“I will 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. (Note: Possibly Bogus)
“I’ve never wished a man dead, but I’ve read some obituaries with great pleasure.”
-–Mark Twain
“I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked.”
–Ezekiel 33:10
“For all the people out there scolding each other for various emotional reactions, I have this to say: Stop it. There is no “right” way to feel. Americans were victimized by a horrible mass murder. A measure of justice has been dealt. People react how they react. Some people react with joy. Some with grief. Some with jokes. Some do all of the above. All feelings are just that, feelings. Stop trying to control it.”
–Amanda Marcotte
I have felt each of these throughout the twenty-four hours following the announcement U.S. forces finally found and killed Osama bin Laden. And that’s not counting the initial disbelief and laughter I expressed when my friend Patrick told me on the phone last night. Or the disturbingly quick partisan assessment I made that Obama is assured re-election (which upon further thought is not assured at all: witness Bush the Elder’s loss of Gulf War brownie points when he failed to take the recession of the early 90s seriously.) Today when Twitter turned into a debate about the sincerity of Rush Limbaugh’s remarks praising Obama’s role in taking bin Laden down, I decided I should just back away and throw up my hands.
I am glad bin Laden is no longer at large. I hope his demise does not make him a martyr, but seriously demoralizes his organization and all of the violent sociopaths he inspired. But don’t tell me justice was served. Too much blood has been spilled in the name of my country, with my tax dollars, at the sacrifice of my countryfolk and the uncounted deaths of thousands of innocent people around the world.
Edited to add the link to Megan Mcardle’s post on dubious MLK quote. Which just makes this that much weirder.
Spread the joy…
, and would gladly like to see Syfy make this movie. If they pay me.
