OSAMA BIN LADEN ANNOUNCED DEAD BY OBAMA (renamed thread)

[8bitagent]

Anyone remember this?

- OBL vehemently denies involvement

- Iran vows to help US track down and fight al Qaeda

- Israel had direct foreknowledge of the attacks

All in this doozy of an article:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,34440,00.html

[IanEye]

sorry 8bit, i have been away doing Mother's Day stuff since saturday afternoon.
i found myself getting very antsy reading your commentary in the wake of the OBL death announcement. i realize the difficulty of expressing revulsion in a civil manner. there were times during the Bush/Cheney years that i would get so disgusted at Dick Cheney that all i could do was post pictures of Mussolini getting hung at a gas station, basically as a way of endorsing a similar fate for Cheney and his family. but i never really felt better about the situation or myself after doing so.

i remember a long time ago you shared with us some info about your past after you had either gotten mugged or almost did and you were still kind of freaking out in the aftermath. so i knew you were of Asian heritage from that time. i was just feeling like you were so disgusted by the same continuation of U.S. policy from Bush to Obama that it felt like you were lashing out. that "crapton" comment really bothered me. but my decision to try to trump your callous comment with a few of my own aimed straight back at you certainly wasn't helpful, there is a difference between holding up a mirror for some one to see their current reflection, and smashing that mirror over their head. i apologize for choosing the latter.

i have always felt a tight connection with you and the way you see the world. i have always felt that the way Life speaks to you through a sort of shorthand of numerology is very similar to the shorthand that Life talks to me with imagery of lyrics.

we can't all be MacCruiskeen. there is a guy who has always done a great job of expressing total revulsion at an individual politician's actions in a way that nails the action while not dehumanizing the individual. he has a masterful command of language.

i think you and i have both been guilty at times of using our shorthand to communicate on the board, and the message is as clear as day to us, and meanwhile any number of readers are thinking, "huh? what are these random numbers supposed to signify? what in the hell do these ZZ Top lyrics have to do with anything?"

so, yeah, i felt like the negro thing was getting too off base and in the way of any number of legitimate criticisms of the Obama administration, and in my frustration, rather than try to contain the racial language, decided to see if you would be comfortable expanding the ugliness, a poor decision on my part.

i also have some thoughts on how people trying to stay alive in the American Empire by playing multi-dimensional chess wind up becoming moral schizophrenics, but those will have to wait.

Rigorous Intuition, please except this shorthand apology for the friction between me and 8bit. There is a reason I am not a Moderator.

[semper occultus]

From Robert D Steele's Blog :

NEW: There is a possibility that a “mini-coup” led by Hillary Clinton and with the unconstitutional use of authority by Leon Panetta may have deceived or over-ruled the President. See Bin Laden Show XVI: Over-Ruling the President. IF we can break this story open soon, and IF the President reconnects with America and the inherent integrity of a Constitutional Republic, this could be an opportunity for him to clean house, disconnect from Wall Street, and give it a second try. On balance we believe he will keep silent and wait for his gold certificates to mature.

http://www.phibetaiota.net/page/4/

I have been told by more than one source that Leon Panetta was directing the operation with both his own CIA operatives, as well as direct contacts with military – both entities were reporting to Panetta only at this point, and not the President of the United States. There was not going to be another delay as had happened 24 hour earlier. The operation was at this time effectively unknown to President Barack Obama or Valerie Jarrett and it remained that way until AFTER it had already been initiated. President Obama was literally pulled from a golf outing and escorted back to the White House to be informed of the mission. Upon his arrival there was a briefing held which included Bill Daley, John Brennan, and a high ranking member of the military. When Obama emerged from the briefing, he was described as looking “very confused and uncertain.” The president was then placed in the situation room where several of the players in this event had already been watching the operation unfold. Another interesting tidbit regarding this is that the Vice President was already “up to speed” on the operation. A source indicated they believe Hillary Clinton had personally made certain the Vice President was made aware of that day’s events before the president was. The now famous photo released shows the particulars of that of that room and its occupants. What that photo does not communicate directly is that the military personnel present in that room during the operation unfolding, deferred to either Hillary Clinton or Robert Gates. The president’s role was minimal, including their acknowledging of his presence in the room.
. . . . . . .
In my initial communication to you of these events I described what unfolded as a temporary Coup initiated by high ranking intelligence and military officials. I stand by that term.

http://www.phibetaiota.net/2011/05/bin-laden-show-xvi-over-ruling-the-president/

seems to relate to this :

"What Valerie Jarrett, and the president, did not know is that Leon Panetta had already initiated a program that reported to him –and only him, involving a covert on the ground attack against the compound."

http://socyberty.com/issues/white-house-insider-obama-hesitated-panetta-issued-order-to-kill-osama-bin-laden/

Note:This update comes some 24 hours after our longtime Washington D.C. Insider first outlined shocking details of an Obama administration having been “overruled” by senior military and intelligence officials leading up to the successful attack against terrorist Osama Bin Laden. What follows is further clarification of Insider’s insights surrounding that event.

Q: You stated that President Obama was “overruled” by military/intelligence officials regarding the decision to send in military specialists into the Osama Bin Laden compound. Was that accurate?

