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Sunday, May 1, 2011

Osama Bin Laden Dead!

You’re all expecting some big write-up, I know.

I don’t have one.

At least not at the moment. 

Bin Laden is dead.  He didn’t die of old age or kidney failure or some random UAV strike. 

Instead, one hell of a lot of people worked very, very hard for a very, very long time, all of which eventually led to a small handful of US special forces who went into a compound in Pakistan and killed the son of a bitch.  They blew his goddamned brains out and took his body away for confirmation.  That’s it and I don’t have much to add other than to say this puts paid to debt that has been a long, long time coming.

Here’s the thing: you don’t cheer when you put down a rabid dog, you just do it. Then you bury the carcass in an unmarked grave and think on it no more.

Bin Laden is dead.

He didn’t escape.  He died at the hands US Navy SEALs.

And that’s enough for now.

52 comments:

  1. Donald Trump now wants to see Osama's long-form death certificate.

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  2. Can do.

    Trump just has to go to Pakistan personally to retrieve it. I'll help him pack.

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  3. I'm thinking of all those who have suffered due to this one man's ideas on how to "improve the world".

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  4. And it happened without all the bluster, fear mongering, tinkering with terror alerts, and/or torture.

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  5. And it happened while adults were running the store and left the job to professionals.

    Sonofabitch was in a mansion in suburb? Suspect he was surprised.

    Dr. Phil

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  6. My Dear President Obama,

    As you sat yesterday evening in the midst of one of the biggest racist, white trash pieces of garbage in our Nation, YOU, OUR PRESIDENT, was leading the endeavor to bring to justice Osama bin Laden. Period. Done. Greatest President of All times - in EVERY WAY.

    The incessant stupidity of the PL/frustrati/firebaggers and their teabagger buddies. The endless carping from the corporatist right wing media. The unrelenting insults from the Tavis and Cornell show. On and on and on and this man, this wonderful citizen of the world, this enormously empathetic human being, has been truly caring for each of us every single day.

    Thank you President Obama. You deserve another four years. You deserve to be with us, guiding us, and the world for decades to come because YOU HAVE EARNED IT every step of the way along the totally unique, only in America, journey you have traveled.

    I love you - what more can I say.
    B Robert Franza MD

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  7. My favorite response to this particular piece of news (I can't take credit for it, but I will repeat it nonetheless) is:

    See what happens when you let gays serve in the military?

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  8. Word.

    And it was big of you to not say Navy Seals special forces. (<;

    Seals kick ass.

    Now to watch the rightwing windbags and their minions attempt to spin this negatively...

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  9. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  10. Well, it's going to be a big, big unmarked grave. I just heard on the news that his body was buried at sea. I'm assuming that means the Indian Ocean since they picked him up in Pakistan. To follow muslim tradition, he had to be buried in 24 hours.

    Burying him at sea means there will be no gravesite for foolish young fanatics to visit and dedicate themselves to obscene and violent deaths for us infidels. That doesn't mean they won't be trying to be martyrs for the cause, just that they'll have to go to the middle of the Indian Ocean to have the dedication ceremonies. Probably wouldn't hurt to keep track of large groups who gather on the sea shore.

    In the meantime, thank you to all the professional military and intelligence personnel who were able to rid the world of this menace. Your service is greatly appreciated.

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  11. Dear GWB,

    This is what "Mission Accomplished" looks like. SK

    Well said Jim, I feel no glee at any death, but this was a good thing.

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  12. He's been dead since 2001, Jim. His obit was published in the Arabic-speaking world in December 2001. Even FOX Noise, on Wednesday, December 26, 2001, reported this. Here's another source:

    whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/osama_dead.php

    No body? Convenient. No need to prove it's him, and this line about Islamic burial customs is ridiculous. If the SEALS had really gone after him, he'd have been captured alive and then strung up for the entire country to spit on and make a spectacle of, "to show them terr'ists"

    By the way, Bhutto was assassinated shortly after mentioning OBL being dead.

    I don't mind if you choose not to let this one through. I'm used to feeling like Cassandra of Troy.

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  13. "I've never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure.” - Mark Twain

    I'll be drinking a beer sometime this week saluting my Navy friends.

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  14. Cassandra, he was also reported dead in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009.

    In 2007 and 2010 he was probably on spring break.

    http://mobile.salon.com/news/feature/2011/05/01/bin_laden_false_reports/index.html

    Even if a body were brought back the deniers would deny.

