Speculation that Osama Bin Laden killed

[CloneIce]

I have been in places where I had much less freedom, and it doesn't bother me. Bin Laden is an evil man, but that doesn't mean the U.S. needed to spend 10 years and 10s or 100s of billions of dollars to kill him.

Well, should we have just left him alone to operate with impunity to plan more attacks that killed hundreds to thousands of innocents?

Also, when you quote 10s or 100s of billions of dollars to kill him, you are misrepresenting the situation. The vast majority of money and effort has been spent on disrupting Al Qaida operations and networks worldwide, not simply to kill one man. Its not simply a revenge crusade.

 

[Clonefan32]

Interesting. Do you have any proof of this?

I was watching the NYM@PHI game last night and they were showing people in the crowd who were moved to tears when they saw the announcement. It's pretty condescending to assume that just because you weren't moved to show outward gestures of patriotism by this that others could not have been.

You don't find it odd that the majority of those who were so overcome by patriotism were college kids? I imagine most everyone who didn't have a direct connection to 9/11 (i.e. lost a loved one) had a similar feeling of being excited and happy, but college kids by their very nature have a mandate to go out on the streets and yell, scream and drink. Again, not saying I think everyone just hopped into the mob of people for the hell of it, but it's my opinion that many of them threw on their best american flag cut off shirt, downed a few beers and went to see what all the commotion was about.

Again, just my opinion feel free to disagree.

 

[cyclonemaniac7]

Such as?

China is the main one, but there are others.

 

[SenorCy]

I have been in places where I had much less freedom, and it doesn't bother me. Bin Laden is an evil man, but that doesn't mean the U.S. needed to spend 10 years and 10s or 100s of billions of dollars to kill him.

Than why did you move from those places. It is very easy to talk about how peaceful and reasonable you are when the most formidable military force in the world is protecting you.

 

[CYphyllis]

Perhaps I was a little strong with the "out of control". But this really sums up what I was getting at.

Personally, I think a candlelight vigil for the victims of 9/11 would have been far more appropriate.

Impromptu candle light vigil?

Everyone be sure to get out to your local Yankee Candle and stock up just in case an event like this happens again. Remember, being prepared is half the battle.

 

[Clonefan32]

As a student who attended the celebration last night, as others have stated, the whole thing was incredibly peaceful and "under control." That being said, from my perspective, it seemed that only about 1/4 of the students were there because they were genuinely patriotic and wanted to express their love of America. The other 75% seemed to consist of the "omg, we're totally rioting, lol" crowd, who were there more for the spectacle/party atmosphere than anything else. Again, this was just my perspective; others who were there, feel free to disagree.

Overall, I do feel agree with some posters in this thread that the over-the-top celebration did feel a little bit inappropriate. This is NOT because I feel any sympathy towards Bin Laden, rather, it just seemed like I was attending a sports rally, rather than a celebration of our country. In the end, as happy as I was when I heard the news, I felt like a more subdued "hand the ball to the official"-type celebration would have been more appropriate than the "Yeah, we kicked ***!!" celebration that I saw last night.

+1, this is exactly what I am trying to get at but much better stated by someone who was actually there.

 

[cyclonemaniac7]

Woah. I wish I lived in your world where unicorns **** rainbows and everyone is given a basket of puppies upon arrival.

Idealism about peace and love may get you so far in this world, but I doubt it will save your *** in a hostile country such as Afghanistan.

I know several people who are missionaries in Afghanistan, and they get along well with the locals because they are loving towards them.

 

[3TrueFans]

Impromptu candle light vigil?

Everyone be sure to get out to your local Yankee Candle and stock up just in case an event like this happens again. Remember, being prepared is half the battle.

It's a good thing there's a mini american flag store on nearly every corner.

 

[dmclone]

You don't find it odd that the majority of those who were so overcome by patriotism were college kids? I imagine most everyone who didn't have a direct connection to 9/11 (i.e. lost a loved one) had a similar feeling of being excited and happy, but college kids by their very nature have a mandate to go out on the streets and yell, scream and drink. Again, not saying I think everyone just hopped into the mob of people for the hell of it, but it's my opinion that many of them threw on their best american flag cut off shirt, downed a few beers and went to see what all the commotion was about.

Again, just my opinion feel free to disagree.

Most college kids don't have to get up at 5am to work.

 

[Clonefan32]

I know several people who are missionaries in Afghanistan, and they get along well with the locals because they are loving towards them.

Locals do not equate with terrorists.

 

[FarminCy]

I know several people who are missionaries in Afghanistan, and they get along well with the locals because they are loving towards them.

