He got a lot better than what he deserved...we should have insured he has no decedents to carry on his blood line...and that he didn't have any appendages to make use of those virgins

I'm just glad Guantanamo was not closed. Supposedly the tip came from a prisoner there.

If true, this should shut up the anti Guantanamo crowd and also those who don't support funding for the DOD, Military, CIA, FBI and other defense departments.

We are the only country that can get this sort of job done. This was from the hard work of these men and women in all these groups along with the last administration and this one.

It was a group effort. It wasn't just Obama like many are talking about.

we should have insured he has no decedents to carry on his blood line

Civilized people do not punish the relatives of criminals, but punish criminals each for their own crimes.

The premise of the article is wrong. Bin Laden went for a weapon. The service personnel who shot him, was protecting his own life. Bin Laden always could have surrendered. His choice - not ours.

I'm just glad Guantanamo was not closed.

There is no reason a robust justice system cannot deal with political terrorists.

The entire world is made safer by bin Laden's death.

this is just a symbolic victory. nothing will change. we'll still throw billions down the toilet in iraq and afghan while neglecting our own nation. we also have libya on the front burner and syria on the back burner.

James, Bush lost Osama and Obama found him.

Obama gets the credit for this one.

yes, it was right to kill him. However, it was stupid to toss him in the Sea before questions could be asked. It will hurt the administrations creditbility further.

"One way to see that justice is served by killing bin Laden is to see that he was playing essentially a military role in waging war against America. According to fatwa he issued in 1998, it is the duty of Muslims around the world to wage holy war on the United States, American civilians, and Jews. Muslims who do not heed this call are apostates, people who have forsaken their faith, and thus legitimate targets for death as well. Bin Laden was neither a diplomat nor a politician. Nor was he a civilian. He was essentially a military figure leading a band of combatants in a self-styled religious war. Military leaders are fair game."

This is exactly why all Muslim terrorists need to be executed outside of the law, and not given an American trial. Gitmo should be used for interrogations, and executions. It is a response to the fatwa that's been announced against the US, and seemingly supported by a large number of muslims around the world.

No Eric, Clinton lost him, not Bush, Bush and Obama get credit, suck up.

I don't support the torture we inflicted at Gitmo, but I do support the end of Osama without a trial. By his own repeated admissions...he was a war criminal. Millions of dollars would have been spent housing and protecting this jerk until we finally hung him. This was much more humane for everyone.

Obama gets the credit for this one.

He gets the credit for going ahead with the Op. Otherwise most of his administration and supporters wanted the majority of these groups and people that got the job done either shut down or brought back.

The credit goes to those departments first and foremost.

"Obama found him?!" Oh please. The US intelligence agents found him. Obama was president. Let's give Obama credit for not dismantling the organization that found Bin Ladin and let's give him credit for okaying the raid. But apart from that, the president didn't "find" anyone.

Bin Laden always could have surrendered.

I don't know if it is true or not (I tend to think that it is), but I heard a radio report that the operatives were under orders not to take him alive. I tend to accept that report because who wants to go through the ordeal of putting him on trial?

Yes,you must eliminate lethal threats before they eliminate you. Definitely a justified kill. Unfortunately this lethal threat was successful before we got to him,but in the end in the name of all those he killed,we got him !!

Osama was a threat just by existing,as he was more a symbol of ongoing extremism against the U.S,which in turn motivated new generations of suicide bombers,whith his demise,and the fashion it was in(taken out by the U.S) Al Qaeda ranks may suffer,as noone is immune to our wrath anywhere on earth. Martyrdom is great,if it is not you being the martyr,so this motivating factor will not play in as much as some think.

The news if true of him using a woman as a shield will not help their cause any either.

Some Martyr to hide behind a skirt.

...officials said that four years ago the identity was determined of the courier who ultimately led to bin Laden. That would place a key moment in the search back in the Bush administration

Yep and as Rumsfeld said

“Credit belongs to the courageous special operators who executed the mission. ….All of this was made possible by the relentless, sustained pressure on al-Qaeda that the Bush administration initiated after 9/11 and that the Obama administration has wisely chosen to continue.”

People forget that these relentless raids and pressure were always the part of the last administration. Im glad the military commanders convinced Obama he was wrong with doing a bunch of things.

In this case, Obama clearly built on efforts initiated during the Bush administration. (A big, as yet unanswered question: Did the information about the courier come from “enhanced interrogation techniques” during the Bush administration that Obama later condemned?) The kind of seamless teamwork apparently demonstrated by U.S. operatives and intelligence officials in crafting and conducting this operation does not happen overnight.

Otherwise most of his administration ... wanted the majority of these groups and people that got the job done either shut down or brought back.

Absolutely untrue. Obama campaigned on going after bin Laden relentlessly, and operating in both Afghanistan and Pakistan to do so. Once elected, Obama increased the number of troops in Afghanistan, convinced NATO to do the same, convinced Pakistan to send troops into the tribal regions to clean house, stepped up covert ops in Aghanistan and Pakistan, doubled the use of drones, and made capturing or killing bin Laden the No. 1 goal of special ops.

He said he would do it, and he did it.

For Cheney to even TRY to take any credit for this one after he and Bush said Osama just wasnt' that important anymore during the final two years of the administration is almost funny - almost. President Obama set his sights on Osama the minute he went into the White House and supported every effort to get him. And, with our outstanding military and our Outstanding President - we succeeded. Too bad you Republicans hate Obama so much you end up looking like you are - stupid!

