My thoughts
At about 10:40pm last night, my sister called me in floods of tears. I was very nearly asleep and hearing her tear-filled voice made me panic, "WHO DIED?"
Osama bin Laden, she answered.
Immediately, I felt relief. Not at his death, but that it was no one we knew. Her tears were tears of joy. I could not muster any real reaction. I am partly stunned and partly overwhelmed and partly ashamed. And a little bit glad, I'll admit.
I was in DC on September 11, 2001. Every moment of that day is seared into my memory. I remember the fear. And also the anger, the desire for revenge. And the television videos of Muslims celebrating the deaths of Americans.
A decade has dulled the anger. A decade in which many lives have been lost, military and civilian, and we are no closer to eradicating terrorism or ensuring our safety.
I cannot be joyous about bin Laden's death because it does not change anything. It doesn't bring back any of those people, or mean an instant end to war - the chance to bring back our military and stop the ridiculous spending that certainly helped, if not caused, the financial situation we are in now.
The part that is glad is the satisfaction of knowing that some form of justice was served. At least this time, our intelligence made very sure that what we believed to be true, was, in fact, true. It is good that no more US lives were lost in this, but some innocents were killed. A woman, identity unknown, was used as a human shield, which shows exactly who these people were - cowards.
The part that is ashamed was mortified to see people rejoicing in the streets. Yes, I can understand the visceral reactions. But don't you see that doing so makes us no better than them? And, as I saw someone say on Twitter, I have issues with celebrating the death of a human being who was hated for celebrating the deaths of other human beings.
And part of me is concerned for what happens next. He's now instantly a martyr. While the death of Hitler broke the spirit of many in the Third Reich, that doesn't happen with terrorists. This only strengthens their resolves to achieve their own martyrdom and take as many of us with them as possible.
Mostly, though, I am overwhelmed. On the afternoon of September 11, 2001, I sat in my house with my then three-year-old and wondered if he would see four or five, let alone twelve or thirteen. I wasn't sure this day would ever truly come. But it has.
This entry was also posted at http://misscake.dreamwidth.org/339325.html. You can comment in either location.
Osama bin Laden, she answered.
Immediately, I felt relief. Not at his death, but that it was no one we knew. Her tears were tears of joy. I could not muster any real reaction. I am partly stunned and partly overwhelmed and partly ashamed. And a little bit glad, I'll admit.
I was in DC on September 11, 2001. Every moment of that day is seared into my memory. I remember the fear. And also the anger, the desire for revenge. And the television videos of Muslims celebrating the deaths of Americans.
A decade has dulled the anger. A decade in which many lives have been lost, military and civilian, and we are no closer to eradicating terrorism or ensuring our safety.
I cannot be joyous about bin Laden's death because it does not change anything. It doesn't bring back any of those people, or mean an instant end to war - the chance to bring back our military and stop the ridiculous spending that certainly helped, if not caused, the financial situation we are in now.
The part that is glad is the satisfaction of knowing that some form of justice was served. At least this time, our intelligence made very sure that what we believed to be true, was, in fact, true. It is good that no more US lives were lost in this, but some innocents were killed. A woman, identity unknown, was used as a human shield, which shows exactly who these people were - cowards.
The part that is ashamed was mortified to see people rejoicing in the streets. Yes, I can understand the visceral reactions. But don't you see that doing so makes us no better than them? And, as I saw someone say on Twitter, I have issues with celebrating the death of a human being who was hated for celebrating the deaths of other human beings.
And part of me is concerned for what happens next. He's now instantly a martyr. While the death of Hitler broke the spirit of many in the Third Reich, that doesn't happen with terrorists. This only strengthens their resolves to achieve their own martyrdom and take as many of us with them as possible.
Mostly, though, I am overwhelmed. On the afternoon of September 11, 2001, I sat in my house with my then three-year-old and wondered if he would see four or five, let alone twelve or thirteen. I wasn't sure this day would ever truly come. But it has.
This entry was also posted at http://misscake.dreamwidth.org/339325.html. You can comment in either location.