19 ms·

Osama bin Laden Is Dead

924 points by ssclafani 16y ago

gluecode 16y ago
Good riddance.
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dirtyhand 16y ago
Good job 007
bokchoi 16y ago
Mission Accomplished
jim_h 16y ago
President Obama will make a live announcement about it. http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/live-video-of-president-obamas-address/ http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/live-video-of-pr...
- Cushman 16y ago
  It's a little weird that it still says 10:30. No one there can update the placeholder?
  - cj 16y ago
    I think 10:30 is the time the "President obama makes a statement" message was posted on the screen. It confused me too.
  - tokenadult 16y ago
    [Update] Killed by a firefight by American operatives on the ground in Pakistan just in the last day, according to the President's speech. From Los Angeles Times report: "Sen. Dianne Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, related the news to mourners at a memorial service for political consultant Kam Kuwata. Feinstein said Obama was announcing it on TV as she spoke. However, she announced the news well before Obama began to speak." http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-pn-osama-bin-laden-dead-20110501,0,4081556.story http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-pn-osama-b...
quizbiz 16y ago
Correct me if I'm wrong but apparently twitter broke the story?
- ssharp 16y ago
  I was watching MSNBC cover it. They were ready to break the news, and just before they were about to say it, they pulled it back. I checked Twitter, and the news was already there. NBC announced it a few minutes later.
- NZ_Matt 16y ago
  It's interesting going back and looking at google realtime search and seeing how the story broke. It appears that @rawls on twitter was the first to call it http://goo.gl/6FMtV http://goo.gl/6FMtV
  - quizbiz 16y ago
    According to the New York Times[1], https://twitter.com/#!/keithurbahn/status/64877790624886784 https://twitter.com/#!/keithurbahn/status/64877790624886784 broke the story. [1] http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/how-the-osama-announcement-leaked-out/?src=tptw http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/how-the-osa...
  - pizza 16y ago
    Might be a coincidence or a random tweet, but: @Obi_JohnKanObi‎ #becauseoftwitterbeef we found osama bin laden Twitter - 1 May 2011 18:12:31 edit: It's entertaining to see all of the "I'll do X if Osama Bin Laden is found today" tweets that were made hours before 10PM ET.
  - waterlesscloud 16y ago
    One of the very early tweets was from...The Rock. Which almost makes sense. http://twitter.com/#!/TheRock/status/64877987341938688 http://twitter.com/#!/TheRock/status/64877987341938688
- noarchy 16y ago
  A guy in Abbottabad appears to have tweeted about the helicopter, as it was happening. http://twitter.com/#!/ReallyVirtual http://twitter.com/#!/ReallyVirtual
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joe24pack 16y ago
finally. Can we stop the stupid patdowns of innocent travelers and disconnect the porno scanners at the airports now? I have to travel tomorrow and I'd rather not go through that crap again.
- zyphlar 16y ago
  No, because terrorism is decentralized and the millions of people who (rightfully) hate us now will be even angrier. Which will justify further control of the populace for safety.
  - joezydeco 16y ago
    I'm with ya, even through the downvotes. Why does everyone think the rest of Al Qaeda is going to just give up and go home?
    - marshray 16y ago
      Because the ones smart enough to organize, finance, and lead the operation will see it as a suicide plan, one that they won't be able to pass down to others. There will probably always be some dudes thinking of themselves as part of the franchise, but without photos and tapes they won't really know who they're taking orders from. They'll have an authentication problem.
      - memoryfault 16y ago
        You are assuming that we are dealing with rational people who have rational thoughts. That couldn't be further from the truth. People who plan the mass-murder of others around the world are completely irrational, and I am very confident that there are tons of people with money, organization, and leadership that will step up and try to continue Bin Laden's efforts.
        danenania 16y ago
        "People who plan the mass-murder of others around the world are completely irrational" Clearly untrue. Perhaps it is easier for you to view an enemy as a lunatic monster bent on senseless destruction, but nearly every mass murdering organization in the world, whether it's a terrorist group like Al Qaeda or a military power like the US, has very concrete motivations and objectives for its actions, and is well versed in the logic of power. Realpolitik is deeply rooted in a rational worldview. You may disagree with the premises or the reasoning (I certainly do), but calling Al Qaeda 'completely irrational' is way off.
nopassrecover 16y ago
[Not HN] - Assuming this qualified as interesting/useful to hackers, which I disagree with but obviously it's on the front page, this is two paragraphs (at least currently?) saying Bin Laden is dead, statement to come, i.e. completely devoid of information.
- sandipc 16y ago
  that's because it is breaking news. We are still waiting for President Obama's official statement address to begin...
  - nopassrecover 16y ago
    So shouldn't we wait to hear the facts/details first? I believe HN is about intelligent discussion, not idle speculation.
    - intended 16y ago
      I suppose the source of the data is giving this greater weight.
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aterimperator 16y ago
"The worst thing to post or upvote is something that's intensely but shallowly interesting. Gossip about famous people, funny or cute pictures or videos, partisan political articles, etc. If you let that sort of thing onto a news site, it will push aside the deeply interesting stuff, which tends to be quieter."
- gexla 16y ago
  This is huge news for the U.S. We can argue whether this is the sort of news which should be posted here, but it will likely have a huge emotional impact for the U.S. Our nation came to a standstill on 9/11 and this story will likely have some impact on productivity. ;)
  - tzs 16y ago
    Not just the US. There were a lot of foreigners who worked in the World Trade Center and died on 9/11. I recall shortly after that day reading that for some large number of countries, 9/11 was the largest terrorist attack on their citizens.
    - DrStalker 16y ago
      As an Australian the direct effect of 9/11 on us was tiny, but the effect of the US's reaction has been huge.
      - cheez 16y ago
        How do you mean?
        westicle 16y ago
        They invaded two countries, one of which was tangentially connected to some of the people involved in the hijackings which has resulted in quite a lot of innocent deaths. Pretty major story of the past decade.
hrabago 16y ago
[Deleted] Don't know why this is being downvoted. I was sharing an analysis of what could happen as a consequence of this event.
- tokenadult 16y ago
  He may become a lot shorter on followers as a result of this. Meanwhile, there is upheaval in a wide variety of Arab countries, which will probably have important national security implications for the United States--possibly for the better--even if Al Qaeda disappears. P.S. I am listening to live coverage from the BBC just now (relayed by Minnesota Public Radio), and the most interesting thing about this evening's report is that apparently Bin Laden was found in a villa in Islamabad, the seat of government of Pakistan.
  - hrabago 16y ago
    Hopefully for the better. Al Qaeda has proven very resilient, so hopefully this breaks them down.
- kgermino 16y ago
  Downvoted because you deleted your comment and replaced it with a sentence complaining about being downvoted.
lwat 16y ago
I'm convinced he's been dead for several years, we'll see what kind of evidence they have.
- long 16y ago
  What kind of evidence do you have?
  - Devilboy 16y ago
    http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8120236576648647371# http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8120236576648647371# Also the fact that his recent 'yearly videos' do not contain any new footage of the man. Experts in the EU have declared the videos 'fake' so the CIA stopped sending them the videos for analysis.
- adolfojp 16y ago
  What do you want? A death certificate?
  - smogzer 16y ago
    DNA Matching with his sons.
    - Brewer 16y ago
      The only problem here is that he has supposedly been thrown in the ocean to prevent anyone from trying to recover his body. However, I must admit that I would also like some form of proof as well.
- wazoox 16y ago
  If anyone remember, his death was announced by an Egyptian newspaper in late 2001. Since then, all published "Osama messages" were fake: he even was obviously younger in the latest videos. This guy was very sick and needed regular dialysis; staying alive for ten years while hiding away would have been tremendously difficult. So yes, I'm with you : unless they release some serious evidence, I'll stay suspicious.
jakewalker 16y ago
Damn. Already went through my allotment of 20 NY Times stories.
- Osiris 16y ago
  Don't worry, even those of us that haven't use the allotment still can't load the page because the site is so overloaded.
- deleted 16y ago
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- bcn 16y ago
  Watch at http://www.whitehouse.gov/live/president-obama-delivers-statement http://www.whitehouse.gov/live/president-obama-delivers-stat...
- jerf 16y ago
  You're not missing anything as the title covers nearly everything, other than that an announcement will be made by the President shortly.
- grandalf 16y ago
  delete cookies, read 20 more.
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tectonic 16y ago
Will the Bill of rights be reinstated now?
- Vivtek 16y ago
  That quaint document?
- die_sekte 16y ago
  Obviously there will have to be more repressions, to catch all those terrorists of other confessions that we simply don't know about yet.
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shareme 16y ago
Obama just won re-election, if this is true..assuming if he can get gas prices down..
- sigzero 16y ago
  Why? He was only following the plan laid down by the previous President. Nobody in their right mind should credit this to Obama. The US Military should get the full credit. They are the minds and planning behind what happened not any President.
  - Rariel 16y ago
    "Nobody in their right mind should credit this to Obama." Why not? He gets the blame for the last administration's screw ups so why shouldn't he take the glory of finding bin laden? (Not that I agree the last admin did anything to help find Osama). Additionally, he's the commander in chief of the military--so the head of the military shouldn't get credit?
  - ajays 16y ago
    At a tactical level, you are correct: the credit goes to the US military. But you have to give credit to Obama too. Bush had his eyes focused on Iraq, and let BinLaden escape a few times. I still vividly remember, at some press conference a couple of years after 9/11, Bush was asked: what about Bin Laden? He callously replied, "I don't worry about Bin Laden. I don't care about him." So, if Obama had continued Bush's policy, we would not have got Bin Laden. Obama changed the policy and made Bin Laden priority #1 again, and you have the results today.
    - jamesbritt 16y ago
      Obama changed the policy and made Bin Laden priority #1 again, and you have the results today. And you know this because of a comment most likely made to avoid giving bin Laden more public attention or further elevating his importance? Regardless of what one thinks of George W. I have a hard time believing he didn't want bin Laden dead or captured any less than anyone else in the USA, and these kinds of public statements are no way to divine what the CIA has been sent out to do.
russnewcomer 16y ago
