2.5
May 9, 2011

Reconsidering the killing of Osama Bin Laden. ~ David Telfer McConaghay

We are being told that a reviled murderer has been murdered during a “badass” raid on a luxurious compound outside Islamabad.

Think I’m Crazy? At Least You’re Thinking.

As with any big! exciting! important! breaking! news story everyone needs to know about, no one seems to have much of a clue about what’s actually going on.

Though by now I have little doubt that a villain has been vanquished, I find myself firmly in the camp of those bewildered and exhausted by the recurring circus.

I honestly don’t know what to make of it — except to be concerned by the unblinking acceptance of the “official” story and subsequent parading out into the street to party like my alma mater just won a quasi-crucial basketball game.

What accounts for credibility is a subjective matter. David Wilcock has observed that,

“there is no such thing as irrefutable evidence anymore.”

Photos can be photoshopped; videos can be CGI’d; there is endless room for speculation.  Therefore, we all need to fine-tune our B.S.-meters in order to be able to draw some useful meaning from the barrage of (mis)information out there.

Please notice how I will link to a wide variety of sources. Both well-known, “official” and independent reports are included in developing a comprehensive view of recent events.

As for the conflicting accounts of what went down in Abbottobad, the “fog of combat” did not seem to prevent the President and his advisory team from live-monitoring the entire operation.

Meanwhile, the story continues to change, while there is surprise and doubt coming from within Pakistan.

I’ve seen it said that the people in the street were not celebrating death, but celebrating justice. To my ears, this sullies the term “justice,” equating it with “jubilation over petty and violent revenge.” How very mindful.

Don’t confuse me for a sympathizer. I am no fan of violent extremists. And while I believe this event could be a harbinger for extremely positive developments on our planet, I worry that this potential was not the motivation behind the nation-wide frat-party antics we witnessed last week.

I was asked how angry I thought W. Bush was that this didn’t happen during his reign. I was unable to muster a response beyond, “ummm…” Because eloquent replies are hard to come by when such divergent paradigms cross.

Also, I remembered this happening:

Yes, this most recent proclamation of Osama’s demise (nevermind the eight previous announcements) has garnered worldwide attention on every known news medium. And yet I’m still waiting for corroborating evidence (and not holding my breath).

I would love to live in a world where we could take Their word for it — but we don’t, and I can’t.

Show me photos. (Not blatant fakes.)

Well except now we’re told the photos will not be released, to avoid a “backlash.”

Okay, fair enough.

“Of course, it is possible that only “conspiracy theorists” do not believe without question everything that the U.S. Government says and are troubled by issues like evidence or the lack thereof.

I am now seeing reports that the photos are simply far too gruesome for public consumption — as in, brain matter exposed through significant missing portions of skull. Think of the women and children!
(In an apparently unrelated story, there have been 7 installments in the “Saw” series.)

Al-Qaeda’s slightly delayed response acknowledging the assassination of its head honcho is a fearsome — 4-page single-spaced when Google-translated into English — document promising that our collective “happiness will turn into sadness.”

Again, I don’t know what happened. Just like with 9/11 — I don’t know! And I would argue that no one who will tell you really does.

If you choose to label this confusion — over confiscated evidence and unreleased documentation, over crime-scenes immediately cordoned off and the generally muddled and manipulated accounts of what actually took place — a “conspiracy theory,” so be it.

I have found that we as people can invent or be assuaged by any reasonable justification.

For example, “they buried his body at sea to prevent his burial site from becoming a shrine.”
Sure, that has sense to it. Totally logical—don’t want to glorify a man so abominably evil. Okay, I can get to that...especially considering that Saudi Arabia reportedly refused his body.

But it does seem awfully convenient that they sank his body at sea within 12 hours of capture. Supposedly this is in accordance with Islamic tradition, but actual Muslims seem to be somewhat humiliated.

As Damian Thompson of The Telegraph acknowledges, the Powers-that-Be are making this all too easy for conspiracy theorists, given the rapid sea burial and complete lack of photographic or DNA evidence shown thus far (claims of a DNA match do not qualify as evidence).

The clearest response I’ve heard so far was the earnest expression of intent that this latest bin Laden event can provide a sense of collective closure that will allow ancient cultural divisions to meaningfully interact and heal in the course of an ever-more interconnected generation as our children grow to learn positive tactics for love, acceptance and blessed recognition of Self as Other, especially as images of overwhelmingly-peaceful freedom-loving people from the Middle East — spun into our consciousness through new social-media — replace FBI-filtered file photos of ne0-mythical mad-men.

Let us be clear:

I am in no way denying that any of these intensely violent events ever occurred. Of course they did. And life is terrifying for us all, at times. We are all historically scarred; who among us has not been traumatized?

I want to know when it will be safe enough for us to invite true healing into our lives in order that we might move on to more glorious concerns. (Hint: now!)

