I am of two opinions about the death of Osama Bin Laden. My first opinion is very much along the same lines as the one expressed by Andy Lie over at A Mile From The Beach. This is no time to gloat. We killed Osama and we should be humbled at his death and not boastful. My second opinion, however, is a little more in keeping with what we're seeing on the news. I think both of my opinions are justified - one by faith and the other by unfortunate reality.
My second opinion was earned through that toughest of schools - life experience - and it speaks to what is probably the most human and base interests inside me. I am a pacifist at heart. I believe that some of the most profound words ever spoken were those of the poet and prophet Rodney King, "Can't we all get along?!" But during my time in the Navy and particularly during my years in Naval Intelligence I learned that the unfortunate answer to that question is, "No. Not yet."
You see, there are bad people out there. Evil really does exist. And these people will not accept any other fate than their own destruction. I don't hate them. I pity them. But at the same time, I accept their demise and rejoice when it happens. Why? Because we will never have peace on this world while evil of that sort is allowed to continue. It must be stamped out, hard, and quickly in every case for peace to reign.
After 9/11 I waited for the other shoe to drop. I knew that a man like Osama Bin Laden would not stop until he had achieved his goal of as many American deaths as possible. And so I waited for bad things to happen - more 9/11 attacks, more USS Cole's, more embassy bombings, and maybe worse things - dirty bombs, back pack Nukes, biological or chemical attacks. Bin Laden's only restraints, it seemed, were money and access to weapons of mass destruction.
Truth be told, I was terrified of what a mad man like Osama was capable of doing and that was why I was so terribly upset with "W" and his stupid attack on Iraq. Saddam was a putz. It was like Batman decided to go after a jaywalker while the Joker was running loose in Gotham. The guy we really needed to run to ground was Osama. We needed to stomp on him and end his threat sooner, not later - which was a lesson I think we learned in the aftermath of the Mission: Accomplished speech. We might have toppled Saddam, but the real threat was still Al Qaeda and Bin Laden.
And so, in the end, we have finally killed Bin Laden and while I know that the threat isn't completely gone, it has lost a lot of its heart. Killing Bin Laden will not end the War on Terror, but the War on Terror could not end while he was still alive. I will rejoice in the man's death because I can breath a little easier now. There is a little less evil in the world - there is one less threat to my survival and to the survival of the human race.
So while I sat at home last night visibly upset at all the posturing and shouts of USA USA, deep down inside of me I could distinctly hear myself saying in a low voice, "WE GOT THAT C***S***ER! Thank God!" And those are my two opinions on this matter.
2 comments:
I appreciate this post, Will, because I was having a difficult time living in that tension. Still am, despite the Scripture I quoted, because there's that part of me that wants to cheer.
But I know that as a follower of Christ, I am called to a higher standard, to follow in His humble footsteps. It's a very simple call, but a difficult one to do.
I think you highlight the tension that many of us are living in, honestly, because I've seen comments and notes from others who are struggling with this tension as well as a result of my post, and you shed light on the flip side, which is what many of us probably are saying quietly to ourselves.
Andy's was/is a good post. I'll have more thoughts later, as I'm still forming them, but now's not the time to voice them. In the meantime, let's just say, thank God for our Spooks and Navy Seals.
Cheers.
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