Thursday, May 5, 2011

Counter-Terrorists Win!

If you can really call us that anyways...

This particular post deals with the response to the death of Osama Bin Laden. My friend Dechion and another member of the blog community Big Bear Butt have also committed posts to this view. Their opinions are different than mine, and I do not mean to offend them. I found their works to be rather thought provoking as well. I encourage you to see their opinions... if you're into political and moral debates. If not, walk away... quickly... 

Disclaimer:
 I rarely have to put one of these before something I write. However, this post will touch on topics of extreme sensitivity, and subjects of mass debate. If you are easily offended by discussions on politics, religion, Osama Bin Laden, terrorism, Military or any other of those "Shhh you can't talk about THAT" subjects, I advise you to walk away. My opinions are often either really harsh, really from left field, and sometimes laced with rather inappropriate humor. Also, I am generally long winded. After this break, you may read on, and have your own opinion. I encourage you to share it. I however will not tolerate hate posts, general ass-hatery or nonsense. You have been warned.




I was in high school the day the World Trade Center North and South towers bit the big one. I was unable to immediately comprehend not only the massive amount of lives lost, but the idea that a foreign guy I'd never heard of planned and initiated a war on the United States. It however became apparently rather quickly that Bin Laden (OBL) had effectively kicked the trash out of New York City, The Pentagon, and airlines in general.

Up until September 11th, 2001 I had believed the United States was untouchable, and I was damn lucky to be born on her freedom lovin' soil.

I walked home from school that day incredibly aware of the silence in the sky. No planes, no helicopters, even PSNS (Puget Sound Naval Shipyard) was eerily quiet... (and on lockdown). The silence was unnerving, but even more worrisome was the unspoken fear of the adults in my life. War was coming, they knew it, they understood it, and I didn't. I was clear across the country from all the chaos of that day, and yet it was like it happened down the road. I wasn't sure how to respond, how to feel. I was only 16 years old.

I have always been fairly removed from the situation. I lived on the west coast. I had no friends or loved ones lost that fateful day in New York. Every male in my family had either served or was currently serving in the military, and sooner than later I would find myself married to an active duty Coast Guardsmen as well.

Despite all that I do not know what it feels like to walk in the shoes of the soldier overseas. I do not know the pain of the mother who's child was on one of those planes. I did not know the sinking feeling of watching someone I cared about leap from a burning building to their deaths. I did not have to wait to hear my mother would never sing to me again. That my brother would be deployed for the third time, or that my husband would never kiss me goodnight again. I never had to explain to my young children that their parent paid the ultimate price to ensure their continued safety and the cost was they could never ever see them again. While my husband does serve this country, and my father did serve this country in other wars, and my brother served, as well as my uncles... I never once this entire ten years had to feel any sort of personal connection with this war other than being an American who lived during this time.

So does this mean I feel nothing for all this fighting? For the values we are trying to defend? For the people who have died, those that will still die, and those who have to decide if we need to continue fighting? Of course I do! I am invested in this country and while sometimes I want to bang my head against the wall; this is my home, too.

OBL is dead. I couldn't believe it when I heard the news. I caught the headline that the President would address the nation at 10:30pm on a Sunday and feared that the news would be more war. Some horrible thing had occurred...

Instead I was blessed with the news that the longest game of hide and go seek with the world champion of hit and runs was over.

I was overjoyed. I lept off the couch and hugged my husband. I called my Mom to ensure she'd heard the news. I called Bill and told him, too... for he had been recalled to serve twice and even had to leave his father who was dying to serve in this war, only to have to return a mere three weeks later to attend his funeral.

Was I dancing in the streets chanting USA? No, that's not my style. Instead I find insanely inappropriate pictures to display my sense of humor and joy at the situation and share them with Garen and friends, but I was indeed celebrating, in my own little way.

But in this I'd lost nothing. NOTHING.

