This is breaking news so details are limited, here”s all the AP has right now:
WASHINGTON – Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the Sept. 11 attacks against the United States, is dead, and the U.S. is in possession of his body, a person familiar with the situation said late Sunday.
President Barack Obama was expected to address the nation on the developments Sunday night.
A senior U.S. counterterrorism official said bin Laden was killed in a ground operation in Pakistan, not by a Predator drone. The official said it happened last week.
Officials have long believed bin Laden, the most wanted man in the world, was hiding a mountainous region along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to speak ahead of the president.
More details as they become available.
UPDATE 1: Pres. Obama confirmed in his speech that he had been informed in August of 2010, he was briefed of a possible lead on where Bin Laden was, hiding in a compound deep inside Pakistan. Last week, Pres. Obama determined there was enough intelligence to take action to kill or apprehend Bin Laden. Today, the U.S. launched an attack on that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan which resulted in the killing of Bin Laden. No Americans were injured in the operation.
Update 2: Reported by MSNBC – The US was tracking couriers traveling to and from Bin Laden thanks to the arrest of another one of these couriers who directly or indirectly led them to the identity of the other couriers.
Transcript of remarks by President Obama
Top Ten Myths about Bin Laden’s Death
http://www.juancole.com/2011/05/top-ten-myths-about-bin-ladens-death.html
Also, if anyone gets to see Nic Robertson’s CNN report where he cruised around the neighborhood and hoofed it, it’s worth it.
I didn’t have strong feelings on this either way, but he makes his point, though it could still be argued. But why? Is it really worth arguing either way?
Obama right not to Release Usama Photo
http://www.juancole.com/2011/05/obama-right-not-to-release-usama-photo.html
Juan Cole’s article is good. Very logical and well written.
I do not hink that the photos should be released.
What was Bin Laden’s life like in a Pakistani suburban? Next Media Animation visualizes it this way:
I have no idea why they decided to end it the way they did, though.
So if Beck and others really want to go down the path of-
OBL is not dead-
They are trashing our amazing Navy Seals!
They Are Calling our Navy Seals, Liars.
What Total BS!
I would like to see them do that to their faces.
How dare they NOT support the troops!
Patsy, Beck only cares to hear himself speak. He wouldn’t have the nerve to have a Seal on his show or the commander. Maybe he should ask Jesse Ventura if Navy Seals would lie about this or allow their unit to be used to falsify information. He is playing to his base which is getting smaller. Well, I hope his base is getting smaller.
I live near a Marine Base and not too far a Navel Base.
Often the boys have car washes to help raise money.
Can you believe they have to do that?
That windbag Beck gets paid all those big $$$$
to call these guys Liars!
I feel another boycott coming on.
Pretty shitty isn’t it, Patsy. Also, those Navy Seals do not look for glory. In fact, they will not disclose themselves as Navy Seals while in the service and seldom after they leave service. So true that Beck, the jerk, is paid millions to spit venom to continue the hatred. Loser!
Yep Sally,
Those guys are the real thing.
Beck Hates the Seals
Beck Hates the Troops
Fox Hates the Seals
Fox Hates the Troops!
YAY! Patsy!!
My sentiments exactly!
Another viewpoint from the Press, Anderson Cooper:
http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05/04/cooper-on-911-victims-i-hope-it-is-their-names-we-speak/
Anderson, I couldn’t have said it better. Okay, I probably couldn’t have come close. JKKFL, thanks for sharing.
I thought it was awesome last night- got a tweet advising it had been posted because so many had requested it.
(I had tears in my eyes by the time he was done.)
Thanks, Sally..
Thanks, jkk! That is what is called the high road. Years from now, we’ll be glad we took it.
Outstanding.
Todays “GlobalVoices” has a collection of views from around the world, esp., the ME. What are the people’s thoughts?
http://globalvoicesonline.org/specialcoverage/the-death-of-osama-bin-laden/
Considering that many more deaths occurred outside the US because of AQ, it may be of interest to read their thoughts. It ain’t all about US.
