Osama bin Laden: Dead

[Ian]

No, and I suspect that the demonstrations outside the White House gate were at least partly instigated. It's not easy to find flags that big at 11 PM, not even in Washington.

Oh please! Instigated? Instigated how, exactly? Were those all a bunch of young White House interns given flags from the administration and told to start trickling out to the front gates? FFS, what a ridiculous idea.

Have you ever been to Washington? There's a shitload of college students and young 20-somethings within a short Metro or cab ride from the White House. For that matter, there's no shortage of flags either (and there weren't that many, compared to the whole crowd). I don't even know what mechanism the Obama administration would use to "instigate" a gathering in front of the White House. I don't suppose the gatherings at Ground Zero and elsewhere across the country were "instigated" also?

[Gawd]

So why haven't we blown up George Bush? Oh, that's right. He's American. Americans can't be "terrorists". No siree bob.......unless you are non-white and non-Jewish.

[charlou]

No, and I suspect that the demonstrations outside the White House gate were at least partly instigated. It's not easy to find flags that big at 11 PM, not even in Washington.

Oh please! Instigated? Instigated how, exactly? Were those all a bunch of young White House interns given flags from the administration and told to start trickling out to the front gates? FFS, what a ridiculous idea.

Have you ever been to Washington? There's a shitload of college students and young 20-somethings within a short Metro or cab ride from the White House. For that matter, there's no shortage of flags either (and there weren't that many, compared to the whole crowd). I don't even know what mechanism the Obama administration would use to "instigate" a gathering in front of the White House. I don't suppose the gatherings at Ground Zero and elsewhere across the country were "instigated" also?

Media instigation, perhaps?

Crowds don't just spontaneously appear. The mechanism (whatever it was, deliberate instigation or unplanned swift momentum, for example) behind it is intriguing.

[Gawd]

Media instigation, perhaps?

Crowds don't just spontaneously appear. The mechanism (whatever it was, deliberate instigation or unplanned swift momentum, for example) behind it is intriguing.

I always carry an American flag in my pocket for a effigy burning celebration.

[epepke]

Oh please! Instigated? Instigated how, exactly? Were those all a bunch of young White House interns given flags from the administration and told to start trickling out to the front gates? FFS, what a ridiculous idea.

Pretty simple, by somebody going to a crowd gathering and starting a chant of USA! USA! and some other people getting some flags. I'd guess reporters who wanted something to point their cameras at rather than White House, as the cops came and cordoned them off.

Have you ever been to Washington?

Oh, many times, including the last time which was because I had designed the new electronic security systems for National and Dulles.

Have you ever met a human being? Or been in a crowd?

There's a shitload of college students and young 20-somethings within a short Metro or cab ride from the White House. For that matter, there's no shortage of flags either (and there weren't that many, compared to the whole crowd).

No, but the first ones were big. Big like you put on coffins big.

I don't even know what mechanism the Obama administration would use to "instigate" a gathering in front of the White House. I don't suppose the gatherings at Ground Zero and elsewhere across the country were "instigated" also?

Since you don't seem to have been capable of reading that I did not even say that they were instigated by the Obama administration, I don't see much point in responding to your rhetoric.

[Ian]

Okay, so what were they instigated by? If you meant the media, then all I can say is "Well, duh." College students have televisions.

Listening to radio interviews on NPR this morning, that's exactly what I heard from these folks. "We were in our dorm at NYU and heard the news, and just had to hop on the subway down to Ground Zero!"

Think about all those crowds that started showing up at the Berlin Wall when rumor got going that it might come down. Crowds DO spontaneously erupt without organization. So unless you're merely making an observation about the power of mass media, why bother bringing it up?

I find it amazing how often people can assume there's some shadow hand of power involved in everything that comes across their televisions or internet sites. Even celebratory crowds reacting to the news. Who could possibly organize a gathering outside the White House when the natural reaction of many people is to go down there and celebrate? And simultaneously at Ground Zero? And fireworks over Los Angeles? And across college campuses all over the country today? Sheesh. Sometimes things just happen.

[Gawd]

I don't recall the Berlin Wall having car sized American flags that spontaneously showed up.

[Ian]

I don't recall the Berlin Wall having car sized American flags that spontaneously showed up.

No?

Obviously planned well in advance by the goverment's sinister agents. And don't even get me started on all those sledgehammers that just happened to show up. It's all about the shadow government, maaannn...

[Gawd]

Ian, did you take that pic before or after you knew about all those soldiers standing neatly in a row on top of the wall? Looks to me like you are trying to pass off the Berlin Wall as a spontaneous single day event when it was a much longer and thought out incident.

[Ian]

I don't see your point. I think your REAL point is that the US got some nice news over the last 24 hrs, and you just can't help but come here and be Mr. Grumpypants and glom onto some two-bit conspiracy theory about the shadowy government organizing a handful of college students into cheering crowds.

[maiforpeace]

Everything in the US is a conspiracy...didn't you know that, Ian?

Where did all the American flags come from?? I bet some enterprising person figured it would be a great opportunity to sell flags, just like the tourist shops that had the newly married royal couple printed on coffee cups within the hour of their marriage.

Students hang all kinds of shit in their dorm rooms, flags and banners are a popular item. I think you guys are reading more into these rallies than there is.

[Ian]

Excellent post. And I'm not reading anything into them other than the fact that they happened.

A student in Georgetown can be at the White House gates in ten minutes. From GW, five minutes. From the time the rumors broke on the news to the time Obama actually spoke I could've gotten in my car and driven 40 minutes into downtown; I could've even dug out and grabbed a 3x4' flag out of my garage and brought it with me. All on classified government orders, of course.

[Rob]

One of my friend is ex-marine, a few others are very patriotic. We aren't hippies or ultra-militaristic, we're just students who think some Americans take things a little too far when celebrating.

Since I already said that I think that generation will not use the old categories, telling me that you're not in the old categories by means of a rejoinder misses my point by several parsecs. That's OK; it's what makes new generations exciting.

Let's talk again in ten years, when new categories have been established. Then you might understand where my guesses come from.

A parsec is a measure of time, not distance.

It's a measure of distance, actually.

That's what I get for assuming a response was correct instead of in error.

Maybe someone learned their astronomy from Han Solo ....

I meant to follow it up with a quote about Star Wars and the MF. But yes, I do realize it is actually a measure of distance.

[Gawd]

I don't see your point. I think your REAL point is that the US got some nice news over the last 24 hrs, and you just can't help but come here and be Mr. Grumpypants and glom onto some two-bit conspiracy theory about the shadowy government organizing a handful of college students into cheering crowds.

And here you show just how misguided many Americans are. Murdering Osama bin Laden is not "nice news". Osama bin Laden hasn't even given any orders for years. He did one thing 10 years ago and it is only now that you guys have killed him after spending trillions of dollars and murdering countless civilians in the process and destroying the livelihood of countless other's too? Osama bin Laden was yesterday's news. Today, there are thousands more just like him because of American bigotry and greed in the world. Oh, did you know Pakistan is a dictatorship and the USA officially supports that and gives military "aid" to it?

[maiforpeace]

Excellent post. And I'm not reading anything into them other than the fact that they happened.

A student in Georgetown can be at the White House gates in ten minutes. From GW, five minutes. From the time the rumors broke on the news to the time Obama actually spoke I could've gotten in my car and driven 40 minutes into downtown; I could've even dug out and grabbed a 3x4' flag out of my garage and brought it with me. All on classified government orders, of course.

I meant the other guys, you're special.