[Dark RevenantX]

I noticed a distinct lack of this topic in gendisc so without further ado:

WASHINGTON/BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - President Barack Obama branded the killing of the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans an "outrageous attack" on Wednesday and vowed to track down the perpetrators, while ordering a tightening of diplomatic security worldwide.

The ambassador, Christopher Stevens, and the other Americans were killed after Islamist gunmen attacked the U.S. consulate and a safe house refuge in Benghazi on Tuesday night. The attackers were part of a mob blaming America for a film they said insulted the Prophet Mohammad.

The violence in the eastern city, a cradle of Libya's U.S.-backed uprising against Muammar Gaddafi last year, came on the anniversary of al Qaeda's attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. Another assault was mounted on the U.S. embassy in Cairo in which protesters, who included Islamists and teenage soccer fans, tore down and burned a U.S. flag.

U.S. government officials said the Benghazi attack may have been planned in advance and there were indications that members of a militant faction calling itself Ansar al Sharia - which translates as Supporters of Islamic Law - may have been involved.

They also said some reporting from the region suggested that members of Al-Qaeda's north Africa-based affiliate, known as Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, may have been involved.

"It bears the hallmarks of an organized attack," one U.S. official said. However, some U.S. officials cautioned against assuming that the attacks were deliberately organized to coincide with the September 11 anniversary.

The violence in Benghazi and Cairo threatened to spread to other Muslim countries on Wednesday. A U.S. official said Washington had ordered the evacuation of all U.S. personnel from Benghazi to Tripoli and was reducing staffing in the capital to emergency levels.

Police fired teargas at angry demonstrators outside the U.S. embassy in Tunisia and several hundred people gathered in front of the U.S. embassy in Sudan. In Morocco, a few dozen protesters burned American flags and chanted slogans near the U.S. consulate in Casablanca.

Obama vowed on Wednesday to bring the Benghazi killers to justice. He called the attack "outrageous and shocking" but insisted it would not threaten relations with Libya's new elected government.

http://news.yahoo.com/u-ambassador-libya-three-staff-killed-rocket-attack-091505030.html


Perhaps if this isn't close enough to home for you, it turns out that one of the embassy staff killed was a highly important and well-known diplomat in EVE: Vile Rat.

Sean Smith, a foreign service information management officer killed with three others in an attack on an American consulate in Libya, has been remembered not just as a husband, father and 10-year veteran of the US State Department, but also as an influential intergalactic diplomat in a sprawling virtual galaxy.

Known online as "Vile Rat", the 34-year-old State Department officer had a large profile in the multiplayer game EVE Online, which features more than 400,000 players captaining starships, buying and selling virtual goods, engaging in corporate espionage and electing a government composed of real-world players.

"I can tell you that CCP Games and its employees are overwhelmingly saddened by the news of Sean Smith's passing, as we are when we learn of any player who is tragically lost," said Ned Coker, a spokesman for the game's developer.

"Many of us interacted with him professionally and personally and, honestly, it feels like our words are lost - adrift amongst such a tremendous, soul-affirming outpouring from the EVE community."

Smith was an avid participant of EVE, having served in the game's virtual government and convinced some of the game's biggest alliances to disband. He played as Vile Rat, a cunning diplomat whose head was shorn, just like Smith's, since 2006.

After the news of Smith's death spread online, several virtual space stations in EVE were renamed in his honour, while condolence messages poured across internet message boards and on Twitter with the hashtag #tweetfleet.

Alex "The Mittani" Gianturco, the leader of Smith's EVE guild "Goon Swarm", detailed his final online interaction with Smith on his personal site. He said Smith was on the instant messaging service Jabber before the attack and posted two words - "F_CK GUNFIRE" - before he disconnected. Prior to this, Smith wrote: "Assuming we don't die tonight. We saw one of our 'police' that guard the compound taking pictures."

"I'm clearly in shock as I write this as everything is buzzing around my head funnily, and I feel kind of dead inside," wrote Gianturco.

"I'm not sure if this is how I'm supposed to react to my friend being killed by a mob in a post-revolutionary Libya, but it's pretty awful, and Sean was a great guy and he was a f_cking master at this game we all play, even though a lot of people may not realise how significant an influence he had."

Prior to arriving in Benghazi, Smith served in Brussels, Baghdad, Pretoria, Montreal and The Hague, according to a State Department statement. He had also served in the Air Force.

http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/vile-rat-killed-in-libya-as-gamers-mourn-diplomatic-dogooder-20120913-25tu3.html


It sucks that it takes a gamer to die for gamers to get spurred to action, but at least this highlights the important fact that even on the internet, nobody is immortal.  More importantly, this is going to have major consequences for the state of affairs in Libya and other Islam-dominant countries.  We'd like to hear your thoughts about this, reader!

[Beskargam]

people being stupid ending in lives lost. sad day. disgusting. didnt need to happen.

[BritishShivans]

Vile Rat was amazing, both in EVE and in real-life. Godspeed, you magnificent bastard.