Leave it to us: Commemorative cupcakes
[img]http://www.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_606w/WashingtonPost/Content/Blogs/the-buzz/201105/Images/bin_laden_cupcakes.jpg?uuid=2LZ2NnWZEeCp-zLwUkDZpw[/img]
Americana can sometimes be a bit creepy.
Actually I don’t have a problem with them at all nor these Time covers.
[img]http://rudhro.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/tumblr_lklc2jqfgr1qzk87mo1_500.jpg?w=500&h=313[/img]
KQ– I don’t have a problem with the cupcakes either–American ingenuity–albeit a bit funny to me–was my take. Nor with those Time covers.
I’d actually had this same thought when I heard OBL’s code name, as well — thinking back to the capture of Geronimo. On the one hand, it is standard code and one shouldn’t read too much into it. On the other hand, maybe it’s time to change some traditional code words which are no longer appropriate.
Senate official: Wrong to link bin Laden, Geronimo
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_bin_laden_geronimo
Not commenting on the article ….. didn’t I read on the Planet somewhere that Yahoo had stopped the comments section? They are commenting now.
On to the article – I sometimes think that political correctness has gone a tad insane. I have never viewed the use of the name Geronimo in a bad light – but then I have the utmost respect for original peoples. I know Geronimo had a hard time with the government treatment of him and his peoples but I view him – and I’m sure a lot of people do the same – as an heroic man and his name, in my mind, is associated with bravery and courage.
Which is precisely why calling bin Laden “Geronimo” is in lousy taste. For the yahoos in America it works the reverse – if bin Laden is Geronimo, then the real Geronimo was an assassin of good white people to be held in contempt by good white people.
I never minded, as only a white person doesn’t have to, the use of “Geronimo!” as the call-out by people heading into danger. That, it seems to me, DOES honor the strength and courage of the man. But calling our No.1 mortal enemy by that code is in very, VERY poor taste.
I am aware that the sobriquet was given by the Bush administration. Figures. They were cowboys, so…
I read your response above CLady and I hope my ignorance of Geronimo’s ultimate fate was/is apparent ……. what a sad end to a man who was fighting for the dignity and independence of his own people.
Good point Khirad, I didn’t realize that was the code name they used for him….I agree it’s not appropriate.
Khirad – that was precisely my thought. I wonder if anyone today actually understands how awful that word is? Geronimo lived the last days of his life in federal captivity forced to perform in fake cowboys and Indians events at world’s fairs such as the Pan American Expo in Buffalo, NY. When he was done each performance, he was shackled and returned to prisoner status. He was not the only one treated this way, but his was the most egregious act of dehumanization. Of course in the wild west shows, the Indians always lost…
The term is probably not linked in the minds of most with Geronimo the man. But we should teach what happened and why it’s so dishonorable to name a real adversary “Geronimo”.
I read that bin Laden’s actual code name was ‘Jackpot’ and the operation name was ‘Geronimo’.
That is my understanding, as well. The mission was a Geronimo and the results was the Jackpot. Geronimo was the charge and OBL was the result and Jackpot. My Native American hertiage can accept that better somewhat.
Now if you want to carry a conspiracy theory, the Skull and Bones society (which both Bush’s were members) has as their trophy the skull of Geronimo (supposely robbed from his grave, which they now deny because the Native Americans demanded it back).
That was my mistake, I actually knew that and only went off the article.
But, think about the history of both men.
Both eluded capture for years, and both were the most wanted men of the federal government.
Whether these similarities were intentional or not, they are distasteful, as that is where the similarities end, and the article still has a point that we just compared Geronimo, even if more obliquely, with a mass murdering terrorist.
Oh yes, you are right. But it doesn’t change the point that much. I actually loved the Jackpot codename!
Inappropriate?
But let’s not stop making repairations there.
Let’s have it officially announced and put to record that the taking of Geronimo and his people was an inappropriate act unto itself.
I’m sure that in it’s time, this was a sensational event on a par with the raid on OBL. We have never been a people to miss making the most of a “Yippie!” moment.
I’ve nothing new to add to this recent event.
The actual Geronimo incident and all the betrayal that was perpetrated against the indigenous people of this continent has never been given it’s due apologies or regrets.
A few remunerations and relaxing of power/sovereignty on ‘reservation’ lands…but no expressed apologies for policy, the barbaric scourges that they led to and no implied or declared regrets.
