Bin Laden had like 50-something brothers and sisters. Not getting involved with a Bin Laden relative would be next to impossible.
posted by websavvy at 10:09 PM on September 24, 2001

Oddly, as I was reading this post, I found a Bin Laden hiding under my bed.
posted by Doug at 10:15 PM on September 24, 2001

from the Progressive Review's history of the Bush family:

JERRY URBAN, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, JUNE 4, 1992... entrepreneur James R. Bath guided money to Houston from Saudi investors who wanted to influence US policy under the Reagan and Bush administrations... Bath said he represented four prominent Saudis as a trustee and that he would use his name on their investments. In return, he said, he would receive a 5 percent interest in their deals. Tax documents and personal financial records show that Bath personally had a 5 percent interest in Arbusto '79 Ltd., and Arbusto '80 Ltd., limited partnerships controlled by George W. Bush, President Bush's eldest son... According to a 1976 trust agreement, drawn shortly after Bush was appointed director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Saudi Sheik Salem M. Binladen appointed Bath as his business representative in Houston. Binladen, along with his brothers, owns Binladen Brothers Construction, one of the largest construction companies in the Middle East... Bath received a 5 percent interest in the companies that own and operate Houston Gulf Airport after purchasing it on behalf of Binladen in 1977.
posted by skeptical at 10:26 PM on September 24, 2001

(In Dave Letterman voice)
Baldwin, Bin Laden... Bin Laden, Baldwin.
posted by Hima Otsubusu at 10:29 PM on September 24, 2001

Osama bin Laden's dad must've been known as Mr. bin Laiden. Dirty tramp.
posted by dopamine at 10:33 PM on September 24, 2001

Wait...Do you mean to tell me that the Bush family has profited from political instability in the Middle East? Are you further stating that the Bush family's political influence is for sale to the highest bidder?!? Why, that's preposterous! Next, you'll tell me that Prescott Bush laundered money for the Nazi's. Or that Dick Cheney owes his entire political existence to shady defense contractors, the same contractors that stand to profit handsomely from a protracted war against a faceless enemy with no real objective. An "Infinite" war, ostensibly intended to mete out "Justice".

Oh, now I'm just being silly. Quick, hand me a flag.
posted by Optamystic at 11:04 PM on September 24, 2001

He's an American now not a dirty businessman! This is a time to rally around all that he and his forebears have fucked up! Please. Flag indeed.
posted by crasspastor at 11:08 PM on September 24, 2001

Here you go, conspiracy buffs: FTR186a and FTR186b. (Somebody posted these a little while ago.)
posted by curiousg at 11:12 PM on September 24, 2001

Anybody else hear about this?

There is a bizarre post by someone from the consipracy site Konformist.com here. Found it last night. Weird. =cj=
posted by Carmen Jonze at 11:21 PM on September 24, 2001

I found this while ridin' around yesterday.

Bin Laden's family link to Bush

Let me guess, now someone will slice my tires and paint a flag on my front door...
posted by BarneyFifesBullet at 11:39 PM on September 24, 2001

I'm pretty sure that was Bin Laden I saw with Elvis at the Dairy Queen at midnight....
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 12:13 AM on September 25, 2001

Hrm

Just because O. Bin Laden is a psycho dosn't mean S.M Bin Laden is, the fact that bush has had dealings with this guy back in the 80s dosn't really implicate bush in any way.
posted by delmoi at 12:15 AM on September 25, 2001

There was an article about this in the San Francisco Weekly about it last week, available here. The article also goes on to point out that theres a long way between finding a connection to Osama's network and proving that the parties involved intentionally supported his terrorist activities.
posted by BenNewman at 12:40 AM on September 25, 2001

For the full story on how George W. Bush went from semi-alcoholic broke oilman to sober, rich baseball entrepreneur, read Joe Conason's meticulously researched Notes on a Native Son, publishing in Harper's last year. Alas, the wonderful star diagram showing all the interconnections isn't included. The business with Bath is mentioned in a single line: "....appeared to be fronting for several Saudi Arabian sheiks." Nevertheless, the entire thing is quite informative. My favorite part is UTIMCO, the University of Texas investment portfolio, which somehow was separated from the rules regarding such things to become an entity unto itself generating a handsome profit in management fees for Bush and pals, not to mention some very questionable sweetheart deals.

As Conason puts it, however, "the money., coming late in Bush's life, at 51, is understood not to have corrupted him...."

More on Bath & BCCI from SF Weekly.
posted by dhartung at 2:21 AM on September 25, 2001

Not getting involved with a Bin Laden relative would be next to impossible.

Cool, let's play Six Degrees of Osama Bin Laden! I was starting to get tired of that Kevin Bacon guy.
posted by MrBaliHai at 5:07 AM on September 25, 2001

hmm... seems to me that if your business partner is the brother of Osama bin Laden - even if he is one out of fifty, fifty-two, fifty-seven, whatever - you know about the family and you know they own a family business which handles a whole lot of money, and you know what some of that money is used for.
posted by edlundart at 6:03 AM on September 25, 2001

My brother's a prick, does that mean that everyone who does business with me is guilty of being associated with my brother?
posted by Mick at 6:49 AM on September 25, 2001

I don't believe in conspiracies, but: Maybe this whole terrorist thing was personal -- the result of a business deal gone bad.

Dubya screwed S. bin Laden out of a big chunk of dough, then used his Daddy's CIA connections to have him killed in a flying "accident."

O. bin Laden, psychologically scarred already by his Daddy's death in 1968 in a flying "accident", seeks revenge (a dish best served cold) against Dubya all these years later by having his supporters fly planes into several US targets, believing that they are acting in the service of Allah.

The crew who were supposed to hijack the plane which was targeted at the elementary school in Florida, however, were unable to get past security, and the fallback plane, targeted at the White House winds up in a field in Pennsylvania. Bush hops from air base to air base because he knows that he is the target. The WTC is just a grisly, horrifying "bonus".

Meanwhile, the backup backups are apprehended on an Amtrak train heading for Texas, where they were going to use their cropdusting skills to crash into W's Crawford ranch when he returns there for some solace.
posted by eptitude at 7:02 AM on September 25, 2001

I'm sorry, you said you don't believe in conspiracies?
posted by barkingmoose at 7:31 AM on September 25, 2001

What OptaMystic said! What satirical wit!
"treachery abounds" - Who originally said that?
posted by nofundy at 7:52 AM on September 25, 2001

As George Bush's popularity rating goes through the roof, please take some time to remind yourself of how America used to feel about him. What do Bush senior and junior talk about when not discussing politics? "Pussy", replied Dubya.
posted by skylar at 8:06 AM on September 25, 2001

There's an in-depth article at www.freerepublic.com indicating that, if there is no link to terrorism, there is a proliferation of links between Texas oil men and Bharainis and Saudis. Many of the dealings described are clearly shady and go a long way towards explaining how to get rich in Texas if your daddy's the guv'nor.
posted by ludicdruid at 9:00 AM on September 25, 2001

Does this mean that, given Dubya's recent edict to freeze the assets of those associated with terrorists, he and his family aren't going to be able to buy any more oil properties until this infinitely long war (of words) ends?
posted by orpheuswish at 11:44 AM on September 25, 2001