This is a much more complex piece of news than most Americans think. I just hope they don't show his body on TV. That's going to just incite and inflame jihad-minded fighters. And I sure hope this doesn't make the U.S. pull out of Afghanistan in the next 90 days like NBC just implied, because that would be bad for everyone in that country. EDIT if OBL really was killed in a mansion in Islamabad, that changes a lot in relations between the US and Pakistan. If he was killed in the FATA, then it's pretty meaningless operationally, it's just a news deal that will inflame the jihadi world for a while. Edit2 Abbottabad is in NWFP, so not exactly Islamabad and a different interesting. If Obama didn't get Pakistan's permission before going, that is interesting. Not going to change wars on the ground except for a inflammation in jihadi tensions.
- aterimperator 16y ago
  He was killed in Pakistan, if I heard correctly.
- marshray 16y ago
  really was killed in a mansion in Islamabad, that changes a lot in relations between the US and Pakistan Everyone in Pakistan already knows that the US has been killing people with drone strikes for years and years now. They're far more aware of it than Americans. It's hard to see that there are many Pakistanis who are going to dislike America more for having actually gotten OBL. On the other hand, ending US missile strikes in Pakistan can only help.
  - brianpan 16y ago
    I think russnewcomer was implying that if he was in a mansion, the Pakastani government must have known more about his whereabouts than they said they did. Which would potentially affect US-Pakastani diplomatic relations.
    - marshray 16y ago
      if he was in a mansion, the Pakastani government must have known more about his whereabouts than they said they did That's certainly possible or even likely, but it's not like his name would have been on the utility bills either. Many of the homes in my town (not mine) have a finished basement...off the tax records. It'd be easier to hide a famous person in a big walled compound than a smaller dwelling.
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- trickjarrett 16y ago
  Major US or World news always comes up on HN.
  - power78 16y ago
    That doesn't mean its the place for it.
    - Rariel 16y ago
      "On-Topic: Anything that good hackers would find interesting. That includes more than hacking and startups. If you had to reduce it to a sentence, the answer might be: anything that gratifies one's intellectual curiosity." from http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
sudonim 16y ago
http://www.whitehouse.gov/live http://www.whitehouse.gov/live As of 11:09 pm est, it is either over or hasn't started. Image: https://skitch.com/sudonim/r7b7f/the-white-house https://skitch.com/sudonim/r7b7f/the-white-house
- Osiris 16y ago
  It hasn't started yet. I'm watching NBC news and they're filling time while waiting for the President to speak.
- Duff 16y ago
  It's taking longer than anticipated to round up a big enough spontaneous crowd to cheer at the White House gates.
- memoryfault 16y ago
  Strange, I watched it on that site at 11:30pm est, but now at 12:24pm est the video is no longer available...
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- phil 16y ago
  It's correct usage.
Osiris 16y ago
As reported in the Huffington Post, Obama instructed the CIA to step up efforts to find Osama just 3 days ago on April 28, 2011. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gary-s-chafetz/post_1988_b_854932.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gary-s-chafetz/post_1988_b_854... According to the article, Obama was concerned that the Taliban might gain political influence in Afghanistan after U.S. troops leave and if so, they may invite Osama back to the country. The believe is that killing Osama will help prevent the Taliban from regaining control.
- Osiris 16y ago
  Why the downvote? How is this not completely relevant to the discussion at hand?
  - ars 16y ago
    Because it's probably inaccurate. Reports are that he died a week ago, plus 3 days is not long enough to "step up" anything. Additionally huffington post should never be your primary source for anything except opinion.
    - Osiris 16y ago
      Good point. I just found it interesting that perhaps there was a recent push to go after him. The article does state if the push just started on the 28th or that's just when he wrote about it. I searched and wasn't able to find any other articles that confirmed it.
- trickjarrett 16y ago
  Interesting. According to commentators, on NBC I think, he was killed a week ago during a drone strike and we've been waiting for complete confirmation beyond any doubt.
  - achompas 16y ago
    Posting this at 11:30pm, before any press conference by the President, but some reports state he was shot in the head by a CIA operative. No drones involved.
antihero 16y ago
How do they know it isn't just some guy that looks like Osama? Did they take his DNA a while back?
- krallja 16y ago
  ABC reports that the FBI has a sample of his sister's DNA
- trickjarrett 16y ago
  They're saying that we've had his body for a week, it's only coming to light tonight because word leaked through congressional aides. Presumably they were waiting for confirmation beyond doubt.
  - citricsquid 16y ago
    obama stated the operation was performed today (May 1st)
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- Rariel 16y ago
  Are you starting a "deather" movement?
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marcamillion 16y ago
I am not American...but I feel like one today! Wonderful news!
- Cushman 16y ago
  On behalf of America, thank you.
- marcamillion 16y ago
  What's with the downvotes ? Makes no sense.
grandalf 16y ago
The question is, who will be the next third world "evildoer" that all Americans come to know by name by virtue of US propaganda?
- cheez 16y ago
  Tupac.
jrockway 16y ago
Osama bin Laden's legacy lives on with every traveler being herded through body scanners, with every illegal search in our 120-mile-radius Constitution-free zones, and with every warrantless wiretap. Until his legacy dies, he lives on, as strong as ever. ... Can I at least bring a tube of toothpaste with me when I travel now?
- kevin_morrill 16y ago
  Yes, let's hope this spells the end of the TSA. I know it's a non sequitur--but so was forming the TSA in the first place.
  - aik 16y ago
    And in other news we've supposedly just killed Gadaffi's brother and grandchildren. I don't see that happening anytime soon unfortunately.
  - plainOldText 16y ago
    just because bin laden is dead doesn't mean terrorism is "dead".
    - webwright 16y ago
      How alive is terrorism, really? How challenging would it be to poison a reservoir, poison random groceries across the country, blow up the Alaska Pipeline, etc. Any motivated terrorist would attack us where we aren't so vigilant. I'm honestly pretty unsure about how many motivated terrorists there are out there-- if there were out there (and well-financed), couldn't they be crippling us with a dozen different types of attacks? The TSA is like putting your hand on a screen door to keep out the wind. We've got better things to do with our time and money.
      - sliverstorm 16y ago
        A terrorist aims to incite terror. They do this by making you feel weak and vulnerable and unsafe, which is not necessarily achieved by poisoning your reservoir. Someone who just tries to cause as much damage or kill as many people as possible, is not a terrorist. I think they are just known as criminals or militants.
zdw 16y ago
Just to clarify, is this politics? Should it be flagged? The January 9th AZ shootings articles were all flagged and pulled from the site - I'm having trouble seeing the difference between that piece of news and this.
- mikeknoop 16y ago
  Consider this, had HN been around in 2001, would the World Trade Center news have been flagged?
  - prodigal_erik 16y ago
    There was legitimate engineering discussion to be had about the unexpected success of the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks. But when you strip away the politics, this story is merely "hated guy gets whacked", so what's to discuss for hackers or entrepreneurs? Flagged.
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geuis 16y ago
The live feed just came on air at 8:35pm PST http://www.whitehouse.gov/live http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
statictype 16y ago
Important news. But, Off-Topic: Most stories about politics, or crime, or sports, unless they're evidence of some interesting new phenomenon. Videos of pratfalls or disasters, or cute animal pictures. If they'd cover it on TV news, it's probably off-topic. http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html Flag please.
- HardyLeung 16y ago
  Note the word Most, instead of All. The paragraph right above that sentence: Anything that good hackers would find interesting. That includes more than hacking and startups. If you had to reduce it to a sentence, the answer might be: anything that gratifies one's intellectual curiosity. I find it interesting, and the story gratifies my intellectual curiosity beyond belief. Also remember that hackers are typically young and a large part of their psyche can be defined by that monumental event happened almost 10 years ago. Hey, if you look carefully you might find startup opportunities out of understanding of this significant development.
  - statictype 16y ago
    Honestly, you could make that argument about anything. I'm curious: In what way does the story gratify your intellectual curiosity?
    - silvestrov 16y ago
      Hacking society: hiding for so long.
      - intended 16y ago
        Which is actually quite interesting - how did he manage it for 10 years? And then find himself in Pakistan sipping chai in the morning?
      - statictype 16y ago
        Please. I'm talking about the article this discussion is about. There's nothing remotely informative in there about 'hacking society'.
abalashov 16y ago
Not even a whimper of cheer for Osama's death from me, given the abysmal foreign policy and national security state failure of the last decade. As another commenter said, "Osama bin Laden's legacy lives on with every traveler being herded through body scanners, with every illegal search in our 120-mile-radius Constitution-free zones, and with every warrantless wiretap." Besides that, it's simply not like me to cheer for anyone's death, in principle, especially a figure the TV adamantly asserts we're supposed to hate. It's not that I doubt the veracity of the reasons given so much as I loathe demagoguery and spectacle.
- abalashov 16y ago
  Although, I have always doubted the omni-tentacular, ubiquitous, far-reaching character ascribed to Al Qaeda as an all-powerful international terrorist conspiracy. It's not that I doubt its existence per se, it's just that I know damn well that every shadowy international conspiracy ever raised by any government has been vastly exaggerated into a comically gassy caricature of its real self, vide the International Communist Conspiracy of yore. Edit: In a way, bin Laden's death is probably a net loss for the American military and foreign policy establishment (does there even need to be an 'and' there?). So much propaganda mileage was squeezed from him that I am sure there is some ambivalence as to whether he's more valuable dead as some bullshit "vindication" vs. alive as a perpetual bogeyman.
  - hasenj 16y ago
    > I have always doubted the omni-tentacular, ubiquitous, far-reaching character ascribed to Al Qaeda as an all-powerful international terrorist conspiracy In the Arab world, this image is ascribed to the Zionist-Right-Wing-American conspiracy. Some radical conspiracy theorists even claim that all current revolutions in the Arab world are plans by the Zionists to change Arab regimes without resorting to a full-scale military invasion.
    - abalashov 16y ago
      Which is strange, given that most of the imperiled or 'changed' regimes are not especially anti-Israeli. I mean in reality, apart from the perfunctory rhetorical barbs for domestic consumption.
