Democratic Underground Latest Greatest Lobby Journals Search Options Help Login
Google

Bin Laden's 'luxury' compound?

Printer-friendly format Printer-friendly format
Printer-friendly format Email this thread to a friend
Printer-friendly format Bookmark this thread
This topic is archived.
Home » Discuss » General Discussion Donate to DU
 
guardian Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-03-11 12:16 PM
Original message
Bin Laden's 'luxury' compound?
Why are all the news reports referring to Bin Laden's compound as this "million dollar" or "luxury" compound? It looks like a 3 story chicken coop. I've seen better quality furniture in a freshman college dorm room. Look at the video:

* cheap platform bed
* cheap shelving with angle brackets on the wall
* cans of food on the open shelves
* cinder block shelf in the closet
* almost no furniture
* bare walls

I guess it is a step up from a cave, but calling this place "luxurious" is like calling a single wide trailer "palatial".
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
brooklynite Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-03-11 12:20 PM
Response to Original message
1. In all fairness...
I don't think the maid's been in since the Seals left.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Bake Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-03-11 01:04 PM
Response to Reply #1
10. I just sprayed coffee on my keyboard!
Curses!!

:rofl:

Bake
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Drale Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-03-11 12:20 PM
Response to Original message
2. Luxury compared to the rest of Pakistan
Abbottabad was a town started in the 1800's by a British Army Major, James Abbott. Its the "suburbs" and its where the rich people and retired government offices live.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Renew Deal Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-03-11 12:21 PM
Response to Original message
3. Look at the surrounding neighborhood
It's also a bit of propoganda.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
sgsmith Donating Member (305 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-03-11 12:24 PM
Response to Original message
4. Think of a house which has been "tossed" by the police
They're usually pretty messed up, right?

All of those photos and videos came after the SEAL team tossed the rooms while looking for intelligence items. The place probably looked a lot better before the raid.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
guardian Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-03-11 12:30 PM
Response to Reply #4
5. messy /= spartan
I'm not talking about the blood or tipped over furniture. I'm looking at the furniture itself. I'm looking at the photos of the exterior. It is a shithole.

Maybe they wouldn't be intent on beheading half the world if they could just get an overstuffed chair and indoor plumbing?
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
louis-t Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-03-11 01:34 PM
Response to Reply #4
13. Did the SEALs pull out $50,000 worth of Kraftmaid cabinets?
Or the marble floors? Or the gold bathroom fixtures? I think the money spent on the house was put into security, not Martha Stewart. :P
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
PeaceNikki Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-03-11 02:08 PM
Response to Reply #13
15. This ^ "the money spent on the house was put into security, not Martha Stewart"
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
snooper2 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-03-11 12:31 PM
Response to Original message
6. location location location, look at some of the shitholes in CA people pay 3-400,00K for
:)
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Skip_In_Boulder Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-03-11 12:31 PM
Response to Original message
7. The pictures I saw of it looked like a dump. n/t
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
flamingdem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-03-11 12:36 PM
Response to Original message
8. I wonder who will live there next ... nt
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
guardian Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-03-11 12:40 PM
Response to Reply #8
9. I can see it now
A big gaudy tourist trap. Bigs signs out front: "Sleep in the same room where OBL was killed" Adventure tourism at its best.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
flamingdem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-03-11 02:06 PM
Response to Reply #9
14. extreme terrorist tourism, I can see a market for that! nt
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Igel Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-03-11 01:13 PM
Response to Original message
11. "Luxury" is relative.
Visited a lordly manorhouse. Granted, the floors were made out of wood, but it was damned cold in winter. Drafty. And they tended to use a room as the bathroom, sealing it off when it got too rank. The kitchen was outside, essentially--even in winter. The beds sucked (literally, if you count the bedbugs). There weren't good washing facilities, not that you'd want them when the room temperature is 40 F.

I compared the 20k sq ft thing, considered the height of luxury when it was in use, with the 240 sq ft apt I was living in. My apt. was luxurious by comparison.

Then again, at the time all the drawbacks that the manor house had were shared by the common folks' housing--but most of the commoners' housing's problems weren't shared by the lord. So his digs were luxurious. However squalid they were by my standards.

Perspective.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Johonny Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-03-11 02:19 PM
Response to Reply #11
18. +1
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
krawhitham Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-03-11 01:18 PM
Response to Original message
12. beats a hole in the ground
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
kenny blankenship Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-03-11 02:12 PM
Response to Original message
16. Compared to the sort of place I would have told him to hide in, it's luxury
It's no hideout either. For various reasons.

I've seen this "objection" several times now, and I still don't get what moves people to bring it up.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
spanone Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-03-11 02:14 PM
Response to Original message
17.  comparing what's luxurious in pakistan to what's luxurious in the u.s.?
they speak a different language too
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
guardian Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-03-11 03:13 PM
Response to Reply #17
19. I'm criticizing the media
You have an American media talking to an American audience that is calling it a "luxury compound"
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
DU AdBot (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view 
this author's profile Click to add 
this author to your buddy list Click to add 
this author to your Ignore list Mon May 13th 2024, 05:48 AM
Response to Original message
Advertisements [?]
 Top

Home » Discuss » General Discussion Donate to DU

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators


Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.

Home  |  Discussion Forums  |  Journals |  Store  |  Donate

About DU  |  Contact Us  |  Privacy Policy

Got a message for Democratic Underground? Click here to send us a message.

© 2001 - 2011 Democratic Underground, LLC