Friday, May 27, 2011

Kumfee Skripchurz

These copied from the Lolcat Bible; I (practice!) paraphrased some bits closer to what I thought was meant in the source:

Psalm 23


1 Ceiling Cat iz mai sheprd (which is funni if u knowz teh joek about herdin catz LOL.)  He givz me evrithin I need.

2 He letz me sleeps in teh sunni spot an haz liek nice waterz r ovar thar.
3 He makez mai soul happi an maeks sure I go teh riet wai for him. Liek thru teh cat flap instead of out teh opin windo LOL.

4 I iz in teh valli of dogz, fearin no pooch, bcz Ceiling Cat iz besied me rubbin' mah ears, an it maek me so kumfy.

5 He letz me sit at teh taebl evn when peepl who duzint liek me iz watchn.

He givz me a flea baff an so much gooshy fud it runz out of mai bowl LOL.

6 Niec things an luvstuf wil chase me evrydai, an I wil liv in Ceiling Cat's houz forevr.
Psalm 91

1 Dem what iz in teh hidey patio wif Ceiling Cat iz bunkered under teh sayftee shade of All-Pwnzer

2 Sez uv Ceiling Cat, iz mah under-cowch an bukkit, an i gots trust in Him.

3 Iz gonna saev U frum teh spyderwebz an frum teh vakuum cleenr.

4 Him iz can cuvr U wif fethrs an under Hiz wings U iz safe (Ceiling Cat iz burdy?) Hiz truth is can be ur bukkit.

5 U iz not skeerd uv big skaries in nite, r the bad throwy pplz in day

6 Or chompyz or sikkyz in drkness, r of all teh boomz n skreechy wrekkrz of daytiem.

7 1000 can haz fall dwn, 10000 goz bum, but not u! Srsly.

8 U just see teh nastiez getz pwnd, k?

9 C u maded Ceiling Cat ur howz (Hez mah bukkit, Hez so kewl);

10 No bad stuffz can pwn you lol, no herpiz up in ur houz 4 real.

11 He iz making Hiz angels watch ovr u wif mad skillz, dey keepz u safe evrywhere (even in teh sanbox!)

12 Dere pawz iz holding u up so u don getz owiez.

13 U can stomp teh lions and teh poyzensnayx; sabbij lionses an trajktrukz u can squish dem wif ur paw.

14 C, he setted hiz luv on Me, Ceiling Cat, so I safe him kthx. 'He can haz top of shelf cuz he noes Mai Naym'.

15 Wen he sez 'Hay r U dere?' I be liek 'Oh, Hai!'. In teh bad tiems I be dere, I safes him an giv cookies.

16 He can haz nine liefs long as he needz, an c I haz him be safed.

PREACHIEZ UPONNA TEH MOWTN BY HAPPY CAT - exrpz fum St. Mafu Kumfeen00z:


Teh BeCatitudes

5:1 Wen He seez lotz kittehz, He climbz tree. His BFz climbz tree too.  (2) He sez hai and He teaches teh kittehs, He sez:

3 Cheezburgrz 4 teh needyn00bz in spirit, theys can has teh Ceiling.

4 Cheezburgrz 4 teh sad kittehs, theys can has purry petting.

5 Cheezburgrz 4 teh m33k kittehs, theys can has teh urfs.

6 Cheezburgrz 4 teh kittehs who sez "I can has gud, plz?", theys can has it.

7 Cheezburgrz 4 teh kittehs dat no pwns, Ceiling Cat no pwnz0rz thems.

8 Cheezburgrz 4 teh kittehs purr in hartz, theys can sees Ceiling Cat.

9 Cheezburgrz 4 teh kittehs dat make 4 calmiez n 2 gif selfz spitbafs insted, Ceiling Cat is liek 'u Mai own huny babykitts.'

