Looks like they released a picture of the house he was hiding in: I bet he was hiding in the attic too.
I'm kind of surprised that people were celebrating so much. I mean, I get it, but I just feel like it's more cause for quiet remembrance that celebratory boozing and partying. I'll tell you what though, I wanted to get the fuck out of the Port Authority (bus station) as fast as fucking possible this morning. Christ. Lincoln Tunnel was slightly unnerving too. If I was a bus driver I'd have called in sick today.
No offense but what have you actually read about the details surrounding the U.S. attempts to capture/kill UBL in the last 18 years? A good place to start would be Ghost Wars, followed by First in, which covers basically the 80s through the first six months following 9/11. You'll see that the logistics, legality, foreign policy, and domestic bureaucracy that needed to be overcome to go after him were damn complicated. Yes, there were instances where the U.S. fucked up and missed out on clear opportunities, or did not give it the attention it deserved (especially in the late 90s). But its cautiousness also avoided several disasters (e.g. intel that gave a 75% chance that UBL was in a certain compound in Pakistan—the U.S. decided not to bomb the compound because the odds were not good enough, and it turned out that it was actually a Saudi royal family at the compound, not UBL). Do you know anything about UBL's Op Sec? He stayed very well hidden and only a very small, well-trusted network of people knew where he was at any given time. If he met with people he didn't complete trust, he was only there for a matter of hours at a time. U.S. intelligence was always able to track him down pretty reliably but was always a few hours behind. Think about the reality of the situation before you make sweeping comments like "it should only take a matter of months." When you try to apply Hollywood reality to a situation like this, it's easy to assume that failure means everyone was sitting on their asses. But I can assure you that many people—starting with dozens, then hundreds, then thousands—dedicated literally every working hour toward tracking him down, for almost 20 years. I hope this wasn't too political, just trying to give a more objective view about what it actually took to get UBL. It wasn't a matter of resolve that prevented us from finding him these last 10 years. edit: typo
Hey, even George Bush gets it: "The idea of focusing on one person is, um, really indicates to me that people really don't understand the scope of the mission. He' a person who's been marginalized. Terror's bigger than one person. His host government has been destroyed. He's the ultimate parasite who found weakness, exploited it, and met his match." The last time Osama Bin Laden was much of an issue was in the 2004 election campaign. Doesn't anyone remember how he'd been forgotten about for most of the last decade? How any time Bush was asked about Bin Laden after 2004 and gave answers like this, the only people who were outraged were faking it for political purposes? Also, Christopher Hitchens' response: <a class="postlink" href="http://www.slate.com/id/2292687/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.slate.com/id/2292687/</a>
I'm not seeing a way to talk about my opinions on this in depth without going into politics beyond what's allowed. But Google tells me that between September 2001 and the current day, more than more than 140,000 US soldiers have deployed to a country where we know without question Osama hasn't been in at any point in that time period.
Yeah, but what would you put on his headphones to make him go?? Muslim extremists believe that listening to any kind of music is a sin (seriously).
So this morning after I woke up and my mom texted me and I read the news, I posted on Facebook that I would have loved to be the one who got to put a bullet in his head. My douchebag housemate then posts that he too would love to "murder someone so he could be a famous murderer." After I tore him a new asshole, he removed the comment. God bless America.
From all the footage I've seen there is high pitched rythmic Arabian flutes playing at all times in the middle east. Do they have anything against circular sunglasses?
You're a smart guy, quit arguing like a moron. If you, or any other of the assholes who've posted the same sentiment, are so fucking dense that you think hundreds of thousands of soldiers have been deployed as the behest of an international coalition, to the tune of billions of dollars while risking and losing thousands of lives, civilian or not, all for one fucking guy....then Jesus H Christ, I don't know what to tell you. Saying that you're missing the point is a severe understatement. But by all means, keep regurgitating the same tired bullshit, in whatever ambiguous context that you think will showcase your points in the best possible light. Edit: Everyone is allowed to have their own opinion about it, and speak freely at that. But I'll be goddamned if I'm going to listen to dipshit Canadians with little brother syndrome or a fat fuck Australian with Aspergers wax poetically about something that they're woefully under-qualified and miseducated to talk about. Seriously, fuck all of y'all.
Re: Draft? Why Yes, I'd Love One! WDT 4/29/11 In light of other responses to my post, I'll concede that he was more valuable to Al-Qaeda than I previously realized. But regarding what I initially wrote, it was out of concern that the marginal benefit (or cost, for Al-Qaeda) of OBL's death was being blown out of proportion. Like you said, he was no Manning. I see all these people dancing in the street and raving on the news networks, losing their collective shit, when there's still much work to be done. You don't cheer on your team for winning in the 3rd quarter. At any rate, it was a victory, regardless of how big or small. As many people here have said, it's a huge morale booster, which counts for a lot. And unlike the fucking royal wedding, this is news that has relevance. Also: the internet is hella fast.
Fucking nuts some guy in the same town tweeted the attack out. Id have to say, Ive been watching China state TV and CNN international, you think American media is bad? Im not talking about political onesidedness (except for CTV) but god damn Ive seen elementary school news programs with better production values. A CNNi host was just off camera with a hot mic yelling about the script and they cut to a live event at the White House, Obama giving out Medal of Honor awards, which they said was going to be the president briefing the nation on the situation.
This is truly fantastic news and I'm very happy to celebrate it. Big respect to US service personnel, a huge victory has been won. Al-Qaeda used to have huge influence throughout Afghanistan and Pakistan but they got too big for their shoes. Hundreds of senior members have been killed by the USA, including now their figure head. Some people may not wish to celebrate this but they need to realize they are directly involved in the war with islamic-fascism whether they want to or not. Bin Laden would have taken great pleasure in killing every single member of this board for their own private beliefs. All else I can say is re-iterate the moto of anti-nazi groups we have in Europe: 'The only good fascist is a dead fascist', and so today is a good day.
I think the thing I'm most proud of is how the eradication of a truly deluded and despicable human being inevitably degenerates into the monkeys in the zoo throwing their feces at each other.
It's about time they tracked his ass down. I'm happy they buried him at sea so there won't be a Jim Morrison-esq tomb for supporters and followers to rally around. Becoming fish food is better than he deserves. Still I don't agree with the block party-fuck yeah! mentality of it. I highly doubt the majority of people with that sentiment gave OBL nary a thought during any given week of their lives. It's interesting to watch the mob mentality of moralists who chug a beer to celebrate the death of a stranger. Meh, life goes on. Say a prayer for the troops still on the ground in these far off hell holes and hope that there aren't a myriad of attempted retributions by this cretin's followers in the coming days.
I'm going to go with Mark Twain on this one: "I've never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure." The thing I find most disturbing about the picture of that guy in the American flag suit thing is that he just had that lying around. All I can think is that maybe it was a leftover from a July 4th fetish party?