    Deep six the trash and be done.

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  15. They should have autopsied him, released the video, then given his body for lunch to a pen full of pigs.

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  16. Well, that didn't take long.

    Cassandra, I suppose it's only fitting that the White House, select members of Congress, the alphabet soup of US intelligence agencies, the military from the top all the way down to the SEALs of Team 6, all our foreign allies, and everybody who has toiled endlessly for the last ten years to catch this guy should have faked Osama Bin Laden's death - after all, Bush faked 9/11 with the help of space alien terminators from the future.

    Cassandra, there is no facepalm big enough for that drivel and I certainly hope you were either being a Poe or just kidding and the humor didn't quite make it through. To perpetuate this nonsense does a vast disservice to all those who dedicated their lives to bringing Bin Laden down - up to and including the men who flew those missions yesterday and risked all to put paid on this account.

    _____________________

    Paratrooper, while I certainly understand and sympathize with this sentiment, the fallout would be unpleasant in the extreme. To deliberately desecrate Bin Laden's body would serve only as a force multiplier for our enemies. Best option is that we take the high road, and deny them the tactical advantage.

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  17. That the various branches of AQ have vowed vengeance is pretty much all the confirmation I need.

    And while I would like his head on a pike installed on the lawn at the Pentagon, I'll accept "burial at sea in accordance to muslim tradition" (ie. within the day he was killed, and with an Imam saying the appropriate prayers). Trophy taking is for barbarians. Which is why we haven't released the photos either (well, that and the Geneva Conventions).

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  18. My exact sentiments, Jim.

    Last night I watched the coverage and shook my head. There must be something wrong with me not to be cheering. Good gawd he was responsible for all those deaths. But I read somewhere, you should not celebrate a death.

    Thanks for saying what I felt.

    JaneE

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  19. Thank you for posting this Mr. Wright. It articulates what I have been feeling and why I have been uneasy with all the celebration.

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  20. Ding-dong, the witch is dead. I don't wish to seem cynical but there will soon be another one taking his place. In the meantime I'm sure there will be a multitude of creatively spelt comments on various sites around the web saying the equivalent of "Obama's a useless president, it took him ten years to find bin Laden" etc, etc...

    For the people who did the real work, congratulations on a job well done: it is a shame he couldn't be taken alive and brought to trial (i.e. identified as a common criminal not some sort or martyr) but also quite understandable given the apparent circumstances of his capture.

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  21. Why do I get the feeling that if Bush had been given the same intelligence, he would have had the Air Force drop a couple of tons of bombs on the street, only to find out that bin Laden didn't happen to be home at the time.

    The failure, of course, would have been blamed on Clinton

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  22. There is some small reason for a general feeling of satisfaction. I cannot understand the cheering, though. I feel satisfaction because now the world is incrementally safer than it was 48 hours ago. As the Warrant said, putting down a dangerous beast is something a sane society should do.

    I feel nothing but derision for people who cheer the death of a person. Cheering at the death of an enemy, no matter how hated, lessens the humanity of those who celebrate.

    According to Al-Jazeera's own website, some of the men in the compound used the women present as human shields. I expected more from the defenders, but I am not surprised.

    Burial at sea is an excellent choice: as pointed out before, there is no grave, there is no shrine, and there will be no long-drawn out court process over who gets the remains. And lest anyone point out that the U.S. does not honor the rites of Islam, he received his burial within 24 hours as the Koran stipulates.

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  23. Thank you. I think the celebration is a little off-base. I am in awe of the guys who went in an did what needed doing, but I'm not throwing a party, because it isn't over yet. My friend is still over there. It's not a party until he and the rest of his crew come home.

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  24. First time commenter :-)

    The reason that there is cheering in the streets (and you'll notice that it is predominantly younger people) is that the warmongers have been using OBL as a massive propaganda target since 9/11. As the goal was to kill (no one ever really expected capture) this target, when the goal is achieved, there is celebration.

    No, we shouldn't celebrate the killing of a rabid dog. However, OBL was not a rabid dog. He was a self centered maniac. Killing him and dumping his body at sea was probably the best outcome under the circumstances. But we must guard ourselves against dehumanizing him or any of our opponents, as that path leads to the justification of murder and genocide.

