Bin Laden Celebrates

those guys sure know how to party...
posted by jbelshaw at 10:54 AM on October 5, 2001

I've been to funerals that were more of a celebration than that...Osama standing around looking like he's posing for a high school yearbook picture.

How do we know what the context is?
posted by msacheson at 11:02 AM on October 5, 2001

This is already being reported on CNN as being from earlier in 2001. It's allegedly a celebration of the merger between al Qaeda and the Egyptian Islamic Jihad.
posted by kirkaracha at 11:03 AM on October 5, 2001

wow, they're really whooping it up. my problem with this video is that there doesn't seem to be anything to indicate when it happened. is there a link for an accompanying story?
posted by mb01 at 11:03 AM on October 5, 2001

Haven't the major news sources said that they can't confirm the context or timeframe of this footage? I'm not sure if this qualifies as incriminating proof unless anyone here speaks Arabic and understood the voiceover.
posted by Karl at 11:03 AM on October 5, 2001

(it's all so obvious, but...)

so

1- where did this video come from?

2- how can we know that's bin laden?

3- how can we know when this video was shot?

4- how can we know the nature of the event we're witnessing?
posted by rebeccablood at 11:04 AM on October 5, 2001

Wow, similarly worded triple-post at 11:03AM PST. That was impressive!
posted by Karl at 11:05 AM on October 5, 2001

Celebration? It looked like OBL standing with some people, some of which were obviously armed militants of some sort. No date/tie stamp, no translation, no nothing that indicates that this didn't happen 8 months ago as opposed to a few weeks ago. I'm not attacking the poster, but whoever released this and described it as a celebration is an amateur propagandist. That, or OBL has to lighten up and learn how to throw a party.
posted by holycola at 11:10 AM on October 5, 2001

Here's a full news story explaining the footage. It is not a 9/11 celebration.
posted by ewagoner at 11:16 AM on October 5, 2001

I got this footage off of the thisislondon.com website, which was posted on the Drudge Report website. I can only vouch for the websites which posted it. I wasn't holding the camera for that party! :)
posted by Lanternjmk at 11:18 AM on October 5, 2001

Lanternjmk, I wouldn't trust too much from the Drudge Report.
posted by schlomo at 11:36 AM on October 5, 2001

They edited out the part where Osama blindfolds the Egyptian Jihad guy, spins him around three times, and points him at a pinata, that's why there's so much confusion.
posted by briank at 11:37 AM on October 5, 2001

Nice to see that Metafilter is now an unsubstantiated-and-soon-to-be-discredited-rumor-log.

[rant]

You know........ there's a reason why Matt added the text in huge, obnoxious letters on the post page. Not only is there zero stimulus for discussion in such a post, but it's not new, it's not news, and it's not even true.

In short, we come to Metafilter for discussion and great links. Right? Hello? Is this thing on?

[/rant]
posted by y6y6y6 at 11:45 AM on October 5, 2001

I always take what's on the Drudge Report with a grain of salt. He seems to have his own political agenda on his website, but he does put on some interesting stuff.
posted by Lanternjmk at 12:02 PM on October 5, 2001

Lanternjmk, did you miss y6's point about the huge yellow notice asking people not to post crappy WTC links?
posted by rodii at 12:08 PM on October 5, 2001

I liked this post. Now, I'm no MeFi Elder, but it seems to me the "agreed" upon way to complain about posts is twofold:

1) Take said post to MetaTalk, for discussion there.

2) Write your Congressperson.

Don't post a comment about "This thread is stupid" in the thread. All posts are legit unless Matt thinks differently and deletes them. God knows there have been a few of those posts lately. However, if it stays, then let the people who want to discuss it do so in virtual peace. Just my $.02.
posted by thewittyname at 12:09 PM on October 5, 2001

thisispropaganda
posted by asok at 12:11 PM on October 5, 2001

no link on relevant page...
maybe not a 'real' story, even by the london standards, er, standards.
posted by asok at 12:18 PM on October 5, 2001

C'mon guys! This has to be a good post! It's gotten 20 responses so far!
posted by dogmatic at 12:24 PM on October 5, 2001

make that 21
posted by msacheson at 12:27 PM on October 5, 2001

Don't post a comment about "This thread is stupid" in the thread.

I think "this link is not what it claims to be" is perfectly valid discussion within the thread. Lengthy discussions about the validity of a post do belong in MetaTalk, but this isn't a lengthy discussion...

It's a bogus link. Let's move on.
posted by jpoulos at 12:40 PM on October 5, 2001

"All posts are legit unless Matt thinks differently and deletes them."

Wrong. Matt has a life, he doesn't get paid to do this, and we have him out numbered 10,000 to 1. We build this place together. Asking him to edit or even comment on any questionable post is asking him to do something he doesn't want to do. Am I being rude? Yes. I'm sure others would be more diplomatic. Should this be in Metatalk? Sure. But we've already had two recent Metatalk threads about this. People don't seem to be getting it.

And I'm very interested in why you liked this post. What did I miss? It's a link to a video. No commentary. No opinion.
posted by y6y6y6 at 12:40 PM on October 5, 2001

I'm not posting to say that this is a stupid post. Just wouldn't be prudent. That would belong in the MetaTalk. I wouldn't want to criticize anyone about violating the sacred rules of MetaFilter and break the sacred rules of MetaFilter in the process. Might be hypocritical. Wouldn't be prudent.
#22 :)
posted by nofundy at 12:42 PM on October 5, 2001

For being my first post, I know now what NOT to do! :) I still think it ranks higher on the stupid meter than the remote control vibrator story. If I've offended some, it was not my intent. How about cutting the newbie a little slack
posted by Lanternjmk at 12:58 PM on October 5, 2001

Y6, methinks thou dost bitch and whine too much...

