Bin Laden

Today, President Obama said that photos and videos showing a dead Osama Bin Laden would not be released.  Many pundits on both sides of the fence cranked up the political posturing and set forth a barrage of what could be a firestorm of conspiracy theories.  I personally could care less whether the photos emerge or not.

However, I do find certain things curious about the controversy.  Many who do not want the photos released seem to fear a Muslim backlash were the very ones demanding or applauding the release of photos from Abu Ghraib prison.  Most likely to serve as an embarrassment to the Bush administration.  Let's face it, radical Muslims will hate us regardless of the released photos and are hell bent on killing us long before a photo of any kind emerged.

On another note, Many who want the photos released say it will counter the conspiracy theories that have already begun to rise.  If that is true, there are photos and videos of the lunar landing, the Kennedy assassination and 9-11 itself that have had no effect in dispelling theories.  Apparently, the administration did not have a concise plan on the stories told and there seems to be conflicts on the time of the raid, whether Bin Laden was armed or was hiding behind women in his compound.  Naturally, every time a story changes, it only fans the flames of the conspiracy theorists. We can look forward to the next few months of nasty debates on this matter.

Whatever the outcome, some things probably are better off just not shown. The cell phone video of the hanging of Saddam Hussein was released but for the sake of human decency's sake should have never surfaced but like the gruesome photos of interment camps at the end of World War II, they will be part of history and serve to rally the sentiments of generations to come.

Storming In Tennessee

Last night, I was at the Wal-Mart store in Decherd, TN buying some office supplies when the store manager came dashing around exclaiming that a tornado was near and we should all huddle near the center of the store.  Sure enough, all the lights went out and folks were all crowded around in the clothing section listening to the rain and hail hit the thin roof. I began to text family and friends, letting them know of my predicament.  My wife texted back, saying to get away from the hardware and things that could become airborne if the roof tore off.  I responded that I was hunkered down with two fat gals between rows of women's underwear and asked if that was soft enough. I received no other response.

After about 30 minutes, I began to think that staying in a thin metal building with a thin roof might not be such a hot idea so I made an executive decision to seek shelter in my hotel (20 miles north) and bolted for the car.  Being mutilated with 100 complete strangers in a Wal-Mart store just wasn't what I thought the end would be like.

Within the first 10 minutes, I began to question my logic when water overflowing from the ditches caused me to hydroplane a few times. When the hail began, I also wondered if I would be responsible for the dings on the rental car but my decision was now in play.  I had to re-track once because of downed trees but got there in about 40 minutes. Once back to the hotel, I congratulated myself on the choice but recounted the possibilities if I had met a tornado on Tennessee highway 127.

While I thought that was pretty bad, I found out later that nearly two hundred people had lost their lives just south of me down in Alabama.  A friend from Birmingham sent me a message that he was all right and that he had spent the early evening huddled in his bathroom playing cards with Miss Biscuit (his cocker spaniel) but had lost the game.

It was truly a destructive event and pray for those who were not as fortunate as myself.