Bin Laden killed

[NotFadeAway]

I don't have much to say about this, other than that I'm both happy to hear it, and concerned about what it means in the short term (possibility of attempted attacks in the near future...).
http://www.ajc.com/news/obama-osama-bin-laden-931726.html

Thoughts?

[Nerre]

I think it's "to late".

He was a big leader, but since he has been hiding for 10 years I think others have taken over much of his leadership.

What we possibly can hope for is that there will be internal fights to take over his position.

[Jaxen]

Killing OBL has done one of two things ti Al-Qaida, I figure ...

We've either steeled their resolve and they'll come together .... or it's gonna turn into Amateur Night over there. Which one's more scary?

[William]

Don't want to come off as one of those conspiracy theorist, but does anyone think it's a bit suspicious that the photo of the dead OBL is of very poor quality, seems almost a carbon copy of one of the most common media photos, and that the body was immediately disposed of so it couldn't be retrieved?

You could also give some thought to the timing of finding and killing OBL. So shortly after the start of Obama's reelection campaign.

[nutN2Lewz]

I can't see a President lying to his country about this - it would be too easy to disprove. Imagine if Bin Laden appears (live) in the next month or two - Obama would be totally discredited and might have to resign, let alone not being re-elected.

Good luck, nutn

[Dr. Neau]

Don't want to come off as one of those conspiracy theorist, but does anyone think it's a bit suspicious that the photo of the dead OBL is of very poor quality

Don't want to sound like someone squashing someone who doesn't want to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but...

as of this moment, the gubment still hasn't released any photos, so I don't know what the hell you're looking at.

[austin5string]

Don't want to come off as one of those conspiracy theorist, but does anyone think it's a bit suspicious that the photo of the dead OBL is of very poor quality

Don't want to sound like someone squashing someone who doesn't want to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but...

as of this moment, the gubment still hasn't released any photos, so I don't know what the hell you're looking at.

There's a photo-chopped picture floating around out there

[William]

I can't see a President lying to his country about this - it would be too easy to disprove. Imagine if Bin Laden appears (live) in the next month or two - Obama would be totally discredited and might have to resign, let alone not being re-elected.

Good luck, nutn

That's assuming he's still alive. The other possibility is that OBL has been dead for quite some time already. There've been lots of announcements before that OBL had died or was presumed dead.

[troysteelerfan]

Don't want to come off as one of those conspiracy theorist, but does anyone think it's a bit suspicious that the photo of the dead OBL is of very poor quality, seems almost a carbon copy of one of the most common media photos, and that the body was immediately disposed of so it couldn't be retrieved?

You could also give some thought to the timing of finding and killing OBL. So shortly after the start of Obama's reelection campaign.

What nutN said is spot on - no way President Obama (any President for that matter) goes on record,  in front of the world and makes that claim without knowing 100% that it was him.... As for how fast the body was buried - they did that to adhere to Muslim religious reasons and as for so it couldn't be retrieved - several things come to mind 1) what country would have accepted the body   2) if buried on land it becomes a shrine and would most certainly have to be highly guarded for a variety of reasons.

[Dr. Neau]

You could also give some thought to the timing of finding and killing OBL. So shortly after the start of Obama's reelection campaign.

I think you're overthinking the timing.

If timing was his concern, he should've waited much longer.  The election is still a long ways off.

[William]

What nutN said is spot on - no way President Obama (any President for that matter) goes on record,  in front of the world and makes that claim without knowing 100% that it was him.... As for how fast the body was buried - they did that to adhere to Muslim religious reasons and as for so it couldn't be retrieved - several things come to mind 1) what country would have accepted the body   2) if buried on land it becomes a shrine and would most certainly have to be highly guarded for a variety of reasons.

To be honest, I don't think it's muslim tradition to have burials at sea. As for who would accept the body: How about the Bin Laden family in Saudi Arabia? Or how about taking him to the US so you can prove you've killed him.

All we have now is the word of the President. Don't get me wrong, I think Obama is a great man, and a worthy president, and it's a good thing that Osama bin Laden is dead, but the US Government's track record for being forthcoming isn't that great. And the fact that there is no proof because it's been disposed of so quickly makes it all the more suspicious to me.

