Bye bye Bin Laden.. .now what?

[Fire0nIce228 1]

I think this was a good first step but there is still much to be done.. USA got the ball rolling on crippling these terrorist forces but they need to get a few more of the big leaders and really disrupt the chain of command.. I know that there are different 'cells' and things like that but not all would be as well funded and organized as bin ladens guys. This will never end but if the troops can get a few more leaders and really wreak some havoc in the terrorist groups.

[NextBobbyOrr 0]

I think that it's definitely good that we were able to get him, but I also feel we really need to keep in mind that this has likely sparked a huge flame with other terrorist groups or whatnot. Also I may be wrong on this, but I think we should be prepared to see any number of "conspiracy" theories begin in the next month.

Now I'm just curious on some things that were briefly brought up in my Socials 10 class. Apparently, the US soldiers weren't supposed to enter or something? I'm really unsure of that point, I really should've listened more..also that Osama was seen as a "martyr" to his people? Just curious about these, I'll likely have some facts wrong, I've never given too much attention these things(outside of the attacks and such). Yeah, just hope I don't sound apathetic or ignorant, or insult anybody..

[donkey87 0]

I think this was a good first step but there is still much to be done.. USA got the ball rolling on crippling these terrorist forces but they need to get a few more of the big leaders and really disrupt the chain of command.. I know that there are different 'cells' and things like that but not all would be as well funded and organized as bin ladens guys. This will never end but if the troops can get a few more leaders and really wreak some havoc in the terrorist groups.

U.S. forces have killed/captured quite a few "big leaders" since 9/11. Al Qaeda's operational capabilities have been severly degraded over the past 10 years. The issue is that there is always someone else ready to step up and take over. Additionally, Al Qaeda (as well as other terrorist groups) continues to receive significant funding from sympathizers (especially those in Saudi Arabia).

[Monty22 833]

"We sleep safely at night because rough men stand ready to visit violence on those who would harm us."

I've seen this attributed to both Churchill and George Orwell, and it appears unclear if either actually said it, but it was the first thing that popped into my head when I heard the details.

[camhockey16 5]

i read this today and thought it was pretty interesting:

you would think since we know their strategy we wouldn't fall for it, but..

On March 11, 2005, Al-Quds Al-Arabi published extracts from Saif al-Adel's document "Al Quaeda's Strategy to the Year 2020". Abdel Bari Atwan summarizes this strategy as comprising five stages:

1.Provoke the United States into invading a Muslim country.

2.Incite local resistance to occupying forces.

3.Expand the conflict to neighboring countries, and engage the U.S. in a long war of attrition.

4.Convert Al-Qaeda into an ideology and set of operating principles that can be loosely franchised in other countries without requiring direct command and control, and via these franchises incite attacks against countries allied with the U.S. until they withdraw from the conflict, as happened with the 2004 Madrid train bombings, but which did not have the same effect with the 7 July 2005 London bombings.

5.The U.S. economy will finally collapse under the strain of too many engagements in too many places, similarly to the Soviet war in Afghanistan, Arab regimes supported by the U.S. will collapse, and a Wahhabi Caliphate will be installed across the region.

[roscoe6 1]

Speaking of taking to the streets - here is Iowa State University at about 2:30 AM Monday.

Here is our main street area - Welch Ave. - where all the bars are. My buddy took it from the 6th floor of his apartment complex. The number of people you see in that picture is about 1/5th of the students/faculty that were out at that time. I'm the kid in the white.

http://twitpic.com/4s9rgi/full

Here is a shot of central campus at abut 3:30 AM Monday. Yes, there is a pick-up on central campus. And yes, the driver is wearing a cowboy hat. This is Iowa after all.

http://twitpic.com/4s9vhg

Here is the students on the steps of one of our lecture halls. This was the first pic I took at about 12:30 when I left the library (I had an 8:00 AM final exam).

http://twitpic.com/4s9vgv

[HockeySavants 5]

But Navy SEAL Team 6 doesn't mess around.

[skeeter14 0]

But Navy SEAL Team 6 doesn't mess around.

THIS x 10