There are so many out there missing someone because of this mess, and if I were them you bet your ass I'D BE CELEBRATING! Like really celebrating. Did a human die? Was a soul lost? ABSOLUTELY, if you could accredit him with such things and/or call him that.

To those who see this as a case of the human condition, I am sorry that I'm offending you. Yes, he was a living being. Yes, he was human, who had intelligence, and a family... who killed other's families. Who used his intelligence to make us afraid, to make us fight, to make us lose so much. He used his humanity against the entire country, and in my mind, he willingly threw his humanity out the window.

I do not feel this way for him alone. The Australian man I read about today who posted on Facebook as he murdered his two year old child to seek revenge on his ex wife lost his humanity too. I'd like to see a navy seal put one in his head, undefended even, like that little girl was. Harsh? Maybe. She's not even my kid... but she's two and she died without any reason, and without the ability to defend, at the hands of someone she loved and trusted. That man seriously has a way overdo can of karma whoop ass headed his way.

Charles Manson? I can think of quite a few who wish him dead. Who'd happily watch him die. I bet there's even a few who'd love to pull the trigger. I don't see anyone touting on about Hitler and how it's so sad that he died. Lets discuss how you feel about that random neighbor who was so nice he cut your grass for you, and then he kidnapped, raped, and slowly bled out your 4 year old daughter to death. If you aren't first in line at his execution swearing to invent ways to bring him back to life so you can kill him again... I'd be worried for you.

I believe in God. I believe that God does not wish us to kill needlessly. I do however believe that God has fought wars, I believe that God has defended his people against other people, and I do believe that God has once or twice kicked a few asses, or had others do it in his name. This is not God's fight... He's staying out of this one really, at least... on our end. I however do not think God would find this mans death... or those people who are celebrating it unreasonable or unjust. Of course, I like to think that God is a pretty rational guy, myself.

God aside, this is America's victory. This man sought the lives of our entire nation... we sought his. Armed or not he killed thousands with a freakin' airplane. He hid for TEN YEARS. If I'd been that Navy Seal... I'd have shot his ass dead, and then double tapped for good measure, even if he'd been unarmed, naked, helpless, old, dying and surrounded by hundreds of witnesses of family friends and unsuspecting cute creatures, like bunnies and children. He begged for it, he invited it to his front door, and if he didn't hear that helicopter crash in his front yard and and didn't grab a gun, I'm thinkin, he had a death wish too.

So excuse me while I am happy to watch the people dancing in the streets, wavin' their flags and singin' something akin to God Bless America (Or perhaps what I'm hearing is America, F*** Yeah). Either way, Some of these people waited ten years for justice. I'm gonna let them have one freaking late night.

Just my .02 cents....

P.S. Obama, Bush Jr. Bush Sr. and every other leader of this country that ever was, along with all of their advisers, aides, military and fellow American citizens should be credited with this victory. Bush Jr. had to carry the burden of the attack. His father carried a different fight with the same guys, Obama had to decide to act now, wait longer or do nothing. He had to decide if dead or alive was an option, and he had to decide who's lives to risk and who's world to shatter when he decided to send in the Navy Seals. I won't even pretend like I could sleep at night with that kind of responsibility. I don't pretend that I could have pulled the trigger to save my own skin, and I certainly don't pretend to know enough about what's goin' on to make these kinds of choices. I don't think any of us could walk their shoes... and nor should we try. I'm grateful that they're doing everything they can to keep my family safe, happy and healthy, and while it's not always graceful, and it's not always what I want to hear coming out of their mouths... I will not forget how lucky I was to be born on American soil... and I will not begin to bad mouth my fellow Americans or her leaders now.




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1 comments:

Dedra C said...

Andrea, I don't think God is upset about OBL's death either. It says right in the scriptures that it is better for one man to perish than for a whole nation to dwindle in unbelief. MANY people perished, more dwindle in unbelief and thank goodness OBL is dead.

My first reaction was that I didn't believe it. I'm a doubting Thomas.

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