Osama bin Laden is dead...

[FM]

It actually does. It just changes for the worse, since now he's a martyr, so not onyl you have to deal with terrorist basking in the same principles, but now ALSO with terrorists that will "worship" him, wreaking havoc for havoc's sake.

[sickofpalantirs]

It actually does. It just changes for the worse, since now he's a martyr, so not onyl you have to deal with terrorist basking in the same principles, but now ALSO with terrorists that will "worship" him, wreaking havoc for havoc's sake.

In some sense I agree, but in another sense, he was still someone who rallied support and money and planned operations.  Just because someone else will take his place doesn't mean that it isn't useful to make it so someone else has to take his place, and, the people who aren't exactly excited about dying for the cause are going to be a little less likely to participate, knowing that even Bin Laden could be found. 

[macheteman]

its hard not to get excited when they promise you a bajillion virgins in the afterlife. i hope they're virgins are militant nuns...

[ket_the_jet]

It's hard not to get excited when they promise you a bajillion virgins in the afterlife. I hope their virgins are militant nuns...

I fixed that for you, too.
-wtk

[Gate Troll]

Bin Laden's not dead... It's all a conspiracy by President Soetoro. He's alive in a secret government bunker with Elvis and Michael Jackson.
This is the final elaborate act in the Illuminati cover-up of the government perpetrated 9-11 hoax.
Uh-oh, I think they're after me... Time to put on my Aluminum Foil Deflector Beanie to avoid mind-control.

[macheteman]

ah ket, what would i do without you? write with poor grammar i guess...

[Elessar's Socks]

Personally I think he had it coming, but I consider this whole business a nasty affair, not a dancing-in-the-streets deal.

Given his desire to go down fighting, I don't think capturing him was a realistic scenario. Terrorists will continue to kill regardless of whether he's a martyr or not; then again, it's not like the news is reporting that anti-terrorism operations are concluding all over the world.

Also imprisoning someone for the rest of his life doesn't guarantee that further harm will be prevented. A murderer without remorse could escape, be freed in a prisoner exchange, order attacks from behind bars, etc.

[sickofpalantirs]

Best case scenario?  Capture him, use the overwhelming evidence against him in a trial, convict him, and hang him ala the Nuremberg trials.  Preferably from some suitably awesome monument.  Haven't decided which one would've been best

[TheJord]

I am disappointed with the street partying but I understand why.

I highly doubt anything will change because of this.

[sickofpalantirs]

Apparently they didn't just kill Osama, they also captured loads of intelligence.  I haven't found confirmation yet, but if it is true...

I'm just curious, you people who aren't happy about this (which I can somewhat understand) what did you want the US to do? 

[jdizzy001]

Osama declared war on the United States in 1995. He started it, we finished it.

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling, which thinks that nothing is worth war, is much worse. The person, who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."
-John Stuart Mill

 

USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA!

[ket_the_jet]

Osama declared war on the United States in 1995. He started it, we have just made the next few moves.

I fixed that for you.
-wtk

[FM]

Apparently they didn't just kill Osama, they also captured loads of intelligence.  I haven't found confirmation yet, but if it is true...

I'm just curious, you people who aren't happy about this (which I can somewhat understand) what did you want the US to do? 

I'm actually quite happy (or rather, mildly amused), to be honest. As I said, I firmly believe the world IS a bit better without him. That being said, A LOT of people could be killed to make the world a better place, like some pop singers, athletes and actors, so name a few categories, and we don't go shooting them left and right. I'm actually against CELEBRATING someone's death on the streets (unless that someone was the dictator in YOUR country, then that's fine, it's part of the revolutionary process), no matter who that someone is.

[Legolis]

Killing pop singers, athletes and actors would make the world a better or safer place? I don't see these kind of people taking up guns or strapping bombs to their children to blow up people, so I don't really see a threat there. As far as people in America celebrating in the streets it is not much different then when the middle eastern population was dancing in the streets, burning American flags and bibles after 9/11.

[FingolfinFinwe]

Firstly, I think it's clear that there are instances where it's appropriate to 'celebrate' someone's death.  For instance, I guarantee if Hitler had been assassinated to end WW2 it would have been cause for celebration.  However I'm concerned that in this situation it will just help to fuel the fire of the back and forth hate.  While I think America is justified in celebrating the death of one who targets civilians for terrorist attacks (note VERY different from the collateral damage that sometimes kills citizens in war), I believe it would have been better to take a high road and stay more solemn - focusing on the folks who died in 9/11 instead of Bin Laden, who doesn't deserve the attention now that he's gone. (RUN ON ALERT)

Also, no offense meant, but I think that comparing Bin Laden, a self proclaiming terrorist/murderer of thousands, and pop singers/athletes/actors is just plain silly.  There's a slight difference between moral depravity and mass murder.