he's decided not to release death photos of terrorist Osama bin Laden

[OLE442]

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.



President Barack Obama said Wednesday he's decided not to release death photos of terrorist Osama bin Laden because their graphic nature could incite violence and create national security risks for the United States.



"There's no doubt we killed Osama bin Laden," the president said in an interview with CBS News, and there was no need to release the photographs or gloat. "There's no need to spike the football," he said.



The president said that for anyone who doesn't believe bin Laden is dead, "we don't think that a photograph in and of itself is going to make any difference."



"There are going to be some folks who deny it. The fact of the matter is you won't see bin Laden walking on this earth again," said Obama.



The president made his comments in an interview Wednesday with CBS' "60 Minutes". Presidential spokesman Jay Carney read the president's quotes to reporters in the White House briefing room, ahead of the program's airing.

 

[Les]

This is going to turn into another "birther" issue. He will regret this.

 

[OLE442]

Yeah, I can see them being released right before the election. "We need to stop all this nonsense"...LOL!

 

[H D]

I wholly support President Obama on this one.

 

[Rick Kent]

I can see and understand the sentiment. Conspiracy theorists will not be swayed, Muslim radicals will use it to rally and the sensible public will believe and be satisfied he is dead and the US military put him down like a rabid dog.



On the other hand, I was looking forward to new wallpaper for my computer and a new facebook profile pic.:grin:

 

[OLE442]

Maybe he'll release the video instead...

 

[Rick Kent]

Helmet cam video of the assault and take down would be great.



I'll even settle for pics or video of ejecting the body overboard.



There are some pretty graphic pics of the other 3 dead terrorists in the posted link from Reuters.



If blood makes you queasy, I suggest you don't look at them.

 

[Robert Thomas]

Don't care about the photo's. Seen enough dead people.



The administration should have made one statement "The Navy Seals raided a compound yesterday in Pakistan, as a result we are no longer hunting for Osama Bin Laden " End of story.



"No pictures on a poster, no reward, and no bail" Jimmy Buffett



:boohoo::boohoo: to all that want more.

 

[TRACket Paul]

Well said Redfish.

 

[H D]

To all that want more...



you're sick individuals.

 

[Rick Kent]

Hugh,



Thanks for your opinion.



Here's mine, sanctimonious and holier than thou make Hugh a dull boy.

 

[EddieS'04]

I dont need the photo's or as some wanted to drag him in the street.

We are not the animals they are.

Don't care about the photo's. Seen enough dead people.

Seen enough my 2yrs in 'Nam, myself...

 

[H D]

I just can not rejoice in the death of another human, no matter their sins. I'm glad he can no longer spew his hate and murderous thoughts and if his death was the only way to prevent that, then so be it. I don't need pictures to believe he's dead, though. I never watched the Sadam Hussein hanging, either. I think it is a sick part of a human that wants to see the death of other humans. But if you dehumanize a terrible man, I guess I can understand why some don't see this as a problem. I try to avoid that.



The Bible I read says that in God's eyes, my sins are no less than bin Laden's. In that respect, he deserves an eternity of hell no different than I*. I admittedly have trouble wrapping my mind around that, but I try to understand life in that way. I think it prevents a lot of the judgment that Christians are often criticized for.



So, when there is a death, even of a terrible man, I take it with sincerity. Unfortunately for bin Laden, he never knew the saving grace of God. That is not something I take lightly.



But I understand that not everyone is Christian or even that all Christians understand the Bible in the same way I do. So, how can anyone justify wanting to see proof of a man's death? Even taken out of context of a religion, how can a man's death bring a person joy? How does the atheist or agnostic enjoy the death of other men?



"In front of the death of man, a Christian never rejoices but rather reflects on the grave responsibility of each one in front of God and men, and hopes and commits himself so that every moment not be an occasion for hatred to grow but for peace." Vatican response to death of Osama bin Laden



*I still haven't come to terms with the existence of Hell as a literal place. For now, my understanding of Hell is simply an eternal separation from God, perhaps a ceasing to exist.

 

[Richard L]

I agree with Hugh. I don't need to see the photos, and if my government tells me they killed him, that's good enough for me.



Unlike Hugh, I will rejoice in bin Laden's gruesome death when I think of the countless lives that were lost at his hands.



As for all the conspiricy theorist out there...just resign yourself to the fact that these kinds of operations will always have holes in them a there are always some blurred details. Those of you who were in the military in combat zones will know that everyone on the battlefield sees things a little bit differently than the guy next to you did. Our intelligence agencies do not want to release any information that might be helpful to Al Qaida in knowing what we know or don't know about their locations or operations. Rememer that this whole operations started with something as insignificant as the name of bin Laden's most trusted courrier, and eventually he led us right to bin Laden.



It certainly does not mean that Obama is holding the information for a political advantage. I also don't believe George W. Bush fabricated the story of WMD's in Iraq as an excuse to invade Iraq and take down Saddam.



I think many of our biggest intelligence failures over the years has been the media and the American public wanting to know what they knew and when we knew it, and who told us, just to publish a story. Wikiileaks shows that there are things going on behind the scenes, and publishing these dirty little secrets will not stop the governement from keeping secrets.



That's why I say that there are things going on behind closed doors that are none of my business, I don't have a need to know, and I don't want to know about



One of the primary rules of dealing with classified material is simply: You may have a scurity clearance, but if you do not have a NEED TO KNOW you are not given access to the classified material. That includes the American public.



If the government says they killed bin Laden, that's good enough for me! For those of you who demand more proof....I suggest you go scuba diving in the Arabian Sea and see if you can find his body...Let the sharks have the feeding frenzy, not the Media.



