Osama Bin Laden is Dead

[Pa'li Makto]

Eugh.

[Tsyal Makto]

I know people are happy he is dead (I am), but I do find some of the ways people are reacting to be a bit off-putting. I thought this was more of a time for reflective, bitter-sweet healing, a time to be thankful for justice served. Instead there's been a lot of frothy jingoistic flag waving. Kinda drags us down to the people we see as enemies, don't ya think?

If Americans are supposed to be the bigger people in this matter, shouldn't we act like it?

My $0.02.

[Raiden]

Heh.

Yeah, organizations like his are like hydras.

Lop off one head, and three will take its place.

[Isard]

Originally Posted by Raiden

Heh.

Yeah, organizations like his are like hydras.

Lop off one head, and three will take its place.

Actually, it was his private funding that gave Alquida the power they needed to attack countries abroad. I don't see the wealthy of the world exactly clamoring to give money to terrorists. Bad for their image. And business.

[Advent]

Hmm. I'm interested by the news as well, but it is a bit hard for me to be overjoyed by it. After all, it's not like we where there. Who knows what really happened.

And on a side note, death isn't a very good cause for celebration. Relief, maybe. But I get put off by people jumping for joy about a person's death for some reason.

[Gunny]

Im overjoyed at the news! Im glad that SOB is dead! He deserved what happened to him no question. I just want the pics now, only thing that bothers me is all the "I's" and Me's" Obama included in his speech last night, you can bet your ass he will use this a million times and more during his re election campaign, what perfect timing. Hopefully people are not ignorant enough to vote for him again solely based on this. He just happened to get lucky and the finding/killing of Osama just happened to take place during his presidency.

And as for everyone chanting in joy on the streets, I think its much easier to understand when you have had someone who lost their life on 9/11. Having a family member/close friend/whatever murdered and then the terrorist behind it all running free for years...yeah I jumped and shouted for joy when his death was announced, USA! USA!

[Sight Unseen]

1. Osama being dead changes what, exactly?
2. Don't you think we should calm down a couple of notches? We're not out of the woods yet.

[Pa'li Makto]

How do you know he is behind it Gunny? Many terrorist groups have laid claim to destruction although they haven't actually been behind it, but support it nonetheless. Remember when Bush thought that Saddam had nuclear weapons and had affiliations with Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda. Turns out he didn't have anything to do with either at the time.

Not to put you down Gunny but I feel a bit sick in the stomach seeing people rejoicing at the death of someone, waving flags and wanting gruesome pics. Like Tsyal Makto suggested, Those who celebrate in the US like that don't look that much different that the people who celebrate killing US Troops in their country.

[Human No More]

Originally Posted by Tsyal Makto

I know people are happy he is dead (I am), but I do find some of the ways people are reacting to be a bit off-putting. I thought this was more of a time for reflective, bitter-sweet healing, a time to be thankful for justice served. Instead there's been a lot of frothy jingoistic flag waving. Kinda drags us down to the people we see as enemies, don't ya think?

If Americans are supposed to be the bigger people in this matter, shouldn't we act like it?

My $0.02.

Exactly. The world is a better place with him dead and I am glad it happened, but this talk of torturing him and actually celebrating the fact is something else entirely.

PS. Completely off topic, but nobody ever 'thought Saddam had nuclear weapons' - the claim was about chemical weapons and that they had the supposed capability to deploy them, (but no actual such weapons, as it turned out, leading to accusations it was a cover).

Pa'li Makto - there have been numerous statements from them claiming responsibility (and nobody else has) as well as intelligence leading back to them. He is also clearly linked to the 1993 (I think) car bombings there. Wanting to see the pictures is something I completely understand out of wanting confirmation. Of course, his identify was verified by DNA test as well, so releasing the data from that would do equally well.

[Pa'li Makto]

We still don't know the full picture..
We can't say anything for certain, especially if you base your facts off western reports.
Plus HNM, I really suggest you watch The War You Don't See. It has things in there about The invasion of Iraq and the background behind it that you should take in.

[Human No More]

So a report should be ignored because if its country of origin?
I am very sceptical of the reasons for the invasion of Iraq, but that doesn't change the fact that nobody ever claimed they had nuclear weapons.

[Fkeu'itan]

Originally Posted by The Man in Black

Am I alone in saying that it's a sad day for society when we're out in the streets parading over the fact that we wished someone's death and it came true? I see people on facebook, etc... talking about how Osama is going to "burn in hell" and what not. All I have to say is that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. People need to learn a thing or two about perspectives before we start chanting "AMERICA!!!"

Well, I wanted to say it as bluntly as that, but someone did the deeds for me.

Also, to those talking about the attacks of Al Qaeda taking the lives of thousands of innocents, how about the 'war on terror' in Iraq and Afghanistan taking the lives of HUNDREDS of thousands of innocents in civilian casualties?

Just sayin'...

[auroraglacialis]

Originally Posted by Uk Tsamsiyu

I don't see how people on here don't like the fact that a mass-murdering terrorist, who orchestrated countless suicide bombings, IEDs, assaults, and other forms of terrorism all of the world, killing thousands upon thousands of people, caught a few slugs in the head.

That propaganda really got you, hm? He was one of the main figures yes and it was a lot of his money (that originally came from the US on a sidenote) that helped the terrorists along, but I doubt by far that this guy singlehandedly "orchestrated countless suicide bombings...". Geez - the problem is not one single person, problems like this (terrorism) are systemic - they come from an imbalance in social and economic systemas and from radicalization of religious beliefs - not from single individuals. Especially not in this case.

That event spurred a bunch of fun "Freudian mishaps" though :



(translation of the last, which is a twitter feed of the german governmental spokesperson: "Chancellor says: Obama is responsible for the death of thousands of innocents and has made fun of the fundamental beliefs of world religions"

[Pa'li Makto]

Originally Posted by Human No More

So a report should be ignored because if its country of origin?
I am very sceptical of the reasons for the invasion of Iraq, but that doesn't change the fact that nobody ever claimed they had nuclear weapons.

Naw man, I did not say that. I'm just saying, be very wary of where your info comes from, it caters to a different agenda, to different audiences. The news from Al-Jazeera (English and Arabic version) is very different then the BBC the ABC and the CNN for example. To be honest, a lot of bias comes from the media we get at home. I look at the front page of our most popular tabloid and the headline is this: "World's most wanted killed Evil Dead" Like that is going to get a rational reaction.

[auroraglacialis]

Yes, it is healthy to look at news from other countries and alternative sources if one wants to get a picture of what is happening that is not mediated through the own cultural setting...(or even corporate interests in some cases). What do you think why it is so important for Chinese activists to get access to an uncensored internet and why the people in the soviet union were "discouraged" from watching western TV...