And, killing him was absolutely the right thing to do. Having a spectacle made at a trial would have made him happy. Burying him where no one can erect a shrine to him was also correct!

How can he call this an assassination? This was a military operation that was not a secret (only secret execution of the plan until accomplished). The whole world knew our military was hunting OBL down because of 9/11. The whole world knew that's why we were at war with Afghanistan. Three presidents have tried to capture him to prevent him from killing more people. Bush said he wanted him dead or alive. Obama made it a high priority on his campaign trail. We made our intentions very clear. He terrorized Muslims as well as Americans. There's no way his life could've ended in any other way due to the carnage that he instigated and the war he started!

The right wing extremists are really annoyed that Obama got bin Laden. This is worse than a good jobs report.

Commonsense you are absolutely correct! He promised that we would get OBL, and we did.

JimS- far worse to them than a good jobs report! :-)

You f**king libs just can't ever give anybody but a lib any credit for anything, can you? Most everybody is just celebrating the successful culmination to a ten-year long pursuit of this monster. But no, you have to use it as yet another opportunity to blast Bush and campaign for Obama. Pathetic!!

And, Goin, if you had actually read what happened, the location of Bin Laden was extracted from Guantonimo prisoners during waterboarding sessions. Now, tell me Cheney had nothing to do with the operation'success.

Ah, the very predictable suffocating morass of political correctness rises still again. Yes indeed, there are times where killing someone is not only ethical or acceptable, but the best course of action.

Apparently, they asked him to surrender before killing him. I personally would not have even accorded him that.

spider - actually, the tip came from the Pakistan government. We haven't been torturing prisoners for several years. That was Bush and Cheney. So I will tell you that Cheney had nothing to do with this. But keep listening to Fox because they will tell you what you want to hear.

And us libs do give Bush a lot of credit. The recession, shipping jobs overseas, tax cuts for the rich etc.

The only credit due Obama is that he maintained the policies implimented by Bush for tracking down bin Laden! For that he has my gratitude!

Now we should end our support for Pakistan, who we must now suspect were protecting ObL all these years!

God Bless America!

@Spider

There is something truely unique and facinating about a liberal brain...they could stub their toe on a gold bar...the stubbed toe would be bush's fault and the gold bar all Obama

(And it works both ways)

Bush's policies for tracking down bin Laden were a failure!! Like most of Bush's policies. Bush was much more interested in settling his family problem with Saddam. Remember the lies about WMDs and the lies about Saddam's ties to al Qaeda and the lies about Saddam buying enriched uranium from South Africa and the lies about Saddam abusing the food for oil program. Did I miss any?

Bush was warned before 911 that al Qaeda was planning something big and ignored it. Bush couldn't find his @ss with both hands.

Yes Jim, just one...your lie about his lies

For those claiming Obama to be the hero in this, being the one that got Osama, maybe this little scenario will put things in perspective:

Intelligence Relay: Mr. President, we have Osama in our cross-hairs.

Obama: Kill him!

Navy Seal while squeezing trigger: DUH!!!

Yep, Clinton was president with the first attack on the twin towers. But they had to wait until the American people elected a moron to bring the twin towers down. No more presidents from Texas please!!!

actually Panzer

It was bush who planned the first attack so he would get elected, then the second so he could kill innocent women and childred (if you werent so new to newsvine you would know that)

I don't care if Donald Trump gets the credit, I'm just glad he is dead. This peace of crap took on and killed innocent civilians NOT the military. What a brave coward he WAS. Bravo to our military, all present and past commanders and chiefs that pursued this slim.

Obama's intelligence people used information gathered from all those enhanced interrogations which the left decries to locate bin Laden and kill him. That isn't opinion, that is what intelligence people are tellin us. We also learned from Tora Bora not to trust either the Afghans or the Pakistanies with catching bin Laden.

miked-332794

The only credit due Obama is that he maintained the policies implimented by Bush for tracking down bin Laden! For that he has my gratitude!

Now we should end our support for Pakistan, who we must now suspect were protecting ObL all these years!

God Bless America!

Actually, hunting for Osama bin Laden was the very least on Bush's mind. He was mostly focused on potential Iraqi Oil, thats why you saw most of the US troops commited to Iraqi War than Afghanistan. From the beginning, Afghanistan never had enough troops. The times I was deployed over there, there was like 20-30k troops in Afghanistan and over 100k troops in Iraq. Bush policies on tracking Osama was a joke. IF Bush had the same focus and attention to Afghanistan as he did in Iraq, I bet we would have caught him years ago.

I give Obama credit for refocusing back to Afghanistan and kill him.

@JimS: Since you are so well versed on this subject would you tell us where Hussein got the 550 Metric tons of Uranium Yellowcake (whose only ultimate use is nuclear related) that we removed from Iraq in July, 2008 and sold to Cameco? (Google "Iraq Yellowcake" for a wealth of articles).

Since Iraq does not have any of it's own Uranium mines they had to buy it from someone!

So Jim, where did he get it, why did he get it, why did he keep it, and the big question...what was he going to do with it? (Perhaps Joe Wilson could help us on this on as well)!

Inquiring minds want to know!

The Yellowcake uranium that was in Iraq was part of the Neclear program that Iraq had until 1992. This uranium was under the control of the IAEA since 1992. It was no secret that this uranium was in Iraq and it had been accounted for, the entire time of sactions agains Iraq.

Jim S. the shipping of jobs out of country was started by Clinton in the signing of NAFTA. So try again.

NORTH AMERICAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT. Nope, not overseas.

