The Death of Osama bin Laden

Some thoughts about this, but also concerning the celebration of the assassination of bin Laden. I just finished talking with my father tonight, and he mentioned how angry it makes him to see people celebrating, not because it's wrong to celebrate the elimination of such an evil man, but because we shouldn't be celebrating until all the troops come home from the various conflicts right now. I agree, even though this makes me feel somber. Perhaps some of us have projected our feelings away from the thought of seeing the war ending onto the actual demise of the terrorist icon bin Laden?

To put into scale our need to celebrate, I ask what has bin Laden contributed really since the attacks of 9-11? His role in those events forced him into a fatal if not permanent life of secrecy, hidden for all these years but not forgotten. Do we believe the war is over now with his death?

Yes it once seemed likely to the unsuspecting world that bin Laden was already dead, which is something to be desired by one who does not want to die at the hands of the enemy! I for one am grateful that a few skeptical leaders did not order an end to the hunt.

This isn't like the Second World War and as we've seen recently simply removing a figure and eliminating their regime from a country doesn't bring an end to a conflict. Never the less, we can feel righteous relief when men like Saddam Hussein, Hitler, and bin Laden cease to exist. However, the circumstances under which these cancers of humankind are removed have proven that it can be difficult to justify the measures taken to the nations, both abroad and at home. The argument often begins with "Well, it was good that Hussein got removed from power, but...".

This leads me to the difficulty I have accepting the beliefs of current conspiracy theorists. While there is much to be gained politically by the elimination of bin Laden for our President's administration, and people may forget or become confused by the difference between events that correlate to each other and simple coincidence, the timeliness of bin Laden's death and Obama's position in the polls is just a coincidence. To say Obama held onto this idea to play as a trump card is to dismiss the efforts of the people who have been slowly and carefully tracing the location where bin Laden was hiding. It would also be a dismissal of the capabilities of the Navy SEALS reported to have completed the mission, as if they are nothing more than a figment of the President's imagination who are conveniently summoned to be protagonists in a story that heightens the President's stature.

What isn't a conspiracy, but a logical political procedure, is that Obama's administration will seize upon this single event to regain political traction and they will likely continue to hype their role in the capture and killing of bin Laden for as long as they can. Although modest and more exceptional, it would be folly to do otherwise because the popularity of a politician pivots around their response to events beyond their control. In this case, Obama's decision to approve the raid on a possible bin Laden hideout was a gambit that paid dividends, while it was the hard work of other teams and individuals who provided the location and executed the mission. Obama did not locate and kill bin Laden himself, but in the coming months we may be encouraged to perceive it this way, especially if we are reminded more of the "tough decision" to execute the raid versus the silent SEALS team who made it successful.

The disappearance of bin Laden after 2001 is evidence that his only logical choice for survival was to run and hide and be silent (most of the time), as well as the shear odds against finding one man in a vast remote region. Bin Laden's ilk have proven as well that they are zealous enough to kill themselves to preserve their beliefs and bury their loyalty concretely, so it does not surprise me that more sources knowledgeable to his location didn't present themselves willingly, leading to a possible early capture.

The people who present the 9-11 conspiracies are another group I am disgusted with and many of them have added the latest news like pieces in a puzzle to their vision of what's happened already. Normally I could dismiss or ignore them because I am usually convinced conspiracy theories are inventions of the mentally ill, but I believe a new segment of conspirators has become vocal in accordance with the trend in narcissism. Some people want to become personally involved in famous events or stories that they were never a part of originally because it's the only way any one will pay attention to them, or because they desire to be the first to reveal the truth of what really happened, to become the authors of a new page in history, effectively erasing the facts from the past. The access to the staggering footage of 9-11 is both evidence for and against their claims, since any one can take a look and share with the public what they think they see, and so on.

This is what angers me most, because if I can see it, and you can see it, and you still expect me to believe that a plane is a "missile" or that the government needs to demolish New York City landmarks, the Pentagon, and to murder thousands with airplanes in order to invade Iraq, I cry "CONSPIRACY AGAINST YOU!!!" and your motives to try and pull the wool over my eyes. A jaded and cynical bunch are those who readily believe what the narcissist presents as an alternative to facts, they are blind being led by the blind, but who could see if they wanted to!

Finally, the question of whether or not we should celebrate the death of bin Laden. Or, the death of evil. Not evil for all time, but for this time. Should we feel guilty if we are glad to see this man die, and would it lessen that feeling if we consider him evil? Some people are upset that anyone could feel happy at a man's death, but that isn't accurate in the scope of who we are talking about. If you told me that a rampaging maniac who was going door to door murdering strangers at point blanc was shot and killed one door down from mine, I would be shocked but very happy to be alive! Bin Laden's role was to provide momentum for an army of jihadists picked out from a life of religious and political chaos, offering the means for revenge, retribution, and a perceived access to heaven in return for their lives. So yeah, I'm happy he's dead!

Yes, I'm sad that such a "man" was born, who was not happy bringing peace and joy to the whole world but who instead was a leader of murderous religious zealots and disenfranchised countrymen in a world that is trying to develop into a responsible and cooperative modern society of many nations. I almost feel angry that some people don't approve of our celebration of the death of bin Laden, except now I'll remember what my father said. We should not be celebrating like this until all of our brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers and fellow countrymen are safe at home again.