Yeah, some people post slightly outside the lines but so what. This is supposed to be a community, who died and made you judge, jury and executioner?

No, it wasn't a perfect or even particularly good link, but like Lantern said, cut the new guy some slack, nobody likes a bully.

"Matt has a life" which would explain why he isn't always in here bitching about how this post or that one doesn't meet the exact standards for posting.
posted by TiggleTaggleTiger at 1:22 PM on October 5, 2001

"Lee Harvey! YOU are a MAD MAN! When you stole that cow .. and your friend tried to make it with the cow. I want to party with you cowboy! The two of us together, forget it!" - Bill Murray as John Winger in Stripes
posted by Vek at 1:44 PM on October 5, 2001

How about cutting the newbie a little slack

Absolutely right. Unfortunately, Lanternjmk, you're bearing the brunt of some frutstrated users. Thanks for not taking the criticism personally.

who died and made you judge, jury and executioner?

Matt has made this a self-policing community. Hence, he made us all judges, etc.

"Matt has a life" which would explain why he isn't always in here bitching about how this post or that one doesn't meet the exact standards for posting.

Exactly right. He leaves that to all of us, who don't. Deal with it.
posted by jpoulos at 1:46 PM on October 5, 2001

Quite possibly the worst "celebration" video ever shot. When was it shot? Who shot it? And how does Bin Laden standing stone-faced for a long time and then sitting down mak this an indictment on him?

No doubt, he's to blame for the recent terrorists attacks. But what does this video do?
posted by RoyalJack at 1:59 PM on October 5, 2001

Jpoulos, my point was that there is a certain contingent of people who seem to know what is best for MetaFilter. These people bitch a lot. You are one of them.

If it is OK for you guys to bitch about your not liking the way some people post then it should be fine for me to critique your style, right?
I feel that complaining about a post serves only to make you feel important and make the poster feel small. We all already know how you feel about this kind of post, you've all made it abundantly clear. Why do you keep going on about it?
posted by TiggleTaggleTiger at 2:50 PM on October 5, 2001

TiggleTaggleTiger writes: << Jpoulos, my point was that there is a certain contingent of people who seem to know what is best for MetaFilter. These people bitch a lot. You are one of them. >>

Yah, that's actually true JPoulos, you do bitch a lot. Sorry if this isn't a valid post within this thread btw. Do let me know how I can improve and rise up the ranks of the MetaFilter posting elite.
posted by daragh at 3:37 PM on October 5, 2001

TiggleTaggleTiger writes: << Jpoulos, my point was that there is a certain contingent of people who seem to know what is best for MetaFilter. These people bitch a lot. You are one of them. >>

Yah, that's actually true JPoulos, you do bitch a lot. Sorry if this isn't a valid post within this thread btw. Do let me know how I can improve and rise up the ranks of the MetaFilter posting elite.
posted by daragh at 3:38 PM on October 5, 2001

Do let me know how I can improve and rise up the ranks of the MetaFilter posting elite.

That's easy. You have to have over 1200 posts in less than a year, proving you rarely see the light of day and judge your selfworth entirely by your status at mefi.
posted by dantheman at 4:14 PM on October 5, 2001

nice one, lanternjmk!
stills from that footage are on the front of all the major uk newspapers.
what a party!
posted by asok at 4:20 PM on October 5, 2001

you do have to wonder why we're seeing it now.
pervious bin laden media excursions have promoted his 'family guy' appeal.
that article explaining it (ewagoner, above) could've been a bit more hysterical, couldn't it? it just made me suspicious having no page title.
no links yet to the newspapers - not distributed for 5 hours yet.
check out name of this url.
same footage, same article.
posted by asok at 4:41 PM on October 5, 2001

Do let me know how I can improve and rise up the ranks of the MetaFilter posting elite.

Actually, you just have to avoid quadruple posts. While it may allow you to pass that 1200-post per annum threshold that bit faster, it won't help establish your credentials here.
posted by holgate at 4:59 PM on October 5, 2001

from ntk:
'And does bin Laden get to sue for using his image without permission?'
posted by asok at 5:20 PM on October 5, 2001

I feel that complaining about a post serves only to make you feel important and make the poster feel small.

To be perfectly honest, I'm a little embarrassed with all the bitching I've been doing. I don't feel "important" at all. I feel like the loudmouth in a bar who won't stop complaining that they turned off the hockey game for a rerun of Friends. But....

Why do you keep going on about it?

....But I keep going on about it because I care about this site. I'm sorry if I'm bugging you. (really. I don't mean that in a snarky way. I'm not trying to bug anyone.) I'm just trying to help. If it hurts people's feelings from time to time, I'm sorry. But I think these things must be said.

Do let me know how I can improve and rise up the ranks of the MetaFilter posting elite.

Kneel down for a second and I'll show you...
posted by jpoulos at 6:29 PM on October 5, 2001

>>If it hurts people's feelings from time to time

i don't think anybody's feeling got hurt, jpolous, they just seemed to be pointing out how some folks seem to enjoy playing MetaPoliceman a little too much, and it's just that it gets kinda, well, boring, that's all.
posted by nobody_knose at 11:55 PM on October 5, 2001

at least you care jpolous
posted by asok at 4:34 AM on October 6, 2001

Sigh, Real video. Why doesn't anyone post downloadable news videos so we can screw with them on FilePile?
posted by joemaller at 5:29 AM on October 6, 2001

Bin Laden Celebrates October 5, 2001 10:51 AM Subscribe

Bin Laden Celebrates
October 5, 2001 10:51 AM Subscribe