Thanks raddave! I guess the remaining secret is who he got it from. Having an investment in Cameco, I can tell you that there were not that many sources for that quantity of yellowcake before 1992. However the French controlled mines in Niger were one possibility!

Just a couple of responses to some of the posts on here.

1) I don't care if the "actionable intelligence" was gathered from our so-called "enhanced interrogations"; the ends do not justify the means, and it is still proven that you get more useless garbage from those type of interrogations than useful information.

2) It was most assuredly ethical to kill the SOB as soon as he was in our sights. He has, on video, admitted to being a principle planner in numerous terrorist attacks around the world. There's not a jury in the world (except other terrorists) that would accquit this jack-hole with that type of evidence.

3) Bush deserves the blame for not getting him because he distracted us with his little sandbox game usually called "the Iraq War"; Obama gets no credit because all he did was keep the military looking. If he wanted credit, he needed to be in one of thos helicopters that lead the assault. The credit goes to the members of out intelligence community and military that located him and executed (pun intended) the operation.

Rev

I'm a little slow...just so i don't mis-interpret you, please confirm

You believe it is immoral to torture a "self-admitted" terrorists to get information...and you also believe that it is OK to kill a "self-admitted" terrorist without a trial???

I think Blago might point you to a jury who wont convict with that type of evidence

He was a wanted by numerous governments for terrorism. The US had information that he was at this site and sent in a military operation and the suspect fired on US personal, plausible deniability.

As for burial at sea, Absolutely the right thing to do. A proper Muslim burial shows we were after the criminal not the religion.

We may only be able to kill him once, but there's no reason we can't celebrate killing him a few times.

Party at my place! Everyone's invited (even Republicans)!

spg64

Burial at sea was exactly the wrong thing...for 3 reasons

1. His remains are too valuable to devotees and collectors, there are salvage operations leaving ports all over the world at this very moment

2. at least a portion of the Muslim world believes it was an improper burial

3. public exihibition of the body maybe the only way to prove to some that he is actually dead...

Mr.P,

1. Do you really think some one will find this corpse at the bottom of the ocean, get real.

2. Obviously a portion of the Muslim world will think this is wrong but they are not the ones we are being respectful too. It is the moderate and young Muslims we are sending this message to. We need to help heal the wounds of a decade of war. Getting OBL was part of the process but so was showing respect. As I said above we were after the criminal OBL not the religion of Islam.

3. They have pictures and DNA samples this is enough for rational people. Their will always be nutbags that won't believe. I think the birther nutcases show this very clearly. However rational people around the world will know it is true.

spg64

1. I guarantee it...If it was dumped...I mean he was burried at sea...his remains would be worth 10's of millions to a collecter and priceless to his devotees...another story here on MSNBC has already released the general area and what ship, I'm a pauper and I could get an exact location in a week

2. the ones were are trying to be respectful to aren't the ones looking for an excuse to kill innocent people...and are you actually implying that a Moderate Muslim would want him honored as a Muslim

3. when the first videos come out...you hold up those pieces of paper and burial footage...and see which ones hold more weight with nutbags

I can see the conspirator theorists lining up now so soon after the "Birther issue is "Settled" here comes the next one, should have had Trump take a look at the Body .

'I truly am not that concerned about him', said President George W Bush on 13 March 2002, after being asked the million-dollar question 'where is bin Laden?' once too often. 'Deep in my heart I know the man is on the run, if he's alive at all', said Bush, brushing bin Laden off as 'a person who has now been marginalized'

At a later date [3/13/02], President Bush even said concerning the capture of Osama bin Laden, "I don't know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don't care. It's not important. It's not our priority."

Exact words from President Bush himself. Shows he didn't give 2 sh*ts about capture or killing Osama. His focus was already on oil rich Iraq.

@ Had enough; Why dont you look up what countries recieved the biggest oil contracts with Iraq,then let me know how we fared at the end of the war,as far as accessing the millions of barrels of crude under Iraq.

The man tried to have his father killed(our president),probably a little more motivating than oil. Bush does not come off as that kind of man,he seems more grass roots and his family is a political dynasty,he had wealth , and power already.

To all of you that have made this political. FU. Obama had the decency to call Bush all most immediately. This was a group effort and leave it at that. Fact, this did not happen on Clinton's nor Bush's watch. It so happened on Obama's. We (the USA) got him. Let's rejoice and loyal Obama haters shut up and enjoy. Don't worry you will find something to blame him on next week or...maybe tomorrow. Maybe he didn't have bin laden killed enough.....

Read my statement again. I didn't say overseas I said out of country. I made sure that was worded correctly and you only listed what NAFTA stands for you didn't correct me in anything.

So nope, I didn't say overseas. I mearly stated that Clinton started all that with the signing of NAFTA. NAFTA set the precedence.

Actually Robert , NAFTA was signed by President George H.W. Bush, Mexican President Salinas, and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney in 1992.

hey, Jimi, why did W. Bush let bin Laden escape at Tora Bora? They had him cornered. Bush pulled the troops off the search.

Our President acted well in ensuring that bin Laden was held to account.

Yes, its fine, ethical, nonfattening, and righteous !

I am sure the person that shot Bin Laden will have no problem sleeping peacefully at night.

Should of tied that bastard to a table and stuffed C-4 in his mouth and let him watch the fuse burn.

Hey Gaddifi - were you paying attention? Do you hear helicopter noise while your sleeping? Just asking.

