Here are a few thoughts on May 1st, 2011.
When I heard the news by a text, I
scoffed. We'd been over this
before. I'd been fooled in 2002 and 2009,
and many times in between and wasn't about to get duped again. Then, as I read on Fox News and CNN, I
realized that it must be true.
I sat there, stunned beyond
words. Emotions rushed over me: elation,
relief, sorry, fear, confusion...all wrapped into one small body. When the powers of speech returned, I raced across
the hall to deliver the news to my friends.
We flipped on the TV and watched.
As usual, the anchors on CNN and FOX parroted the same statement for an
hour: Osama bin Laden is dead. More news
pending. Rumors floated around. It was
a drone strike. No, it wasn't. No casualties. Osama's dead along with four others,
including his son. The President is
coming on in ten minutes. The President
is coming on in twenty minutes. The
minutes dragged on; sounds of cheering drowned out the tv. My friend and I hurried into an empty room
and opened the windows. We could hear hollering,
whooping, and ecstatic cries of those who'd just heard the news.
Obama spoke, a brief speech that
will most likely be his most famous speech, perhaps akin to the Gettysburg
Address. He reiterated that we are not
at war with Islam, that bin Laden was a mass-murderer, not a Muslim
leader. And the world cheered. A somber crowd sang the national anthem at
Ground Zero. What I would have given to
be there. Three thousand some civilians
lost their lives there in the greatest tragedy in modern American history. Just under ten years later, the mastermind was
finally brought to justice. Those
standing in New York City were friends, family members, and co-workers of those
who perished. They were not celebrating,
but coming full circle.
Later, I joined thousands of other
Penn State students on Beaver Street. In
my younger days, I watched rallies on TV and longed for the opportunity to take
part. Now, I had the chance to stand
shoulder to shoulder with my fellow countrymen and sing the national
anthem. Words fail me as I inadequately try
to pen the emotions of that moment.
Pride. Relief. Patriotism.
Exuberance. As sounds of "God Bless America" rose towards the
darkened sky, I felt a sense of belonging.
Along with everyone else, I screamed "USA" until my throat hurt. Confetti floated down from the apartments;
toilet paper sailed from one balcony to another, until at last caught by the
lone tree where it flapped in the breeze.
American flags waved above the sea of cheering people. It wasn't a riot. It was a celebration.
Not since 9/11 has the nation
joined together as one to fight for freedom.
The war, forgotten or ignored by most, has been fought by a tiny minority
of heroes that sacrifice everything for the freedom of many. We will never know the names of the 40 some valiant,
courageous Navy SEALs that stormed bin Laden's compound despite the risk of
death and failure hanging over their heads.
While I am glad that we've finally
brought bin Laden to justice, the celebration disturbed me somewhat. As the shouts of Fuck Osama rang through the
Penn State crowd, I remained silent. I
refuse to celebrate the death of one man, any man, even if he is one of the
most hated men in the world. I
understand why someone would want to.
Bin Laden epitomizes our fight against terrorism at home and
abroad. We've seen his face countless
times on television and online for the past ten years. His continued existence on this earth mocked
the U.S's ability to protect its interests and its people. He's a monster in the eyes of the American
people, much the way we recoil from Hitler now.
As Obama said in his speech last night, bin Laden is a "mass murderer",
and not just of Americans. Muslims have
paid a far greater price for Osama's jihad than we have.
That being said, no one should have
their death celebrated by an entire nation.
Have we sunk to such a low level to ignore the basic tenets of humanity
in that all people deserve respect? Or
does one forfeit their inalienable right to respect and dignity when they step
across the line of mass murder? While I
believe that evil exists, can a person reach a point where they are
unredeemable? I do not think so; with
time and love, I believe that all hearts can be changed. Some might call me naïve, but someone loved
bin Laden as a father, a son, a husband.
When violence came calling in my small town a few years ago, I faced the
heartache of knowing both the victim and the accused. How could I take sides? How could I condemn a friend despite his
actions? While Osama bin Laden may have
committed countless brutal acts of war, does he still not deserve the same chance
to turn back from his ways? Can people
change? At what point do you go too far?
His death will undoubtedly bring
unrest and more violence in the short term both abroad and potentially at
home. We must be vigilant not to get
carried away. Cutting the head of the "worm",
according to Obama, comes with the chance of the worm regrowing a head. While we remain steadfast in our commitment
to fighting injustice and terrorism, it's time to move on. Osama is dead. The War continues, but justice has been
served.
