"I get the feeling their were a fair few "block parties" on VE and VJ Day..."

And none of them celebrated the firebombing of Dresden or the nuking of Hiroshima.

You do realise this is nothing more than a re-election stunt from Barack Obama?

I agree that stopping evil would be best. Unfortunately, just because we stop committing evil acts, that does not mean others would stop as well. Wouldn't you agree? Then those who continue to commit evil acts will keep doing so because what would stop them? A pacifist view would only mean that one group would be decimated and demoralized while the other will feel invincible and continue their evils

"You do realise this is nothing more than a re-election stunt from Barack Obama?"

I was actually just about to mention...

Does anyone else think Obama's re-election campaign, justly or not, just got a HUGE shot in the arm?

I mean, it's not as if he parachuted in himself, but that has to be a selling point, and one he desperately needed...and I really found his speech eloquent, and fitting in tone.

Of course this is a huge boost for Obama. It will be impossible for anyone to claim that he isn't tough on terrorism. However, to think that this was somehow arranged to benefit him is silly, imho.

"And none of them celebrated the firebombing of Dresden or the nuking of Hiroshima."

And I wasn't cheering when Kabul got hit.

This wasn't an operation that nuked a whole city, this was an operation to kill one man who murdered thousands.

You're the one who compared this to VE and VJ day. Now you're criticizing the comparison?

@abgemacht:

I agree, not saying he arranged it, I'm jsut saying I think it's really a benefit to him, and I think an earned benefit...six months ago, I really wasn't sure if he would be able to fill the shoes as Commander in Chief, but he's been taking charge more and more lately, and while it's ridiculous to suggest that this proves him more of a leader, it DOES establish him as a bit more forceful, I think, something the American voter tends to gravitate towards.

If only Americans could act this delirious in depraved joy when reforms were made to save people's lives. No, only killing improves popularity.

Osama Bin Laden Has been buried at sea...

Let the shit storm commence...

@Putin:

No, I'm citicizing your comparing this to firebombing or Dresden.

This is akin to the end of the war/Hitler's death, NOT to mass destruction...granted we've done our share of destruction already, and I'm saying THAT was not something I cheered at, but this is jubilation at the end of an era, and closure, just as VE and VJ days closed the war.

And now they're saying the body was buried at sea.

PERFECT--not barbaric, and it doesn't give a grave and a rallying point for terrorists to follow.

Is that acceptable, those who feel this is all unfair? Burial at sea for Osama?

Akin to the end of the war?!?!? I'm sorry, are we leaving Iraq/Afghanistan tonight?

"Osama Bin Laden Has been buried at sea..."

Unreal. There's a reason no one thinks Saddam Hussein is still alive. This is a big mistake.

im sure they got pictures...

VE day had little to do with Hitler's death. So your comparison is silly.

No, I'm not saying we're leaving now, I'm saying that it's akin to the end of a war in that it's the end of the feeling we MUST be at war, we had a drive towards revenge, right or wrong, that has now been fulfilled, right, wrong, or indifferent, our tormentor is dead, and now that chapter is closed, or closing fast...we wanted out of Iraw and Afghanistan already, and with the economy as it is, with Bin Laden dead, we now have no reason to stay, adn Obama doesn't care to stay, hence, the end of the feeling that our tormentor is still alive--hence the claim of "closure"--and the feeling we can now move on.

And I disagree, Tolstoy, I think that was a good move, before anything could go wrong with the body, before it could attract attacks, and leave no grave...

As they just said on CNN--Osama was infamous for making so many tapes, so if he's alive, a tape will come out soon...otherwise, we may take it that he's dead, and leave the conspiracy to those who'll claim the Pyramids were build by aliens.

they shot him in the head, makes sense why they didnt show it

Burial at sea makes perfect sense to me. No grave to assist with martyrdom or vandalism and it has no particular connotation (such as burning) for people to misconstrue. Seems like a good decision, imho.

Where did you hear burial at sea? I didn't see it in any of the news articles I've read. Also, does anyone find it scary that he was living in a suburb of the Pakistani capital?

" just because we stop committing evil acts, that does not mean others would stop as well. Wouldn't you agree?"

No, I would not. Do you really think that if the United States had reverted to a non-interventionist foreign policy any time before 1970 or so, that 9/11 still would've happened? Would Mohammed Atta and his alleged 18 cohorts have still thought striking a blow against a country that hadn't done any evil deeds in the Middle East would still have been worth dying for? I don't think so. 99.999% of people on this planet are something other than crazy, and most who are crazy aren't capable of stringing together a terrorist plot. People have to be really motivated before they decide to commit themselves to a certain death - and that motivation isn't going to happen without a serious provocation.

And btw, those crowds celebrating? At least in DC is was mostly college students using this as an excuse to get high and drunk and party. People were happy yes, but moreso happy to party than happy he was dead. Oh, and happy to be on TV too

abge- I agree, and you dont need to handle the body, get rid of it before people ask questions although Im sure others wont see it the same way.

*questions as in "what are you going to do with the body" not questions like "is it really him", don't want to be construed as I agree with the inevitable future conspiracy theories

goldfinger:

That's true of any mass gathering...I get the feeling those folks hugging one another near Ground Zero were pretty sincere...

Yeah, some drunk bitch got hit with a firework on campus a few hours ago. Yay, America...

But I want to take Obi's side on this thread. Why shouldn't we be happy that a mass-murderer is dead? Yes, our meddling caused it, and we have killed scores of innocents, but do you think that was our intention? A woman was killed in the raid - a civilian. Why? She was being used as a human shield. These people deserve to die because they purposely locate themselves in areas that will cause the most civilian casualties as possible and use civilians as human shields. Same thing in Somalia in 1993. And I believe the Taliban has killed/tortured many more people in the last decade than we have with our bombs, so stop bashing the USA so much and be objective. Yes, we are wrong whenever we kill a civilian, but we make reparations and don't target civilians. We try to rebuild what we bomb, we try to leave things better than we make them. It may not be in the news, but we are building schools and infrastructure in Afghanistan. I mean, putting the NATO military on the same level as Al Qaeda is just a crime.

Also, way back someone mentioned how medieval wars were better because they were in fields? The majority of populations lived in fields back then, mercenaries got paid in plunder, and I believe the 30 years war killed 30% of the German population? I may be slightly off on that figure, but you get the idea.

Yeah, I think any gatherings at military installations, the Pentagon, and NYC may be a bit more sincere than one at the White House - conveniently a few blocks from George Washington University

^^ that was at obi

In some parts of Germany, I believe the population decrease was over 50%. But the Thirty Years' War was well after the medieval period had ended. While there was an occasional pillage by the hired swords in medieval times, the kings, dukes, and counts tried to avoid this since it reflected badly on them and really ticked off their future subjects. During the Hundred Years' War, most of the money made by English soldiers was from ransoming captured French noblemen, not through pillage (for the most part). IIRC Henry V had a standing order against looting in Normandy (since he needed to secure the loyalty of the duchy), violation of which was punishable by death.