[NGTM-1R]

Perhaps if this isn't close enough to home for you, it turns out that one of the embassy staff killed was the leader of Goon Swarm, an EVE corporation.

Vile Rat was, interestingly enough, a diplomat in the game. (The leader would be Mittens, as the article says.)

I have already paid my respects to him elsewhere. (Several elsewheres in fact.) Still. Anyone who was anyone (and a lot of people who were useless proles, which is how I spoke with him once) spoke with Vile Rat. He was not the game's original diplomat, but he was by far one of the best and most experienced. He served on the CSM and thus had an impact on fundamental game design and balance, and was in fact slated to take the pretty-much-certain Goonswarm seat for CSM 8. The shape of EVE today owes a great deal to him; at the least the existence of the CFC and HBC as blocs and all that has engendered.

[Dark RevenantX]

Perhaps if this isn't close enough to home for you, it turns out that one of the embassy staff killed was the leader of Goon Swarm, an EVE corporation.

Vile Rat was, interestingly enough, a diplomat in the game. (The leader would be Mittens, as the article says.)

I have already paid my respects to him elsewhere. (Several elsewheres in fact.) Still. Anyone who was anyone (and a lot of people who were useless proles, which is how I spoke with him once) spoke with Vile Rat. He was not the game's original diplomat, but he was by far one of the best and most experienced. He served on the CSM and thus had an impact on fundamental game design and balance, and was in fact slated to take the pretty-much-certain Goonswarm seat for CSM 8. The shape of EVE today owes a great deal to him; at the least the existence of the CFC and HBC as blocs and all that has engendered.

Fixed.  Was tired and running on energy drinks when writing the post.

[Bobboau]

this is the movie causing the riots BTW

I'm not ****ting you this is it, I've seen multiple reports pointing to it (they could all just be plagiarizing each other)

[Mongoose]

Almost all of the actors involved with it have gone on record saying that their dialog was dubbed-over to insert the references to Islam.  In fact, the screenplay originally called for a "desert adventure movie."  To top it all off, the producer of the film was working under an assumed name.  And now there's the thought that this was a well-planned attack that took advantage of the trailer.

As sickening as this whole incident is, it's also ****ing weird.

[Bobboau]

it was a Kenzoku plot to assassinate goon leadership once and for all.

[NGTM-1R]

it was a Kenzoku plot to assassinate goon leadership once and for all.

I'd make a "it was planned at the barbecue" joke for old time's sake, but really the only reason I'm not pissed is your massive balls impress me.

[Bobboau]

[Nuke]

furry porn will not be tolerated in this thread

[Zacam]

I fail to see how that image is anything but a funny ribald response to:

... but really the only reason I'm not pissed is your massive balls impress me.

So, really. I don't see anything here that is a problem. It could have been a picture of some dude juggling bowling balls, okay. But it also could have been significantly worse.

Nothing to see here. I mean, heaven forbid there be any maturity in handling something like this. I suspect it'll build into quite the load before all is said and done leading to a controversial whitewash.

[redsniper]

Pretty sure he was joking...

[achtung]

Religiom of peace.

[Grizzly]

So the going theory is that Al Quada used the protests as cover to launch a rocket attack.

It probably had the desirable effect  .

[Al-Rik]

So the going theory is that Al Quada used the protests as cover to launch a rocket attack.

The trailer was posted in July on Youtube. 2 months later, at the 11. of September it causes an attack in Libya... need no rocket science to figure it out, right ?
If it wasn't the film, they would found something else to justify their attack.

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2012/09/egyptian-outrage-peddler-who-sent-anti-islam-youtube-clip-viral/56826/

[Bobboau]

...

Nuke is a mod, I'm fairly sure if he was serious in his threat to silence my right to force express my sexuality upon everyone else he could have acted more forcefully than he did. but then if he did that he would only be playing into three of my other fetishes, and he knows this from experience.

[Nuke]

nah i meant it as a joke, i just forgot to use a smily. had you posted a pic of a fat chick in a mini skirt id have retired to my bunk. im just glad my fetishes are devoid of furry suits.

[Thaeris]

Almost all of the actors involved with it have gone on record saying that their dialog was dubbed-over to insert the references to Islam.  In fact, the screenplay originally called for a "desert adventure movie."  To top it all off, the producer of the film was working under an assumed name.  And now there's the thought that this was a well-planned attack that took advantage of the trailer.

As sickening as this whole incident is, it's also ****ing weird.

Do you know, the conspiracy theorist in me just has to believe the CIA has something to do with this. The timing of this entire affair, at these particular locales in the world, just seems... disturbingly placed.

[NGTM-1R]

Do you know, the conspiracy theorist in me just has to believe the CIA has something to do with this. The timing of this entire affair, at these particular locales in the world, just seems... disturbingly placed.

Hey I have bad news.

The trailer was up for over two months before anyone created an issue over it. If you want to look for conspiracy theories under the bed, start in Africa.