The evidence that bin Laden is guilty of crimes against humanity is strong. The legality of sending in a team of SEALs to capture him in Pakistan is questionable. On the one hand, the normal course of action would be extradition. On the other hand, there is good evidence that Pakistan was giving him safe harbor.
Clearly, though, killing him once he was in custody was an act of murder, plain and simple. The strong evidence against him means he should have been tried, probably by the ICCJ. Since it looks like the team went in with an order to kill him, that means that Barack Obama and any number of other high U.S. officials are likely guilty of serious crimes both domestic and international.
But there should be no surprise that there's little impetus to mourn his death, by those on the left or those not. The man was a piece of human waste and the world is better off without him. I don't mourn the lynching of Mussolini either, even though the fascist should have been tried rather than murdered.
----- Original Message ---- From: Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com> To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org Sent: Thu, May 5, 2011 3:37:54 PM Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] Fidel: El asesinato de Bin Laden/The assassination of Bin Laden
On May 5, 2011, at 4:32 PM, CallMe Ishmael wrote:
>> Did those guys orchestrate an attack on the U.S.?
>
> Did Osama? KSM is routinely referred to as the "mastermind" of 9/11,
> not OBL, who as far as I understand it was more the funder and
> figurehead.
Look, the guy was of a totally different order from a leader the U.S. had shot for promoting land reform or something.
Doug ___________________________________ http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk