Great discussion.  It's interesting how we characterize Bin Laden's  (and his followers') actions as "evil"...and they may be.  However, we don't hold American leaders (and military) to the same standard.  We characterize their actions as simply misguided and assume their actions are in support of values (e.g., democracy, freedom)...even when we know/discover that American actions are motivated by corporate interest (i.e., Big Defense) and regulatory capture.  The primary issue may not simply be our willful ignorance.  It's also that we don't see others as possessing any culturally worthy values and we don't see other's grievance claims as valid because we don't see others as worthy of grief.