GC on bin Laden
December 24, 2005 1:17 AM Subscribe
It Isn’t Easy Being the Sexy Bin Laden : “the face is alluring (big dark eyes, long lashes, plump lips, caramel skin)”. Satin sheets, a feather boa and not much else.
And who could resist alluring bin Laden quotes like this?
“At the end of the day, I believe that the American people understand things and they have compassion and they see what’s fair,” [bin Laden] says. "They’re very fair, and that’s why I love America, and that’s why my mom loves America.”Or this quote:
“Come on, where’s the American spirit? Accept me. I want to be embraced, because my values are like yours. And I’m here. I’m not hiding.”
She should have brought out a Christmas hit.
War on Terror meets War on Christmas
posted by jouke at 2:03 AM on December 24, 2005
War on Terror meets War on Christmas
posted by jouke at 2:03 AM on December 24, 2005
She is fairly attractive, I'll give her that. But it's clear that being an attention-whore runs in her family.
posted by nightchrome at 4:02 AM on December 24, 2005
posted by nightchrome at 4:02 AM on December 24, 2005
"It Isn't Easy Being The Sexy Bin Laden" shall be my epitaph.
posted by Sticherbeast at 4:25 AM on December 24, 2005
posted by Sticherbeast at 4:25 AM on December 24, 2005
I'd give her at least two towers... ;)
posted by fairmettle at 5:03 AM on December 24, 2005
posted by fairmettle at 5:03 AM on December 24, 2005
Wait, the name makes no sense.
"bin" in reference to Muslim names means "son of". "Daughter of" is "binti". So "Osama bin Laden" means "Osama, son of Laden".
Her name should have been "Wafah binti Laden" - or, more accurately, "Wafah binti [Father's Name]", since this Laden is more of an uncle or granduncle.
If Laden is a family surname (which is more common in cultures like Bangladeshi ones), then the "bin/binti" doesn't apply.
[Example: in our Bengali culture, the males inherit a surname - my dad's name is [FirstName] Hafiz. (censored for privacy) The females get the father's name - my name isn't Tiara Hafiz, it's Tiara [Dad'sFirstName]. In other cultures - Malay ones, for example - both males and females are "bin/binti" their father's name.]
So for her to be referred to as the "sexy son of Laden" makes no sense.
posted by divabat at 5:49 AM on December 24, 2005
"bin" in reference to Muslim names means "son of". "Daughter of" is "binti". So "Osama bin Laden" means "Osama, son of Laden".
Her name should have been "Wafah binti Laden" - or, more accurately, "Wafah binti [Father's Name]", since this Laden is more of an uncle or granduncle.
If Laden is a family surname (which is more common in cultures like Bangladeshi ones), then the "bin/binti" doesn't apply.
[Example: in our Bengali culture, the males inherit a surname - my dad's name is [FirstName] Hafiz. (censored for privacy) The females get the father's name - my name isn't Tiara Hafiz, it's Tiara [Dad'sFirstName]. In other cultures - Malay ones, for example - both males and females are "bin/binti" their father's name.]
So for her to be referred to as the "sexy son of Laden" makes no sense.
posted by divabat at 5:49 AM on December 24, 2005
Whatever, some fucking no talent chick with a connection to somebody infamous. Media whore! Move along, nothing to see here.
posted by Mijo Bijo at 6:08 AM on December 24, 2005
posted by Mijo Bijo at 6:08 AM on December 24, 2005
Wait, the name makes no sense.
"bin" in reference to Muslim names means "son of". "Daughter of" is "binti". So "Osama bin Laden" means "Osama, son of Laden".
Yeah, I agree, because I keep running into Johndaughters and Anderdaughters all the time and that makes sense!
posted by Mijo Bijo at 6:15 AM on December 24, 2005
"bin" in reference to Muslim names means "son of". "Daughter of" is "binti". So "Osama bin Laden" means "Osama, son of Laden".
