Although I try to keep this blog from upsetting topics, I have to write about what I just heard tonight. I understand there are those who feel no death is ever justified, but I believe that of Osama bin Laden was, not just for the potential he had to kill again but because of for what he stands.
We in this country, and really anywhere around the world, should have the attitude that when someone acts like an animal, they are treated like one. Obama said he made getting Osama bin Laden a priority as I would imagine did Bush. We went where we had to go to finally get him and frankly territorial borders should not have stopped us and they did not.
Sometimes we, as caring human beings, have to do things we really don't want to do. When someone attacks us, when they kill people around the world, they are a threat to all human beings. You take out predators, ideally before they take out you.
Our military and our intelligence has once again proven their strength and value to us and yes to the world. It found him and then Obama took the kind of nuanced approach that I expect from him-- he ordered the action to take him out.
This action might cause some to attack us, might make it more dangerous to be Americans with a certain segment of the Arab population, but it was the right thing to do; and I am glad they didn't take him alive. This business of alive or dead isn't so great when it's someone like him. This is a man who had no respect for human life and he deserved none from us.
When I heard that the president had an announcement to make, I turned on the television to hear what it was. When I learned what it was going to be, I knew, as with 9/11, I would always remember where I was when I heard it.
Yes, to Americans, I think it does matter. It is the kind of thing that makes us proud to be Americans. I feel a sense of resolve that it is done now. I understand there are more out there, they may attack us, but this one, he won't order it again.
Obama took responsibility for the action and that meant for ordering someone's death, for putting others at risk. That's not a light thing to do, and he's a deep enough man to know that. I though take that responsibility alongside him as do most Americans, I think-- regardless of partisanship.
Yes, I am glad Obama authorized the action that let our amazing American forces take him out. Good for the men and women who had the capability to do that job. It is something for which I am glad as I would be glad when I killed a coyote going after my sheep.
And yes, I feel proud to be an American tonight and it's not with joy but with a sense of satisfaction that the job was done. John Wayne would have been proud!
23 comments:
I'm just glad the mission was accomplished. 10 years is a long wait for justice for many of the families of 9/11 victims.
It feels as if we are turning a page of sorts. Not sure what the outcome will be, but for now, we as a nation are celebrating the death of an evil criminal.
I feel death is justified when used in Self-defense and in my mind this fits the bill.
Obama caused so many deaths and so much pain...He got his just reward !!
It's a right thing. I'm grimly glad that we don't have to watch a trial, and all that comes with it. I'm also glad to see it added to Obama's presidential creds. I intend to vote for him again and I think this will help.
I was not surprised that they killed him outright with intent. Had he been captured with the idea of a trial, etc. the circus around that would be intolerable.
This operation went down like clockwork - we needed this win!
I feel a great sense of justification knowing OBL won't be walking this earth any longer. It's like taking a deep breath...and being able to exhale again. At long last....God Bless our country...and all of us.
Only coyotes should howl over the kill. I can't imagine anyone mourning Osama. But, what separates us from animals is the knowledge of good and evil and the necessity of the rule of law, which mitigates judgments on the above and aims for justice. When societies fail in the hard and discerning activity of justice they collapse under an increasing load of anarchy violation and vigilante crimes.I am not a passivist , but truly believe that democracy is only as strong as is its just and equal attainment of law. Assassinations, robotic drone strikes, perpetual war, torture and extra-legal lawlessness from the highest levels of our government will end in the fall of America. This is about more than the death of an evil killer, its about the soul of a just democracy.
We will have to agree to disagree on this one. I think sometimes a nation must act. Osama said he'd not be taken alive. It was for our best that he was not. There is no doubt in his guilt. I actually think a democracy that cannot act when it must is one that won't last long in the world as it is. I don't take joy in it, as I said. I didn't get any impression that Obama did. Reality is sometimes you do things that are hard and I don't like killing a coyote either. They are living beings and not doing something mean but what they must to survive. I have to do it or cease to exist. That is what I see with Osama bin Laden. The United States has looked weak when it could not go after him. We should not have endangered one bit the soldiers who did the job. From the sounds of it, they did offer him a chance to surrender. He said he never would. I am glad. We are not less for it happening but stronger. We might as well accept that the world if full of ugly things and sometimes you have to do one of them to survive yourself. It is a pacifist to think otherwise which I can respect but it's not how I see it.
cease to exist as a producer of lamb... not that I'll die if I can't keep the sheep alive-- although I'll tell you it's not much fun when I fail
Obama's word to god's ear: "Let us remember that we can do these things not just because of wealth or power, but because of who we are: one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." Because of who we are? The sickening irony of it! Visit the Glen Greenwald commentary at Saloon. interesting.
You don't like Obama and that's clear over and over. That's certainly your right. You are also entitled to disagree with what was done but for Obama to call to our better angels, that's not a bad thing. Do you want us to act as though we do all the bad things in the world and nothing good? If so, I don't agree with you. I do think the premise of this country is a good one. We need to live up to it and it's not bad that the leader reminded us of it. You really sound like you hate him with some of what you say. If that is so, then I think it will not be good for you. I never hated Bush and I sure didn't like a lot of what he did. When we totally denigrate someone, find fault with everything he does, then nothing he does will suit us but the one it will hurt the most is ourselves.
