<p>I was late to the news too , and not sure I’m 100% convinced. I am uneasy that no photo " proof " has been offered up ( as in Uday and Qusay’s deaths as well as Sadaam’s capture and hanging ) </p>
<p>That being said , I very much want this to be true</p>
<p>Also , I’m not at all comfortable with the news coverage of people celebrating in our streets, chanting and flag waving</p>
<p>It looks a lot like what we saw in the streets of some middle east countries upon the downing of the WTC…makes us look like them IMO and I am worried about retaliations</p>
<p>No joy or elation here at bin Laden’s demise, just relief. It’s hard to celebrate someone’s death, no matter how evil or misguided that person might have been.</p>
<p>I heard on TV news that the one “downed helicopter” was something the U.S. forces blew up on purpose before departing, rather than leave any equipment or sensitive information behind at the compound for anyone there to examine.</p>
<p>MommaJ, I agree. And to think that in the midst of holding nine top secret security meetings in the past couple of months to plan this, he was having to listen to the inanities of…{*} Good grief.</p>
<p>Re: those who were hoping that bin Laden would be taken alive. There was no possibility of that. It has been reported all morning that this was a “kill operation”.</p>
<p>A madman is dead but I don’t feel like celebrating. The people who are at Ground Zero this morning in full revelry will soon find reason to move on, like they always do. Their patriotism and bravdo is always short-lived. It’s the rest of us whom try to remember and maintain our national ideals.</p>
<p>The people I try to never forget to celebrate and respect are the soldiers. They did their duty.</p>
<p>lje62, really? Muslims may be buried at sea it is not a must. The burial at sea was according to law or as close as possible. Our military does have respect for the dead, even those who might not deserve it. They brought him to the ship so that it could be verified. Had they celebrated over the coprse and brought it to be left on display and let it become more of a media frenzy things could only get worse for us all. Personally I would have cremated him which his forbidden. (I would have thrown a pig in the oven for good measure)</p>
<p>Thank you LakeWashington I could not have said it better. Being Canadian I can say that the US deserves to be proud of your troops on this mission, it was well executed and effective. The only point I would like to bring up is that Usama Bin Laden reaked terror all over the world. Dont forget that the fight against Bin Laden followers was fought by many countries who also lost lives in the fight against terrorism around the world. I believe the celebrations taking place are well earned but will be short lived, your tropps and ours are still over there fighting, and this may make there job even harder. I do not feel like celebrating either and I will pray for all troops because now more than ever they cannot let their guard down. I am not trying to be political with this comment other than to say that many countries have had a lot to do with the war against terrorism and this is a victory for everyone orchestrated and carried out by the US special forces.</p>
<p>I think it’s pretty scary to think anyone could be so horrible. What makes me worry now is how the Al-Queada will react to this. </p>
<p>I keep hoping it will be like what happened in the movie, the Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy spilled water on the witch. The witch melted and everyone sang out “Ding Dong, The Witch is dead. The wicked witch, the witch is dead.” and both sides were joyous, but real life is not so simple.</p>
<p>Dionysus, there is also speculation from the news organizations that no muslim nation would accept his remains. I presume this meant ‘no mulism nation allied with the west.’</p>
<p>I don’t think photos of a dead Bin Laden will ever be released for the same reason that there will not be a grave site…for fear of inflaming the small percentage of the world’s population who are angry about this.</p>
<p>It’s interesting that the name of the place where it happened is “Abbottabad”…named after Major James Abbott of the British Raj, who founded the town. It’s a reminder of the tangled history of the region.</p>
<p>I believe it’s the being buried quickly (e.g. 24 hours) that is in accordance with the dictates of Islam, not the burial at sea part of it. The latter is surely so the “burial site” doesn’t become a shrine.</p>
<p>I doubt that the soldiers and sailors danced around Bin Laden’s corpse or any such thing, I’d be surprised if it was treated with any particular “respect.” I don’t think they “buried him at sea” so much as they took him out on the water and dumped him. A true sea burial would be done with ceremony and honor for the dead. I doubt he got very much of that.</p>