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Bin Laden

21K views 411 replies 52 participants last post by  beckybird 
#1 ·
President Obama is about to make a statement, but major news outlets are reporting that Osama Bin Laden is dead.
 
#4 ·
I wonder how much he's been able to do over the past few years given how ill he was. Certainly, other people will be capable of continuing on his efforts.

I realize that he was not a good person, yet I have a hard time celebrating anyone's death.

I do hope that in the long run, this brings greater peace, but I wonder what the backlash will be.
 
#5 ·
I can't get behind cheering on anyone's death, especially since i doubt this will do anything but invigorate the terrorist movement and stoke anti-American sentiments in nations that already have problems with us. I felt the same way when Saddam was executed.
 
#6 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by insidevoice View Post

I wonder how much he's been able to do over the past few years given how ill he was. Certainly, other people will be capable of continuing on his efforts.

I realize that he was not a good person, yet I have a hard time celebrating anyone's death.

I do hope that in the long run, this brings greater peace, but I wonder what the backlash will be.
He was much more than just "not a good person". I am happy he is finally dead, so at least all our efforts were not completely for naught!

I do agree that it will bring backlash.... EVERYTHING we do over there has backlash. My husband is currently in Iraq, so I am just praying he is safe....
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#8 ·
I am keeping our soldiers in my thoughts as we move forward from this event. I can only hope that moving forward we will be able to avoid further attacks by jihadis.
 
#11 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by insidevoice View Post

Cheering outside the White House following a bawdy rendition of the national anthem... I find myself wondering what the difference is between 'us' and them' when what we all seek seems to be bloodshed, torture, and death. Aren't we supposed to move beyond that at some point?
The difference is that Americans are cheering the justice of the punishment of one horrific criminal. "They" were cheering the deaths of thousands of innocent people.
 
#13 ·
I really don't feel bad for being happy that he's dead, knowing that because of him, children are motherless or fatherless, men and women are widows/widowers, people are missing their brothers, sisters, best friends, and teachers, knowing that a classmate of mine is still alive only because his flight to NY to visit the World Trade Center with his dad was cancelled.
 
#14 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by JessicaRenee View Post

I really don't feel bad for being happy that he's dead, knowing that because of him, children are motherless or fatherless, men and women are widows/widowers, people are missing their brothers, sisters, best friends, and teachers, knowing that a classmate of mine is still alive only because his flight to NY to visit the World Trade Center with his dad was cancelled.
And to add to that the thousands and thousands of military troops(from all over the world!) who have died because of what he did. Although it isn't over, and I am positive that the violence will get worse, I am happy to know that he did NOT get away with it.
 
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#16 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by happysmileylady View Post

Decisions of justice should never be made based on fears of what might happen as a result of justice.

I apologize that the fear for my husband's life possibly being at greater risk now out weighs my happiness that justice has been reached. However, I have a 2 year old who calls out to daddy every single day and then says sadly that he is 'bye bye.' I won't feel the joy of justice until she is safely in his arms again and unfortunately, that is still a long way off as we've only just reached about halfway recently.
 
#17 ·
Fear for the lives and safety of our troops both in the personal and general sense is totally justified, don't get me wrong. I myself am VERY grateful that my DH left the military when he was able, shortly after 9/11. I absolutely feel for those who are in the position you are in.

I was simply pointing out that retaliation is always a risk in situations like this and that fear of retaliation cannot be a factor in deciding to carry out these types of actions.

The 9/11 attacks were offensive in nature, not in retaliation to any specific action the US took. Retaliation is far from the only or biggest reason that the lives of our military men and women, even our every day citizens, are in danger.
 
#20 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by happysmileylady View Post

The difference is that Americans are cheering the justice of the punishment of one horrific criminal. "They" were cheering the deaths of thousands of innocent people.
This, exactly. It's not his death per se that we are cheering, but the notion of justice. I honestly wish he could have been captured alive and stood trial for his crimes, but in absence of that, yes- I am happy he's dead. He was a brutal, evil monster who planned the deaths of thousands of innocent people. He would have gladly seen millions more raped and murdered, simply because of their birth. And yes, I do understand that the U.S. does not always have clean hands here, and that there is a lot of evil we have done in the past, and continue to do in the present. I would like to see all who commit such evils in this world come to justice, no matter where they're from, what they believe, or what country or cause they commit their atrocities in the name of.
 
#21 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by happysmileylady View Post

The difference is that Americans are cheering the justice of the punishment of one horrific criminal. "They" were cheering the deaths of thousands of innocent people.
That doesn't make it different, it just makes it easier for some to swallow. Cheering over someone's death is still cheering over someone's death.

I'm in the "I'm happy he's gone, but I don't like to, or want to, cheer over the fact that he's dead and happen to be disconcerted seeing others do it" camp. I make no apologies over the fact that there are other things I think we should be cheering for.
 
#23 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by insidevoice View Post

Cheering outside the White House following a bawdy rendition of the national anthem... I find myself wondering what the difference is between 'us' and them' when what we all seek seems to be bloodshed, torture, and death. Aren't we supposed to move beyond that at some point?
I think that Obama is trying to, considering how little civilian lives have been lost in Libya under his command, considering how the president gets to define torture and I'm sure Obama understands waterboarding is torture, etc. The difference between us and them is obviously that we aren't flying planes into buildings to kill innocent people; we're attacking those who have attacked us, to disarm them and prevent future attack.

There may be backlash, and his supporters will be furious...but read the news, the whole world is cheering USA; the whole world is rejoicing in a world without bin Laden. If I get the chance, I will dance on the man's grave someday. I cheer his death, I cheer our military, and I cheer Obama's leadership.

treeoflife - I have a husband who is in the military too and several other loved ones. I have a friend stationed in the UAE right now. I'm worried about him, but not enough to make me NOT celebrate the death of someone who murdered 3,000 Americans including a 2 1/2 year-old little girl, her mama, and her daddy. He can rot.

I was 16 years-old when I watched those towers fall, burning, with people jumping out of them screaming. I was told that, without my military ID, I'd have to wait for my father to pick me up at school to take me home--at 11 PM, while our country was under attack. We lived on the Naval Weapons Station, which housed a great deal of our nation's desert war artillery. We were scared to death. We were even more scared as we watched the gunman board our bus the first day after the attacks. Carrying loads of shells and a machine gun, he rode on our bus with us every single day for the next year. They searched under our bus with mirrors everyday; they searched our backpacks. When the lights went out on base, we worried we were finally being attacked over that artillery. We even had some terrorist suspects detained on our base for a while; it heightened our fear.

No, I can't bring myself to feel any remorse for anyone including myself cheering bin Laden's death.
 
#24 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by moonfirefaery View Post

There may be backlash, and his supporters will be furious...but read the news, the whole world is cheering USA; the whole world is rejoicing in a world without bin Laden.
I think that might say more about the media coverage in the USA than it does about the reality of what has happened. I can assure you the whole world is not cheering.

I am not sorry that Bin Laden is dead but I am very sorry that the scenes of jubilant Americans will be shown around the world.
 
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