Osama bin Laden is dead

[marshac]

"Congressional and administration officials tell CNN Osama bin Laden is dead. He was reportedly killed in Afghanistan."

[Guest mormonmusic]

Yes. we are all awaiting more details.

[marshac]

from Hanscom Air Force Base - Home

"NORTHCOM has initiated FPCON BRAVO for all DoD forces. All personnel should remain vigilant for any suspicious activity. Report any concerns to the Law Enforcement Desk at 781-377-2315. This message is current as of 10:40 a.m. on May 1, 2011. "

from wiki

"FPCON BRAVO describes a situation with somewhat predictable terrorist threat. Security measures taken by agency personnel may affect the activities of local law enforcement and the general public."

[bcguy]

Man, its been a decade now. Shows how elusive he has been. Its all over the news!

[Still_Small_Voice]

I cannot believe Osama Bin Laden managed to evade the impending death awaiting him for this long. He was killed in Pakistan in a mansion.

Dioxi ribonucleic acid (DNA) tests confirm his death.

[skippy740]

I wish he was killed with bullets soaked in pig's blood.

[Mute]

Now we just have to blast his body into outer space and it will be finished. Lots more terrorists to kill though.

[believer]

Here is the Presidential address if you missed it.

YouTube - OBAMA SPEAKS ON OSAMA'S DEATH (High Quality)

[Just_A_Guy]

I'm pleasantly surprised, given my previously-expressed opinion that the man's more politically useful alive and uncaught than dead.

Kudos to our fighting forces, and (yes) their CinC.

[marshac]

IMO nothing good will come of this- for a culture that resonates with the concept of martyrdom, all we've done is turned him into one while simultaneously thrusting a stick into a hornets nest. It reminds me of a line from a movie...

"You can't win, Darth. If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine."

Hopefully this isn't the case, but i'm afraid it will prove to be so- al qaeda lacks central planning and consists of nearly autonomous cells... taking down the a person that's now more or less a figurehead does nothing to solve the problem of the individual cells. I'm sure that was his plan from the beginning- after all- we taught him how to do it against the Soviets.

[Jenamarie]

IMO nothing good will come of this- for a culture that resonates with the concept of martyrdom, all we've done is turned him into one while simultaneously thrusting a stick into a hornets nest. It reminds me of a line from a movie...

"You can't win, Darth. If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine."

Hopefully this isn't the case, but i'm afraid it will prove to be so- al qaeda lacks central planning and consists of nearly autonomous cells... taking down the a person that's now more or less a figurehead does nothing to solve the problem of the individual cells. I'm sure that was his plan from the beginning- after all- we taught him how to do it against the Soviets.

I agree. Rather than feeling celebratory I feel more a sense of... bracing myself. There IS going to be backlash from this.

[JohnnyRudick]

I'm pleasantly surprised, given my previously-expressed opinion that the man's more politically useful alive and uncaught than dead.

Kudos to our fighting forces, and (yes) their CinC.

Not so sure about that.

Usually a leader is allowed to live until his usefulness is used up.

Then he is killed and his usefulness starts over again

with renewed power as a martyr.

[Elphaba]

Elphaba

[pam]

I'm surprised you are the first that brought up this news.

[pam]

Never mind. The other one was just in the wrong forum. :)

[Elphaba]

Never mind. The other one was just in the wrong forum. :)

I'd delete mine, but then your post would be confusing.

Elph

[pam]

No there is no need. It's just fine. It's just more references to the big news.

[Elphaba]

IMO nothing good will come of this- for a culture that resonates with the concept of martyrdom, all we've done is turned him into one while simultaneously thrusting a stick into a hornets nest.

I also worry there will be a renewed support in America for, or at least patience for, wars that, IMO, have done very little to protect us, and in fact, have made both the US and the rest of the world far more volatile at the expense of the lives, limbs and minds of thousands of soldiers.

Elphaba

[skippy740]

The problem with Islamic terrorists/extremists is that the only way to really end it "without warfare", is for all of us to convert to Islam, or DIE. There is NO middle ground, NO compromise. We cannot ascribe our ideals and ethics to the enemy. Israel says to just leave them alone. Same thing with Christian nations. We stop when the threat is gone. Not so with terrorists.

[RipplecutBuddha]

I read a headline somewhere that Bin Laden's remains were buried at sea after confirmation of identification was made. Seems the fish will be the last to deal with him now.

As for the Martyr aspect, any other time would be cause for concern. With all the other turmoil going on in the middle east as it is though, I'm unsure that any leader could use his death to regenerate the groundswell that Osama (Usama??) created. Also remember how long it took. After years of attacks against US interests abroad, and with the Federal gov't playing it down the whole time, I think that if any other movement starts, we'll be watching a little closer from now on.

[pam]

CNN states he was buried at sea in accordance with Muslim law that one must be buried within 24 hours.

[Aino]

The problem with Islamic terrorists/extremists is that the only way to really end it "without warfare", is for all of us to convert to Islam, or DIE. There is NO middle ground, NO compromise. We cannot ascribe our ideals and ethics to the enemy. Israel says to just leave them alone. Same thing with Christian nations. We stop when the threat is gone. Not so with terrorists.

Converting to Islam will do nothing. Terrorists kill Muslims of every sect.

Other than that... I recognize your point.

[Guest mormonmusic]

Because there as no visual confirmation that Bin Ladin as actually dead (such as a body broadcasted on CNN, for example), do you think everyone will claim it's all a hoax and that he is still alive? Taking his place with Elvis?

[MarginOfError]

Call me crazy, but I actually have really mixed feelings about this. And I'm not comfortable celebrating the violent death of another human.

My wife told me the news last night while I was laying down with my sick daughter, trying to cool down the room and keep her head elevated so that she could breathe well enough to stop coughing and get a good night's sleep. Now, I can't help but wonder if we'd be this happy about his death if the media had ever played clips showing him playing with his grandchildren, or propping his own child to a position in which he could sleep.

Say what you will about whether or not he ever would have done such a thing, but the point still stands: the man was a human being and, by our doctrine, a fellow son of God. His death is a tragedy.

Even more tragic, however, is the fact that the necessity of his death existed (yes, I am admitting that it needed to be done). So for me, the victory is bittersweet--a tragic end to a tragedy of human existence.

On a happier note, many heartfelt thanks to those men and women who take on these challenges. Their work is precisely why I can let my sick daughter become my only care in the world--even when such big and important news is taking place. For that, I cannot thank them enough.

[rameumptom]

Interestingly, Elder Nelson warned in General Conference that there are tough times ahead, and those who are called saints will be persecuted.

But that seems to be true throughout history. There are times of relative peace. But when the big wars and disasters come, they are harsh and take their toll.