Osama Bin Laden is Dead

[Strike For The South]

You said you were 'perplexed' by the celebrating. I'm trying to help you understand that it is about long-deferred justice for his many victims. I don't think anyone believes this will end Islamic terrorism or even the al Qaeda organization.

Perhaps but it gives people that little shot of America crack to keep our boys dying and debt climbing

[Fragony]

You said you were 'perplexed' by the celebrating. I'm trying to help you understand that it is about long-deferred justice for his many victims. I don't think anyone believes this will end Islamic terrorism, the war in Afghanistan, our involvement in Iraq and Libya, or even the al Qaeda organization.

I am a bit annoyed by it personally, the euphoria I see as a lack of convidence.

[Warluster]

I can't see how this will prolong the current War in Afghanistan? Surely it would shorten now that most people will, inevitably, see the mission as having been 'completed'. With Osama having been forged into the figurehead of terrorism against the United States, and with his organization being touted as the reason for invasion, won't most people see this as 'mission complete'? Bit of a double edged sword for the advocates of the ground war.

[Graphic]

I remember where I was and what I was doing the morning of September 11, 2001.

And I'm going to remember May 1, 2011 for the rest of my life.

I was informed by a Total War friend while I was starting a French campaign in Stainless Steel. So Total War forever has the honor of being associated with this day.

Also, more edits and other media

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

This is a screen cap of Obama when Seth Meyers made the Osama bin Laden joke



Didn't notice it when I watched it yesterday but you can see the "if you only knew LOL" look in his face.

[Banquo's Ghost]

I can't see how this will prolong the current War in Afghanistan? Surely it would shorten now that most people will, inevitably, see the mission as having been 'completed'. With Osama having been forged into the figurehead of terrorism against the United States, and with his organization being touted as the reason for invasion, won't most people see this as 'mission complete'? Bit of a double edged sword for the advocates of the ground war.

The war in Afghanistan hasn't been about al-Qa'eda since abut Day Three.

The current raison d'etre is to re-build the country sufficiently that the Afghan government can run the place themselves. Since that's likely to be the dark side of never, it's until an arbitrary date for withdrawal can be met. The latter may be politically facilitated by bin Laden's death bit one doubts it - much more dependent on poll ratings/focus groups as the election approaches.

[Askthepizzaguy]

This is a screen cap of Obama when Seth Meyers made the Osama bin Laden joke

I saw Obama's performance, did not see Seth Meyers'. What was the joke?

[Graphic]

I saw Obama's performance, did not see Seth Meyers'. What was the joke?

He was joking about how hard it is to find bin Laden AND how low C-Span ratings are.

"Some people think he's hiding in the Hindu-Kush, but did you know that every day from 3pm to 4pm he hosts a show on C-Span?"

[Askthepizzaguy]

He was joking about how hard it is to find bin Laden AND how low C-Span ratings are.

"Some people think he's hiding in the Hindu-Kush, but did you know that every day from 3pm to 4pm he hosts a show on C-Span?"

Apparently, his show's been cancelled.

[Hax]

After reading Robert Fisk's interviews with Osama bin Laden, I wonder to what degree he himself was a victim of the mess in the Middle East. This does not justify his actions in any way, but it does make me think. How horrible can your life be if you have to resort to violence acts of such a degree.

I don't think it's a time for celebration. I think it's a time for reflection.

[Fragony]

Aparently his body was dumpen in the sea, DNA will be investigated. Que?

sniff sniff what's that smell

[Askthepizzaguy]

After reading Robert Fisk's interviews with Osama bin Laden, I wonder to what degree he himself was a victim of the mess in the Middle East. This does not justify his actions in any way, but it does make me think. How horrible can your life be if you have to resort to violence acts of such a degree.

I don't think it's a time for celebration. I think it's a time for reflection.

That's the thing, though. He didn't *have* to resort to attacking innocent civilians on 9/11.

Had he legitimate beef with the United States, he might have gone the path of Gandhi and protested bases here or foreign policy there. Instead, he mass murdered a bunch of innocent people, which means he surrenders any moral high ground he could ever have dreamt he had. He also completely destroyed whatever obectives he could have had, because his war against the United States only made things far worse for innocent people in the Middle East because of the wars, and cost him the lives of thousands of sympathizers and allies. I'm all for reflection, as you might have noticed above, but had Osama spent a little bit more time reflecting on the wisdom and righteousness of destroying the innocent, he might still be alive today, and not hated by literally billions.

[Banquo's Ghost]

After reading Robert Fisk's interviews with Osama bin Laden, I wonder to what degree he himself was a victim of the mess in the Middle East. This does not justify his actions in any way, but it does make me think. How horrible can your life be if you have to resort to violence acts of such a degree.

I don't think it's a time for celebration. I think it's a time for reflection.

Osama bin Laden was a product of rich Saudi society. He was privileged beyond belief and had a perfectly decent education. He was no victim in any manner whatsoever. He used his wealth and privilege to create victims and took pleasure in it.

Wicked and evil man.

[Hax]

Maybe not so much a victim as a product. I don't have any reason to think that he orchestrated the 9/11 attacks just because.

Had he legitimate beef with the United States, he might have gone the path of Gandhi and protested bases here or foreign policy there. Instead, he mass murdered a bunch of innocent people, which means he surrenders any moral high ground he could ever have dreamt he had. He also completely destroyed whatever obectives he could have had, because his war against the United States only made things far worse for innocent people in the Middle East because of the wars, and cost him the lives of thousands of sympathizers and allies.

I'm not giving a moral justification for his action, that would be quite impossible. I'm just not too eager in joining in with the celebration of the death of a human being.

