Free Republic

Obama Movie Set to Be Released in October 2012 Helen Whalen Cohen Posted at 5:03 PM ET, 8/7/2011 We may be learning about a potential 'October Surprise' now-a forthcoming film about Obama's decision to deploy SEAL Team Six to assassinate Osama bin Laden. Note the release date, October 2012. Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow’s forthcoming Osama bin Laden assassination movie—which is rumored to star Dennis Farina as Vice President Joe Biden, Garry Shandling as British Prime Minister David Cameron, and Vin Diesel as Man with Gun No. 2—has just been assigned a release date of October 12, 2012. Not only is...

Osama Bin Laden spent his final months in hiding worrying about the future of Al Qaeda, emails recovered from computers in his hideout reveal. The terror leader was spending as much of his time dealing with concerns about funding and the toil being taken by CIA drone explosions as he was plotting attacks, according to U.S. intelligence officers. Officials said the emails depict an organisation beset by mounting problems as its leader remained obsessed on a follow up attack to September 11.

Will We Prove Worthy? By Ari Bussel There is a generation that understands the term “dodging the draft.” A war raged, far away from America’s shores, and many were convinced we should not be involved. Those were the days of flowers, peace, drugs and free love. War did not fit into this lifestyle. Decades passed. More wars were fought, in Iraq then in Afghanistan. The American resolve that was ironclad ten years ago weakened with the passage of time from the attacks on U.S. soil. The reason for going to war in 2003 against Saddam Hussein—as crazy and cruel as...

The British team, who were training Pakistan's paramilitary border forces, the 60,000-strong Frontier Corps, have been in the country since last August and it was scheduled to run until at least summer 2013. The withdrawal of the team of 18 is understood to be a response to Pakistan's deteriorating relations with the US, after the al-Qaeda leader was shot dead by special forces last month in Abbottabad. Since bin Laden's death, Pakistan has sent home more than two thirds of the 135 US soldiers training its paramilitary border forces. Pakistan first ordered US troops to leave during the anti-American backlash...

The cellphone of Osama bin Laden’s trusted courier, which was recovered in the raid that killed both men in Pakistan last month, contained contacts to a militant group that is a longtime asset of Pakistan’s intelligence agency, senior American officials who have been briefed on the findings say. The discovery indicates that Bin Laden used the group, Harakat-ul-Mujahedeen, as part of his support network inside the country, the officials and others said. But it also raised tantalizing questions about whether the group and others like it helped shelter and support Bin Laden on behalf of Pakistan’s spy agency, given that...

In July 2005, Al Qaeda second-in-command Ayman Zawahiri sent a long letter to the group's lead operative in Iraq, urging him to tone down his activities. In Iraq, Abu Musab Zarqawi had been orchestrating suicide bombings of Shiite Muslim shrines. His followers frequently videotaped the beheading of hostages. Zawahiri, an Egyptian doctor who helped organize the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the U.S. and other violence, told Zarqawi he was going too far. "We are in a media battle, in a race for the hearts and minds" of Muslims, wrote Zawahiri, who was named Thursday to succeed Osama bin Laden...

WASHINGTON — Pakistan’s top military spy agency has arrested some of the Pakistani informants who fed information to the Central Intelligence Agency in the months leading up to the raid that led to the death of Osama bin Laden, according to American officials. Pakistan’s detention of five C.I.A. informants, including a Pakistani Army major who officials said copied the license plates of cars visiting Bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in the weeks before the raid, is the latest evidence of the fractured relationship between the United States and Pakistan. It comes at a time when the Obama administration is...

MUMBAI: An overwhelming 95% Indian respondents said they supported the US killing of al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden, a survey said on Wednesday. The figure was identical for the US. About 17,119 people aged 18-64 years from 22 countries, including India, the US, Poland, Spain, Mexico and Indonesia, were surveyed online between May 9 and 20 by global research company Ipsos. However, only 41% Indians and 19% Americans feel safer after Osama's death, as they were expecting a backlash, the survey added. Those feeling the least safe were citizens of France and Argentina, both standing at four percent. Overall, 11%...

Even in polls like The Washington Post's Obama's are numbers back under 50%...the reason is simple...

Osama bin Laden — a man whose purpose in life was to inflict death and suffering on as many innocent people as possible — was finally killed, and much of the Western world’s religious — and, of course, secular liberal — elite has expressed moral objections to those who celebrated this death. Pastor Brian McLaren was named one of Time magazine’s “25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America” in 2005. This is how he reacted to television images of young Americans chanting “USA! USA!” the night bin Laden’s death was announced: “Joyfully celebrating the killing of a killer who joyfully celebrated...

