Osama bin Laden Death Photos

Image via WikipediaSince the news broke late Sunday night that US Special Ops forces had broken into a compound and killed Osama bin Laden, the speculation has been whether or not the Obama administration would release photos of the SOB's corpse to prove that bin Laden was dead.  Word came from the administration today that the photos will not be released.

Due to the military burying his body at sea in accordance with Islamic tradition, there are those that are apt to subscribe to conspiracy theories who will not believe that bin Laden is dead without seeing photos of the body.  Of course those that subscribe to conspiracy theories could also argue that any released photos were photoshopped.

The administration, for their part said that they do not want to release the photos because they are graphic and gruesome.  Their feeling is that by releasing the photos that it could inflame the passions of the Islamic extremists and lead to action on their part.  The counterargument to that would be that putting a bullet through his brain would also incite them.

I am an avowed conservative.  I listen to talk radio.  One of the programs that I usually listen to is Sean Hannity's because it is on during my commute home.  Most of the time, I find my self in agreement with his positions.  Today, during the hour I drove home, Hannity basically decried the decision by the President's decision to not release the photos, and the decision to bury bin Laden at sea in accordance with Islamic tradition.

It is not so much Hannity's position that the photos should be released that I disagree with, but rather my view that he is being somewhat hypocritical in regards to his position regarding "inciting the radical Islamists."  Previously, he had interviewed Pastor Terry Jones who held a Koran burning.  Hannity criticized Jones because he had burned the Koran despite the warnings from General David Petreaus that such actions would incite the extremists to vengeance.

Meanwhile, he criticizes the Obama administration because they are not releasing photos of bin Laden for that very same reason.  I understand that General Petreaus is a hero to conservatives like Hannity and to myself.  For the most part, there has been precious little that Barack Obama has done as President that I and most conservatives agree with.  For me it has been the killing of bin Laden, and the killing of a fly during an interview. It just seems inconsistent to me to support Pereaus in this case and not Obama.

I personally have no desire to see the photos.  I tend not to subscribe to conspiracies.  I understand the desire of some to see them.  There are high profile conservatives that do not think the photos should be released, and those that think they should.  Which side of the fence do you fall on in regards to the decision to not release the photos? Do you think that Sean Hannity's position is inconsistent, and is he just looking to find any fault with President Obama? 

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Osama bin Laden Killed: Welcome to Hell

Image by Chris.M.G. via FlickrI was sitting here on the couch watching the local evening news when they announced that President Barack Obama was going to address the evening shortly before 11:00pm Eastern Time.  Usually, I dread to hear him speak, however, I knew that if he was going to address the nation that late in the evening that it had to be big.  It was.

As the newscast continued they broke little pieces of the news of the evening, that US Special forces had killed Osama bin Laden, founder and leader of Al-Qaeda.  He was killed in a compound in Pakistan not far from a Pakistani military installation.  So much for his being holed up in a cave.  It also makes one wonder the veracity of the Pakistani claims that they had no idea where bin Laden was.

First, a hearty congratulations and thank you to the Special Ops forces that put their lives on the line to carry out this risky operation.  Even better is the fact that they got the SOB is that there were no injuries to our troops.  Thanks to our intelligence community for their diligence in pursuing him.  Finally, congratulations to the President for ordering the action.  I wasn't sure he had the stones to do it.

Normally, it would be inappropriate to rejoice in somebody's death, however, in this case I think it is warranted.  As Country music star Blake Shelton tweeted last night when the news broke "Sorry if this seems disrespectful but I'm so glad that piece absolute shit Osama is dead.."  While the death of bin Laden is welcome news to those of us who recall the tragedy of 9/11, we must remain vigilant.  There remain those who will replace bin Laden and want to avenge his death.

I have posted Trace Adkins song "Welcome to Hell" before.  Today it seems appropriate to post it again today.  It see,ms appropriate to post it again today in light of the news since Trace wrote the song for Osama bin Laden and his ilk.

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We Must Never Forget

Image via WikipediaIt has been nine years since terrorists hijacked four passenger airliners, crashing two into the twin towers in NY City, one in the Pentagon, and one, thanks to the brave actions of some passengers, crashed into a field in Pennsylvania.

I remember so much of that day and the aftermath of it.  That particular morning, I was sitting in my office at work when the phone rang.  It was my wife.  She called to tell me that an airplane had hit one of the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. I immediately turned off the music I was listening to  and found a station covering the breaking news.