My guess is it was simply decided it was time for Osama to be dead. Either for closure of the 9/11 tragedy, or to put an end to over 9 years of fruitless war against terrorism. And I'd be willing to put money on that they couldn't find Osama for 9 years because he'd been dead for the better part of it.

[Jambine]

The world is a better place today than it was a few days ago

[Milo]

I agree with our Prime Minister, that it is with sober satisfaction I accept the news of bin Laden's death.  Muslim faith dictates burial before sunset the day after death and, while not exactly traditional, burial at sea is not proscribed by the Islam.  The photo that is circulating is bogus.  The President has wisely decided that no photos will be released.  The body was positively IDed via photo and DNA comparisons.  He is dead.

The Conspiracy types will not believe any evidence you put in front of them, so why bother.  As Obama said, we do not trot these things out like trophies.  Quite frankly, I was somewhat disgusted with the jubilation displayed by some Americans when told of the news.  How were they any different from those dancing in the streets in the Middle East when the towers fell.  Celebrating death, even the death of an enemy, is a sign of insecurity, in my opinion.

[austin5string]

How were they any different from those dancing in the streets in the Middle East when the towers fell.  Celebrating death, even the death of an enemy, is a sign of insecurity, in my opinion.

They were different because they were celebrating the death of the man responsible for the death of the 3,000 innocent people that died when the towers fell. 

I'm honestly not sure which side of this argument I'm on - I kind of go back and forth.  But to say that the two cases are no different is completely ridiculous.

[troysteelerfan]

What nutN said is spot on - no way President Obama (any President for that matter) goes on record,  in front of the world and makes that claim without knowing 100% that it was him.... As for how fast the body was buried - they did that to adhere to Muslim religious reasons and as for so it couldn't be retrieved - several things come to mind 1) what country would have accepted the body   2) if buried on land it becomes a shrine and would most certainly have to be highly guarded for a variety of reasons.

To be honest, I don't think it's muslim tradition to have burials at sea. As for who would accept the body: How about the Bin Laden family in Saudi Arabia? Or how about taking him to the US so you can prove you've killed him.

All we have now is the word of the President. Don't get me wrong, I think Obama is a great man, and a worthy president, and it's a good thing that Osama bin Laden is dead, but the US Government's track record for being forthcoming isn't that great. And the fact that there is no proof because it's been disposed of so quickly makes it all the more suspicious to me.

My guess is it was simply decided it was time for Osama to be dead. Either for closure of the 9/11 tragedy, or to put an end to over 9 years of fruitless war against terrorism. And I'd be willing to put money on that they couldn't find Osama for 9 years because he'd been dead for the better part of it.

Not sure where I indicated being buried at sea is a Muslim tradition and I am by no means an expert on Islam...but from all I have read and from what I understand - and one of the reasons the body was buried so quickly is that part of the Muslim faith requries burial within 24 hours.  

My other guess is that your line of thinking on this will not change.  Just like the "birthers" will never be convinced President Obama was born in the United States no matter what.  

and finally ... there is a movie on TBS later tonight....starring Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts....along with Patrick Stewart...to help satisfy that need for conspiracies.

[nutN2Lewz]

Please be advised that I will not allow much 'birther', 'Palin child birther', or other such conspiracy theories get too out of hand in the HPT Forums. I will not allow my business resources to be used for such nonsense. This policy is shared by many other media organizations.

Good luck, nutn

[stooks99]

Just wanted to hop in before this thread gets locked.  I suppose it's a nice, dramatic event that the guy who was probably behind 9/11 has been killed, but let's be honest...he won.  We spent 10 years and trillions of dollars and thousands of lives chasing a war on an idea that this guy put into our head.  I found the jovial celebrations disgusting.  Celebrating death, in any manner, is a horrible act. 

I think people like to use the who idea of patriotism and freedom to defend their actions, but realistically, this guy being dead doesn't change anything.  He, according to reports, hasn't been an active participator in Al-quieda activities in some time.  He's a figurehead...someone used to elicit a certain emotion, and he was used successfully.  We can claim victory over this because he's dead, but this guy gets the W on this one.