pnathan 16y ago
Summary (from the speech broadcast on CNN): * In August '10 a lead was uncovered. Obama directed followup. * Lead was strengthened over time until it was isolated that bin Laden was in a compound in Pakistan. * Obama gave the order and an American commando team went in, had a firefight, and killed bin Laden. His body was brought out. * No Americans were harmed, and civilians were attempted to be protected. * The Pakistani government was notified (speech did not say if this was pre-event or post-event). And, transcript! http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-dead http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-de...
- calebmpeterson 16y ago
  Thank you for giving the most informative and least speculative post in this thread!
  - pnathan 16y ago
    You're welcome. I hope to find a transcript and append a link to it. As of several minutes ago, the White House had not released a transcript.
    - calebmpeterson 16y ago
      Just read the transcript; thank you for posting it.
- dgallagher 16y ago
  The firefight took place in Abbottabad, Pakistan: Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbottabad http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbottabad Maps: http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&client=safari&q=abbottabad+pakistan&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Abbottābad,+Abbottabad,+Khyber+Pakhtunkhwa,+Pakistan&gl=us&ll=34.145446,73.221688&spn=0.033528,0.065875&z=15 http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&client=safari&q=ab... Google Earth (copy/paste): 34° 8'48.00"N 73°12'59.00"E
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vidiviciveni 16y ago
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWS-FoXbjVI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWS-FoXbjVI
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meterplech 16y ago
I am pretty impressed that Twitter is still up right now. As far as I can tell there was no fail whale during this whole news break. Big moment for the site I think.
- deleted 16y ago
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- ZachPruckowski 16y ago
  Well it's occurring overnight for Europe and a lot of US-East. That probably cuts the traffic in half.
sp332 16y ago
As usual, Al Jazeera English has excellent coverage and a much broader perspective: Live video http://english.aljazeera.net/watch_now/ http://english.aljazeera.net/watch_now/
- Qz 16y ago
  Their interview with Robert Fisk was highly educational.
  - cema 16y ago
    In what respects?
- trickjarrett 16y ago
  I'm listening to it now, I'm hoping to get it added to my cable package so I don't have to follow it online or on my phone.
- paul9290 16y ago
  Does Al Jazeera English broadcast 24/7? I dont have cable but have wished/hoped for a CNN that streams 24/7 on the net. Maybe Al Jazeera is this Internet news channel I've hoped for?
  - axomhacker 16y ago
    I have no cable. Al Jazeera/CNN/NBC on Roku have been far more useful than cable was. (Yes Al Jazeera has a 24/7 live stream on Roku "Newscast" channel).
  - ordinary 16y ago
    I have gaps in the times at which I've watched AJE, but I've yet to see a "broadcast will resume at HH:MM" message.
  - kami8845 16y ago
    They do, but it's mostly recaps and "scenes of today' throughout the night.
digamber_kamat 16y ago
He was staying in a mansion in the capital city of Pakistan. Pakistan has fooled United States for so long and American blood is on their hands. Hope US shows courage to punish the Pakistani army and rest of the Jehadi complex.
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wcchandler 16y ago
Is anybody else saddened by the fact that we are in celebration of an individual's death? I fail to see the differences between his and our philosophies.
- jamesbritt 16y ago
  I fail to see the differences between his and our philosophies. You can't be fucking serious.
  - marshray 16y ago
    I'm certainly not singing about a successful assassination, that's not my style and it's never been America's either. I think it's a little bit in poor taste. But on the list of people the planet is better off without, OBL was close to the top. All I can imagine is that wcchandler is so enamored of his relativism that he doesn't contemplate his ignorance.
    - lanceusa 16y ago
      But on the list of people the planet is better off without, OBL was close to the top. This mentality is purely what makes man appear so primitive in his nature and is exactly what got us into this mess in the first place. Bin Laden: On the list of countries the planet is better off without, the US is close to the top.
      - marshray 16y ago
        I'll probably regret asking this, but what exactly is your "mentality" then? Go ahead and enlighten me. But I've heard the one about the planet being better off without people, and the planet being better off without clothes, and the one where we all love and understand each other and nothing bad ever happens. Tell me about this one in which the planet is not better off without the likes of OBL.
- elliottcarlson 16y ago
  "I've never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure" - Mark Twain
hasenj 16y ago
He was as good as dead for a long time now anyway. It's not like he was personally managing and planning all of alqaeda's operations or anything. The significance of this event is mostly symbolic. Look at Iraq: alqaeda's influence in Iraq wasn't destroyed by the death of Zarqawi; it was destroyed when the locals stood up and took arms against them.
- MatthewPhillips 16y ago
  Symbolism can be important. Especially when at the same time this happens, a wave of democratic revolution is sweeping the very region this man was said to "represent".
  - trebor 16y ago
    And yet, if that symbolism is twisted to martyrdom it makes democratizing the Middle East infinitely more difficult. I sincerely hope the US government hasn't created a martyr, and that they do have documented proof this was Osama Bin Laden (in case his death is denied). Part of me is still awaiting the extremist's response to all this. I don't rejoice over his, or anyone's, death.
  - hasenj 16y ago
    I don't see this event contributing positively to the revolutions in the Arab world. Some segments of society will surely hail him as a martyr and this is sure to deepen some divisions and could (theoretically anyway) undermine some of these revolutions. This is a time where people need to unite and forget about what makes them different. I don't see this event helping this cause in any way. Rather it has the potential to do the opposite. But I'm somewhat optimistic that hopefully it won't be anything severe.
sid_g 16y ago
Does this mean no full body scanners anymore?
wrm 16y ago
Live feed is down. Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8j8LpwDo7Q http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8j8LpwDo7Q.
lotusleaf1987 16y ago
Wow, I was getting a little nervous Obama might be a one-term president, but I think that without a doubt he will be reelected now--healthcare reform, his contrast to the Tea party, and handling of the recovery from the financial meltdown. I'm sure Qaddafi is freaked out right now. His son and grandkids, and now Osama. If they got Osama, Qaddafi doesn't have a chance. Edit: I can't sleep! So optimistic now, I bet the stock market goes up a few hundred points tomorrow also.
- michaelkeenan 16y ago
  If you think that Obama will be re-elected without a doubt, you should go to intrade.com and bet on it. Here's the contract, currently indicating a 69.9% chance of re-election: http://www.intrade.com/v4/markets/contract/?contractId=743474 http://www.intrade.com/v4/markets/contract/?contractId=74347...
  - lotusleaf1987 16y ago
    Ha, I could also go to Vegas and place the bet, but I'm sure it would've been worth a lot more yesterday!
  - zyfo 16y ago
    Odd, it shows 64.0% now, down 9.2% (!). That sounds kinda high, especially going in the negative direction.
  - webXL 16y ago
    Wish I bought this contract yesterday morning: http://www.intrade.com/jsp/intrade/common/c_cd.jsp?conDetailID=728609&z=1304349986433 http://www.intrade.com/jsp/intrade/common/c_cd.jsp?conDetail...
- jpcx01 16y ago
  Don't be so sure. I think he has a good chance, but there is still inflation worries, the housing market in a double dip, and an unusually high unemployment rate. I'd say it'll take some work to survive even a weak republican candidate. 1.5 trillion dollar deficit does not help things either. I'm actually surprised anyone wants the job.
mmaunder 16y ago
Mission accomplished.
- mortenjorck 16y ago
  Eight years to the day, strangely enough.
mmaunder 16y ago
Aj Jazeera being rebroadcast on CSPAN1 with analysis on this. Nice.
kevinchen 16y ago
I was really hoping this could avoid Hacker News.
- power78 16y ago
  I agree. Every post like this is pushing HN closer to being like Reddit. What has become of this community
- jhuni 16y ago
  This site has gone downhill
  - jhuni 15y ago
    In fact, I think I am pretty much done using this site. I will read from planet Clojure instead.
offshoreguy 16y ago
Now let's repeal the Patriot Act and all the legislation passed under the rubric of fighting terrorism.
dr_ 16y ago
This is just fantastic news! I stare at the rising Freedom Tower out my window as I write this, and there's a sense of closure to what was a rude awakening to a new century. From Andrew Sullivan on Daily Beast: "12.08 pm Can I say how deeply moving it is that a man named Barack Hussein Obama gave the order for the operation that killed Osama bin Laden? The pre-eminent symbol of our the multicultural, multiracial society of the future defeated the pre-eminent symbol of the darkest, bleakest throwback to medieval religious fanaticism. Im not ashamed to use the following language: Good defeated evil. And hope rekindles again."
- deleted 16y ago
  [deleted]
- marshray 16y ago
  "12.08 pm Can I say how deeply moving it is that a man named Barack Hussein Obama gave the order for the operation that killed Osama bin Laden?" That's perhaps the most superficial thing I've ever heard.
  - ubercore 16y ago
    Is it? His point is about multiculturalism in our society, and using his name is a pithy (and, imo, appropriate) way to make that point.
    - marshray 16y ago
      I didn't read the piece by Andrew Sullivan that's being quoted, so I don't know what his point really is. It was taken out of context in the post above. It reads to me like he's taking a person's foreign sounding family-given name as a proxy for something which he claims is deeply meaningful. To me, that's the very definition of 'superficial'. When it's done with skin color it's called 'racism'.
      - ubercore 16y ago
        Haven't read it either, just basing it on "The pre-eminent symbol of our the multicultural, multiracial society", and I'm not sure why you mentioned racism here
pessimist 16y ago
Oil falls 1% on the news, stock futures up by 0.5%, dollar up also (expectation of reduction in war expenses?).
espeed 16y ago
Hitler was confirmed dead 66 years ago today: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_1
- lotusleaf1987 16y ago
  Can we make May 1st a national holiday? We have President's Day for two presidents, can we have something similar for Hitler/OBL?
  - swombat 16y ago
    May 1st is already in national holiday in many parts of the world.
    - thomas11 16y ago
      Ironically enough, made a national holiday in Germany by Hitler. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Workers%27_Day#Germany http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Workers%27_Day#Ge...
endtime 16y ago
Given that this was clearly months in the making, the timing (just as reelection campaigning is about to start) is, uh, auspicious. That said, good riddance.
lanceusa 16y ago