These wounds will never heal completely without the proper closure.
OK…I would have posted this on TooT had the subject of appropriateness regarding the American Indian not come up here initially.
I am totally disgusted that they used the code name Geronimo for OBL because that was my Español class name in 9th and 10th grade. *snark*
Here’s all the ones I was talking about!
http://www.boingboing.net/2011/05/02/osama-death-lulz-the.html
[img]http://www.boingboing.net/2011/05/02/7a600ed6dba66390aa10d612fe6a5a56f4a16d2b.gif[/img]
[img]http://www.boingboing.net/2011/05/02/KDssc.jpg[/img]
Is the top one REAL? Seems so out of character. If it’s SNL, it’s a damned good double.
It’s a gag, not real but real funny.
Will that appease all the pseufo-cowboys who want a “real” man in the White House? You know, like Bush. Image means more than reality to those bozos. We’ve been a sucker for phony heroes since John Wayne – whose real name was Marion, who wore makeup and recited lines other people wrote. But he was the “real deal” while people such as Obama are “elite”. They called Clinton “elite” too. Bush gets raised with an inherited silver spoon, but he’s a “real” man. We are such fools.
:-)[img]http://0.tqn.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/W/3/4/Bush-Obama-Mission-Accomplished.jpg[/img]
Ok thats funny……should have Photoshoped a hand wave in…..HA
Great one, Funk!
HAHA! I love it. And no phoney flight suit either.
Fund–Now there’s a face. Makes me happy.
:lol:!!!
That’s GREAT!
🙂 🙂 🙂
This reminds me of back in the debates when
John McCain was caught aimlessly wandering too close to the camera.
Ha, Patsy, that was hilarious. If he ever looked like an old fogey, it was then.
Patsy– thanks for the memory! That STILL makes me laugh!
Great! Put it on Youtube 😀
Win!
“You’re welcome, Bushie.” Love it!
Kind of a happier version of: “BOO!”
😀
Jimmy Fallon said something like this: What a bad year for our oceans! First the BP spill, then the Japanese earthquake causing nuclear waste leakage, and now the world’s worst terrorist!
Maybe it’s too early but the image caught me.
I guess I would say further that this is one man against many, many troubles and everyone is in a something over him. How symbolic is that?
Chazmania, I have to reply to you here. You said:
“yet Americans all ignore Israel when they do the same thing and even when the all but admit to doing it on purpose”
Not all Americans. Not even all elected officials agree with Israel’s policies regarding Palestine – I gather you are referring to Palestine. I don’t think anyone here believes or has said that America’s foreign policy has been fair or just in all instances. However, as you know, we live in a very complicated world and I think President Obama is attempting to incrementally change our policies with countries who have been on the receiving end of our cowboy mentality.
I hope that is true i really really do..I hope i am proven so wrong and you can all chastise the hell out of me for it….
Chaz- No one wants to chastise you.
There are many ways to do something right. There are also many viewpoints that are correct.
Conquest and conflict is the irrefutable history of civilization.
Perhaps the best we can hope for is that we will break this cycle.
i don’t mean this in a personally insulting way but Every time some one uses the excuse its our history my eyes have an uncontrollable erg to roll in my head.
This Idea that its in our nature or its always been this way or that is just the way it is always seems like a big fat cop out.(not that you mean it that way) but the use of these phrases also reinforce the idea that we have no say or control over how we change it and its almost like saying why bother.. this to me seems such a lazy way to get out of not even trying. i find this attitude very strange as it is not something that gets much done. its almost like self brain washing.
And whats to say this has to be the destiny of the future unless you condemn us to it by invoking the past like it proves the future to be null and void..I often think whats the point of the human consciousness for attempting to create higher levels of awareness and understanding?.. create the idea of ethics? create the idea of alternatives to the past?..We sell ourselves short before we even have proof if we are..and this stifles our evolution as a species..Nothing is written in stone and there are NO absolutes..its all adjustable theory..
we can say with enough empirical evidence a thing is most likely true but that is the extent of that..in practical terms yes the world is round as we have proven so.. but some things remain unproven.. and humans are humans are humans and that is that just condemned humans to remain just like that.
and about viewpoints? Einsteins mind experiment about the train whistle is perfect example of everything is relative to position only…Potential is everything and open to anything…we squander so much by choosing to believe things that are falsely laid out by con men because they poses a flag or certificate.
