Osama bin Who?

It seems that the special unit charged with finding and capturing (or killing) bin Laden has been formally disbanded. This in spite of the fact that bin Laden has been very vocal of late on the internet. Are we to believe that bin Laden is no longer important? This seems to be at least one rationale I have seen - "al Quaida is no longer being run by any central source." Even if this is true does that make bin Laden any the less wanted? Just what is going on here? I find it impossible to believe that the United States, with their overwhelming military and technological superiorty could not have found bin Laden had they really wanted to do so - even if he is living in a remote cave somewhere in Pakistan (which I rather doubt). Remember bin Laden is (1) a Saudi (his relatives are thick with the Bush clan), and (2) must have been at one time a CIA asset (and may very well still be). I am not much of a conspiracy buff but I find this bin Laden tale truly hard to believe. And what does this mean for bin Laden himself? Is he no longer wanted? Or just not wanted enough to bother about any further? Or is this just an admission that he is far smarter than we are? This whole business stinks.

I gather that at the moment the recount in Mexico shows our leftist candidate with a slight edge. But everyone seems resigned to the idea that it will be stolen from him by the Conservatives (with under the table help from the Bush Administration and the American Press - who have already announced that the Conservative has won). Shades of 2000!

Poor Lieberman! He's not going to be allowd to run as an "Independent Democrat," and will have to be just a plain old Independent. He just refuses to get the message - we don't want you anymore, Republican scum.

On the local scene. Today I went to our small but decent and efficient Post Office. Besides myself there were four women there. All four of them were obese almost beyond belief. Then I visited our small but really super Library. They have computers for public use. On two of them were young men (mid to late twenties), both dressed in obviously home made and pretty primitive deerskin clothing. Each of them also had a large sheath knife fastened to their belts (I guess they must have left their muzzle loaders outside). I have no idea what they were doing so intently on the computers - maybe emailing their mothers? Next I visited our small but still operating Safeway store. On the way in I noticed a Ford 350 parked with its motor running. A small very sweet looking old lady (not quite as old as me) emerged with a case of beer, climbed in her truck and drove happily away. I love Bonners Ferry!