10 Cheezburgrz 4 teh kittehs wut gets pwned whencuz theys tryn to be gud; Theys got Ceiling, too.

11 Cheezburgrz wen u get snarlz & kikz & "DO NOT WANT" skrambulancez 2 u, an liez abt u, coz u wurkn 4 Meh.

12 B teh happys n party, coz u can has noenda livrcookiez n kremeyz & tooneycakez n chzbrgrs n lounjin n kudlz & kissiez n happyrompz in Ceiling's Foofyfieldz . Membr teh gud ol holee kittehs b4 got treetd bad toos (but theys made teh rght choys, u betr bleevit!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

6:25 so I sez, stop havin teh kittibirfs bout ur lifes, wat cheezburgerz or drinx u is havin, or about ur bodeez n how u iz furfulld. Iz life not moar importint den teh fudz, and teh bodeez moar importint den foofyz? 26 Lookit teh birdz in teh ceilingz, dey dont be in fieldz hordin up f00dz or puttin dem away in barnz, but Ceiling Cat givez dem f00dz anywayz so twete, lolz. Wat, u aint more pricy den dem? 27 U shur cant make yr life longur by havin teh kittibirf fiz bout it aniwayz.


28 And y u be havin woeiz about yr kittisootz? Lookit teh lileez in teh fieldz. Dey dont work or nuffingz 29 but Solom0n koont pwn them even with his pimp outfitz. No rly. 30 If Ceiling Cat makes teh grass all pritty, and it gets thrwn into teh 0venz 2morr0w, He kn make floofiez 4 u, u por dowtykatz. 31 So plz to be stoppin havin teh mowiwoeiz n sayin "oh noez, can i has cheezburger?" "Dey good or gotz hidy skariez? "Iz enuf or notz?" or "how much spiffyz in ma kittisoot 2dae?" 32 Bcuz onlee teh n00bz be havin kittibirfz about thees thingz, k? Ceiling Cat noez wat u need. srsly. 33 Be hunty 1st for teh kingd0m and teh duguddinessment of teh Ceiling Cat, an u can has all dese thingz. 34 So stop havin teh frikin kittibirfz and chuuyrsef woeiz bout teh f00chr bcuz it prolly g0tz mo than nuff nastiz alreddy wif0ut u pilin on xtra. 2dae pwns enuff!! Kthxbai.

 





I Can Has Bukkit Definition

Maybe...  In any event, As the aion gets more and more wildly doomy -and I  (conspiracy theorist!!) suspect most of it has come by way of bad guys with propaganda weapons, HAARP-fears weapons, etc.,  I'm currently trying to get back to being something other than a squeeker version of an Old Testament prophet.  I s'pose I've already said most of my What the FN Problems Are & What We Oughta Do spiels, so instead of Yet More Repetition of same, perhaps my work here should get back to the original, more FLOOFY - or at least less political - mandate.  How?  With So Many and Great Temptations?  Well, maybe~~~

LOLSPEAK TRANSLATIONS

With the added safety (I hope) of, if I'm tooooooooo tempted by news items, rendering them into loopy baby pidjin will diffuse some of the wounded wrath and self-righteousness.

I spend much of my spare time - especially now that I'm really a physical wreck - with the Consolations of Philosophy... Which in my case, beyond Religion, is mostly nature guide aided dreams, and cozy / humorous mystery novels (occasionally finding a curiously-shaped link in cryptozoology); so I really ought to try harder to spread some comfort.  If anyone reads this... Well, I expect the  homeless people in the death and wreckage of disaster-and-war zones don't really need to hear another (essentially powerless) voice telling them that Our Priorities Need Big-Time Re-Adjustment!

But first, I had to try to get one thing straight.  My Glorious Quest thereto has shown that this is (if not at the profound level of Why Has a Good God Allowed Evil, or even the True Meaning of Louie, Louie), it still is a widespread mystery to many longing souls: 

Click here: bukkit lolrus - Google Search about 15,000.  Haven't been able to find a straight definition. Don't think anyone knows for sure; just like the whimsy. 'Bucket' in slang mostly relates to 'kick the bucket' -which goes back to the Hindu 'kick the frame' = soul kicks itself off the body (recently, 'bucket list' has come to mean, 'list of things to do before one dies'), to an overly cavernous vagina, or to a useable but obviously decaying car. It also may be literal: 'Sumtienz a bukkit iz jus a bukkit', but it is supremely precious to the fabled 'lolrus' /walrus. The obvious real-world connection is, the zoo walrus has his meals brought to him in the BUCKET. However, in the 'saga';


http://speaklolspeak.com/.../Teh+story+of+teh+lolrus+who+haz+lost+his+Bukkit
http://icanhascheezburger.com/lolrus/
http://www.walrusbucketsaga.com/

'The Lolrus and Bukkit talked about everything under the sun...' The bukkit is confidante, best friend, beloved: Not the body kicked by the escaping soul, but more nearly the soul and metaphorical 'heart' itself. The shadings of the pejorative other uses and the singular pathos of the walrus's search for his own bucket suggest the BUKKIT is something most precious to an individual, though the object be scorned as of little value to others.

