# Hero's welcome for Lockerbie Bomber **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 23, 2009, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-welcome-for-lockerbie-bomber/507354 "2009-08-23T00:14:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-welcome-for-lockerbie-bomber/507354/21 "2009-08-24T07:44:44Z")
> [@Desert\_Nomad](#): > > You’d bomb someone back to the Stone Age because of this? Well it looks like we’re going to have a desert nomad setting up his pavilion in Englewood NJ soon. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-welcome-for-lockerbie-bomber/507354/22 "2009-08-24T08:00:44Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > Well it looks like we’re going to have a desert nomad setting up his pavilion in Englewood NJ soon. Could someone explain this for the benefit of non-americans. Wild stab in the dark would be it’s some sort of Obama reference. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-welcome-for-lockerbie-bomber/507354/23 "2009-08-24T08:06:24Z")
> [@Gary\_Kumquat](#): > > Could someone explain this for the benefit of non-americans. Wild stab in the dark would be it’s some sort of Obama reference. Sorry to rain upon your racist assumptions, but I was actually referring to an actual desert nomad who is the subject of the thread you are posting. > **[Englewood, NJ - Libyan Gaddafi Coming To A Jewish Town - VINnews](https://vinnews.com/2009/08/21/englewood-nj-libyan-gaddafi-coming-to-a-jewish-town/)** > > Englewood, NJ – My friends tell me that I’m the Jewish Forrest Gump, a man who unexpectedly finds himself in strange and surprising situations. But the place I find myself in now surprises even me. I’ve just discovered that Libyan President Muammar... Interesting that the first thought that popped into your mind was Obama though. Shows how YOU think. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dublin11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Dublin11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dublin11)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-welcome-for-lockerbie-bomber/507354/24 "2009-08-24T08:38:04Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > You don’t believe the news story that he received a hero’s welcome at the airport? Of course I believe it. I’ve seen the same photos in the papers and news footage as you have. The point is not that he was received back as a hero, but that you think this is justification enough to advocate mass destruction of civilians. If your country is at war with another country, then there will inevitably be non-military fatalities. If your country is **not** at war with another country and you just want to bomb them to show them and their government the error of their ways, then you’re thinking like a terrorist. This man is either the Lockerbie bomber or he isn’t. For anyone who believes he isn’t then of course his release is to be welcomed and celebrated. For anyone who believes he is then their ire should be directed at the Scottish parliament who released him. I don’t hear you calling for the Scottish Parliament to be bombed back to the stone age, so it’s pretty obvious which you believe. Personally, I think bombing anyone should be avoided at all costs. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-welcome-for-lockerbie-bomber/507354/25 "2009-08-24T08:45:14Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > Sorry to rain upon your racist assumptions What on earth is racist about that? How in hell do you perceive a non-US doper not picking up an obscure reference to an unstated US news item as ‘racist’? You appear to be doing some incredible reaching. > [@](#): > > … but I was actually referring to an actual desert nomad who is the subject of the thread you are posting. The subject is al-Megrahi, not Quadafi. > [@](#): > > Interesting that the first thought that popped into your mind was Obama though. Shows how YOU think. 😃 Most obscure references on this board are something to do with partisan political squabbles in the US; why should this have been an exception? Since Obama is occasionally characterised as a Stealth Muslim, this might appear to be a reasonable assumption, but as he said, it was a stab in the dark guess. You’re weird. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-welcome-for-lockerbie-bomber/507354/26 "2009-08-24T08:57:59Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > What on earth is racist about that? How in hell do you perceive a non-US doper not picking up an obscure reference to an unstated US news item as ‘racist’? You think that it’s common for people to believe that Obama is a Bedouin and it not be racist? Come now, he was accusing me of making a racist joke. > [@](#): > > The subject is al-Megrahi, not Quadafi. Actually no, the subject is Qaddafi and the welcome he gave al-Megrahi. > [@](#): > > Most obscure references on this board are something to do with partisan political squabbles in the US; why should this have been an exception? Since Obama is occasionally characterised as a Stealth Muslim, this might appear to be a reasonable assumption, but as he said, it was a stab in the dark guess. Thus why making a joke about his racism works. He assumed I was making a racist joke when I wasn’t so I twisted it. > [@](#): > > You’re weird. LOL, obtuse is the word I’d use. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-welcome-for-lockerbie-bomber/507354/27 "2009-08-24T12:55:27Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > You think that it’s common for people to believe that Obama is a Bedouin and it not be racist? Come now, he was accusing me of making a racist joke. > > Actually no, the subject is Qaddafi and the welcome he gave al-Megrahi. > > Thus why making a joke about his racism works. He assumed I was making a racist joke when I wasn’t so I twisted it. > > LOL, obtuse is the word I’d use. 😃 I’m with Jjim on this. To ask about an obscure reference and asked if it was linkd to the POTUS is hardly racist. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-welcome-for-lockerbie-bomber/507354/28 "2009-08-24T13:06:55Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > I’m with Jjim on this. To ask about an obscure reference and asked if it was linkd to the POTUS is hardly racist. Racist. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-welcome-for-lockerbie-bomber/507354/29 "2009-08-24T13:09:51Z")
Cutting back to the chase, it does remind me of the welcome given to those [murderous bastards](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_massacre) from the Munich Olympics Massacre upon their release to Libya. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-welcome-for-lockerbie-bomber/507354/30 "2009-08-24T13:24:26Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > Interesting that the first thought that popped into your mind was Obama though. Shows how YOU think. 😃 Sweet fuck, your idea of a biting comeback is a variant of “I know you are, what am I?”. The only thing demonstrated by me asking whether a cryptic reference of yours refers to the President is that I think you’d be capable of an idiotic remark. I’d say your attempt at a rejoinder proves that beyond any doubt. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Awesome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Captain\_Awesome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Awesome)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-welcome-for-lockerbie-bomber/507354/31 "2009-08-24T13:31:23Z")
The fairly transparent miscarriage of justice which has occurred is reviewed in the previous thread, [Lockerbie bomber to be released](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=528775), which offers links to more information. > [@jtgain](#): > > Please tell me why we shouldn’t bomb these people back into the stone age. I think people here get stupider every week. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-welcome-for-lockerbie-bomber/507354/32 "2009-08-24T14:07:25Z")
> [@Captain\_Awesome](#): > > I think people here get stupider every week. More racism. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-welcome-for-lockerbie-bomber/507354/33 "2009-08-24T14:26:49Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > Cutting back to the chase, it does remind me of the welcome given to those [murderous bastards](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_massacre) from the Munich Olympics Massacre upon their release to Libya. Yes, but they actually did it. ---
**Author:** ![wmfellows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c2a13f/32.png) [@wmfellows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wmfellows)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-welcome-for-lockerbie-bomber/507354/34 "2009-08-24T14:44:38Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > [http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090822/wl\_nm/us\_lockerbie](http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090822/wl_nm/us_lockerbie) > > I try to be understanding. I really do. Please tell me why we shouldn’t bomb these people back into the stone age. Because bombing an entire country / people “to the stone age” over a bit of rejoicing by… I dunno some score of their fellow nationals over the return of one of their own is barbaric, insane and cretinous all in one shot? Or that perhaps if you understood that from the Libyan point of view - not without factual validity or perhaps plausibility - the man was set up or was a fall guy for the Americans? > [@](#): > > Seriously. Tell me why these people who cheer this guy are even classified in the same species as me. Well, given your reaction, not only are you of the same species, **but you are also of the same mind-set as those celebrating** - a barbarian in the end, just that you happen in this occasion to be on the other side of the issue from them. Does this mean you deserve to be bombed? Hmmm, maybe it does. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-welcome-for-lockerbie-bomber/507354/35 "2009-08-24T14:46:34Z")
In COMPLETELY unrelated news, William Calley says “whoops, sorry, but I was following orders.” [http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/story/813820.html](http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/story/813820.html) ---
