Taliban, "all the way until that day of September 11."
These 'intimate relations' included using Bin Laden for 'operations' in Central Asia, including Xinjiang, China. These 'operations' involved using al Qaeda and the Taliban in the same manner "as we did during the Afghan and Soviet conflict," that is, fighting 'enemies' via proxies.
I always find fascinating the dichotomy between responses to things we want to believe versus things we would never want to be true. Things we never want to be true we can easily dismiss out of hand, while things we want to believe will be accepted without question. The human psyche is a strange thing, indeed.
I've never met a retarded person who wasn't smiling.
Do I believe it could be true? Oh, sure. I don't put anything past the government. But why now, if not in the last 8 years, or after waiting this long, why ever? Just seems a little fishy to me.
Can I borrow your towel? My car just hit a water buffalo.
I always find fascinating the dichotomy between responses to things we want to believe versus things we would never want to be true. Things we never want to be true we can easily dismiss out of hand, while things we want to believe will be accepted without question. The human psyche is a strange thing, indeed.
You got me. I don't want the ravings of a lunatic to be true. Come on, man. We may use bad actors from time to time to further our own interests, but the Taliban to foment unrest in an obscure Chinese province?
What do we have to gain? Moreover, we've got a shit-ton to lose by funneling resources to a terrorist organization that has attacked US interests in the past. What she's saying just doesn't pass the smell test.
Don't get me wrong--I'm all about holding ideas up to skeptical analysis.
What do we have to gain? I'll take a shot...first, we're assuming that the only way we'd support a questionable group abroad is if we can identify a clear upside to the situation. I'm not sure that's a valid assumption. What if we just wanted to fuck with the Chinese? Put them on edge so they fight to maintain the status quo--we learn something about them in how they react and their effectiveness. What if this was living up to some old promise...you do this for us and later on we'll let you go in and work on the land you want to control that we don't really care about.
As for what we have to lose...you think the military/foreign affairs machine really worries about guys like this attacking us on our own soil? I think they'd either look at it as (1) if they're dumb enough to try it then bring it on or (2) limited collateral damage is acceptable when it comes to meddling with the world. I don't think the powers that be think like a normal citizen when it comes to stuff like this. Frankly, I don't think they give a fuck about anything other than consolidating power.
I've never met a retarded person who wasn't smiling.
