Osama Bin Laden Confirmed Dead!!!!

[AlexanderDitto]

Why does anyone care?

~Alja~

A bad guy who caused and could continue to cause pretty serious harm to a lot of people is dead because of the coordinated efforts of the governments of several countries.

It's not that important, but it is important.

Whether you think the wars were justified or not (in my opinion, they weren't), this is a separate issue. In fact, I'd say that it wasn't the war efforts that lead to this. It was intelligence, coordinated with other countries including Pakistan, and precision tactical forces, not broad-swath invasions, to find a criminal and take him out before he did more harm.

Unfortunately, the impact on this country isn't going to go away. It's hard to undo what has been done, and the TSA isn't going to loosen its grip on your shampoo bottles, politicians are still going to yammer on about the importance of security and justifying massive Defense budgets, and people are still going to think Muslims are evil.

[King Kool]

And the predictable cynicism and trolling that masquerade as sincere insight from those hurt badly enough in the past to believe caring about anything is a sign of weakness slips into the unfathomable morass of ignorance as quietly and unnoticed as a drop of hot sauce in a swimming pool full of mayonnaise.

[Alja-Markir]

No. You think you understand my question, but you don't. S'not your fault - it's something I don't think words can properly convey.

It's all just so senseless. And we thrive on the madness, embrace it. What a sad state of affairs.

~Alja~

[Bananafish]

It is nothing but the realization of a 10-year revenge fantasy

[King Kool]

How convenient that once someone answers your idiotic question, all of a sudden, words fail to express your immeasurable philosophy.

TRY, dammit. Test us. Give it a shot. What's the worst that could happen? We learn something?

[King Kool]

See, bananafish is at least clear.

[Jillers]

Sorry we can't all be that enlightened. It never feels fully right to celebrate a death, but when the death is of a person who has caused so much pain in the world (and personal to myself, I admit), I don't think we can help it.

[Gordon Fearman]

Unfortunately, the impact on this country isn't going to go away. It's hard to undo what has been done, and the TSA isn't going to loosen its grip on your balls...

Fix'd.

[Bananafish]

See, bananafish is at least clear.

ty that means A Lot

[tak197]

No. You think you understand my question, but you don't. S'not your fault - it's something I don't think words can properly convey.

It's all just so senseless. And we thrive on the madness, embrace it. What a sad state of affairs.

~Alja~

Sincerely, I'm trying to understand your question, Alja. Is it that this event and the mass hysteria that it has caused in the nation has made you wonder why it is people care so much about the demise of someone they have never personally met? Like a question you would also ask upon the passing of Liz Taylor, or Michael Jackson?

Or is it that you are asking why people care about the fact that the US succeeded in completing a military goal that really happens all the time anyway in any war or battle in history, which is killing the enemy?

Am I close to what you were getting at?

[Bananafish]

Sorry we can't all be that enlightened. It never feels fully right to celebrate a death, but when the death is of a person who has caused so much pain in the world (and personal to myself, I admit), I don't think we can help it.

The amount of people personally or directly effected by the 9/11 attacks is amazingly miniscule, the people that are out hooting and dancing in the streets and in front of the Capital have, most assuredly, not been effected. The opinions of the people that have been effected have been diluted to suit the needs of the masses- there was just a first responder on CNN was was cut off right after suggesting that we should pull out of Afghanistan.

Any empathy that Americans have is shallow and has been cultivated by the mass media for the past decade for this exact moment- for this orgy of nationalism. This death won't effect our foreign policy or military action, and our current legitimate threats will not change. it is just the most vulgar and embarrassing part of america in full display and asking for a moment of self-reflection or suggesting that maybe doing the running man outside the capital over a persons's death is a bit gauche means you are just raining on everyones parade and idk maybe relax a little?? we did it man!! y-yeah!!

[tak197]

The amount of people personally or directly effected by the 9/11 attacks is amazingly miniscule, the people that are out hooting and dancing in the streets and in front of the Capital have, most assuredly, not been effected.

Statistically, you are right. The chances of one of the thousands of people directly or personally affected by the attacks being outside the Capital building or the White House as of the announcement of the death of bin Laden, out of the millions that pass through DC every day is actually pretty miniscule.

