Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
Sunday, May 8, 2011
The longest 40 mins of President Obama's life
President Barack Obama ordered the commando raid that killed terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after deciding the risks were outweighed by the possibility "of us finally getting our man" following a decade of frustration, he said in a Sunday broadcast interview.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110508/ap_on_re_us/us_bin_laden;_ylt=AngH_Yp4oGq9_i6vgFQkVZ2s0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNjYThibGNyBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTEwNTA4L3VzX2Jpbl9sYWRlbgRjY29kZQNtb3N0cG9wdWxhcgRjcG9zAzEEcG9zAzIEcHQDaG9tZV9jb2tlBHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcnkEc2xrA29iYW1hZ2V0dGluZw--
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110508/ap_on_re_us/us_bin_laden;_ylt=AngH_Yp4oGq9_i6vgFQkVZ2s0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNjYThibGNyBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTEwNTA4L3VzX2Jpbl9sYWRlbgRjY29kZQNtb3N0cG9wdWxhcgRjcG9zAzEEcG9zAzIEcHQDaG9tZV9jb2tlBHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcnkEc2xrA29iYW1hZ2V0dGluZw--
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
More information on the Raid!
Navy Seal Team 6! Seal is short for sea, air, and land. They are a very exclusive team. The video says it all.
http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/25121144#video=25124220
http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/25121144#video=25124220
Videos/ Photos won't be shown to the public...
The video speaks for itself. & I think President Obama made a good choice.
President Barack Obama said Wednesday he's decided not to release death photos of terrorist Osama bin Laden because their graphic nature could incite violence and create national security risks.
http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/25121144
President Barack Obama said Wednesday he's decided not to release death photos of terrorist Osama bin Laden because their graphic nature could incite violence and create national security risks.
http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/25121144
SEALs & bin Laden!!
President Barack Obama ordered grisly photographs of Osama bin Laden in death sealed from public view on Wednesday, declaring, "We don't need to spike the football" in triumph after this week's daring middle-of-the-night raid. The terrorist leader was killed by American commandos who burst into his room and feared he was reaching for a nearby weapon, U.S. officials said.http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_bin_laden;_ylt=AgMHEHtdR_5k1qD_.dQ1Vq2s0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNjYmpicjRoBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTEwNTA1L3VzX2Jpbl9sYWRlbgRjY29kZQNtb3N0cG9wdWxhcgRjcG9zAzEEcG9zAzIEcHQDaG9tZV9jb2tlBHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcnkEc2xrA29mZmljaWFsc3NlYQ--
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
A phone call to the U.S.
One of Osama bin Laden's most trusted aides picked up the phone last year, he unknowingly led U.S. pursuers to the doorstep of his boss, the world's most wanted terrorist. What a smart move? He obviously wasn't loyal to him at all.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_bin_laden_hunt_for_bin_laden
That monitored phone call, recounted Monday by a U.S. official, ended a years-long search for bin Laden's personal courier, the key break in a worldwide manhunt. The courier, in turn, led U.S. intelligence to a walled compound in northeast Pakistan, where a team of Navy SEALs shot bin Laden to death.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_bin_laden_hunt_for_bin_laden
That monitored phone call, recounted Monday by a U.S. official, ended a years-long search for bin Laden's personal courier, the key break in a worldwide manhunt. The courier, in turn, led U.S. intelligence to a walled compound in northeast Pakistan, where a team of Navy SEALs shot bin Laden to death.
bin Laden's hide away!
