Bizarre publicity for Bin Laden

Al' Qa'ida is known to actually have a very modern and savvy media group. There's been stories from reporters about meeting with Al' Qa'ida operatives and seeing that the operatives' media equipment was better than there own.

I hear that Britney is releasing a new album as well...coincidence?

Can't wait till I can buy t-shirts and mugs from al Qaida's "marketing and promotions" arm.

I'm waiting for the Al Qaida theme park ride.

He was also seen at the Venice film festival. I think he's dating Isabelle Adjani.

I wonder if anyone will break street on the video.

Bin Laden? We don't care about him anymore, right? Especially because we're "kicking ass" in Iraq?

That BASTARD!

It's the beard I tell you. Has to be.

al-Qaida's next objective? Combating the rise of illegal downloads, that are eating away at their profit margins.

It would make them accessories if DHS was planning on elevating the color on the Rainbow of Doom this weekend but I heard on the news this morning that there are no plans for that. Everything is fine, America.

I'm looking forward to the bin Laden Henna Tattoo kit.

I hear he's signed with ICM and has a potential deal with Columbia.

Maybe the debut of his new video will finally get MTV to start playing music again.

Can you support your allegation regarding the motives of our press corps?

Yeah, I really can't blame the press for covering this. It's news. He hasn't been seen on video in the West for three years.

Hmm...if production values are so high for al-qaeda, then are the caves merely sets? Its all about deception.

Wait...didn't Bruce Willis kill this guy?

As for allegations, the proof is that the magical ice cream truck has raised the fun level to the color chartreuse! Not really, but I wonder if the terror alert will come back. I also wonder if the press isn't making him into a sort of celebrity? Or, alternately, it is al-qaeda trying to do this?Don't be surprised if he appears in the video with a suit and blinged out beard.

Well I did pick up my copy today at Toys R Us.

Which is the entire point, since quite obviously being successful in the US government has absolutely nothing to do with being actually good at the job, but everything to do with money, machiavellian power politics, and connections.
I mean, I agree in principle, but its a sad fact that "normal" proper journalism falls on deaf ears to often to be useful as propaganda.

Did anyone catch the NY Post's hilarious headline on this story? Read it here. My favorite part is probably the intro, though... "Osama bin Laden - his bushy beard newly dyed as black as his evil heart- "

I understand what you're saying, and agree to an extent, but there are also plenty of people who want to hear what this bastard has to say. I know I do. Like it or not, he's a pivotal figure on the international stage, and when he speaks, serious and sober people need to listen. Sure, it can and will be used as propaganda on BOTH sides of the fearmongering aisle, but that's simply unavoidable. Ignoring him won't make him go away.

Hopefully his kidneys will do that for us, though...

I gotta agree with Jacob on this. The media and politicians will always sell fear. That adept scumbags will try to capitalize on it to further their agenda doesn't mean it ceases to be newsworthy, or that we would be better off if it was buried.

Hey, I like some of what Bin Laden had to say this time!

I can hear it now:

"See?!?! Bin Laden agrees with Al Gore! He's on the same side as the libtards! I KNEW IT!"

Sigh...

It's a sad day when Al-Queda understands what the the target American voting audience wants to hear better than the Republican Party.

I'm not sure why this is such big news. I've been subscribing to Osama's podcast for like two years now. His last one was GREAT, cuz he did this college football fantasy round-up and he RIPPED Michigan for like 20 minutes because he'd picked them to run the table for the national championship.

How certain is it that this is indeed from Bin Laden, or at least the command echelon of his organisation?

I have massive problems trusting anything presented by corporate media when it comes to terrorists and the general topic of the middle-east, and even moreso when it comes from the USA.
Not wanting to insult any upright and decent journalist (they do exist), but I think its far too convenient how this entire business sees a revival whenever the government is in need of a bogeyman.

Even if only Al-Jazeera broadcast the tape, it would still make the rounds on the internet, eventually wind up on BBC and elsewhere, and it would still be responded to by the administration. I understand your frustration (if I recall correctly, Bush got a boost in the polls in 2004, just before the election, the last time we heard from oh-so-scary Osama), but I still think the networks and the media pretty much have no choice but to report it.

Last time I checked, he was responsible for knocking the towers down, right? He still doesn't like us, right? So, he might try to do something like this again? It's news.

Moreover, yt, from your perspective, think about the danger of our society NOT having this information, and instead leaving it in the hands of the military-industrial complex. Moreover, I think if the media didn't report it, you'd use it as another reason to fault the mainstream media.

Hmmm, thanks OBL, but I'll stick with the Democratic system. That alternative I just don't care for at all. But I appreciate the advice, really, thanks for looking out for me.

To quote Merrill from Signs: "This is exactly what the nerds want."

And when I say nerds I mean bat shit crazy right wing crackerheads.

I think everyone is blowing this video out of proportion. I have it on pretty good authority OBL was just filming a commercial for a new product

Is that the new picture? That's so not him.

He looks like he just woke up from a nap. Or, he's hungover.

He's obviously not getting proper sleep. But I'm telling him now. It's probably gonna be a bitch dragging a Tempur-Pedic mattress up a mountain to the cave.

Actually, Osama said in arabic he was in support of the attacks, not that he caused them.

Jesus YT, get it together.

The governmnet, CIA and corporate media are in cahoots to terrify us with a page 3 report on Bin Laden's newest tape? Are you seriously that retarded?

We live in a nation of 24 hour news cycles, wherein the corporate media claws at anything resembling news and often much less. It has to come down to a fucking conspiracy in order for you to understand their justification in reporting this?

Go away, Batin'

A few examples of stenography in the American press would be:

-Blind repetition by the New York Times of the outrageous claims made by the Bush Administration in their efforts to drum up support for the invasion and occupation of Iraq. When Cheney used the NYT as independent varification of the claims he made, why didn't the NYT make it clear the information was provided by the White House in the first place?

-The recent dog-and-pony show conducted by Gen. Petraeus under the auspices of an 'interview' with Fox News;

-Bill Kristol gets air time without being asked questions like 'Why should we listen to you when you've been consistently wrong?'; Who is this man, and why does he warrant such gentle treatment by the media? Other than being a PNAC member and Bush cheerleader, I can't think of anything that makes him any more newsworthy than Dave Barry.

-Followup stories debunking headlines featuring things the Bush Administration claims are true get buried on page B32 of the Sunday paper.

American news is not news. Except for the rare occasion when it is. By and large, it exists as a forum for people to say their thing and their thing is often purest nonsense. If the media isn't challenging the lies, then it's furthering the lies.

I liked it so much, I bought the company.

"Apply directly to the building!"

"Apply directly to the building!"

"Apply directy to the building!"

Ok, I get your beef, but the part I was challenging was the part about motive. yt made it sound like the press is in cahoots with the government. I think it's just not very good ) which is why my primary news source is a British magazine).