Then there is the Walrus:

(1) Also known as the lolrus, which may = 'laughs out loud are us', or (see:)
(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_the_Walrus This song has frequently been attached, apparently by sheer bizarreness and its own partial inspiration in Lewis Carroll's The Walrus and the Carpenter with The White Album, and has been covered by doom groups, suggesting that the Walrus is or brings death. As such, The Walrus and his Bukkit may be a lite, Cheez-y, bathetic parody of Death Takes a Holiday (radio play online here).
(3) The Farfarers.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Two Snappy Comments From FrumForum

Cantor: GOP Won’t Budge on Cuts | FrumForum

Comments:

LFC // May 18, 2011 at 10:48 am

Dear Dems. Grow a f***ing sack and tell them that you simply won’t stand for a refusal to negotiate. If they don’t come to the table, go to every media outlet you can and repeat over and over and over and over that the Republicans refuse to negotiate and would rather destroy our nation’s fragile economic recovery than to compromise on anything. Don’t let up. Don’t change message.

And when they start getting the blame for the shut-down, and they will, they will negotiate. At that point, go to every media outlet you can and repeat over and over and over and over that you are happy that the Republicans have finally agreed to compromise. Damn them with faint praise. They will think twice about holding their breath and stamping their feet on crucial issues in the future.

Just as Obama has done, you now have the ability to stand up as the adults in the room. Don’t let the opportunity pass because you’re scared.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Rob_654 // May 18, 2011 at 11:52 am

Can we just stop with the Social Conservative babble about the United States being a “Christian Nation”?

No “Christian Nation" would believe that Jesus would prefer that poor people get the proverbial axe to ensure that wealthy people don’t have to give up a few percentage points in taxes.



Monday, May 16, 2011

A Taste of Bhutto Legacy...

Fascinating and moving Independent Lens thing more-or-less now playing somewhere on PBS.  The Bhuttos are perhaps the epitome of the World's long legacy of genuinely heroic martyrs to compassionate idealism and the benefit of suffering humanity while profiteering from power positions.  They also (shades of Jimmy Carter!) promoted NUKES, woe is we.

Here is a website of interest to Pakistan-watchers, and a couple of links from it.

Click here: ‘Zulfikarabad’: A great gift to the nation by the PPP government

LUBP


Pakistan’s ISI-backed jihadi media mourns Osama bin Laden


ISI chief had lips sealed when quizzed about Osama bin Laden -by Amir Mir  

Mortal Remains to Be Unseen

(Less fun than the great Joan Hess's Mortal Remains in Maggody, but tidier, one hopes!)


Having been, in main, monstrously ill-used by physicians all my life, I loathe them as a species. This may be unfair and simply mine own schemazel... Though comparable fates seem to be / have been similarly shared by millions, and the sins of individual physicians welded and well mix't with institutional and (at least quasi-) governmental policy & mandate. My moral, yet self-serving-in-many ways answer to the problem of my wanting to KILLLLLLLLLL them like I'd want to kill a nest of wasps at a nursery school, is that I've, for more than a decade, given up going to them (with the possible exception of certain quick/cheap patch jobs and Issues of Public Health. So far, despite innumerable conditions and occasions that would have sent many others to the hospital, in more than a decade, I've only decided: I can has tetanus shot). Besides not having any money, anyway.,

Similarly, from reasons of practicality, 'tude and aesthetics, as I skip at-least-weekly back 'n' forth between Is This Spell Gonna Kill Me Today (?) or Am I at the Point of Being More of a Deplorable Burden to Myself and Others Than A Help (?) and I Can Do This and Make My Breathing (limited as it is) Worthwhile, I contemplate the best things to do with my mortal remains.

