The financial cost of Osama ?

[EGarrett]

Your useless, unclever reply was much dumber than his thread. Because his thread contributes to the board. You added nothing but a witless derail.

 

[Rasmus]

Osama bin Laden is no longer alive.

That's a bit circular, now, isn't it?

No. No. How do you measure quality of life in a quantifiable way?

I was looking for anything that was more substantial than "He's dead and I like it, so it's good."

Suspected? That's not how you spell self-admitted.

It is in the civil world - or did I miss the trial he had?

Probably not, but that wasn't the point.

So what *was* the point, and why was it a good thing and why was it worth all that money?

If someone hates the USA more because we took out a mass murderer then I doubt there is anything we could do to have them hate us less.

Uh, yes, yes there would have been. A trial, e.g. A reasonable attempt to capture him alive, e.g. or less gloating over the killing of a human being.

Or, maybe, the realization that there comes a point where an obsession over something is no longer healthy or justified.

I don't think they could have spent too much.

It didn't bring back any of the victims, it didn't rebuild any of the damage he had done, and - other than him being dead - it didn't seem to change anything, did it?

The opportunity costs of all that money having been spend are enormous - I think it is utterly unreasonable to claim cost didn't matter. This was not about saving the earth from an incoming meteor or all of humanity from a new super virus or something.

 

[h.g.Whiz]

.
It's not a well-thought out question, for starters.
What costs have we incurred in the years following 9/11 that were connected with the "search" and which of those costs aren't?
Be specific.
$8.32 is a good answer, otherwise.
And well spent.

I was specific you Bozo.

 

[h.g.Whiz]

How much did his attack on us cost? I'll bet the former pales in comparison to the latter.

I wish I didn't agree with you.

 

[joobie]

Your useless, unclever reply was much dumber than his thread. Because his thread contributes to the board. You added nothing but a witless derail.

i hope the irony of you continuing to make useless, unclever replies and dragging this further off topic is not lost on you. you have managed nothing yourself except to add a witless derail. congratulations!

 

[Spindrift]

That's a bit circular, now, isn't it?

No, it's not circular. Before he was alive, now he is dead. Things are now better. That's pretty linear.

I was looking for anything that was more substantial than "He's dead and I like it, so it's good."

That's all I got and it fine for me.

It is in the civil world - or did I miss the trial he had?

No it's a real world out there. Where is this civil world of which you speak? I know it is something to strive for, but it really doesn't exist so one must deal with the world as it is.

So what *was* the point, and why was it a good thing and why was it worth all that money?

Getting bin Laden was the point. Because as long as he was still out there, he was a tremendous symbol of how the world is run by terrorists, whether or not that is true.

Uh, yes, yes there would have been. A trial, e.g. A reasonable attempt to capture him alive, e.g. or less gloating over the killing of a human being.

Uh, no. Some people just hate the USA and no matter what we do will not change that.

Or, maybe, the realization that there comes a point where an obsession over something is no longer healthy or justified.

Good thing we hadn't reached the point yet.

It didn't bring back any of the victims, it didn't rebuild any of the damage he had done, and - other than him being dead - it didn't seem to change anything, did it?

You think that bin Laden's death changes nothing?

The opportunity costs of all that money having been spend are enormous - I think it is utterly unreasonable to claim cost didn't matter. This was not about saving the earth from an incoming meteor or all of humanity from a new super virus or something.

No it was about something more visceral. Vengeance. Sometimes you just have to show the bad guys you're serious.

 

[EGarrett]

i hope the irony of you continuing to make useless, unclever replies and dragging this further off topic is not lost on you. you have managed nothing yourself except to add a witless derail. congratulations!

There is no irony, whatsoever, in me telling you not to do what you did. That's like saying there's irony in the police locking up someone who kidnapped someone else. Or there's irony in someone taking a purse back from a purse-snatcher. If you can't understand that, then understand the simple directive: Don't do what you did. It's stupid, immature, useless, it irritates me and it makes the board worse. Period.

 

[Marduk]

how much did the "search for bin laden" cost ?

$8.32

 

[I Ratant]

I was specific you Bozo.

.
Throw out Operation Iraq Liberation costs... those're ego and oil.
Now compute the number of Al Quaeda victims in the West.
Add in the deaths in Afghanistan due to our intervention.
1) the deaths in battle
2) the deaths caused by suicide bombs.. mostly Muslim
3) the deaths caused by Taliban... all Muslim
Finger out those costs.
Was offing the guy worth it...?
Probably not, but.. the alternative, of letting it stay alive, knowing where it was hiding, yeah, it was worth it.

 

[I Ratant]

I remember when I was a "milk-sop liberal", according to Sam, who hated everyone equally.
"Every man's death diminishes me...."..
No it doesn't, not any more.
Taking out the trash has to be done, a Grand Jury Bill of Indictment, warrant, arrest, Miranda, arraignment and trial.... in some special cases.
This is one.
The formal process would lead to more "unhappiness" in the world.
And I get to send those victory cartoons to all the Obie haters that send me their hate mail.
Seems to have quieted them down a bit.

 

[phildonnia]

So what exactly changed for the better now?

Seriously? You can see no silver lining here at all? If nothing else, the average evil-per-capita of the human race just ticked up very slightly?

Are we suddenly save from terror? Did any wars stop? Did anyones quality of life improve in a measurable, quantifiable way?

Not really. In fact, punishing any murderer, severely or not, does not make anyone suddenly safe. Incarcerating burglars does not make our homes burglar-proof. Scolding your kid does not make your walls impervious to permanent marker. And if you can't measure and quantify your safety (what units would you even use?) then it must not exist. I see your point. To hell with it all.

Did the USA manage to uphold the rights of a suspected criminal in any whatsoever? Or at least the rights of a sovereign nations?

Yes, actually. If there were any suspected criminals whose freedoms were curtailed by the fear of sudden flaming death by hijacked airplane crash (however unlikely), then they may now feel more at ease knowing that their rights are being protected by a government that imposes consequences for such violations.

Does anyone now hate the USA or the west any less than before?

If you'd read the news, there is at least one person who hates the USA and the west less now.

How much would have been too much, then?

I don't think anyone's going to agree on a number here. If the search for the BTK killer was worth a few million dollars, then scaling by the number of deaths caused, I'd say OBL was worth at least 100 million. This is obviously over-simplified. It would also be over-simplified to characterize the entire Defense and Homeland Security budget of the last nine years as the "search for Osama". Not that people won't try.

 

[joobie]

There is no irony, whatsoever, in me telling you not to do what you did. That's like saying there's irony in the police locking up someone who kidnapped someone else. Or there's irony in someone taking a purse back from a purse-snatcher. If you can't understand that, then understand the simple directive: Don't do what you did. It's stupid, immature, useless, it irritates me and it makes the board worse. Period.

and yet you still insist on continuing a derail. yeah, no irony whatsoever. your analogies are stupid; you are not righting some perceived crime. you haven't even attempted a reply that is on topic. please quit doing what you are doing. it's stupid, immature, useless, it irritates me and it makes the board worse. period.

 

[fishbob]

Your rude and useless reply, especially when it's the first one, derails the thread immediately and discourages him from posting more. This is a discussion board. If you don't like a topic, just click somewhere else. Comprende?

You didn't rag on me for my rude and useless reply.
I'm hurt.

 

[joobie]

i, however, feel special.