    We put the long form death certificate in OBL's pocket before dumping his worthless butt into the sea. Tell Trump to tie a rock around his neck and go get it. :-)

    Nick

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  25. Jim,

    I haven't posted before, but I've been reading your blog for several months now. Thank you for consistently approaching politics and everything else with... I don't even know how to say it... maybe "solid good sense" is the best description I can come up with. Thank you (and many of your commenters!) for choosing to say it like it is without dredging up all of the drama and hysteria that seems to invade most of the media and online blogs.

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  26. I posted this last night on my Fb page before the details came out about the death of Osama bin Laden:
    "It seems Osama bin Laden is dead.
    I want to go on record that I do not wish for or celebrate the death of another human being. + That is not what Jesus taught. I am with Him 100%. +
    HOWEVER, I do think it is way over due for Osama to go see Allah for an attitude adjustment. "
    I just read all of the comments on this post. It is comforting to read [with one exception] comments by rational thoughtful people. Sadly there seems to be little of that these days. I know when I come here and read posts and comments on this blog I will share moments of reality and sanity. Thank you Jim and all.

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  27. Yes...I agree...I am relieved, and felt hope for his victims last night...But we ought not celebrate any death...How very sad that this was how we were represented to the world last night...

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  28. This is how I felt last night...it's still how I feel this morning...‎

    "Arms are instruments of ill omen. . . . When one is compelled to use them, it is best to do so without relish. There is no glory in victory, and to glorify it despite this is to exult in the killing of men. . . . When great numbers of people are killed, one should weep over them with sorrow. When victorious in war, one should observe mourning rites."
    Lao-Tzu

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  29. I understand that as a professional I shouldn't be celebrating. However, IMHO, Osama reneged on his dues to humanity a long time ago. So, yeah, a beer will be hefted in honor of the Navy, CIA, NSA, POTUS and everybody else who had a hand in this.

    As someone who knew the name Osama bin Laden before the East African embassy attacks, it's been a long time coming. If there were a physical grave, I would dance upon it. But then, I'm an insensitive prick about some things.

    To our kill teams still in the field, good hunting.

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  30. I felt like a load was lifted.

    I'm not sure on the details--there are already conflicting reports of whether ROE called for kill or capture/kill, whether and why there were or weren't Pakistani forces involved, etc. The conspiracy nuts (should we call these "deathers"?) are already saying the DNA evidence is faked, he's been dead for years, etc, etc. We'll never quell the fringe's suspicions, but I think (barring a risk to national security) the public should get as much of the story as possible, to not only clearly depict the thought and efforts put into this op by all parties, but also to prevent what might be a lull in our bi-polar political situation here at home from vanishing in yet another wave of out-there theories.

    As for the folks saying there was too much "I, me" in POTUS's speech last night: I think that part of the speech wasn't just directed at the American people. I think part of that was Obama saying "Hiding in Pakistan isn't going to stop us from coming and finding you" and possibly giving Pakistan a bit of a body-check in the process.

    But then, that's nuance. I suck at interpreting nuance.

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  31. Vettriano222, I also think the "I, me" phrases weren't for domestic consumption. They were an attempt to say, "I'm the one you have the quarrel with. I did this to you," as a way to draw fire. Also, as a way to distance the Pakistanis (depending on just how involved they were) and to take fire off of Afghanistan and our other Allies. I doubt it'll have the effect they wished it would.

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  32. I don't like anything about the guy but I'll give him the credit of sneaking in and kicking our (civilians) ass. He had the balls to try it, he had a great sneaky idea so he did it. It worked. Now he's dead and it's about fricking time. Good!

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  33. Vetriano222, this was a DEVGRU operation. You should know what that means, i.e. you've got all the info you're ever likely to get.

    Which is exactly how it should be. There have been a number of details released that will make this much harder in the future. Here's the lessons the terrorist learned from the news yesterday: don't live in a big house, make sure you're putting out the trash for pick up, get cable, etc. If the remaining targets have any brain at all, and they do, they'll be shifting opsec right now. One of the things that made catching bin Ladin so difficult is that he adapted to our intel techniques, i.e. he went off-grid. How did he do that? Because too many people in senior positions bragged about our eyes in the sky and the ability to track fucking cell phones - and those people got a lot of Americans killed. Ditto idiots like Bradley Manning, who should be taken out back and dropped into a deep hole for a long, long time.

