I prefer my Osama with balsamic, to keep it mild and palatable

The following excerpt is from the book Facts are Stubborn Things by Richard A. Danzig.

I consider Damian a good friend. We enjoy working and being in each other’s company. Damian is 38, nine years younger than me. He is a graduate of Annapolis, and after graduation, instead of accepting his commission, he chose to become a Navy SEAL. After completing basic training he completed advanced training in covert arts at the Naval Special Warfare Center. Based upon Damian’s leadership ability he quickly became a platoon leader and served for two tours of active duty in the Middle East. After his tours were completed, Damian attended the Naval War College and became a specialist in Naval Intelligence and Cyber Security. Damian never speaks about his engagements, but I know he received a Naval Metal of Honor for valor in combat in recognition of courage and bravery under fire.

                He has only one tattoo, barely visible on the rest of his right hand: “The Only Easy Day is Yesterday.” That tattoo says all you need to know about Damian. He is disciplined, determined and loyal. If a friend is someone you can call an emergency, day or night, no questions asked, then Damian is that friend.

                Like most SEALs,  he carries himself in a way that is calm and yet somehow intimidating. When you meet Damian, who stands 5 foot 10, you feel his presence before you notice his muscular build and chiseled features. His blonde hair is still in a Navy buzz cut and his posture is always perfect. He is centered in a way certain people are, who carried themselves with complete confidence in their skill, judgment, and ability.

I’ve been looking for books to read during long plane flights on our coming overseas trip. I took a chance on this one. I don’t mind cheesy, I don’t mind beach books, as I intend to leave each book where I read the last page. Our last three days are on a beach. But this one annoyed me, so much that I tossed it down on the carpet by my chair in disgust. 

Why so? I am up to my gills with Navy SEAL mythology. This all goes back to the killing of Osama bin Laden, a mythological man who supposedly organized and ordered the destruction of the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. Since that time SEALs have become demigods of sort, no less than described in Danzig’s glowing description above, strong, silent, rock hard in build, battle tested and resolute in spirit. 

More likely they are heavily trained, deeply indoctrinated, and in terms of geopolitics, dumbasses. Meeting an ex-Navy SEAL may yield a nice person of humble graces, a hard-nosed patriot, or a stupid and hard-nosed patriot, all of whose fighting days, if ever they really existed, are behind them. 

Here’s what I did after I tossed the book aside: I realized that I had purchased it just recently, and looking back through my Amazon purchases, found I could still return it. I did so, and then found out that Amazon did not even want the book back, and just gave me the credit. They must have read it before me. 

Mohammad Atta was said to be the bad guy on 911, the one who led thee others to suicidal death, including his own. That’s his photo above. Notice the sinister eyes, mean-looking frown. Someone like that could, I don’t know, blow up 3,000 people? 

Above is another shot of the same man. Notice the changed demeanor, as if this Atta is at a party and having fun. See how photo specialists took his regular image and widened the face, added dark sinister eyes, and took away his smile. The first photo was meant as an archetype, something to seal in our memories forever, the evil man who did 911. We are meant to see that man in our dreams. He is a product of Photoshop. The lower person, same nose, ears, even eyebrows, is just a un-Photoshopped normal guy. They are the same man. 

Finally, I was watching news not too long after 911 and remember quite well a high-up Pentagon official, probably Donald Rumsfeld, who brought with him for the interview a sketch said to be Osama bin Laden’s underground lair, his control center. See below. 

It’s been 23 years now since 911. That’s time enough for the shock to wear off, and reality to set in. There was/is a man named Osama bin Laden, a member of a wealthy Saudi Arabian family, and chosen (probably with his consent) to play the bad guy on 911. He was normal in most ways, had several wives, and lived a quiet life, one of a Saudi upper-crust dignitary. He did not plan or scheme, didn’t blow anything up, didn’t kill anyone, and most importantly, was not killed by Navy SEALs. That part was just the closing chapter on the contrived terror campaign, a completely fictitious event where all they had to do was invoke a Navy Seal Team Six, and people believed the rest. 

Now, I am going to retire to my underground compound. You have no idea how long it took to construct. Just the air flow, man, was an engineering nightmare. Did I mention that Osama is/was a a business major? (Note, if he shaves off his facial hair, he walks among us unrecognized.)