Sorry, that was a little OT.

For what it's worth, I agree with Yabby that it was indeed the right man. Obama would have the generals' nuts for golf balls if ever a video showed up.

And with individual too.

Those revellers in America looked exactly the same as the rejoicing throngs we've seen in the past in Islamabad, stomping on the American flag and burning effigies of American presidents.

Tell me what makes them different.

Well put Pericles, if we go back to the first quote about those dancers look again at claims there.
OUG said Israelis danced in the streets after nine eleven, not a chance.
My earlier post is highlighted by the ignoring of the hate seen all of the Muslim world on 9/11 and on show right now.
Sorry but born in very bad times for many, from the need for change.
Having won much change for the better, my old left blindly looks for a reason for its existence.
Hating America and forgetting the sins and awful living conditions for half the world population is not it.
The grubby man is dead,his bigotry that only some humans should rule is not, yet.

Pericles,

Do you means those crowds that burned embassies and murdered a dozen or so UN workers because someone burned their book? Those crowds?

Osama bin laden deliberately set out to kill thousands of civillians in cold blood, for shock value. It was a symbolic act, in the blood of innocents and it was calculated to provoke retaliaton. 3000+ american civillians dead in ONE attack.

Osama Bin Laden had declared war on America, much of the western world, in fact, AND all of its civillians. That people might celebrate the fact that he is dead should be easy to understand

I haven't been watching the news (as I don't watch much telly these days) - although I usually run to turn on CNN or ABC if a "big" story comes up...but, for some reason, I didn't his time.

So I wonder how it goes for me not being witness to all the hysteria. I'm sure repeatedly viewing the whole saga has an effect on people.

I think the "whole" bin Laden thing is fishy, especially this latest episode.
Burial at sea...are you telling me that they undertook all this covert stuff to get bin Laden, then upon locating him (unarmed) blasted the you-know-what out of him - then they go out of their way to say they respected Muslim tradition, washed him, wrapped him and then weighted his body and dumped it unceremoniously into the drink....an interesting scenario....

Btw, Belly, I think OUG was referring to film of a four or five Israelis having a celebration and waving hysterically, with the twin towers burning in the background - apparently from a rented industrial property in an outer suburb of New York....

My visceral response to the death of Osama Bin Laden has found its place in the reptilian part of my brain and the event has now moved into frontal lobe processing. (My inner reptile still rejoices - the bogey man has gone).

@ Runner

Your apology is graciously accepted. My belief that the death penalty achieves nothing by way of preventing further crime has not changed. I would rather that Bin Laden spent the rest of his life in jail, never to be released - that is punishment, he is forced to do nothing but think, whereas death offers no opportunity for self-reflection.

@ Pelican

I never doubted that you and other posters would get it. However, I still appreciate R0bert's comments. :)

@ Poirot

Bin Laden is dead - whether he was assassinated at the Pakistan compound or died earlier of kidney failure (rumours of him requiring to be on dialysis taken into consideration). However, as others have noted it would be too easy for Bin Laden to pop up with another video, therefore I am sure that the US government are 100% sure he is dead.

The US had the choice between bombing the compound to dust or infiltrate. They chose to infiltrate - far more dangerous. One can argue that this was to ensure that they did assassinate Bin Laden or possibly did wish to take him alive - this conundrum is unlikely to ever be determined completely.

We certainly live in interesting times.

Dear Poirot,

The latest reports say OBL was neither armed nor using women as human shields contrary to initial briefings.

While we should give the administration credit for correcting the record one can't help imagine the British giving a far more circumspect account if it were their operation. In some ways we can make allowances for it just being the way things are done in America, especially attempting to make full political capital from the killing, but it is not a good look.

For many it will reinforce the notion of 'American Lies' despite the corrections.

What is the impact of the new facts?

When Ismael Haniyeh, head of the Hamas, said in response to bin Laden's assassination, "we regard this as a continuation of the American policy based on oppression and the shedding of Muslim and Arab blood.", most of the Western world, including myself, was understandably dismissive.

Now, given the circumstances of his death, the words have some veracity.

I agree with Geoffrey Robinson, the best outcome would have been to bring OBL to court, but for me the primary reason would have been to put some distance between the actions of he and his followers and the way the West conducts itself. The determination to act within the law even where OBL was concerned would have sent a powerful message to all sides.