We heard news that a discrete mission based upon months and years of quiet and professional investigative work resulted in tracking down and killing Osama Bin Laden. This was a successful team effort that brought a criminal to justice. Everyone should feel good that a murderer has been brought to justice.
The histrionics of "war on terror" and stoking of religious bigotry, however, must recede and be put into more realistic perspective. The focus has to be on individuals who commit and seek to commit acts of murder and indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians, NOT on the basis of some religious affiliation. Stupid and simple minded people on any and all sides want to turn this into an excuse for their own religious bigotry. The leader of Hamas is a prime example, just as many of the postings we have seen on sites like this from anti-Muslim bigots. More importantly, adherence to dogma of any kind instead of looking at the facts only serves to create more extremists. This mission was done well and was successful. However, there have been other US efforts that have resulted in killing innocent civilians and given fuel to the demagogues who claim that the US is an oppressor. When the Hamas leader says that the US engages in oppression, there is some truth to that, even though his respect and affection for Bin Laden is badly misplaced. We must be willing to look honestly at BOTH and hold ourselves accountable for when we screw up as well as high five when we succeed. That is what real justice means.
We forget that when Bin laden is lionized, we give him too much credit. Somewhat like the Unabomber, he was a craven criminal who spent the last ten years hiding out in caves and backwoods holes. To give him more credit than that just to feel good and do chest beating is unwise and unproductive.
Finally, Osama Bin Laden has been found and brought down. However, we must remember that his legacy actually lives on and we experience it every time we try to take a flight. Alive or dead, Bin Laden as a symbol has robbed and continues to rob every traveler of dignity and freedom, we have lost fundamental rights more because of the political exploitation of fear by politicians like Bush and Cheney than because of anything Bin laden could have accomplished directly. GOP and Democrat politicians alike have continued to exploit that fear.
Solution? I would gradually drop down this omnipresent publicity stunt of an "Orange Alert" and reduce many of the so-called "security" measures that have been shown to do nothing to actually enhance security. I am not saying to do so immediately, that would send a wrong message, but this could be done over the course of 6 months to a year. Many TSA workers admit that most of their procedures are for show and to create a public impression rather than actually catch terrorists. The idea that Americans "agree and understand" that these intrusions are necessary is BS. I would also revise the so-called "Patriot Act" and restore many of the civil liberties taken away from American people.
At the same time, I would not reduce one iota the efforts or reduce funding support of specialized and coordinated national and international intelligence and crime investigation units. These are the people who actually get the job of tracking down criminals and suspected terrorists done, quietly and effectively. Gasbags and torturers like Cheney create more terrorists than they capture, they create more risk than they solve. But the professionals who go about the business of detecting and arresting actual criminals goes on outside the spotlights and political speeches. They do not ask us to give up our Constitutional rights for political gain. Thy just do their jobs.
President Obama states that this is a victory because of who Americans are and what they can do. It is time to take a hard look at what Americans have become and start to reassert and re-establish some fundamental values and principles that have been forgotten. We need to reject the fear mongering for political gain and start actually looking out for each other, ALL of us, instead of divisive politics and class warfare. President Kennedy was on the right track when he stated that we should ask what each of us can do for our country, our fellow citizens, instead of asking what's in it for ourselves as individuals. That individualistic egotism is what has us fearful of our neighbors and against efforts to seek the welfare of children, seniors and others most vulnerable in our society. It also is what makes us vulnerable to terrorism. "Divide and conquer."