    Another thing that made it so damned difficult was the astounding amount of false information being inserted into the system BY OUR OWN PEOPLE - rumor mongers and TV pundits and idiot congressmen who don't give a fuck how many of us they kill so long as the cameras keep rolling. Wolf Blitzer is a perfect example, last night that babbling fool was speculating openly on national TV about satellites and predators and drones and other sorts of idiot nonsense that he was not even remotely qualified to talk about - and when the president explained what actually took place CNN's bullshit bore no resemblance to reality whatsoever. But now it's out there in the public sphere, clouding the issue. The guy should be kicked repeatedly in the balls for that horseshit.

    As to the president, this was his watch, he's responsible. If all the SEALs had died and bin Laden escaped, you can damned well believe that conservatives would demand that he take responsibility for the disaster. But Navy succeeded, and that is also Obama's responsibility.

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  34. I'm typing on my phone, forgive the numerous typos in the above comment.

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  35. Yeah, Jim. Saw them called out once or twice, but given the fact that some of the data coming out is conflicting, didn't wanna call it out.

    Wasn't really asking for that sort of granularity. More along the lines of a narrative from the after-action, properly sanitized for public consumption.

    You're right, though. Lots of loose lips afterward, and I reckon that some of the confusion stems from folks who don't know pretending they were in the know. Which will, of course, spawn conspiracies out there in the fringes...

    But, hey, maybe if the bad guys think we've got crazy rayguns and crap, they'll think twice. At least until you're installed as planetary dictator for life.

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  36. Several of my friends asked me if I was celebrating or how I felt about Osama becoming fish food etc. Jim I carried your sentiments, he's dead, good job to the forces who brought him down now whose next on the list, we still have a job to do and it's not going to get any easyer.

    Semper Fi.

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  37. that is plenty good enough for me too.

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  38. The conspiracy nuts (should we call these "deathers"?) are already saying the DNA evidence is faked, he's been dead for years, etc, etc.

    Sadly, it's not just the "deathers" who are saying things like this. I've read many comments on Facebook from the DoD page to the actual services' pages, and I'm amazed at the number of people taking great pains to say how Obama can't take any of the credit for this, that it was the SEALs who did it.

    And that's true, Obama did not actually pull the trigger, but he is the commander-in-chief. Bush would not have gone in himself and pulled the trigger, but you can bet that every one of those people making sure they continue their smackdown of Obama would have been wetting themselves to praise Bush's wise and stalwart leadership.

    Even the Republican "leadership" was equivocal in their "praise" of the president, making sure that they mention it was because of the process Bush started years ago that we caught him now. And yet, didn't Bush once say that catching bin Laden didn't matter anymore?

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  39. Thanks for posting that, Mr. Wright. I'm not in a celebratory mood, but this had to be done. Not an easy thing for anyone to order or accomplish.

    Thank you to the military and intelligence services for taking care of this so efficiently. I'm so glad that we didn't lose anyone on this operation.

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  40. "Can you imagine what is on OBL's hard drive ..."

    http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0511/54151.html

    “The special operations forces grabbed personal computers, thumb drives and electronic equipment during the lightning raid that killed bin Laden, officials told POLITICO.

    “They cleaned it out,” one official said. “Can you imagine what’s on Osama bin Laden’s hard drive?”

    U.S. officials are about to find out. The material is being examined at a secret location in Afghanistan.

    “Hundreds of people are going through it now,” an official said, adding that intelligence operatives back in Washington are very excited to find out what they have.

    “It’s going to be great even if only 10 percent of it is actionable,” the official said.”

    It’ll be way more than 10% ‘actionable’ and if you think various Nation’s had their shorts in a bunch over the recent diplomatic communique wikileaks, whomever OBL’s pen pals, hosts, and supporters are should be seeking deep cover, quickly (which I’m sure several are, already).

    To all of them I say:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_UT2otAkrI&feature=player_embedded

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  41. Still glad he's dead, too bad he was not gut shot first, and thanks to the SEALS and to our President for having the STONES to order such an audacious raid

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  42. While palin, gingrich and trump were DITHERING about useless issues, President Obama was leading.

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  43. Jim, I've got this one figured out: The bin Laden of is proof positive of the fact that Masons control the world . . . Dig it:

    -SEALs figured prominently in the operation.

    - Masons created the Great Seal of the United States.

    What further proof could you possibly ask for?