Following are excerpts from pro-Bin Laden rallies in the Gaza Strip, which was posted on the Internet on May 20, 2011: At Gaza rally: Crowds: There is no god but Allah. America is the enemy of Allah. […] At Rafah rally: Crowds: Our souls and our blood we will give for you, oh Osama. Our souls and our blood we will give for you, oh Osama. Our souls and our blood we will give for you, oh Osama. Demonstrator: There is no god but Allah. Crowds: There is no god but Allah. Demonstrator: Sheik Osama is loved by Allah. Crowds:...

The Death of Bin Laden: Legitimate and Illegitimate Rejoicing Written by Luiz Sérgio Solimeo    May 11, 2011 Share Tweet The extraordinary feat of the Navy Seals taking the compound where Bin Laden was hiding by surprise, and killing him, gave rise to manifestations of joy among numerous people who saw themselves free from an implacable enemy of the nation and because justice had been served on the mastermind of the 9/11 attack which killed 2,977 people, mostly Americans.1 It Is Not Licit to Rejoice at the Harm Suffered by Fellow Human Beings… Following this spontaneous explosion of jubilee...

The death of Osama bin Laden did not end the war against jihadism, a war bin Laden had declared against the United States in a 1996 fatwa that mandated the killing of Americans wherever they could be targeted. But it did take one key leader of jihadist Islam off the global strategic chessboard. The death of Osama bin Laden did not end the civil war within Islam over the proper interpretation of Islamic law and the right relationship of Muslims to those who are “other.” But it did continue the dymythologization of bin Laden and his alleged invincibility, a myth...

Osama bin Laden was, among many other things, a master propagandist, who understood that a key battleground in any war is the minds of men. His fundamental strategy was to turn his followers from true believers into fanatics. Undoubtedly, Islam gave him a fertile field for his harvest, but he cultivated it with consummate skill. I remember riding up Madison Avenue in a taxi a few days before 9/11. The cabbie, a large, heavily bearded man wearing a white tunic and the white skullcap of a pilgrim to Mecca, was listening to a tape—in Arabic, I presumed. But you didn’t...

Pat Condell on the Death of Osama bin Laden

Video at link.

Osama bin Laden's personal files revealed a brazen idea to hijack oil tankers and blow them up at sea last summer, creating explosions he hoped would rattle the world's economy and send oil prices skyrocketing, the U.S. said Friday. The newly disclosed plot showed that while bin Laden was always scheming for the next big strike that would kill thousands of Americans, he also believed a relatively simpler attack on the oil industry could create a worldwide panic that would hurt Westerners every time they gassed up their cars. U.S. officials said the tanker idea, included in documents found in...

Osama Bin Laden: Authorities Hunt for Terrorists Named in Files Found at Bin Laden's Compound Osama Bin Laden Was Planning Second 9/11 By PIERRE THOMAS (@PierreTABC) May 19, 2011 The entire U.S. intelligence community is busy pursuing leads from files recovered from Osama bin Laden's Abbottobad, Pakistan, compound to determine whether bin Laden's plots had gone beyond the discussion and planning phase to concrete threats, government sources told ABC News. Sources familiar with bin Laden's handwritten journal and computer files told ABC News that names of suspected al Qaeda operatives had been found in the files, and that an intense...

ISLAMABAD, (SANA): Although Public opinion is divided on the Abbottabad Incident however more than two third of Pakistanis (68%) believe the sovereignty of their country was severely compromised in the American operation and about half of population are sad and 44% consider Osama bin Laden a Martyr. Findings of a study released by Gilani Foundation and carried out by Gallup Pakistan during May 7-10, less than a week after the death of Osama Bin Laden, shows the mixed emotions of Pakistani people about the life and death of Osama bin Laden. When asked, in a in a poll, whether they...

In the rare event that the left does something both useful and successful, that works in the interests of this country, they cannot seem to keep its favorable momentum without putting a damper on it. When we heard two weeks ago the news that Osama Bin Laden was announced dead, there was a gratifying relief expressed throughout the country, in that it provided closure to an era subjected to the threats of public enemy number one. Yes, it was nice to hear that Osama Bin Laden was killed because of all the evil, harm, and destruction he inflicted on thousands...