Chaz, I get what you mean about the country taking things to the extreme but I don’t think it is the whole country or the whole government. But killing by a few of many doesn’t really justify killing many for just a few. However, there are the crazies out there. Like those thinking because a college student killed on campus, well, now we should give every student a gun. But, Chaz, I really have to have faith that there are more that know that is wrong and we will work to get the right people in government and make the government work. I know that we added the words “under God” to the plague of allegiance to show we were not Communist. Personally, I feel religion should not be a basis for our government and that should be changed to “under just and equal laws” for all. Anyway, I just thought I would share that with you, Chaz.
One point….killing him gets us no answers…it was final….and feels all to convenient.
Ocianic graves tell no tales.
plop plop fiz fiz oh what a relief it cant be proven..
Anyway…..its done….
maybe not the best way. and maybe not even righteous as some think..
but done….Now will we stop destroying each other for a buck?
will it end “terrorism” now that the bogie man is gone?
will America now STOP Warmongering?
Elaborate on that first point, por favor.
Don’t you know chaz speaks for all Americans now like we can’t discern what is happening in the real world ourselves. Duh the US favors Israel too much that is not a hidden secret. Israel is increasingly run by right wing fools that think it’s a victory to foil the Obama administration efforts to negotiate a two state solution. They continue to occupy lands they don’t have a right to occupy according to UN resolutions.
Now the naive people on the left views Hamas as just a misunderstood group that does not promote terrorism and is faultless. I mean after all they attach love notes on those rockets they send over the border to Israel.
That’s it. I always end up feeling condescended to with leftist bromides.
Typical……how’s that….
I certainly do not speak for all Americans i just observe how ignorant they are predominantly… its not a judgment call as much as evidence by behavior and observing illogical thinking. But mocking me personally is that wonderful American tactic used so well by the right and left as a dishonest demonizing tactic by people that suspend personal ethics when convenient.. too bad our mirrors are not used for something other then makeup slathering.
PLANETPOV EXCLUSIVE: PHOTO OF BIN LADEN BEING SHOT!
[img]http://glennkenny.premiere.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/04/17/moe_greene.jpg[/img]
Clever of Bin Laden to shave his beard and wear glasses to disguise himself. And how contrary to his image that he was in the middle of a massage when he was shot.
Surely the Corleone’s had nothing to do with this! They’re upstanding businessmen!
“We would have made him an offer but he was refuse.”
HA, you’re on a roll tonight AdLib! 🙂
Thanks pal!
You forgot Honest 😉
AdLib: You are terrific!!
Foodchain, you are so kind!!!
Moe Green!
We got both movies on DVD!
We could call this, “Jihadfather 4”.
AdLib–:lol: ❗ I got nothing. But wouldn’t it be hilarious if Osama ran a casino in Vegas? He lived in a huge compound in a ritzy area so it’s not that farfetched. (And by the way, bet ya didn’t know that the word “farfetched” is really a Yiddish word. 😉 )
And what if Bin Laden also had a reality show about people competing to be his apprentice?!
Thanks Cher!
Are you implying that OBL is really living inside The Donald’s HAIR?
Could be true. There’s room.
LOL!
What is the meaning, and actual word, for farfetched?
A stretch of imagination, a stretch of the truth, a stretch of crediblity, belief….etc.
It means that one has to reach far, metaphorically, to grasp what is proposed, or offered for our consideration.
😆 jkk–it’s just one of those words that should be Yiddish. Like the word “ladle.”
😉
naaa- I think it’s a before pic of Superman 🙂
Okay, funny, a little sick but funny. Okay, I am laughing. I just hope that several years from now Bob Ballard doesn’t search the deep waters to find BinLaden. If he does, I hope as with the Titanic, just to leave a plaque that says, “Leave this devil at the bottom of the sea.” I’ll let you, AdLib, put that into a picture.
