I did a dumb thing yesterday.

Dumber than posting about porn?  Yes, yes it was. I reposted this:

Talk about a mishmash of inaccuracies. Still, powerful image and words.

Then I read this: Washington Post.

And a few more blogs. The dude (who I thought was Denzel Washington) is really Malcolm X. The quote, butchered bits from a lady in Japan and second half from ML King.

I took it off my FB feeling silly and gullible, but kept thinking about it.

Does the source make the sentiment less true?

It still describes how I feel about the celebrating following Bin Laden’s death.

I was deeply embarrassed for us as a nation. Watching the celebrating at Ground Zero uncomfortably reminded me of clips I saw of celebrants after 9/11, rejoicing in our pain, and though Bin Laden (and the others in the compound) were wanted war criminals, I would rather they’d been taken alive and tried in an international court.

If that wasn’t an option, I still haven’t heard a good reason why. Anybody know the answer to this? I did find this thoughtful article by the BBC: Should Osama Bin Laden have been Caught and Tried?

When Hussein was captured, there was equal rejoicing, and it didn’t have the edge that this situation did. We got to see as a world court tried him, and got to be a little horrified at the old-fashioned hanging that was dispensed. But at least, it wasn’t the USA with a gun being judge, jury and executioner in front of the world.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of Special Forces, SEALs, SWAT, law enforcement in general. I love action movies where things blow up. I enjoy TV shows like “the Unit” and have many friends in the military. I have even said in frustration about various world scenarios, “Why don’t we send in the SEALs?”

But this situation has me concerned that we’ve made Bin Laden a martyr, not the laughingstock he could have become if tried in court, and in killing him and dancing on his body (metaphorically speaking) we’ve deepened the hatred of his followers, and showed ourselves to be something of what they say we are.

I was consoled by that mishmash quote and follow up articles that showed others were embarrassed and concerned as well. Let’s do better in the future to represent ourselves as the justice-loving. compassionate nation we really are.

Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice. Prov.24:17

Opinions and thoughts?

Join My Email Book List

Receive not one but two welcome gift ebooks! For crime thriller and mystery lovers, you can download book 2 in the award winning Lei Crime series FREE.
If you love romance, join my romance list and receive book one in the Somewhere Series, Somewhere on St. Thomas. Join now and stay up to date on sales, new releases, freebies, and giveaways!

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Sign up for my romance newsletter and I'll send you a link to download Somewhere on St. Thomas as a FREE welcome gift!

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Sign up for my newsletter and I'll send you a link to download Torch Ginger as a FREE welcome gift

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Author Coaching

Join Toby's author coaching newsletter for tips and news for your writing journey!

You have Successfully Subscribed!