JCF comments,
As a Christian, I HAVE to hope he rests in peace. I have to.
The pacifist in me wonders if this will really accomplish anything (I suspect not).
The political animal in me is please it happened under our "Kenyan Mooslim" President, Barack Hussein Obama.
The American (USA! USA!) in me is slightly relieved.
All of me is pondering, pondering...
Your thoughts?
14 comments:
IT,
As I posted elsewhere, as a country, our word is our bond. The world needs to know and beleive that. Osama bin Laden chose to mastermind the deaths of many people. As a country, we stated we would "capture of kill" the mastermind of the 9/11 atrocities. We did. The world cannot not rest any easier but it can be assured that our word is our bond.
Christianity has nothing to do with war. Death, especially violent death is never a joyous occasion. But, the world (and I am hopeful many, many evildoers) have now once again have had reinforced the idea that we mean what we say and we say what we mean.
PS: What it is that we are still doing in Afghanistan is a true wonderment!
Fred, I state no opinion. Just getting everyone else to discuss!
not that I disagree with you.
Justice would have been done had they been able to capture him and try him in court.
Killing people is never justice, it's always revenge and retribution.
I feel disturbed... as I clicked into this I happened to hear about how many people are at Ground Zero and chanting and singing and waving flags, and then crying as well.
Erika's words capture my own sentiments pretty well.
I'm not a pacifist. I live in New York. I'm glad the son-of-a-bitch is dead. The man was a monster who drank blood and ate children for breakfast. Congratulations President Obama!
Jesus was right, but this flawed mortal sees no other way around this. I won't pretend remorse when I feel none.
I am sad for the world that we still live according to the religion of Moloch where we believe our balance will be restored by killing --- I know he led a movement that killed many others - but killing begets killing. I worry what will happen next - this life is not a "Dirty Harry movie" -- the only result is that we "become our enemy" as Walter Wink says and as said elsewhere - unless we change our ways - more Osama bin Ladens await in the wings.
So, after the news came, BP and I turned on the television and watched for a bit. The jingoistic chants of "USA! USA!" and the revelry sickened us. I can't say I'm sorry he's dead, but the evident pleasure some are expressing in this is a sort of blood-lust. It highlights how coarse and thoughtless so much of our society has become.
We hadn't seen the Royal Wedding, so we turned on the TIVO and watched that, trying to wash away the taste of violence.
I watched the US president live last night on MSNBC.com. As I understood him, the team that "got him" was tasked to bring him alive if possible. I am sure that the man's determination likely made that impossible.
He has since been buried at sea. May he be ready when the time comes to face his maker and account for his life.
Erika,
Isn't that the point? There is no justice here, there is no balancing the accounts, there is no eye for an eye, at least not str4ictly speaking. is not "retribution", at least as I understand retribution. What then is left? If you mess with the United States it may take us an entire lifetime but you will die. I am hopeful that those who would kill innocent civilians will take that to heart.
Fred,
I struggle with your comment. If this is not about justice but about "if you mess with the United States..." that's retribution, a power play, and certainly not a positive thing.
I look at the passion Counterlight expresses here and that many of my American friends have expressed. And I think that this says far more about your unique situation than it does about Bin Laden.
It was the first time your country was attacked and it has truly changed your nation.
You will forgive me that from European perspective, he was one of many terrorists who have blighted the world for many many years. In fact, he is also credited with masterminding the 7/7London bombings and the Madrid bombings, yet there is no jingoistic, power drunken public display in Europe.
And for a European who has lived with terrorism since she was born, it sounds shockingly naïve to read that you are hopeful that this will make others stop before killing innocent civilians.
I’m not saying I’m not glad that he’s no longer around! But no terrorist group has ever been defeated in a power battle – that’s the oxygen they crave. Individual deaths are irrelevant, deaths like Bin Laden’s even desirable in shoring up the organisations.
Spectacular events are the hallmarks of terrorism. If it was really about killing people it would be so much easier to quietly poison the drinking water supply of a major town, or many major towns at the same time. Instead, it’s about big statements that are impossibly complex to pull off and have a spectacular effect.
A spectacular death like this one and the subsequent scenes of joy everywhere are precisely what it takes to perpetuate the conflict.
Yes Erika -this American is sick at heart from these displays
Personally I think they should be treated as the common criminals they are, and not elevated to the status of global warrior.
Erika,
Let me try this one more time -- it is not about bin Laden per se. It is about our word. We said we would capture or kill bin Laden. As a country, as an international power, I beleive one should never say anything one does not mean and never say anything that one is not preapred to carry out. In one respect it is not bout bin Laden at all -- nor should it be. It is about the word of the United States. We said, at the time, that we would capture or kill him. We finally did just that. Country's can ill-afford to make idle threats. I am not sure we should have done what we did -- at all. But we said/pre-determined the outcome. We had no choice but to follow through.
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