The house is large. But it's unclear how three dozen people could have lived there with any degree of comfort. Neighbors knew very minimal about what was going on in the house next to them. bin Laden depended on two men to make all his errands. That is the most the neighbors knew. "As Navy SEALs swept through the compound early Monday, they handcuffed those they encountered with plastic zip ties and pressed on in pursuit of bin Laden. After killing the terror leader, his son and two others, they doubled back to move nine women and 23 children away from the compound, according to U.S. officials."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110503/ap_on_re_as/as_pakistan_bin_laden_s_neighborhood
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110503/ap_on_re_as/as_pakistan_bin_laden_s_neighborhood
Was bin Laden actually "off the grid" ?
bin Laden lived for years with no phone, television, or internet connection. But if he tried this hard to keep himself hidden, why be only 35 minutes away from the capital and be out in the open? Did he care anymore? Did Pakistanis know?
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/05/03/bin-laden-grid-govt-help-expert-says/
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/05/03/bin-laden-grid-govt-help-expert-says/
Monday, May 2, 2011
His Hiding Place... not really ?
Did Pakistani know he was hiding 35 minutes away from the capital ?
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/05/02/135918993/scene-from-pakistan-bin-laden-was-hiding-in-plain-sight
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/05/02/135918993/scene-from-pakistan-bin-laden-was-hiding-in-plain-sight
is it right to CELBRATE ?
Is Rejoicing Morally Justified?
Still, some Americans are wrestling with the rightness and wrongness of the party-like responses. A popular status update on Facebook today is a quote attributed to Mark Twain: "I've never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure."
On a practical level, some people are concerned that such public displays of elation — similar to those following a sports victory or a political election — will create more animosity and even greater danger. "This closes a chapter, but the most sobering aspect of this is that this is not the end," Jack Cloonan, a former FBI special agent, told The Huffington Post. "The reasons they hate us have not subsided, and this could reinvigorate things."
And the question remains: Is there moral philosophical justification for rejoicing over the demise of someone like bin Laden?
"Most people believe that the killing we do in war is justified as the only way to disable an enemy whose cause we believe to be unjust," says Christine Korsgaard, a philosophy professor at Harvard University. "And although it is more controversial, many people believe, or at least feel, that those who kill deserve to die as retribution for their crimes.
"But if we confuse the desire to defeat an enemy with the desire for retribution against a criminal, we risk forming attitudes that are unjustified and ugly — the attitude that our enemy's death is not merely a means to disabling him, but is in itself a kind of a victory for us, or perhaps even the attitude that our enemy deserves death because he is our enemy."
It is important, Korsgaard says, "not to confuse the desire for retribution with the desire to defeat an enemy. But because terrorism partakes of both crime and war, it is perfectly natural, and perhaps legitimate, to have both of these attitudes towards Osama bin Laden: to think that we had to disable him, and to think that he deserved to die."
The two sentiments should be kept apart, she says. "If we have any feeling of victory or triumph in the case, it should be because we have succeeded in disabling him — not because he is dead."
http://www.npr.org/2011/05/02/135927693/is-it-wrong-to-celebrate-bin-ladens-death
Still, some Americans are wrestling with the rightness and wrongness of the party-like responses. A popular status update on Facebook today is a quote attributed to Mark Twain: "I've never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure."
On a practical level, some people are concerned that such public displays of elation — similar to those following a sports victory or a political election — will create more animosity and even greater danger. "This closes a chapter, but the most sobering aspect of this is that this is not the end," Jack Cloonan, a former FBI special agent, told The Huffington Post. "The reasons they hate us have not subsided, and this could reinvigorate things."
And the question remains: Is there moral philosophical justification for rejoicing over the demise of someone like bin Laden?
"Most people believe that the killing we do in war is justified as the only way to disable an enemy whose cause we believe to be unjust," says Christine Korsgaard, a philosophy professor at Harvard University. "And although it is more controversial, many people believe, or at least feel, that those who kill deserve to die as retribution for their crimes.
"But if we confuse the desire to defeat an enemy with the desire for retribution against a criminal, we risk forming attitudes that are unjustified and ugly — the attitude that our enemy's death is not merely a means to disabling him, but is in itself a kind of a victory for us, or perhaps even the attitude that our enemy deserves death because he is our enemy."