Yeah, I agree, because I keep running into Johndaughters and Anderdaughters all the time and that makes sense!
posted by Mijo Bijo at 6:15 AM on December 24, 2005
Are you kidding me? What is this post supposed to be about? If it's just another set of anti-Bush links with Wafah thrown in as an appetizer, it's a crap post and should be deleted. If it's meant to bring Wafah to our attention, what the fuck are all the political links doing there? Seriously, have some respect for the guidelines.
posted by languagehat at 6:22 AM on December 24, 2005
posted by languagehat at 6:22 AM on December 24, 2005
Wait, the name makes no sense.
This could only mean one thing...she's a man!
posted by fatbobsmith at 6:51 AM on December 24, 2005
This could only mean one thing...she's a man!
posted by fatbobsmith at 6:51 AM on December 24, 2005
This post is a blivet.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 7:13 AM on December 24, 2005
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 7:13 AM on December 24, 2005
Yeah, I agree, because I keep running into Johndaughters and Anderdaughters all the time and that makes sense!
Well, it's not odd, but not because of what you said. After all, the current Saudi Abdullah is "Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud," borne of "Abd al-Rahman bin Faysal bin Turki Al Saud" and "Fahda bint Asi Al Shuraim." Furthermore, the current royal progeny also follow the same bin/bint naming system (and so evidently the practice hasn't stopped in Saudi Arabia, from where Osama + relatives originally hail).
The reason for the discrepency is there is probably due to the acquisition of a Western visa - typically you'd want to standardize your name for ease of identification, i.e. bin Laden, rather than bint. Alternately, I heard that if you are applying for a visa in some Arab countries, you actually have to provide first, second, family, and father's names.
I really only care enough to make a comment about probable causes for naming discrepencies, apparently.
posted by Tikirific at 7:28 AM on December 24, 2005
Well, it's not odd, but not because of what you said. After all, the current Saudi Abdullah is "Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud," borne of "Abd al-Rahman bin Faysal bin Turki Al Saud" and "Fahda bint Asi Al Shuraim." Furthermore, the current royal progeny also follow the same bin/bint naming system (and so evidently the practice hasn't stopped in Saudi Arabia, from where Osama + relatives originally hail).
The reason for the discrepency is there is probably due to the acquisition of a Western visa - typically you'd want to standardize your name for ease of identification, i.e. bin Laden, rather than bint
I really only care enough to make a comment about probable causes for naming discrepencies, apparently.
posted by Tikirific at 7:28 AM on December 24, 2005
I dunno, she's kinda hot.
Didn't the remaining Hitlers move to New York state?
I mean, ya gotta live somewhere.
posted by First Post at 7:30 AM on December 24, 2005
Didn't the remaining Hitlers move to New York state?
I mean, ya gotta live somewhere.
posted by First Post at 7:30 AM on December 24, 2005
“Come on, where’s the American spirit? Accept me. I want to be embraced,
And I want you to blow me. Seems we can't always get what we want. Spoiled snot.
posted by HTuttle at 7:33 AM on December 24, 2005
And I want you to blow me. Seems we can't always get what we want. Spoiled snot.
posted by HTuttle at 7:33 AM on December 24, 2005
Mijo Bijo - unlike European names, the Muslim naming convention for the most part hasn't changed (save for regional differences, like I mentioned earlier). It's a part of the religious culture. So comparing the "bin/binti" to the "Johnson/Anderson" thing is comparing apples to pineapples.
(And, IIRC, in some places in Europe they still have the Somethingson/Somethingdottir distinction - I remember reading about an Icelandic band whose lead singer had such a name)
Tikirific - thanks for the info about the Western visa. That's quite interesting.
posted by divabat at 7:34 AM on December 24, 2005
(And, IIRC, in some places in Europe they still have the Somethingson/Somethingdottir distinction - I remember reading about an Icelandic band whose lead singer had such a name)
Tikirific - thanks for the info about the Western visa. That's quite interesting.
posted by divabat at 7:34 AM on December 24, 2005
Didn't the remaining Hitlers move to New York state?
