Bin Laden Is Apparently Dead

[DrMartinSanchez]

The conspiracy nuts are going wild.

The yanks cant produce a solid story that doesnt change within hours.

But the masses that are fed on cheeseburgers and cnbc (childrens news broadcasting company) seem to be largely buying it and happy clapping with each other. The world is safe, obumma killed the evil obl and all is well.

There's one thing I don't understand.

Official story: Bin Laden killed on 2 May. There are no pictures because these would stir trouble(?)

Conspiracy theory: The whole plot is a fabrication and they didn't kill him. The US government could very easily produce fake / blurry / dark photographs. Why don't they do so?

[Tiger Woods?]

According to the video it was an "active" control centre for his claimed international organisation. It seems to have been a one man show.

It just goes to show that the number of UK MPs could be cut down massively in the UK (maybe reduced by 75% or even more) and still retain adequate control. It also goes to show that many of these large corporations and companies are massively overstaffed at least at boardroom level.

It looks like it's an opportunity for some management guru to learn the lessons and write a book on staffing efficiency based on BL's system. It could be just the efficiency boost that western economies need to recover from the crash and take the next great leap forward.

I like the way you think.

Edited to add: After reading the article disparaging his masculinity via the contents of his drugs cabinet, I note that his 5th wife is now allegedly claiming to Pakistani security sources that he had two kidney surgeries a decade ago. (Aha!...see conspriacry loons, that is how he survived renal failure without a dialysis machine. Now please excuse us whilst we go back to beating the $%^& out of a 29 year old woman. )

Now I presume that the only treatment for renal failure involving surgery is a transplant? If so, they obviously found bottles of tacrolimus, mycophenolate, and prednisone or other immunosuppressives in his cabinet...or did he, as allegedly claimed by his 5th wife, just eat lots of watermelon.

Does GSK and Pfizer know about the miraculous properties of watermelon? Osama will go down in history as the man who saved millions by his discovery of watermelon as the anti-rejection drug par excellence!

[interestrateripoff]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/09/osama-bin-laden-us-pakistan-deal

Under its terms, Pakistan would allow US forces to conduct a unilateral raid inside Pakistan in search of Bin Laden, his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and the al-Qaida No3. Afterwards, both sides agreed, Pakistan would vociferously protest the incursion.

"There was an agreement between Bush and Musharraf that if we knew where Osama was, we were going to come and get him," said a former senior US official with knowledge of counterterrorism operations. "The Pakistanis would put up a hue and cry, but they wouldn't stop us."

It would appear that the Indian Telegraph article about what happened may be the closet to the truth?

[RichB]

Now I presume that the only treatment for renal failure involving surgery is a transplant? If so, they obviously found bottles of tacrolimus, mycophenolate, and prednisone or other immunosuppressives in his cabinet...or did he, as allegedly claimed by his 5th wife, just eat lots of watermelon.

Does GSK and Pfizer know about the miraculous properties of watermelon? Osama will go down in history as the man who saved millions by his discovery of watermelon as the anti-rejection drug par excellence!

Good question. Of course GSK and PFixer are only interested in medical research into things they can patent...so they can recoup the losses on clinical trials and scientific proving that are required in order to a: allow them to make a medical claim that it is beneficial and b: enable them to charge the NHS bucket loads of cash to supply it.

Prior art in this case would presumably prevent the patent, and therefore it is not worth their effort. As the law stands no one is entitled to make the claim that it has medical efficacy, so they need do nothing.

I am not suggesting for a moment that watermelon could cure cancer or assist with transplant recovery, but without the requisite expensive trials, nor can anyone else.

[interestrateripoff]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/al-qaeda/8504188/Osama-bin-Laden-dead-Barack-Obama-ordered-large-enough-team-to-fight-off-Pakistan-forces.html

Mr Obama raised the prospect of a clash 10 days before the May 1 raid, resulting in an extra two fighter helicopters being sent to protect the commandos raiding the compound, according to officials.

"Some people may have assumed we could talk our way out of a jam, but given our difficult relationship with Pakistan right now, the president did not want to leave anything to chance," an official told The New York Times. "He wanted extra forces if they were necessary."

The Times also reported that two teams of specialists were on standby for the mission: one to bury the al-Qaeda leader if he were killed, and another made up of lawyers, interrogators and translators in case he was captured.

It said the latter team was likely aboard the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson in the North Arabian Sea.

The Americans keep talking this up. Are there any helicopters can could fly this round trip without the need for refuelling?

I highly doubt the team was aboard the Carl Vinson, they either set of from Afghanistan or Pakistan itself. I highly doubt the Americans would start a firefight with Pakistani troops. I love how an extra 2 helicopters would somehow tip the balance in the favour of the Americans.

[billybong]

Also lucky that the compound was big enough to land helicopters and BL didn't think to add a few things to counteract them landing as it was after all his active control centre.

Maybe he should have stayed in the hidden multi storey control centre(s) up inside the mountains.

[billybong]

According to Alex Jones the helicopters "sneaked" into Pakistan to BL's villa/prison/safe house rendezvous/whatever in Abbotabad near Islamabad.