[Milo]

How were they any different from those dancing in the streets in the Middle East when the towers fell.  Celebrating death, even the death of an enemy, is a sign of insecurity, in my opinion.

They were different because they were celebrating the death of the man responsible for the death of the 3,000 innocent people that died when the towers fell. 

I'm honestly not sure which side of this argument I'm on - I kind of go back and forth.  But to say that the two cases are no different is completely ridiculous.

My point was, the crowds in the Middle East were rejoicing in "death", as were the Americans I watched.  Death is not something to be celebrated, imo.

[troysteelerfan]

Please be advised that I will not allow much 'birther', 'Palin child birther', or other such conspiracy theories get too out of hand in the HPT Forums. I will not allow my business resources to be used for such nonsense. This policy is shared by many other media organizations.

Good luck, nutn

I never - ever intended for that to be the case... please accept my apologies - and I agree completely with that policy - my only intention was to make the point that if people believe in that nonsense then no amount of proof will ever change their minds.   I agree completely nutn and please accept my apology.

[jhickle]

OBL Cocktail.........

2 Shots and a splash of water

[TwoToGo-Grave]

Just wanted to hop in before this thread gets locked.  I suppose it's a nice, dramatic event that the guy who was probably behind 9/11 has been killed, but let's be honest...he won.  We spent 10 years and trillions of dollars and thousands of lives chasing a war on an idea that this guy put into our head.  I found the jovial celebrations disgusting.  Celebrating death, in any manner, is a horrible act. 

I think people like to use the who idea of patriotism and freedom to defend their actions, but realistically, this guy being dead doesn't change anything.  He, according to reports, hasn't been an active participator in Al-quieda activities in some time.  He's a figurehead...someone used to elicit a certain emotion, and he was used successfully.  We can claim victory over this because he's dead, but this guy gets the W on this one.

But he didn't actually accomplish change.  All he did was get extremely famous throughout the world, kill a bunch of people, and die.  He put up a challenge, but he did not win.  Did Hitler win?  The world spent more money and had much more death thanks to him.  Maybe his organization will win, and maybe not, but he did not win.  As the leader of al-Quaeda, he certainly didn't do the things that he wanted to do, now did he?  His use of terror didn't really change fundamentally change anything.  His goal wasn't to make the U.S. spend money and it wasn't for only (if you'd call it that) thousands of troops to die over the course of ten years.  Sorry, but he failed.

[William]

The whole term "War on terrorism" is wrong.

When we say war, we automatically think of winning it. There are no winners possible in a war against terror because, for one, there isn't a distinctive enemy to fight, and because the goal of a terrorist isn't to win, but to strike fear. If a terrorist manages to strike fear in his target he has accomplished his goal. The fact that thousands of people died in the attack on the WTC or that another several thousand died in the ensuing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is inconsequential to them. They just want to show they can hit where it hurts.

Sure there's a political or religious agenda most of the time, but I don't think any terrorist ever felt his actions were going to bring about change. Just like no soldier ever thinks he or she will win the war for their country. You are fighting or terrorizing for a cause or country, whether your cause or country wins or loses will be the result of the total of battles fought.

Killing Osama hasn't changed anything, just like the attacks on 9/11 haven't changed anything. The terrorists haven't brought about any positive change for the Middle East or the Islamic faith, and the Western World hasn't come any closer to eradicating the threat of terrorism.

[holdemholmes]

Killing Osama hasn't changed anything, just like the attacks on 9/11 haven't changed anything. The terrorists haven't brought about any positive change for the Middle East or the Islamic faith, and the Western World hasn't come any closer to eradicating the threat of terrorism.

Very well put William, this part in particular.

[Yankee]

I don't understand the celebration either.  We are nothing like the trash that brought us to this point so we should act like them.  He's dead.  I'm glad he is.  Moving on.  As for what is the point of killing him.  The point is 10 years ago this man lead a fight that was brought to our shores and my government never forgot that and tracked that s.o.b. down to enforce judgement for his actions.  The next time someone comes up with an idea similar they might think twice about who they are messing with.

