Osama - dead or alive?

[Heffalump]

It's speculation -- we don't know -- but I'm curious to see what most people feel? Is he still here with us? Or dead?

My own growing feeling is that he's dead. In the rubble of a collapsed cave somewhere.

Had he been alive he would have tried to give some proof of it, to taunt us, to rally his followers. Such silence would appear in his colleagues eyes to be an abandonment of his cause. A failure of leadership.

So we don't know, but I'm not averse to speculating over Osama's death.....

 

[God]

He's probably dead but it would be nice to hear some confirmation. Otherwise he would appear on one of the videos saying "I'm alive. Its October blah, this happened yesterday, blah blah." They haven't done any of these so most likely he is dead.

 

[joespaniel]

Its funny, but for many months I was sure he was dead. Everything points to his being killed at Tora Bora. There has been no video released with anything resembling proof of his existence anymore.

I figured it was a "dead" issue.

Then that bastard Geraldo Rivera went and shook my whole belief right to the ground.

He was at Tora Bora a month ago, and walked into Pakistan in 6 hours with a small band of Afghan guns-for-hire without anyone seeing or challenging them.

During the final phase of the war, NA and US ground forces converged on the mountain stronghold. If you recall, the NA gave the Taliban and Al-Queda fighters a 36 hour truce to come out peacefully. During that 36 hours, Osama bin-Laden made his last known radio address to the fighters, and he hasnt been heard from since.

As "Jerry Rivers" pointed out, he easily could have walked out of there and been in Pakistan in one night. That area of Pakistan is very friendly to him btw.

I'm not saying thats what happened, but it damn well could have. He could be alive, and just about anywhere. Sudan, Somolia or even still in Pakistan.

Why keep us in suspense? I figure he is smart enough to know we will militarily invade any country or area he is identified to be in, and I never pegged him to be a martyr, rather a guy who sends other people to become martyrs.

If he is alive, he is doing what I would. Laying low and waiting for the next opportunity to unleash hell.

Then again, maybe he is just squashed beneath a thousand tons of rock.

I sure hope so.

 

[Ohwell]

I actually couldn't care more than I do about whether Elvis is alive or not. Meaning I don't care one bit. There's bigger fish to fry than pondering over the life of a relatively insignificant fool who can't do much alive or not. He had his time in the spotlight, it's over.

 

[joespaniel]

Fun idea for a thread Heffalump.

BTW, Ohwell, Elvis is alive.

 

[Perfection]

Well I heard He had health problems before sept 11, and so I think he's probobly dead by now

 

[Pillager]

I think he's alive. Just because we haven't heard from him doesn't mean that he's not lying low, planning his next attack.

Why not?

 

[ejday]

Probably alive. Doubt he died at Tora Bora (if he's dead, it was probably from Kidney failure). I'd agree with Pillager: probably lying low: he'll tell us he's alive with his next "master plan."

For that matter: it would be tremendously satisfying to know he was dead.
...OTOH, it would be a fitting hell on earth to subject him to a life term of legal harassment and public humiliation. Make him squirm so everyone that once looked up to him turns away. Take away any chance for the bastard to actually be a martyr. Make his followers question their beliefs, turn away from extremism and crack a book other than Uncle O's Custom Koran (Special Fatwah Edition).

 

[amadeus]

Alive. He could have easily escaped from Afghanistan to Pakistan, and take a boat from there to Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, a small island of Indonesia. Nobody'd know.

 

[sabo]

He's hiding out in the Batcave with Batman and Robin

 

[Obssesed Nuker]

He aint dead. Havnt you guys been watchin cnn? He realeased another video, oh(Hey thet rimes!) like 2 or 3 weeks ago(and he was plenty alive) he aint dead until we
1. Uncover his dead body(if he is dead)highly unlikely)\
2. We find him and publicly excute him(pay-per-view would be SWEET!)

 

[Obssesed Nuker]

Originally posted by joespaniel
Fun idea for a thread Heffalump.

BTW, Ohwell, Elvis is alive.

YEAH AND LIVIN WITH THE TOOTH FAIRY!....Heheheh(thats from a computer game)

 

[Darius]

I think numerous pieces of him are scattered throughout some godforsaken buried cave, but IMO it doesn't matter anyway. Our job in Afghanistan was more to remove one of terrorism's safest harbors and decimate Al-Qaeda infrastructure. We achieved this objective. If Osama died that's a welcome little bonus, and if he lived he's at the reigns of a shattered organization, so who the hell cares?

 

[Darius]

Havnt you guys been watchin cnn? He realeased another video

AFAIK two videos have been released, but every expert agrees that they were just a bunch of snippets from old videos. They would have no reason to do this unless he was dead, or to make it look like he was dead. But they certainly don't imply he is alive.

 

[Yoda Power]

hmm i think i will bring this thread back--#bump#

 

[GerrardCapashen]

I think he's alive and probably in northern Pakistan or southern Afghanistan. Recently Time magazine interviewed a doctor who treated him for kidney problems a while back, I can't remember exactly when. However even though I think he's alive, I think he has lost most of his organization and is not much of a threat. However, I could be totally wrong.

 

[Hitro]

Doesn't matter, except for propaganda reasons.

If Al Queda is still able to strike they are also able to do so without Osama himself. Remember that Al Queda is not an organization which relies so much on leaders that you can cut the head off and it dies.

If they are however not able to do much (or never were) that won't be changed through Osama's status as well.

His death or capture would only have a symbolic value for the West, as a success for the so-called "War on Terror", for the fundamentalists he'd just be a martyr and they'd go on with their "business". Assuming his money is still avaible for the organization in some way that way surely won't rely on him personally, as that would be a huge risk.

 

[nixon]

He's alive and kícking, oh yeah.

 

[HotDog Fish]

A couple of months ago Al Jazeera got an audio tape of Ossama bin Laden and the CIA (or was that the FBI, I seem to be losing my memory in my advanced age of 16 ) confirmed that it was, but still thet seem like likely candidates for not telling the whole truth in order to continue hunting this man who could be either dead or alive...or a ZOMBIE!!! WHAT WILL WE DO THEN!?!?!?

 

[GerrardCapashen]

Zombies are easy to deal with; just imprison them in a steel cage and sink them into the Marinaras Trench in the Pacific Ocean. 6 miles of ocean water will crush any zombie or human under the pressure.