A: I was told – in these exact terms, “we overruled him.” (Obama) I have since followed up and received further details on exactly what that meant, as well as the specifics of how Leon Panetta worked around the president’s “persistent hesitation to act.” There appears NOT to have been an outright overruling of any specific position by President Obama, simply because there was no specific position from the president to do so. President Obama was, in this case, as in all others, working as an absentee president.

was correct in stating there had been a push to invade the compound for several weeks if not months, primarily led by Leon Panetta, Hillary Clinton, Robert Gates, David Petraeus, and Jim Clapper. The primary opposition to this plan originated from Valerie Jarrett, and it was her opposition that was enough to create uncertainty within President Obama. Obama would meet with various components of the pro-invasion faction, almost always with Jarrett present, and then often fail to indicate his position. This situation continued for some time, though the division between Jarrett/Obama and the rest intensified more recently, most notably from Hillary Clinton. She was livid over the president’s failure to act, and her office began a campaign of anonymous leaks to the media indicating such. As for Jarrett, her concern rested on two primary fronts. One, that the military action could fail and harm the president’s already weakened standing with both the American public and the world. Second, that the attack would be viewed as an act of aggression against Muslims, and further destabilize conditions in the Middle East.

Q: What changed the president’s position and enabled the attack against Osama Bin Laden to proceed?

A: Nothing changed with the president’s opinion – he continued to avoid having one. Every time military and intelligence officials appeared to make progress in forming a position, Jarrett would intervene and the stalling would begin again. Hillary started the ball really rolling as far as pressuring Obama began, but it was Panetta and Petraeus who ultimately pushed Obama to finally act – sort of. Panetta was receiving significant reports from both his direct CIA sources, as well as Petraeus-originating Intel. Petraeus was threatening to act on his own via a bombing attack. Panetta reported back to the president that a bombing of the compound would result in successful killing of Osama Bin Laden, and little risk to American lives. Initially, as he had done before, the president indicated a willingness to act. But once again, Jarrett intervened, convincing the president that innocent Pakistani lives could be lost in such a bombing attack, and Obama would be left attempting to explain Panetta’s failed policy. Again Obama hesitated – this time openly delaying further meetings to discuss the issue with Panetta. A brief meeting was held at this time with other officials, including Secretary Gates and members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but Gates, like Panetta, was unable to push the president to act. It was at this time that Gates indicated to certain Pentagon officials that he may resign earlier than originally indicated – he was that frustrated. Both Panetta and Clinton convinced him to stay on and see the operation through.

What happened from there is what was described by me as a “masterful manipulation” by Leon Panetta. Panetta indicated to Obama that leaks regarding knowledge of Osama Bin Laden’s location were certain to get out sooner rather than later, and action must be taken by the administration or the public backlash to the president’s inaction would be “…significant to the point of political debilitation.” It was at that time that Obama stated an on-ground campaign would be far more acceptable to him than a bombing raid. This was intended as a stalling tactic, and it had originated from Jarrett. Such a campaign would take both time, and present a far greater risk of failure. The president had been instructed by Jarrett to inform Mr., Panetta that he would have sole discretion to act against the Osama Bin Laden compound. Jarrett believed this would further delay Panetta from acting, as the responsibility for failure would then fall almost entirely on him. What Valerie Jarrett, and the president, did not know is that Leon Panetta had already initiated a program that reported to him –and only him, involving a covert on the ground attack against the compound. Basically, the whole damn operation was already ready to go –

including the specific team support Intel necessary to engage the enemy within hours of being given notice. Panetta then made plans to proceed with an on-ground assault. This information reached either Hillary Clinton or Robert Gates first (likely via military contacts directly associated with the impending mission) who then informed the other. Those two then met with Panetta, who informed each of them he had been given the authority by the president to proceed with a mission if the opportunity presented itself. Both Gates and Clinton warned Panetta of the implications of that authority – namely he was possibly being made into a scapegoat. Panetta admitted that possibility, but felt the opportunity to get Bin Laden outweighed that risk. During that meeting, Hillary Clinton was first to pledge her full support for Panetta, indicating she would defend him if necessary. Similar support was then followed by Gates. The following day, and with Panetta’s permission, Clinton met in private with Bill Daley and urged him to get the president’s full and open approval of the Panetta plan. Daley agreed such approval would be of great benefit to the action, and instructed Clinton to delay proceeding until he had secured that approval. Daley contacted Clinton within hours of their meeting indicating Jarrett refused to allow the president to give that approval. Daley then informed Clinton that he too would fully support Panetta in his actions, even if it meant disclosing the president’s indecision to the American public should that action fail to produce a successful conclusion. Clinton took that message back to Panetta and the CIA director initiated the 48 hour engagement order. At this point, the President of the United States was not informed of the engagement order – it did not originate from him, and for several hours after the order had been given and the special ops forces were preparing for action into Pakistan from their position in Afghanistan, Daley successfully kept Obama and Jarrett insulated from that order.