It's difficult to "sneak" into that area from the sea as Islamabad is about 700 miles from the sea.

http://www.pickatrail.com/jupiter/map/pakistan.gif

Afghanistan is about 120 miles away to the west of Pakistan so the helicopters more likely started there (if not from Pakistan itself) and afterwards they probably went to the carrier (if that's what they did it's all conjecture the whole story changes so much) back through Afghanistan.

Even so 120 miles is hardly a "sneak in" and imagine a huge Pakistani carrier weighing anchor offshore of some western country and a wing of Pakistani helicopters sneaking in 120 miles without being detected and dealt with. It's difficult to imagine.

Of course we're told that the west is chock full of defence technology to counteract such things happening but if Pakistan is really so vulnerable then it's surprising that nearby countries haven't taken more advantage of that as apparently some are far from friends - that is if media reports are to be remotely believed.

[billybong]

There've been no reports but are they sure there isn't a warren of luxury underground bunkers under the place in Abbotabad. Maybe even a network of railways. They should check it out you know.

[athom]

Ah now we have the reason for OBL timely re-death

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1386195/David-Cameron-demands-troops-withdrawn-Afghanistan.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

David Cameron has demanded British troops are withdrawn from Afghanistan.

But his words have sparked a row with military leaders who believe soldiers are still needed in the country.

In a bid to bring the ten-year mission to an end, the Prime Minister has told the Army that soldiers should be brought back from the war zone within weeks.

But his plan - in response to the news of Osama Bin Laden's death - has been fiercely opposed within Whitehall, it was reported today.

We ere there because they were harbouring OBL, OBL is dead, we no longer need to be there, shaving billions off the defence budget. This only works as a reason for a head held high withdrawal if we do it quickly otherwise the connection will be lost. Great news for Afghan wedding goers.

[RichB]

Ah now we have the reason for OBL timely re-death

http://www.dailymail...o=feeds-newsxml

We ere there because they were harbouring OBL, OBL is dead, we no longer need to be there, shaving billions off the defence budget. This only works as a reason for a head held high withdrawal if we do it quickly otherwise the connection will be lost. Great news for Afghan wedding goers.

_Some_ troops home - not all of them. Just enough to make a positive splash and get some feelgood out of it.

[billybong]

..... the First Sea Lord, told MPs he wished he could revisit the Government's decision to axe HMS Ark Royal and its Harrier jets, leaving the UK without a carrier for the rest of the decade

So how come they had so little say when they were axing all that stuff and now they're telling the government what to do about Afghanistan.

[RichB]

So how come they had so little say when they were axing all that stuff and now they're telling the government what to do about Afghanistan.

Is that a real question...?

[athom]

_Some_ troops home - not all of them. Just enough to make a positive splash and get some feelgood out of it.

no i think we know there is nothing to gain by this mission to distract the taliban in helmand while the yanks get on with their plans elsewhere and want to stop wasting lives/money/political points on this pointless misadventure. Troops will be coming home to triumphal fanfare now that "mission is accomplished". Some yank bases will stay to protect the pipeline route and give bases for access to the general area and the Afghan paid army will be expected to keep the taliban from disrupting "trade and security", the new status quo being a revived heroin trade run by the old war lords under a sham democratic puppet government a la Saddam. Nice. Considering this familiar status quo is what led most rural Afghans to favour the Taliban in the past, it seems a safe bet we haven't heard the last of them.

[Britney's Piers]

_Some_ troops home - not all of them. Just enough to make a positive splash and get some feelgood out of it.

Troops out, replaced with an equal number of blackwater/XE private mercenaries probably.

[RichB]

Troops out, replaced with an equal number of blackwater/XE private mercenaries probably.

Defence chiefs have drawn up plans to remove 450 troops from Britain's total of 10,000 in a compromise deal with Downing Street, but none are thought to be combat soldiers.

...

...

A Whitehall source told The Daily Telegraph: 'There is a very active conversation going on. On one side there is the military concern about force density and continuing the mission, and on the other side the PM's political imperative for some sort of announcement on draw-down.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1386195/David-Cameron-demands-troops-withdrawn-Afghanistan.html#ixzz1MAxl6c4e

Seems to be a clear case of wanting to be seen to do something. Shame, I expected more from the Tories.

- incidentally that read more url part came free with a copy and paste from their site - not noticed that before, nice feature.

[athom]

So have we achieved anything in the last ten years or are we in the same position as Russia in the 80s when they pulled out and the countless other international missions over the last couple of hundred years?

well we've no doubt alienated the probably soon to be again ruling taliban party, we've further destabilised an already unstable region, we've set back their material development at least 10 years perhaps 50, we're proved right the rhetoric of those who say the west is intent on ruling over the islamic world. If any of this is part of an overall plan i'm not aware of then we've achieved something. Otherwise probably not.

[billybong]

Is that a real question?

It can be. I was pointing out the obviously contradictory positions adopted at the different times.

What's your answer then to the question then?

[RichB]

It can be. I was pointing out the obviously contradictory positions adopted at the different times.

What's your answer then to the question then?

I had assumed that one or the other point was simple political point scoring in the press; whether or not initiated by any involved parties.

They all have a habit it seems of blaming each other when it suits them, and bigging themselves up when they want to.