It's too cruel an irony for 'way more money to be spent on disposing of my corpse than on real me while still in-body. At first I liked the Giving My Body to Science option, but the diabolical uses to which the industry of Spare Tissue --including that Untimely Rip'd from wombs and the Excess (Third World / poor) Population, made me remove my Donor Dot and Just Say No. I kinda think immune-suppressing drugs for organ transplants had a lot to do with the development of HIV/AIDS, anyway. There are few legally dedicated Green Burial sites, unfortunately, and there's a whole expensive rigamarole for being Dumped in the Ocean, including previous cremation (uhhaggggh, fie, yuchh!!). What Sounds Really Good to Me is:

THE PAIUTE WAY (and the CAT Way; I am Decrepit Catwoman!)~ When a person definitely feels (he or) she's going to be More of a Wretched Burden Than NOT, she goes on walkabout to uninhabited places till she breaks down and dies, with any luck having been able to find some hidey-crevice to lie down in and pull a buncha leaves over herself. THAT's GRACIOUS.

That's what I want to do if I can. It may be really mistaken; I hope it won't make anything worse for my survivors or anyone. God bless them and guide me right!!!

(I'm not going just yet-!).

Friday, May 13, 2011

Nukes Afire - A More Likely Nuclear Catastophe

Xlnt article; too long to post here:
Click here: The Center for Public Integrity: A More Likely Nuclear Nightmare < +picture stories
By Susan Q. Stranahan

Thursday, May 12, 2011

'Courts' Are Not JUSTICE

Forensic procedure, 'law & order' is not justice.  Our major news stories of late have spoken primarily about whether JUSTICE has been served, or not.  Vengeance may partake of justice, perhaps more often than proceedings of judicial courts, but it is not justice.  ...At least, not 'justice', as we most commonly use the word:  As an ideal of EQUAL RETURN; a pure fair compensation.

The judge who convicted a (Ukrainian-born, later 'Ohioan') functionary of the Sobibor Nazi death camp released him pending appeal, said, 'It's the law, so it's justice'. --Translated from the German, apparently, and perhaps faulty in translation, but the sentence remains as either a pointless redundancy~ 'law=justice', or a false invocation of 'justice' as an ideal.  'Government existing by the free advice and consent of  a well-informed, sane, honest adult general-public-governed' is an ideal, 'government exists for the convenience of the governors' has been the age-after-age Machiavellian reality.  Sometimes 'the people', and even the better Powers That Be influence laws, police forces, and the judicial system, so that there is some benefit to the governed and some approximation of the ideal of justice, but to say the system is actually justice-in-the-ideal is like saying the bright glimmerings on the ocean is the ocean.

Then there's Bin Laden's Son Reportedly Calls Father's Killing 'Criminal' and Michael Moore, the often-real-hero who can sometimes go off the deep end with full-of-himself hot air, suggesting the same thing.

Mass murderers - whether proud admitters like bin Laden, deniers like death camp 'mechanics' who are actually guilty... Or heads of warring nations, their 'universal soldiers' (those who hadn't been turned into zombots by the relentless propaganda of government and popular culture mindfyx-since-birth...And those we-never-did-that-okay-FOIA-so-we-did-but-it-wasn't-really-us-it-was-old-dead-guys-and-we-stopped-a-long-time-ago chem/bio, genetic, foetal-&-infant, often really grotesque and torturous physical & psychosomatic experimentation)  and other war/arms profiteers, environment poisoners, cartel-cabalists of manipulated desperation and privation - You know, the folk who get medals, plaques, titles, honors, votes and adulation for herding y'all painfully to your graves... Are not going to get justice in this world (unless you believe in some kind of just recompense by reincarnation - and there are big problems with that!):  Real, ideal JUSTICE meas that they'll understand what they did to their fellow creatures as much as they were willing to be done to their felow creatures.  We mortals are not able to judge that justly nor enact that righteously.  But, at least when the perps have bragged on it, we have the right to take them out.        

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Dead Bin Laden

As Jesus watches our sorry efforts ... Relatively neat and tidy hits have to be better than satanic orgies of profiteering and bringing as many of our fellow creatures as possible to grief on the excuse of (allegedly) trying to bringing a coupla handsful of rotters 'to justice'.  Here are some worthwhile articles:

Family member of U.S. service members: Bin Laden's death can't replace our loved ones, but it's time to end the wars


Thomas Himes, Staff Writer

Posted: 05/02/2011 05:46:52 PM PDT

While the killing of Osama bin Laden came as little comfort to local people who lost loved ones in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the family members of some servicemen said his death has given them cause to hope for the quick withdraw of U.S. forces from the Middle East.