I'm going to offer a healthy bit of skepticism here but it frightens me the way this is being reported. Specifically: "...justice has been done". American military and C.I.A. operatives had ...shot him to death. Obama: "I authorized an operation to get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice." Obama: "His demise should be welcome by all who believe in peace and human dignity." Is that how we conduct justice now? I am not satisfied by this outcome. I would rather have had him in custody showing we hold the higher ground when it pertains to morality and justice. Its no surprise to me now that our morality and judgment is an illusion which I thought, ever since I was a kid, was what made America great. The fact that Obama plays off people's emotions in his speech to gain support for this outcome is purely disgusting. And lastly, you believe this because the media and Obama says its so?
- mekoka 16y ago
  > Is that how we conduct justice now? I am not satisfied by this outcome. I would rather have had him in custody showing we hold the higher ground when it pertains to morality and justice. I'm confused as to what you're unhappy about and who you're blaming for this outcome. Some courageous soldiers attempted to get an elusive mass murderer and bring him to justice. During the attempt there was a firefight and he was killed in the exchange. It is obvious that this outcome is upsetting for a lot of people, but not for the same reasons than yours. This man caused a lot of griefs to many families, not only in the U.S., but also throughout places in the world where Al Qaeda has stricken, (including Afghanistan). Some scars are still not completely healed. Those words, "His demise should be welcome by all who believe in peace and human dignity", simply serve as solace for the fact that they were unable to take him alive. Now, turning this into an Obama thing is your own prerogative. Was he taking credit/responsibility in the video? To some extent certainly, but I didn't perceived him trying to play with people's emotions.
  - bad_user 16y ago
    This man caused a lot of griefs to many families A lot more people die each year from heart disease, and yet, what's the budget for health-care versus military? Your government did a lot more damage to the US by the corrosion of your constitutional rights, actions received with cheers and applauds ; because 2000 people or so died in the 9-11 attack. But every 34 seconds a person dies from heart-disease in the US. Do the math. Some scars are still not completely healed. Oh, get over it -- I'm pretty sure the American soldiers that invaded Irak (based on bogus WMD stories) left a lot more scars.
pt 16y ago
Trump will now ask to see the death certificate!
known 16y ago
Why it took 10 years? Justice delayed == Justice denied
deleted 16y ago
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omouse 16y ago
Cool, so the war in Afghanistan is over?
deleted 16y ago
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jmspring 16y ago
Across the US, people are firing up Team America: World Police. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWS-FoXbjVI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWS-FoXbjVI
Osiris 16y ago
ABC News has released a timeline of the events that occurred on Sunday as well as the 5 years of events that led up to identifying the location. http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2011/05/obama-gives-order-bin-laden-is-killed-white-house-time-line.html http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2011/05/obama-gives-...
joeycfan 16y ago
Osama bin Laden Is Dead JIM Fixed that for you.
JasonMoyMN 16y ago
I honestly don't get the fascination with the death of Osama. Who cares? It's not like his death magically undoes 9/11. 9/11 sadly still happened, whether Osama is dead or not. Also, Osama is just one of thousands in his organization. He was already irrelevant. Sorry, this is not news.
kloncks 16y ago
Osama Bin Laden really shouldn't have used his real address on Sony's Playstation Network...
georgieporgie 16y ago
Tangentially, I'm kind of disappointed at the spontaneous, flag waving, "USA!" chanting crowds. I understand the sentiment, but having seen too many street parties celebrating the death of Americans, it seems rather low class.
- viggity 16y ago
  We are celebrating the death of a murderer. When you see people in the middle east in the streets, they are celebrating the deaths of civilians. That is the difference, and a big one at that. I hope he rots in hell.
  - oinksoft 16y ago
    The label "murderer" should only accompany a guilty verdict.
    - viggity 16y ago
      He was the self professed architect of 9/11. Give me an fucking break. Hitler was never tried in court, does that make him not a murderer?
- Andrew_Quentin 16y ago
  Maybe they are celebrating the chance or renewed hope to now have peace in our time.
hardcoded 16y ago
Obama has just been re-elected. Fait-accompli. Churchill? Give me a break.
fredBuddemeyer 16y ago
you can add a eulogy here http://littlebiggy.org/viewSubject/4618207 http://littlebiggy.org/viewSubject/4618207
fosk 16y ago
It seems like his body has been buried at sea, this makes me think a lot. Where's the body? After 10 years why not wait at least tomorrow before making his body disappear the same day when he has been killed?
- inoop 16y ago
  At the very least return the body to his family, or bury it according to muslim tradition. edit: burial at sea is in accordance with Islam, why is apparently why they did it.
  - enjo 16y ago
    I just can't believe they do something so colossally stupid. How is the world to believe that he's dead if you serendipitously destroy the evidence like that?
iridium83 16y ago
In an ideal world Osama bin Laden would have been captured with the help of the Pakistani military and handed over to the International Court of Justice to be tried and executed. There is a fine line between justice and revenge. Extremists can use this to incite more violence.
- Tycho 16y ago
  Extremists can use anything to incite more violence. But I'm pretty sure that capturing him and putting him on trial (or even keeping his body) would be more inflammatory, since we might have seen kidnappings and ransoms to get him back.
shomyo 16y ago
Nice try! http://pics.livejournal.com/1hvorost/pic/0005twh4 http://pics.livejournal.com/1hvorost/pic/0005twh4
rbanffy 16y ago
What part of "no disintegrations" didn't they get?
ramki 16y ago
Bin Laden did not die in some remote cave in the mountains - but in a residential compound in the same town as Pakistan Military Academy
ramki 16y ago
Osama Dead. Does it mean anything positive to us. Nothing. Just Nothing. - Osama is not living in a forest, but a mansion..say it again with me..a fucking big mansion at a stone's throw away from a military academy in Pakistan. - This mansion is located in a colony of retired Pakistani military officers. - And last but not the least, al-Qaeda is not just Osama. In fact it now looks more evident that al-Qaeda is operated by ISI itself. God knows how many terrorists are still harbored in Pakistan. We know for the fact that the ones who attacked Mumbai are there. And we know that Dawood Ibrahim is living in a even bigger mansion in the same Pakistan. (For the uninformed, Javed Miandad's son and Dawood Ibrahim's daughter are married sometime back). Do you feel like asking "Can India do the same thing as US did today?" Now, that's what I call a joke. Go ahead and watch Obama putting a smug face and praising Pakistan's support in this operation.
deleted 16y ago
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Sukotto 16y ago
It's a shame they couldn't capture him. "Shot in the head while resisting" is very inconvenient for those of us who wanted to be sure he faced justice. Personally, I think it probably went down more or less as reported. Namely that he was killed in the firefight. Probably not on purpose. I know a little bit about close-in operations like this one must have been and, well, it's hard to keep a guy alive who is (1) shooting at you and (2) would rather die than be captured. Hell, it's hard enough extracting hostages alive and they want to live.
- JoeAltmaier 16y ago
  Add to that: sick and feeble from years of dialysis. It would probably not be feasible to abduct an invalid from his bed while being shot at.
maxxxxx 16y ago
I wonder what the nutcases will make out of that. - Why did Obaba wait that long? - What did they cover up by burying him so soon?
brolik 16y ago
Osama shouldn't have used his real address in his PSN account.
toblender 16y ago
I found it odd that we are celebrating a death. Seems somewhat barbaric.
- johngalt 16y ago
  We are celebrating the triumph of good over evil. The celebration would be the same regardless of death or capture.
FrojoS 16y ago
I wonder if he would have been found had he used the Internet (TOR etc.) to stay connected with the world, instead of his courier. No idea.
benthumb 16y ago
http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a031700binladenweak#a031700binladenweak http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a031700binlad... http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a091001rawalpindi#a091001rawalpindi http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a091001rawalp... http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a070201renal#a070201renal http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a070201renal#... http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=amid1201OsamaToraBoraLung#amid1201OsamaToraBoraLung http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=amid1201Osama... http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a011802MusharrafOsamaShuffledOff#a011802MusharrafOsamaShuffledOff http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a011802Mushar... http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a092306osamadeadagain#a092306osamadeadagain http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a092306osamad... http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=alate2007CIAOsamaKidneys#alate2007CIAOsamaKidneys http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=alate2007CIAO... http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a0309OsamaBinElvis#a0309OsamaBinElvis http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a0309OsamaBin... http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a012304MuellerOsamaFakes#a012304MuellerOsamaFakes http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a012304Muelle... http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a121301murkyvideo#a121301murkyvideo http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a121301murkyv... http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a091601noinvolvement#a091601noinvolvement http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a091601noinvo... http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a092801osamadenial#a092801osamadenial http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a092801osamad... http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a122601nineteenstudents#a122601nineteenstudents http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a122601ninete...
stanmancan 16y ago
‎"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." --Martin Luther King, Jr
HonestJane 15y ago
How is it that you can verify someone's DNA,as opposed to say, their brother, without their own DNA? So what if they say they had his sister's DNA to compare to? It could be his brother who was living there and died. How does that prove it was him? I'm honestly asking this, not trying to be difficult. I know photos can be photoshopped, but everyone can debunk those. Obama should show his death photo and let us decide.
HonestJane 15y ago
So is he dead? If you don't have someone's DNA, how does a sister's DNA prove you are the one dead? It could have been a brother. It's not that I really don't believe it, just why don't they show the proof? A photo can be photoshopped, but everyone knows it when it is. We aren't babies to be coddled, we saw the first photo and no one freaked out. Before we knew it was fake. Even the Muslims who still liked him were like, "yawn". So show it. Prove it. Why are we always having to ask Obama for proof of everything. This isn't about him and he shouldn't make it that way again.

