White House Balks On Paying Bin Laden Reward Money

Mike & Friends Blog

Dan Rackley

Dan Rackley is a US Naval veteran living in Philadelphia and a contributor to "Will They Ever Trust Us Again?"

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May 10th, 2011 11:38 AM

White House Balks On Paying Bin Laden Reward Money

Yesterday the White House’s Press Secretary Jay Carney made the announcement during a press conference that nobody is going to receive the twenty five million dollar bounty that was commissioned for finding Osama Bin Laden. Apparently the White House’s stance on the situation is that since no one person knowingly gave information leading to his finding; nobody should get the money. As I said in a previous column, no one person should get the money. But for the White House to balk on paying the reward money in any manner is something that they probably should have done.

The American people are particularly distrustful of the men and women they choose to represent them. We watch every move they make and every word they say to look for a crack in the armor. We as a people are almost on a hunt for them to make a mistake; some of us take a great deal of pleasure from when we catch a politician in a lie. In this instance, they haven’t exactly lied so much as found a loophole out of paying the reward. Since nobody actually said that Bin Laden was at a particular address or location, they figure that the reward should not be paid out to an individual person.

In this regard they are absolutely correct. It reeks of unrequited mercenary every time Gary Faulkner opens his mouth about wanting his piece of the Bin Laden reward. He has been stating recently that he was the only one that had anything to do with the eventual capture of Bin Laden. Never mind the fact that he didn’t actually find him. Never mind that it was a month’s long operation by the CIA to collect intelligence and eventually send in Navy Seals to find him. He still wants the money. What Faulkner is doing screams of a deer hunter that struck out during hunting season and spends the rest of the year telling everyone within earshot of the twenty point buck he almost shot. He was a guy out that went out on his own and let’s face it, did not get the job done. He doesn’t deserve a dime of that money. I would challenge Gary Faulkner to produce one bit of intelligence that comes close to matching what the government had on Osama Bin Laden. If he was out there risking his ass as he says it to capture him and collect the reward, then every member of the military from 9/11 until last week should get a piece of the prize. But nobody in the military would ask that. You don’t see the seals going on like Faulkner.

But even if no one person should receive the money, the money should be portioned out somehow. That way, the US Government doesn’t appear to be misrepresenting themselves the next time they offer a bounty. Their decision sets a dangerous precedent when it comes to offering rewards. What’s to say now that the next time they offer a bounty they will actually pay it? However, like I said in my previous column; they money should go somewhere. It should go to some form of charity dedicated to assisting victims of 9/11. Some have argued with my opinion on this that some of the 9/11 widows have already been compensated. But I ask, how much is one life worth? Now multiply that by a few thousand. Anyone that has been personally affected by that tragedy should get as much money as possible in assistance. The money should go towards them. The first responders. The people that have to live with diseases because of this. Not one person. Of all the promises that Washington makes to the American people, this is one they should definitely keep. I know the budget is in crisis, but that money should go somewhere.