News that bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces in Pakistan on Sunday after a decade-long manhunt, gave Leticia De La Pena reason to reflect on her son, his life and death, she said.

At 25-years-old, La Puente native Esau De La Pena-Hernandez was on his fifth combat tour when he was shot and killed in a battle outside Chak, Afghanistan on May 15, 2009.

De La Pena said the knowledge that bin Laden was killed is of little solace to her and her family.

"The death of this person isn't going to replace my son or the other young people who gave their life for this country," De La Pena said.

The nearly decade old war in Afghanistan and eight year old war in Iraq reached a grim milestone last month when the Department of Defense reported 6,000 U.S. servicemen and women had been killed in the conflicts.

Wayne Hiltz also said Bin Laden's death has done little to fill the void left by his own son.

Cory Hiltz, 20, was one of five soldiers who died on June 28, 2007 when his unit came under attack in Baghdad, said Irwindale's acting police chief, Hiltz.

"While our family, like all Americans and others around the world who disdain terrorism, are gratified
to see his reign of terror has come to an end - it in no way provides relief from the pain and the anguish that our family suffers every day over the loss of our son," Hiltz said choking back his emotions.

Hiltz, however, said he hopes the killing of bin Laden will save American lives by bringing a speedy end to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"We are thankful that none of our forces involved in this operation were injured and hopeful that his death, in some significant way, reduces incidents of terrorism and expedites the safe return of our troops who remain in harm's way," Hiltz said.

Rossana Cambron's 27-year-old son is scheduled to make his third deployment to Iraq with the Army at the end of the month. The Whittier woman said in killing bin Laden, the U.S. military has reached its stated objective for wars that need to end.

"The idea was to go after him because he was the one who was responsible for bombing the towers," Cambron said.

"Now it's done. Let's go home. Enough is enough already," she said.

A call from a relative alerted Cindy Rowe about the death of bin Laden at the hands of U.S. military forces.

The Whittier woman doesn't watch the news.

Rowe, 39, stopped watching news broadcasts after her husband, U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Blue Rowe, was killed May 26, 2009, by an improvised bomb in Panjshir, Afghanistan. He was 33.

"It doesn't bring my husband back to me," she said of the president's announcement. "It doesn't change anything."

Although Rowe is glad about bin Laden's death, she worries "there's someone else who's going to take his place."

Cynthia Fisher, of Arcadia, said her 24-year-old son is currently serving in Afghanistan, as a member of an elite special forces unit - Marine recon. Although she has not heard from him since bin Laden was killed, she said she can imagine his reaction.

"He is probably pleased this quest has come to an end," Fisher said. "But he's probably also somewhat disappointed that he didn't get to experience the capture."

Fisher said that while she is pleased by the news of bin Laden's death, she believe a picture of his body would have helped bring her closure.

"It would give me closure if I had seen an actual photo of his corpse before he was buried at sea," Fisher said.

Pat Alviso said Bin Laden's death should leave U.S. policymakers with little cause for continuing the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Alviso has dedicated the last five years of her life to organizing rallies in Los Angeles and Orange County in an effort to bring home U.S. servicemen and women. Her son returned home from his fourth tour in Iraq last week.

"This is another piece we hope that will help us bring our loved ones home," Alviso said. "I can't think of another reason why we would stay there."

De La Hernandez, however, isn't as hopeful as some military family members. She said she has little faith that bin Laden's death will end U.S. military actions in Afghanistan, Iraq and the rest of the Middle East.

"It doesn't really give any comfort to me because I think these kind of political issues will continue."

Staff Writer Sandra T. Molina contributed to this story.

