Goodbye Osama

Osama Bin Laden is dead. Except for a few Fox anchors whose, perhaps Freudian slips, trouble speaking of Osama and Obama in the same sentence without malfunctioning were laughable and career threatening, most Americans feel a sense of relief and justice with the death of this man.

Almost ten years after the 9/11 Terrorist attacks Bin Laden was caught by Navy Seals who as David Letterman said Monday " fired a warning shot into his eye." Perhaps the Seals were instructed to bring him in alive if possible but no one can doubt that his being killed was the best result. A circus trial over the next few years would have done nothing to help America and would have bettered the chances of Osama becoming more of a martyr than he already is.

Football player Rasheed Mendenhall has got himself into a little hot water by questioning Americans celebrating in the streets as the news of Bin Laden's death leaked. The loss that the victims of 9/11 families felt can never be overestimated, the loss of security that most Americans felt prior to 9/11 affected us all. However I myself had some of the same concerns when I witnessed these things.

When Americans are hurt or injured, captured or killed in foreign countries we are inevitably witness to the crowds cheering and chanting and celebrating. For me personally it makes me feel like they are savages and certainly makes it nearly impossible to see what potential grievances they have against the United States or the Western world in anything but a lesser light.

So I would question whether Muslims in good faith, and we must understand that there are many many more who are inclined to be generous in feeling to the West than not so, felt about Americans celebrating in the street and waving flags about the death of Osama. I suspect most of them knew that Bin Laden committed reprehensible acts and had done nothing to really advance the betterment of the Islamic people. Still we must understand how much impact visual imagery has. For those inclined to accept that Osama got what he deserved the visual of Americans can do nothing but perhaps inflame a dislike of Westerners they did not feel.

Think back to when OJ Simpson was found not guilty. How many white people do you know who were happy. Contrast that with the visuals we saw of groups of African Americans watching the verdict happy and celebrating. How do you think that made the white people feel. Images have impacts and sometimes the impacts can trigger emotions that somber rational thought would not.

I told my son that I was glad that we got him. I thought that any sense of peace it gave the victims families was a good thing. Mendenhall however is correct as well. My Bible has Jesus saying to love thy neighbor, to love thy enemy, and to turn the other cheek. But most of all it says judge not lest ye be judged. God also says that there is punishment on Earth and there is punishment in heaven and they are not the same thing. So if Osama was punished on Earth so be it, if he is punished in the afterlife that is up to God. I do not think God ever wants us to hate. Time and time again says that you cannot ask God to forgive your sins if you will not forgive others their sins. This is a repeated message. It does not say some sins or most sins. It says to forgive the sins or you yourself are risking ruin.

Osama will be judged by God. I told my son if it were up to me if people felt a sense of divine justice in his death I could accept that. The men who accomomplished that mission were heroic and brave. I myself like to think of it like a football player who scores a touchdown. Give the ball to the ref, shake your teammates hand for a mission accomplished and move on. I am not a fan of spiking the ball and I do not think Americans present a positive image by dancing in the end zone. Perhaps a somber reflection on the destruction he wrought would be a better choice.