Osama Bin Laden is dead

[Torpedo]

That was my point Jacob, it's kind of safer to have a dead Bin Laden, but it's hard to believe that thing of in the sea burial, which isn't part of any Muslim ritual.

[skullguise]

Incredible news. Connecting a few dots, I hope that with the recent announcement that Americans should leave Syria, that something is really being done to cut off the major funding and organization at the head.

And also agree, smart move on the quick burial at sea, for the reasons stated above. If he was kept alive, there could have been many attempts to kidnap and trade, threats to others to get him freed, etc. (even if the chance of us freeing him was nil, they would have a ton of ambition to try). This limits the options, and while there will certainly be reprisals, they will hopefully be short-lived, amateur, and well-thwarted.

Even though I'm not a big Obama fan (or of any politicians recently, really), hats off to him and the people he has working this, as well as the intelligence and Seals and others who have been doing this all along. VERY well done IMO, and it makes me very happy and proud.

[grawk]

My part was fairly insignificant. Another memory is we're unloading these servers that we're going to install in jersey city, and off duty paramedics were helping us carry them, because they'd rather be doing manual labor than think about what they'd been doing previously.

[Pars]

Yes, hats off to all military and intelligence folks, both past and present, and especially to the Seals and military who went in on this.

I personally am glad we are spared the circus that a capture and trial would have most certainly presented. It would have probably put more people in danger and eventually led to more or less the same thing (dead).

[Voltron]

The SEAL team apparently offered to take him alive but he refused. They obviously kept collateral damage to the minimum, but any person in that compound was complicit and I will not grieve the loss of the human shield woman. To my mind, killing him and ending it was preferable for the reasons Reks mentioned and to put a swift end to that part of this story. They apparently buried him within 24 hours to meet the Muslim law, but did it at sea to avoid creating a grave that would be a shrine for his psycho followers.

On 9/11/01, I was at home getting ready for work when my secretary called me because she knows we never have the TV on in the morning. She was in a panic and could only blurt out "turn on the TV, it's terrible!" before hanging up. I turned it on to see the first tower on fire and was watching live when the second plane hit soon thereafter. I simply could not believe my eyes. My office was across the street from the Pacific Stock Exchange (still operating at that time) and a couple blocks from the Transamerica Pyramid. We didn't know whether SF might be next so we told people to stay home and I never went in that day. My firm had opened its first NY office on 9/1/01, but fortunately we were in mid-town and actually ended up housing some lawyers from a big firm displaced from the WTC.

[jvlgato]

Incredible stories of your thoughts and activities on that day, everyone!

Grawk, I wouldn't say you were dumb for not wearing a respirator that day. Most people did the same, especially the heroic people, and really, how often does a giant building have an aircraft flown into it, so that you would know what to do in a situation like that.

[The Monkey]

I don't think we ever intended to take him alive.

[grawk]

My wife gave me a respirator to wear...

[tkam]

I don't think we ever intended to take him alive.

Agreed and I'm glad we didn't.

9/11 - My brother was in law school in DC at the time, (I was in rochester, ny). I remember him calling me asking what was going on as the school had shut down and told everyone to go home with no additional details.

[Aura]

I guess here's where I show my age.

On 9/11, I was in my 7th grade technology class when my teacher, Mr. Coop, walked into our lab and explained what had happened. I'll never forget how he struggled to describe the events taking place. I couldn't blame him. He was in his 60's and overcome with the magnitude of the attack. How could he possibly translate this to a bunch of 13 year old's? School was a half day. My sister and I got home and spent the next few hours glued to the tv with my parents.

