On my way to work today (and yesterday) almost all the radio stations were talking about the pictures of Osama and if we should / should not be allowed to see them. I heard (but not sure how true it is) that they may release one picture but no one is sure when and how. Do you want to see the picture? A lot of people who called said no because they are saying that the pictures are grusome, BUT on Sept. 11 whether you were in NY or watching it on tv, we all saw and witnessed people jumping from the building and saw the aftermath after those towers fell. Years later, some of us also witnessed more as we watched first responders die from illnesses (such as cancer) from being there. Personally, I would like to see the pictures. While I didn't have a close family member affected by Sept. 11, I watched my old neighbors search for their daughter, although the husband knew as soon as the plane hit that they had lost their only daughter, and then they found her remains on what would have been her 1st anniversary. I watched two other families in my old town ask people to post flyers on their cars / anywhere to help look for their children. On that day, I also saw a family celebrating the destruction (I later found out that they were somehow related to one of the men behind the parking garage bombing) then just in these past few months I watched my friend Patrick, who was an iron worker who reported to ground zero, battle cancer. Patrick fought it will all he had until he died in Feb. One thing I would love to see, but I am sure they will never release it though, is the video. I would love to see the expression on his face when one of our men/woman was standing in front of him and he knew it was over.

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~~~~**Maryann**~~~~

I just got a firm grip on reality....
Now I can strangle it

No....................

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"When you're drowning, you don't say 'I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me,' you just scream."

John Lennon

Nope. Don't care to see the pictures

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Mom to Jake, Zach & Meghan
SJCC STREAKS FOOTBALL!!
CLEVELAND BROWNS FOOTBALL!

No, at long as I know this evil thing not even human is dead for sure that is goos enough for me no peace or blessings here today...Catherine

Thank God, they will not be released.

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"When you're drowning, you don't say 'I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me,' you just scream."

John Lennon

When did God decide not to release?

dl

I sincerely it is in the best interest for all concerned those pictures never ever get relased. Peace and blessings to our troops and to all... Catherine

White House: No bin Laden photo release - CNN.com

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"When you're drowning, you don't say 'I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me,' you just scream."

John Lennon

The ACLU fought tooth and nail to get Abu Gahrib (sp?) photos released because they said the world deserved to see them. I wonder if they will fight to see these released, too.

I think they should be released. All the excuses and reasons I am hearing do not really wash with me. It's not that I want to see the gruesomeness, but I assure you it was far more horrifying to me to see people jumping from the buildings on 9/11 to escape the inescapable.

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Melissa

The reason I have is it is just not what I believe in, nor want to look at. I did not watch people jumping from any buildings or look at the bodies on the ground from Katrina, 911, or anything else. I do not think it is respectful at all, and the God I believe in would not approve.

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"When you're drowning, you don't say 'I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me,' you just scream."

John Lennon

I did not intentionally watch people jumping from the buildings. It is just what I saw, when I realized what was happening I stopped watching. It was on television........live. Many didn't "choose" to watch.

As far as "respect" for OBL, I have none. I have compassion on him as a human being. I am saddened that a human being could live such a life of hate.

Like I said.....the reasons being given do not wash. That's all. It's not like there are not constantly gruesome images being shown.

As far as what God thinks.....I don't know. I've seen/heard a lot of discussions regarding that matter and I think it's complicated. I am not basing that on the god "I believe it" but on what God's Word says.

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Melissa

I agree, Melissa.

And I can't put words in God's mouth. I know that there is an element of people in Christianity who are pacifists and they keep posting scripture on FB and other places regarding not being happy over the death of their enemies. And a part of me gets that. But another part knows that David didn't kill Goliath without God's help. The many, many battles against the Philistines say to me that not all violence is opposed by God. I wish I had a clear handle on the lines between *personal* behavior and *national* behavior. The edicts given in the Bible are to people, not nations, and I am not sure that the principals can be universally applied.

It could be asserted that it is immoral not to defend the innocent who are threatened by evil men such as UBL, and I can make that argument with a lot more conviction than I can the argument that it is my Christian duty to treat UBL with respect equal to that of others who have behaved less heinously.