OBL equivalent or measured by the word "ethical," in the same sentence? Don't make me laugh. What an outrage. Who thinks up this %$*@??? (please insert word that won't get printed.) Am I supposed to pity that vile piece of worthless dung? C'mon people, find something that's REAL to print, instead of this insult to the thinking person (who has a memory longer than a goldfish)!

As a matter of fact, take his ugly mug off the websites. Put up the faces of the people he had killed. I would honor them far more than that trite piece of pig dung--OBL.

Ethical? I'm still gagging on this one.

First of all wingnut. It was Sudan that reportedly offered to turn Bin Laden over. That was reported by their Foreign Minister at the time. There has never been one peice of evidence to indicate this was true to begin with. Secondly, this was in 1996, Bin Laden was not under an indictment in this country at that time. So, because of this, it would have been a violatation of international law. The U.S. tried to get Egypt or Saudi Arabia to take him, because he was under indictments in those countries, but they refused.

As for the "other two chances" to get him, one of thos chances as reported by Michael Scheuer, turned out to not have been Bin Laden, but a Saudi Prince, who was vacationing in Afghanistan.

I can't see any reasoning behind liberal posts to these blogs... they will always point to Bush for whatever problems the country has or they have. Get a life libbies... move on.... OB is dead and BO claims credit.... who cares? The guy is dead, now we enter a new chapter in the War on Terrorism. For me that answer doesn't lie with the current administration... they've already proven a fundamental lack of leadership. We need Change!

Yes killing OB was necessary, Bo would have tried him in a civilian court and the guy would have been put in jail with the guys he hired to fly into the WTC!

miked-332794

...now we enter a new chapter in the War on Terrorism. For me that answer doesn't lie with the current administration... they've already proven a fundamental lack of leadership.

Our president gave the order to take out Bin Laden. Obama's call.

Y'know what? Easy for you righties to say crap like that, flows out of you like diarrhea. Today, that leadership you claim isn't there is pretty much right in your face. Be a man and admit you're wrong.

Rorschach, you miss the point. BO wanted him alive, circumstances didn't allow it... the guy is dead, but the diarrhea is flowing from the left.

I'm sure you approve of OB's immediate burial per Islamic Law! I think that was more than the guy deserved!

miked,

Burial at see was exactly the right thing to do. It showed we were after the Man, the criminal and not the Islamic Religion. This showed we can get the criminals and still respect religious practices. Good move by the Obama Administration and US military.

The very idea of insulting millions of Muslims by disrespecting religious practices simply to "punish" a dead guy! Well, that's kind of stupid!

miked,

Your claim of "fundamental lack of leadership" was empty to begin with. It was buried at sea with Osama bin Laden.

Rorschach, you miss the point. BO wanted him alive, circumstances didn't allow it...

Please prove your claim that Obama wanted Bin Laden alive?

It wasn't right or wrong to kill him, it a only an karmic adjustment!! "You reap what you sew". God used the Navy SEALs to balance Osama's karma!!

There was no choice but to kill him. Trial expenses have nothing to do with it.

It bothers me more that some "meathead" actually has the gall to ask this question after all the things bin Laden did. I think MSNBC gives far too much credence to these kind of leftists

Unfortunately there are those who can never give credit where credit is due. Clinton started the ball rolling, Bush gave it a shove (8 years worth)and Obama caught it! He had to be killed to send a message to all who want to mess with the USA. We will get you, no matter who is in office or how long you hide! We have the greatest fighting men in the world and the best military minds out there. Our intelligence cannot be surpassed!!! God Bless all our men and women who are protecting us. We can all sleep better at night knowing you're out there. DON'T MESS WITH US!!

Dragon & commonsense,

Let's also not forget the insurmountable anguish that families of 9/11 and the wars would have to endure (on top of what they've already endured) watching him be put on trial.

The right analogy here is to Yamamoto. He was actively directing a war againt us--a legitimate military target under anybody's rules. If he had offered to surrender, our guys would have accepted it; he didn't and got two to the the head. The decent burial was a bonus. Case closed.

Yes it was....there was no other option. It sounds like he was involved in the fighting...makes sense...he wouldn't allow himself to be captured. And I would not want to see millions of dollars and years of a trial....yes it was right to kill him.

I agree with the idea that it was right if we would have allowed him to surrender at least. I'd like to see that we did try to capture him. In that case, it went down well. A lot of the talk goes against truth, justice, and the American Way.

However, I disagree regarding a trial and its expense. Handling it wrong has many worse repercussions than an expensive trial would!

What about the fact that Israel at least tried Eichmann, a man responsible for many more deaths than Bin Laden? To this day they're a smaller country, and they were only 13-years old when the rather modern trial began in 1961, some 50 years ago. I think Eichmann even had his own glass box.

E.B. Sledge wrote of brutal practices by fellow marines (and I would assume soldiers, fellow infantrymen) in his book, With the Old Breed... Moreover, he served on battlefields such as Okinawa where "[t]o slip in the mud and fall was to have one's clothing filled with wriggling maggots from the rotting corpses, and 'if a Marine slipped and slid down the back slope of the muddy ridge, he was apt to reach the bottom vomiting...' hell's own cesspool." About 200,000 died as a direct result of the hostilities on Okinawa alone. It wasn't disease that killed them either.

The book also describes one brutal scene where a marine slices a mortally wounded Japanese infantryman open from ear to ear just to take out any gold teeth. At the time, military authorities prohibited such practices which often led to some rather sick scenes at home as well. For example, a sweetheart got to freak out when her boyfriend displayed his detached-ear souvenir. Have we regressed so far where authorities actually condone un-American behavior, let alone the public and the media?