It is important, Korsgaard says, "not to confuse the desire for retribution with the desire to defeat an enemy. But because terrorism partakes of both crime and war, it is perfectly natural, and perhaps legitimate, to have both of these attitudes towards Osama bin Laden: to think that we had to disable him, and to think that he deserved to die."
The two sentiments should be kept apart, she says. "If we have any feeling of victory or triumph in the case, it should be because we have succeeded in disabling him — not because he is dead."
http://www.npr.org/2011/05/02/135927693/is-it-wrong-to-celebrate-bin-ladens-death
hmmmmmm ??
Is Zawahiri the next most wanted man dead ?
Will he react, want revenge, to Bin Laden's death ?
Is he someone the U.S needs to worry about ?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110502/wl_mideast_afp/usattacksbinladenqaedazawahiri_20110502190748
Bin Laden's dead, So what's next ?
The killing of Osama bin Laden in a daring surgical operation conducted by a small team of U.S. Navy SEALs brought the arduous, decade-long search for the 9-11 mastermind to a close. But even as the country celebrated, many new questions are emerging about what comes next for the U.S., for al-Qaida, and for the fight against extremism. Here are some answers.
Following the death of Osama bin Laden, does the U.S. now face a greater risk of a terrorist retaliation from al-Qaida?
Bin Laden's death could trigger a backlash against Americans and other Westerners by those who had strong feelings of affinity for the al-Qaida leader. He remained hugely popular in much of the Middle East. This does not mean that everyone who favored him will rush to violence. But to some of his followers, a symbol of Islamic extremist strength has been vanquished. Individuals or networks who saw themselves as bin Laden fellow travelers could look to take revenge.
Still, al-Qaida as an institution is unlikely to be in a position to organize a sophisticated counter-response to bin Laden's death, at least for the time being. Al Qaida's style is to run well-organized operations that involve complex moving parts which simultaneously converge on a high profile target. In recent years, as the U.S. and its allies have disrupted al-Qaida's networks, it has had an increasingly difficult time organizing sophisticated attack outside the South Asia/Middle East region. It's unlikely that al-Qaida could organize something large scale in the short term.
What does this mean for al-Qaida's future? Will it fade away?
Osama bin Laden and his second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, had become symbolic rather than command and control leaders over al-Qaida assets in recent years. Killing bin Laden removes the symbol, but he could become a rallying martyr in the eyes of some extremists. There are well-organized, potent operations that have affiliated with al-Qaida in Yemen, in North Africa, and elsewhere in the region. They will no doubt continue their operations, at least for the near term. But this is a blow for them.
What is known about the Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaida's No. 2?
Al-Zawahiri, the Egyptian cleric who remains at large, was an operational and strategic force in building and animating al Qaeda alongside bin Laden. He now becomes the most wanted terrorist in the world. There have been many attempted strikes and near misses against al-Zawahiri, some killing close family members of his. Emboldened by the success against bin Laden, the US will undoubtedly try to maintain momentum. Enormous intelligence efforts will be focused on tracking and either capturing or killing al-Zawahiri.
What does this mean to the image of the U.S. in the world? Where does the U.S. gain? Where does it lose?
The killing of bin Laden removes one of the elements that made America look impotent in the eyes of much of the world. Bin Laden killed thousands of Americans on US soil. The US has responded by spending trillions on its security and various wars since, but has not been able to bring to justice the top perpetrators of 9/11. This is a huge gain, symbolically, for the US, but challenges remain.
The downside risk really rests with Pakistan. Did Pakistan really not know that Osama bin Laden was residing 35 miles north of its capital? What is the future of joint operations with Pakistan, if we learn that military or government officials were complicit in hiding bin Laden? Pakistan, a nuclear-armed fragile Islamic nation, is of near unparalleled strategic importance to the US in this region. The downside of killing bin Laden is that it will compel all parties to ask very tough, hard questions of who knew what, when—and then deal with what are likely extremely uncomfortable realities.