Islamabad: A majority of Pakistanis surveyed in a poll appeared to be aggrieved over the death of Osama bin Laden, with 51 per cent describing their emotions as "grief". However, one-third said they were unconcerned by the incident. The nation-wide poll was conducted by Gallup Pakistan between May 7 and May10, less than a week after bin Laden was killed in a raid by US special forces in the garrison city of Abbottabad on May 2. Only 11 per cent of respondents said they were glad or relieved to know about the death of the Al Qaeda leader. Forty-four per...

In the wake of the killing of Osama Bin Laden, there is a debate as to the extent that Bin Laden was operationally in charge of Al Qaeda. It seems apparent that Bin Laden was actively communicating with Al Qaeda elements, but it wasn’t in real time. He used a system of couriers to relay messages via email and the internet, but went to great pains to securely communicate. This means no direct internet connection and no phones, cellular, satellite or landline. This would preclude any real dialogue with operators and cells.

They’re the heroes that killed America’s most wanted terrorist in a high-stakes covert mission. Of course they became America’s heroes. They appreciate the outpouring of support, love, and recognition, they really do. But what the Navy SEALs would really like is for people to stop talking about their tactics and leave them alone so they can conduct their business successfully in the future: U.S. Navy SEALs, like the teams that killed Osama bin Laden, are grateful for nation’s show of support but are growing angry with the continued focus on their operation, tactics, and tools, claiming it could jeopardize future...

ISLAMABAD — Still angry over the U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden, Pakistani lawmakers demanded an end to American missile strikes against Islamist militants on their soil Saturday, and warned that Pakistan may cut NATO's supply line to Afghanistan if the attacks don't stop. The nonbinding parliamentary resolution reflects the precarious state of the U.S.-Pakistani alliance, which is vital to the war effort in neighboring Afghanistan. The bin Laden raid has brought to the fore a longstanding dilemma that U.S. strikes that Washington says kill militants often are seen by Pakistanis as a violation of sovereignty with mostly civilian...

Really? In this atheist household, we had a keg. We were doing Bin Laden keg stands. Six-in-ten (62%) Americans agree it is wrong to celebrate the death of another human being, no matter how bad that person was. There is strong agreement across party and religious lines. 60% of Americans believe the Bible’s admonition not to “rejoice when your enemies fall” applies to how Americans should react to bin Laden’s death. There is strong agreement across party and religious lines. The breakdown:I’ve read a few stories this week citing religious authorities as saying it’s okay to rejoice in Bin Laden...

WASHINGTON (AP) - A sizeable stash of pornography was among the items seized when U.S. Navy SEALs raided the Pakistani hideout of Osama bin Laden, almost two weeks ago, U.S. officials say. The officials said it was unclear who the material belonged to, and there was no way to know whether bin Laden had viewed it. (snip) The pornography was among the computer materials confiscated in the raid after the SEALs killed bin Laden, ending an almost ten-year manhunt for the terrorist behind the 9/11 terror attacks.

Although Osama bin Laden's killing has received general public approval from the American public, its legality has been questioned. A fundamental challenge is identifying the set of legal rules that applies. Was this an effort to capture the FBI's most-wanted terrorist, to be judged by the standards of international human rights law? Or was it a strike against an opponent in an armed conflict, judged according to the law of war? Most critical accounts assume that the operation should be evaluated under human rights law, and the killing was clearly problematic from this perspective. International law prohibits law enforcement in...

First it emerged Osama Bin Laden spent hours watching videos of himself as he callously planned new terror attacks against the 'decadent' West But now it appears the Al Qaeda mastermind may have watched something else as he hid in his squalid lair - pornography. Today officials revealed U.S. Navy SEALs discovered a stash of x-rated films in the terror leader's final hideout. It's the latest in a series of chilling revelations about the years Bin Laden spent in the specially-built compound, as investigators trawl through the treasure trove of evidence recovered by the SEALS. According to officials, the commandos...

Among the information found in bin Laden's compound was a stash of pornography, according to Reuters. Officials are not sure where in the compound the pornography was found or who was viewing it, but said the collection contained recorded video and is "fairly extensive." Because the hide-out was cut off from internet and cable connection, it is unsure how bin Laden or other residents retrieved the pornography. However videos of bin Laden in the compound watching television show there was video playback equipment. U.S. officials who have gathered evidence from other investigations of Islamic militants said the pornography find in...

