In case you've been living under a rock, without access to news of any kind or social media sites (which is how I found out... gotta love Facebook) Osama Bin Laden was apparently killed, and I feel like the only person who isn't jubilant at this news. Don't get me wrong, I understand that killing is sometimes necessary and I'm glad the bastard is dead. I just don't feel like throwing a party. I guess I feel like a lot of families whose loved one's murderer is given the death penalty. It doesn't bring the loved one back.
Bin Laden's death doesn't bring back any of those killed on 9-11. It doesn't bring back the fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives who have been killed fighting the war on terror over the last 10 years. It doesn't fix the broken lives of those wounded. It doesn't heal my close friend's Traumatic Brain Injury or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that has devastated his life.
It doesn't heal the hatred of "them" that this pursuit has fostered. It doesn't help the prejudice against peace loving followers of Islam that seems to be getting worse and not better in our political climate. I am so tired of seeing political pendents seeming to equate Islam with evil. Islam is not evil! PEOPLE ARE EVIL! There are evil Islamists, evil Christians, evil Atheists... Extremism in almost every form is evil. And THAT is our enemy. Osama Bin Laden was our enemy and I'm glad he is dead. But we have paid a high price for his head.
Many have lost their lives. Many have returned broken and battered. I've come to learn that no one comes back from the battle field whole. You lose your soul in war. You cannot kill another human without sacrificing some of your own humanity. Those who have sacrificed deserve to be honored, respected, and appreciated, along with their families. But this is not a video game. These are real people... real lives... and real sacrifices being made.
It sounds like it is still being debated as to who was responsible for this attack (CIA, Navy Seals, etc.). I am so very proud of the work done by whomever it was! But this just doesn't seem like a time for celebrating. Reveling in death just seems wrong. Especially when this may make the world less safe for our men and women in uniform.
So... to the families of those lost on 9-11, know that we will never forget! To the families of those lost in the fighting since then, know the sacrifice of your loved one will never go unappreciated! To the military members and their families who have and continue to sacrifice to keep us safe, THANK YOU!
My prayer is that peace may come quickly and that we learn to separate religion from extremism.
.
.
.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming of cuteness and cuddles.
1 comment:
I have been trying to find words from the moment I found out. While others were cheering, I cried. I fear that America will view the war as over when it is not!
Post a Comment