924 points by ssclafani 16y ago

gluecode 16y ago

Good riddance.

deleted 16y ago

[deleted]

dirtyhand 16y ago

Good job 007

bokchoi 16y ago

Mission Accomplished

jim_h 16y ago

President Obama will make a live announcement about it. http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/live-video-of-president-obamas-address/ http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/live-video-of-pr...

Cushman 16y ago
It's a little weird that it still says 10:30. No one there can update the placeholder?
- cj 16y ago
  I think 10:30 is the time the "President obama makes a statement" message was posted on the screen. It confused me too.
- tokenadult 16y ago
  [Update] Killed by a firefight by American operatives on the ground in Pakistan just in the last day, according to the President's speech. From Los Angeles Times report: "Sen. Dianne Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, related the news to mourners at a memorial service for political consultant Kam Kuwata. Feinstein said Obama was announcing it on TV as she spoke. However, she announced the news well before Obama began to speak." http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-pn-osama-bin-laden-dead-20110501,0,4081556.story http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-pn-osama-b...

quizbiz 16y ago

Correct me if I'm wrong but apparently twitter broke the story?

ssharp 16y ago
I was watching MSNBC cover it. They were ready to break the news, and just before they were about to say it, they pulled it back. I checked Twitter, and the news was already there. NBC announced it a few minutes later.
NZ_Matt 16y ago
It's interesting going back and looking at google realtime search and seeing how the story broke. It appears that @rawls on twitter was the first to call it http://goo.gl/6FMtV http://goo.gl/6FMtV
- quizbiz 16y ago
  According to the New York Times[1], https://twitter.com/#!/keithurbahn/status/64877790624886784 https://twitter.com/#!/keithurbahn/status/64877790624886784 broke the story. [1] http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/how-the-osama-announcement-leaked-out/?src=tptw http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/how-the-osa...
- pizza 16y ago
  Might be a coincidence or a random tweet, but: @Obi_JohnKanObi‎ #becauseoftwitterbeef we found osama bin laden Twitter - 1 May 2011 18:12:31 edit: It's entertaining to see all of the "I'll do X if Osama Bin Laden is found today" tweets that were made hours before 10PM ET.
- waterlesscloud 16y ago
  One of the very early tweets was from...The Rock. Which almost makes sense. http://twitter.com/#!/TheRock/status/64877987341938688 http://twitter.com/#!/TheRock/status/64877987341938688
noarchy 16y ago
A guy in Abbottabad appears to have tweeted about the helicopter, as it was happening. http://twitter.com/#!/ReallyVirtual http://twitter.com/#!/ReallyVirtual

deleted 16y ago

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joe24pack 16y ago

finally. Can we stop the stupid patdowns of innocent travelers and disconnect the porno scanners at the airports now? I have to travel tomorrow and I'd rather not go through that crap again.

zyphlar 16y ago
No, because terrorism is decentralized and the millions of people who (rightfully) hate us now will be even angrier. Which will justify further control of the populace for safety.
- joezydeco 16y ago
  I'm with ya, even through the downvotes. Why does everyone think the rest of Al Qaeda is going to just give up and go home?
  - marshray 16y ago
    Because the ones smart enough to organize, finance, and lead the operation will see it as a suicide plan, one that they won't be able to pass down to others. There will probably always be some dudes thinking of themselves as part of the franchise, but without photos and tapes they won't really know who they're taking orders from. They'll have an authentication problem.
    - memoryfault 16y ago
      You are assuming that we are dealing with rational people who have rational thoughts. That couldn't be further from the truth. People who plan the mass-murder of others around the world are completely irrational, and I am very confident that there are tons of people with money, organization, and leadership that will step up and try to continue Bin Laden's efforts.
      - danenania 16y ago
        "People who plan the mass-murder of others around the world are completely irrational" Clearly untrue. Perhaps it is easier for you to view an enemy as a lunatic monster bent on senseless destruction, but nearly every mass murdering organization in the world, whether it's a terrorist group like Al Qaeda or a military power like the US, has very concrete motivations and objectives for its actions, and is well versed in the logic of power. Realpolitik is deeply rooted in a rational worldview. You may disagree with the premises or the reasoning (I certainly do), but calling Al Qaeda 'completely irrational' is way off.

nopassrecover 16y ago

[Not HN] - Assuming this qualified as interesting/useful to hackers, which I disagree with but obviously it's on the front page, this is two paragraphs (at least currently?) saying Bin Laden is dead, statement to come, i.e. completely devoid of information.

sandipc 16y ago
that's because it is breaking news. We are still waiting for President Obama's official statement address to begin...
- nopassrecover 16y ago
  So shouldn't we wait to hear the facts/details first? I believe HN is about intelligent discussion, not idle speculation.
  - intended 16y ago
    I suppose the source of the data is giving this greater weight.

deleted 16y ago

[deleted]

aterimperator 16y ago

"The worst thing to post or upvote is something that's intensely but shallowly interesting. Gossip about famous people, funny or cute pictures or videos, partisan political articles, etc. If you let that sort of thing onto a news site, it will push aside the deeply interesting stuff, which tends to be quieter."

gexla 16y ago
This is huge news for the U.S. We can argue whether this is the sort of news which should be posted here, but it will likely have a huge emotional impact for the U.S. Our nation came to a standstill on 9/11 and this story will likely have some impact on productivity. ;)
- tzs 16y ago
  Not just the US. There were a lot of foreigners who worked in the World Trade Center and died on 9/11. I recall shortly after that day reading that for some large number of countries, 9/11 was the largest terrorist attack on their citizens.
  - DrStalker 16y ago
    As an Australian the direct effect of 9/11 on us was tiny, but the effect of the US's reaction has been huge.
    - cheez 16y ago
      How do you mean?
      - westicle 16y ago
        They invaded two countries, one of which was tangentially connected to some of the people involved in the hijackings which has resulted in quite a lot of innocent deaths. Pretty major story of the past decade.

hrabago 16y ago

[Deleted] Don't know why this is being downvoted. I was sharing an analysis of what could happen as a consequence of this event.

tokenadult 16y ago
He may become a lot shorter on followers as a result of this. Meanwhile, there is upheaval in a wide variety of Arab countries, which will probably have important national security implications for the United States--possibly for the better--even if Al Qaeda disappears. P.S. I am listening to live coverage from the BBC just now (relayed by Minnesota Public Radio), and the most interesting thing about this evening's report is that apparently Bin Laden was found in a villa in Islamabad, the seat of government of Pakistan.
- hrabago 16y ago
  Hopefully for the better. Al Qaeda has proven very resilient, so hopefully this breaks them down.
kgermino 16y ago
Downvoted because you deleted your comment and replaced it with a sentence complaining about being downvoted.

lwat 16y ago

I'm convinced he's been dead for several years, we'll see what kind of evidence they have.

long 16y ago
What kind of evidence do you have?
- Devilboy 16y ago
  http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8120236576648647371# http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8120236576648647371# Also the fact that his recent 'yearly videos' do not contain any new footage of the man. Experts in the EU have declared the videos 'fake' so the CIA stopped sending them the videos for analysis.
adolfojp 16y ago
What do you want? A death certificate?
- smogzer 16y ago
  DNA Matching with his sons.
  - Brewer 16y ago
    The only problem here is that he has supposedly been thrown in the ocean to prevent anyone from trying to recover his body. However, I must admit that I would also like some form of proof as well.
wazoox 16y ago
If anyone remember, his death was announced by an Egyptian newspaper in late 2001. Since then, all published "Osama messages" were fake: he even was obviously younger in the latest videos. This guy was very sick and needed regular dialysis; staying alive for ten years while hiding away would have been tremendously difficult. So yes, I'm with you : unless they release some serious evidence, I'll stay suspicious.

jakewalker 16y ago

Damn. Already went through my allotment of 20 NY Times stories.

Osiris 16y ago
Don't worry, even those of us that haven't use the allotment still can't load the page because the site is so overloaded.
deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
bcn 16y ago
Watch at http://www.whitehouse.gov/live/president-obama-delivers-statement http://www.whitehouse.gov/live/president-obama-delivers-stat...
jerf 16y ago
You're not missing anything as the title covers nearly everything, other than that an announcement will be made by the President shortly.
grandalf 16y ago
delete cookies, read 20 more.

deleted 16y ago

[deleted]

tectonic 16y ago

Will the Bill of rights be reinstated now?