I do not defend everything Obama does but this time, he did it right and I thought his speech was a solid one reminding us as a people of for what we strive. The alternative is to decide we are the worst out there and we are not!
Ironically you are sounding a lot like what Rush Limbaugh said.
Excellent Commentary Rain. Obama let our military and intelligence folks do what they needed to do, to preserve the safety and security of free people everywhere.
Rain, I've never been compared to Rush Limbaugh before and certainly don't appreciate that. As for Obama, you are correct, I loath his policies, but not the man. The direction of the country toward a corporate oligarchy, now facilitated by the Democrats is an alarming direction for me. It's Clinton/Reagan on steroids. We must constantly question authority if we are to remain a viable democracy. Nobody seems bothered that civil liberties and rule of law are suspended because of a constant state of war. Nobody seems bothered by the President's retention of absolute authority in these matters ( unitary presidency via Cheney). I'd rather you compared me to Howard Dean or Bernie Sanders. or Thomas Jefferson or Ike Eisenhower, etc....
I was not saying you are anything like Limbaugh as a person. Sorry if you thought that. What I said is your words about Obama sound like him-- try reading some of his sometime and you will see what I am talking about. For some time you have been writing things that are full of vitriol regarding Obama. That's what the right doesn't get with their thinking Obama is so far left. Part of the left is angry at him also.
From what I can tell of the string of events, they didn't want to kill him. They probably wanted to take him alive for information but they weren't going to risk our men to do it. They sure couldn't leave him there to be a beacon for what has gone on with al Qaeda. I think Obama did the right thing and am glad that bin Laden is dead even if it is not the end of the vicious terrorist attacks.
Obama is, as always, even in this under attack from the right and the left. The righties like Beck wanted the body desecrated which makes no sense to me. Treat the body of enemy as we'd want ours to be treated-- not that it always will be.
He was killed in war, he was gone after as they went after Hitler in WWII. You cut off the head of the snake if you can. It might be that another head grows but there is always a chance you can get that one too. It is possible that now that he is taken that they will stop seeing him as omnipotent as they have been and it might cut down on recruitment. Time will tell. To me whether it does that or not, it was the right thing to do.
I read one religious cleric saying we should have buried the grave in a secret location rather than at sea. So we do that and end up with Americans being kidnapped to try and force the body to be given to someone. Now nobody knows where it is and good enough!
One more thing I read is that they first knew where he probably was in August. Obama could have used that then to possibly be an October surprise and win the November election. It is to his credit that he waited for the right time and to be certain! One writer said he wasn't sure how many presidents would have passed up that opportunity. He won't get any credit from the extremes on either side, maybe from nobody; so it's good he does what he believes is right.
I have heard many conservative folks today say they may disagree with most of what he does, but they are happy with Obama for doing the right thing with Bin Laden.
Today is not about politics or party affiliation it is a good day to be an American.
Engineer, with whom I usually categorically disagree, is absolutely right about one thing: "It's always a good day to be an American." While many of us disagree with the quality of our governance, we know as Americans that we have that right.
Hat tip to Obama on this one Rain !
The whole thing has been too convoluted for a simple response to offer itself. That particular chapter is over. We shall see what happens as the aftermath unfolds.
Personally, I shall lose no sleep over the death of the one man.
Cop Car
I have no problem with killing Osama Bin Laden in the manner we did. I'm glad the job is done. What is puzzling to me is how elated everyone was. Had he been executed in a prison, would everyone have been dancing and singing? I guess they would. Somehow or other I just don't seem to have it within me to out and out rejoice when a life ends.
But, I remain supportive of our President. Now if we could just get the hell out of Afghanistan, but I know it's not that simple.
I wrote more about this in my political blog but I do not think they were celebrating out of some gladiator sport motive. I think it was like after WWII. Did the left find that offensive too? I mean WWII was also about a lot of death and suffering and the dropping of two nuclear bombs on humans.
I am not the type to go celebrating in the street period, but to me people don't sing the Star Spangled Banner out of blood lust or gloating over someone's death. It's over pride in their own country that finally it got the job done.
I read someone's comment elsewhere that they saw people in the street and maybe even our killing of bin Laden like a John Wayne movie with revenge as the goal; but that wasn't what those movies were mostly about. They were also about surgical strikes to get the ones who had done wrong. They were about justice being done. Yes, they accomplished that with violence and I do understand some cannot bear the idea of violence for any reason. That's certainly their right.
I can't speak for others but when I heard that he had been killed I felt a surprising sense of satisfaction that I had not expected. It had been so long that we had failed and our failures have been in one thing after another. This is something our country did right and that felt better than I imagined it would. I also felt good to know he wasn't going to be out there sending out more orders through couriers to bomb more innocent people around the world.
I suspect a lot of people gathered in the streets because they wanted to share that emotion with others. I have been surprised at the condemnation they have gotten from the left on this. I guess it's one of those areas where I am more right than left wing as I saw it as a release of their energy and happy.
When someone has done to other human beings what Osama bin Laden had done to get power for themselves, well it's a good thing when they are no longer on the earth. It's not a bad thing to celebrate that. I don't mind admitting I am very glad he's dead and glad there won't be a trial that glorifies him where those who have suffered so much have to go through it all again. The terrorism isn't over but his ordering of it is. That was something to feel good about in my opinion-- real good.
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