Day 27: We Got Him

I've been quite interested in all of the Osama Bin Laden coverage. First of all, that was a bad ass SEAL operation. Hats off to our military. Secondly, I know that our relationship with Pakistan has always been "complicated," but come on. Osama living in a huge house down the street from their West Point in an urban area about 50 miles from the capital? Not exactly caves in hard to reach mountainous regions, is it? There is a reason that we did not inform Pakistani officials until after the operation was already complete. If we had told them before, Osama would have been conveniently out at the movies at the time of the assault.

Also been interested in the reaction both abroad and here. I can't say that I was dancing in the street, but I did feel a deep sense of satisfaction. And I think that it was more than a merely symbolic act to finally get Bin Laden. I'm not the only one to say this today, but I liken it to Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. Yes, the Nazi movement existed before Hitler, and some remnants in some form existed on the fringes after his death. But the Nazi Party was so wrapped up in Hitler's own cult of personality, that it was Hitler who gave it so much strength and vitality. Bin Laden was similar. Al Quada will go on, and there are many other terrorist groups, but it will not be the same without Bin Laden in this world. He was one of those unique personalities who gave it life. And, though I don't often agree with Hillary, I like her message that this proves that it may take us some time, but we will eventually get you. No matter how long you run.

I'm also impressed with how we handled his remains. Dumping him in the ocean was smart. No place to make a shrine or pilgrimage site to galvanize his followers. It was also good that we prepared the body in the Muslim tradition.

As we discussed it in my classes today, one student asked a great question: "so what does this mean?" I think it means that in the short run we are more at risk due to angry reprisals. But in the long run, we are better off and have struck a blow to world terrorism. Like it or not, he was a galvanizing and unique individual. He cannot be replaced, and as long as he roamed this earth, he was a powerful symbol of evil and hatred. Glad we shot the bastard through the eye socket.

Someone got ahold of an MLK quote on Facebook and I've seen it about four times now. The gist is that I will not rejoice in another's death, even if it is an enemy. Hate begets hate, etc. Nice sentiment. But I think we can rejoice in the sense that justice long denied has finally been satisfied.

I recall when Gandhi (MLK's inspiration and philosophical forefather, along with Thoreau) was questioned about how we ought to react to Hitler. Still use nonviolence? He did not have an adequate response. Nonviolence worked in India against the British and worked here in the 1960's civil rights movement partly because it was used against rational people who were capable of being shamed. Osama Bin Laden and his followers are on an entirely different plane of thinking (as was Hitler). Shame does not work because you are not even working within the same set of definitions of words. We could have made Osama happy and have him stop his violence against us if we had done everything he wanted and withdrawn completely from the Middle East. Can't do that. Hitler would have not had a problem with other powers, if we had simply agreed to hand him all of continental Europe on a platter. Not going to happen. You cannot have a reasonable negotiation with Osama or Hitler. Not simply because they are evil. But because their mindset is not on the same level as the rest of the world. It would be like trying to talk in two languages but leaving the translators at home.