It has come to my attention that I am still considered a nut for being seriously curious about suspiciously unanswered logistical questions pertaining to the infamous events of September 11, 2001; and that this lunacy infecting me most definitely colors my lens on the issue of bin Laden’s most recent death.

This is not the space to explore 9/11 inconsistencies. All I will say is that, in my experience, most folks have no rational difficulty observing a certain fishiness about how, for example, the Tower 7 collapse appears to have been a standard planned demolition. The problem arises when one is forced to consider the implications of such a “fact.” That is a rabbit-hole so dark and deep that many people are not ready or willing to even peek.

And that’s okay. There is no judgment. But please don’t label me insane for leaping head-long down that proverbial rabbit-hole to seek out all the information I can find, using my own discernment and intuition to discriminate between fact and fiction.

Because let there be no doubt: there is a long history of deception by many different governments and associated media outlets in this country and around the world. The attitude that “it can’t happen here” has long since been debunked, and I encourage those clinging to that perspective to remove their heads from the sand and increase their daily salt-grain dosage.

What I find most troublesome about my discussions with people who disagree with my approach on these issues is the implication that I gloat over these awful events; that I am somehow titillated by tragic happenings, excited by them so that I can concoct another crazy theory which I can then hold over all the sheeple’s heads as evidence of my superior intellect.

If only!

I must say, that that is a pretty hurtful assumption which is actually quite akin to the irrational fear of a nebulous evil attitude that is a source for many of the wildest conspiracy theories.

How simple it is to label me as crazy, unpatriotic or evil in order to downplay the uncomfortable questions I might bring up. If you know me, or can hear what I’m trying to say, you will find that I am sincerely devoted to peace through personal empowerment. I hope to alleviate fear by sharing true information from a position of unconditional respect for individual perspectives and experiences, and with unwavering love for humanity as a whole.

In short, I am a progenitor of Pronoia — the belief that the universe is conspiring to shower you with blessings — the antidote to paranoia.

It is from this stance that I cultivate the willingness to explore personal and collective shadow-realms. Having cultivated the willingness to explore, I surrender any illusion of control over what I discover. This is why we explore to begin with, because we don’t know what we’re going to find.

The point is, I don’t know what happened. Experience has taught me not to necessarily trust a story simply because it’s published in the New York Times (remember the lead-up to the invasion of Iraq? the famous WMD’s?), and so I go exploring for more threads with which to knit a conceptual patchwork of world events.

Even so, it is very difficult to discern the whole truth of any situation. But what I’m realizing more and more is that it doesn’t matter!

Upon reflection, I find myself completely absorbed, inspired and challenged by the glorious daily craziness of my life — so endlessly occupied with how I might find my joy while simultaneously being of service to others, that I really don’t give a shit whether Osama just got caught or if he’s been dead for a decade. In terms of impact on the process that is my life, I sense no authentic difference!

I will ask those of you who are all riled up by this happening:

How will this change the nature of your daily existence?
Will the “credible” reports of Osama’s burial help you embody your ideal potential?
How does this news affect your personal evolution in this lifetime?
Is this a worldly reminder to maintain mindful, compassionate detachment?
Or a distraction that instigates fear, hate and scapegoating?

I love Ben Ralston’s article on this very topic.

Please, let’s have this discussion in the comment forum below, because I am having trouble seeing this as anything more than an orchestrated spectacle.

There are even some who propose that the bin Laden announcement is an elaborate occult ceremony, connected to ritual May Day blood sacrifices. Others say it’s classic Psy-Ops.
What about the Numerological significance? Or the Astrological connections?

Again, these are not my theories, but for the open-minded empiricist, it is interesting information to consider. “Believe it if you need it / or leave it if you dare.”

I will say this one last time: nothing is certain. I am simply hoping to share the basis for my skepticism. Many people think I’m crazy for daring to search outside the official story for a more complete explanation. Meanwhile I remain quite stably rooted in my yet-ever-shifting personal paradigm, which includes and encompasses the one from which some will judge me.

As ever, I remain open to new ideas and information. However, the zeal with which people are trying to convince me to tow the company line makes me wonder if perhaps it is not really me they are trying to convince.

In the meantime, Obama has been everything one can hope for in a president, a class-act all the way, like usual.

Enough for now. Om shanti ya’ll.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Born on planet Earth, David Telfer McConaghay has since wandered across its surface in search of something which, when found, kindly insists that he continue searching. His immediate family lives in Minneapolis, MN, though he also feels at home in Washington D.C.; Grass Valley, CA; Bogotá, Colombia; and now, almost Boulder, CO. He completed his B.A. in English & Creative Writing at The George Washington University in 2008. Experiences at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm are the primary source of any yogic inspiration David aka Sri Nivasa may express. He plays on Facebook HERE and can be followed on Twitter HERE

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