Read more: Family member of U.S. service members: Bin Laden's death can't replace our loved ones, but it's time to end the wars - Whittier Daily News http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_17977715?source=rss#ixzz1LJ8ljESc

and

Dianne Feinstein: Bin Laden Was At Pakistan Compound For Up To Six Years


http://www.blogger.com/goog_1323154349
Pakistan , Frank Lautenberg , Osama Bin Laden , President Barack Obama , Sen. Dianne Feinstein , Senate Intelligence Committee , Dianne Feinstein , Osama Bin Laden Dead , Osama Bin Laden Pakistan , Sen. Frank Lautenberg , Politics News

WASHINGTON -- Senate Intelligence Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said Monday that Osama bin Laden had been living on the compound where he was killed for up to six years and expressed concern that the Pakistani government may have known.

“It appears that Osama bin Laden and his family could have lived there for up to six years,” Feinstein told reporters at the Capitol. “This compound has been around [for up to six years] and that’s the belief. I said up to six years.”

The California Democrat voiced concerns that the Pakistani intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), may have known bin Laden was there and not done anything about it, particularly given the compound’s massive size and proximity to Islamabad.

“It’s very hard for me to understand how Pakistani [leaders], particularly the ISI, would not have known that something was going on in that compound,” she said. “I’ve had a growing concern that the Pakistani government … is really walking both sides of the street.”

Feinstein stopped short of calling for cutting off $1.1 billion in U.S. aid to Pakistan for counter-insurgency efforts. But she floated the idea of restructuring those funds in a different way.

“Our government is in fiscal distress,” she said. “To make contributions to a country that isn’t going to be fully supportive is a problem for many.”

Feinstein noted that members of the Intelligence Committee had been briefed on the compound “for some time” and that fact that nobody leaked information about it is “very special.” She also gave President Barack Obama credit “for having the gumption to make the decision” to attack the compound when it still wasn’t 100 percent certain that bin Laden was there. Intelligence officials had been tracking the compound for a while and there was some “actionable intelligence” that bin Laden was there, but nobody had actually identified him yet, she said.

Feinstein isn’t the only key Democrat raising concerns about the Pakistani government's potential knowledge of bin Laden's whereabouts: Sen. Frank Lautenberg (N.J.), vice chairman of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, said it may be time for “a review” of U.S. aid to Pakistan.

“I hate to take a phrase from the past, but someone once said,‘Trust but verify,’” he said.

~*~*~*~*~*Dude:  Trust nobody, trust nothing; try to verify what you can!  And let's face it: 
Pakistan's 'government' is about as much a single unit as China's in the 1920s or France's in Joan of Arc's time.


Why Did Bin Laden Hide In Plain Sight?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-dead-hiding-in-plain-sight_n_856629.html?icid=main%7Chtmlws-main-n%7Cdl1%7Csec3_lnk3%7C211997

NEW YORK -- After living on the run in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, why did the world’s most wanted terrorist decide to stay put for up to six years in a three-story hilltop compound just a thousand yards from Pakistan’s most prestigious military academy?

The resort town of Abbottabad in northwest Pakistan, home to retired military officers, lies less than 40 miles from the capital of Islamabad. It was an unlikely setting for the targeted killing of Osama bin Laden. That incongruity has raised questions about whether Pakistani officials had knowledge of his presence and how American intelligence agencies were finally able to pinpoint his whereabouts after ten years of failing to find the 6’6” terrorist leader with a serious kidney problem.

The house bin Laden was found in had a reputation as a place to be avoided, according to interviews with local residents conducted by USA Today and Time magazine: its threatening exterior boasted 14-foot-high walls topped with barbed wire that surrounded the complex. There was a 7-foot security wall on the second floor, as well as security gates and cameras. The compound was constructed in 2005 to house bin Laden, but it is not clear when he moved in, authorities told The Wall Street Journal. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said today that bin Laden had been living on the compound for up to six years and expressed concern that the Pakistani government may have known. And the sleepy town was starting to attract unwanted attention -- four months ago, Pakistani agents there arrested Indonesian al Qaeda member Umar Patek, who had a $1 million bounty on his head as the mastermind of the 2002 suicide bombings that killed 202 at nightclubs in Bali.

bin Laden’s presence in a town teeming with Pakistani military has reinforced for some the widespread suspicion that the country’s intelligence agencies were fully aware of his movements. “It’s very hard for me to understand how Pakistani [leaders], particularly the ISI, would not have known that something was going on in that compound,” Feinstein said. “I’ve had a growing concern that the Pakistani government … is really walking both sides of the street.”