Anti-Americanism had already been rising in Pakistan. Will this help or hurt the willingness of Pakistan to cooperate in the fight against extremism?
In the near term, the killing of bin Laden will shake a fragile Pakistan. The U.S. will win some support, but also a lot of condemnation. In much of Pakistan, Osama bin Laden was a rock star, a pop culture symbol of what many in this region considered to be "righteous terrorism". Those who believed strongly in bin Laden will feel a loss for some time and will be angry at the U.S. and the West.
How about the broader war on terrorism? How significant is bin Laden's death?
Killing bin Laden is huge symbolically—but of questionable impact when it comes to ending the broad trend of well-organized transnational terrorism. To some degree, the various al-Qaida affiliated networks learned to organize operations without the instruction and support of bin Laden and al-Zawahiri long ago. They will continue to function, and there is always the chance that others will attempt to assert themselves as "the next bin Laden."
But knocking out the top symbol of al-Qaida gives the US a chance to declare success and potentially begin to draw down some forces in Afghanistan.
What will it mean for the war in Afghanistan?
Bin Laden's death will affect the war in Afghanistan in the sense that the hunt for him was one of the primary rationales for the invasion. There was no narrative available to the U.S. and international forces deployed in Afghanistan to leave unless they had dealt definitively in some way with bin Laden and al-Zawahiri. Now that task is half done. Bin Laden's death does not mean that the US will now draw down forces—but at least the option exists to redeploy some units there while declaring some success.
What are the political implications for President Obama?
This is the prize George W. Bush wanted and couldn't achieve before the end of his term. The killing of bin Laden shores up Barack Obama's hard power credentials and will force political opponents like Donald Trump and Sarah Palin to change their talking points. President Obama approached the bin Laden challenge seriously, cautiously, and showed a focused earnestness in bringing him to justice. This will boost President Obama for some time and puts much more solid ground beneath his 2012 presidential run.
News, Yahoo! "After Bin Laden’s Death, What’s next for the U.S. and Al-Qaida? - Yahoo! News." The Top News Headlines on Current Events from Yahoo! News. Web. 02 May 2011. <http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_exclusive/20110502/pl_yblog_exclusive/after-bin-ladens-death-whats-next-for-the-u-s-and-al-qaida>.
Following the death of Osama bin Laden, does the U.S. now face a greater risk of a terrorist retaliation from al-Qaida?
Bin Laden's death could trigger a backlash against Americans and other Westerners by those who had strong feelings of affinity for the al-Qaida leader. He remained hugely popular in much of the Middle East. This does not mean that everyone who favored him will rush to violence. But to some of his followers, a symbol of Islamic extremist strength has been vanquished. Individuals or networks who saw themselves as bin Laden fellow travelers could look to take revenge.
Still, al-Qaida as an institution is unlikely to be in a position to organize a sophisticated counter-response to bin Laden's death, at least for the time being. Al Qaida's style is to run well-organized operations that involve complex moving parts which simultaneously converge on a high profile target. In recent years, as the U.S. and its allies have disrupted al-Qaida's networks, it has had an increasingly difficult time organizing sophisticated attack outside the South Asia/Middle East region. It's unlikely that al-Qaida could organize something large scale in the short term.
What does this mean for al-Qaida's future? Will it fade away?
Osama bin Laden and his second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, had become symbolic rather than command and control leaders over al-Qaida assets in recent years. Killing bin Laden removes the symbol, but he could become a rallying martyr in the eyes of some extremists. There are well-organized, potent operations that have affiliated with al-Qaida in Yemen, in North Africa, and elsewhere in the region. They will no doubt continue their operations, at least for the near term. But this is a blow for them.
What is known about the Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaida's No. 2?