[Andres]

I won't celebrate, but I won't regret his death either. Justice has been served. A nod to the US

[Banquo's Ghost]

Maybe not so much a victim as a product. I don't have any reason to think that he orchestrated the 9/11 attacks just because.

I'm not so sure I would offer him the solace of "product" either. Both words indicate a passive "done-unto" status that I consider wholly inappropriate to bin Laden. One might reflect on how those words describe the poor, uneducated fools that he recruited and inspired to kill themselves among others, but not bin Laden.

We can assess the mistakes made in our own governments' facilitation of this mercenary, but we should not mistake him for a person carried by events. Any examination of his life shows him to be a calculating enabler, motivated by his own warped sense of a religious message and a remarkably fluid set of "principles" largely driven by his own self-belief. When someone didn't do what he thought should be done, he changed sides. He entertained no doubts, no lack of certainty, no moral reflections. Whilst he was able to use the Middle East mess to recruit and motivate the foolish to blow themselves up, he knew very well that he was making things worse, not better, for the majority of people in that region. Indeed, that was his whole purpose, as his horrific value system made it imperative that they suffered for not being as "pure" as he.

No, he created his Fate himself, and drew thousands into death because of it.

[Dâriûsh]

One head off the monstrous hydra he helped create.

Liquidation no less, no time for all that silly courtroom nonsense, witness testimonies, trial, etc.

I'd liked to have seen him explain why his ideology makes 12-year-olds strap on suicide bombs.



But anyway, now what? NATO can pull out of Afghanistan and save face. Cool. But what about the Afghans? Will the world allow the Taliban to return to power and oust that douchebag president/restaurant owner in Kabul? And what will Pakistan's excuse be? Don't tell me ISI didn't know OBL was living where he did.


Oh, and to whoever collects the reward on this one, thanks for the tip.

[Fragony]

I won't celebrate, but I won't regret his death either. Justice has been served. A nod to the US

Sums it up. kthxbye beard it has been emotional

[Hax]

@Banquo: Fair enough.

[Beirut]

Goldstein is dead?

Hmmmmmm...

[The Celtic Viking]

Great news to start up your day with! America, **** YEAH!

@ACIN: Sorry, old chap, but your question is disingenuous. We did not hate Osama because "he celebrated death". We hated him because, amongst other reasons, he was a massmurdering terrorist. Of course its right for us to celebrate him being brought to justice with our bullets.

@The Mad Arab: Your attempt to invoke sympathy for a massmurdering fascist who wished to destroy everything that is culture and reinstate an old oppressive empire is telling.

[Fisherking]

I don’t know how anyone else feels about the news that they buried his body at sea, only a couple of hours after they said they killed him but to me it makes no sense.

It can not be a stupid error either.

I think I smell a rat.

[Ronin]

a symbolic death of a symbolic figure....he was no more than a figurehead to inspire nutjobs...now the nutjobs will claim he's a martyr...the game goes on.

Step up the security for a few months I guess....a few retaliatory terrorist action attempts are to be expected.

P.S. - Donald Trump says he isn´t buying this and wants to see a verified death certificate!

P.S.S. - Any one like me who is a wrestling fan knows what might have pushed Osama over the edge last night...

[Ronin]

Aparently his body was dumpen in the sea, DNA will be investigated. Que?

sniff sniff what's that smell

I don’t know how anyone else feels about the news that they buried his body at sea, only a couple of hours after they said they killed him but to me it makes no sense.

It can not be a stupid error either.

I think I smell a rat.

there is no way for the US government to win on this discussion....if they buried him at sea people will claim it sounds fishy....
If Obama had Bin Laden's ass stuffed and posed on the oval office people would claim the body was a fake.

parading his body around would probably send the wrong message.....the man's importance was a symbolic one...and there is the whole martyrdom angle....

[Fragony]

@The Mad Arab: Your attempt to invoke sympathy for a massmurdering fascist who wished to destroy everything that is culture and reinstate an old oppressive empire is telling.

Awww common he didn't do that, dead people just don't make him happy, budhist thingie

@Ronin, show pics and dump him in an anonymous grave, presto, no problems

[Banquo's Ghost]

I don’t know how anyone else feels about the news that they buried his body at sea, only a couple of hours after they said they killed him but to me it makes no sense.

It can not be a stupid error either.

I think I smell a rat.

It strikes me as a perfectly intelligent thing to do.

Islam permits burial at sea and it has been done within 24 hours as required. It removes any possibility of shrines etc or the diplomatic problem of no-one (especially Saudi Arabia) wanting his body.

If you refer to the possibility that people will question his death, there are already enough photographs of the body available to convince the skeptic. DNA has been taken. And those who would concoct conspiracy theories will do so anyway - one awaits Mr Trump's interpretation of events with popcorn.

A good decision among many good decisions by the President and his advisors (if it proves true as reported).

[Fisherking]

It does make some sense to burry him at sea to deny him a martyrs grave site but to do it so quickly raises too many questions.

It makes me think that this is world class political grandstanding.

Did they kill him?

Was he already dead and this just a way to gain political points?

Is it all a lie?

Also this would have been known at the time of the first anouncment, why not tell us then?

[Beskar]

I had a strong feeling he was hiding in Pakistan, looks like I was right.

[Shibumi]

This thread is tasteless.

Ceremony at see ASAP because of respect for funeral within 24h.

So BQ, you do not have to wriggle your tongue out to try and explain why some rules do not apply if it's a badie, he is buried.

[a completely inoffensive name]

...

[econ21]

What the heck:

The Abbottabad residence is just 200 metres from the Pakistan Military Academy - the country's equivalent of West Point.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13256676