I think they should be released. Each person should make their own decision to look or not. I'm not sure if I would. I would probably have someone look who is not bothered or used to looking then have them decide if I could handle it. At lease someone I trust would see the pictures.

I think it's important to prove it to everyone it would have been better to have the body at least long enough to video it or something.

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

I want to see them, but not for the ew factor, I want to know for sure he is dead. I don't believe much the government (and Pres) says....this is no different.

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Friends are like butt cheeks.
Crap might separate them,
But they always come back together.

I am not putting words in God's mouth. It is what I have been taught in my church and in reading teh bible all of my life and it is who I am. If you are one of the death celebrators, that is fine, but I am not and this is how I feel about it. I didn't ask you to agree.

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"When you're drowning, you don't say 'I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me,' you just scream."

John Lennon

I don't know if it was me you were referring to gg. But to accuse anyone here of being a "death celebrator" is out of line. I thought we were having a discussion/debate. Thus the different views and opinions. I don't care if you agree or not either, or if you approve of my opinion or not.

What exactly are you referring to when you say "it is what I have been taught in my church etc.." ?

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Melissa

So, how is looking at the horrific photos or celebrating in the streets "defending the innocent"? I just don't get it.

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"When you're drowning, you don't say 'I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me,' you just scream."

John Lennon

It's not.

That's not what I was saying. Surely you knew that.

My point: Within the Christian community, there is much debate right now over whether it is appropriate to feel pleased / happy about UBL's death, or whether we should treat any and all deaths with the same level of 'somber'. Those Christian pacifists who are on the side of 'somber' seem to feel that it would be gratuitous to show photos of his body, and therefore are pleased with the decision to keep them out of the public eye.

I remember being outraged when insurgents showed video of the beheading of Americans or showed the dead bodies of American soldiers that had been captured. I thought it was barbaric then and I guess I feel the same way about this. Our country isn't supposed to be barbaric like "Them", therefore it is surprising when people want to see the body, or are not happy with the way his body was disposed of, which was done respectfully in the manner of his religion.


I agree with the decision to not publish the pictures. Why incite those crazies over there and lower ourselves to their position?

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We miss you, sweet brother
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I'm with janenga on this. I am not celebrating his death, I want proof that he's dead. Our government has lied to many times to be belived.

Judy, I understand what you are saying, and I'm not against the release of them (I'm ambivalent, really), but photos aren't proof anymore.

A photo was being passed around to congressmen that showed his dead body, and several of them commented that they had seen the photographic proof and knew he was dead.

Turns out, they were shown fakes.

Photo altering is such a sophisticated business these days that seeing really isn't believing.

Wow, didn't think of that. I guess we''ll never really know.
Judy

To me, there isn't moral equivalency, though.

It's interesting to me that 'we' fight for the right to burn our own flag in the street, but freak out at the right to burn a Q'ran. The people who are apt to say, "I disagree with you, but I'd fight to the death for your right to say it!" don't seem to feel that way when it involves anything that might make us 'look bad' to the Muslim world.

My gut instinct is that anyone who would have been riled up by the photos is already riled up over his death. I really don't know that the photos would've resulted in greater escalation.

Personally, I don't care one way or the other about the photos, but I do find hypocrisy in the fact that many who fought court battles for the release of the photos of our servicemen abusing prisoners seem to want to keep these photos under wraps. It seems that there is an element of our population that actually likes to see our military shown in their worst possible moments because they are anti-military... and yet this death that occurred under Obama's direction needs to be treated with subdued respect.

Not that I remotely approve of what those soldiers were doing - just thinking it is interesting to ponder groups like the ACLU that wanted full disclosure because they said we deserved to see the evidence.

It's okay to shoot a guy in the head if you are Obama, but not okay to waterboard if you are Bush. That's another one I don't get.

Yep....hypocrisy at it's best. I'm actually ambivalent about the photos. There isn't a picture out there that can't be photoshopped...pics prove little in this day and age!

I am entirely to non-trusting of people in extreme roles of power, so I question everything, anyway!

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Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"