Al-Zawahiri, the Egyptian cleric who remains at large, was an operational and strategic force in building and animating al Qaeda alongside bin Laden. He now becomes the most wanted terrorist in the world. There have been many attempted strikes and near misses against al-Zawahiri, some killing close family members of his. Emboldened by the success against bin Laden, the US will undoubtedly try to maintain momentum. Enormous intelligence efforts will be focused on tracking and either capturing or killing al-Zawahiri.
What does this mean to the image of the U.S. in the world? Where does the U.S. gain? Where does it lose?
The killing of bin Laden removes one of the elements that made America look impotent in the eyes of much of the world. Bin Laden killed thousands of Americans on US soil. The US has responded by spending trillions on its security and various wars since, but has not been able to bring to justice the top perpetrators of 9/11. This is a huge gain, symbolically, for the US, but challenges remain.
The downside risk really rests with Pakistan. Did Pakistan really not know that Osama bin Laden was residing 35 miles north of its capital? What is the future of joint operations with Pakistan, if we learn that military or government officials were complicit in hiding bin Laden? Pakistan, a nuclear-armed fragile Islamic nation, is of near unparalleled strategic importance to the US in this region. The downside of killing bin Laden is that it will compel all parties to ask very tough, hard questions of who knew what, when—and then deal with what are likely extremely uncomfortable realities.
Anti-Americanism had already been rising in Pakistan. Will this help or hurt the willingness of Pakistan to cooperate in the fight against extremism?
In the near term, the killing of bin Laden will shake a fragile Pakistan. The U.S. will win some support, but also a lot of condemnation. In much of Pakistan, Osama bin Laden was a rock star, a pop culture symbol of what many in this region considered to be "righteous terrorism". Those who believed strongly in bin Laden will feel a loss for some time and will be angry at the U.S. and the West.
How about the broader war on terrorism? How significant is bin Laden's death?
Killing bin Laden is huge symbolically—but of questionable impact when it comes to ending the broad trend of well-organized transnational terrorism. To some degree, the various al-Qaida affiliated networks learned to organize operations without the instruction and support of bin Laden and al-Zawahiri long ago. They will continue to function, and there is always the chance that others will attempt to assert themselves as "the next bin Laden."
But knocking out the top symbol of al-Qaida gives the US a chance to declare success and potentially begin to draw down some forces in Afghanistan.
What will it mean for the war in Afghanistan?
Bin Laden's death will affect the war in Afghanistan in the sense that the hunt for him was one of the primary rationales for the invasion. There was no narrative available to the U.S. and international forces deployed in Afghanistan to leave unless they had dealt definitively in some way with bin Laden and al-Zawahiri. Now that task is half done. Bin Laden's death does not mean that the US will now draw down forces—but at least the option exists to redeploy some units there while declaring some success.
What are the political implications for President Obama?
This is the prize George W. Bush wanted and couldn't achieve before the end of his term. The killing of bin Laden shores up Barack Obama's hard power credentials and will force political opponents like Donald Trump and Sarah Palin to change their talking points. President Obama approached the bin Laden challenge seriously, cautiously, and showed a focused earnestness in bringing him to justice. This will boost President Obama for some time and puts much more solid ground beneath his 2012 presidential run.
News, Yahoo! "After Bin Laden’s Death, What’s next for the U.S. and Al-Qaida? - Yahoo! News." The Top News Headlines on Current Events from Yahoo! News. Web. 02 May 2011. <http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_exclusive/20110502/pl_yblog_exclusive/after-bin-ladens-death-whats-next-for-the-u-s-and-al-qaida>.
Reflection of 4/29/11
OMG! There is do much to say. Immigration is a huge topic. Its unfortunate that we had to pull out the race card and get way off topic. Come to realize that we canm;t talk about immigration without oputting race out there. Why exactly are Hispanics targeted with the word "illegal immigration"? I don't think we will never know. I'm glad that the class had this conference. I saw alot of my classmates point of view on the topic. Truly, its a little sensitive. Well I amd going to miss this class, it kept me in touch with the world.
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