I sure hope we don't see any body parts from Iraq or Afghanistan, along with all the arrogant media gloating involved with this affair so far. We still need justice and truth.

Viscerally and empirically, I have had the complex emotions described, and not every report condones the joy people can feel over someone's death. I don't know if I should want some of the emotions, and some make me indignant even. The Abilene Paradox even came to mind.

Again, right now I'd say that if they did at least allow his capture, authorities did a good job. Moreover, reports so far indicate it could have gone worse, but a trial would have been better. Isn't Noriega still in a 5x8 cell in Florida? LOL! I still won't vote for Obama again though.

Bin laden was not apart of any country or government. He was a mass murderer who got what he deserved. Was it ethical to kill him. Yes. I believe in killing this piece of garbage is a loud message to other terrorists. They never thought he would be killed let alone found. This has literally lifted this countries spirit. This may just make other terrorists think about how they approach the future. They only ones who think this is wrong are ignorant people who do not live in the present. They do not understand that by killing this man and getting all the information they took from that site, that lives will be saved. Congrats to our military special forces. This is a great day. Especially now that Bin laden is in hell reaping his rewards!!!!

This was a assassination ! The USA did not have permission to be in Pakistan. I love it anyway we can get it.

Call it what ever you want to, that SON OF A BITCH IS DEAD and that is a good thing.

Most certainly! No doubt that there is no good to ever come out of that man.

And he would have prefer to die instead of being taken.

Still, I just can't forget that Bush Sr. got involved with that "Sort" of individual.

Bush Sr. as well Jr. were not children when they got "Firend" with that whatever he can be...

No reason what so ever to tie any sort of relationship with such a scum.

I don't believe in most if not all so-called conspiration.

But when a mother protect her child, there are spontaneous reflexes that we didn't see in Bush. The guys obviously needed to think it over once faced with the facts.

In addition, the lies his yesmen shouted at the UN 'about WMD are as evil as anyone can dream of. The USA Elite are a bunch of liars.

And they signed their lies just the same as when they broke the law when they lied to the USA congress to bomb Cambodia.

I'd rather leave aside the war crimes USA comitted these past few generations, there are too many...

And then, these guys come and ask: -"What have we done to deserve that"?

Cumon! Grow up! Days of funny Denis the menace are outdated!

How many GI have sent to death in Irak and Vietnam for a hoax?

After some 10,000 years that went by and for which we posses historical documents, what have you learn since?

Better yet, since you became a nation, what have you learn about that beast named homosapien? I have second thoughts.

I don't like hanging 'round with liars.

Who need that?

Shawn:

A trial would have been better period.

Pierre- How drunk were you when you wrote that?

Vincent- That is your opinion and you are entitled to it. The question was: Was this an assassination and was it justified? I disagree with your opinion.... I didn't really give my opinion, I actually just stated facts.

Shawn

I agree...treating him as a terrorist and a criminal...would have been preferable to treating him as an honorable Muslim

Yeah, Shawn, well, for one my grandfather, John Wallace Rich, and cousin, Louis Bartning, weren't here long enough to give theirs. They fought and eventually died on front lines before their 21st birthdays in much fiercer battles than we've seen in Iraq and Afghanistan. What justifies your justifying your opinion over mine?

I never gave my opinion... but my opinion is "this was a dangerous but necessary operation that not only killed Osama but put all other terrorists on edge. This was done by demonstrating no matter where you are or how well you hide, we will find you, and kill you" This is my opinion. My opinion is based on the fact that I am active duty Army right now, I have 3 deployments to Iraq, 3 to Afghanistan and one to the Balkans. I have killed people, and I have arrested people... more often than not, the people who I detained were released. THAT IS MY OPINION!!!

Yeah, well what about the Constitution you're supposed to enforce? Illegal orders aren't ones you can follow. A SEAL, marine, or soldier (all an infantryman?) has a responsibility to not use illegal means. Your countrymen and their kind haven't created our military, fought and died in it in much more horrific circumstances, for one's personal revenge! As a political sciecne major for my undergraduate, we got drilled that civilians can be cowards, but military cannot, and shooting people--or unmanned bombs for that matter--can easily be the easy--and cowardly--way out!

You are just babbling now.... HOW WAS IT AN UNLAWFUL ORDER????? The President of the United States gave the order, the US Attorney General said it was lawful... This was a kill mission... plain and simple. If you don't like it... too bad thats the way it is.

Shout at yourself about babbling! I reported your post as inflammatory. If you're not aware, capitals are considered shouting on the Internet. Your posts also have a lot of poor grammar, e.g. run-on in the third sentence(s), poor contraction in the last one. Have you considered further English classes?

Another thing they drill in critical thinking, English, is that authority doesn't come from a pointed gun. I've had experience with arrogant U.S. military before--one toothless one keeping my wallet in Germany in '88 where authorities didn't do anything about it. They asked if my dad were a general!

I also get enough of it at American Legion posts where I'm a member of the Sons through my grandfather, John Wallace Rich, who was KIA in World War II just across the German border. Are you trying to play "bad cop" or just "cop"? The one in Germany wanted to be a cop, some toothless guy.

Living off glory of others and turning their ethics into evil's wrong! A president could make easy history--though not human history anymore because no one'd be left--if he fired off a salvo of nuclear weapons for no good reason. It'd also make it "the way it is," but not only would it be illegal, but it'd be cowardly as well. I expect justice in my lifetime and not twisted justice like yours!

