Picture this. It is a dark and stormy night. You creep along the ravine. Your way is just barely lit by a hide and seek moon. You come upon a band of "nomads." You realize one of them is the most wanted man in the world, Osama Bin Laden.
Would you do it?
- Yes.
How would you do it?
- Weapon of choice: laster pointer for the missile drone's targeting system. Alternate: Radio for calling in artillery or airstrike. Backup: Sniper rifle.
If you could say one thing to him, what would it be? (You don't have to put just one)
- I wouldn't say anything to him. What? Like I'm going to deliver my clever one-liner, "hasta la vista, baby", and Bin Laden's gonna be all like "oh, snap! I been TOLD!"
Nah. The time for chitchat is over. The only thing I'd say is "mothership, this baby bear. I have the shot", or some such.
Would you, if it was the only way, sacrifice your life to kill Bin Laden?
- Sacrificing your life to kill the enemy is a fundamental principle of soldiering. It's implicit in the scenario. Other than that, for me it would depend on what I knew of his plans and capabilities. If he's been reduced to a sick old man, with few followers and only the tattered remnants of his once-glorious influence over the "movement", I'd consider my life worth more than his death.
But if he's still large and in charge, then yeah, I'd probably take him out, all other things being equal (in reality, I have a wife who loves me very much, and to whom I've made a commitment that pretty much overrides going out and getting myself killed "for great justice").
Would you try to reason with him?
- No. He's a big boy. He's thought things through and chosen his path. If he were interested in reasonable debate, he would've become an academic or a politician or a motivational speaker or a scientist or psychologist or a religious scholar or something. He chose to become the leader of a terrorist group. To me, that says "less reasonable debate, more explosions!" What's to discuss, other than the timing and target of the explosions? Ironically, I'd blow him up because I'm in favor of less explosions and more reasonable debate. It's just hat terrorist leaders tend to get in the way.