I thought they moved to Argentina, to create their secret band of psionically-controlled zombie-vampire-Nazi soldiers. Funded by their Nazi gold (stolen from Jews, natch), for the creation of the (number)th Reich?
posted by Tikirific at 7:44 AM on December 24, 2005
I thought they moved to Argentina, to create their secret band of psionically-controlled zombie-vampire-Nazi soldiers. Funded by their Nazi gold (stolen from Jews, natch), for the creation of the (number)th Reich?
posted by Tikirific at 7:44 AM on December 24, 2005
divabat - I was trying to point out the idiocy of pointing out fallacies within another culture when they exist within your own. I remember a family member of mine trying to explain to me that Hindus were weird because they didn't eat beef because of the belief that their god was reincarnated as a cow. It sounds absurd at first hearing it, but when it comes from a christian who takes communion believing that they are eating the body and blood of jesus christ it becomes apparrent that it's a situation of the cat calling the kettle black. Both are fucking nuts!
posted by Mijo Bijo at 7:48 AM on December 24, 2005
posted by Mijo Bijo at 7:48 AM on December 24, 2005
Oh yeah, that was Hitler's clones. Proven historical fact :)
I was thinking more about his relatives.
posted by First Post at 7:48 AM on December 24, 2005
I was thinking more about his relatives.
posted by First Post at 7:48 AM on December 24, 2005
I'd give her at least two towers...
... Dick, it's got a good beat and you can dance to it.
posted by quonsar at 8:09 AM on December 24, 2005
... Dick, it's got a good beat and you can dance to it.
posted by quonsar at 8:09 AM on December 24, 2005
'Whore' and 'Hitler' in under 20 comments...
Do the budding mysogynists here not appreciate this woman:
a) is an American who does not speak Arabic
b) has a master's degree in law from Columbia
c) has already been the recipient of death threats from anti-Islamists
d) is now likely to receive death threats from pro-Islamists and
e) is helping ratchet down the hate a notch by causing the world to see a human side to this family?
posted by scheptech at 8:12 AM on December 24, 2005
Do the budding mysogynists here not appreciate this woman:
a) is an American who does not speak Arabic
b) has a master's degree in law from Columbia
c) has already been the recipient of death threats from anti-Islamists
d) is now likely to receive death threats from pro-Islamists and
e) is helping ratchet down the hate a notch by causing the world to see a human side to this family?
posted by scheptech at 8:12 AM on December 24, 2005
'Whore' and 'Hitler' in under 20 comments...
Great way to take something out of context. The term whore was used twice: "attention-whore" and "media whore". I don't know where you're from, do you only know English phonetically? Anyway, where I come from that isn't the same as calling somebody a prostitute.
posted by Mijo Bijo at 8:31 AM on December 24, 2005
Great way to take something out of context. The term whore was used twice: "attention-whore" and "media whore". I don't know where you're from, do you only know English phonetically? Anyway, where I come from that isn't the same as calling somebody a prostitute.
posted by Mijo Bijo at 8:31 AM on December 24, 2005
I find Osama sort of sexy.
I'll just go to the door at let the NSA in right now.
posted by maxsparber at 8:51 AM on December 24, 2005
I'll just go to the door at let the NSA in right now.
posted by maxsparber at 8:51 AM on December 24, 2005
Godwin's "Law" is about as tired as the Hitler references it's trying to prevent.
Comparison of Hitler's relatives fearing persecution for their relation to a reviled figure to Miss Dufour's current situation involving her fear of persecution due to her relation to a reviled figure isn't really a hyperbolic comparison for effect.
posted by Tikirific at 8:57 AM on December 24, 2005
Comparison of Hitler's relatives fearing persecution for their relation to a reviled figure to Miss Dufour's current situation involving her fear of persecution due to her relation to a reviled figure isn't really a hyperbolic comparison for effect.
posted by Tikirific at 8:57 AM on December 24, 2005
I dunno . . . seems kinda tame.
Unless I see pink, the terrorists will have won.
posted by John of Michigan at 9:11 AM on December 24, 2005
Unless I see pink, the terrorists will have won.
posted by John of Michigan at 9:11 AM on December 24, 2005
I can't believe you guys got derailed into a discussion of wether or not calling her 'bin Laden' was appropriate. The original bin Laden (Osama's dad) was named Mohammed Awad bin Laden, so according to you none of the Bin Laden group should be called Bin Ladens at all!