This is getting really good. As noted below, John McCain in an Op ed this morning skewered the claim that the killing of Bin Laden vindicates torture. But just now, on the Senate floor, he uncorked a new broadside that is quite remarkable, taking direct aim at Bush apologists who are reviving this debate in order to claim Bin Laden’s death as part of the Bush legacy. McCain amplified his case, and called on former Bush attorney general Michael Mukasey — whose recent op ed claiming torture led to Bin Laden has been widely cited by the right — to...

Members of Navy SEAL team 6, the Special Operations unit responsible for killing Al Qaeda leader Usama bin Laden in Pakistan last Sunday, have expressed concerns about their safety and the safety of their families now that details of the mission have been made public. Speaking to Marines at Camp Lejeune Thursday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the concerns were expressed to him directly a week ago when he met with members of the unit to congratulate them on their mission. Gates said the SEALs were mainly focused on their families and worried they could be subject to retaliatory attacks....

If anyone out there wants to get me a birthday or Christmas present, or just give me something because I'm such a nice guy, I want the civilian version of the gun that killed bin Laden. I know. Catholics are not supposed to celebrate the death of anyone, even bin Laden, the way I have. But like most other conservatives, I do not believe in the perfectibility of the human race. We are flawed beings separated from God by our humanity. The way I figure it, I probably have a few hundred thousand years ahead of me in purgatory anyway,...

US officials have revealed that Osama bin Laden’s diaries contain the rather startling conclusion that he didn’t think Vice President Joe Biden was worth bumping off (hat tip: a tweet from my New York colleague Jon Swaine). According to ProPublica, the Obama administration is briefing that Barack Obama was bin Laden’s the “top target” (no surprise there) while “military chiefs like the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the defense secretary” were also major scalps.

Navy SEALs have become national heroes since news broke that they took down Osama bin Laden, so it’s fitting that the newest action figure from a Connecticut company is a fierce-looking President Barack Obama as a SEAL. The minute Obama said late on the night of May 1 that the U.S. had found and killed bin Laden, Emil Vicale knew which his action figure company’s would make next — Rambama. (snip) Hero Builders released the Obama SEAL Team 6 action figure — a muscular President in fatigues armed with an M1-A4. Vicale, who owns the custom action figure company in...

The (Stealth) Blackhawk Crash The reason a stealthy version of the MH-60 Blackhawk crashed during the May 1 raid that killed Osama bin Laden includes the vortex ring state phenomenon, according to officials, but helicopter crashes in the Middle East are far from uncommon. Hot air close to the ground and the aircraft's proximity to the high walls of the compound could have caused that thin, hot air to be driven by propwash up the walls and then down through the rotor, causing the vortex ring state. With those conditions, the helicopter would have lost lift and settled with power,...

Ron Paul’s supporters plan on another run for the presidency from the Texas Congressman, and some are saying that the mainstream has finally begun to embrace his ideas on economics and the Fed. On foreign policy and national defense, though, perhaps Paul is farther out than ever. In a radio interview on Tuesday, reported this morning in Politico, Paul said he would not have greenlighted the mission that killed Osama bin Laden, and would have worked with Pakistan to arrest him instead: “I think things could have been done somewhat differently,� Paul said this week. “I would suggest the way...

CORUSCANT — Obi-Wan Kenobi, the mastermind of some of the most devastating attacks on the Galactic Empire and the most hunted man in the galaxy, was killed in a firefight with Imperial forces near Alderaan, Darth Vader announced on Sunday. Read the rest at The Galactic Empire Times I don't know who created this page, but it's simultaneously awesome and offensive. The United States is like the Galactic Empire, HA! The United States isn't that awesome. Unless it's the real reason we are trillions in debt, we don't actually have the force. Though I will concede somebody learned the...

Note: Video included. "Bin Laden's Son Is Hospitalized After He Hears His Father's Voice Omar Bin Laden Is Treated for Schizophrenia, Wife Asks for Divorce" July 9, 2010 SNIPPET: ""It's true that he was put on medication but released himself early," said a spokesman for Zeina Al Sabah, Omar's wife. The spokesman confirmed that Omar had bipolar disorder and was on anti-depressants." SNIPPET: ""Omar loves and hates Osama at the same time," she said." SNIPPET: "Omar, 29, has denounced his father's terrorist tactics and ideology. But he still maintains an emotional bond..." SNIPPET: "Much of Osama Bin Laden's family, comprising...

Apparently Obama owns the word "gutsy" now. If you type "gutsycall.com" into your browser it used to take you to his website, but now it goes to some news story about how gutsy he is. I've heard Michael Moore is less than impressed with Barack's skills... That's not really the gutsiest move he can do. Actually, it's making a complete ass of himself on Twitter. All these years later and NOW someone tells me that al Qaeda kills innocent people in the name of the fabulously wealthy?!? So Islam really is a religion of peace in the middle east?...