Honestly, I don't even know exactly when I began to comprehend 9/11... surely not until high school. Everything felt very different for me; I was so goddamn innocent.

~~~

All I can really say about last night's pandemonium is props to the intelligence groups and military who got this mission completed. I'm going to ignore all the political aftermath bullshit that's spreading like wildfire in the media and view this as justice for everyone affected by Osama's lunacy. Kinda worried about backlash from sleeper cells at this point. I'm in agreement with Canada's Prime Minister - "sober satisfaction" about sums it up for me.

[The Monkey]

We are going to have to start gently explaining this to our son.

[Voltron]

We had our kids watch the news and Obama's announcement with us last night. Sophie was in first grade and remembers the announcements and special procedures they followed, but Alden was only 3 years old at the time. By coincidence, Claire is teaching something related to Muslim political issues today, so this event quickly became the new focus.

[aardvark baguette]

^^ avatar win

[The Monkey]

Interesting doc by an 8th Grader premiered at Tribeca film festival this weekend. Haven't seen reviews, and not sure I would be able to watch.

http://www.tribecafilm.com/filmguide/archive/second_day-film33278.html

[909]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7ATo2NY13c

[bhjazz]

i think it would have been preferable to have been able to capture him and put him on trial (in a civilian court), but i don't think there was much of a chance that he would have let himself be taken. a captive leader also works as a bargaining chip, i.e., release Osama or we'll kill these hostages we've taken.

I'm not sure where that could have taken place. Anywhere he would have been kept captive would be bomb bait for his followers. Still, it would have been interesting to see him in the custody of someone he hated.

[909]

a bid laden trial would have been very, very costly...

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/york-estimates-cost-terror-trials-400-million/story?id=9496406

[naamanf]

One less fuck wad I have to go looking for. Works for me.

[The Monkey]

^WIN

[Dreadhead]

Good riddance. I also agree that a trial would have been preferable but it was not a likely thing really. Glad that no one on our side got hurt.

[The Monkey]

the international space station.

That would have been awesome.

[swt61]

I also agree that a trial would have been preferable...

Not sure I understand your thoughts here. There's no doubt as to his involvement in 911 (at least that I'm aware of). A trial would be a complete waste of tax payers dollars, and an insult to the families of those who were killed and injured that sad, sad day. I can't say that I'm one to sing and dance at an occasion such as this, but I certainly won't shed a tear. Terrorism can not be tolerated in any shape or form.

[Beefy]

Not sure I understand your thoughts here. There's no doubt as to his involvement in 911 (at least that I'm aware of). A trial would be a complete waste of tax payers dollars, and an insult to the families of those who were killed and injured that sad, sad day. I can't say that I'm one to sing and dance at an occasion such as this, but I certainly won't shed a tear. Terrorism can not be tolerated in any shape or form.

While I can appreciate your line of thinking, I can't really agree with it. What makes the USA better than the terrorists if you just kill everyone who does something 'wrong', without going through the proper process of the justice system?

As I said earlier, I think you have to at least try to take the moral high ground. Yes, it would be expensive. Yes, it would be difficult. Yes, he may have been a target for revenge attacks. But it would be practicing what America preaches with respect to justice and democracy. Such actions would gain a great deal of respect from the global community.

[swt61]

Wait, from my understanding he was given the opportunity to be taken into custody, but refused. That left them with little choice as I see it.

Perhaps you thought I meant he should just be killed in any event, and that's not my stand. My point was that the outcome was probably financially and otherwise easiest on the American people. Had he chose to give himself up, I agree that we had the responsibility to award him the rights that he chose not to award those he killed.

So I think moraly we actually agree. I'm just stating that his decision not to be taken alive was just fine with me.

[Dusty Chalk]

911: I was at work. I thought my co-worker was joking when he came in and said someone just flew a plane into one of the Twin Towers. I smiled* at him, waiting for the punchline. The expression on his face told me there was not going to be a punchline. I tried to find info on the web, but the intarwebz were completely flooded.

On my way to work, I took one of my usual routes which takes me through the Pentagon parking lot (27 -> parking lot -> 110, for those familiar with the area). If I had been maybe an hour later, I probably would have witnessed the plane coming in, as there's a small section of 395 where you're facing directly at the Pentagon while driving North.

I'm kind of glad I didn't.

Lunch was kind of surreal, we didn't realize everyone else had gone home. Tysons Corner was a ghost town.

*To this day, I still feel bad about this.