Osama Bin Laden

I never thought I would blog about this certain person.  I know I usually blog about nothing and most are light-hearted but today I thought I would share my thoughts on the death of Osama Bin Laden.  I know I will probably make someone mad or someone is going to COMPLETELY disagree with me but that's OK. That's what makes this country so great. We can have difference of opinions and still like each other. :)

Sunday night when I read my "Breaking News" email I literally said out loud "WHAT?!?!?!!!!"  Boogie looked at me with confusion and asked what was wrong. I re-read him the headline and he said "really!!?"  We were in the middle of watching something and did not immediately change the channel but I of course logged into Facebook and there it was.  Almost 95% of my friend's were commenting on the death of Osama Bin Laden.  All were happy and glad that was he killed which was to be expected. This man has been the face of evil in this country since September 11 and he ruined so many lives and ultimately ended thousands.  So I definitely understood their sentiment.  I was still trying to grasp what was going on so we eventually turned on the news.

The very first picture I saw were people parading in the streets chanting "USA...USA...USA!"  They were in front of the White House and looked like college students.  Then they showed a scene in New York City and much of the same celebrations were happening there. Men and women used American Flags as blankets and their faces showed complete jubilation.  At this point I didn't know how I felt about the situation.  I knew that it was a good thing but I didn't know if I was as excited as the rest of the world.

My first thought was "well now we've really pissed Al Qaeda off" and I was afraid of retaliation.  I knew that Osama was dead but he has many followers and they are alive and well.  And as a God-fearing person, I wasn't comfortable in rejoicing in someones death.  I know he was a bad person and I know he was responsible for a lot of horrible things and believe me, I wasn't a fan of his. But I struggled with saying "I AM SO GLAD HE IS DEAD!"  I would never wish death on anyone so this was my struggle.  I struggled with knowing that he was someones father, brother, friend and ultimately a human being.  Not a very good human being but nonetheless, human.  I didn't mourn him or feel sadness in his death, I just struggled with the jubilation everyone else felt.

Now I had I been directly impacted by 9-11, I would probably be singing a different tune.  There are lots of people who grew up without parents, without their brother or sister and his death gave a bit of closure.  But at the end of the day, their loved ones still aren't here and I am guessing Osama's death was bittersweet.  I am sure the feelings they had when they realized their loved ones weren't coming home rushed back on May 1, 2011.  For them, I do feel sadness.  And for them, I will continue to pray.

I know the debate of whether or not Osama dying makes this world a better place will continue.  And as the world waits for proof that he's really dead, I will continue to immerse myself in this story.  I don't know whether or not I want to see the photo but if you know me, I will be too curious NOT to take a look.  I will probably regret it but I'll deal with that later.
The fight in terror is far from over in my eyes. Just because their ring leader is no longer alive, I believe that there are still people in this world who hates us and will continue to try and take us down. But the United States of America has proven it's resolve and I know that we will face whatever comes our way like true Americans. The United States of America is the greatest country in the world and I think we prove that point every day and we definitely proved it on May 1.


My hats go off to the brave men and women who were responsible for that mission on May 1. I cannot even imagine what it is to be a Navy Seal but God bless them all. And I have to admit that knowing the guy who was in charge of the mission was from Texas, makes me feel even prouder to be from this great state! 
These are just my opinions and blogging has given me an avenue to share my thoughts with the world.  I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy sharing!
God bless America and may God bless us all.

Blanca