Vivtek 16y ago
That quaint document?
die_sekte 16y ago
Obviously there will have to be more repressions, to catch all those terrorists of other confessions that we simply don't know about yet.

deleted 16y ago

[deleted]

shareme 16y ago

Obama just won re-election, if this is true..assuming if he can get gas prices down..

sigzero 16y ago
Why? He was only following the plan laid down by the previous President. Nobody in their right mind should credit this to Obama. The US Military should get the full credit. They are the minds and planning behind what happened not any President.
- Rariel 16y ago
  "Nobody in their right mind should credit this to Obama." Why not? He gets the blame for the last administration's screw ups so why shouldn't he take the glory of finding bin laden? (Not that I agree the last admin did anything to help find Osama). Additionally, he's the commander in chief of the military--so the head of the military shouldn't get credit?
- ajays 16y ago
  At a tactical level, you are correct: the credit goes to the US military. But you have to give credit to Obama too. Bush had his eyes focused on Iraq, and let BinLaden escape a few times. I still vividly remember, at some press conference a couple of years after 9/11, Bush was asked: what about Bin Laden? He callously replied, "I don't worry about Bin Laden. I don't care about him." So, if Obama had continued Bush's policy, we would not have got Bin Laden. Obama changed the policy and made Bin Laden priority #1 again, and you have the results today.
  - jamesbritt 16y ago
    Obama changed the policy and made Bin Laden priority #1 again, and you have the results today. And you know this because of a comment most likely made to avoid giving bin Laden more public attention or further elevating his importance? Regardless of what one thinks of George W. I have a hard time believing he didn't want bin Laden dead or captured any less than anyone else in the USA, and these kinds of public statements are no way to divine what the CIA has been sent out to do.

russnewcomer 16y ago

This is a much more complex piece of news than most Americans think. I just hope they don't show his body on TV. That's going to just incite and inflame jihad-minded fighters. And I sure hope this doesn't make the U.S. pull out of Afghanistan in the next 90 days like NBC just implied, because that would be bad for everyone in that country. EDIT if OBL really was killed in a mansion in Islamabad, that changes a lot in relations between the US and Pakistan. If he was killed in the FATA, then it's pretty meaningless operationally, it's just a news deal that will inflame the jihadi world for a while. Edit2 Abbottabad is in NWFP, so not exactly Islamabad and a different interesting. If Obama didn't get Pakistan's permission before going, that is interesting. Not going to change wars on the ground except for a inflammation in jihadi tensions.

aterimperator 16y ago
He was killed in Pakistan, if I heard correctly.
marshray 16y ago
really was killed in a mansion in Islamabad, that changes a lot in relations between the US and Pakistan Everyone in Pakistan already knows that the US has been killing people with drone strikes for years and years now. They're far more aware of it than Americans. It's hard to see that there are many Pakistanis who are going to dislike America more for having actually gotten OBL. On the other hand, ending US missile strikes in Pakistan can only help.
- brianpan 16y ago
  I think russnewcomer was implying that if he was in a mansion, the Pakastani government must have known more about his whereabouts than they said they did. Which would potentially affect US-Pakastani diplomatic relations.
  - marshray 16y ago
    if he was in a mansion, the Pakastani government must have known more about his whereabouts than they said they did That's certainly possible or even likely, but it's not like his name would have been on the utility bills either. Many of the homes in my town (not mine) have a finished basement...off the tax records. It'd be easier to hide a famous person in a big walled compound than a smaller dwelling.

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trickjarrett 16y ago
Major US or World news always comes up on HN.
- power78 16y ago
  That doesn't mean its the place for it.
  - Rariel 16y ago
    "On-Topic: Anything that good hackers would find interesting. That includes more than hacking and startups. If you had to reduce it to a sentence, the answer might be: anything that gratifies one's intellectual curiosity." from http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

sudonim 16y ago

http://www.whitehouse.gov/live http://www.whitehouse.gov/live As of 11:09 pm est, it is either over or hasn't started. Image: https://skitch.com/sudonim/r7b7f/the-white-house https://skitch.com/sudonim/r7b7f/the-white-house

Osiris 16y ago
It hasn't started yet. I'm watching NBC news and they're filling time while waiting for the President to speak.
Duff 16y ago
It's taking longer than anticipated to round up a big enough spontaneous crowd to cheer at the White House gates.
memoryfault 16y ago
Strange, I watched it on that site at 11:30pm est, but now at 12:24pm est the video is no longer available...

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phil 16y ago
It's correct usage.

Osiris 16y ago

As reported in the Huffington Post, Obama instructed the CIA to step up efforts to find Osama just 3 days ago on April 28, 2011. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gary-s-chafetz/post_1988_b_854932.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gary-s-chafetz/post_1988_b_854... According to the article, Obama was concerned that the Taliban might gain political influence in Afghanistan after U.S. troops leave and if so, they may invite Osama back to the country. The believe is that killing Osama will help prevent the Taliban from regaining control.

Osiris 16y ago
Why the downvote? How is this not completely relevant to the discussion at hand?
- ars 16y ago
  Because it's probably inaccurate. Reports are that he died a week ago, plus 3 days is not long enough to "step up" anything. Additionally huffington post should never be your primary source for anything except opinion.
  - Osiris 16y ago
    Good point. I just found it interesting that perhaps there was a recent push to go after him. The article does state if the push just started on the 28th or that's just when he wrote about it. I searched and wasn't able to find any other articles that confirmed it.
trickjarrett 16y ago
Interesting. According to commentators, on NBC I think, he was killed a week ago during a drone strike and we've been waiting for complete confirmation beyond any doubt.
- achompas 16y ago
  Posting this at 11:30pm, before any press conference by the President, but some reports state he was shot in the head by a CIA operative. No drones involved.

antihero 16y ago

How do they know it isn't just some guy that looks like Osama? Did they take his DNA a while back?

krallja 16y ago
ABC reports that the FBI has a sample of his sister's DNA
trickjarrett 16y ago
They're saying that we've had his body for a week, it's only coming to light tonight because word leaked through congressional aides. Presumably they were waiting for confirmation beyond doubt.
- citricsquid 16y ago
  obama stated the operation was performed today (May 1st)

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Rariel 16y ago
Are you starting a "deather" movement?
- deleted 16y ago
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marcamillion 16y ago

I am not American...but I feel like one today! Wonderful news!

Cushman 16y ago
On behalf of America, thank you.
marcamillion 16y ago
What's with the downvotes ? Makes no sense.

grandalf 16y ago

The question is, who will be the next third world "evildoer" that all Americans come to know by name by virtue of US propaganda?

cheez 16y ago
Tupac.

jrockway 16y ago

Osama bin Laden's legacy lives on with every traveler being herded through body scanners, with every illegal search in our 120-mile-radius Constitution-free zones, and with every warrantless wiretap. Until his legacy dies, he lives on, as strong as ever. ... Can I at least bring a tube of toothpaste with me when I travel now?

kevin_morrill 16y ago
Yes, let's hope this spells the end of the TSA. I know it's a non sequitur--but so was forming the TSA in the first place.
- aik 16y ago
  And in other news we've supposedly just killed Gadaffi's brother and grandchildren. I don't see that happening anytime soon unfortunately.
- plainOldText 16y ago
  just because bin laden is dead doesn't mean terrorism is "dead".
  - webwright 16y ago
    How alive is terrorism, really? How challenging would it be to poison a reservoir, poison random groceries across the country, blow up the Alaska Pipeline, etc. Any motivated terrorist would attack us where we aren't so vigilant. I'm honestly pretty unsure about how many motivated terrorists there are out there-- if there were out there (and well-financed), couldn't they be crippling us with a dozen different types of attacks? The TSA is like putting your hand on a screen door to keep out the wind. We've got better things to do with our time and money.
    - sliverstorm 16y ago
      A terrorist aims to incite terror. They do this by making you feel weak and vulnerable and unsafe, which is not necessarily achieved by poisoning your reservoir. Someone who just tries to cause as much damage or kill as many people as possible, is not a terrorist. I think they are just known as criminals or militants.

zdw 16y ago

Just to clarify, is this politics? Should it be flagged? The January 9th AZ shootings articles were all flagged and pulled from the site - I'm having trouble seeing the difference between that piece of news and this.

mikeknoop 16y ago
Consider this, had HN been around in 2001, would the World Trade Center news have been flagged?
- prodigal_erik 16y ago
  There was legitimate engineering discussion to be had about the unexpected success of the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks. But when you strip away the politics, this story is merely "hated guy gets whacked", so what's to discuss for hackers or entrepreneurs? Flagged.

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geuis 16y ago

The live feed just came on air at 8:35pm PST http://www.whitehouse.gov/live http://www.whitehouse.gov/live

statictype 16y ago

Important news. But, Off-Topic: Most stories about politics, or crime, or sports, unless they're evidence of some interesting new phenomenon. Videos of pratfalls or disasters, or cute animal pictures. If they'd cover it on TV news, it's probably off-topic. http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html Flag please.

HardyLeung 16y ago
Note the word Most, instead of All. The paragraph right above that sentence: Anything that good hackers would find interesting. That includes more than hacking and startups. If you had to reduce it to a sentence, the answer might be: anything that gratifies one's intellectual curiosity. I find it interesting, and the story gratifies my intellectual curiosity beyond belief. Also remember that hackers are typically young and a large part of their psyche can be defined by that monumental event happened almost 10 years ago. Hey, if you look carefully you might find startup opportunities out of understanding of this significant development.
- statictype 16y ago
  Honestly, you could make that argument about anything. I'm curious: In what way does the story gratify your intellectual curiosity?
  - silvestrov 16y ago
    Hacking society: hiding for so long.
    - intended 16y ago
      Which is actually quite interesting - how did he manage it for 10 years? And then find himself in Pakistan sipping chai in the morning?
    - statictype 16y ago
      Please. I'm talking about the article this discussion is about. There's nothing remotely informative in there about 'hacking society'.

abalashov 16y ago

Not even a whimper of cheer for Osama's death from me, given the abysmal foreign policy and national security state failure of the last decade. As another commenter said, "Osama bin Laden's legacy lives on with every traveler being herded through body scanners, with every illegal search in our 120-mile-radius Constitution-free zones, and with every warrantless wiretap." Besides that, it's simply not like me to cheer for anyone's death, in principle, especially a figure the TV adamantly asserts we're supposed to hate. It's not that I doubt the veracity of the reasons given so much as I loathe demagoguery and spectacle.