Get a grip. The family obviously decided to go with a western-style last name.
And while I can understand her dropping the name, being a bin Laden, I think, would obviously help her to be more famous. People will pay more attention to an infamous rich spoiled brat then just a rich spoiled brat.
posted by Paris Hilton at 9:11 AM on December 24, 2005
Get a grip. The family obviously decided to go with a western-style last name.
And while I can understand her dropping the name, being a bin Laden, I think, would obviously help her to be more famous. People will pay more attention to an infamous rich spoiled brat then just a rich spoiled brat.
posted by Paris Hilton at 9:11 AM on December 24, 2005
Hitler's father changed his name to sound more 'modern' so the only people who passed it on were him and his brother, who ended up fighting in the US air force during the war. He discovered he could not save the name, however and changed it a few years later.
posted by Paris Hilton at 9:14 AM on December 24, 2005
posted by Paris Hilton at 9:14 AM on December 24, 2005
languagehat is hopefully kidding.
I saw the other links as instances of appropriately documented american opinion that runs contrary to what "the sexy bin laden" says she believes.
ex: we are not necessarily fair, the american spirit isn't quite as "go get 'em" as it used to be, etc...
this isn't a hard post to decode. please put some thought into it before defaulting to curmudgeon mode.
posted by shmegegge at 9:18 AM on December 24, 2005
I saw the other links as instances of appropriately documented american opinion that runs contrary to what "the sexy bin laden" says she believes.
ex: we are not necessarily fair, the american spirit isn't quite as "go get 'em" as it used to be, etc...
this isn't a hard post to decode. please put some thought into it before defaulting to curmudgeon mode.
posted by shmegegge at 9:18 AM on December 24, 2005
Great way to take something out of context.
I dunno, seems to me the main context is a picture of a near-nude woman... and media-whore means er, prostituting oneself... Yeah I'm still thinking folks are gonna pick up a prostitute connotation there.
The knee-jerk negativity is a little curious on this one, so why is she insuffciently worthy of attention? Because she's a woman, she's reasonably well off, her ancestry is Saudi, or she has most of her clothes off? Heh, so she's not part of the dominant demographic on MeFi, except possibly for that last part?
posted by scheptech at 9:36 AM on December 24, 2005
I dunno, seems to me the main context is a picture of a near-nude woman... and media-whore means er, prostituting oneself... Yeah I'm still thinking folks are gonna pick up a prostitute connotation there.
The knee-jerk negativity is a little curious on this one, so why is she insuffciently worthy of attention? Because she's a woman, she's reasonably well off, her ancestry is Saudi, or she has most of her clothes off? Heh, so she's not part of the dominant demographic on MeFi, except possibly for that last part?
posted by scheptech at 9:36 AM on December 24, 2005
With creamy legs like that and a masters' in law from columbia... coupled with the death threats... That would be a dangerously sexy woman to date.
Alas, the best I can do in this realm is to date a Jewish woman to piss off my German Catholic parents.
/sorry, had to state the obvious amid all the heated name-etymology chatter
posted by Lectrick at 10:12 AM on December 24, 2005
Alas, the best I can do in this realm is to date a Jewish woman to piss off my German Catholic parents.
/sorry, had to state the obvious amid all the heated name-etymology chatter
posted by Lectrick at 10:12 AM on December 24, 2005
She's a media whore for going out of her way to make it an issue. She's looking for this attention to boost her career. This world is full of media whores, she's just another.
The knee-jerk negativity is a little curious on this one, so why is she insuffciently worthy of attention? Because she's a woman, she's reasonably well off, her ancestry is Saudi, or she has most of her clothes off? Heh, so she's not part of the dominant demographic on MeFi, except possibly for that last part?
Or maybe because she's a talentless hack looking for attention and there isn't any hidden agenda at all. If there were a FPP about Carrot Top the venomous remarks would be much harsher and he fits within the general demographics of mefi.
posted by Mijo Bijo at 10:28 AM on December 24, 2005
The knee-jerk negativity is a little curious on this one, so why is she insuffciently worthy of attention? Because she's a woman, she's reasonably well off, her ancestry is Saudi, or she has most of her clothes off? Heh, so she's not part of the dominant demographic on MeFi, except possibly for that last part?
