# White House Iffy On Releasing Gruesome Photos Of Bin Laden



## MA-Caver (May 3, 2011)

Since this involves photography might as well post this here... Should the white house release the death photos of Osama Bin Laden to prove that it is indeed him and that he is indeed dead? 
Graphic pictures not-withstanding people on both sides of the fence want to be sure. It's too bad that he caught a bullet in the head whereas if he was hit center-mass then that could at least be covered up. 
Yet most of us watched Saddam being hung and have seen photos of U.S. soldiers being defiled on the streets in a well known town in Somalia.  


> WASHINGTON (Reuters)  The Obama administration wrestled on Tuesday  with releasing what it called a gruesome image of Osama bin Laden's  corpse, even as militants started questioning whether U.S. forces really  killed him.
> Different parts of the Obama administration offered differing views,  with CIA Director Leon Panetta saying there was never any doubt that  ultimately a photograph of the al Qaeda leader would be released to the  public.
> But, signaling an intense internal debate was under way, the White House  insisted no decision had yet been taken and noted the graphic nature of  the imagery.
> "It's fair to say that it's a gruesome photograph," said White House  spokesman Jay Carney, appearing to refer to an image of bin Laden taken  shortly after a U.S. strike team killed him at his Pakistani compound.
> ...


I created a poll to just get a feel from the members here... hopefully I covered enough bases to make the poll even all the way around.


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## MA-Caver (May 3, 2011)

If you're reading this thread... please vote... thank you.


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## granfire (May 4, 2011)

could not find the right answer to vote...

I have seen a lot of pictures...somewhere in a book was a photo of a beheaded guy from the Boxer revolte, Civil War...
From WWI, pictures of guys with their lower jaws ripped off...

Odd...(but B&W...) I don't know how I would feel seeing a picture (in color) of a shot UBL...) 

On the other hand, a picture of 2 tornado victims (impaled horses) had me reeling all day and I am still on the tender side because of that....

Will anybody believe, just because a picture is published. We know the types...
If you edit for gore, does that not take away from it? We do remember how the Hussein boys were fixed up for their last photo shoot, how that got the conspiracy nuts churning...

No right answer there I am affraid


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## MA-Caver (May 4, 2011)

Well if there are selections that I should've added then let me know... what they should be or what other options that would be helpful to choose... those 4 were the only ones I could think of at the moment.


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## K-man (May 4, 2011)

Go for it. I'd really like to know what a _real_ martyr looks like.


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## Sukerkin (May 4, 2011)

In this day and age, heads on spikes are not really the way that supposedly civilised governments are supposed to go about announcing they have disposed of an enemy.

Photographs of a slain enemy are the modern equivalent of heads on spikes.

That's leaving aside the fact that image manipulation has forever put to bed the notion that a photograph proves anything.


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## granfire (May 4, 2011)

MA-Caver said:


> Well if there are selections that I should've added then let me know... what they should be or what other options that would be helpful to choose... those 4 were the only ones I could think of at the moment.




Well, maybe the right answer is not anywhere?


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## sfs982000 (May 4, 2011)

granfire said:


> Well, maybe the right answer is not anywhere?


 
I would have to agree I don't know if there is a right answer here.  The terrorist are quick to post pics and videos of beheading soldiers, contractors, etc....  Do we stoop to their level and do the same with UBL?  I think either way there will be attempts at reprisal by his supporters.  As far as conclusive proof that they got him, we could certainly take the govt. word on it and even if they came out with some sort of "proof" of authenticity how would the majority of us know if its real or not.


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## MA-Caver (May 4, 2011)

sfs982000 said:


> I would have to agree I don't know if there is a right answer here.  The terrorist are quick to post pics and videos of beheading soldiers, contractors, etc....  Do we stoop to their level and do the same with UBL?  I think either way there will be attempts at reprisal by his supporters.  As far as conclusive proof that they got him, we could certainly take the govt. word on it and even if they came out with some sort of "proof" of authenticity how would the majority of us know if its real or not.


What Sukerkin said about photo manipulation is true. Talented photoshoppe people can do amazing things with any image. Yet question is why would they? Video is another tool that can be manipulated as well. 
Right now on Facebook there's supposedly a video of the "execution", I haven't touched it and warned all my friends not to touch it as well. If the government says we are going to release it then they'll do it through better channels than FB. So this one will either open your computer up to attacks by malware or worms or whatever or it's a "sasquatch sighting" type home-made parody type video. Either way like I say I ain't going to watch it. 