My grandmother's second husband was a support troop in World War II, and he had an attitude that reminds me of yours. Why don't you use the attitude of one the good soldiers who fought and died for our country? We have needed justice for a long time, probably one reason I did not enlist, though my grandfather dropped out of college and the ROTC to enlist as a private, though US Army rather than Army of the United States as a result. I would have wanted to be an officer.

My grandfather looks so ethical and honorable while home on leave in a picture I have of him. Too bad I have to question authority in this matter, something you should apparenlty learn to do besides!

I'm guessing you don't have the brains to poor piss out of a boot. You can report that as inflammatory too. You can't defend your point of view so you bring up my english? You bring up your relatives that honorably served yet you are a coward!!! I guarantee if you walk in to the American Legion babbling this BS, you will be beaten to within an inch of your life. You should be ashamed of your beliefs.

Bye bye Shawn! Another liberty too far! You have no right to threaten me or anyone else like that! I'm on vacation from school at least, so I have time for a long and thought-out response at least. So get ready...!

Among other English classes, take critical thinking! Guessing and hiding behind your new psuedonymn, your posts make you sound like a very violent young man in dire need of some mental-health intervention. Hopefully, if you're really in the military, your superiors will also recognize it if you're really like that! I can also see why you have no NV friends.

I can't understand why someone like you project in your latest messages to could even be in the military! It isn't there for someone to think he can always play "Call of Duty" in the real world with fists, knives, or live ammo even. Really living requires more than somehow sliding to a world like the Argentinian dictatorship back in the 70s and 80s! I live in the USA!

I thought guys who liked killing were weened out in WWII? Have you even heard of our Constitution, let alone sworn an oath to uphold it?!? Its defense also requires Thomas Paine's "dearness." Bullets don't stop disease and/or famine, let alone ignorance, and they don't stop an electrical blackout that makes it so that someone can't play "Call of Duty" on a computer. From your posts, I could see you trying to demonstrate violently otherwise though.

You're talking to a U.S. citizen here who is not in the military, a 46-year old graduate student who's two classes away from his Master's in nonprofit management and who is also the CEO a nonprofit for families of U.S. killed in action (KIA) and died of wounds (DOW), part of civil society, someone with close family members killed in action while serving in our U.S. Army. My family is also very educated and has contributed a lot besides paying the ultimate price for real freedom when necessary--not your twisted rendition of reality. It's also because of my father that we even have semiconductor memory, also a peace-time Navy veteran who can't even join the American Legion, and it didn't take a gun for him to know the various Periodic Chart values and properties of metals, part of electrical or electronic engineering, that wouuld eventually allow power supplies for multiple transistors on one semiconductor chip; i.e. gate arrays.

Members of my American Legion post talk about leaving the room when they don't like what someone says, not beating someone "to within an inch of [his] life" like the garbage you wrote describes! What happened to "sticks and stones...," or did you choose to miss elementary school, let alone college?!? Does having the ROTC bother you too?

Get smarter here?!? Your posts indicate classic "cyber bullying," and I'm at least not going to be around you anymore cause you're now blocked! I've also waited to respond for at least 6 hours after reporting your post #4.14 as inflammatory. Do you even know what you, Bush, and Obama were afraid bin Laden was going to say?!? Again, learn to at least criticize written English better!

I wonder if even newbies like you realize NV staff should have acted in the last 6 hours again here with your posts' obvious and clear violations of the COH, but your comments are very open to criticism anyway with their poor critical thinking content! Try shooting and beating your way to a college degree or elected office.and see how far it gets you!

P.S. (And the last time we "chat") Just to remind any crazy, ignorant, arrogant, and/or treasonous fascists or morons, again that's "metals," not "medals" required for semiconductor memory.

There are rules of war but the reality is that things get out of hand. this operation was conducted as planed. Murder was intended and that is what happened. No other option was left since any other option would have elevated Osama Bin Ladin to a higher status.

Good ridence, sometimes innocents must die along with the scroundrels.

Vincent- I WIN!!!!

It would have been better for everyone, especially bin Laden, had he repented of his evil ways and turned toward God. He did not, and there was no other way to protect society. Presumably, he did not offer to surrender and go quietly, or he would have been taken into custody.

commonsense - like that was going to happen. NOT

Nonesense is more up your alley. Obama did give himself to his god. You just have a differant God.

Especially from some guy I never heard of who claims to have a PhD. I guess that would be a doctor of thinkology NOT. Better off dead and better off with no corpse for the radicals to make him a martyr.

he is probably lucky he is dead

Maybe not. He might be called on to account for his actions.

Commonsense:

He's dead. Dead people aren't "called on to account" for anything...because they're bereft of life, pushing up the daisies (or seaweed), you know:- D...E...A...D.

My God! It's morphed into the Parrot Sketch. Good goin'.

This is not about revenge so much as the protection of society. How many deaths were triggered by bin Laden over the years? How many more innocent lives should have been put at risk?

May 1, 1945 Hilter died
May 1, 2011 Osama died

Enough said

Yes, I agree with everything you just said. Thank you for being the one to say it. This whole cheering someone's death is making me sick. It's hypocritical imho to condemn killings yet kill. There are other ways to take the higher road of justice.

Let me spell it out for you.

Bin Laden caused the deaths 3,000 in just the US alone - too bad he didn't suffer more.

