How to Catch Bin Laden

No one is really sure if Osama Bin Laden is dead or alive, but I have come up with an idea for how to catch him (if alive), and other people wanted by the United States government, that will not only save American soldier lives, but also be much cheaper than fighting wars. My idea is to up the ante on information that leads to the capture of these people.

When we invaded Afghanistan and Iraq, we put a $25 million dollar price tag on Bin Laden's head. There were many problems with this number. First, no single person could collect the entire $25 million, and second it was to low. This number should have increased everyday until Bin Laden was either caught or his dead body was turned over. Imagine if you are one of Bin Laden's boys filming his message in the Afghanistan mountains, and you could get $100 million if you some how got a cell phone and told where in the mountains you all were camping out. For only $25 million, you might still think that the Jihad is worth fighting for, but for $100 million turning Bin Laden in might be worth it. Also, Osama would be so nervous over who to trust that he might start shooting his own guys. My evidence for why this will work, Ransom, the movie.

If you have not seen the movie, I will outline it briefly. Mel Gibson's son gets kidnapped, the kidnappers tell Gibson (a billionaire I believe) a ransom number, after a failed attempt to give them/capture the kidnappers, Gibson goes on TV and says that he will use the money he was going to give for his son to be return to anyone who hands over his son's kidnappers, and the number will increase until the person is turned over. The kidnappers have a leader who starts to freak out (Bin Laden in my ideas case) and kills all the people who helped him out. After some drama, Gibson's son is rescued, and the head kidnapper is also caught.

Now imagine you are one of Bin Laden's boys, moving from mountain camp to mountain camp, no A/C, or DirectTV. You cannot even watch the Superbowl. $100 million and immunity would probably sound like a better life than you currently are living. Some might believe that Bin Laden's followers are too loyal. Well ask yourself the same question, do you have friends that you would not turn in for $100 million, $200 million or maybe even $300 million? Maybe I am a bad friend for saying it, but I would expect my friends to turn me in if they could get $300 million. I would only ask them to share some with my family.

Some might also argue that giving money to terrorist, especially that amount is a terrible idea. My counter argument to this is, have you heard about how many American soldiers have died in Iraq, Afganistan, and other parts of the world? It would also be the biggest money saver our country could do. Instead of wasting billions of dollars fighting wars that many American people did not believe in, we spend $100 million having their own people oust their dictator. Of course, this is America, their money will be taxed, but maybe at the current capital gains number. We do not want to have the incentive to turn in people like Bin Laden be lost so we will tax them at a lower number.

We forget all to well how our country use to capture the outlaws in the wild wild west. They had "Wanted Dead or Alive" posters all over town. I am not coming up with a new idea, I am just using what has worked in the past. The President could even use Mel Gibson to tell Bin Laden's people how much his body is worth, they might sympathize with the anti-Semitic Gibson.

Why Bud is the worst

Enough is enough with steroids in baseball. It seems that everyone but Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter took them. I am also not convinced that baseball has gotten past "the steroid area." One could argue that since Manny tested positive there have not been any other failed test, but I think that the players have moved on to bigger and better things. Some people blame the players, others blame the fans, many believe that the players union is to blame, but in my opinion only Bud Selig is to blame. He is by far the worst commissioner in all of sports.

After taking a course in labor economics, I understand why the players took, or are still taking steroids. There is too much incentive to not take them. If someone told me right now that I could go from being an average student to becoming the smartest kid at school simply by taking a pill, or in baseballs case sticking yourself with a needle, I say bring it on. I would not care about the consequences. However, if my school outlawed this, and said any student caught taking this pill will be kicked out of school, then I would have to debate whether or to take the risk.

For many years, there was no risk with baseball, and once the first person gained the competitive edge over the players in his locker room, his teammates saw the difference the Performance Enhancing Drugs did and started to take them. My evidence for this, the Oakland Athletics. In 1988, Jose Canseco wins the AL MVP, in 1989 the Oakland A's win the World Series, Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco are as feared as Manny and Big Papi, and on August 31, 1992 the Oakland A's trade Canseco to the Texas Rangers. Now Canseco has another team to share his secret of how to become much better than your God givin talent will allow. However, other A's were also traded, or let go so it was not just Canseco's secret, but now it soon became Major League Baseball's secret.

Although, I cannot believe that managers, owners and Fay Vincent did not know about this spreading epidemic, especially because commish Vincent circulated a memo in 1991 that read ""The possession, sale or use of any illegal drug or controlled substance by Major League players and personnel is strictly prohibited ... [and those players involved] are subject to discipline by the Commissioner and risk permanent expulsion from the game.... This prohibition applies to all illegal drugs and controlled substances, including steroids…" So in 1992 in comes the worst commissioner in all of sports, Bud Selig. In his first years, he institutes the Wild Card, and the divisional playoffs both of which have benefited the sport. Then in 1994, baseball has a strike that cancels the World Series, and just about cripples the sport. Eventually a deal is reached, but what was missing from the deal was a drug testing policy. It seems reasonable since every other league had one. This could have been stopped right before it exploded.

However, since Bud just about ruined baseball in America, he was the happiest to see it flourish during the steroid era. It put fans back in the seats, and the owners revenues increased tremendously. Only problem was, that because Selig was so short minded during the 1994 talks, he is the one to truly blame for the PED epidemic. He could have demanded a drug testing policy. I am sure that Donald Fehr at that point in the talks would have given up his stance how it is an invasion of privacy to see a deal get done.

Now flash forward to 2002, MVP Ken Caminiti says he took steroids during his MVP year, and on August 7, 2002, a deal is reached between the players union and baseball for a steroid policy. Only problem with this was that the first penalty was a 10 day suspension. Rafael Palmeiro tests positive, and probably decides that he needs a vacation anyway, leaves baseball for 10 days, gets a tan, and returns. Was his name tarnished? Yes, would he have made it into the Hall of Fame, probably not especially because he played in the steroid era. So what happens to Palmeiro, he is known as the first major player to test positive, but considering that he probably used them for most of his career, and was handsomely rewarded for it, I think he came out on top.

Big Bud then decides that a 10 day vacation is too short. He then decides to bring out the big guns, and says a failed test will get you 50 game suspension, a second will get you a 100, and a third will get you banned for life. Impressive stance, although, it still has not worked because Manny just tested positive this year. What it should be, if Bud really wants to take a stance is 1 and done. This would make the over paid baseball players think before they cheated. However, when you have a commissioner who has been taken to the cleaners by the union his entire time as head of baseball its not a surprise that the players themselves are still walking all over him.

My Blog

I decided to start a blog because I felt it was the best way to express my opinions on issues that I feel are relevant. I welcome criticism and other opinions, but my goal is for people to start thinking outside the box. This is a time in our history that major changes will happen. So in honor of my father I have decided to launch my blog on Fathers Day. Enjoy