This insulation ended at some point with an abort order that I believe originated from Valerie Jarrett’s office, and was then followed up by President Obama. This abort order was later explained as a delay due to weather conditions, but the actual conditions at that time would have been acceptable for the mission. A storm system had been in the area earlier, but was no longer an issue. Check the data yourself to confirm. Jarrett, having been caught off guard, was now scrambling to determine who had initiated the plan. She was furious, repeating the acronym “CoC” and saying it was not being followed. This is where Bill Daley intervened directly. The particulars of that intervention are not clear to me beyond knowing he did meet with Jarrett in his office and following that meeting, Valerie Jarrett was not seen in the West Wing for some time, and apparently no longer offered up any resistance to the Osama Bin Laden mission. What did follow from there was one or more brief meetings between Bill Daley, Hillary Clinton, a representative from Robert Gates’ office, a representative from Leon Panetta’s office, and a representative from Jim Clapper’s office. I have to assume that these meetings were in essence, detailing the move to proceed with the operation against the Osama Bin Laden compound. I have been told by more than one source that Leon Panetta was directing the operation with both his own CIA operatives, as well as direct contacts with military – both entities were reporting to Panetta only at this point, and not the President of the United States. There was not going to be another delay as had happened 24 hour earlier. The operation was at this time effectively unknown to President Barack Obama or Valerie Jarrett and it remained that way until AFTER it had already been initiated. President Obama was literally pulled from a golf outing and escorted back to the White House to be informed of the mission. Upon his arrival there was a briefing held which included Bill Daley, John Brennan, and a high ranking member of the military. When Obama emerged from the briefing, he was described as looking “very confused and uncertain.” The president was then placed in the situation room where several of the players in this event had already been watching the operation unfold. Another interesting tidbit regarding this is that the Vice President was already “up to speed” on the operation. A source indicated they believe Hillary Clinton had personally made certain the Vice President was made aware of that day’s events before the president was. The now famous photo released shows the particulars of that of that room and its occupants. What that photo does not communicate directly is that the military personnel present in that room during the operation unfolding, deferred to either Hillary Clinton or Robert Gates. The president’s role was minimal, including their acknowledging of his presence in the room.

At the conclusion of the mission, after it had been repeatedly confirmed a success, President Obama was once again briefed behind closed doors. The only ones who went in that room besides the president were Bill Daley. John Brennan, and a third individual whose identity remains unknown to me. When leaving this briefing, the president came out of it “…much more confident. Much more certain of himself.” He was also carrying papers in his hand that quite possibly was the address to the nation given later that evening on the Bin Laden mission. The president did not have those papers with him prior to that briefing. The president then returned to the war room, where by this time, Leon Panetta had personally arrived and was receiving congratulations from all who were present.

In my initial communication to you of these events I described what unfolded as a temporary Coup initiated by high ranking intelligence and military officials. I stand by that term. These figures worked around the uncertainty of President Obama and the repeated resistance of Valerie Jarrett. If they had not been willing to do so, I am certain Osama Bin Laden would still be alive today. There will be no punishment to those who acted outside the authority of the president’s office. The president cannot afford to admit such a fact. What will be most interesting from here is to now see what becomes of Valerie Jarrett. One source indicated she is threatening resignation. I find that unlikely given my strong belief she needs the protection afforded her by the Oval Office and its immense powers to delay and eventually terminate investigations back in Chicago, but we shall see.

The very first Insider Report Found Here: White House Insider On Obama: President Losing It

http://newsflavor.com/opinions/white-ho ... losing-it/

[8bitagent]

sorry 8bit, i have been away doing Mother's Day stuff since saturday afternoon.
i found myself getting very antsy reading your commentary in the wake of the OBL death announcement. i realize the difficulty of expressing revulsion in a civil manner. there were times during the Bush/Cheney years that i would get so disgusted at Dick Cheney that all i could do was post pictures of Mussolini getting hung at a gas station, basically as a way of endorsing a similar fate for Cheney and his family. but i never really felt better about the situation or myself after doing so.

i remember a long time ago you shared with us some info about your past after you had either gotten mugged or almost did and you were still kind of freaking out in the aftermath. so i knew you were of Asian heritage from that time. i was just feeling like you were so disgusted by the same continuation of U.S. policy from Bush to Obama that it felt like you were lashing out. that "crapton" comment really bothered me. but my decision to try to trump your callous comment with a few of my own aimed straight back at you certainly wasn't helpful, there is a difference between holding up a mirror for some one to see their current reflection, and smashing that mirror over their head. i apologize for choosing the latter.

i have always felt a tight connection with you and the way you see the world. i have always felt that the way Life speaks to you through a sort of shorthand of numerology is very similar to the shorthand that Life talks to me with imagery of lyrics.

we can't all be MacCruiskeen. there is a guy who has always done a great job of expressing total revulsion at an individual politician's actions in a way that nails the action while not dehumanizing the individual. he has a masterful command of language.

i think you and i have both been guilty at times of using our shorthand to communicate on the board, and the message is as clear as day to us, and meanwhile any number of readers are thinking, "huh? what are these random numbers supposed to signify? what in the hell do these ZZ Top lyrics have to do with anything?"

so, yeah, i felt like the negro thing was getting too off base and in the way of any number of legitimate criticisms of the Obama administration, and in my frustration, rather than try to contain the racial language, decided to see if you would be comfortable expanding the ugliness, a poor decision on my part.

i also have some thoughts on how people trying to stay alive in the American Empire by playing multi-dimensional chess wind up becoming moral schizophrenics, but those will have to wait.

Rigorous Intuition, please except this shorthand apology for the friction between me and 8bit. There is a reason I am not a Moderator.

I made a separate thread about this, but you're views on Cheney and Bush are greatly supported in this new Chomsky article(where he fully comes out for 9/11 truth and smashes the OBL death as criminal cold blooded murder propaganda)
http://www.guernicamag.com/blog/2652/no ... ion_to_os/

Well Ian, I as well felt uncomfortable the second I hit "submit". I think when I see Nader, Pilger and so many other leftist commentators "going there", you almost start to feel ok with certain rhetoric. It's frustrating to have to reduce Obama to terms like "puppet" and loaded polarizing rhetoric...this is what the right does with their "commie socialist blah blah" stuff(and I notice not once does the right criticize Obama for the right reasons) I cringe when I see the phrasing Fox and Rush use...tip toeing right to the line of overtly hardcore racist remarks.