When he was interviewed by British war correspondent Robert Fisk, Ussama Bin Laden stated that one of the reasons he staged the 9/11 attacks was the ten-year embargo we placed on Iraq, that caused the death of around half a million children. Does that statistic seem trivial to you? What hypocrites we are. As the late General David M. Shoup said, "We should keep our dirty, bloody, dollar-crooked fingers out of the business of these poor oppressed people and let them come up with their own solutions, which won't be American ones, which they don't want, and which won't be crammed down their throats by Americans." We believe in democracy? Our CIA overthrew Syria's in 1949 and Iran's in 1953. We just can't keep our hands off other countries. We were complicit in the overthrow of Egypt's king Farouk in 1952. We assassinated Gen. Quassim, Iraq's leader, in 1963 and allowed the Ba'ath Party to take over. And on and on. No wonder we are hated in the Middle East.

Do you swat the mosquito who bites you? If yes, does that not fall within the framework of your argument? If you don't, does that mean you let every bloodsucking insect harm you so that you can maintain your non-hypocritical world view? Sometimes you need to swat the bugs or else they just keep biting you.

"This whole cheering someone's death is making me sick."

We can live with that....but the cheering is over the ending of Bin Laden as a specific threat who persoanlly terrorized nations.

"It's hypocritical imho to condemn killings yet kill"

Your humble opinion is off the mark - the condemnation was over the deliberate mass killing of innocent people. There's nothing hypocritical of the with elimination of an genocidical antihuman bent on destroying us. Would you have found an earlier killing of Hitler by Allied forces to have been hypocritical or unethical? Even knowing what he did and would do before killing himself (which is what Bin Laden did by grabbing a gun & using a human shield (woman))? Get over it....it's good ridden's to garbage.

Osama wants to kill us because our actions kill people, the USA wants to kill Osama because his actions kill people- when does someone finally man up and stop killing?

@Gedeprime

I would not take joy in that mosquito's death. Pragmatism is not always ethical.

He chose death. All they had to do was not resist, and he could have lived a while yet until his execution.

In this case, I think you have to go for the "kill" Just think about it. Think of his followers kidnapping members of the press, aid workers, a soldier, anybody, and them threatening to beheading them if Osama wasn't set free. Or more street bombings, killing people out shopping, at a wedding, at a nightclub. Take your pick. It has happened so many times in the last 9 years, you have to anticipate it happening again, if Osama was being held for trial.

@I'mRingo- Do you really buy that any of the soldiers staring down Osama Bin Laden would let him live, regardless of how he acted?

And get this straight- killing Osama Bin Laden is pragmatically the best course of action. Taking joy in it is still evil.

I don't think there were any soldiers there.

Taking joy in it is still evil.

I take joy in smashing a mosquito that is biting me, same principle.

d1sergo - yes I agree with you. I find my world a dark and sad place tody. I feel some shame that some citizens here (thinking themselves better than folks in the middle east area who dance with joy when westerners die) would find any enjoyment in what occured today. President Obama's words disturbed me also about this being "a good day" for America.

Aggression toward our fellows in an unfortunate tendency for some people. As the counter-saying goes "An eye for an eye and soon EVERYONE is blind."

And where does the hate EVER end? I bruise you; you bruise me. We teach our kids to hate and so on it goes. Someone at some point must eat the hate and love their enemies. For a so-called christian nation we certainly don't feel like following Jesus's instruction to "Love your enemies; and pray for those who persecute you."

I take no joy in any war or war-operations wrought by any country including my own America.

Ussama Bin Laden stated that one of the reasons he staged the 9/11 attacks was the ten-year embargo we placed on Iraq, that caused the death of around half a million children.

First, it was the UN that placed the embargo on Iraq. Second, there were exceptions for food, medicine and other humanitarian items IF Saddam Hussein had been willing to the conditions of the "Oil for Food" program. We were not responsible for the deaths in Iraq, Saddam Hussein was.

One would expect that 1.3 billion Muslims do not share a single opinion on every single matter in life.

That said, in matters of morality most people are well advised to follow the dicatates of their own well-formed conscience, rather than attempting to justify their actions by hiding behind an assertion that someone else might have done the same.

In this case, the alternative to killing bin Laden was to allow bin Laden to continue killing innocent people. The innocent had to be protected.

"In this case, the alternative to killing bin Laden was to allow bin Laden to continue killing innocent people. The innocent had to be protected"

Perhaps the idea of protecting innocents was on Bin Laden's mind, too, when he orchestrated the 9/11 attacks. When he was interviewed by British war correspondent Robert Fisk, Ussama Bin Laden stated that one of the reasons he staged the 9/11 attacks was the ten-year embargo we placed on Iraq, that caused the death of around half a million children, all of whom were innocent, I assure you.

"Perhaps the idea of protecting innocents was on Bin Laden's mind, too, when he orchestrated the 9/11 attacks"

Then why the emphasis on virgins & other afterworld rewards for attacking the US? How "perhaps" would attacking the world trade towers end an embargo on a country by not just the US but many nations? Many arab nations found Iraq, a country Bin Laden had little to do with, was acting dangerously i.e. invading Qutar and was repressing it's own people. Shouldn't Bin Laden have attacked Hussain if the people of Iraq was his real concern? I call BS on this supposed reasoning for his attack on the US or it's allys.

"one of the reasons he staged the 9/11 attacks was the ten-year embargo we placed on Iraq"

One of the reasons? One? By what percentage? Perhaps zero. Perhaps he was just making an excuse along side his other ideologicial stated reasons re: "Hostility toward America is a religious duty, and we hope to be rewarded for it by God". Since that "religeous duty" included having women & children wearing & detonating bombs in I rather doubt any of the humanitarian claims made by Bin Laden (which isn't to say that US involvment is clear of wrong-doing or infamously mistated goals).