Or maybe because she's a talentless hack looking for attention and there isn't any hidden agenda at all. If there were a FPP about Carrot Top the venomous remarks would be much harsher and he fits within the general demographics of mefi.
posted by Mijo Bijo at 10:28 AM on December 24, 2005
I have so much to say about Carrot Stop stored up for just such an opportunity.
posted by maxsparber at 10:46 AM on December 24, 2005
posted by maxsparber at 10:46 AM on December 24, 2005
She seems nice.
posted by cell divide at 10:48 AM on December 24, 2005
posted by cell divide at 10:48 AM on December 24, 2005
I saw the other links as instances of appropriately documented american opinion that runs contrary to what "the sexy bin laden" says she believes.
So anybody can find some newspaper story with somebody saying good things about the US and link every other word to some webpage that says a bad thing about the US and this "ironic" juxtaposition is supposed to somehow make a good post? Sorry, I'll stick with curmudgeon mode, and no, I'm not kidding. I think you may have lost sight of what this place is supposed to be about, and no, it's not "showing for the ten thousandth time how awful the US is."
posted by languagehat at 10:59 AM on December 24, 2005
So anybody can find some newspaper story with somebody saying good things about the US and link every other word to some webpage that says a bad thing about the US and this "ironic" juxtaposition is supposed to somehow make a good post? Sorry, I'll stick with curmudgeon mode, and no, I'm not kidding. I think you may have lost sight of what this place is supposed to be about, and no, it's not "showing for the ten thousandth time how awful the US is."
posted by languagehat at 10:59 AM on December 24, 2005
because she's a talentless hack
I'm more interested in what she may have to say as a human being, given her unique situation and potential for bridging the cultural gap, than in evaluating her ability to amuse me in some way (what's that about anyway?). And, I'm suggesting simple prejudice is preventing discussion of what she has to say.
Entirely as an aside: has poor old Carrot Top officially become the godwin of the entertainment industry?
posted by scheptech at 11:12 AM on December 24, 2005
I'm more interested in what she may have to say as a human being, given her unique situation and potential for bridging the cultural gap, than in evaluating her ability to amuse me in some way (what's that about anyway?). And, I'm suggesting simple prejudice is preventing discussion of what she has to say.
Entirely as an aside: has poor old Carrot Top officially become the godwin of the entertainment industry?
posted by scheptech at 11:12 AM on December 24, 2005
Cartor Top is worse than Hitler! Hitler just wanted to destroy the Jewish body, Carrot Top wants to destroy their soul!
posted by maxsparber at 11:23 AM on December 24, 2005
posted by maxsparber at 11:23 AM on December 24, 2005
I think you may have lost sight of what this place is supposed to be about, and no, it's not "showing for the ten thousandth time how awful the US is.
I'll miss you when you stop coming by.
posted by shmegegge at 11:38 AM on December 24, 2005
I'll miss you when you stop coming by.
posted by shmegegge at 11:38 AM on December 24, 2005
(And, IIRC, in some places in Europe they still have the Somethingson/Somethingdottir distinction - I remember reading about an Icelandic band whose lead singer had such a name)
Well, we're way past this now, but one easy example is Björk Gudmundsdottir. I think most Icelanders stick with this tradition.
I wish I'd caught this thread earlier so I could've derailed it in to a discussion of Icelandic pop.
posted by medialyte at 11:38 AM on December 24, 2005
Well, we're way past this now, but one easy example is Björk Gudmundsdottir. I think most Icelanders stick with this tradition.
I wish I'd caught this thread earlier so I could've derailed it in to a discussion of Icelandic pop.
posted by medialyte at 11:38 AM on December 24, 2005
Yeah, I agree, because I keep running into Johndaughters and Anderdaughters all the time and that makes sense!