In the broader sense, it's kinda iffy. I mean being directly affected by 9/11 is pretty concrete, but personal effects are so subjective that it could be a lot easier. It's one of those things that I remember about my high school journalism class that discusses how news really gets made into a story and gets printed. It's a combination of proximity to the event, the size of the event, the size of the audience, and a lot of other things.

[King Kool]

I'll go out and say that I, at least, don't feel any exuberance over this news. I wouldn't go dancing over something like this. I'm unlikely to dance because anyone's dead.

If we captured him alive, and he was gonna be tried? Maybe.

[tak197]

I'll go out and say that I, at least, don't feel any exuberance over this news. I wouldn't go dancing over something like this. I'm unlikely to dance because anyone's dead.

If we captured him alive, and he was gonna be tried? Maybe.

Blame Dubya. He told the military that bin Laden was to be executed on sight. So that's why he won't be tried.

[King Kool]

I have no problem with standing orders to kill him on sight, if they prevent him from getting away. Him standing trial was a pipe dream, anyway.

[arch4non]

*People being angry or cynical over the death of Osama bin Laden.*

[King Kool]

Thank you, arch. They say a picture's worth a thousand words, and that one is summarizing what I was thinking quite majestically.

[TheRocket]

I'm tickled by this news.

However, I don't feel safer knowing I just moved closer to the biggest political hot spot and target for terrorists.

::LE SIGH::

[Wraith]

:::cracks fingers:::




Thunder.

Bringing.

Now.

[King Kool]

Wraith, if you're gonna Wraith on them, don't waste your time. They're either trolls or idiots.

[nonjabiru]

However, I don't feel safer knowing I just moved closer to the biggest political hot spot and target for terrorists.

That was the first thing that popped into my head. Not anything to do with Osama being dead, just waiting to see if the moment Obamas speech started that would be the last thing I'd see.

Not that I seriously think something will happen. I was honestly concerned after the DC Sniper incident about nine years ago that somebody would try coping them. But this will be a thought in the back of my head just as a little paranoid thing each time I go into DC for work now.

[iamafish]

i stand somewhat outside the collective wound of 9/11, given that i'm not american, so this news doesn't fill me with unremitting joy or a sense of satisfaction. I'm not unhappy that bin laden is dead; he was an evil man and the world is a better place for his death. Am i terribly bothered? not really. 9/11 was almost ten years ago, now, the war in the middle east has waged for almost as long. As someone looking somewhat from the outside in, one death in thousands is hardly important, no matter who it is. The fact remains that Bin Laden was pretty much powerless now anyway; little more than a figurehead. In the greater scheme of things this is hardly much of a blow to america's enemies; another leader will take bin laden's place, someone who has been effectively leading the Taliban for the last few years anyway, so very little will really change.

[TheRocket]

However, I don't feel safer knowing I just moved closer to the biggest political hot spot and target for terrorists.

That was the first thing that popped into my head. Not anything to do with Osama being dead, just waiting to see if the moment Obamas speech started that would be the last thing I'd see.

Not that I seriously think something will happen. I was honestly concerned after the DC Sniper incident about nine years ago that somebody would try coping them. But this will be a thought in the back of my head just as a little paranoid thing each time I go into DC for work now.

It's really weird having moved down here. I remember when the DC sniper happened and I'd heard the news reports on it. Reading about it now I'm like "hey I've been to that gas station... I live less than a mile from that store... I know that road...." and it scares the poop outta me. I miss my docile, safe Canadian life!


I am worried that the terrorist will plan something.. and I don't feel safe down here. A lot of people say" Oh well DC is the safest place to be." I don't see how that is since that will be a big target and the military will be concentrating on saving military personelle and the president.. not some peon like me!

Either way, Osama deserves to rot. The people that died in the September 11th attacks were NOT the only people affected by the attacks. It might be miniscule to *insert whatever world genocide here* on scale but it was still an important and life changing event for an entire nation.

[Rikadyn]

Personally think this is just too coincidentally timed.

I believe he was probably killed during the initial invasion and the information was sat on till now.

[sdhonda]

Personally think this is just too coincidentally timed.

I believe he was probably killed during the initial invasion and the information was sat on till now.

Uh, no.