Yeah, you're talking about that incident that happened to me in downtown Los Angeles in 2009. I think that shows my naive nature, even at a ripe old 33. I was so shocked that this young(early 20's) black male would openly admit to double murder in a gang initiations in South Central LA, as to display tear drop tats on his face. My fear/jarring feeling of the incident was expressed in a manner where I could see readers on here thinking I was making quasi-sterotyping remarks. I feel immense sadness and at times frustration that young men can be indoctrinated into a never ending cycle of violence that simply
terrorizes their own people. Seeing how flippant the DEA and CIA has been about the origins of the crack epidemic in candid interviews further highlights that frustration. Because it deeply sucks to see so many people of all races not just failing at living up to their potential and going for goals, but actually making choices that negatively impact those around them.
Even my thread about the neo Nazi dad shot by his son reveals an ugly hypocrisy that sometimes rises in my words, and like you I greatly appreciated the way Mac would spell things out without dehumanizing an individual. Seeing (what we are to assume) is bin Laden, looking like a sickly old man in a freezing room watching tv made me feel kind of sad...a far cry from the super villain master of the universe the propagandists would want me to feel.

I think the reason the Holocaust and Rwanda get brought up endlessly in day to day topics is the perverse science in which whole groups of human beings can be reduced to less than roaches. Today as I was doing chores, an ant crawled onto my art. My gut instinct was to put a slip of paper under it and gently put it outside the door. I rarely ever have bugs, but their rarity forces me to appreciate even the small things. When Hitler was able to convince his men and public that every Jew, Gypsy, homosexual, etc was worthless via conspiracy theories of shadowy cabals...I can understand why people really dislike people like us on here. Hitler was even able to kill 30,000+ men who were Freemasons...regardless of one's view on Masonry, this act was so ghastly, that they'd even parade the decomposed skeletons of Masons in their ritual regalia in shows. French backed hate radio in Rwanda is said to be a causal factor in the mass month long genocide in that region.

Ultimately Ian, I think that's what drives my political passions: this notion that mass amounts of people can be reduced to worthless. It angers me that death, injury, displacement and horror on an insane level happened in Iraq, as well as Afghanistan...and the left doesn't seem all to riled up about it. No, instead it's all about "we got that bastard bin Laden". The countless deaths in Tokyo, Nagazaki and Hiroshima reduced to "necessary for the greater good" and "Japan's government was evil". I think this is why it saddens and frustrates me that now and then I descend into making remarks that flirt with dehumanizing dismissals...even if it's just about an individual in power. It's not about being PC or incurring scorn from fellow readers, but realizing in those remarks I am sounding and embodying the very thing I speak against. There are certain cultural practices that sometimes occur in the Islamic world I feel uneasy or troubled about, but I fear coming off as an Islamaphobe in addressing concerns. The neocons were able to convince people Afghanistan and all its horrors we delivered were ok, because we were "Freeing" women from oppressions. For every nose-less Afghan woman from Taliban psychopaths, there's countless more limbless men women and children from US and NATO weaponry.

Anyways, thanks for the kind words. I think my angle is trying to make sense of a crazy world, even when there are no direct answers. Regarding numerology or symbolism; it's more or less a detective thing in examining parapolitical events. I could care less if every license plate is "666" or its 11:11 on every receipt, paranoia is for those who don't want to live life. But after I saw the film Zodiac, it occurred to me that perhaps its not just the random killer who employs such intrigue or is governed by esoterica. However, after seeing some of Jake Kotze's material(and later Goro and WrongwayWizard) I began to muse maybe it could also be a universal synchronicity or unconscious coding. I more than understand if people roll their eyes or are unhappy when such references are made in serious discussions. I was the same way too...but I think at any rate, some of these are interesting coincidences none the less(like the Crowleyan numbers of both 9/11 and the single day massive 2008 dow drop)

[8bitagent]

@semper:

If that theory is correct, it seems like the Clintonistas wanted to "avenge" the smear they got with the "Path to 9/11" fall out and the idea Clinton was soft on OBL.

The truth is, even though the "neocons did 9/11" meme is a central pillar in truther beliefs...it genuinely feels like the entire building block of 9/11(Bosnian mujahadeen, FBI obstruction, Yasin al Qadi,
spec op kill mission stand downs, WTC 1993, OKC, etc) was under Clinton's watch. It also didnt help Sandy Berger got caught stuffing pre 9/11 sensitive intel documents down his pants and tried to destroy them. Berger and Clinton stood down quite a number of kill missions on bin Laden as well as frustrated FBI efforts to go after al Qaeda

[crikkett]

Seeing (what we are to assume) is bin Laden, looking like a sickly old man in a freezing room watching tv made me feel kind of sad...a far cry from the super villain master of the universe the propagandists would want me to feel.

I know, that was kind of a bummer.

[8bitagent]

Obama told 60 minutes that they were "55/45" on the compound intel, and that they worried it might have instead been a royal Dubai prince...of which had it been when SEALS went in for the kill mission, it would have been very bad news. http://www.zerohedge.com/article/full-b ... transcript

Clinton's men said they stood down a predator attack on bin laden in Dubai during the summer of 2000 as he was surrounded by rich royal elites and corporate heads. I almost wish the mission had been a total Jimmy Carter rescue embarrassment failure, would serve the US right.