Well, you have Jónsdóttir and Andersdóttir in Scandinavia (albeit relatively rare). So it indeed was that way before.
posted by abcde at 11:49 AM on December 24, 2005
Well, you have Jónsdóttir and Andersdóttir in Scandinavia (albeit relatively rare). So it indeed was that way before.
posted by abcde at 11:49 AM on December 24, 2005
Actually, it's relatively standard in Iceland, good point.
posted by abcde at 11:53 AM on December 24, 2005
posted by abcde at 11:53 AM on December 24, 2005
I'm more interested in what she may have to say as a human being, given her unique situation and potential for bridging the cultural gap, than in evaluating her ability to amuse me in some way (what's that about anyway?). And, I'm suggesting simple prejudice is preventing discussion of what she has to say.
From the article:
I listen to her explain that she’s his half niece and one of hundreds of bin Ladens, most of whom are in Saudi Arabia, where she hasn’t been since she was 10. She has no contact with most of her relatives, including her father, doesn’t speak Arabic, has an American passport… The list goes on.
What can such a woman contribute to a substantive discussion of OBL and Saudi-fueled fundamentalism? How, exactly, can she bridge the culture gap when she's not even a participant in both cultures?
What's next? A Paris Hilton photo spread where she lays bare her position on the NSA wiretap controversy?
posted by crank at 11:56 AM on December 24, 2005
From the article:
I listen to her explain that she’s his half niece and one of hundreds of bin Ladens, most of whom are in Saudi Arabia, where she hasn’t been since she was 10. She has no contact with most of her relatives, including her father, doesn’t speak Arabic, has an American passport… The list goes on.
What can such a woman contribute to a substantive discussion of OBL and Saudi-fueled fundamentalism? How, exactly, can she bridge the culture gap when she's not even a participant in both cultures?
What's next? A Paris Hilton photo spread where she lays bare her position on the NSA wiretap controversy?
posted by crank at 11:56 AM on December 24, 2005
crank - heh yes, I'm not suggesting she be offered a professorship somewhere, just that we maybe give some thought to what she has to say about life as a person caught between two cultures. The perspective of people like this can most interesting. I've known a couple. They're usually rejected by elements of both cultural groups as would seem to be the case with this woman despite her material advantages. This happens because their very existence can be taken as an afront to 'normalcy' by the more closed-minded on both sides, but at the same time they can represent opportunity for greater understanding and bridge-building.
I just like the fact she's so closely related to the number one 'demon' of the current age (who cares who Paris is related to in terms of cultural affairs) and yet is acting in such a genuinely human manner, attention-getting flaws and all.
posted by scheptech at 12:29 PM on December 24, 2005
I just like the fact she's so closely related to the number one 'demon' of the current age (who cares who Paris is related to in terms of cultural affairs) and yet is acting in such a genuinely human manner, attention-getting flaws and all.
posted by scheptech at 12:29 PM on December 24, 2005
Given the history of humanity as a whole, Osama ain't exactly acting in a non-human manner.
posted by nightchrome at 12:44 PM on December 24, 2005
posted by nightchrome at 12:44 PM on December 24, 2005
IIRC, it's not mandatory for an Icelander to take a last name, and if/when they do, it's customary to take their immediate parent's name. Until recently, it had to be the father's name, but a law was passed allowing it to be either.
posted by Pseudoephedrine at 5:48 PM on December 24, 2005
posted by Pseudoephedrine at 5:48 PM on December 24, 2005
wow... this post sucked. none of the links really had anything to do with Wafah Bin Laden... unless of course you intend to blame her for the sins of her uncle. get rid of this post.
posted by Doorstop at 8:18 PM on December 24, 2005
posted by Doorstop at 8:18 PM on December 24, 2005
Davenhill, listen to languagehat. You had one good link and a dozen points that we'd all seen before -- this is serious GYOFB territory.
Just for example, the 70% of Americans believing Saddam was connected to 9/11 has fallen dramatically to under 30%. You'd do better to use more current gauges of attitudes if you want to score points.
Really.
It Isn’t Easy Being the Sexy Bin Laden : “the face is alluring (big dark eyes, long lashes, plump lips, caramel skin)”. Satin sheets, a feather boa and not much else.
was a great post by itself. You have to remember to stop when you're ahead.
posted by dhartung at 10:52 PM on December 24, 2005
Just for example, the 70% of Americans believing Saddam was connected to 9/11 has fallen dramatically to under 30%. You'd do better to use more current gauges of attitudes if you want to score points.