A local is typically not a terrorist hell bent on killing any American they see regardless of how much affection, loving, flowers, and BJ's you offer them.

 

[tm3308]

Impromptu candle light vigil?

Everyone be sure to get out to your local Yankee Candle and stock up just in case an event like this happens again. Remember, being prepared is half the battle.

Yeah, I'm sure all those students at Virginia Tech had boxes of candles in their dorm rooms at the time of the 2007 shootings. Getting that sort of stuff is pretty easy, especially in the age of the 24-hour Supercenter Wal-Mart. All it takes is a willingness to do so.

 

[CyCrazy]

I know several people who are missionaries in Afghanistan, and they get along well with the locals because they are loving towards them.

And Im guessing those people are not radical militants. Im guessing not everyone in Afghanistan agree's with the beliefs of Al Queda.

 

[CycloneErik]

This I will agree with. My freedom on the other hand very much is, especially if that life is a low-life, murderous scum bag.

Mine, too. Freedom isn't free, and I surely don't mind Bin Laden paying the price for it.

 

[MoreCowbell]

I know several people who are missionaries in Afghanistan, and they get along well with the locals because they are loving towards them.

There is a HUGE difference between locals and members of terrorist groups. And just because your missionary friends "get along" with them doesn't mean those same locals wouldn't throw those missionaries to the proverbial terrorist wolves if it meant saving their [the locals'] lives.

 

[CycloneErik]

I am very confident that wouldn't happen if I was abundantly loving towards them.

Edit: added loving

The Apostle Paul was abundantly loving towards the citizens all over the Roman Empire, and they killed him in the end.

You individual ethic is commendable. On an individual level, let's do it. I'll keep living that way myself.

On a national level, things work differently, and wars become necessary. A guy like Bin Laden is just an opposition war leader who was only going to stop via death.

 

[RayShimley]

I know several people who are missionaries in Afghanistan, and they get along well with the locals because they are loving towards them.

Sorry but your idealistic outlook is not grounded in any kind of reality.

I'm sure there are hundreds of other examples, but it took me less than 10 seconds to find this one:

BBC NEWS | Middle East | US missionaries murdered in Yemen

The gunman was said to be cradling his Kalashnikov rifle inside a jacket like a child and posing as a patient or relative as he entered the hospital in Jibla, about 170 kilometres (105 miles) south of the capital, Sanaa.

He went into a room where staff were holding a morning meeting and opened fire.

Hospital administrator William Koehn, purchasing agent Kathleen Gariety and doctor Martha Myers were killed by shots to the head.

 

[Tre4ISU]

Things have been relatively peaceful in America lately, but I guarantee you that will change because of this. Now I'm going to have to worry more about my safety than before.

If you weren't worried before you were naive. How often did we hear about thwarted terrorist plots? There were a few. Just because they didn't happen doesn't mean everything was hunky dory.

You do realize that those people in the Middle East who celebrated saw those thousands of people in the same evil light that we saw bin Laden, right? They felt equally justified.

It has to stop somewhere. We don't have any control over those people. We can only control ourselves, which is why when we can do something to stop the cycle, we should do it.

We are trying. Terrorist groups aren't going to just slowly go away. We aren't going to get rid of all of them either but at least we can slow them and keep them running to occupy their time.

As difficult as it is, I always preach love and forgiveness. I am not going to talk bad about the military or protest against them, but I never asked anyone to go kill people for my freedom. My freedom is not worth the price of another person's life.

Yeah, that's really easy to say when you are free. Ask the people Saddam controlled if they would have killed him if they could to be free. Ask a Holocaust survivor that. You and I neither one know what it's like to not be free.

 

[CyCrazy]

If you weren't worried before you were naive. How often did we hear about thwarted terrorist plots? There were a few. Just because they didn't happen doesn't mean everything was hunky dory.



We are trying. Terrorist groups aren't going to just slowly go away. We aren't going to get rid of all of them either but at least we can slow them and keep them running to occupy their time.



Yeah, that's really easy to say when you are free. Ask the people Saddam controlled if they would have killed him if they could to be free. Ask a Holocaust survivor that. You and I neither one know what it's like to not be free.

You must not be married. :unsure:

 

[cyclonemaniac7]

The Apostle Paul was abundantly loving towards the citizens all over the Roman Empire, and they killed him in the end.

You individual ethic is commendable. On an individual level, let's do it. I'll keep living that way myself.

On a national level, things work differently, and wars become necessary. A guy like Bin Laden is just an opposition war leader who was only going to stop via death.

This is true about Paul. Sometimes love does end in death.

I disagree that things work different on a national level.