Anyways, far from a "safer world now that we're in a post OBL world", look at the kind of shit going on at airports. They could microchip the kid, and this parent would go along with the "new normal"

[2012 Countdown]

'Bin Laden dead long before US raid'

Sun May 8, 2011 4:33PM

Iran's intelligence minister says the country has reliable information that former head of the al-Qaeda terrorist group Osama bin Laden died of disease some time ago.

“We have accurate information that bin Laden died of illness some time ago,” Heidar Moslehi told reporters on the sidelines of a Cabinet meeting on Sunday.

He questioned Washington's claim that bin Laden was killed by American troops in a hiding compound in Pakistan on May 1.

“If the US military and intelligence apparatus have really arrested or killed bin Laden, why don't they show him (his dead body) why have they thrown his corpse into the sea?” Moslehi asked.

“When we apprehended [former Jundallah ringleader Abdul Malik] Rigi, we showed him and also aired his interview,” ISNA quoted the intelligence chief as saying.

By releasing such false news, he said, the White House seeks to overshadow regional awakening.

Moslehi said US officials resort to such PR campaigns to divert attention from their domestic problems as well as their “fragile” economic situation.

US President Barack Obama claimed that Osama bin Laden was killed by US forces on May 1 in a hiding compound in Pakistan.

A US official later announced that bin Laden's body was abruptly buried at sea, falsely boasting that his hasty burial was in accordance with the Islamic law, requiring burial within 24 hours of death.

However, burial at sea is not an Islamic practice and Islam does not have a timeframe for burial.

US officials also claimed their decision for a sea burial was made because no country would accept bin Laden's remains, without elaborating on which countries were actually contacted on the matter.

Analysts, however, have raised serious questions as to why US officials did not allow for the application of a DNA test to officially confirm the identity of the corpse before its hasty burial.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/178898.html

An oldie from 2009....Has Osama Bin Laden been dead for seven years - and are the U.S. and Britain covering it up to continue war on terror?

I want to see the long form Death Certificate.

From WRH's Osama Dead page (not going to link):

Translation of Funeral Article in Egyptian Paper:
al-Wafd, Wednesday, December 26, 2001 Vol 15 No 4633



"News of Bin Laden's Death and Funeral 10 days ago"

Islamabad -
A prominent official in the Afghan Taleban movement announced yesterday the death of Osama bin Laden, the chief of al-Qa'da organization, stating that binLaden suffered serious complications in the lungs and died a natural and quiet death. The official, who asked to remain anonymous, stated to The Observer of Pakistan that he had himself attended the funeral of bin Laden and saw his face prior to burial in Tora Bora 10 days ago. He mentioned that 30 of al-Qa'da fighters attended the burial as well as members of his family and some friends from the Taleban. In the farewell ceremony to his final rest guns were fired in the air. The official stated that it is difficult to pinpoint the burial location of bin Laden because according to the Wahhabi tradition no mark is left by the grave. He stressed that it is unlikely that the American forces would ever uncover any traces of bin Laden.

Grab it before it falls down the memory hole: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,41576,00.html

Usama bin Laden has died a peaceful death due to an untreated lung complication, the Pakistan Observer reported, citing a Taliban leader who allegedly attended the funeral of the Al Qaeda leader.

"The Coalition troops are engaged in a mad search operation but they would never be able to fulfill their cherished goal of getting Usama alive or dead," the source said.

Bin Laden, according to the source, was suffering from a serious lung complication and succumbed to the disease in mid-December, in the vicinity of the Tora Bora mountains. The source claimed that bin Laden was laid to rest honorably in his last abode and his grave was made as per his Wahabi belief.

About 30 close associates of bin Laden in Al Qaeda, including his most trusted and personal bodyguards, his family members and some "Taliban friends," attended the funeral rites. A volley of bullets was also fired to pay final tribute to the "great leader."

The Taliban source who claims to have seen bin Laden's face before burial said "he looked pale ... but calm, relaxed and confident."

Asked whether bin Laden had any feelings of remorse before death, the source vehemently said "no." Instead, he said, bin Laden was proud that he succeeded in his mission of igniting awareness amongst Muslims about hegemonistic designs and conspiracies of "pagans" against Islam. Bin Laden, he said, held the view that the sacrifice of a few hundred people in Afghanistan was nothing, as those who laid their lives in creating an atmosphere of resistance will be adequately rewarded by Almighty Allah.

When asked where bin Laden was buried, the source said, "I am sure that like other places in Tora Bora, that particular place too must have vanished."

and the NY Times too: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/11/opinion/11TAHE.html?ex=1089432000&en=373a282aeff2716a&ei=5070&todaysheadlines

The Death of bin Ladenism

Osama bin Laden is dead. The news first came from sources in Afghanistan and Pakistan almost six months ago: the fugitive died in December and was buried in the mountains of southeast Afghanistan. Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf, echoed the information. The remnants of Osama's gang, however, have mostly stayed silent, either to keep Osama's ghost alive or because they have no means of communication.

With an ego the size of Mount Everest, Osama bin Laden would not have, could not have, remained silent for so long if he were still alive. He always liked to take credit even for things he had nothing to do with. Would he remain silent for nine months and not trumpet his own survival?

Even if he is still in the world, bin Ladenism has left for good. Mr. bin Laden was the public face of a brand of politics that committed suicide in New York and Washington on Sept. 11, 2001, killing thousands of innocent people in the process.