**Author:** ![wmfellows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c2a13f/32.png) [@wmfellows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wmfellows)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-welcome-for-lockerbie-bomber/507354/36 "2009-08-24T14:46:35Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > To be honest, your attitude has a lot in common with that of the type of person who wants to blow up airliners. They offend you, so you want to kill them all. Someone reading this in Libya might ask why they shouldn’t blow up planeloads of people like you. Lather rinse repeat. > > Here’s a funny thought: blowing up people is wrong. It’s wrong when it’s an airplane full of people going home on vacation, it’s wrong when it is done to “bomb them back to the stone age.” The sentiment behind both ideas is the same, you are as much a prisoner of your hate as “they” are. Bother, you beat me to it. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-welcome-for-lockerbie-bomber/507354/37 "2009-08-24T14:58:24Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > To be honest, your attitude has a lot in common with that of the type of person who wants to blow up airliners. They offend you, so you want to kill them all. Someone reading this in Libya might ask why they shouldn’t blow up planeloads of people like you. Lather rinse repeat. > > Here’s a funny thought: blowing up people is wrong. It’s wrong when it’s an airplane full of people going home on vacation, it’s wrong when it is done to “bomb them back to the stone age.” The sentiment behind both ideas is the same, you are as much a prisoner of your hate as “they” are. I guess I let my anger get the best of me. Of course I don’t support bombing innocent civilians, but it disconfirms what I have been told to believe. We have been told that these terrorists are a small minority of middle easterners and that most are peace loving people who just want to live their lives in obscurity. We have Tim McVeigh, they have Osama bin Laden; no differences at all. The problem is that McVeigh wasn’t met with cheering crowds. We don’t elect people like Tim McVeigh to positions of power. I find it hard to agree with the general consensus that the attitude of terrorism in the middle east is just an aberration instead of the norm. ---
**Author:** ![wmfellows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c2a13f/32.png) [@wmfellows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wmfellows)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-welcome-for-lockerbie-bomber/507354/38 "2009-08-24T15:18:14Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > I guess I let my anger get the best of me. Of course I don’t support bombing innocent civilians, but it disconfirms what I have been told to believe. > > We have been told that these terrorists are a small minority of middle easterners and that most are peace loving people who just want to live their lives in obscurity. Eh? You had a reception party that seems partially officially ginned up on behalf of the fellow, on the basis the Libyans believe the man to be actually innocent. Where do you draw the relationship between a quasi official welcome for a fellow they think innocent and "The Middle Easterners"™ thinking rather escapes… > [@](#): > > We have Tim McVeigh, they have Osama bin Laden; no differences at all. > > The problem is that McVeigh wasn’t met with cheering crowds. We don’t elect people like Tim McVeigh to positions of power. I find it hard to agree with the general consensus that the attitude of terrorism in the middle east is just an aberration instead of the norm. I find it hard to follow your piss-poor logic, although you continue to resemble the very people you hate in your mode and method of thinking, or reacting. Perhaps rather clarity is needed. The fellow in question was a State Agent, so this is rather less like your McVeigh (who after all bombed his “own people” - to compare someone with McViegh you’d want to see a domestic terrorist in the Middle East released to popular joy). A direct analogy to this might be an American agent perceived as unjustly convicted or imprisoned and then released… hmmm, like the American hostages in Iran in 1979-1980. Again keeping in mind that perfectly rational and reasonable outside observers have seriously called into question the evidence and trial that led to this fellow’s imprisonment. Nevermind Libyans under a dictatorship whose controlled press has pushed the idea of his innocence. Where by the way does “elected” come into the picture? Libya is an eccentric military dictatorship led by a guy who came to power in a coup - as a colonel I think. No, I think your OP pretty much confirmed you’re precisely like “them” only on the other side of the equation. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-welcome-for-lockerbie-bomber/507354/39 "2009-08-24T15:20:14Z")
> [@wmfellows](#): > > The fellow in question was a State Agent, so this is rather less like your McVeigh (who after all bombed his “own people” - to compare someone with McViegh you’d want to see a domestic terrorist in the Middle East released to popular joy). A direct analogy to this might be an American agent perceived as unjustly convicted or imprisoned and then released… hmmm, like the American hostages in Iran in 1979-1980. Or, say, Lt. William Calley. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-welcome-for-lockerbie-bomber/507354/40 "2009-08-24T15:44:54Z")
Two young ladies, both convicted spies, were recently sent back to the USA, where they were received by cheering crowds and popular public opinion. Why does the US condone spying on a sovereign nation? Could it be because they were not spies at all, and the trial that convicted them was a politicized sham? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-welcome-for-lockerbie-bomber/507354.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-welcome-for-lockerbie-bomber/507354.md?page=3)