<p>I cannot feel happy when any human dies.</p>
<p>I was very happy when bin Laden died. I would have been very happy when Hitler died. Bad people cause much unhappiness. When they die, unhappiness is replaced by happiness. I did not know anyone personally that died at the hands of Bin Laden. I probably would not feel happy if I did.</p>
<p>I still feel happy that Bin Laden is dead. I’m happy that our Navy SEALS were the ones to make it happen.
Actually, I don’t know how you could make this be not about Bin Laden. We didn’t go in there for any other reason than to get the guy we swore we were going to get. I’m happy that our President made the death of Bin Laden the focus point.</p>
<p>D’s reaction: Why do America’s “shining moments” always involve someone dying? </p>
<p>Mine: It probably won’t do much to prevent future attacks, since Al Qaeda is now reportedly decentralized and bin Laden had little to do with operational plans. But it absolutely had to be done.</p>
<p>We both found the football-game atmosphere last night to be disturbing. It reminded me of the cheering crowds in some parts of the Middle East on Sept. 11. Both were wrong.</p>
<p>I’m in awe of the SEALS who went in. The skill and courage of those men, and the rest of the military, is beyond my understanding, but not beyond my supreme admiration.</p>
<p>Thanks to all for support of our military. It means a lot. The training Special Forces/Special Operations guys go through on a daily basis is unbelieveably tough. They are real life superheroes as far as I’m concerned. I’m a little biased though :)</p>
<p>"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.~ 
:)</p>
<p>I think we have to remember that, for the young people whose lives have been shadowed by terrorism, particularly those in areas that were actually hit, Bin Laden has been the bogeyman of their nightmares for many years. They wouldn’t possibly perceive him as a human being and it was his choice, and his alone, to renounce his humanity. I value life above all things, particularly my children’s lives and wellbeing. Having had at least two instances where it was entirely possibly for my children to have grown up without a mother due to terrorism, this is a personal matter for me and the members of my community, not a theoretical one, so I’m a little bothered by the passing of judgment. Not a lot bothered, but a little. I wonder if you would all feel the same magnaminity toward someone who threatened or harmed you personally or did so to people you know. As a point of comparison, an abuser killed by the police or an act of self defense. I worry very much about retaliation, but Bin Laden had a track record of murder and there is no question but that he would have been involved in such going forward, so the lives saved by his death, whoever they belonged to, are more precious to me. It’s not revenge, it’s preventative action. Are there others? You bet, and they mostly look like our friends and neighbors, but don’t overlook the fact that Bin Laden had the protection and support of a nuclear armed nation and you will sleep better knowing he is dead. Powerful, murderous zealot + nuclear capability = only a matter of time.</p>
<p>Hugcheck–you beat me to it.</p>
<p>I am not big enough to live by those words, I’m afraid, Hugcheck. But they are words to keep in mind in our reactions to what happened here.</p>
<p>The newspapers are reporting that the Seals got the “motherlode” of intelligence. Frankly, that’s enough of a justification for the raid.</p>
<p>I am very, very proud of President Obama in this instance. I am one who didn’t think he was tough enough to do the things that might be necessary as president and am very glad to be proved wrong. I also acknowledge his wisdom in maintaining the intelligence apparatus that was put in place by the Bush administration so that this action could be undertaken. It can’t have been an easy decision for Mr. Obama to have made in the way that it was, so I salute him.</p>
<p>It was a huge chance he took. I still remember the debacle when Carter’s rescue attempt failed. Had it succeeded, he would be down as a hero. Bad helicopters were in play there too.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>…Just to set the record straight: George W. Bush initially said he wanted bin Laden “dead or alive,” and a special intelligence was put in place to hunt him down. But by 2002 Bush was saying he was “not that concerned” about bin Laden, and by late 2005 the special intelligence unit was shut down, according to reports published in the New York Times in 2006. Also in 2005, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld personally intervened to scuttle a CIA-organized mission in which an elite unit of Navy Seals were to go into Pakistan to kill or capture al Qaeda’s number 2 man, Ayman al Zawahiri, based on “actionable intelligence” as to his location—a mission remarkably similar to the raid carried out this week against Osama bin Laden. Rumsfeld argued the earlier mission was too risky and might cause a rift with Pakistan. Al Zawahiri remains at large, and is widely expected to pick up the baton from al Qaeda’s fallen leader. </p>
<p>[Bush</a> talks of threats, concerns and U.S. judges - CNN](<a href=“http://articles.cnn.com/2002-03-13/politics/Bush.news.conference_1_nuclear-weapons-bush-talks-bin?_s=PM:ALLPOLITICS]Bush”>http://articles.cnn.com/2002-03-13/politics/Bush.news.conference_1_nuclear-weapons-bush-talks-bin?_s=PM:ALLPOLITICS) </p>
<p>[C.I.A</a>. Closes Unit Focused on Capture of bin Laden - New York Times](<a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/04/washington/04intel.html?ex=1309665600&en=3779ed9b98bb9d22&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss]C.I.A”>http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/04/washington/04intel.html?ex=1309665600&en=3779ed9b98bb9d22&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss)</p>
<p>[U.S</a>. Aborted Raid on Qaeda Chiefs in Pakistan in 05 - New York Times](<a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/08/washington/08intel.html?pagewanted=1&hp]U.S”>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/08/washington/08intel.html?pagewanted=1&hp)</p>
<p>I have been watching this thread for two days now not sure if or what to post…my family, too, lives close to Ground Zero; we had family involved in the 1993 attempt and lost friends on 9/11…while we will never forget, I really did not need a continuous reminder of all the pain of loss this week…</p>
<p>so, for my children, and for myself, rather than a celebration, this brought back alot of sadness…which we expected in September of this year, but were not prepared for right now…</p>
<p>my 17 year old understands the celebratory nature of the immediate reaction, but cannot describe her feelings as “happy”…nothing about this will ever make any of us “happy”…</p>
<p>satisfied that they “got him”, sure…but “happy” is reserved for other of life’s events…</p>
<p>hope this makes sense…</p>
<p>I just talked to my S about the death of Bin Ladin. He said “Yeah, but it doesn’t end anything. Terrorism will still go on. Someone else will take his place.” Sobering and realistic.</p>
<p>^^ Smart kid. </p>
<p>Our best hope of ending terrorism is to assist the surge of democracy sweeping the Middle East. As long as we continue to support the oppressive regimes over there, killing any individual leader is just playing whack-a-mole.</p>
<p>Today’s [New</a> York Times](<a href=“Students Celebrate Bin Laden News - The New York Times”>Students Celebrate Bin Laden News - The New York Times) has an article on this topic.</p>