Most of the "innocents" were killed by the jihadists or their own government (Iraq), the rest were necessary collateral damage that occurs in wartime, particularly when you're fighting cowards who hide behind women and children rather than fighting like human beings out in the open. Sad and unfortunate, yes, but ultimately those deaths are the direct responsibility of the Taliban, Al Quaeda, or Saddam Hussein and his minions. As for torture, I would wrap your testicles with electrical wires and burn them to cinders if you were an Al Quaeda or Taliban terrorist and doing so gets me even one tiny iota of intelligence which, when linked with other information, or on its own, will save the life of a single truly innocent person or allied soldier. This is because the Taliban and Al Quaeda are not human beings, they are sub-human, evil animals who have no remorse, no pity, no civility, no honor, no restraint. They honor no code of war, they take prisoners only for the purposes of sawing off their heads for propaganda, and so they deserve no pity, no remorse, no civility, and no restraint. They are at best information meat-sacks who must be wrung dry and then disposed of with a bullet in the head.Gawd wrote:You can't afford to kill another Osama bin Laden, he bankrupted your country. You guys spent trillions of dollars and 10 years going after one man. That's a damn waste of money and time, not to mention all the innocents you've killed and tortured on the way.Coito ergo sum wrote:It's symbolically important. It says that if you fuck with us, we'll fucking kill you. And, it won't matter how long it takes or how much it costs. We'll spit on your grave. It's a very tribal message.Ian wrote:
I don't think anybody is saying that killing Bin Laden changed a whole lot. But goddamn it feels good to see it done. It's more a psychological milestone than anything else. And I think that's as good a reason as any to celebrate.
So there.
It's the message that was sent to the world after 9/11/01.
Example - from Woodward's book, "Bush at War" quoting CIA agent Cofer Black:
This is what folks need to really "get" about this war. This isn't about "who likes whom" and "whose nice to whom" and all that juvenile nonsense that makes up a lot of political discussion around internet forums. It basically boils down to - you fuck with us, and we're going to fucking kill you, and we're going to put your dead heads up on sticks for everyone to see what happens when you fuck with us.Armitage and Cofer flew to Moscow to seek help from top Russian diplomatic and intelligence officials.
"We're in a war," Black told the Russians. "We're coming. Regardless of what you do, we're coming anyway." He knew Afghanistan was in their sphere of influence and they would be queasy. "At the very least we want you to look away." He did not want the Russians trying to gum up CIA operations. "From my humble position, I think this is a historical opportunity. Let's get out of the last century into the next one."
The Russians indicated they would help and certainly not obstruct. One noted that Afghanistan was ambush heaven, where the guerrilla fighters had demolished the Russian army. "With regret," the Russian said, "I have to say that you're really going to get the hell kicked out of you".
"We're going to kill them," Black said. "We're going to put their heads on sticks. We're going to rock their world."
It's the reality that humanity has not changed all that much in the last 10,000 years. Our toys and weapons have changed, but we're not inherently different than we were when vanquished enemies would literally be put up on sticks to show everyone who isn't to be trifled with.
Like it or not, that's the reality. And, killing Osama is something that others who might have similar intentions will take notice of. It's a metaphorical head on a stick.
That's what you get when wage terror war. If you don't like it, don't wage terror war.
As to all the money and lives we spent seeking Osama, it wasn't just about him, he's just the head of the snake, but it proves that it's a very, very bad...fatal in fact...idea to fuck with the United States and kill our civilians in terror attacks. Yes, we will bankrupt ourselves to find you, ferret you out, and put a bullet in your head. Keep that in mind, you camel-fucking, grasshopper eating Arab cocksuckers, because if we truly run out of money to do it piecemeal, our last resort is to open a can of wholesale whup-ass and just turn your whole fucking barbarian nest of vipers into carbon and radioactive glass.
