Photo: Teacher who stopped shaving after 9/11 "until Osama is caught"

[Human Torch]

EPHRATA, Washington (AP) -- After the September 11 terrorist attacks, Gary Weddle followed the news so closely he forgot to shave. After a week he decided not to shave until Osama bin Laden was caught or killed.

Nor has Weddle, 46, who expected the al Qaeda leader to be caught within a month or so, trimmed his facial hair in the succeeding five years as he went from substitute teacher to science instructor at Ephrata Middle School.

At the start of each school year he gives students a brief explanation of his beard, which stretches more than a foot and has started turning gray. "I still get emotional over the families who lost loved ones. I just don't feel there's any closure on this until they get that guy," Weddle told The Wenatchee World for an article published Monday. "I don't have to know anyone personally who lost family in 9/11 to understand the devastation that he's responsible for."

His wife, Donita, hates the beard, but their three daughters, who attend high school in East Wenatchee, don't mind and "mostly their boyfriends think it's cool," Weddle said. He said he would keep the beard, untrimmed, as long as bin Laden remains at large -- "even if I get buried with it."

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/09/13/bin.laden.beard.ap/index.html

[CJCRANE]

1. Now he looks like Osama!

[Radio_Lady]

10. He might be one of those folks to get into the Guinness Book of

World Records - Longest beard? I think it was held by some Indian gentleman!

[MountainLaurel]

2. Wonder what it'll look like 20 years from now?

Since I seriously doubt we'll have caught Osama by then.

[AtomicKitten]

3. When Republicans Attack

The GOP Wrecking Machine will be on his ass right quick and in a hurry. Let's see, Muslim-esqe beard, check. Activist teacher, check. Yep, he better duck and cover. You know how truth-telling is viewed by the opposition; he must be annihilated.

[Maat]

4. Everyone should send this to their Congresspersons and ..

Senators. Then maybe they would get the hint, ands stop rubber-stamping what this Administration does.

Good for him!

[lutefisk]

5. Ironically, the beard makes him resemble bin Laden.....

I guess that's obvious, but still very ironic. I think he just needs to shave.

[RangerSmith]

6. Poor bastard is going

to have to figure out a way to wrap that thing around his body cause it's going to get much longer.

[Kutjara]

7. i'm gonna keep drinking beer and eating pizza...

...until Osama is caught. It's the least I can do to show solidarity with those who lost loved ones in the 9/11 attacks.

[tuvor]

8. K/R. Great illustration of bush's commitment to catch OBL.

[leveymg]

9. I wouldn't want to go through airport security like that.

Think I'd change my name to ZZ or similar before I tried it.

[yellowcanine]

11. Damn that is one impressive beard. It would be a shame to cut it off.

I would cut it off and them grow it right back and not cut it until Bush gets impeached or prosecuted.

[Kutjara]

12. He wants to get some conditioner in there.

And maybe a couple of nice bows.

[Supersedeas]

13. Osama who....oh, the election cycle guy...yea yea yea

[thereismore]

14. We need to get him on Teevee! nt

[man4allcats]

15. Very cool!

As someone who has done some science teaching myself, I must say hooray for activist science teachers (or activist teachers period, but I think they're more common in the sciences). I don't have a beard, but I haven't cut my hair in about 30 years. And why?

Almost cut my hair.
It happened just the other day.
It's gettin' kinda long.
I coulda said it was in my way
But I didn't and I wonder why.
I feel like lettin' my freak flag fly
Cause I feel like I owe it to someone.

Almost Cut My Hair - Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young

Problem is, it keeps falling out so fast it never seems to get any longer. :-) Shoulder length is about the limit.

[Gregorian]

16. "That guy". Who is "that guy"? Osama? Bush? We still don't know.

And in fact, the CIA says it wasn't neccissarily Osama.

I think it's Bush. I'll apologize if I'm wrong.

[htuttle]

17. That's about as long as my beard

I stopped cutting mine about 10-11 years ago. It doesn't seem to be getting much longer anymore, but it's gotten hard to keep the dreadlocks out of it. Not to mention food...:eyes:

[quiet.american]

18. Somebody's got to say it - a pic is worth a thousand words.

What's Bush's commitment to bringing in bin Laden? Talk to the beard.

[leesa]

19. American's are so foolish about their Goldsteins...he's dead. He had

a terminal kidney disease. Look for the ones who did 9-11 in the White House. OBL may have conspired with them in order to get them to withdraw troops from SA, but there is far more evidence pointing to their involvement than their is to his involvement.

[mhatrw]

20. A dead Goldstein is far better than a live one to our "leaders."

They can now attribute any statement or action they want to him, and he won't be around to deny it or say anything contrary to it.

[powergirl]

21. HE'S GONNA LOOK LIKE RIP VAN WINKLE IF * STAYS IN CHARGE

N/P:hi:

[wicket]

22. LOL

:rofl:

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

23. Almost as big as Rove's "beard."