Really.
It Isn’t Easy Being the Sexy Bin Laden : “the face is alluring (big dark eyes, long lashes, plump lips, caramel skin)”. Satin sheets, a feather boa and not much else.
was a great post by itself. You have to remember to stop when you're ahead.
posted by dhartung at 10:52 PM on December 24, 2005
Just for example, the 70% of Americans believing Saddam was connected to 9/11 has fallen dramatically to under 30%. You'd do better to use more current gauges of attitudes if you want to score points.That misses the point - it doesn't matter what % of people believe in the Iraq/911 connection today. What matters is that so many people were duped into believing it by this administration when it really mattered - in the lead-up to the war.
was a great post by itself. You have to remember to stop when you're aheadI don't disagree and initially was just going to copy the two links on Wafah Dufour. Maybe I should have left it at that (or just included the link/quotes in a post). But it seemed like just a post on Dufour would have killed the spirit of the post I got it from - which seemed to poke fun at the cognitive dissonance of what Dufour was saying.
The press has almost completely forgotten about Osama bin Laden - but hey, if the president can exploit 911 to start a completely unrelated war, then it must be okay to exploit the family connection to advance a career and sell a few more magazines, right? Sex and death sell!
Also, her quotes are very Bush-like. She's saying things she wants people to believe, or saying things people want to hear... regardless of how patently absurd those statements are to anyone with a gerbil's wit of independent critical thought.
My take on those links
911 was exploited to justify a war in Iraq (this administration implied Saddam was behind the attacks). Turns out, Bush wanted to invade Iraq before 2000.As for Dufour’s comments, the US does not in fact show any consistent evidence of being fair or compassionate. Even loving your country and supporting your constitution has been subordinated by party politics. But hey, tell us we're great and we'll believe it. Deny it and you'll be labeled unpatriotic or even accused of treason.
Saddam killed Iraqis (bad). The US has contributed to the death of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis (crickets chirping). Saddam used chemical weapons (bad). Rumsfeld, the guy in charge of toppling Saddam, personally helped supply Saddam with said weapons (crickets). Saddam used white phosphorus (WP) to kill Kurds (very bad). The US used WP to kill Iraqis (crickets).
Saddam is being held accountable for war crimes (good). The US opposes the International Criminal Court (ICC) and has even coerced other nations into agreeing not to extradite US citizens to the ICC; thus the US is not accountable for war crimes (crickets).
9/11 was meant to kill and terrorize (very bad). The US “shock and awe” campaign was meant to kill and terrorize (the media loved it). Osama attacked US embassies and navy ships before 911. Bad, but apparently it didn’t stop the Bush administration from giving money to the Taliban regime that was giving Osama shelter.
This administration made a suspiciously poor effort to capture Osama (an early capture would have undermined the momentum for war in Iraq). And the head of the CIA now says we have an excellent idea where Osama is, but can’t go after him for political reasons. I’m sorry, but not even Iran or China would dare harbor him (yet alone risk war over it). But let’s assume for a second the head of the CIA is being honest – they know where Osama is but won’t go after him for political reasons. That would indicate that this administration isn’t really that committed to capturing/killing him.
Yeah, I guess Bush bashing is boring. Who cares how we ended up in this war, how many civilians we’ve killed or how we killed them. We should just move on and enjoy the pictures of sexy, sexy bin Laden without any critical thought.
posted by Davenhill at 2:04 AM on December 25, 2005
Just remember, MetaFilter is the best of the web, not my thoughts about the world.
posted by dhartung at 2:52 AM on December 25, 2005
posted by dhartung at 2:52 AM on December 25, 2005
The post was suboptimal, but I did learn about the 'bint' thing, which is good, and makes me wonder if it's the origin of the UK pejorative most famously (for me at least) used in this phrase 'If I went around claiming I was an emperor just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me they'd put me away! '.
Etymolicious!
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:46 PM on December 25, 2005
Etymolicious!