Funny you reference the Godfather. Mathews referenced on his show that Pakistan was like Fredo and could not be trusted with “the family’s” confidential info. A pretty good analogy methinks.
BTW anyone not watching the Borgias is really missing something. Talk about a crime family. Of course Mario Puzo is said to base the Godfather novel on the Borgias and it’s pretty obvious why and how if you watch the series.
Actually there are a few really good historically based series out there now finally.
BBC America is showing The Tudors once in a while. God I dig that show. I also want to go back and rent Rome. I’m big on elaborate sets, not just cold history. I like the idea of bringing it vividly alive.
If you like lots of blood and stuff with elaborate sets, you might like Game of Thrones. It is a good one, too. I like the Borgias. Pillars of Earth was good but I haven’t really got into Camelot, yet.
Oh, I’ll be getting into the Borgias one of these days. Camelot sounds like loads of fun. So many old myths and legends that I wish could be given a budget and good cast… but no, we get nothing but Romantic Comedies… not to say there are no good Romantic Comedies, but do we need so many with a treasure trove of stories of the past and fantasy out there?
Chaz, I get ya now. I don’t believe we are engaged in wars. When I say war I just use accepted vernacular so as not to cause confusion.
All we’ve done is invade 2 sovereign nations for absolutely nothing. That does indeed suck.
Bin Laden was our justification for “war” though. But then it changed. And changed again. There are a lot of problems with our presence in the Middle East right now, but killing that son of a bitch isn’t one of them.
it doesn’t justify a lot of the terrible things we’ve done, but it doesn’t compound them either.
I know this has been said a trillion times, but our real reasons for being there are natural resources. Namely oil. It’s running out and we are hopelessly addicted to it.
I have to disagree. Bush had other reasons, mostly highly personal. As a convert to religious extremism, he was persuaded that part of his job as president was to fulfill Biblical prophecy, and that includes destroying “Babylon”. In part this was to secure Israel, in part to bludgeon the Muslim world into submission. The neo-cons want the oil, but more to the point they want absolute US political hegemony over the region. They believe in nothing but their own unobstructed power. Oil is but a fraction of the issue.
Between the Dominionists that waged war on Saddam to bring about God’s empire and the neo-cons that want the material empire, it’s a perfect match of God and Greed.
Obama is doing neither of those things. He has stopped the building of permanent US outposts in Iraq. He has changed the means and methods by which we engage with Mid-Eastern nations, giving them support for their self determination and not propping up Mubarak et al. which IS the US interest from the conservative point of view.
Obama takes seriously the issue of terrorism because it has become a threat to Mid Eastern sovereignty and their individual and collective security. I do agree with whoever it was on The Ed show that said it’s probably futile and that we need to understand we won’t win this militarily, but now that the leader – and he remained a key motivational force as well as financier – is dead, I do think, at least hope, Obama will begin withdrawing. The fact he put Panetta in the position gives me great optimism because Panetta is nobody’s warmonger. As he fine tuned this past weekend’s work, I think he will begin finding ways to finely tune our national withdrawal. Bush left a huge legacy of damage, and we need to find a means not to walk away and leave the people we have so badly harmed even more bereft. I think that will get done and done more quickly than we thought. But I think it WILL now get done.
Bush may have destroyed Babylon but he was never going to get the temple rebuilt. He must be a fan of half ass biblical prophecy.
We went for money. From oil and war. I believe Bush is about as Christian as Richard Dawkins.
But he is eminently more greedy.
You vastly misunderestimate him (pun intended). Of course he’s a lousy Christian, but who the HELL do you think put him in office? His cronies are all of that ilk or their neo-con allies.
The next crop of doozies waiting for 2012 are ALL Dominionists. Do NOT overlook the network and power that they have – oil is part of is as are the fellow travellers such as the Kochs, but they are growing more powerful daily because we are NOT paying attention to who they are, what they have done, where they have their strengths.
I have to agree that the Christian Right is very powerful and Bush did play to that part of his base. But I don’t believe that was Bush’s “main” reason for going into Iraq. We didn’t flood them with missionaries, we flooded them with capitalism. We didn’t take the Muslims out of Iraq, we took the oil. And, yes, there are still people playing the Christian Right for their own benefits, such as the Koch brothers. However, I don’t see the younger people that interested in the religious crusades and those are the guys Obama has to get back in his fold. There have been many wars faught over religion. But, behind the religion, they were really after the land, gold, and more people to put into slavery to gain more for themselves and their church.
