He's Dead Jim

A good friend of mine posted an article on FB called 7 Deceptions About Bin Laden's Killing Pushed by the Obama Administration which goes into great detail about how the original "facts" of the raid (team size, firefight duration, human shields etc) were either exaggerated or outright fabricated. This article is so much claptrap to me for two very basic reasons.

Reason the first: All of the initial "facts" that were released by the members of the press and a lot of the ones in the first few hours/days afterward were received almost entirely by "confidential sources wishing to remain anonymous due to..." How many times as a culture have we seen entire stories written citing such sources? Due to the fact they are unnamed, the sources have no strength of creditability, but we absorb and accept the information like it is handed down from on high. Something wrong with that.

I know many highly honorable and trustworthy journalists. One of whom I am proud to call Brother. I know that a lot of journalists, even when citing unnamed sources, strive to make sure the information they receive is accurate and up to date. I also know that there is a huge section of the news business that truly doesn't give a damn as long as it makes news. These people get "information" from the Relief Overnight White House Janitor Second Class that Bin Laden was armed with a Planet Busting Death Ray and they will run with it. Later, when the truth comes out (Whatever that may be) they blame the White House for disinformation.

Here's what a lot of people don't realize about situations like this. The White House (Government) doesn't have to clarify anything. They could have claimed John Wayne rose from the dead, teamed up with Chuck Norris and Bruce Willis to go in to take down Laden with their bare hands while drinking Coca Cola. Sure the press might have had a problem with that but nothing could force the WH to "correct" itself. The fact that the WH is willing to correct earlier misinformation, including parts that might not make them look so good, is a good sign of a good government. Give them chops for that.

So now you are probably asking what is Reason the Second? Well that ones not quite so profound and a little indelicate.

Reason the Second: Why do I feel this article is claptrap and unnecessary? Simple, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if Osama was heavily armed, wearing Iron Man Armor with dozens of human shields or if he had just gotten ready for bed, drank his warm milk and put on his pink bunny slippers. It doesn't matter if the team of SEALS that took him down was a 25, 50, 75 or 1500 man team with a legion of attack werewolves. It doesn't matter if he resisted with all of his might or crawled on the floor on hands and knees begging for his life. Because in the end, we got him.

Some might argue that he should have been taken alive and brought to trial. Some might say we violated his rights. I say Horse Hockey! The man was directly and indirectly responsible for the deaths of thousands of Americans. His actions and direction are the cause of pain and suffering for thousands more suffering from the ill effects of living and working at or near Ground Zero during the clean up. We know he did it. Hell we have videos of him admitting to it and more. "The only thing you can do with a rabid dog is shoot him," is a quote from my brother who is one of those honorable journalists I mentioned earlier.

Its not very Christian of me, but I am personally glad the son of a bitch is dead and pray that whatever form of punishment meted out to him in the hereafter is eternal and painful. Like I said not very Christian, but that's the way I feel.