Shortly after the first plane crashed, a second plane crashed into the second tower and then the Pentagon.  I was numb.  I found that I was unable to do anything except to continue to listen to the reports that were coming in over the radio.  My son and nephew were both attending a special school in Baltimore, a few blocks from the Inner Harbor, home of the Baltimore World Trade Center.  Fearing an attack in that area, my brother in law headed up to Baltimore to pick up the boys.  Traffic in the area was gridlocked.
As I said, I was numb at that point.  I was pretty much worthless as far as trying to accomplish any work of substance that day.  Most of the executives of my company were out of town on a business trip.  They were due to fly back that day, but all flights were grounded.  I remember getting calls from some of the executives encouraging us to take action to try to capitalize on the fear generated by the attacks.  I couldn't help but think how crass it was to try to use the attacks as a way to generate sales.

At the time, I worked for a grocery chain, and they thought people would be paranoid of terrorist attacks on the water supply, and I was to arrange for bottled water to be shipped to the stores.  They were afraid there would be a run on supplies and we would not capture all the sales we could.  The one good thing I remember from work was the public affairs manager asking me to arrange for bottled water to be sent for the workers who were helping with aftermath of the Pentagon attack.

The other thing that I recall from that time was how united the country was.  It didn't matter your political party or your religious ideology, we were one country, facing a tragic event.  We were truly the United States of America.  In nine short years, we seem to be more divided than ever, and that is tragic.  We need to remember how we felt that day and in the days immediately after that.  We need to never forget the events of 9/11/2001.

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Enhanced Screening, the ACLU, and CAIR

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In response to the Underwear Bomber's, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, failed attempt to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight headed for Detroit on Christmas day, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration has issued more stringent screening guidelines. The guidelines, or enhanced screening, apply to passengers traveling from countries that have been identified as "state sponsors of terrorism."

The TSA states that, "Every individual flying into the U.S. from anywhere in the world traveling from or through nations that are state sponsors of terrorism or other countries of interest will be required to go through enhanced screening."  The majority of these countries could best be described as "Muslim" countries.

It should come as no surprise that civil liberties groups have come out to condemn the new guidelines. The ACLU (the Anti-American Civil Liberties Union) has said that the new guidelines are,"essentially a pretext for racial profiling, which is ineffective, unconstitutional and violates American values. We shouldn't complacently surrender our rights for a false sense of security." 


Not to be left out, CAIR (the Council on American-Islamic Relations) had to put in their two cents, "Under these new guidelines, almost every American Muslim who travels to see family or friends or goes on pilgrimage to Mecca will automatically be singled out for special security checks -- that's profiling," said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad in a statement. "While singling out travelers based on religion and national origin may make some people feel safer, it only serves to alienate and stigmatize Muslims and does nothing to improve airline security," Awad said.

My response?  I could give a flying fuck what the ACLU or CAIR has to say on the subject.  Conservatively, I would say that I probably disagree with the ACLU at least 90% of the time, and I would say most patriotic Americans feel the same.  And let's not even get me started about CAIR.  CAIR leaders have been quoted as saying that they want "Islam to be the dominant religion of the United States," and they want "the US to be under sharia law."  

Let's face it, if you are going fishing for tuna are you going to go to the desert or are you going out to the ocean? While not all Muslims are terrorists, the vast majority of terrorists have been Muslims.  If you are going to try to find terrorists and prevent them from coming to this country, don't you need to identify them where they are?  I am sorry (not really) if that viewpoint offends the sensibilities of groups like the ACLU and CAIR, but CAIR has been silent for too long and too slow in condemning terrorist activities.  Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab never should have been on that flight on Christmas day.  If so called "profiling" can prevent another Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab then it is worth it in my humble opinion.    

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Kahlid Sheihk Mohammed

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Do you feel safer with the Obama administration waging the war on terror (excuse me, man made disaster) instead of the Bush administration?  I don't.  Especially after the news was released this morning that Kahlid Sheihk Mohammed and four other Gitmo terrorists will be put on trial in civilian court in New York instead of the military courts.

Mohammed is generally regarded as the "worst of the worst" of the Gitmo prisoners.  He is considered the mastermind behind the terrorist attacks of 9/11.  He has also been involved in several other attacks or plots against the US and our allies.  KSM is one of three of the Gitmo prisoners that was waterboarded.  Thanks to waterboarding and other enhanced interrogation techniques, we were able to get info from him to avert other terrorist acts.

These people have committed acts of war against the United States.  They are prisoners of war. They are not, and should not, be entitled to the Constitutional rights that govern the citizens of the United States.  Do you really want to take the chance on a guy like Mohammed getting released on a technicality?  The government better not fuck these trial up and let any of these pieces of garbage free.  Personally, I think they should be "shot trying to escape" if you know what I mean.

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