Ding-dong, the Witch is dead...

I interrupt this cheerful family-centered blog to bring you my thoughts on this historic event: Osama bin Laden is dead.

Those who know me are well aware that I have liberal political leanings. Let's get that out of the way, in the interest of full disclosure.

Like everyone born after 1990, I remember very clearly where I was on September 11, 2001. I was two months away from giving birth to my first child, watching the Today Show at my house in Connecticut, out of graduate school classes for the day. I cried, I was angry, I knew life would never be the same, I was afraid I'd never feel safe again, and I cringed to think that my child would never know a world without the after-effects of that day. When President Bush announced the US military was headed into Afghanistan to find and kill the mastermind of this attack, I was not wholly unopposed. My pacifism started to waver. Just war. Not "just" war, but A Just War. Maybe?

It's been nearly 10 years, and just this evening, President Obama announced that we--the US military, acting on information from the US intelligence community and under orders from the Commander in Chief--found and killed Osama bin Laden. Finally! But did I do the Happy Dance? I did not. Because killing is, for lack of a better word, crappy. It doesn't feel GOOD. I do think bin Laden deserved to die. Frankly, it's not even a tough call for me to say that, but I am conflicted because I think it SHOULD be a tough call for me to say that.

A state-sanctioned/ordered death, even in a military context, is akin to the death penalty. I'm opposed to the death penalty for a few pretty basic reasons. Justice, as carried out by human beings, is imperfect. Judges and juries make mistakes. People who should be punished aren't and innocent people are sometimes punished when they should not be. It is primarily for this reason that I oppose the death penalty. You can't undo it if you discover later that you've made an error. According to some sources, it's happened at least 39 times--that we know of--in recent US history, no doubt countless more times the world over. Not to mention all the people we've freed after years in prison when we realized our mistake before we got to the execution day (130 since the mid-1970s, 10 in 2010 alone). Second, we've proven over and over again that the death penalty is not a deterrent. People don't avoid committing capital crimes because they're afraid of being killed by the State. We don't execute people publicly or swiftly (that whole due process thing, protected by the Constitution), so it's a no-go. Finally, I believe in Jesus Christ and try hard to follow his teachings, and he was super clear about the whole killing thing. Don't do it.

That's one angel on my shoulder.

Then there's the other one, reminding me how I felt on and after 9/11, showing me the images of those who lost their lives that day, gently giving voice to US soldiers who've died fighting this guy and his minions, giving voice to the soldiers' families, telling me again about the people in Afghanistan whose lives have been destroyed by this war we're waging, all because of Osama bin Laden. This angel on my shoulder wants me to remember my anger and to feel justified that someone (my country) acted on it.

Osama bin Laden was 100% guilty. There is no doubt he committed the crimes. The thousands who died in attacks he ordered, the thousands who died defending him and his movement, the thousands who died fighting him and his movement, and the thousands who die not fighting at all, but just trying to survive in the war-ravaged lands he inhabited: the blood of all these people is on his hands. So my first argument doesn't hold water. There could be no error.

However, my second argument still stands. Nothing about killing bin Laden will stop the killing that his rantings have spawned. Extremists and terrorists still thrive and may well be empowered by bin Laden's death, to become more active. So penalizing bin Laden with death doesn't stop anything.

And my third argument still stands. Jesus taught us to love our enemies, to turn the other cheek, to disregard the "eye-for-an-eye" commandment. Revenge is not a Christian tenet, though justice is. He was VERY clear. Love one another.

So I'm one-for-three. I feel a little alone as I fail to celebrate and update my Facebook status with four exclamation points.

Osama bin Laden was evil. I'm not sad that he's dead. But the jubilant atmosphere in the Washington and New York streets tonight feels wrong. I can't find a way to love Osama, as Jesus commanded, but I just can't bring myself to rejoice in the death of another person, no matter how inhuman he seemed. Hopefully, those who have lost loved ones or livelihood because of this man can find some closure and peace in knowing he is dead. The soldiers who have fought and died trying to find him--or supporting the mission to find him--deserve our gratitude and our support, as do their families. I can acknowledge the historical significance of this day, but don't ask me to celebrate it.

The pundits on the 24-hour news networks and the wanna-be pundits on Facebook and Twitter will spin this every which way. Who deserves the credit and who doesn't deserve the credit? What will happen in Afghanistan and Pakistan now? Are we safer? Are we in more danger? Who is the bad guy now? Not many people will stop to wonder if killing bin Laden was the right thing to do from a political, military, or ethical standpoint. I'm conflicted--I wanted him to be dead, but I don't feel good about wanting that.

I'd love some civilized feedback. Bring it, y'all...