Does anyone else find it somewhat disturbing to see the celebrations of Osama Bin Laden and his family's death?

It is disturbing that we are celebrating a humans death however, when you think about why we are celebrating it, it makes sense.

Interesting how similar people are with celebrations.

If Bin Laden was the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, then I can understand the justification for going after him. I think killing women and children is extreme, but since we have not seen footage of the assault we don't know the circumstances behind the wife and child losing their lives, or if there were even any women or children in the compound? So many questions we will probably never know the truth about.

The photos above are in line with the first thoughts to enter my mind when I saw video of Americans dancing in the streets celebrating Osama's death, memories of Arabs celebrating American deaths (like when the Blackwater security force was hung from a bridge in Iraq) and I thought of how we vilified them for celebrating American deaths.

I do understand it, I just wish we as a nation were above it, that's all. Circumstances create enemies and sometimes those enemies would be great friends under different circumstances.

Perhaps it was necessary to remove Bin Laden since he was a threat (perhaps), but it should not cause us joy and jubilation. At best, it is a sad reality, an unsavory necessity.

I have to say that I don't really like the post that I made earlier. I'm certainly not a fan of Osama Bin Laden's, but not because I don't understand why many people in the world have good reason to hate and resent us as a country. I reread the translation of his 2004 statement, and I honestly have to say that I agreed with 95% of it. Terrorism is not the answer in my mind. But institutionalized terrorism is by far worse. We have a long standing record of hypocrisy regarding human rights and rights to resources, and it's largely self-serving.

I was not in favor of going to war in Iraq (I mean no disrespect to you dr.dilemma, and I appreciate the service of all military men and women regardless of my opinions as to what is a more ethical or strategic option), and I believed then as I believe now that our country's financial resources were squandered to line the pockets of a select few under the guise of liberty, freedom, defense....

In any event, we're bankrupt. We played right into Bin Laden's hand. More than he really could ever have hoped for. We're embroiled in unstable regions for fear of a power vacuum that we contributed to, or out of obligation to countries that we bombed the hell out of (not a great way of spreading understanding and good will) and have no infrastructure. And, again, we're broke.

Beyond that, the casualties are staggering, so I have a hard time getting very worked up over a couple who were at the center of the game by way of violence and death, even if they have recognizable names.  

I reread the translation of his 2004 statement, and I honestly have to say that I agreed with 95% of it.

Lawl, funny thing, I do too. Doesn't America suck? Yet here we are, the country where the poor lead relatively comfortable lives.

Does anyone else find it somewhat disturbing to see the celebrations of Osama Bin Laden and his family's death?

Yes, but no. I like to think it's relieving to know he's out of the equation and not a threat anymore, but I wouldn't jump for joy over the matter, cause Al-Qaeda is still hanging out. I find it equally disturbing the sheer number of times I've seen MLK Jr. quoted in the last three days and the number of angry moral arguments that have been spawned as a result. People get offended too easily these days (not that I'm insinuating anyone here is overtly offended).

@  dr.dilemma: I have a friend who served in the National Guard and was also deployed - Bosnia. It was quite a shocking development and emotional / logistical hardship for their family, though luckily his company paid full salary during his deployment. It's certainly not a possiblity he envisioned, as with the rest of the more mature members of the Guard. Again, I appreciate your service and have some limited awareness of the sacrifice.

I would be interested to know what you enjoy about military life. It seems so contrary to my nature, although I'm sure I might benefit from the structure. But I definitely have a rebellious streak, so I don't know how I'd fare.

@ Optimaler: I'm not sure how much longer our poor, or even our middle-class will lead relatively comfortable lives. I hope I'm wrong though....

Loaded question:

I grew up military, my father and 4 of his brothers retired from the Air Force, one brother deviated and joined the Army and they served from WWII, Korea through Vietnam. It was in my blood.

When I was a child we shopped at the commissary on Patrick Air Force base, went to the medical clinic on the base. I stayed on the base with my uncle while he was stationed there during summers. There is a marked difference in the general attitude of those who are in the military and civilians, more discipline, higher expectations of honor and duty (there are those who are less than honorable and have discipline issues, no doubt- esp since boot camp started taking it easy on recruits from the late 80's until today). I enjoyed having access to a secure place where others couldn't go. Growing up with strict discipline was a plus, I was expect to do right, always in every situation.

I joined the Navy two weeks out of high school and traveled the world twice. Participated in Desert Storm, Somalia and the mission in Bosnia in the early 90's on the USS America, the last conventional (non-nuclear) aircraft carrier. Wearing the uniform brought great pride. It was physically and mentally challenging.

I worked as a flight deck troubleshooter on the carrier which was 12 hours a day, 7 days a week of running up and down the flight deck fixing problems with avionics systems with lightning speed to ensure each aircraft was able to launch and accomplish their missions. Final checking an aircraft then being blown back by that aircraft's jet exhaust is exhilarating and the tempo was insane. On hot summer days the temp would reach 100 with jet exhaust pushing the temp up another 40 degrees depending on where you were standing. If you were behind the JBD's (jet blast deflectors) as an F-14 was taking off, your fingernails felt like they were on fire. Working on the flight deck during flight operations was the most exciting thing I have ever experienced and was a job nobody else wanted to do because of the dangers. I lived for it.

Then I got married and got out when my time as up, later joined the Navy Reserve, then the National Guard. In the Army you depend on your battle buddy and offer him a level of trust you would never offer another human. You get to blow sh?t up, shoot awesome weapons, drive in and use some of the most advanced equipment in the world. You work harder than you've ever worked before and travel to places that truly help you appreciate home. You have to maintain physical fitness if you want to succeed and have to learn what takes civilian years to learn in weeks or months. Giving up is never an option in any situation. If you don't have what you need you improvise, if the game changes in the middle of preperations or the mission you adapt. This is the expectation and most soldiers, sailors and Marines live up to that expectation. If something needs to be done, it will get done one way or another.

It is a hard charging lifestyle (maybe not so much for paper pushers, but the same elements still apply). It is always changing, adapting. New equipment, new places, new training, new uniforms, new faces. The military is the most dynamic environment I have ever experienced.

I would imagine law enforcement and corrections would be a lot like the military experience, the heightened awareness, repetitive training to build muscle memory, an atmosphere where attention to detail is essential for survival.

We have many cops and corrections officers in the Guard which always struck me as odd since I always viewed the Guard as my time away from my mundane life, something different. I guess for them the experience is different, but familiar? I think I'd get sick of both quicker if I was law enforcement and Guard.

Posted By Stripes on 12 May 2011 11:33 AM
"The more things change, the more they stay the same."

Could you elaborate on that? -curious-

It’s called the human condition. People don’t like change, they claim they do but they don’t. The average Joe and Jane don’t want the world they know turned upside down and inside out. “Change” is merely a new guise for the same thing, that is why history keeps on repeating itself.

Makes me sick too my stomach. The sympathic feeling of this event, that soo many people relate to, has such an irrelevance and oblivious for human understanding and what really is important.

Posted By Stripes on 12 May 2011 11:35 PM

“Change” is merely a new guise for the same thing, that is why history keeps on repeating itself.

 That statement, which you so often hear, is just that. Nothing but a statement with an intricate reference to reality. Could you give an example, or preferably explain what you mean, when you say "history repeats itself"?