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FatFreeGoodness · 08-23-2005, 04:59 PM

Hardknock: You do realize that in the post starting this thread, you wrote, in one post:
“What of Osama is already dead? Wouldn't that mean that this whole war on terror thing would be for nothing?”
and:
“Killing Osama would by no means mean the end of al- quieda just like killing one roach would mean the end of the species.”
These are mutually contradictory positions. The second one is closer to the truth. Killing (or better yet, capturing) Bin Laden would be wonderful, but would not by any means be the end of the struggle against terrorism. Consider: capturing Al Capone did not end organized crime, but it was still a good thing.

Tophat665: You write that “Osama bin Laden is a myth. He never existed. He is entirely made up. Come on! He's a 6'9" Arab.”
Bin Laden is 6’4” (not 6’9”), which is quite tall but not any more extraordinary for Arabs than for Europeans. He was well documented and widely reported well before any “war on terror” was ever conceived, and many people have met him. You may as well claim that Dave Barry is a fiction.

Ronin Tetsuro: “GBW said himself right before the war started (and I'm paraphrasing here from memory) 'this will be a war that will be fought as long as is necessary... and it may take years before the battle is won'. This said, he was so quick to announce that the 'mission' was 'accomplished'.”
The “mission accomplished” was a specific message to the 8,000+ service men and women serving on the carrier that was on the way home. Their mission was indeed accomplished; there was nothing wrong with telling them they did their jobs well, accomplished all that was asked of them, and welcome home.
It seems a bit of a stretch to claim that the ‘mission accomplished” was intended to mean the problems in Iraq, much less the rest of the middle east, were over. Please recall the many statements indicating that we would be there for an indefinite period, including one you paraphrased in your post.

lindseylatch: “Yeah, i mean, the man is on dialasis (sp?). That shit is hard to get in a cave...”
and
Ariq: “I find it hard to believe that an old-aged cripple on dialysis would be able to survive in a cave for so long.”

There are some reports that Bin Laden once received dialysis (well before the conflict in Afghanistan) for an infection that temporarily impaired kidney function. However, this is disputed and may be false. He has no health condition that requires regular dialysis.
He in his late forties. I don’t regard that as especially elderly; YMMV.
He is not crippled; though he sometimes walks with a stick, other times he does not. Use of a walking stick is common in rocky and mountainous territory around the world. He is missing a couple of toes from an old wound, but this does not especially impair walking.
He probably is (if still alive) in generally poor health, but this not necessarily life threatening.

08-23-2005, 04:59 PM	#21 (permalink)
FatFreeGoodness Tilted	Hardknock: You do realize that in the post starting this thread, you wrote, in one post: “What of Osama is already dead? Wouldn't that mean that this whole war on terror thing would be for nothing?” and: “Killing Osama would by no means mean the end of al- quieda just like killing one roach would mean the end of the species.” These are mutually contradictory positions. The second one is closer to the truth. Killing (or better yet, capturing) Bin Laden would be wonderful, but would not by any means be the end of the struggle against terrorism. Consider: capturing Al Capone did not end organized crime, but it was still a good thing. Tophat665: You write that “Osama bin Laden is a myth. He never existed. He is entirely made up. Come on! He's a 6'9" Arab.” Bin Laden is 6’4” (not 6’9”), which is quite tall but not any more extraordinary for Arabs than for Europeans. He was well documented and widely reported well before any “war on terror” was ever conceived, and many people have met him. You may as well claim that Dave Barry is a fiction. Ronin Tetsuro: “GBW said himself right before the war started (and I'm paraphrasing here from memory) 'this will be a war that will be fought as long as is necessary... and it may take years before the battle is won'. This said, he was so quick to announce that the 'mission' was 'accomplished'.” The “mission accomplished” was a specific message to the 8,000+ service men and women serving on the carrier that was on the way home. Their mission was indeed accomplished; there was nothing wrong with telling them they did their jobs well, accomplished all that was asked of them, and welcome home. It seems a bit of a stretch to claim that the ‘mission accomplished” was intended to mean the problems in Iraq, much less the rest of the middle east, were over. Please recall the many statements indicating that we would be there for an indefinite period, including one you paraphrased in your post. lindseylatch: “Yeah, i mean, the man is on dialasis (sp?). That shit is hard to get in a cave...” and Ariq: “I find it hard to believe that an old-aged cripple on dialysis would be able to survive in a cave for so long.” There are some reports that Bin Laden once received dialysis (well before the conflict in Afghanistan) for an infection that temporarily impaired kidney function. However, this is disputed and may be false. He has no health condition that requires regular dialysis. He in his late forties. I don’t regard that as especially elderly; YMMV. He is not crippled; though he sometimes walks with a stick, other times he does not. Use of a walking stick is common in rocky and mountainous territory around the world. He is missing a couple of toes from an old wound, but this does not especially impair walking. He probably is (if still alive) in generally poor health, but this not necessarily life threatening.