So not ecstatic
At the risk of disappointing people, I am not over the moon about the death-by-SEAL-squad of Osama bin Ladin.
I'm pleased--the man was on the run for over a decade for a series of murderous actions (not just 9/11), and he got the end that men like him deserve. And as a New York dweller on 9/11, I have that purely atavistic thrill of "Gotcha, you bastard!" He won't be around to plan mass murders anymore, and so far at least (knock on wood) his fellow travelers have proved themselves incapable of the kind of planning and execution that murders hundreds at a time.
But.
My first response--Tim's first response--was "Are they sure? How are they sure?" This man has been on the run for so long, and there have been so many false alarms, that it's hard to believe he won't be the Terrorist Bogeyman anymore.
Second response: Pakistan is taking this very well, not long after they signed a major trade agreement with India. Does this mean Pakistan is leaning more toward the West and our allies than last year, when Pakistan's takeover by militant Muslims seemed possible? I'd really like to see Pakistan on better terms with us and India, so a portion of the killing will stop.
Third response: This isn't a football game. We didn't beat the "enemy" from the next town. We didn't tackle him just short of a touchdown; we're not "#No. 1" or anything like it. One operation, conducted by a small group of highly trained military personnel, does not make every American #No. 1, and if Americans stopped thinking global life is like the local high school football game, Americans and global citizens would be a lot better off. Our service people worked long and hard for this and pulled off a highly sensitive operation with no casualties on the American side. They're to be celebrated.
Fourth response: backlash. Will his fellow thugs decide on some attacks to prove they're just as bad, claiming vengeance instead of their actual desire to emulate the fallen "hero"? (Or maybe it's both.)
Fifth response: I think it's wonderfully sensitive of us to bury the man at sea within the 24 hours dictated by Islamic practice, but I fear that's going to backfire on us. Just as there are those who claim Obama is Kenyan, there will be those who say all this is a fake and that Osama still lives. There are already reports online that one of the photos is faked.
And sixth:
I'm pleased--the man was on the run for over a decade for a series of murderous actions (not just 9/11), and he got the end that men like him deserve. And as a New York dweller on 9/11, I have that purely atavistic thrill of "Gotcha, you bastard!" He won't be around to plan mass murders anymore, and so far at least (knock on wood) his fellow travelers have proved themselves incapable of the kind of planning and execution that murders hundreds at a time.
But.
My first response--Tim's first response--was "Are they sure? How are they sure?" This man has been on the run for so long, and there have been so many false alarms, that it's hard to believe he won't be the Terrorist Bogeyman anymore.
Second response: Pakistan is taking this very well, not long after they signed a major trade agreement with India. Does this mean Pakistan is leaning more toward the West and our allies than last year, when Pakistan's takeover by militant Muslims seemed possible? I'd really like to see Pakistan on better terms with us and India, so a portion of the killing will stop.
Third response: This isn't a football game. We didn't beat the "enemy" from the next town. We didn't tackle him just short of a touchdown; we're not "#No. 1" or anything like it. One operation, conducted by a small group of highly trained military personnel, does not make every American #No. 1, and if Americans stopped thinking global life is like the local high school football game, Americans and global citizens would be a lot better off. Our service people worked long and hard for this and pulled off a highly sensitive operation with no casualties on the American side. They're to be celebrated.
Fourth response: backlash. Will his fellow thugs decide on some attacks to prove they're just as bad, claiming vengeance instead of their actual desire to emulate the fallen "hero"? (Or maybe it's both.)
Fifth response: I think it's wonderfully sensitive of us to bury the man at sea within the 24 hours dictated by Islamic practice, but I fear that's going to backfire on us. Just as there are those who claim Obama is Kenyan, there will be those who say all this is a fake and that Osama still lives. There are already reports online that one of the photos is faked.
And sixth:
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Sashana
(new)
May 02, 2011 05:18PM
Well said, Tamora.
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the photos are fake, actually -- the real photos have not been released. what's been circulated are photoshopped pix that have been around for a while. apparently they've fooled some news outlets, too.backlash was my first thought upon hearing the news; don't know what, where or when -- but it'll be something.
Photo's are fake. At first I was happy because I have a slight close tie to this: my cousin is a lucky survivor because he was running late on 9/11. Then my immediate thought became: "Yes, he is 'dead', BUT who's to say he wasn't prepared for this? Al Queda (sp?) is still out there, other threats are still out there, and if he's gone who's to say that the members of Al Queda don't have a STRONGER and more efficient leader than Osama?" So I too thought of the threat of retaliation. A problem I saw was: Death certificates and photos can be doctored, and because no one (in political office or we hold in high regard) was there in the DNA testing lab to receive the positive tests, or saw bin laden actually killed we have no way of knowing if this is true.
