READER'S NOTE: This is a response to all of the celebrations about Osama deaths as well as the various quotes thrown out by people who opposed the celebrations...which, by the way, both need to stop because they are getting really annoying.
In case you have been hiding in a hole or have really been studying that intently for finals over the past few days, you probably have heard that Osama bin Laden was killed. Sadly, it also took the lives of innocent citizens, which has cause a huge debate from people, ESPECIALLY Creighton students about how we should view his death. Some of people are excited for his death, as he has been connected with many terrorist attacks including 9/11. Others are disgusted that we are celebrating the death of a human being, even if it is a guy who as done many bad things as Osama. While it has been big news, I have started to get really sick of the continuing statuses about the issues, from those still celebrating to those throwing quote after quote after quote about how we "should not celebrate the death of a human being", "We are no better" "an eye for an eye..." etc, etc...and many of these quotes were spoken by historical figures that I admired.
So, I decided to do the only logical thing to combat this...by offering my opinion and then never, ever EVER speaking about the issue again
Let me first start off by saying this...I against the current war we are having, having troops in at least three countries in the Middle East for what seems to have been an endless amount of time. I am also very sad to see people in the Middle East that had nothing to do with the terrorist attacks being caught in the crossfire between U.S. and whatever opposing troops there may be. I am upset that billions of dollars that could be going to go to our country are going towards the war.
That being said, I support our troops Infinite %, as they have volunteered to give their lives for protecting this country's rights and freedom. I have a gynormous amount of respect for those people who fight in our armed forces, and there is no way in the world that I could do even one-tenth of the stuff they do or one-hundredth of the shit that they have to go through. Major kudos to them and all that they are doing.
Now onto my view of the OBL...there are people who are absolutely thrilled with the death of Osama, others are not too thrilled, especially since it cost many innocent civilians their lives. I admit that the death of Osama has lost some zing, as there as terrorist organizations that are more dangerous than Al-Qaeda at this point. In addition to this, I understand that there are risks involved with killing bin Laden, such as more terrorist attacks happening overseas, even possibly one in America. I am not so irrational as to think that this is the end of terrorism as we know it...because I know it is not. I am not really celebrating the death of Osama bin Laden the person, but more so the threat and fear that bin Laden imposed to so many people not only in the United States, but across many different countries.
From a personal standpoint, I must say this: I have absolutely no sympathy for a person such as Osama bin Laden. I have absolutely no sympathy for a person that plans out a mass attack to intentionally kill innocent civilians. And if he would have stayed alive and died through "natural causes", no amount of near-death repentance (and I don't even think he would have done that) would convince me to forgive him for what he has done...I don't even care if he somehow rebuilt the entire World Trade Center with his bare hands.
Although it is not to the same degree at all, trying to get me to forgive Osama is like trying to get me to forgive Fred Phelps and his congregation for celebrating peoples' deaths from natural disasters and protesting the funerals of soldiers. Trying to get me to forgive Osama is like trying to get me to "understand" why a KKK member believes what he believes. Hell, trying to get me to forgive Osama is like trying to get me to forgive Mike Vick for his dogfighting ring (and no, I have not forgiven him yet). I am not so convinced anyways that if we would have detained bin Laden instead of killed him, he would have "learned from his mistakes."
When I first heard about Osama's death, I was one of the people who was very happy to hear the news because of the fact that the face of fear that was in the United States was now gone. The number one reason I feel this way is the impact that 9/11 has had on the families and the country. Those who were at ground zero and rescuing people during the attack are just now able to receive benefits if they now have chronic health problems (The Zadroga (spelling?) Bill). For almost 10 years, families affected by 9/11 have had the cloud of Osama bin Laden hanging over their heads. While this death may not bring their loved ones back, it could possibly provide some closure to them. I heard a story where a 9/11 widow was on a plane and cried when she heard about bin Laden's death. The entire cabin consoled her during the flight, which showed that nobody has forgotten about those terrorists attacks.
On Monday's "The Daily Show" Jon Stewart talk about Osama bin Laden, and being from New York, Stewart was obviously very happy, and he even said "I am too close to this whole thing to even be rational." However, at the end of the segment he did say something that caught my attention: "We're back baby." For a long time, America has lived under a cloud of fear since 9/11, and the now disappeared cloud of fear from Osama bin Laden may give everyone in the U.S., from the troops, to the government officials, to the citizens, a boost of confidence as we move on, even though we face a tough road ahead.
Yes, there were risks...nothing comes without risk. There will be (and are) people who are against what we did. But who knows? Maybe this is the shot of confidence this country (and other countries afflicted by bin Laden's fear) needs...maybe this will help us recover and unite as a country...maybe this will help to ease tensions somewhat between Muslims and non-Muslims (which I hear almost NOBODY talking about at all after this whole incident).
And I know I will make some people unhappy. I know that this won't be retweeted on Twitter or shared on facebook...I know that a grand total of three people will read this blog post. But it didn't keep me from typing this. After all, I am just doing what many people (including some who have throwing out quote after quote after quote) have told me to do from time to time...staying optimistic.
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