Despite numerous reports in recent years that bin Laden had fled Afghanistan for Pakistan -- a NATO official said last October that he was “living comfortably” in Pakistan -- the country’s officials have consistently denied such reports. Yet bin Laden’s ability to elude capture in Pakistan has helped fuel such suspicions. After crossing the Tora Bora mountains in December 2001 to Parachinar, Pakistan, where an army brigade was deployed to snag him, he slipped away and headed to the Army garrison town of Kohat before vanishing into thin air, according to intelligence reports.

“Many Americans, convinced that Pakistan has done less than it might to confront radical militants and terrorists, see their worst suspicions confirmed by the fact that bin Laden lived in a large, well-protected compound right under the Pakistani military's nose,” says Daniel Markey, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. ”Either Pakistan's intelligence service is terribly incompetent, fatally compromised, or both, raising questions about its utility as a partner.”

Even former Pakistani prime minister Pervez Musharraf was stunned to find out about bin Laden’s hideout. “That really surprises me that it was next to the Pakistan Military Academy,” he told Bloomberg TV. “I used to run 9 miles en route, maybe passing by the house."

The dysfunctional nature of the relationship between the United States and Pakistan was evident in today’s comments describing the operation. According to Pakistani officials, the operation was a joint U.S.-Pakistani operation, but U.S. officials insisted that only U.S. personnel were involved.

On the run since the 9/11 attacks, bin Laden has long been suspected of finding safe harbor in lawless parts of Pakistan, but he was known for never staying in one place too long. So the length of his time in the compound mystifies some former intelligence officials -- what brought him there, and why did he stay for so long?

Jack Cloonan, former FBI special agent with the bin Laden task force, suspects that there is more to the story than just the administration’s claim that the CIA tracked bin Laden’s couriers for several years. “What did it take to get him from wherever he was in August into this compound? And what made him go against his usual M.O. and stay at at a single location for months upon months? There must have been some human intelligence," he said. "Maybe we had an inside source who helped keep him there.”

Former CIA field officer Bob Baer also has his doubts about the official account of how bin Laden was tracked. "Intelligence agencies like the CIA and the US military will simply put out disinformation to protect the real sources, which could have been anything from intercepts to the Pakistani government itself," he told the BBC.

An administration official declined to provide more details about the operation, explaining that some discretion is necessary to avoid tipping off al Qaeda members to methods used by U.S. intelligence agencies. A CIA spokesperson did not return an email requesting more details on the operation either. Efforts to develop double agents among al Qaeda and the Taliban have backfired at times -- last year, a Jordanian double agent blew up seven CIA officers in a suicide bombing at a CIA base in Afghanistan, the second-most deadly attack in CIA history.

Foreign policy experts were split on the impact of bin Laden’s killing. The Council on Foreign Relations’ Richard Haass, the former U.S. coordinator for policy toward the future of Afghanistan, emphasized that it is “not a transformational event,” comparing al Qaeda to an out-of-control medical malady. “You might be successful at attacking this virus but you don’t get rid of the disease. The scourge of terrorism remains.”

He emphasized that al Qaeda’s other prominent leaders, including bin Laden’s number two Ayman al-Zawahiri and American-born Yemeni Anwar al Awlaki, have been preparing for such a possibility for a long time. “Whether either of them comes to the fore, there remains a degree of decentralization within al Qaeda with so many franchises that operate independently of each other," Haass said. "I don’t see this as altering what it might do.”

Though the act of killing bin Laden is symbolically very important, Haass stressed that information that U.S. Special Forces obtain from the computer hard drives found in the compound may ultimately prove more valuable.

Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institute pointed out that over the past ten years, bin Laden's role in al Qaeda had become less operational and more inspirational, as the group itself transformed from a centralized operation into more of a conglomerate. Therefore, his death won't have much of an impact on al Qaeda's ability to pull off future terror attacks. “But his legend may continue to inspire” members of the group, O'Hanlon said.

But former CIA analyst Marc Sageman predicts that bin Laden’s death is further proof of al Qaeda’s decline in influence, adding that its franchises in Yemen, Iraq and North Africa are not that effective. “I suspect the al Qaeda senior leadership will splinter," he said. "This will create a vacuum.”