What would you do if you were in my shoes? Or, hello Osama.
 

I've always wondered if I did the right thing after an incident I had a few years ago. Who better than OOT to get this off my chest and give me some perspective.

I was visiting my sister, who lives in Northglenn Colorado, and I noticed a music shop across the street on 104th. I go over to check it out and the place is a ghost town. First I go to the back of the store and check out the books for a while. After that I decide to look at the guitars in the front of the store and I realize that I am all alone in the store. The clerk had apparently gone in the back room. I wanted to try out one of the guitars but there was a sign on the wall that said I needed to get store personnel to remove the guitars from the wall. So I walk into the backroom to get the clerk and I find a guy (looked Iranian) on a computer. I say that I need assistance and the guy becomes very irritated and tells me that I’m not allowed back there and he will come out and help me. I then look up at the wall and see a very large picture of Osama Bin Laden. I was taken a back and decided to leave before my anger goaded me into doing something I would regret.

As I left I wondered what I should do if anything. Should I call the FBI? This was a very strange store. There never seemed to be customers in there and all the guitars were way overpriced. The books were all dusty and it looked like they didn't move much inventory. It was real shady but I hadn't really seen anything illegal. There is no reason to believe that this guy was an Al Qaeda operative just because he had a picture of Osama up on the wall. I am a libertarian at heart and don't really like the FBI so I ended up doing nothing. I figure the man has a right to put up a picture, even if I don't like it.

What do you think OOT? How did I handle this?

**edit** This happened in december 2001, btw.

Re: What would you do if you were in my shoes? Or, hello Osama.
 

I'm fine with it, I once heard a flight attendant say to a man in the Airport that they needed to think of a way to sneak him on a plane. I just went on about my business figuring there was an explanation.

Re: What would you do if you were in my shoes? Or, hello Osama.
 

I would like to say that I would have called the FBI, but if it actually happened I probably would have done the same thing you did.

Re: What would you do if you were in my shoes? Or, hello Osama.
 

Picture of Osama + store that is likely a cover for something = call the FBI.

It's just hard to think of a totally innocent explanation for both those things together. I suppose he might just be doing a bad job of managing his store, but the odds are great enough that it's worth having it checked out.

Re: What would you do if you were in my shoes? Or, hello Osama.
 

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**edit** This happened in december 2001, btw.

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This changes everything, I think. Perhaps if you had called the FBI before the 9/11 freakout they may have just not done anything. I would have at least tried to get this place checked out- and [censored], it might not be too late.

Anyone that has Bin Laden pics up that don't have bullseyes on 'em isn't an American.

Re: What would you do if you were in my shoes? Or, hello Osama.
 

Clearly you needed to steal some guitars.

Re: What would you do if you were in my shoes? Or, hello Osama.
 

[ QUOTE ]
Clearly you needed to steal some guitars.

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I could have very easily. That is another shady part to the happening. The clerk saw me walk in and go to the back and wasn't bothered at all with leaving the store unattended while I was in there.

Re: What would you do if you were in my shoes? Or, hello Osama.
 

Surely a real terrorist would not put a picture of OSAMA in the backroom of a store.

Re: What would you do if you were in my shoes? Or, hello Osama.
 

[ QUOTE ]
Surely a real terrorist would not put a picture of OSAMA in the backroom of a store.

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That is kinda what I was thinking. That he was just an Al Qaeda sympathizer and the "American" thing to do was show tolerence and protest with my wallet by going to a different music shop.

Re: What would you do if you were in my shoes? Or, hello Osama.
 

[ QUOTE ]
Surely a real terrorist would not put a picture of OSAMA in the backroom of a store.

[/ QUOTE ]

Agreed, however let the FBI do their job. Let them know you also doubt parts of your own experience but they should check it out none the less.

TT [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]