...and a second opinion

It should be evident that I write these things without any planning whatsoever, and the results can be mixed. Sometimes I think I write a good one, and others---not so much.

To revisit the UBL blog from yesterday, I'll start by saying what's obvious: I'm no Saint nor Seer. I'm no better than anyone else and in fact am probably worse than all the folks who read this. And I'm certainly not a qualified preacher.

Put me in the mansion near Islamabad with a rifle in my hand and the scopes trained on the bastard whose orders resulted in the murder of thousands. And while I'm clicking the safety to the OFF position I'm recalling how disturbing it was to see the Pentagon in flames, the Twin Towers collapse, and the crash in Shanksburg, PA. I'm recalling how scared I was for my family, my wife and children all occupying space in a Federal building near Baltimore.

And, perhaps most of all, I'm remembering the children who lost parents and the parents who lost children. My countrymen, brothers and sisters.

Yeah, I remember all this and pull the trigger. And sleep soundly. I'm lucky...we all are, really.. to live in a country where we have brave men and women who volunteer to put their lives in danger for our benefit. The killing of UBL has silenced only one voice, but it was an influential voice that spewed a dogma of fear, anger, and hate. Look at the suffering that one voice caused.

I think my only problem with the reports of UBL's death is the extent to which people are celebrating it. Certainly, this world is better off without his anger and hatred. But it seems to me that responding to senseless anger and hatred with anger and hatred does nothing to heal the wounds.

I agree with those who view this as a coda to September 11th, an appropriate closing of the tragic story. His bad deeds did not go unpunished in this life. I think there's a sense of fairness there, and he certainly got what he deserved.

I also think that his anger and hatred are - perhaps- slowly losing their influence. For evidence of this I'll point out the peaceful protests that shook Egypt to it's foundations. There is hope, and change can occur without bloodshed. Maybe. And maybe that's just far too optimistic. Fear, anger, and hate are so much easier to fall for. They're a seductive form of evil, and something that -at some point in his life- Usama bin-Laden came to see as the only response to what he felt.

For the rest of us, let's not end up like that.