[holdemholmes]

The next time someone comes up with an idea similar they might think twice about who they are messing with.

I don't see how this will do anything but entice them further when the end result (according to what they're told) is that they're going to this paradise...

[stooks99]

my government never forgot that

Oh, they didn't forget ,but they sure stopped giving a $hit for a while.  GW and his buddies made it pretty clear they stopped worrying about OBL around 2003.

[Yankee]

my government never forgot that

Oh, they didn't forget ,but they sure stopped giving a $hit for a while.  GW and his buddies made it pretty clear they stopped worrying about OBL around 2003.

I guess that's your opinion.  I think a more actuate statement was that he wasn't a top priority.

[Yankee]

The next time someone comes up with an idea similar they might think twice about who they are messing with.

I don't see how this will do anything but entice them further when the end result (according to what they're told) is that they're going to this paradise...

Death is really enticing to people.  That is why the coward had other morons doing his dirty work and why he was trying to save off dying by using one of his wives as a human shield.  Really sounds like someone interested in dying.

[stooks99]

my government never forgot that

Oh, they didn't forget ,but they sure stopped giving a $hit for a while.  GW and his buddies made it pretty clear they stopped worrying about OBL around 2003.

I guess that's your opinion.  I think a more actuate statement was that he wasn't a top priority.

Well, you're right that it is my opinion, but Bush's actual quote from mid-2002:

Well, as I say, we haven't heard much from him. And I wouldn't necessarily say he's at the center of any command structure. And, again, I don't know where he is. I -- I'll repeat what I said. I truly am not that concerned about him."

[stooks99]

Just wanted to hop in before this thread gets locked.  I suppose it's a nice, dramatic event that the guy who was probably behind 9/11 has been killed, but let's be honest...he won.  We spent 10 years and trillions of dollars and thousands of lives chasing a war on an idea that this guy put into our head.  I found the jovial celebrations disgusting.  Celebrating death, in any manner, is a horrible act. 

I think people like to use the who idea of patriotism and freedom to defend their actions, but realistically, this guy being dead doesn't change anything.  He, according to reports, hasn't been an active participator in Al-quieda activities in some time.  He's a figurehead...someone used to elicit a certain emotion, and he was used successfully.  We can claim victory over this because he's dead, but this guy gets the W on this one.

But he didn't actually accomplish change.  All he did was get extremely famous throughout the world, kill a bunch of people, and die.  He put up a challenge, but he did not win.  Did Hitler win?  The world spent more money and had much more death thanks to him.  Maybe his organization will win, and maybe not, but he did not win.  As the leader of al-Quaeda, he certainly didn't do the things that he wanted to do, now did he?  His use of terror didn't really change fundamentally change anything.  His goal wasn't to make the U.S. spend money and it wasn't for only (if you'd call it that) thousands of troops to die over the course of ten years.  Sorry, but he failed.

OBL made it very clear that one of his goals was to get us bogged down in wars across the globe and to put our financial situation in the dumper...he gets a W in that column. 

[Dr. Neau]

just like the attacks on 9/11 haven't changed anything.

Apparently you never flew anywhere before 9/11...things have changed just a little.

[William]

And of course now there's the wonderful Patriot Act

[K ALL IN 9]

"Killing Bin Laden" was on Nat. Geo. last night and it was stated that the SEALS carried out the mission in only 38 minutes. The Navy SEALs are pretty BA if you ask me.

[Detroitdad]

"Killing Bin Laden" was on Nat. Geo. last night and it was stated that the SEALS carried out the mission in only 38 minutes. The Navy SEALs are pretty BA if you ask me.

I think they trained for 3--5 months. Actually set up the compound and everything.

[austin5string]

"Killing Bin Laden" was on Nat. Geo. last night and it was stated that the SEALS carried out the mission in only 38 minutes. The Navy SEALs are pretty BA if you ask me.

SEALs aren't pretty BA.. they are completely and totally 200% BA..

[Atlant]

I read this news and saw pics on several forums but still I don't believe it 100%. The pic is unclear and there are many questions about that operation.