Where I Stand. Who I Am.

I am proud of our military. They pulled off a extremely risky mission without losing a single American life. Thanks to them Osama Bin Laden has finally been found. He did terrible things. He reveled in the death of innocent people. I do not mourn for him. I am relieved that he was found. I believe that he was brought to justice for the crimes and hate that he propagated. But I am not gleeful. I do not have the urge to drink my enemies blood or stomp on their face. I do not feel like celebrating. It is not in my nature to hate. Even the grim satisfaction I feel leaves me with a heavy heart. Make no mistake, I have picked my side. I stand by my country. I stand by our way of life. I believe that we are a nation that engages in combat as a necessity, not as an act of aggression. That makes me proud. I feel like a corner has been turned, but we still have a long way to go. As we move forward I feel that every death should be treated as a necessity. I compare the videos from the Middle East celebrating 9/11 and the videos from the US celebrating Bin Laden's death and see some very disturbing similarities. I understand why other people might disagree. I'm sure that plenty of people think my view point is unpatriotic. I have been called a "bleeding heart liberal" on more than one occasion. That's ok. Compassion for others, even my enemy, is a badge I wear with honor. It is not something I ever want to lose, nor will I ever consider it a flaw.




"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.