Heads on spikes. True, the act of civilized men would not do this now-a-days. Yet they've no compunction to show us theirs. Mainly to inspire further terror in our hearts. Can terror be met with terror? Who knows? I think they're a brave people for attacking those with superior weaponry and manpower. Stupid, savage but brave. A simple tactical nuke could take care of a lot of them... were we uncaring about collateral damage. 
With this recent raid it showed the world that we were indeed thinking about minimizing innocent casualties. A tomahawk missile could've taken out that compound just as easily as an elite strike-force. 

Question remains... do we see the pictures/video or trust in the current administration's word?


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## LuckyKBoxer (May 4, 2011)

You know what, as surprising as it is.. I really don't care..
I see no good to come from releasing them.
I do not need to see them, it just doesn't matter to me.
I also believe that those that don't beleive he is dead and that the government is lying will say the photos are fake anyways.
Extremists will use them as a rallying martyr type thing to hype themselves up..... the same reason we didn't turn over his body to the muslim world and buried him at sea so they had no rally point for him..
personally I am ready to move on already... celebrating and reveling in the death of another human being is not fun. I am glad hes dead, glad the jobs done, but I am ready to move on.
I also do not like any of the poll choices...
maybe an
No, I see no reason to release them option


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## Nomad (May 4, 2011)

LuckyKBoxer said:


> You know what, as surprising as it is.. I really don't care..
> I see no good to come from releasing them.
> I do not need to see them, it just doesn't matter to me.
> I also believe that those that don't beleive he is dead and that the government is lying will say the photos are fake anyways.
> ...



Today truly marks a special occasion.  I agree with LuckyKBoxer 100%.

Wow... never thought I'd live to see it.


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## MA-Caver (May 5, 2011)

Obama's final word on the photos. 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelo...elookout/debate-confusion-on-bin-laden-photos


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## Bob Hubbard (May 5, 2011)

If I showed you a photo of a dead man, would you know he was really dead?

I'll digress here: (note should be work safe)
Men and women have 2 breasts right?
Are you sure?
http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/files/2008/12/picture-12.png
I see 3 there.  Look natural to me.
Here too.
http://www.lonewolffx.com/images/pi...arge/character/3-breasted-woman-big-photo.jpg

Now, obviously those are fake.

So are the 10 different Osama pics I've seen so far.  Every one is a photo manipulation based on existing known photos.  Some are a few years old in fact.

So, releasing them, proves nothing.  

So, what would the release do?
Anger people who we're not yet engaged against.
Increase hostilities against our troops, and civilians abroad.

Anyone demanding the release of these photos, needs to answer one question:
Does their desire to see them, outweigh the safety of American's abroad?


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## elder999 (May 5, 2011)

Bob Hubbard said:


> Now, obviously those are fake.
> ?


 

Not, necessarily.

I knew a girl who had a supernumerary nipple in college.......


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## Bob Hubbard (May 5, 2011)

elder999 said:


> Not, necessarily.
> 
> I knew a girl who had a supernumerary nipple in college.......


And I saw a gal like that in Mallrats.  In my case, a fake.


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## MA-Caver (May 5, 2011)

Bob Hubbard said:


> And I saw a gal like that in Mallrats.  In my case, a fake.


Yeah and there was one in Total Recall too... faked but kinda funny when you see that Benny guy handling them... then knowing those hands were faked too.


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## Bob Hubbard (May 5, 2011)

And, all that's my point.  Hell, I'm pretty honest when I post my shots, but if I didn't tell you what I did, do you know?  Can you tell when I've removed acne, wrinkles, lifted a boob, firmed up a fanny, of tweaked a waist?  There are experts who make magic.


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## Tez3 (May 6, 2011)

Bob Hubbard said:


> And, all that's my point. Hell, I'm pretty honest when I post my shots, but if I didn't tell you what I did, do you know? Can you tell when I've removed acne, wrinkles, lifted a boob,* firmed up a fanny,* of tweaked a waist? There are experts who make magic.


 

Just choked on my coffee there!

We have a chap on a UK MMA forum who is an absolute star at changing photos, he posts fight ones up with all sorts of alterations, many very funny. They look very real, it's only because you know someone didn't fight another that these aren't real.


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