I had a different post prepared for today, but in light of recent activity, I'm posting this instead....
On September 11, 2001, I was driving to work listening to the Mark & Brian show on the radio when I first heard about the planes hitting the Twin Towers.
I was riveted.
I was scared.
My first thought was that this had to be a cruel joke. Next, I thought of my parents and sister, who were living in Yangon, Myanmar at the time. Did they know? Were they safe? Would they be evacuated?
I didn't know if I should turn around and go home or continue on my way to work.
I went into work because surely this was a mistake. A terrible mistake. A hoax.
It wasn't.
No one got any work done that day. We were all huddled together and glued to computer screens and the televisions set up in the break rooms.
The footage that kept playing over and over was like something out of a movie. People plummeting to their deaths and smoke and ash and debris.
Nearly 3000 innocent lives were taken that day.
It was a very somber time in our nation's history.
That was nearly ten years ago.
Yesterday, Osama bin Laden, the founder of al-Qaeda and the man responsible for the September 11 attacks was killed by United States Navy SEALs.
Normally, I avoid political talk like the plague.
I'm not a big fan of heated discussions, but I do have strong opinions about a women's right to choice, teaching religion in our public schools, the right to bare arms, heath care reform and taxes.
I am proud to be an American and I am proud of our armed forces. I appreciate every freedom I have as an American citizen and I vote.
The killing of bin Laden has been weighting heavily on my mind today.
On one hand, I truly hope that anyone that suffered a loss ten years ago due to the September 11 attacks feels a bit more peace today, but on the other hand, I can't help but pose the question: now what?
Has justice really been served?
I don't believe the "eye for an eye" principle works.
Our nation has been at war for 10 years! Does finding and slaying bin Laden mean our troops get to come home?
Is it morally wrong to celebrate the assassination of bin Laden in such a festive and patriotic way? Should we celebrate the death of anyone?
I don't know the answers to these questions, but they are worth asking and they are on my mind today.
The Vatican released this statement this morning and while I also like to avoid discussions about religion, it really helped me realize the confliction I am feeling about the death of bin Laden.
“Osama Bin Laden - as everyone knows - has had the gravest responsibility for spreading hatred and division among people, causing the deaths of countless people, and exploiting religion for this purpose.
Faced with the death of a man, a Christian never rejoices, but reflects on the serious responsibility of everyone before God and man, and hopes and pledges that every event is not an opportunity for a further growth of hatred, but of peace.”
I wish our nation and our world peace.
What do you think of Osama bin Laden's death?
