I heard a Congressman say that he was looking forward to a new administration and the capture of Osama bin Laden and the end of the war on terror. He seemed to be saying that the one would bring about the other.
The fact, however, is that the war will likely continue into the distant future. We will have gained victory if we can continue to fight the enemy on his own territory.
It is my own personal belief that bin Laden is no longer alive. Four years ago he was suffering from a serious kidney ailment and was on dialysis. He has also been under severe attack on several occasions. We accept the occasional tape that shows up on Arab television stations, but if he were alive and really wanted to stir up his troops, he would make some kind of an appearance.
Even a video would prove that he is alive and still leading the fight against the West. We accept the audio tapes and have verified them using techniques that are accurate to a degree, but are not absolute. At best it gives us a good guess as to the source. If bin Laden is actually alive, then he is living somewhere in a hole or cave and has limited access to the world. So if he is dead, as I believe, then someone else has taken up the leadership and the war will go on. We should appreciate the fact that we are not fighting on our soil. There are constant threats to hit some area or another in this nation, but for four years this land has been safe. It is easy to criticize the people who are now responsible for fighting the terrorists, but who are we criticizing? We are all, as Americans, responsible in defending our nation. Someone is doing a good job because there have been no acts of terror since 9/11. Other countries have not been as fortunate or as prepared as we are because there have been attacks by al Qaida in France, England, Spain, India, Pakistan, Indo-China, Egypt, and Russia. We need to continue to support the United States and be alert to the potential threat that exists throughout the world. We need to be thankful to the young men and women who are defending our land and protecting our lives, and for those who provide leadership to these brave young people. Again, be alert wherever you are. Don't expect this enemy to come marching up I-75 with a column of tanks an airwing. He will more than likely continue the methods that have worked for him in the past. Killing innocent people is the way he does it.
Bill LeBlanc is an elder of the Bay Mills Indian Community. He is retired from State government where he worked as an Indian advocate. He currently resides on the Bay Mills Reservation.