What were the key elements of that politics?

The first was a cynical misinterpretation of Islam that began decades ago with such anti-Western ideologues as Maulana Maudoodi of Pakistan and Sayyid Qutb of Egypt. Although Mr. Maudoodi and Mr. Qutb were not serious thinkers, they could at least offer a coherent ideology based on a narrow reading of Islamic texts. Their ideas about Western barbarism and Muslim revival, distilled down to bin Ladenism, became mere slogans designed to incite zealots to murder.

People like Mr. Maudoodi and Mr. Qutb could catch the ball and run largely because most Muslim intellectuals of their generation (and later) had no interest in continuing the work of Muslim philosophers. Our intellectuals were too busy learning Western ideologies of one kind or another -- and they left the newly urbanized Muslim masses to the half-baked ideas of men like Mr. Maudoodi and Mr. Qutb and eventually Mr. bin Laden.

Now, however, many Muslim intellectuals are returning home, so to speak. They are rediscovering the philosophical heritage of Islam and the challenges of Muslim political thought. And Maudoodi-Qutbism is now being seen as a pseudo-Islamic version of Western fascism.

The second element that made Mr. bin Laden possible was easy money, largely from wealthy individuals in the Persian Gulf area who believed that they were buying a place in the hereafter while protecting themselves against political opposition in this world. Some paid because they believed they were helping poor and oppressed Muslims. Others paid so militants would go and spend their energies far away from home.

That easy money is no longer available, at least not in large quantities. Many donors have realized they were financing terrorists. Some have been forced to choose between the West, where they have the bulk of their wealth, and the troglodyte mujahedeen of the Hindu Kush.

The third element that made bin Ladenist terror possible was the encouraging, or at least complacent, attitude of several governments. The Taliban in Afghanistan began by hosting Mr. bin Laden and ended up becoming his life-and-death buddies. The Pakistanis were also supportive because they wanted to dominate Afghanistan and make life hard for the Indians by sending holy warriors to Kashmir. The Sudanese government was sympathetic, if not actually supportive, and offered at least a safe haven. This was also the case in Yemen, where in November 2000 I accidentally ran into a crowd of Qaeda militants who had flown in from Pakistan for a gathering.

We now know that Qaeda cells operated, often quite openly, in Muslim countries from Indonesia and Malaysia to Morocco and Tunisia, without being bothered by anyone. The fall of the Taliban means the gang no longer has a secure base. All the other countries are also closed, and in some cases even hostile.

The fourth element was the mistaken practice of many Western powers that sheltered the terrorists in the name of freedom of expression and dissent. We now know that London was a critical haven for Al Qaeda. The murder of the Afghan resistance leader Ahmed Shah Massoud was planned in London. Qaeda militants operated in Germany, Holland, Belgium, France, Spain and Italy without significant restraint.

The fifth element that made bin Ladenism possible was the West's, especially America's, perceived weakness if not actual cowardice. A joke going around militant Islamist circles until last year was that the only thing the Americans would do if attacked was to sue. That perception no longer exists. The Americans, supported by one of the largest coalitions in history, have shown they will use force against their enemies even if that means a long and difficult war.

The sixth element of bin Ladenism was the illusion in most Western nations that they could somehow remain unaffected by the violence unleashed by fanatical terrorists against so many Muslim nations from Indonesia to Algeria.

Mr. bin Laden could survive and prosper only in a world in which these elements existed. That world is gone. Mr. bin Laden's ghost may linger on -- perhaps because Washington and Islamabad will find it useful. President Bush's party has a crucial election to win and Pervez Musharraf is keen to keep Pakistan in the limelight as long as possible.

But the truth is that Osama bin Laden is dead.

Another source-


Bin Laden dead before U.S. raid - Iranian Intelligence Minister

19:12 09/05/2011

Iranian Intelligence Minister Heidar Moslehi said Tehran has evidence that al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had died of disease long before the United States' alleged raid on the terrorist, FARS Iranian news agency said.

Bin Laden was killed on May 2 in the Pakistani town of Abbottabad, north of the capital Islamabad, during a raid by U.S. Navy Seals.

"We have accurate information that bin Laden died of illness some time ago," Moslehi said.

Bin Laden's body was buried at sea less than 24 hours after the operation.

"If the US military and intelligence apparatus have really arrested or killed bin Laden, why don't they show him (his dead body) why have they thrown his corpse into the sea?" Moslehi continued.

A DNA test proved that the corpse of the dead man belonged to bin Laden, who has topped the FBI's most wanted list for the past decade.

White House spokesman, Jay Carney said on Wednesday that Washington would not release bin Laden's postmortem photos to avoid instigating propaganda and possible violence.

MOSCOW, May 9 (RIA Novosti)

http://en.rian.ru/world/20110509/163940737.html

===

And btw, I just noticed in your article that the Iranian minister makes the comment that there is no 24 hour burial requirement either.

[Nordic]

semper-occultus, that whole thing reads like nothing more than backstabbing gossip, and i see no reason to believe a word of it.

[ninakat]

Osama, Obama and Bush: Apt Comparisons, Missed Opportunities
Wed, 05/04/2011
by BAR managing editor Bruce A. Dixon



Who says there's no difference between Republicans and Democrats in the White House? Imagine for a moment that the announcement of Osama Bin Laden's death had come four years earlier, while George W. Bush was still president.

