Perhaps the people partying aren't the ones who need proof. It doesn't really matter who's asking for it though. Demanding that the pictures be released won't be a request with the intent of gloating but that's sure to be what it will look like for some. Imagine if you will a group had killed someone you respected and initially decided not to show the pictures. You have to deal with that at the time which is punishment enough. Later, the group responsible for killing that individual you respect decides to publish the picture and circulate it. Would that not further enrage you? I realize that, for many, the last thing you want to do is show any semblance of respect for that group but if you show the picture, you won't be helping the situation that will likely come back to affect you.
Building on what I said earlier, I fail to see how showing a picture of someone who was shot in the head would be "sensitive" or "humanizing." I'm very well aware of the context here (in that I know who was killed). Perhaps it's just an issue of semantics in that you mean something very different than what I see as "sensitive" or "humanizing" because as I see it, showing a picture of someone who was shot in the head and circulating it is far from humanizing when you consider what humanize means: "To imbue with humaneness or human kindness;
civilize" (
source, emphasis added). I don't think it's civilized in any way but to each their own.
Just as a note and I failed to state this earlier - I realize that you're from New York City (I believe) so I realize that this has a very different meaning for you. If you were directly (or indirectly) affected by the events of 9/11, my apologies if I come across as insensitive and know that this is by no means my intention. I'm just trying to look for the best logical way to prevent something like this from happening again and that's where my views come from.
I guess I can also agree with your points here, and see where you're coming from. It's pure logic, but from another standpoint. I suppose I was thinking more about US, rather than how it would affect THEM in terms of distributing evidence of his death. Of course it would only further serve to entice them.. no doubt. But would it really matter? They only want to destroy us anyway.. no matter what. So to be honest, and I guess this will make me out to be a hypocrite, but... I don't care about the feelings of the terrorists. Do I care about the feelings of muslims in general? Sure..because not all muslims are terrorists, of course.
And there's no doubt in my mind that hundreds of thousands of muslims would rather have OBL dead than anything else.
Of course, it's hard for me to use pure logic here.. When the first plane hit, somewhere around 9am that morning, I was living less than a mile away. I heard the sound of the plane striking the tower, and had the unfortunate privilege of being able to go out on to my 16th floor terrace, watching the smoke plume grow larger and larger. My first thought was of my friends who were in that building... I spent time volunteering help, did what I could to keep my self together and help friends who lived even closer than I did and had to be evacuated because of the air etc...
News of OBL's death didn't really feel like much of anything to me to be honest.. despite having lost people that day. I can't exactly say why, to be honest. I suppose it's because I know that his "job" will simply be passed down to yet another maniac and that it's silly and premature to celebrate anything. I'd LOVE to celebrate, but can't see doing so until someone tells me that ALL of the madness in the world has ceased. But that ain't gunna happen in my life time.
Also, let's not forget the fact that OBL was an agent working for the CIA trading information at one point. It's ridiculous to think that our government in "doing what they had to do", in order to keep up politics as usual, didn't bring this upon themselves. Same thing goes for Saddam and any other tyrant whom we've traded information or some other form of power with... We do what we do when it's convenient for us, (by we I mean our leaders) but when things go south, the hellfire doesn't land on them.. it lands on US, the civilians. Such as the way of greed, politics and power in this world.. always has been, always will be I'm afraid.
Anyway, I think it's important to remember that all of us here are together in this, regardless of our political or religious views. And that means more to me personally, than needing proof of one mans death.
Doug
