Mixed

For anyone living under a rock, US Navy Seals successfully took out Osama Bin Laden last night. For anyone living even further under that rock, Bin Laden claimed responsibility for the 9/11 attacks, and the US has been hunting him down for 10 years now.

My first thought after hearing this was great pride. And Joy. And elation. I don't normally feel this way when someone dies. And for a second I felt sad that everyone is so happy that someone's life has been taken.

I have mixed feelings about the death penalty. In cases like Jeffrey Dahmer (Jimmy and I watched his Bio on Friday night so now I'm well versed. Isn't that how everyone spends their Friday nights? No?) He committed his terrifying crimes in Wisconsin, a no death penalty state. But some inmates shanked him in the back, so he ended up dying anyway. I'm usually not a fan of killing people, but when someone who is so sick and messed up admits to killing double digits of people and doing horrific things with their bodies I can't help but wonder. Is life in prison really harsh enough for something like that?

I realize that Bin Laden was probably raised from birth to hate and kill. Has he ever known any different? Not likely. So, in a way he was just doing what he was taught right? A learned behavior. But does that mean he shouldn't be held accountable for his actions? I think not. Somewhere in his mind a human instinct must have clicked on telling him that killing thousands of innocent people and devastating a country was the WRONG thing to do. Despite everything he had been taught. But, he orchestrated 9/11 anyway. And proudly claimed responsibility, continually gloating in our faces.

So, when all is said and done I'm about 0.5% sad that the world is rejoicing that someone was killed ( and this is really just because I hate killing, and has nothing to do with who was killed) and 99.5% elated that we no longer have to live in fear of that nut job. Other nut jobs will come forward of course. But 1 down, plenty more to go.

I'll even take it one step further and say that I think a bullet in Bin Laden's head made his death waaay to easy. I'm not a fan of torture either. But when you watch video of 9/11 footage and hear the bodies hitting the ground after jumping 20+ stories to escape burning to death you start to think otherwise.

My favorite part of all of this was seeing people gathering at ground zero last night at 1:30 in the morning. People waking up and coming out of their houses to celebrate the death of a terrorist responsible for taking so many lives. Knowing that plenty of these people had family and friends that were killed in those 9/11 attacks 10 years ago. And knowing that a tiny bit of justice was served. I hope the families of those 9/11 victims went to bed last night with smiles on their faces. And probably for the first time in the past 10 years were able to get some closure to help them heal.

President Obama said that the world is a better place without Bin Laden in it. I’m not too quick to believe politicians these days. But in this case I agree 100%.