    All of this stuff about Obama being a Muslim is just smoke and mirrors to hide the fact that Obama is a Masonic puppet. I bet Dan Brown is researching his next book in this very subject as we speak. Working title "Barack and the Bavarian Masons."

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  44. I've never commented before, but this time, I must say thank you for this post.

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  45. My letter, earlier today, to our President Obama:

    Dear Mr President,

    In your 60 Minutes interview, regarding the release of the OBL images, you reaffirm our core American values by stating "That's not who we are."

    Thank you.

    Regarding each of those individuals demanding to see photos and videos of the body of OBL, if they are willing to step forward and commit to being personally liable to the individuals and their families whom might be harmed in any way for our Government revealing the images to them – a la what happened recently to those UN employees in Afghanistan subsequent to the burning of a copy of the Koran – then I would suggest to you, Mr. President, that you have the Library of Congress create a secure place at which they can view the images but have absolutely no way of making any form of copy of them.

    Members of the press could be permitted access as to enable them to state authoritatively that they have seen the images. The only language that they would use in such narrative reporting would have to be subject to review before release.

    Freedom of the press does not confer a right to incite violence against others.

    Warmest regards,
    Bob

    ----------

    Furthermore, critical insights into the significance of what President Obama achieved:

    "Although the gruesome descriptions of the pictures of Bin Laden with a bullet in his head would appear to underscore that reputation — and help to explain why President Obama decided Wednesday not to release them — Mr. Greitens called Seal members “creative” commandos who knew “to bring back as much intelligence as they possibly could.”

    The cache the Seal team recovered from the Bin Laden compound included more than 100 storage devices — DVDs, thumb drives and computer discs — as well as 5 computers and 10 computer hard drives.

    Despite the mission’s success, former Seal members acknowledged the precariousness of the raid and the degree of luck involved. “If that thing had gone bad, the conversation you and I would be having would be completely different,” Mr. Shipley said. “There’s only two ways to go in these operations — zero or hero.”"

    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/world/middleeast/05seals.html

    Far, far beyond terminating OBL was the exceptional precision of our President's thinking about what could be recovered in the raid - an intelligence trove that almost assuredly has already enabled several directed missions against other terrorist elements within the AQ network.

    Bravo President Obama. Bravo Team 6!

    ---------
    Yes.We.Can. ... DO.MORE.TOGETHER!

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  46. Now we have to hope and pray some congresscritter doesn't leak the individual team member's names to the press, in order to seem more important.

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  47. supposedly, for the first time it was NOT Obama's "fault". yeah right....................

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  48. I know that you say that he has been pronounced dead many different times and places and that the deniers would simply deny any proof that we presented but I can't help but wonder. I'm not doubting the abilities or talent of our SEAL teams but I just feel that the abrupt kidnapping and surreptitious disposal of the body really leaves me wondering if it actually was the bastard that they say it was. As I said, I don't doubt the people on the ground, but I really feel the need to take anything put out by the government to make themselves look good with a healthy grain of salt and distrust.

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  49. I was wondering how long it was going to be before the conspiracy nuts showed up.

    I'm curious, Droehki, You don't trust anything the government says? Does that include the weather report? Trade statistics? Census counts? The safety of child seats? The smoking is bad for you? Do you distrust every government agency, or just the parts that are run by the party you don't like? Where do you draw the line and what criteria do you use? Or do you regard the government as a single monolithic agency, none of which is worthy of trust?

    What proof of Bin Ladin's death will you accept, Droehki? You are a forensic pathologist, perhaps, you should be allowed to examine the body? And all you friends with you? Perhaps we should have put him on display and paraded him across the country so each America could examine the carcass for themselves and maybe even cut off a little souvenir?

    My Shipmates, US Navy SEALs said they killed him, that's more than good enough for me. You don't believe it, then I suggest you go tell them that they're liars, I suggest you do to their faces.

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  50. Ok, yeah, maybe I am a little bit of a conspiracy guy. You make a fair point, no I don't distrust everything that comes from any type of government agency. I do however still harbor a bit of uncertainty regarding the OBL thing I guess because of all the hoopla and smoke and mirror games that we've been playing with him for so long. I am also a little concerned by the fact that NO opportunity to scrutinize his death was given. However, if you say that SEALs that you actually know have said actually to you that it is as we have been told, then I will happily accept that. I just would prefer to hear that it came directly from the horses mouth instead of the possibility of somebody else putting words in it. Is that fair enough?

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