I wasn’t going to write anything about the current Osama bin Laden controversy…but then I changed my mind. I’ve been doing myself a disservice by remaining silent on an issue I feel so passionately about. If this further stirs up an already heated debate, then that’s the risk I’m willing to take for making a stand and defending my beliefs.
On September 11, 2001, America was left in a state of absolute shock and devastation. Our nation fell victim to a malicious terrorist attack. We watched as two of our own commercial planes - hijacked and turned into weapons - crashed into the World Trade Center buildings. We watched in disbelief as the Twin Towers collapsed, taking with them thousands of innocent American lives. We watched as another plane crashed into the Pentagon, and then looked on in horror as it burst into flame. We watched as a fourth plane crashed into a Pennsylvania field; it may not have reached its intended target but it still took the lives of everyone on board. No American who bore witness will ever forget that day. Not ONE can forget where they were when life as they knew it changed. Not ONE can forget the overwhelming feelings of grief, of fear, of confusion, of panic. Our safety was compromised. We longed for answers. We sought out family, friends, neighbors. We sought out anyone. We searched together for reason. We searched for flickers of hope in a world that seemed so much darker. Our hearts ached for lost life. Our minds ached for lost innocence. This all weighed heavily on the collective shoulders of every American as we - united - struggled through the tears and the pain and the buzzing of questions about why we were the target of such hatred.
But we are America. And we were not going to take such cold, violent acts without fighting back. Our country was shaken, but never broken. As a nation, we rose up. Renewed patriotism swept the country. When Al Qaeda came to be known as the perpetrators of the terrorism against the United States, it sparked a fire within us. We demanded action. And as a nation, we vowed that those responsible for the heinous acts of September 11th - those responsible for the merciless deaths of thousands - would be sought and punished.
Almost ten years later, on May 1, 2011, the United States military successfully carried out a mission to find and kill Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind 9/11 and numerous other brutal terrorist attacks.
When news broke of Osama bin Laden’s death, it was an incredible moment for America. I felt intense pride for my nation; I felt thankful for the brave men and women of our armed forces; I felt relief in knowing that an evil man hoping only for our country’s demise would no longer be able to execute his plans; I felt that justice, so long coming for such atrocious acts, had finally been served.
I celebrated. And I am not at all ashamed of my reaction. I feel no sorrow. I will not mourn for his death, just as he never mourned for the thousands he ruthlessly murdered.
Am I rejoicing in another lost life? No. Nor am I rejoicing the necessity for more bloodshed.
I’m rejoicing in the fact that a man Hell-bent on destroying America, its citizens, and its way of life is gone. I’m rejoicing in the fact that a man who wholly disregarded humanity can never again harm another man, woman, or child. I’m rejoicing in the fact that a coward, who hid away from the world and plotted his evil in secrecy rather than accept the consequences of his malice, has finally gotten what he deserved. I’m rejoicing in the fact that bin Laden, a man who destroyed a piece of America on that clear September day nearly ten years ago, will never again have the chance to impose terror.
I’m rejoicing the demise of a terrorist leader. I’m rejoicing the fact that there is now some small form of closure for our nation and for everyone affected by the vicious murders and acts of violence carried out by him and Al Qaeda. I am rejoicing the success of our military. I’m rejoicing a U.S. victory.
When Al Qaeda, headed by bin Laden, attacked us, it was a blatant declaration of war against the United States of America. And since September of 2001, we have been AT WAR.
You all know me. I live with my heart on my sleeve. And I love, fiercely. Continuing a cycle of killing is not ideal and it’s not something I would normally condone. But self-defense in a time of war takes precedence.
There is no way we could have reacted to the September 11th attacks in a manner aside from defending our nation and showing those willing to perpetrate violence against us that their actions would not be tolerated. When our nation was forcibly assaulted and when thousands of lives were senselessly ended, there was no way we could just roll over and take it.
We could not stay silent and attempt to promote harmony after such a brutal deed. There is no living in peace when you have an enemy who will take advantage of our goodwill and use it against us. It is a noble cause, but only workable when we live in a reasonable world. We don’t. We live in a fallen world. And our naive and peaceful nature, had we chosen to take that road, would have been exploited, over and over, by those who want to harm us.
The United States is at war and we need to remember why. We are not “fighting for peace.” We are fighting because we were provoked. We are fighting to protect our country and our ideals. We are fighting for our rights and for our freedoms. We are fighting to defend the honor of those who lost their lives on September 11th. We are fighting in retaliation against our declared enemies. Osama was one of those enemies.
Like other mass murderers and serial killers before him, bin Laden did not kill an individual, but instead attacked and killed thousands of people he did not even know. He attacked humanity itself. As a society, we have the right to defend ourselves and to affirm that we will not tolerate this type of murder. And we have the right to feel joyful when the architect of such atrocities falls.
Osama bin Laden is a casualty of war. He chose to live by the sword and, in doing so, he chose to die by the sword. He was an enemy combatant, and he was killed for the violent actions he enacted against our nation.
It’s true that he was only one man. And with him gone, that does not mean the war is over. It was never a battle against Osama; it is a battle against ideology. But he and his affiliates were in an on-going war of terror against the West. And he was the symbol of unrelenting resistance and violent warfare against the United States. Rejoicing in the fact that a harbinger of death and destruction is no longer with us is a natural – and completely acceptable – human reaction. Feeling joy and relief about the removal of a threat to our national security is in no way inappropriate. Taking pride in the elimination of a wanted criminal who took the lives of thousands of Americans is entirely OKAY.
I do not believe that, when Osama was killed, America came together to celebrate a death. We came to celebrate and to recognize that a danger to our country had been removed. We came to celebrate that at least one page in this chapter of our history can finally be turned. We came to celebrate our national resolve to stop terrorism and to keep our freedoms and rights secure. And I fully trust that, had it been announced Osama had been captured instead of killed, America would have celebrated in the exact same fashion.
This moment was ten years coming. Let Americans have their day. And let it not be tarnished by condemnation.
Osama was NOT killed out of revenge, but out of necessity, self-defense, and self-preservation. Justice has been served, and I, for one, am devoutly thankful.
There is nothing wrong with gathering together in a celebratory spirit to acknowledge the fact that this man can never again inflict terror upon the world.
After all, when we felt the wrath of his violence and terror on September 11th, 2001, we all gathered together to cry.
