Osama bin Laden Has Been Killed

[filkertom]

Here's your news day.

So very many things can and will be and already have been said about this, especially given the irony of it occurring on the eight anniversary of George W. Bush's "Mission Accomplished" show. What occurs to me, though, is this:

• Now, maybe, just maybe, we can start boldly saying "enough already" and start removing ourselves from Iraq and Afghanistan and maybe even Pakistan.
• There will always be another bad guy to rise and take his place. Stop committing to permanent warfare based on chasing shadows. That's what bin Laden was able to do to us for years, and our nation has suffered for it.
• Some people are already protesting about the directive that bin Laden's remains "will be handled in accordance with Islamic tradition". Well, it only makes sense. He's already going to be a martyr to his followers; there is absolutely no reason to rile up those who otherwise would not consider him a martyr by desecrating his remains further.
• There is already a hue and cry from the Right about President Obama "politicizing" this. I do believe we've had enough precedent over the past eight years of the Republicans doing precisely the same thing. Moreover, there's already this (h/t jblaque).

Thoughts? Please keep it civil. And no unseemly gloating. This is not a cause for celebration; it's a cause for sighing with relief that this portion of a long and tragic story is over, and for moving on.

Comments

Pardon me, I'm skeptical

[realinterrobang.livejournal.com]

After 10 years of killing "Al Qaeda's #3" and "Oh yes, we're going to close Guantanamo Bay...no we're not" and so on back to the beginning of the Bush regime and beyond, how do I know the US government isn't lying its face off this time? Shorter me: Pix or GTFO.

Re: Pardon me, I'm skeptical

[emiofbrie.livejournal.com]

They are probably lying. It's likely Bin Laden died back in December 2001 from lack of access to kidney dialysis (he had bad kidneys, and didn't exactly have access to good medical care while on the run).

But that didn't jive with the powers that be, so they propped him up as a real-life Emmanuel Goldstein. Notice in the videos over the years, "Bin Laden" never really looked the same way twice.

Re: Pardon me, I'm skeptical

[holzman.livejournal.com]

Pics (http://newsnet7.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/bin-laden-dead-2011bin-laden-deadbin-laden-killedladen-dead-or-aliveladen-deadosama-bin-laden-bodyosama-bin-laden-body-foundosama-bin-laden-body-703725.jpg).

Warning: This is a photographic head shot of Osama bin Ladin, who died of a the other sort of headshot. It is not appetizing.

Re: Pardon me, I'm skeptical

[ladycheron.livejournal.com]

Sorry, the photo's a fake, photoshop combination of 2 other pix.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/02/osama-bin-laden-photo-fake