Osama Bin Laden: dead

[NbyNW]

Really? That quick you thought about not having a shrine to him? Way faster than me, I guess. It took me about 10 minutes in my own thoughts to come up with that scenario. Still, I don't see why we afforded him that kind of honor.

I wouldn't call it an honor. An honor would be giving his body over to his family (if they even want him) or followers and a cleric of his choosing. I think the burial at sea was more like taking the high road or not crossing a line. Because too many lines have been crossed by both sides already. And not throwing more fuel on an already out of control fire.

Oh, and here's a more-eloquent-than-mine piece on why not to release the photos.

[Kitsune06]

Oh, no, I'm sure we probably did get him, I mean if the RIAA can find people illegally downloading music all over the country and Corbin Fisher can seek out teens illegally downloading gay pr0n, then I would hope that in ten years we can find a man in a desert with 2 million troops deployed. I'm just saying it's odd that we didn't really gloat in it. We didn't take him and keep him in some dark little hole like Guantanimo and just say he died on-site. We didn't take him into custody and interrogate him until we knew everything about Al-Quaida's workings and then snuff him. We didn't parade him around. That's almost unAmerican for a country and culture that thrives on sensationalism and media fervor. You can spin our reasons for it however you want to. Even a broken clock is right twice a day, and if you work hard enough to find a good reason not to have some kind of evidence, you will probably find or create one.

I'm just saying that if someone told you something that seemed off, would you believe it without thinking, or would you want some form of proof to put it in context? Anything with this much meaning, symbolism and potential concequence deserves to be ruminated on instead of taken at face value.

I'm not going off on how the government collected kids' baby teeth to test for strontium-90 post nuclear testing, or how we tested the effects of radiation on pregnant women, or how downwinders in Utah and Nevada are still suffering from the effects of nuclear fallout even though the US government said it was completely safe. Yes there is a specific theme to those, these are studies we've learned about in our radiation biology class, but there are many other tests on US civillians that the government has not told us about. Forgive my relative paranoia, but after reading these, it's hard not to feel that way.

I am just saying that we need to be aware that we are not always told the truth in this world, and the important things are worth questioning. Or not. Feel free.

[KnottedYet]

Anything with this much meaning, symbolism and potential concequence deserves to be ruminated on instead of taken at face value.

I believe everything I am told, unquestioningly and at face value. Anything less would be unpatriotic! I'm a good American. Double-plus good!

(extra credit for those of you who took English 101, or just bought the Eurythmics album... even if only for the great pictures of Annie Lennox in fatigues)

Seriously, though, let's take a moment to think about this event and all its repercussions.

(one of my immediate thoughts was for my ex-brother-in-law, who is a Navy seal and is the first line guy who rappels from the helicopter)

Our animal instinct is to hoot and holler and celebrate like chimps after killing a monkey. Once we have that vented or controlled, it is our responsibility as adult humans to ponder the event and pray.

What would Jesus do?

Would He dance in the streets? Would He shout "In your FACE" and drop His pants to moon a photograph?

Or would He realize this was a painful thing, the Right to Life was taken from one of God's children, and we should solemnly shoulder the collective responsibility for what we have done, regardless?

[ny biker]

One of my immediate thoughts was for my brother-in-law, who is one of the many volunteer firemen on Long Island who went into the city on 9/11. When he left, my sister thought she'd never see him again.