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ORIGINAL: thompsonx

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As for a trial, OBL had released video tapes taking credit for planning and ordering the attacks on American Embassies, the USS Cole, a military camp in Saudi Arabia, and the attacks on 9/11/01. It would be kinda hard to plea not guilty.

I knew about the others but I had always heard that he denied the 9/11 thing.

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WASHINGTON — Usama bin Laden (search ) made his first televised appearance in more than a year Friday in which he admitted for the first time ordering the Sept. 11 attacks and accused President Bush of "misleading" the American people.

Injecting himself into the campaign four days ahead of the presidential election, bin Laden said the United States can avoid another Sept. 11-style attack if it stops threatening the security of Muslims.

In the portion of the tape that was broadcast, the Al Qaeda (search) leader refrained from directly warning of new attacks, although he said "there are still reasons to repeat what happened."

"Your security is not in the hands of Kerry, Bush or Al Qaeda. Your security is in your own hands," bin Laden said, referring to the president and his Democratic opponent. "Any state that does not mess with our security, has naturally guaranteed its own security."

Admitting for the first time that he ordered the Sept. 11 attacks, bin Laden said he did so because of injustices against the Lebanese and Palestinians by Israel and the United States.
Bin Laden Claims Responsibility for 9/11

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"While I was looking at these destroyed towers in Lebanon, it sparked in my mind that the tyrant should be punished with the same and that we should destroy towers in America, so that it tastes what we taste and would be deterred from killing our children and women."

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"[It is] easy for us to provoke and bait this administration. All that we have to do is to send two mujahidin to the furthest point east to raise a piece of cloth on which is written al-Qaeda, in order to make the generals race there and cause America to suffer human, economic, and political losses ... This is in addition to our having experience in using guerrilla warfare and the war of attrition to fight tyrannical superpowers, as we, alongside the mujahidin, bled Russia for 10 years, until it went bankrupt and was forced to withdraw in defeat."

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ORIGINAL: thompsonx

FR

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The only moral thing is to put down a rapid dog. That is what we did here.

Waite waite ...let me get this straight...you are going to shoot someones dog because it can run faster than you????

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ORIGINAL: thishereboi

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I've been reading the Osama topics going on, and I'm struck by how many Americans are celebrating Osama being shot without trial.
In particular, I'm amazed at how, whenever somebody questions the legality, the fairness, the morality of the assassination, the overwhelming reply is: "he did it first!"

I'm struck by how many people seem to think it's only Americans who are celebrating.

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ORIGINAL: Ishtarr

I really don't want to debate this, because I don't think it will serve a purpose, and I know that just this one post will stir up enough negative reactions as it is, but...

I've been reading the Osama topics going on, and I'm struck by how many Americans are celebrating Osama being shot without trial.
In particular, I'm amazed at how, whenever somebody questions the legality, the fairness, the morality of the assassination, the overwhelming reply is: "he did it first!"

I want to take a moment here to examine that statement...

I have no doubt that Osama killed a very large number of innocent people, and deserved to get justice served to him for that, but the argument that he was the first in his act of aggression just doesn't hold up.

Prior to 9/11, American troops had already on several occasions invaded Muslim territory and, as a result, killed innocent civilians.
Prior to that, Muslims had done the same.
Prior to that, Christians had done the same.
Prior to that... all the way back to the Middle Ages, and the begin of the Islam.
Hell, even more prior than that, considering the fact that there was documented aggression between Bedouins and Christians before the Islam even existed.

In fact, at this point, it is entirely impossible to track back which side ACTUALLY did "it" first.

Ever side, ever time, will be able to point back to history and show how it was the other side who provoked the aggression first, and how their act of aggression was merely a reaction, and therefor justifiable.

Now, you may argue that Osama was guilty, and his victims where not, and I will agree with you on that. However, the fact that he was guilty and his victims innocent doesn't change the fact that in retaliation to his guilt, America invaded again and now too has again the blood of innocents on their hands.

My point in all of this is:

If "they started it" is justification for shooting on sight, it WILL go on forever, because both side will justify it was the other side's fault forever.

I had really hoped that on this occasion, America and Americans would have been able to live up to the ideal of fairness and moral justice they so like to lay claim to, and instead of just pettily reacting, had been "the bigger man" by making it their utmost goal to bring in Osama alive and let him stand trial and be sentenced for his deeds. Maybe followed by the death penalty, maybe by lifelong prison, I don't know, but I had hoped that instead of a reactive, instinctive vengeance killing, we would have gotten to see America distancing itself from the behaving in the same reactive instinctive vengeance killing way that Osama had when he planned 9/11.

If America would have been able to show the world that it would combat hatred with rationality and justice, I'm sure that most of the whole world would have watched in admiration and pride... but now... I just feel rather sick to my stomach, because this golden opportunity was missed, and in the end...

Nothing has changed...

Ishtar

Edited for spelling

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ORIGINAL: VideoAdminAlpha

I took it to mean you conservatives...was I wrong??

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ORIGINAL: Real0ne

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ORIGINAL: mnottertail

Exactly.  They have had it since prior to the constitution.  The posse comitatus act notwithstanding, regarding foreign combatants.

if they are not on YOUR SOIL the only lawful method is via political channels.  Not invading the soil of someone elses country to blow their face off.

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but here is another view,
I dont think that he is dead at all,

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Mob mentality

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ORIGINAL: rockspider

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ORIGINAL: thishereboi

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I've been reading the Osama topics going on, and I'm struck by how many Americans are celebrating Osama being shot without trial.
In particular, I'm amazed at how, whenever somebody questions the legality, the fairness, the morality of the assassination, the overwhelming reply is: "he did it first!"

I'm struck by how many people seem to think it's only Americans who are celebrating.

I have been following the media closely on this in Denmark and i would say the aproval rating on this is over 95 % in my country.
Besides if he had been captured and brought back to the US for a trial it would more than likely had been an all out invitation to take hundreds of Americans as hostage to get him released.

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Besides if he had been captured and brought back to the US for a trial it would more than likely had been an all out invitation to take hundreds of Americans as hostage to get him released.

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(c'mon, what do you expect the verdict to be?)

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If Pakistan has a problem with it, their government can declare war on the US I guess.

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I am afraid your logic is beyond me:

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Basically one person (in about 250) spoke out.

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It's easy to sit in judgement of someones actions when you're either incapable or unwilling to step into their shoes.

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ORIGINAL: barelynangel

A Man resisting the US forces and he died because of it.   He had ample opportunity to surrender.