Having already used the top-gun carrier landing stunt for his 2003 “mission accomplished” speech, president Bush might have had himself lowered to the announcement scene by cable from a helicopter at one of the more than one thousand US military bases worldwide. With Vice President Dick Cheney hovering at some undisclosed location the president, Bush would declare yet another battlefield victory in the global war on terror. Bin Laden's body, the president might say, was promptly buried at sea within hours of his death in accordance with Muslim tradition. Minister of Fear Tom Ridge would elevate the national alert level to pale orange. Military and intelligence officials would insist that the killing of Bin Laden proves that “torture works.” At the Pentagon Secretary of War Robert Gates, in consultation with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice might advise withholding any photographs of the corpse, and security would be increased at US embassies and installations around the world.

Instead Barack Obama made the announcement solemnly, sternly and alone at the White House. There were no references to “smokin’ him out” or “mission accomplished,” no ridiculous color-coded alerts, nor references to a “war on terror.” Speaking from an undisclosed location, former vice president Dick Cheney congratulated President Obama, who announced that Bin Laden's body had been buried at sea shortly after his death, according to Muslim tradition. While Republicans in Congress tweet that “torture works,” military and intelligence officials who ordered and supervised torture such as General Petreaus, are quietly promoted. At the Pentagon, Secretary of War Robert Gates, consulting with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reportedly decline to release photographs of the corpse. Security was increased at US embassies and installations around the world.

The real difference between Republicans and Democrats in a case like this isn't in how the White House would act. The difference is how rank and file Democrats, the so-called antiwar movement choose to react. If this were 2006 or 2007, many would recall the widespread news reports of Bin Laden's death back in December of 2001, and the fact that Bin Laden audio or video tapes had a habit of emerging at incredibly convenient times for the Bush administration, like the eve of the 2004 election. Why should a government and military establishment, antiwar activists would wonder aloud, that told hundreds of well-documented lies to get us into Iraq alone be trusted to tell the truth now?

The difference is, those are questions that don't get asked with a Democrat in the White House. Democrat Barack Obama doesn't just start with a clean slate. Thanks to the president's bipartisan and visionary policy of “looking forward, not back” atrocities and crimes of administrations past are forgiven and forgotten, and all the excuses offered for them enshrined as unquestioned historical fact. The Pentagon says they killed Bin Laden in a weekend firefight, won't show pictures and dumped the body at sea. That's it and that's all. Unless another courageous soldier like Bradley Manning comes forth, we'll never know any different, end of story.

Assuming the official story is mostly true, could Bin Laden have been captured alive and put on trial? Not likely. No matter who was in the White House, the US never had any intention of capturing Bin Laden alive and bringing him to trial. Afghan authorities in the fall of 2001 offered to apprehend and turn Bin Laden in to US officials, if only they were provided with some actual proof he was responsible for 9-11. Bush spurned the offer, preferring to invade and install a new Afghan “government” of feudal warlords, drug smugglers and aid profiteers. The team allegedly sent to kill Bin Laden was not instructed to capture him alive, but to do just what it did. To kill him.

The Afghan war is not not going well, even with a quarter million military, contractors, US officials and mercenaries on the ground spending upwards of $2 billion week. The American public, especially Democrats, don't support it, and even General Petreaus concedes it cannot be won. If President Obama were the courageous, transformative and visionary leader his worshippers would like to believe, Bin Laden's reported death would be an opportunity to declare victory and leave. But transformation and courageous vision have never been Barack Obama's strong suit. This president has already blown many such opportunities.

Remember when the White House controlled, with no congressional oversight whatsoever, the global research, financial resources and manufacturing plants of General Motors? Obama could have ordered it to produce electric cars and trucks, and ordered the Post Office and federal agencies to buy them. He could have made GM produce high speed railcars, or building materials that conserve energy, a real “green jobs” program. Instead, he bailed out the investors, stuck the workers with responsibility for their own pensions, and let GM go back to making the same things the same ways they were making before.

Then there was health care, where Obama in 2005 told audiences first we (Democrats) take the House and Senate, then we take the White House, and then we get single payer health care. Instead we got bailouts for big pharma and private health insurance. There was the reconfiguration of NAFTA and the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act to enable workers to form unions, both of which Obama endorsed in front of key audiences, and flipped on once in office. Whether it's been Wall Street, “clean coal,” “safe nukes,” a path to citizenship for the undocumented, an answer to black joblessness and foreclosures, or offshore drilling and the Gulf cleanup, the only courage Barack Obama has found is the courage to betray Democratic voters, who will vote for him anyway because he's not Michelle Bachman.

The killing of Bin Laden, if that's what it was, and the celebrations around it only ratify and affirm the lies that war, torture and empire are good and necessary, especially when carried out by Democrats.

Bruce A. Dixon is managing editor at Black Agenda Report, and based in Marietta GA. He's one of the principals of a technology and consulting firm and a member of the state committee of the Georgia Green Party. Contact him at bruce.dixon(at)blackagendareport.com.

[Brentos]

Empathy is good, but it has its limits, and is severely blunted by privilege. The privileged folks are absolutely blind to their own ignorance. For instance, I have never met a man who gets what it's like to be a woman. Not even close. But there are plenty with loud opinions about what women should do, wear, act, and so on. Occasionally, I will find a man who will recognize a woman's authority [!] on the topic of what it's like to be a woman, but that's rare. Look at the damned misogyny thread for evidence.