abalashov 16y ago
Although, I have always doubted the omni-tentacular, ubiquitous, far-reaching character ascribed to Al Qaeda as an all-powerful international terrorist conspiracy. It's not that I doubt its existence per se, it's just that I know damn well that every shadowy international conspiracy ever raised by any government has been vastly exaggerated into a comically gassy caricature of its real self, vide the International Communist Conspiracy of yore. Edit: In a way, bin Laden's death is probably a net loss for the American military and foreign policy establishment (does there even need to be an 'and' there?). So much propaganda mileage was squeezed from him that I am sure there is some ambivalence as to whether he's more valuable dead as some bullshit "vindication" vs. alive as a perpetual bogeyman.
- hasenj 16y ago
  > I have always doubted the omni-tentacular, ubiquitous, far-reaching character ascribed to Al Qaeda as an all-powerful international terrorist conspiracy In the Arab world, this image is ascribed to the Zionist-Right-Wing-American conspiracy. Some radical conspiracy theorists even claim that all current revolutions in the Arab world are plans by the Zionists to change Arab regimes without resorting to a full-scale military invasion.
  - abalashov 16y ago
    Which is strange, given that most of the imperiled or 'changed' regimes are not especially anti-Israeli. I mean in reality, apart from the perfunctory rhetorical barbs for domestic consumption.

pnathan 16y ago

Summary (from the speech broadcast on CNN): * In August '10 a lead was uncovered. Obama directed followup. * Lead was strengthened over time until it was isolated that bin Laden was in a compound in Pakistan. * Obama gave the order and an American commando team went in, had a firefight, and killed bin Laden. His body was brought out. * No Americans were harmed, and civilians were attempted to be protected. * The Pakistani government was notified (speech did not say if this was pre-event or post-event). And, transcript! http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-dead http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-de...

calebmpeterson 16y ago
Thank you for giving the most informative and least speculative post in this thread!
- pnathan 16y ago
  You're welcome. I hope to find a transcript and append a link to it. As of several minutes ago, the White House had not released a transcript.
  - calebmpeterson 16y ago
    Just read the transcript; thank you for posting it.
dgallagher 16y ago
The firefight took place in Abbottabad, Pakistan: Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbottabad http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbottabad Maps: http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&client=safari&q=abbottabad+pakistan&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Abbottābad,+Abbottabad,+Khyber+Pakhtunkhwa,+Pakistan&gl=us&ll=34.145446,73.221688&spn=0.033528,0.065875&z=15 http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&client=safari&q=ab... Google Earth (copy/paste): 34° 8'48.00"N 73°12'59.00"E
- thematt 16y ago

vidiviciveni 16y ago

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWS-FoXbjVI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWS-FoXbjVI

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meterplech 16y ago

I am pretty impressed that Twitter is still up right now. As far as I can tell there was no fail whale during this whole news break. Big moment for the site I think.

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ZachPruckowski 16y ago
Well it's occurring overnight for Europe and a lot of US-East. That probably cuts the traffic in half.

sp332 16y ago

As usual, Al Jazeera English has excellent coverage and a much broader perspective: Live video http://english.aljazeera.net/watch_now/ http://english.aljazeera.net/watch_now/

Qz 16y ago
Their interview with Robert Fisk was highly educational.
- cema 16y ago
  In what respects?
trickjarrett 16y ago
I'm listening to it now, I'm hoping to get it added to my cable package so I don't have to follow it online or on my phone.
paul9290 16y ago
Does Al Jazeera English broadcast 24/7? I dont have cable but have wished/hoped for a CNN that streams 24/7 on the net. Maybe Al Jazeera is this Internet news channel I've hoped for?
- axomhacker 16y ago
  I have no cable. Al Jazeera/CNN/NBC on Roku have been far more useful than cable was. (Yes Al Jazeera has a 24/7 live stream on Roku "Newscast" channel).
- ordinary 16y ago
  I have gaps in the times at which I've watched AJE, but I've yet to see a "broadcast will resume at HH:MM" message.
- kami8845 16y ago
  They do, but it's mostly recaps and "scenes of today' throughout the night.

digamber_kamat 16y ago

He was staying in a mansion in the capital city of Pakistan. Pakistan has fooled United States for so long and American blood is on their hands. Hope US shows courage to punish the Pakistani army and rest of the Jehadi complex.

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wcchandler 16y ago

Is anybody else saddened by the fact that we are in celebration of an individual's death? I fail to see the differences between his and our philosophies.

jamesbritt 16y ago
I fail to see the differences between his and our philosophies. You can't be fucking serious.
- marshray 16y ago
  I'm certainly not singing about a successful assassination, that's not my style and it's never been America's either. I think it's a little bit in poor taste. But on the list of people the planet is better off without, OBL was close to the top. All I can imagine is that wcchandler is so enamored of his relativism that he doesn't contemplate his ignorance.
  - lanceusa 16y ago
    But on the list of people the planet is better off without, OBL was close to the top. This mentality is purely what makes man appear so primitive in his nature and is exactly what got us into this mess in the first place. Bin Laden: On the list of countries the planet is better off without, the US is close to the top.
    - marshray 16y ago
      I'll probably regret asking this, but what exactly is your "mentality" then? Go ahead and enlighten me. But I've heard the one about the planet being better off without people, and the planet being better off without clothes, and the one where we all love and understand each other and nothing bad ever happens. Tell me about this one in which the planet is not better off without the likes of OBL.
elliottcarlson 16y ago
"I've never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure" - Mark Twain

hasenj 16y ago

He was as good as dead for a long time now anyway. It's not like he was personally managing and planning all of alqaeda's operations or anything. The significance of this event is mostly symbolic. Look at Iraq: alqaeda's influence in Iraq wasn't destroyed by the death of Zarqawi; it was destroyed when the locals stood up and took arms against them.

MatthewPhillips 16y ago
Symbolism can be important. Especially when at the same time this happens, a wave of democratic revolution is sweeping the very region this man was said to "represent".
- trebor 16y ago
  And yet, if that symbolism is twisted to martyrdom it makes democratizing the Middle East infinitely more difficult. I sincerely hope the US government hasn't created a martyr, and that they do have documented proof this was Osama Bin Laden (in case his death is denied). Part of me is still awaiting the extremist's response to all this. I don't rejoice over his, or anyone's, death.
- hasenj 16y ago
  I don't see this event contributing positively to the revolutions in the Arab world. Some segments of society will surely hail him as a martyr and this is sure to deepen some divisions and could (theoretically anyway) undermine some of these revolutions. This is a time where people need to unite and forget about what makes them different. I don't see this event helping this cause in any way. Rather it has the potential to do the opposite. But I'm somewhat optimistic that hopefully it won't be anything severe.

sid_g 16y ago

Does this mean no full body scanners anymore?

wrm 16y ago

Live feed is down. Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8j8LpwDo7Q http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8j8LpwDo7Q.

lotusleaf1987 16y ago

Wow, I was getting a little nervous Obama might be a one-term president, but I think that without a doubt he will be reelected now--healthcare reform, his contrast to the Tea party, and handling of the recovery from the financial meltdown. I'm sure Qaddafi is freaked out right now. His son and grandkids, and now Osama. If they got Osama, Qaddafi doesn't have a chance. Edit: I can't sleep! So optimistic now, I bet the stock market goes up a few hundred points tomorrow also.

michaelkeenan 16y ago
If you think that Obama will be re-elected without a doubt, you should go to intrade.com and bet on it. Here's the contract, currently indicating a 69.9% chance of re-election: http://www.intrade.com/v4/markets/contract/?contractId=743474 http://www.intrade.com/v4/markets/contract/?contractId=74347...
- lotusleaf1987 16y ago
  Ha, I could also go to Vegas and place the bet, but I'm sure it would've been worth a lot more yesterday!
- zyfo 16y ago
  Odd, it shows 64.0% now, down 9.2% (!). That sounds kinda high, especially going in the negative direction.
- webXL 16y ago
  Wish I bought this contract yesterday morning: http://www.intrade.com/jsp/intrade/common/c_cd.jsp?conDetailID=728609&z=1304349986433 http://www.intrade.com/jsp/intrade/common/c_cd.jsp?conDetail...
jpcx01 16y ago
Don't be so sure. I think he has a good chance, but there is still inflation worries, the housing market in a double dip, and an unusually high unemployment rate. I'd say it'll take some work to survive even a weak republican candidate. 1.5 trillion dollar deficit does not help things either. I'm actually surprised anyone wants the job.

mmaunder 16y ago

Mission accomplished.

mortenjorck 16y ago
Eight years to the day, strangely enough.

mmaunder 16y ago

Aj Jazeera being rebroadcast on CSPAN1 with analysis on this. Nice.

kevinchen 16y ago

I was really hoping this could avoid Hacker News.

power78 16y ago
I agree. Every post like this is pushing HN closer to being like Reddit. What has become of this community
jhuni 16y ago
This site has gone downhill
- jhuni 15y ago
  In fact, I think I am pretty much done using this site. I will read from planet Clojure instead.

offshoreguy 16y ago

Now let's repeal the Patriot Act and all the legislation passed under the rubric of fighting terrorism.

dr_ 16y ago

This is just fantastic news! I stare at the rising Freedom Tower out my window as I write this, and there's a sense of closure to what was a rude awakening to a new century. From Andrew Sullivan on Daily Beast: "12.08 pm Can I say how deeply moving it is that a man named Barack Hussein Obama gave the order for the operation that killed Osama bin Laden? The pre-eminent symbol of our the multicultural, multiracial society of the future defeated the pre-eminent symbol of the darkest, bleakest throwback to medieval religious fanaticism. Im not ashamed to use the following language: Good defeated evil. And hope rekindles again."

