9/11: The Little, Bigger Picture

By Gil Brady, 9-11-07

A freely available guest OPINION

Larger than huge, far exceeding the massive, worldwide anticipation for the release of J. K. Rowling’s final Harry Potter movie this summer was the big splash Osama bin Laden made this week, appearing in his first video since October of 2004.

Out of the limelight since releasing a sensational audio tape more than a year ago, the top terrorist on the planet dispelled recent rumors that he had died of kidney disease.

Startling new images of the al-Qaeda leader reveal that all that had dyed was his mostly gray beard from previous videos. And the change gives Osama a younger, more vigorous look than western viewers might have expeted.

This amazing comeback by a long-forgot major public figure is as remarkable as any death-defying feat performed by the great Houdini. A flair for the dramatic would be understating Osama’s inestimable ability for gaining attention — as proven by the timing of his return to coincide with the 6th anniversary of his notoriously repugnant world stage debut. 

One might think the reappearance of Osama following speculation and acceptance of his death would spark a debate in America worthy of dominating the daily news. By contrast, it seems to have hardly pricked a nerve on the national political scene.

President Bush, who used the acts of terror engineered by Osama as a pretext for waging war against Iraq, said the tape simply serves as a reminder of how dangerous the world in which we live is. Republican Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney was the only candidate to speak about Osama’s video, also for the purpose of increasing fear and mistrust among Americans.

The bizarre nature of these all-too-real current events certainly rivals any Harry Potter flick. But the biggest shame on this anniversary of historic collective nightmare, we are now forever reminded to never forget, is that Americans don’t seem to give a wit enough any longer to even bother asking: “Where’s Osama?”

Much like the rumor of Osama’s death and the reported finale to the Harry Potter saga, we would be right to wonder what else we’ve been told that will also turn out to be untrue.