My brother posted this: "Great day to be an American!"

[gadjitfreek]

This is how I responded:+

This is how a lot of people are celebrating the killing of a man. An evil man, no doubt, but what does it say about us that we take such joy in killing? And in that joy, what makes us any different from what this mass murderer was? It's reason for somber reflection, for we have slain a real-life boogeyman. Not joy. Relief, maybe...but not joy. It didn't bring back one slain 9/11 victim or one soldier who died in an IED explosion in the unnecessary invasion of Iraq. To rejoice in death, no matter how much we perceive that death warranted diminishes us all. Yes, bin Laden is dead, but our reckless disregard for other peoples have multiplied our enemies since 9/11. The war on terror is like the war on drugs. Pointless, unwinnable but making some people a whole lot of money. The rest of it is just so much rah-rah dick-waving. Then again, what do I know? I'm a liberal, and we are held in pretty much the same low regard as bin Laden by those who take joy in his killing today. Am I sorry he's dead? No. But forgive me if I don't celebrate or gloat.

[zappaman]

1. I agree!

with your brother!

[Stevenmarc]

2. Yep

[GomezLives]

3. Im a liberal and I'm glad we killed his smirking evil ass.

I make no apologies.

[demosincebirth]

6. +100

[Dark]

16. A-FUCKING-MEN

nt

[Raine]

17. Exactly! nt

[Sherman A1]

22. I am liberal and while glad he is out of business

as he will not be able to inflict any further pain or suffering, will not rejoice in his death just as I will not rejoice in any other death.

You have your opinion, I have mine.

[Shagbark Hickory]

4. At least we buried him in accordance with Islamic tradition... "at sea".

Like in the Sopranos.

[Carolina]

5. Touche, I couldn't agree more

The Ability to Kill Osama Bin Laden Does Not Make America Great by Kai Wright www.commondreams.org

Osama Bin Laden, evil incarnate, has justified so much American violence in the 21st century. We have launched two wars... made racial profiling of Muslim Americans normative, turned an already broken immigration system into an arm of national defense, and reversed decades of hard-won civil liberties while pursuing him, dead or alive. We have abandoned even the conceit of respect for human rights in places stretching from Abu Ghraib to Guantanamo Bay in the course of hunting him down. Now, finally, the devil is dead... it was as if we’d just won an Olympic hockey game, rather than capped a decade worth of war and recession with a singular act of violence.

“Today’s achievement is a testament to the greatness of our country...,” the president declared. “We are once again reminded that America can do whatever we set our mind to,” he concluded, after insisting that the execution represents justice. “That is the story of our history, whether it’s the pursuit of prosperity for our people, or the struggle for equality for all our citizens; our commitment to stand up for our values abroad, and our sacrifices to make the world a safer place.”

How perverse... the Nobel Peace Prize winner can fix his mouth to say that killing a man on the other side of the globe provides proof of America’s exceptionalism.

The gap between rhetoric and reality has long been a defining trait of American life. Lies about our values have shielded us from the brutal facts of our nation ever since we built it on the back of genocide and slavery...

The president says we can do anything we want because we can kill. We could not stop poverty rates from spiraling upward ... We have the world’s most expensive health care system, and yet infant mortality in the U.S. was higher than in 29 other countries and the worst among rich nations... We have a $14 trillion deficit... But the president would like us to agree that we are great because we can kill.

[Itchinjim]

7. It is a "Great day to be an American" because the son of a bitch is dead.

And Americans killed his sorry ass. Good.

[Douglas Carpenter]

8. I have to agree with every word you said. I am relieved that he is gone and I'm certainly not sorry

he is dead. Politically it is helpful that it happened under the direction of a Democratic President at least in the short term. But there is simply no way of predicting the long term, real world consequences of this. I certainly hope for the best. But there is no way of knowing, both domestically in terms of American consciousness and internationally in terms of long term affects. The reaction does not appear like the the more thoughtful and prudent side of American awareness. There is something about the cheering crowds, the gloating and the chants of USA - USA that sends a chill up my spine.

[sabrina 1]

10. Sends chills through mine, also. And I am sure footage

if those macabre scenes will be used against us.

[sabrina 1]

9. Very nice post, gadjitfreek. But you are very much in the minority

as you can see by the unrecs this OP sadly has received.

I admire your ethical, moral stand especially since the left has now joined the right in celebrating 'revenge' by killing over 'justice'.

Like you, I won't shed any tears for OBL but it is disturbing to see the party atmosphere over a death.

Rec'd for maintaining your principles and sense of decency in a world where there seems to be so little of it.

[blaze]

12. Party atmosphere... thank you

That's what has been bothering me and I couldn't exactly describe it.

I won't shed tears for OBL either, but the party atmosphere just seems so wrong.

[bluestate10]

11. I am not cheering. But every time I think about Bin Laden's killing,

I get a contented smile on my face. Yes, it will not bring the people that died at the WTC back and won't bring dead soldiers back or heal those soldiers that have serious lifelong injuries, but an evil bastard is dead and he will not be satisfied by the death of one innocent.

[sabrina 1]

13. It will not bring back the million Iraqis we wrongfully killed

either. So many people could cheer, I suppose, at killings depending on which side they are on. But one thing is for sure, if we ever see any cheering and celebrating directed against us in the future, we won't have a leg to stand if we try to condemn it. We are no different, is what it says. We want 'revenge' rather than 'justice' and that was the exact reason for 9/11 in the first place, 'revenge' rather than 'justice'.

[Douglas Carpenter]

14. I can't help but wonder, if George W. Bush had been assassinated by someone of Arabic/Muslim origin

and we saw large cheering crowds in Middle Eastern streets - how would that be interpreted by most Americans? I'm sure we would be hearing endless diatribes by "Middle East experts" about their culture of death.

Having said that, I am still greatly relieved that Osama bin Laden is gone.

[aikoaiko]

15. Your concern is noted.

[avaistheone1]

18. Osama Bin Laden's death won't change a damn thing for us.

I am sorry the hunt for Osama has placed this country on a trajectory of endless war, that is bankrupting this country and has pretty much snuffed out our hopes for the future.

Osama was an evil bastard, but his death doesn't change a f***ing thing.

[Raine]

19. I'm very GLAD he's dead and I'm feeling good about President Obama & America. nt

:applause: :patriot:

[AsahinaKimi]

20. Was kind of reminded of some friends of mine in

High school who loved those video games where a military unit went in and took out a village. It didn't matter if the people in the village were civilians or military. It always seemed after they won that game, they were giving each other high fives, and screaming in glee at the amount of carnage they managed to bring down on this virtual village. They would say to me, "Hey after all, its just a game, no one was really killed, it was all in fun!!"

Sometimes people who have played those games for a long time seem to lose perspective..and real life becomes a bit cheaper. I am not blaming the video games, mind you. People are supposed to have real feelings, and some kind of intelligence to know the difference between a virtual world and the real one. At least, I would hope so...

[aikoaiko]

21. I disagree. I don't think joy is required or expected of everyone. Solemn is fine too.

But it is just as human to feel joy at the demise of a bad person as it is to be solemn.