You knew it was only a matter of time until the left came out in full force against the killing of the world's most notorious terrorist, Osama bin Laden. Ergo, Rosie O'Donnell one of the leading voices for liberals in America recently insinuated that America was becoming a "Monster" by killing bin Laden. She also labelled revelers outside the White House as "drunken frat boys." A snippet of the lefty queen: "You can also be upset about the fact that he didn’t have due process, that he didn’t get tried, that he wasn’t you know brought to The Hague for...

The past week has been filled with announcements and speculations on how Osama bin Laden was killed and on Washington’s source of intelligence.... [Snip] Obfuscating on how intelligence was developed and on the specifics of how an operation was carried out is an essential part of covert operations. The precise process must be distorted to confuse opponents regarding how things actually played out; otherwise, the enemy learns lessons and adjusts....{Snip] Posturing Versus a Genuine Breach It is not inconceivable that Pakistan aided the United States in identifying and capturing Osama bin Laden, but it is unlikely. This is because the...

According to numerous studies, it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert at something. Whether sport, art, science, vocation, lying, or incompetence, it can be accomplished in as little as 10,000 hours of practice. Therein lies Barack Obama and his administration's problem with attempting to coherently and truthfully relay to the world what happened during the Osama bin Laden assassination in Pakistan. Obama's antagonist and his toughest challenge since, well, quite frankly, since his dialogue and actions have been publicly recorded, has been the truth. The facts of what actually happened during that fateful 40-minute raid have changed...

The Washington Post reports that the Pakistani intelligence service has outed a CIA station chief in response to the US raid in Abbottabad that killed Osama bin Laden. Their report avoids naming the CIA’s man, who will presumably be heading home quickly after leading the effort in the last six months on the OBL operation — which he had to do after Pakistan outed the previous station chief: The public outing of the CIA station chief here threatened on Monday to deepen the rift between the United States and Pakistan, with U.S. officials saying they believed the disclosure had been...

TRANSCRIPT WH-011/b-119 (DOD COMSPEC)JSOC CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTCLEARANCE G2 REQUIREDContinued

In these tough times we live in it's really cute how Alexander Burns over at Politico is trying his hand at comedy. He wrote this wildly hilarious piece about how Obama has "dashed" his Jimmy Carter label because he got Osama bin Laden. That's a knee slapper, right? Oh wait, that was just the setup. Here's the punchline. [E]ven if [Osama bin Laden] is caught tomorrow, it is five years too late. He has done more damage the longer he has been out there. But, in fact, the damage that he has done … is done. And even to...

CBS News confirms Pakistan has informed the United States that the ISI will allow access to Osama bin Laden's three widows who were left behind in the raid that killed the terrorist near Islamabad. CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports it will be "direct access," meaning U.S. agents will be able to interview them, and not just submit questions. The relationship between Pakistan and the U.S. has seen ups and downs since the CIA-coordinated raid that killed bin Laden near Islamabad. Despite the back-and-forth relationship in the wake of the bin Laden raid, in his interview with "60...

Well, what else did we expect the Pakistanis to say? We’re so incompetent that we can’t even detect an invasion? Oh, wait … A senior official in Pakistan’s civilian government told ABC News, “Elements of Pakistan intelligence — probably rogue or retired — were involved in aiding, abetting and sheltering the leader of al Qaeda,� the strongest public statement yet from the Pakistani government after the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound.This is based on the government’s judgment that the number of years bin Laden spent in Abbottabad — and it now appears in a village outside the city of...

A senior official in Pakistan’s government admitted to ABC News that current and/or retired intelligence officers did help aid and shelter Osama bin Laden at his compound in Abbottabad. Notice the wording here. It was either a rogue officer(s) or retired officer(s). If they were “rogue” that means they are active in the intelligence service and have access to information that could be passed to bin Laden. From ABC News.

In his interview on "60 Minutes," President Obama admitted he didn't lose any sleep over the possibility of taking out Osama bin Laden. "Justice was done," Obama said. "And I think that anyone who would question that the perpetrator of mass murder on American soil didn't deserve what he got needs to have their head examined.” It appears most of the American public agrees with him -- at least the part about taking out bin Laden. According to a new NBC poll, 80 percent of Americans said it was the right decision to kill the al Qaeda leader versus capture...

Click the link. Mild profanity.