# Osama bin Laden is Dead **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 2, 2011, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437 "2011-05-02T02:46:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/21 "2011-05-02T03:15:48Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > I wonder how many drunken braggarts in bars in the coming years are going to claim that they’re the ones who personally pulled the trigger/dropped the bomb on Bin Laden? Me, for one. I left work early on Friday due to the death of my step-grandmother. Being called in to do a DNA test on the corpse of bin Laden will probably work out better. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/22 "2011-05-02T03:17:34Z")
Big political coup for Obama, but not really meaningful. I’ve said for many years that we’d be better off with him on the run and impotent. Now he’s a martyr, and we’ll probably see a call for revenge. The news outlets keep calling him the founder of al Qaeda. Wasn’t it Zawahiri who was the founder? I wonder how they’re going to “prove” to the Arab world that he’s dead. Pictures? There’s going to be all kind of conspiracy theories about this being untrue. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/23 "2011-05-02T03:18:40Z")
Obama is about to address the nation regarding this development. I’m withholding my opinions until after I hear what he has to say. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/24 "2011-05-02T03:21:33Z")
I’ve brought this quote up a few times over the years, and it’s just as apropos now: [QUOTE=Bogart in The Maltese Falcon] When a man’s partner is killed, he’s supposed to do something about it. It doesn’t make any difference what you thought of him. He was your partner and you’re supposed to do something about it. And it happens we’re in the detective business. Well, when one of your organization gets killed, it’s-it’s bad business to let the killer get away with it, bad all around, bad for every detective everywhere. [/QUOTE] Same here. When 3000 of your countrymen get killed, it’s bad business to let the killer get away with it, bad all around, bad for every American everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/25 "2011-05-02T03:21:56Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Is it too much to ask that we give him the [Mussolini Treatment](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mussolini#Mussolini.27s_body)? (Seriously, this is one of those rare times that I WILL celebrate someone’s death) Yes. It’s a time for celebration, but also a time to send a message. Let the body be dealt with in whatever is the correct manner of his religion. Desecrating the corpse would not be a smart choice. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/26 "2011-05-02T03:22:09Z")
I read he was killed outside his mansion in Islamabad. American intelligence found him and killed him. I don’t think it was drones. But he was hiding in plain sight in Islamabad. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/27 "2011-05-02T03:24:37Z")
On the 8th anniversary of Bush stating “Mission Accomplished” - evidently Bush was simply clairvoyant, and telling us about 8 years into the future. Nice to think of the many weeping Republicans. I think we can skip the 2012 Presidential election. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/28 "2011-05-02T03:25:53Z")
Speculation - That’s why William and Kate postponed their honeymoon out of “security concerns.” If bin Laden has been dead for a while, to allow the US to confirm once and for all, then selected US allies would have known for a while as well, especially the UK. ---
**Author:** ![markdash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@markdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markdash)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/29 "2011-05-02T03:26:37Z")
What’s the debate? I doubt anyone is sad to see him go. You know the expression “rest in peace”? I wish the opposite to Bin Laden. I hope there is an afterlife just so he can have his entrails eaten by hyenas every hour for eternity. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/30 "2011-05-02T03:27:23Z")
> [@villa](#): > > Yes. It’s a time for celebration, but also a time to send a message. Let the body be dealt with in whatever is the correct manner of his religion. Desecrating the corpse would not be a smart choice. Hmmm. I agree about not desecrating the body, but that’s about the extent of it. He forfeit any right to particular respect. And if anyone does desecrate the body, I’m not gonna be sad about it. Just don’t take any pictures. ---
**Author:** ![as\_u\_wish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6f9a4e/32.png) [@as\_u\_wish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/as_u_wish)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/31 "2011-05-02T03:30:42Z")
Well, NOW we know why Obama can finally release his birth certificate. What? Oh, never mind… ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/32 "2011-05-02T03:32:21Z")
This is huge for Death Pools across the nation. He is worth 46 points. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/33 "2011-05-02T03:33:33Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > Speculation - That’s why William and Kate postponed their honeymoon out of “security concerns.” If bin Laden has been dead for a while, to allow the US to confirm once and for all, then selected US allies would have known for a while as well, especially the UK. That makes sense. He was killed a week ago, and they were waiting for DNA confirmation. ---
**Author:** ![SSgtBaloo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac91a4/32.png) [@SSgtBaloo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SSgtBaloo)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/34 "2011-05-02T03:39:42Z")
When I first read of it I spent a panicky 5 minutes looking for news of our president’s demise as part of a coup by the CIA. Then the penny dropped and I realized: "Osama, dammit, not Obama! ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/35 "2011-05-02T03:42:36Z")
I am glad I am not flying anywhere during the next week or so. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/36 "2011-05-02T03:45:18Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > When 3000 of your countrymen get killed, it’s bad business to let the killer get away with it, bad all around, bad for every American everywhere. This. It sends the message that if you fuck with us, we will \*kill \*you. Maybe if you spend the rest of your life hiding in a hole in a remote part of the world you can temporarily postpone the inevitable, but sooner or later we will find you. There is no escape. That’s a strong message to send. ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/37 "2011-05-02T03:46:12Z")
Obama’s making his statement, says it happened today in Islamabad, small force, firefight. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/38 "2011-05-02T03:47:05Z")
> [@Larry\_Borgia](#): > > That depends on how he died. You’re right if it was a predator drone, not so much if it’s kidney failure. > > ETA: or what **GIGO** just said. Wow, not even a drone, an actual special forces raid. ---
**Author:** ![hansel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6bbea6/32.png) [@hansel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hansel)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/39 "2011-05-02T03:47:06Z")
Obama just said that American forces raided a compound in Pakistan, killing bin Laden in a firefight and taking custody of his body, thanks to the co-operation of Pakistan’s ISI. ---
**Author:** ![TheMonsterLives](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ab992/32.png) [@TheMonsterLives](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMonsterLives)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/40 "2011-05-02T03:49:10Z")
i’ve got goosebumps over it [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437.md?page=3)