Bin Laden and His Family

I’ve been torn about the action against Bin Laden and how the situation has been handled. My attitude is that every reasonable effort should have been taken to capture him alive and try him in a U.S. Court. Of course, I realize a lot of people don’t think we should give fair trials anymore, and I understand there would be risks. Also, I wasn’t on the ground at the compound.

Once he was killed, however, I think there was an issue with what to do with the body. I hope he did receive some religious rites. Everyone is entitled to that, and I think a burial at sea was most likely the best solution. There’s no real need to release the photos. There are people who will make all sorts of claims regardless of whether or not the photos are released.

I think I understand some of the spontaneous celebrations that broke out, but, maybe because of my background, I don’t think it’s right to celebrate a death. It’s just not my thing, so it’s not something in which I would have participated, but as I say, I understand it.

Now let’s look at the already rising tide of conspiracy theories:

• The first one seemed to be that Bin Laden was killed 10 years ago and kept on ice. I’m surely not buying that. George Bush and Darth Cheney would have been pounding their chests. How silly to think otherwise.
• Now Iran claims he died a natural death a couple of years ago. His family is giving every impression he was still alive on the day of the attack, and there seems no question that one of his son’s and a wife were killed.
• He’s still alive and being questioned. This could be within the realm of possibilities, but there would have to be a lot of people in on that, making it pretty hard to maintain the secret.
• It wasn’t him, and he’s still alive and well and living in Miami. Again, not completely out of the realm of possibilities, but as noted above, a lot of people would have to be in on the hoax, and that makes it a difficult secret to keep.

But now we have his family complaining that internal laws might have been violated. Could be, but despite being a stickler for that sort of thing, they’re not going to get a lot of sympathy from me. The guy sent out tapes and statements claiming responsibility for the 9/11 attacks, so I’m confident of his guilt.

And they have the nerve to release the following statement, “”We maintain that arbitrary killing is not a solution to political problems and crime’s adjudication as justice must be seen to be done.” Seriously? A son of Bin Laden has the nerve to condemn “arbitrary killing.” Some people don’t have the moral authority to say some things, even if what they are saying might be correct. This is one of those cases.

I think it’s just to close this chapter, and move on to whatever is next.