Don’t kid yourself chase. Natural resources are very much a part of this. Think about what’s most likely going to happen when the oil runs out.
It is very essential to our national security. Islamic extremism just gives us a more dignified reason to do what we’re doing.
But quite a number of the mid-east nations have little to no oil, Afghanistan being one of them.
You will note I did not say the neo-cons were disinterested. I said Bush’s personal motivations were very peculiarly his own. “Saddam tried to kill my daddy” type stuff. His drive for American Exceptionalism was absolute – he worked entirely unilaterally and nearly destroyed decades of alliances with allies. But underlying ALL of it was the pressure he was getting from his mentor, Franklin Graham, to eradicate Muslim presence so Israel could flourish so Jesus could return and give Israel to Christians.
Our one lucky break? Bush turned out to be as lousy a Christian as he was at everything else. Were he not more interested in a life of leisure, he might have declared martial law and still be in place. His desire to sip fake beer and watch baseball trumped even saving his fecking soul. But it turned out to save our nation.
OK, I can agree with that. Bush was a tool of the neo-cons. Look up Leo Strauss, the supposed founder of modern neo-conservatism. They were really big on middle east domination, through pre-emptive strikes and regime changes. And that is indeed what happened in Iraq. The more militant neos wanted to do the same in Iran.
Obama is far, far more moderate than the creeps that were running things in the Bush administration.
But, oil is a finite resource, and those who have oil, will have military might as well. Wars, or defense of a nation can not take place without oil. Not to mention our economy, and even life as we know it.
C’Lady, again my nomination for teacher of the year. My hope with Panetta going to the DoD is that he is a budget person he can set a path to reduce the 56% of the federal that goes to the DoD down to a the size of the HHS/education/energy budgets. I realize he will/is up against one of the most powerful forces in DC, the MIC, but what would our country be like if the buget was pared down to a mere 35%?
I have read many complaints about the US giving Pakistan 20 billion dollars in military aid, over the last decade, but how much of that is returned to the US in buying arms from our MIC?
Swords into plowshares.
ADONI…thank you for that..
I don’t know if this was right or wrong…I am mixed But i am so so so tired of all the violence and hart ache and suffering..its weighing on me heavily.. I fear for my young sons future my grand kids and everyone else in the way of the imperial industrialist that view human life as expendable if in their way. many people i know have had their lives reduced to struggle due to people in power. And Bin Laden and many others are created not just for shock and awe. they are created by our very behavior around the world. our arrogance deception and cruelty and manipulation and interference with their personal freedom so we can feel the fuzzy feelings of safety. they have to live in fear of the USA so we are placated in our outrage and pain of getting attacked. and i don’t mean old Binny.. i mean all the people in this world under the boot of imperialists so we can have an Iphone…Its all so vulgar
I think this a good place and time for this song;
Indeed
Very thoughtful piece, KT.
Thanx, much.
You still got it!
Thanks foxisms. I just thought that is fitting.
I keep forgetting about this song but really enjoy it, thanks so much for posting it KT!
My pleasure AdLib.
Does anybody know what happened to bin Laden’s wife (wife #4 or something)? She was there and was shot in the leg. Did they leave her there?
She was turned over to the Pakistanis.
jkk, that is what I saw, I haven’t seen any verification on it, have you, but the report was she, the children and 12 others were taken into ‘custody’ of the Pakistan Government. What I read was quite sketchy and early reports.
E’cat…I saw just the opening to this post over on the right (“Does anybody know what happened to bin Laden’s wife…”) and for a brief moment I expected to see a vaudeville sort of joke being set up.
I didn’t come for the punch line and I’m glad my first impression was way off. You pose a thoughtful query.
I haven’t heard anything…but then I haven’t heard much.
I’m sure one of the ‘Planeteers’ will come up with something on that.
I heard the bin Laden was the only person/body removed from the building – don’t know if it’s true.