Death in/of Public Domain

Where in the World is Osama, Still?

By Anthony Pilloud
Contributing Writer

Two weeks ago, the world was given the news that rebel forces had found, overthrown, and subsequently killed the Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. The event marks another strike on the veritable checklist of middle-eastern rebellions that have swept throughout the year, with the most notable start of Egypt’s revolution that began in January and “ended” with Mubarak’s resignation the following month.

Within days, nay, hours if that, of Gaddafi’s death, supposed cell phone photos of the overthrown leader’s body were posted on the Internet, and now can be seen with little more than a passing search engine click. The graphic pictures express a combination of revolutionary hope and grotesquery.

The debate rages over whether or not the photos should even be allowed public access, if we should respect the dead whomever they may have been in life, or if the ever-growing public domain aspect of the Internet makes these arguments void. Either way, the event bears a striking resemblance to the YouTube craze following Saddam Hussein’s execution: should I or shouldn’t I watch?

Who owns public domain? There is always the argument that if you do not want to see the graphic reality of these images and videos, then don’t look for them; but in all honesty this becomes increasingly difficult. CCN’s coverage did post a white-word-on-black disclaimer over the photos, one that you had to intentionally click over in order to view the photographs themselves, but the headline itself was posted in bold on top of their webpage. If they offend you, it is not easy to avoid them, save not using the Internet at all; it is not like they won’t be published regardless.

Yet the true question that arises is this: if it is so easy to uncover graphic images of real-life terrorists and dictators, then where are the images of Osama Bin Laden? The government execution of Hussein was not only videotaped but posted on YouTube (once again, by a third party hand-cam), and Gaddafi’s photos seemed to be posted while he was still dying. So why not Bin Laden, easily one of the most publicly villainized war criminals of our day and age, and also the most recognizable within the United States?

The biggest difference between these two scenarios is clear: those that are now public domain were not taken by the United States. The assault on and death of Bin Laden was entirely a U.S. government operation, and was highly publicized, yet the supposed images of his corpse are non-existent. The need for decency within the entire country outweighs the significance of the single greatest proof of the event we all read happened.

Most shockingly, there has been no (publicized) attempt to retrieve them, whether that be from government officials/organizations or independent parties. The Hack Wars still rage; groups such as Lulzsec literally flaunted their talents like arrogant youngsters mooning grown-ups as they tore down the security of extremely powerful corporations and organizations alike. Hackivist groups like Anonymous have been known to organize mass assaults on child-pornography web sites to crash them and effectively remove them from the Internet, and are (despite their unofficial group status and relatively unorganized result of the group itself) outspoken in their desires for free thought and exchange of information. I don’t even need to get started on WikiLeaks, but I will: where the h*ll are they in all this?

Why haven’t they tried? Or rather, why haven’t we heard of them trying?

I am not attempting to spark a conspiracy theory on this subject. I am not suggesting that Obama staged Bin Laden’s death, or that any group who attempts to uncover these photographs are being secretly silenced without public knowledge. I would have just as much evidence to argue that Obama is Bin Laden (which, unfortunately, is still something people do in fact argue for). The most reasonable and evident answer is either there are no photos of his corpse and he was simply dumped before anyone did take photos or if they do exist they are being withheld, most likely for the sake of common decency.

Yet that seems to be a problem in of itself. Are we to assume that the higher ups all believe that we are too childish to see the real result of the U.S. government’s work? We already know that we killed him, that we wanted him dead and took the measures to execute him. How many Americans prayed for it post 9/11, and how many have prayed for it ever since? Is it not important that we look upon the raw, physical, factual evidence that shows us what we are all capable of?

Perhaps it is simply easier to let the rebels post them for us.

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