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Now that one year has passed since Osama bin Laden was killed, is America safer from terrorist attacks?

 

 

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I answered "No", but is only the best answer of the choices given. The truth is, bin Laden died of kidney failure in December 2001. However, U.S. claims of killing him DOES make him a martyr.

Submitted by antiTyranny : May 3, 2012 4:33pm

AntiTyranny, I had wondered how this mutt could have lived so long on the run lacking dialysis. Please tell me more.

Submitted by tom343 : May 3, 2012 9:07pm

Translation of Funeral Article in Egyptian Paper:
al-Wafd, Wednesday, December 26, 2001 Vol 15 No 4633

News of Bin Laden's Death
and Funeral 10 days ago

Islamabad -
A prominent official in the Afghan Taleban movement announced yesterday the death of Osama bin Laden, the chief of al-Qa'da organization, stating that binLaden suffered serious complications in the lungs and died a natural and quiet death. The official, who asked to remain anonymous, stated to The Observer of Pakistan that he had himself attended the funeral of bin Laden and saw his face prior to burial in Tora Bora 10 days ago. He mentioned that 30 of al-Qa'da fighters attended the burial as well as members of his family and some friends from the Taleban. In the farewell ceremony to his final rest guns were fired in the air. The official stated that it is difficult to pinpoint the burial location of bin Laden because according to the Wahhabi tradition no mark is left by the grave. He stressed that it is unlikely that the American forces would ever uncover any traces of bin Laden.

Submitted by antiTyranny : May 4, 2012 12:29am

Bin Laden has been replaced by domestic terrorists...the President and Congress. They seem all to ready to go back on the promises that heir predecessors made to American servicemen.

Submitted by sgmsteve : May 4, 2012 8:34am

AT - I'm curious to know how this proves that he died back in 2001. It isn't hard at all to make up a story and hand it over to the press, the Law Enforcement community does it all the time. Is there independent, neutral confirmation? Is there DNA evidence? Unfortunately the reports are that neither was done last year when he was supposedly taken out.
If he did indeed die back in 2001, how then were the audio tapes created after that that has him issuing statements that have been confirmed by many Government and non-Government agencies that that is Bin Laden's voice? With technology today is way easier to confirm the authenticity of an audio message compared to verifying someone's death after the fact.

Submitted by kinghq1 : May 4, 2012 1:35pm

As to the audio, there have been some government people who have said that it is bin Laden's voice. There have been many more experts who have also examined the audio and stated it was NOT his voice. As to video, one example would be the progressing gray of bin Laden's beard. It steadily increased in the amount of gray from 1997 up until December 2001. Suddenly the spread of gray stopped and the amount remained constant. The quality of video's decreased markedly after December 2001. Some videos only show the face in freeze frame and a voice layover. Prior to 2002, statements from bin Laden were marked with a reference to God or Allah about once in every 40 words. Subsequently, those references were markedly diminished. As to photos, understand bin Laden was a very ill man. Later photos showed a much fuller face indicated significant weight gain and health. Also compare the eyes of later photos. The angle and positioning are different.

Now let's think about reasoning. The terrorist elements may have hoped the "death" of bin Laden would reduce the pressure on them. That is plausible, but I think unlikely. bin Laden was more useful as a propaganda tool than as either a leader or a martyr.

But why would the U.S. Government lie? Isn't our government truthful? Would they lie about "weapons of mass destruction" so that Iraq might be invaded? (Rhetorical question.) Afghanistan was invaded with the principal goal of "getting" bin Laden. If he were suddenly to die on his own very shortly thereafter, any reason to linger would evaporate. It is hard to conduct a war without an "enemy". It was to the advantage of Bush to keep up the war because it made him popular. It is an advantage to contractors and suppliers to maintain a war (for profit). It was an advantage for Obama to "kill bin Laden" as it boosted his sagging ratings, and is now being used in his re-election bid.

Lastly, if you will consult statements coming from our very own government in 2002 and 2003, there was a lot of talk that bin Laden was already dead. Since the "death" could not be proven, it was found that bin Laden was more useful "alive". That continued until a year ago when more could be made of his "death", also unproven.

I do not wish to get into a shouting match here. We are each entitled to an opinion. Neither side can be definitely proven. However, I feel the preponderance of circumstantial evidence points to death in December 2001 as a result of complications arising from renal failure.

Submitted by antiTyranny : May 4, 2012 5:49pm

Even though very unlikely that he died in 2001/2, since there was quite a bit of evidence to the contrary, including those folks who saw him before/after he was shot, examined, and then provided with a burial... the fact is that he is dead, without any sort of evidence to the contrary.

That he is no longer a threat is of help, even if simply to show others that, although you can plan and execute some sort of attack, that there will be no peace for you. There should have been more of an attempt to take him alive, with a tribunal awaiting on the ship, since, unlike the terrorists, the US is supposed to be governed by the rule of law, not outright bloodlust/revenge. *With his own statements, and all of the evidence of his involvement, the verdict and end would be the same, but the process a bit more clean and open.

Are there others to replace the man? Surely, but the organization directly responsible has been brought to ruin, thanks to the work of many fine military and civilian personnel.

The US will need to remain vigilant, and also temper fears of 'what if' with the realization that freedom, liberty, and justice are the core of the values which have sustained the nation through hundred of plots before and since.

Best to you, my Legion friends!

Nikk

Submitted by EnserNG : May 7, 2012 7:27pm

America been laden with obozo!

Submitted by desert : Aug 2, 2012 5:48pm