(Qatar)

And of course that should have been Kuwait (have Qatar on the brain ;-)

If he had not been killed we would have been supporting him the rest of his life just like we are the rest of those evils in Gitmo. Because Obama and Holder won't put them on trial so be support them. Better he die by the bullets.

He believed he would be answering to Allah not the Christian god when his time came. So long as he's gone I could care less really.

I won't care if he was sitting on the crapper and there wasn't a weapon within 20 feet, he was shot going for a weapon.

There are reports the operatives were under orders to kill Bin Laden. I don't think that there was a chance he hell that he was going to leave that compound alive, even if he had cooperated fully. I don't have a problem with that.

I assume AL that you have never been a soldier? It matters to those of us trained in the Law of War and the Geneva Conventions.

And Barry, there are "reports" that aliens have landed in various places at various times. Unless you can show a varified source, then your reports are worthless. The White House briefing this afternoon stated that the service personnel were told that a capture was preferable, but that if he resisted that deadly force was authorized.

I doubt that his own people would have let him live to be captured, if they saw he was going to be captured they would have killed him themselves. OBL in US custody would have been a huge propaganda coup for the US as well.

Now their propaganda machine will start churning out how he died in glorious battle against the infidels.... yadayadayada.

Served 27 years.

And he died reaching for a weapon - that's the story I would use and I would have no problem sleeping at night either.
And we have all seen how the prison guards at Abu Gabe prison follow those "rules of law"
The right is just pissed off that this President had the balls and ordered the mission

AL.. Then you would have committed a war crime. I have no patience with men who use war to commit barbarity. Honorable men and women fight within the Law of War. As for Abu Ghraib, the soldiers who committed the crime were handled by the UCMJ. I regret only that those who promulgated those orders were not also brought to justice. However, each soldier is trained not to obey illegal orders, so their individual culpability is not mitigated by the failure to hold those above them accountable.

I have no patience with people that think Law is something given by God ! Laws are made by man and can be changed by man. We just changed it with majority rules. p.s. there is no law in war ! What can you do but declare war on who breaks your so called laws.

Nope, it would not of been a war crime, it would of been self defense and everyone on the team would of agreed. Then the team would of dipped their crests or "challege coins" in his blood.

And on the way to the ship, his body would of been thrown er fallen out the side door for the "burial at sea" along with the rest of the trash.

Gaddifi - do you lay awake at night, because you think you hear the "wop,wop,wop" of helicopters? Just asking.

This was a multi-year, multi-administration effort. You'd know that if you would have read more about it before going off on a partisan rant. You're a troll and your desire to spin this into political positioning is disgusting.

Navy Seals did the job and should split the reward money ! Obama is taking credit because his numbers are down.

Actually, the "eye for an eye" saying is not from the bible.

Aside from that, it's an odd kind of illness that we have in our society when people feel the need to ask if killing someone is justifiable when their own lives are threatened. Bin Laden died in a firefight. If someone is actively trying to kill you, where is the question of justification in taking action to preserve your own life?

Eye for an eye is from Exodus 21:23 and Matthew 5:38. Not a Biblical scholar, are you?

An eye for an eye made its first appearance in Hammurabi's Code, circa 1700 BC, long before the writers of the Bible wrote it down. Check your facts and your history.

I agree except the part of thanking our President who did nothing but try to use this to improve his ratings.

I never like to condone killing but this is one of those times when doing so undoubtedly saved lives.

It was necessary in order to protect lives.

Muslims who find the treatment of bin Laden's body 'humiliating' ... should remember that in some Muslim countries the corpses of our captured and killed citizens and troops have been dragged through the streets, spat upon, and otherwise abused.

One thing doesn't justify the other.

There was no practical alternative to burial at sea for bin Laden. From all accounts, the corpse was treated respectfully and in accordance with Muslim traditions. Those who quibble are merely trying to create friction and foment trouble. The real motivation for most of them is not respect for Islam, but a misguided desire for more death and destruction along the lines that bin Laden preached.

Thank you angelosdaughter, I couldn't have said it better myself. All of those who disagree, or find fault with his ultimate demise would do well to remember what those of his followers have done to some American dead, such as the abuses of the dead you have mentioned. As far as Osama goes, he killed many people, regardless of religion, including many Muslims who did not share his extremist views. Knowing that, I feel he was not worthy of the respect that is normally shown to a dead person of any religion. I can certainly believe that no country would want him buried on their soil, as it would be a stain of evil, as if it were the devil himself. I'll bet even the sharks won't eat him, they will likely be driven away by the stench of evil. In my opinion, his head should be displayed on a pike at ground zero, and his body placed in a trench, so that any and all Americans can freely urinate on his headless corpse, on a live video feed broadcast to the entire world. Or, barring that, his corpse should have been place on a cheap inflatable boat, wrapped in rotted pork and human feces, and set adrift with a large amount of explosives to be set off with a remote detonator, filmed for all to see. Think this is extreme? Good. He deserved nothing less than to be disposed of in the most humiliating way possible, as he cared about and respected nothing about those he killed, directly or indirectly. See you in hell Osama.

Bin Laden was not a Muslim. Islam is a religion of peace; therefore, Bin Laden was a heretic, which with worse than an infidel -- and therefore, no Muslim need be concerned about what is done to his body.

(But because Al Quaida terrorists think they're Muslims, we should have fed his body to swine.)

Way too much hand-wringing going on here to suit me. The sewage has been flushed into the ocean, literally. May his vile name never be spoken again.

I believe that was Reagan in the presidency when Osama fought the Russians.