Stand with Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan -- with democracy and civilization against tyranny and barbarism
posted by Infidel753 at 4:40 AM
Individualist, pro-technology, pro-democracy, anti-religion. I speak only for myself and not for any ideology, movement, or party. It has been my great good fortune to live my whole life free of "spirituality" of any kind. I believe that evidence and reason are the keys to understanding reality; that technology rather than ideology or politics has been the great liberator of humanity; and that in the long run, human intelligence is the most powerful force in the universe.
God doesn't exist
Evolution happened
Global warming is real
Homosexuality is normal
Aging is a curable disease
The election was not stolen
Everything "spiritual" is a lie
US out of UN, UN out of US
Free speech is for everybody
Humans do not have "souls"
Men can't become women
Fetuses are not persons
Words are not violence
Taiwan is a nation
Pluto is a planet
22 Comments:
Whose word is that? I can't imagine the military letting go of a key piece of evidence like that.
oh cripes I just saw the buried at sea thing on CNN. I don't get why they would do that.
It was mentioned in one of the MSM reports I saw. Don't know if it's true, of course. I assume they collected whatever evidence was necessary to prove ID first.
Of related interest.
Q. What does the GOP and al Qaeda have in common?
A. They were both upset when bin Laden was killed.
Against my own instincts, experience and possibly even my own core philosophical beliefs...
I'm glad OBL wasn't taken alive. The idea of him getting a bigger platform via a globally covered and interminable trial would have been a kind of victory.
It's also better ultimnately that he died in a firefight.
The asshole is dead, shot through his left eye.
-SJ
His DNA was matched with a sample from a sister. He was buried at sea to prevent a 'memorial site' as well as to be consistent with Islamic tradition. There is no need to incite a adverse reaction (cite:burning the Koran) amongst religious zealots.
All in all, it seems a surgical operation.
Further.... while it is good that he received justice,and fitting, I will celebrate peace, not death. That is what he did. Too much of that has been done lately. ok. just saying.
I do wonder about the buried at sea part. Perhaps the government did so to prevent extremists from finding his burial place and making it a shrine?
Infidel753, do you know much about Islamic burial protocol? Is burial at sea considered a legitimate means of burying a body under Islamic law? If not, I fear that the sea burial might inflame extremists.
NC: I really don't think so, even if a few of them are being kind of snippy about it.
SJ: I always dreaded the possibility of bin Laden being captured alive. Every jihadist nutcase in the world would have been out grabbing hostages to try to force his release.
Okjimm: There's a saying I think applies here: "Ain't nobody more peaceful than a dead troublemaker."
Ahab: Not really. Bodies are supposed to be buried in the soil; burial at sea is generally considered acceptable only if a person dies at sea and there isn't time to get the body back to land before it starts to decay (Islam really emphasizes that bodies should be buried quickly after death).
Strictly speaking Islam discourages the marking of graves in any way, precisely to avoid them becoming shrines or holy places, but in practice some important religious figures (notably Muhammad's grandson) have been buried in tombs which have then become shrines and even places of pilgrimage.
I don't see why any decent person, Muslim or otherwise, would think bin Laden's corpse should be treated with any respect. After the Islamic terrorist attack on on Bombay, India, the custodians of Bombay's Muslim cemetery (Muslims themselves) announced that they would not allow the terrorists to be buried there -- a fitting repudiation of their actions.
A great accomplishment for our country AND the President. After all, this supposed Muslim succeeded where Bush and Cheney failed MISERABLY. Maybe now - FINALLY - Obama will get some respect!
Of course, Fox News got it wrong, reporting that "Obama" had been killed.
Great thread.
I've been reading a lot of over the top crap everywhere today,
so to Infidel, LadyAtheist, Nameless Cynic, okJimm, Ahab, and of course Jack, thanks for the sincere, humorous, sober thinking in your replies.
-SJ
JJ: There will always be a hard core that refuses to credit Obama for anything -- but it will help him a lot with people who were more on the fence.
RtS: Details, details. I think Fox has been caught mixing up those names before.
SJ: It's important to stay reality-based. But it's natural that people are exuberant about this. I certainly am.
In general, by the way, I'm not hugely concerned with "inflaming extremists". They tend to be pretty inflamed no matter what we do. There is something to be said for using our enemies' superstitions against them.
I came over from Robert's because I liked your name, at least the part I thought I could understand. I see that you're a Portlander. Hello from Eugene.
Howdy neighbor!
For once there have been many conservatives who have given Obama credit: Bush, Cheney, Pawlenty, Romney, King, Dumsfeld, and even Limbaugh. It is only members of the extreme right-wingers who can't rise to the occasion - Cantor, Fox (of course) and several others. Their small mindedness can only hurt them in the long run.
"I wish they'd buried him in a pit full of pig manure." Infidel753
What a mean thing to do to pig shit!
In defense of nameless, I have to say I have read / seen quite a few remarks that smell of bitterness. Some conservatives are a little upset by this. As Americans, they are happy, but as republicans it ticks them off. I should say, I guess, that they are ambivalent and they are not hiding it very well.
As most everyone knows by now, the Limbaugh was faking it when he alledgedly gave credit to Obama. I've seen comments that range all across the board - even some snide remarks from progressives. It is, imo, sad that something so mementous as OBL's death should be made into a political football. This is something the majority of Americans, and most of the world, have been hoping for. We should be united in celebrating the death of an evil tyrant.
SK: True, but think of the poor ocean.....
JM: I've seen a few of those as well, but I don't think they represent most rank-and-file Republicans.
TNLib: I entirely agree.
Unthinking cynic: Every Republican I know also celebrated.
See tnlib's 02 May, 2011 16:09
Jack said: "After all, this supposed Muslim succeeded where Bush and Cheney failed MISERABLY."
Supposed Muslim, what? Are you still reading the Hillary for President 2008 campaign's emails?
The Obama-is-Muslim nonsense crops up regularly at teabagger rallies, and on some right-wing blogs, too.
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