# Can we ever be sure Bin Laden is dead? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 26, 2001, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-ever-be-sure-bin-laden-is-dead/89672 "2001-10-26T00:02:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2001, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-ever-be-sure-bin-laden-is-dead/89672/1 "2001-10-26T00:02:53Z")
Even if we do kill him it’s very unlikely that we will get our hands on his body. And even if we did, could we be sure it was him? I tend to believe he is going to live forever whatever happens to him. And we will go all around the world chasing windmills. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2001, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-ever-be-sure-bin-laden-is-dead/89672/2 "2001-10-26T01:39:12Z")
Damn straight. Unless we see a body. And I wouldn’t put it past his organization to announce he is death, or even for him to FAKE his own death. ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2001, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-ever-be-sure-bin-laden-is-dead/89672/3 "2001-10-26T02:49:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Guinastasia \* > \*\*Damn straight. Unless we see a body. And I wouldn’t put it past his organization to announce he is death, or even for him to FAKE his own death. \*\* [Yup, you’re right](http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/555761/posts). Unless, of course, he really _is_ dead… ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_The\_Bold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/41988e/32.png) [@Dale\_The\_Bold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_The_Bold)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2001, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-ever-be-sure-bin-laden-is-dead/89672/4 "2001-10-26T03:24:10Z")
The only way to be sure is to pull the trigger yourself. Which is why we should all be scrampling to do so. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_The\_Bold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/41988e/32.png) [@Dale\_The\_Bold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_The_Bold)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2001, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-ever-be-sure-bin-laden-is-dead/89672/5 "2001-10-26T03:25:18Z")
- “scrampling” is Boldian or scrambling. ---
**Author:** ![Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ebca7d/32.png) [@Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Violet)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2001, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-ever-be-sure-bin-laden-is-dead/89672/6 "2001-10-26T03:26:55Z")
I thought the guy was ill. In any event, he seems to like doing video tapes. Maybe when they stop, it might be a clue that he’s dead. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2001, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-ever-be-sure-bin-laden-is-dead/89672/7 "2001-10-26T04:49:38Z")
Unless they build an **animatronic Osama**! ---
**Author:** ![Daowajan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@Daowajan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daowajan)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2001, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-ever-be-sure-bin-laden-is-dead/89672/8 "2001-10-26T04:54:22Z")
Or a guy that just really, really looks like him. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2001, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-ever-be-sure-bin-laden-is-dead/89672/9 "2001-10-26T19:19:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Violet \* > **I thought the guy was ill.** I hear most experts eblieve bin Laden is suffering from kidney failure, and will probably keel over from natural causes in a few years anyway. Assuming a cruise missile doesn’t get him tomorrow, of course. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2001, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-ever-be-sure-bin-laden-is-dead/89672/10 "2001-10-26T19:44:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by even sven \* > \*\*Unless they build an **animatronic Osama**! \*\* “Death to all Americans! Death to all of Isreal! Drink Duff Beer! Break it down now…”