Amen, sister. We have been at war for far too long and have suffered such a high price.

Let's just hope that as we withdraw further from Iraq and Afghanistan that the everyday citizen has some freedom and will not be conquered by local tribes. We can only hope.

They knew he was there. Now bring our troops back and quit giving them help and let them fend for themselves.

I would like to offer a slightly different and perhaps real politik, as someone who has spent 15 years living overseas in developing countries.

This is far from over and I would fear troop withdrawal would result in complete and utter chaos and the rise and power of extremist groups.

Al Queda has operative cells globally. The question now is whether other local extreme jihad groups, such as those found in Indonesian and to date have exercised terrorism primarily targetting national structures unite with global terrorism. I would not assume that because of one man, it is done. It is far from done.

While my heart aches for the numerous lives destroyed by war, I have lived in countries with fundamental human rights violations and denial of civil liberties.I have travelled in countries where people fear striking up any casual conversation in a public arena. Like it or not, the US as an economic and military super power has an international role and responsibility as a member of a larger global community.

Economic stability and political freedom are the long term solutions. That is the work that I try to contribute to in my own small way.

This is FAR from over, I know. I suppose I have mixed emotions on the situation in its entirety. It hits much too close to home for me as I have been a military wife, lost friends in that sandbox, and am currently experiencing deployment of a loved one once again. In a strange kind of way, Im just glad that perhaps some families are finding some peace and closure.

Also just to let you know when I learned the news I was in a meeting and sent an sms to a Somolian colleague who is also a muslim- she mouthed the words to me "finally and thank God." Many -Indonesians, in the most populous Islamic country in the world, are also relieved this man is gone. Islam is not the problem. Extremist in the name of Islam or any other religion are the problem.

While at one time in my ignorant ultra- radical youth I was really anti-military, I am now in my wiser (still liberal) state, grateful to American soldiers who pay a high sacrifice to try to maintain global order.

Thank you for your service and sacrifice to humanity.

I know they are going to be really pissed since we took him out and dumped his body in the ocean. The thing is now the 2nd in command is 1st. After he is gone then another will step up. It will never end.

I am glad they finally got him. I read a e-mail from a Navy Seal that had emailed his parents, here where I live. It was a bit more detailed than the news.

As far as being over, I don't think so. These people will have another one step up as leader however, I believe that now we have shown we can get them, it will be a bit tougher for them to be as verbal as they have been.

My concern is what these terrorist cells will do in an act of retaliation for the death of their "god". I am also concerned about the issues we are going to face in Lybia. This will get out of hand here too. If you take a look at all these Arab nations. Lybia, Egypt,
Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, etc. Many are in a civil unrest. There are demonstrations, uprisings, etc. I have never seen it, this way for so many, at one time. We, as Americans must stay alert. Personally, I think out Military needs a rest and a regrouping because I feel Lybia may be the next hot spot for us. We have been in Iraq and Afghanistan now for years. Now that Suddam and Osama are gone, what else do we hope to accomplish there. I would hope that we do not have to keep troops there forever like we have in Korea. Just my 2 cents.

I think its all a horrific shame.

I'm sorry for my sister and the others who were harmed. I left the pic of my sister open in my profile. Sometimes we lose sight of what all this was about.

Well, since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were never really about AlQaeda (except in propaganda terms), I suspect, cutting off the symbolic head of the organization won't have much if any effect on the decisions to leave those 2 territories. I doubt it will mean anything in terms of letting imprisoned terrorist suspects go either.

The entire thing is a mess.

Game theory.

Go big, or Go home.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jS5kz6XIqM4&NR=1&feature=fvwp

The problem with going big is that currently the US is shouldering the costs for maintaining peace for all of the world.

Because we're maintaining peace (the world's policemen), we seem to want to (reasonably) create the most rules for when we go in, and what we do.

BUT that has year after year, left the world resenting us for acting like we have all of the best answers.....

AND left our country going backrupt from the costs of war.

So "Going Big" is a losing battle for us in world opinion and financially.


Go HOME. It's time for it.

The world (NATO perhaps....they're not the world either, but closer than us) or the Arab Leagues (like they don't know all about all of this, and are happy with us being the enemy targetted and hated) will then be left with the ball in their court......

The Arab League clearly has the most to lose with instability. We may be dependant on oil, but THEY want OUR money. (Why are the customers shouldering the costs of security???!!! People go most to stores where they feel like they're not going to get robbed in the parking lot.....)


Time to GO HOME.

You cant control access to natural resources we so desperately need in order to keep our economies stable if we dont occupy.

We cant afford to go home unless we put in puppets for leaders.

I have a brother over there right now on his 2nd tour, and I fear for his safety every day. And perhaps that factors in to the fact that make me cringe when I see these massive crowds cheering in various places today. I remember the fury I felt when they showed the people in various middle eastern countries dancing in the streets after the attack, and while I understand the tendency to celebrate, the war is not over. And it's going to get worse before it gets better.
Maybe it's the street mentality I developed working in public safety, but while I'm glad the families of this crime have another measure of closure, their loss will never be fully recompensed. And after twenty years of being someone who's had to tell people they've lost a loved one, or as I did yesterday, inform someone that the person who killed their loved on has been captured, there's one thing that I've come to understand, and that's the fact that there is no celebration in reactive justice.
There is no doubt that today the world is a better place for what has happened. But it's not nearly as good a place as it would be if we would have been able to stop what happened before it did. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. Pray for those who protect you, whether it be at home or abroad. Pray for those who have been lost, and those who have been left to mourn them. And pray for the day that the job is really done.

If we put even HALF of the amount of money into developing other sources of fuel/ power, than we did into the military, the world would LOVE us, the world would be more stable, and these extremists wouldn't be so upset with the US acting like a Know-it-All father that's OK with cruel dictators like the Shaw of Iran just because he was friendly to us.....

Nuclear power is dangerous....but is it more dangerous than terrorists that want to fly bombs into our skyscrapers? They Could get built somewhere other than on fault lines. They could be improved year after year.....

Synfuel, biofuel or whatever you want to call it, could be made from this country's grain. Carter wanted to do it back in the 70's, but oil was cheaper.

Unfortunately, we transferred just about all of our wealth over to the oil producing countries. AND that didn't do much for the world stability. Nope, we just created a military that became the world's policeman....making us hated, and bankrupting us (not to mention injuring and killing troops...OK, I mentioned it...)

Come home, put the money into alternate energy. Think long term.....

get carried away. It's a hallmark day :)

it's not just about oil though

I'm not saying I like it, that I condone it, I just am saying, no country expends this much money to invade and occupy another country because of elusive terrorists, or WMD's that were never there to begin with.