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marshray 16y ago
"12.08 pm Can I say how deeply moving it is that a man named Barack Hussein Obama gave the order for the operation that killed Osama bin Laden?" That's perhaps the most superficial thing I've ever heard.
- ubercore 16y ago
  Is it? His point is about multiculturalism in our society, and using his name is a pithy (and, imo, appropriate) way to make that point.
  - marshray 16y ago
    I didn't read the piece by Andrew Sullivan that's being quoted, so I don't know what his point really is. It was taken out of context in the post above. It reads to me like he's taking a person's foreign sounding family-given name as a proxy for something which he claims is deeply meaningful. To me, that's the very definition of 'superficial'. When it's done with skin color it's called 'racism'.
    - ubercore 16y ago
      Haven't read it either, just basing it on "The pre-eminent symbol of our the multicultural, multiracial society", and I'm not sure why you mentioned racism here

pessimist 16y ago

Oil falls 1% on the news, stock futures up by 0.5%, dollar up also (expectation of reduction in war expenses?).

espeed 16y ago

Hitler was confirmed dead 66 years ago today: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_1

lotusleaf1987 16y ago
Can we make May 1st a national holiday? We have President's Day for two presidents, can we have something similar for Hitler/OBL?
- swombat 16y ago
  May 1st is already in national holiday in many parts of the world.
  - thomas11 16y ago
    Ironically enough, made a national holiday in Germany by Hitler. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Workers%27_Day#Germany http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Workers%27_Day#Ge...

endtime 16y ago

Given that this was clearly months in the making, the timing (just as reelection campaigning is about to start) is, uh, auspicious. That said, good riddance.

lanceusa 16y ago

I'm going to offer a healthy bit of skepticism here but it frightens me the way this is being reported. Specifically: "...justice has been done". American military and C.I.A. operatives had ...shot him to death. Obama: "I authorized an operation to get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice." Obama: "His demise should be welcome by all who believe in peace and human dignity." Is that how we conduct justice now? I am not satisfied by this outcome. I would rather have had him in custody showing we hold the higher ground when it pertains to morality and justice. Its no surprise to me now that our morality and judgment is an illusion which I thought, ever since I was a kid, was what made America great. The fact that Obama plays off people's emotions in his speech to gain support for this outcome is purely disgusting. And lastly, you believe this because the media and Obama says its so?

mekoka 16y ago
> Is that how we conduct justice now? I am not satisfied by this outcome. I would rather have had him in custody showing we hold the higher ground when it pertains to morality and justice. I'm confused as to what you're unhappy about and who you're blaming for this outcome. Some courageous soldiers attempted to get an elusive mass murderer and bring him to justice. During the attempt there was a firefight and he was killed in the exchange. It is obvious that this outcome is upsetting for a lot of people, but not for the same reasons than yours. This man caused a lot of griefs to many families, not only in the U.S., but also throughout places in the world where Al Qaeda has stricken, (including Afghanistan). Some scars are still not completely healed. Those words, "His demise should be welcome by all who believe in peace and human dignity", simply serve as solace for the fact that they were unable to take him alive. Now, turning this into an Obama thing is your own prerogative. Was he taking credit/responsibility in the video? To some extent certainly, but I didn't perceived him trying to play with people's emotions.
- bad_user 16y ago
  This man caused a lot of griefs to many families A lot more people die each year from heart disease, and yet, what's the budget for health-care versus military? Your government did a lot more damage to the US by the corrosion of your constitutional rights, actions received with cheers and applauds ; because 2000 people or so died in the 9-11 attack. But every 34 seconds a person dies from heart-disease in the US. Do the math. Some scars are still not completely healed. Oh, get over it -- I'm pretty sure the American soldiers that invaded Irak (based on bogus WMD stories) left a lot more scars.

pt 16y ago

Trump will now ask to see the death certificate!

known 16y ago

Why it took 10 years? Justice delayed == Justice denied

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omouse 16y ago

Cool, so the war in Afghanistan is over?

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jmspring 16y ago

Across the US, people are firing up Team America: World Police. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWS-FoXbjVI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWS-FoXbjVI

Osiris 16y ago

ABC News has released a timeline of the events that occurred on Sunday as well as the 5 years of events that led up to identifying the location. http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2011/05/obama-gives-order-bin-laden-is-killed-white-house-time-line.html http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2011/05/obama-gives-...

joeycfan 16y ago

Osama bin Laden Is Dead JIM Fixed that for you.

JasonMoyMN 16y ago

I honestly don't get the fascination with the death of Osama. Who cares? It's not like his death magically undoes 9/11. 9/11 sadly still happened, whether Osama is dead or not. Also, Osama is just one of thousands in his organization. He was already irrelevant. Sorry, this is not news.

kloncks 16y ago

Osama Bin Laden really shouldn't have used his real address on Sony's Playstation Network...

georgieporgie 16y ago

Tangentially, I'm kind of disappointed at the spontaneous, flag waving, "USA!" chanting crowds. I understand the sentiment, but having seen too many street parties celebrating the death of Americans, it seems rather low class.

viggity 16y ago
We are celebrating the death of a murderer. When you see people in the middle east in the streets, they are celebrating the deaths of civilians. That is the difference, and a big one at that. I hope he rots in hell.
- oinksoft 16y ago
  The label "murderer" should only accompany a guilty verdict.
  - viggity 16y ago
    He was the self professed architect of 9/11. Give me an fucking break. Hitler was never tried in court, does that make him not a murderer?
Andrew_Quentin 16y ago
Maybe they are celebrating the chance or renewed hope to now have peace in our time.

hardcoded 16y ago

Obama has just been re-elected. Fait-accompli. Churchill? Give me a break.

fredBuddemeyer 16y ago

you can add a eulogy here http://littlebiggy.org/viewSubject/4618207 http://littlebiggy.org/viewSubject/4618207

fosk 16y ago

It seems like his body has been buried at sea, this makes me think a lot. Where's the body? After 10 years why not wait at least tomorrow before making his body disappear the same day when he has been killed?

inoop 16y ago
At the very least return the body to his family, or bury it according to muslim tradition. edit: burial at sea is in accordance with Islam, why is apparently why they did it.
- enjo 16y ago
  I just can't believe they do something so colossally stupid. How is the world to believe that he's dead if you serendipitously destroy the evidence like that?

iridium83 16y ago

In an ideal world Osama bin Laden would have been captured with the help of the Pakistani military and handed over to the International Court of Justice to be tried and executed. There is a fine line between justice and revenge. Extremists can use this to incite more violence.

Tycho 16y ago
Extremists can use anything to incite more violence. But I'm pretty sure that capturing him and putting him on trial (or even keeping his body) would be more inflammatory, since we might have seen kidnappings and ransoms to get him back.

shomyo 16y ago

Nice try! http://pics.livejournal.com/1hvorost/pic/0005twh4 http://pics.livejournal.com/1hvorost/pic/0005twh4

rbanffy 16y ago

What part of "no disintegrations" didn't they get?

ramki 16y ago

Bin Laden did not die in some remote cave in the mountains - but in a residential compound in the same town as Pakistan Military Academy

ramki 16y ago

Osama Dead. Does it mean anything positive to us. Nothing. Just Nothing. - Osama is not living in a forest, but a mansion..say it again with me..a fucking big mansion at a stone's throw away from a military academy in Pakistan. - This mansion is located in a colony of retired Pakistani military officers. - And last but not the least, al-Qaeda is not just Osama. In fact it now looks more evident that al-Qaeda is operated by ISI itself. God knows how many terrorists are still harbored in Pakistan. We know for the fact that the ones who attacked Mumbai are there. And we know that Dawood Ibrahim is living in a even bigger mansion in the same Pakistan. (For the uninformed, Javed Miandad's son and Dawood Ibrahim's daughter are married sometime back). Do you feel like asking "Can India do the same thing as US did today?" Now, that's what I call a joke. Go ahead and watch Obama putting a smug face and praising Pakistan's support in this operation.

deleted 16y ago

[deleted]

Sukotto 16y ago

It's a shame they couldn't capture him. "Shot in the head while resisting" is very inconvenient for those of us who wanted to be sure he faced justice. Personally, I think it probably went down more or less as reported. Namely that he was killed in the firefight. Probably not on purpose. I know a little bit about close-in operations like this one must have been and, well, it's hard to keep a guy alive who is (1) shooting at you and (2) would rather die than be captured. Hell, it's hard enough extracting hostages alive and they want to live.

JoeAltmaier 16y ago
Add to that: sick and feeble from years of dialysis. It would probably not be feasible to abduct an invalid from his bed while being shot at.

maxxxxx 16y ago

I wonder what the nutcases will make out of that. - Why did Obaba wait that long? - What did they cover up by burying him so soon?

brolik 16y ago

Osama shouldn't have used his real address in his PSN account.

toblender 16y ago

I found it odd that we are celebrating a death. Seems somewhat barbaric.

johngalt 16y ago
We are celebrating the triumph of good over evil. The celebration would be the same regardless of death or capture.

FrojoS 16y ago

I wonder if he would have been found had he used the Internet (TOR etc.) to stay connected with the world, instead of his courier. No idea.

benthumb 16y ago

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stanmancan 16y ago

‎"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." --Martin Luther King, Jr

HonestJane 15y ago

How is it that you can verify someone's DNA,as opposed to say, their brother, without their own DNA? So what if they say they had his sister's DNA to compare to? It could be his brother who was living there and died. How does that prove it was him? I'm honestly asking this, not trying to be difficult. I know photos can be photoshopped, but everyone can debunk those. Obama should show his death photo and let us decide.

HonestJane 15y ago

So is he dead? If you don't have someone's DNA, how does a sister's DNA prove you are the one dead? It could have been a brother. It's not that I really don't believe it, just why don't they show the proof? A photo can be photoshopped, but everyone knows it when it is. We aren't babies to be coddled, we saw the first photo and no one freaked out. Before we knew it was fake. Even the Muslims who still liked him were like, "yawn". So show it. Prove it. Why are we always having to ask Obama for proof of everything. This isn't about him and he shouldn't make it that way again.