...Rich

 

[Thomas Rogers]

There was a time, not that long ago, that the bad-ass gunslinger and threat to society that was gunned down by the town marshall would be put on display, propped up on main street for all to see. When that happened, many "civilized" people looked the other way, little kids threw rocks at the body, and most people generally just looked and got some level of closure that justice has been done. Likewise, this practice served as a cautionary for others. That public display did serve several purposes.



Essentially, the way I see it, that same thing is being sought by many today with bin Laden's assasination/execution photos. Note, I didn't call those "death" photos. Let's be realistic and true here folks. This was an execution. I'm not saying it wasn't warranted, I'm just saying that the same P.C. that is having all the media outlets say and put up text that says "Osama bin Laden Death" is the same P.C. crap that is keeping these photos from being released.



Yes, this is also a question of good taste, and also at issue is whether this causes additional backlash should they be released. To both of those, I say...who gives a flying &*$#!



Do I rejoice in his death? As a Christian I have to say No. As a human who by their very nature seeks vengence, well I have to say Yes. I don't buy the whole hypocritical stance that "Thou Shall Not Kill" really means "Thou Shall Not Murder", with murder being unjustified killing. Many Christians toss that line and reasoning out so that they can reconcile their beliefs and their desire for capital punishment. Again, do I think this guy was a waste of space and the world would be substantially better without? Absolutely! But, then again, I meet many people on a day to day basis that I feel that way about, quite frankly. Essentially it comes down to some "line" that gets drawn on when to execute and when not. For cases like Osama and Hitler, etc, those fall on the other side of pretty much any rational person's line.



Anyway, I am ranting.



To close: We did the deed. It was an execution. Some additional closure for some might be nice. Release the photos. There will be some backlash, and people that don't want to look can look the other way. If we were truly more civilized than our wild west days, then there wouldn't have been an execution. We are what we are. Accept it, show the pics, move on. That's the way I see it.



TJR

 

[H D]

I partially agree with TJR.



If the pictures are shown, that's going to help some people. I can only barely grasp why, but I guess it would provide some sense of closure and justice to some people.



For those that want it as proof, though, I seriously doubt whether a picture will suffice for these kinds of skeptics.



I didn't have a problem with the video of Saddam's hanging. I just chose not to watch it because it does nothing for me to see it. If the pictures of UBL are released, I will not search them out. I cannot imagine what good that would do me.



I do have a problem with rejoicing in the death of another human, though. Accept it as a necessary fact and be glad that the problem is gone, but not that a man died. That's just sick, IMO.



There is a well documented history of the Commandment against unjustified killing. The KJV, "Thou shalt not kill," hardly conveys the original message translated from Hebrew and is equally poor at translating to modern English.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Hugh,



Skeptics will always be skeptics. Conspiracy theorists will never be satisfied by any amount of evidence as their game is in the theory.



My personal religious belief is that there is no such thing as a just killing or a just war. Yet, the real world is messy and we are living in a fallen world, so I recognize the reality of our fallen nature and the seeming human need for war and execution. I just don't feel the need to try to justify it as being morally okay, or okay in the eyes of the Lord. That is hypocritical by its very nature, I recognize.



I think the man that healed the wounds of those that were coming to take him away to be killed (which he knew at the time was the case) probably doesn't (didn't?) believe there is any type of justified killing either. Don't you? He was and still is the only man to have walked without sin.



As a Christian there are those things that I do that I I know are wrong. They pain me and they take me further from God. But it is through salvation that I can one day be with the father and the son in spite of my sins. This is not in any way a "free pass" to do foul crap here on earth. Not at all. It is what it is. The gift of salvation for the undeserving. We are all sinners. Including Osama and the Navy Seals that pulled their triggers. (asbestos suit on for that one).



Yet, I commend the Seals for what they did. Do I rejoice in it? No. It needed to be done, and we all will have to account for these sins and others one day. The good news is that through salvation we CAN account for them.



TJR

 

[H D]

Yet, I commend the Seals for what they did. Do I rejoice in it? No. It needed to be done, and we all will have to account for these sins and others one day. The good news is that through salvation we CAN account for them.

This is what I have been getting at. This is also why I find the Vatican's response so fitting. It gets to the main sentiment I have concerning the matter. Again, so scrolling isn't necessary:



"In front of the death of man, a Christian never rejoices but rather reflects on the grave responsibility of each one in front of God and men, and hopes and commits himself so that every moment not be an occasion for hatred to grow but for peace."



If seeing the photos somehow helps someone to reflect on the responsibility for the death of bin Laden and provides an occasion for increased peace rather than a perpetuation of hatred, then search out the photos. They won't remain secret forever.



I just think there is hatred behind the majority of people's desire to see him dead and as bin Laden represents an idea to Americans more than he does an actual human, I think the hatred for the idea is being transferred to the hatred of a man. Be careful of this because I think to hate men rather than their acts is more "sanctimonious and holier than thou" than anything I have proposed.

 

[Robert Thomas]

In one month few will care. In six months very few will care. In one year only the few seeking monetary/personal gain will care.



I haven't cared for a couple of days.



When is the last time you heard someone talking about Japan?



Question: If no-one takes you picture after you are dead are you really dead. I think I will put it in my will that no one can take my picture after I'm dead. Patent pending.



:smack::smack:

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Redfish,



Or:



"If a dead guy is thrown in the ocean and no one is there to take a picture of it, is the guy really dead?"





Hey, that is T-Shirt worthy...



TJR