Yeah, I've come to realize that racism is basically a form of classism, no matter how deep the belief of racial superiority. And yes, white privilege is something definitely taken for granted.
-----

Maybe I haven't been following the latest Bin Laden productions, but the recent photos do make Bin Laden look like he was alive for much longer than 2001. Yet I can believe the Iranian account just as easy as the Obama account. Walpurgisnacht, etc. is just too wierd.

[8bitagent]

Remember when the White House controlled, with no congressional oversight whatsoever, the global research, financial resources and manufacturing plants of General Motors? Obama could have ordered it to produce electric cars and trucks, and ordered the Post Office and federal agencies to buy them. He could have made GM produce high speed railcars, or building materials that conserve energy, a real “green jobs” program. Instead, he bailed out the investors, stuck the workers with responsibility for their own pensions, and let GM go back to making the same things the same ways they were making before.

Then there was health care, where Obama in 2005 told audiences first we (Democrats) take the House and Senate, then we take the White House, and then we get single payer health care. Instead we got bailouts for big pharma and private health insurance. There was the reconfiguration of NAFTA and the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act to enable workers to form unions, both of which Obama endorsed in front of key audiences, and flipped on once in office. Whether it's been Wall Street, “clean coal,” “safe nukes,” a path to citizenship for the undocumented, an answer to black joblessness and foreclosures, or offshore drilling and the Gulf cleanup, the only courage Barack Obama has found is the courage to betray Democratic voters, who will vote for him anyway because he's not Michelle Bachman.

Brilliant!

On the famous "whatthefuckhasObamadone" pro Obama website, many of the "accomplishments" listed are only partial truths...and while Obama has been seen as "boxed in" and "compromising/capitulating" with the Republicans...he's still the "decider" and can take a hard stance.

Also, it's funny...if most Americans are allegedly against the war in Afghanistan, why isn't there any sizeable anti war voice on/offline or protests like during Bush? What happened to all those angry leftists especially the college youth? Did they all resign and sellout in a fit of "meh"?

Since OBL's cold blooded killing, the Obama empire has launched more drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen, and is appearing to ramp up action for the "late spring/summer" offensive in Afghanistan.

[Bruce Dazzling]

The Associated Press's Case for Releasing the Bin Laden Photo

By John Hudson 08:05 AM ET

President Obama's decision to withhold the visual evidence of Osama bin Laden's death has created a fundamental disagreement between the White House and one of the largest journalism organizations in the world. "This information is important for the historical record," said Michael Oreskes, senior managing editor at The Associated Press. "That's our view."

Last Monday, the AP filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the photographic and video evidence taken during the raid on bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The organization's FOIA request included a reminder of the president's campaign pledge and a plea to be more transparent than his predecessor. "The Obama White House 'pledged to be the most transparent government in U.S. history," wrote the AP, "and to comply much more closely with the Freedom of Information Act than the Bush administration did.'"

Two days later, the president told 60 Minutes he would not release any of the footage related to the raid, including video of bin Laden's deep sea burial and photographs of his slain corpse. Though Oreskes voices his disagreement diplomatically, there's no way around it: The AP believes the president is wrong to maintain exclusive ownership of the evidence. "We're asking to see it," said Oreskes in an interview with The Atlantic Wire. "It's about us saying we would like to make our own news judgements about news worthy material."

The president insists that releasing bin Laden's photograph violates common decency and puts U.S. troops in harm's ways. "We don't trot out this stuff as trophies," he told Steve Kroft on 60 Minutes. "I think that given the graphic nature of these photos, it would create some national security risk."

Many in the press have agreed. "To put his head on a digital spike and display his mangled head is, indeed, not the Western way," wrote Andrew Sullivan on Wednesday.

But a journalist's prerogative is to ask questions and find answers, said Oreskes. "It's our job as journalists to seek this material."

"We're not deciding in advance to publish this material," he pledged. "We would like our journalists, who are working very hard, to see this material and then we'll decide what's publishable and what's not publishable based on the possibly that it's inflammatory."

Senator Lindsey Graham, Senator Susan Collins, Rep. Peter King and The Wall Street Journal's Peggy Noonan have each sought the photos release at one point or another. They each maintained that bin Laden, of course, is dead and the White House's narrative is to be believed. But photos should be released to tamp down conspiracy theories.

For Oreskes, the photo is an important piece of evidence to establish what happened during the Navy SEALs raid on bin Laden's Abbottabad compound. "In the week since the raid there's been a whole series of story-lines about what happened in this raid," said Oreskes. "At this point, anything that might shed more light on what occurred is potentially quite newsworthy. So we would like this imagery to fully understand what happened during this event."

"I can't tell you what understanding we would get," he prefaced. "But we would like to see it and compare it with other things we're being told about this raid both by U.S. officials and officials in other countries."

The AP isn't alone in wanting more insight on the specifics of the raid. When it eventually surfaced that bin Laden was not killed in a firefight, his wife wasn't used as a human shield, there was no live footage of the event and the "mansion" where he lived was only worth between $250,000 and $480,000, many became skeptical of the White House's narrative. Other organizations that have filed FOIAs include Politico, Fox News, Judicial Watch and Citizens United. Oreskes sympathizes with the president. "This is obviously one of his most difficult decisions and we understand that."

[seemslikeadream]

The Zeitgeist Movement Response to Media: Death of Osama bin Laden

[tazmic]

Obi-Wan Kenobi Is Dead, Vader Says

http://www.galacticempiretimes.com/2011/05/09/galaxy/outer-rim/obi-wan-kenobi-is-killed.html