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:46 PM on December 25, 2005
Yeah, I guess Bush bashing is boring.
Yeah, it is, actually. If you want to go out and do something about the situation, great, more power to you. Posting yet another half-dozen links about how awful Bush is on MetaFilter is not doing something, it's jerking off. (Note: I'm not talking about posting actual new information; orthogonality is doing a great job of that. Observe and learn.)
makes me wonder if it's the origin of the UK pejorative
Yup! OED:
[Arab. bint daughter.]
A girl or woman (usu. derog.); girl-friend.
The term was in common use by British servicemen in Egypt and neighbouring countries in the wars of 1914-18 and 1939-45.
1855 R. F. BURTON Pers. Narr. Pilgrimage to Meccah I. v. 121 ‘Allah! upon Allah! O daughter!’ cry the by-standers, when the obstinate ‘bint’ of sixty years seizes their hands. 1888 C. M. DOUGHTY Trav. Arabia Deserta I. viii. 231 Hirfa sighed for motherhood: she had been these two years with an husband and was yet bint, as the nomads say, ‘in her girlhood’. Ibid. xiii. 374 The homesick Beduin bint. 1919 Athenæum 25 July 664/2 Bint, girl. 1930 E. RAYMOND Jesting Army I. ii. 24 Damned jolly little bint, that one, too! 1938 ‘R. HYDE’ Godwits Fly xi. 169 Fancy turning in a smoke for a bint. 1941 New Statesman 30 Aug. (list of war slang) Bint—Girl friend. 1942 N. STREATFEILD Table for Six 151 I'd like her to grow up a lush bint. 1946 Penguin New Writing XXVIII. 175 What are the bints like round here, Tom? 1958 K. AMIS I like it Here xiii. 162 As the R.A.F. friend would have put it, you could never tell with these foreign bints.
posted by languagehat at 5:02 PM on December 25, 2005
Yeah, it is, actually. If you want to go out and do something about the situation, great, more power to you. Posting yet another half-dozen links about how awful Bush is on MetaFilter is not doing something, it's jerking off. (Note: I'm not talking about posting actual new information; orthogonality is doing a great job of that. Observe and learn.)
makes me wonder if it's the origin of the UK pejorative
Yup! OED:
[Arab. bint daughter.]
A girl or woman (usu. derog.); girl-friend.
The term was in common use by British servicemen in Egypt and neighbouring countries in the wars of 1914-18 and 1939-45.
1855 R. F. BURTON Pers. Narr. Pilgrimage to Meccah I. v. 121 ‘Allah! upon Allah! O daughter!’ cry the by-standers, when the obstinate ‘bint’ of sixty years seizes their hands. 1888 C. M. DOUGHTY Trav. Arabia Deserta I. viii. 231 Hirfa sighed for motherhood: she had been these two years with an husband and was yet bint, as the nomads say, ‘in her girlhood’. Ibid. xiii. 374 The homesick Beduin bint. 1919 Athenæum 25 July 664/2 Bint, girl. 1930 E. RAYMOND Jesting Army I. ii. 24 Damned jolly little bint, that one, too! 1938 ‘R. HYDE’ Godwits Fly xi. 169 Fancy turning in a smoke for a bint. 1941 New Statesman 30 Aug. (list of war slang) Bint—Girl friend. 1942 N. STREATFEILD Table for Six 151 I'd like her to grow up a lush bint. 1946 Penguin New Writing XXVIII. 175 What are the bints like round here, Tom? 1958 K. AMIS I like it Here xiii. 162 As the R.A.F. friend would have put it, you could never tell with these foreign bints.
posted by languagehat at 5:02 PM on December 25, 2005
Osama's father was Muhammad bin Laden, so apparently this family decided to chuck the normal Arab surname system...
posted by drstrangelove at 11:52 AM on December 26, 2005
posted by drstrangelove at 11:52 AM on December 26, 2005
Gracias, LH. I love it when my random musings turn out to have basis in reality. It happens so rarely....
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 7:59 PM on December 26, 2005
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 7:59 PM on December 26, 2005
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posted by Davenhill at 1:18 AM on December 24, 2005