Comments on: DC Forum: The Killing of Osama bin Laden – Part One

By: Laslanian

Laslanian — Fri, 13 May 2011 04:08:00 +0000

I decided to respond without reading anyone else’s response so as to keep my response in its’ initial and most pure state— before it is corrupted and civilized and evolved by views from another point of view. What I liked about Obama’s handling of the killing of OBL is that it was swift, effective and rather classy. He did it in a way that he needed to do it—- without talking about it. It shows a level of political acumen and savvy. Just as we never saw (or I did not) endless footage of people jumping to their death on 9/11, which would have turned into a kind of porn— I mean we were all glued to our TVs watching the same people say the same thing (nothing) again and again (media porn)— we do not need to see gruesome and ugly shots of murder. Just get the guy out of the way. And the burial at sea— same taming of our baser instincts. And who gives a sh*t if it is properly Muslim.

Ground Zero has become a kind of overworked symbol. I mean RG was there first, etc.

I also think we need to note that OBL did not just kill Americans. He killed a lot of people and Ground Zero is only part of the story. I know we are terribly nationalistic but this would be a moment to connect the loss of life to the loss of life (same wherever you go).

As a performance— timing, execution, etc. — it could not be better timed and it was well done.

I want Obama to start asserting himself and I am hoping this is the beginning of that— I want this and I want to see him put the Donald in his place. I think he is deeply intelligent and he has the chops to do more than he has done. And I only fault him because I am more liberal than he is and I was growing really tired of his pragmatism becoming a gain for moronic Republicans.

Outside of political theater — and into what Jeff calls real politics or political critique— his challenge is now to use OBL’s murder (and if he was really still the head of it all) to rethink a foreign policy that costs us a fortune we don’t have and that we pay back with rising interest rates.

And, to take it out of theater, he needs to really push and mobilize to make real reforms for middle class people (real middle class)—- he needs to be the socialist (kind of a joke) that he is said to be—- push more from the bottom and the top toward the middle. I still don’t get why he extended the Bush tax cuts and if he is not scared of OBL why does he need to be scared of Goldman Sachs— I know they gave money to his campaign and a lot of it. But how about putting them in their place— remember they left him hanging at the table to show who is in charge—- and going from there?

If not, then we live in a corporate oligarchy. And I really want to see someone or some long term political change make this NOT be the case.

As a jump cut, I think we are also witnessing a tidal change in political identities— it is going to mean something different to be a Democrat or Republican in 20 years. Why not have Democrats as the party that is “tough on crime,” as it were.

By: Iris

Iris — Mon, 09 May 2011 19:38:15 +0000

I notice that the word “killing” is used in the title of this post as opposed to “assassination” as was used in previous posts concerning the murder of two peace activists. Unlike Noam Chomsky, I find this perfectly acceptable. There is a difference. In the case of Osama bin Laden, a man who admitted to killing thousands of innocent people and was continuing to engage in murderous activity, the rules of war-time engagement are appropriate. Also, Nahed Habiballah writes that many Muslims were unsettled by the way the body of Osama bin Laden was treated. I would like to think that most Muslims would agree that Bin Laden got his just due (note, Ahmad Sadri), and would not be too upset that he did not receive a burial in full accordance with Islamic tradition. At least there was some effort to recite a prayer in Arabic. That was more than his victims, who were never even found to be buried, received. My friend who died in the World Trade Center that day on 9/11/2001 was one of the lucky ones. At least his body was found and I attended his funeral. His life ended way too soon and his death had and continues to have a profound effect on his family, as well as his friends. As I said before, I was not one of the ones dancing in the streets upon learning of the death of Osama bin Laden. I’m still sad that my friend is gone, but I understand how a need for some emotional release came over them.

By: Alissa

Alissa — Sat, 07 May 2011 17:45:43 +0000

More Political theatre:

I cannot help but laugh at Noam Chomsky’s assesment of the name, “Operation Geronimo.” (Below is the link to the article)

“The imperial mentality is so profound, throughout western society, that no one can perceive that they are glorifying bin Laden by identifying him with courageous resistance against genocidal invaders. It’s like naming our murder weapons after victims of our crimes: Apache, Tomahawk… It’s as if the Luftwaffe were to call its fighter planes “Jew” and “Gypsy.” ”

The irony is astute. I tend to side with Chomsky on a lot, but here, he infuses the discussions regarding international law with melodrama–making false equivalences, as to how we would react if:

“Iraqi commandos landed at Bush’s compound, assassinated him, and dumped his body in the Atlantic”?

And at that, I’m not laughing. This sort of melodrama eclipses debate. Co-opting Brecht, I ask, which kinds of political theatre prompt critical reflection? What are the consqeuences of dramatic monologue? Sensational imagery? What sort of responses will revealing “the photo” evoke?

There might always be a need for catharsis–(as apparent from the celebratory mood of the last week). But as we move forward, how can we script our dialogues productively?

http://www.guernicamag.com/blog/2652/noam_chomsky_my_reaction_to_os/

By: vince carducci

vince carducci — Fri, 06 May 2011 22:30:05 +0000

Chris, I have several students from China in my graduate seminar on globalization here in the erstwhile Motor City. They’re media skeptics, too. We might take a cue from them, not that Bin Laden wasn’t in fact killed but that there’s more than an element of political theater to it, which is what, I suspect, they are really inured to.