I am still struggling with the simple question, is President Obama right? Were the last 10 years of sacrifice, struggle and war made tangible yesterday with the death of Osama? Was it all worth it? Watching the flash celebrations last night in front of the White House, at Ground Zero in Times Square and in town squares across the country I was confronted with an entire generation of young Americans who have become adults in an age that has proven that American might does not always make right – that it can’t always protect our shores. A generation that has known the costs and burdens of two wars that cannot be won in the same ways of the past. A generation that finds their country responsible for 45% of the world’s military spending while shortchanging humanitarian and diplomatic efforts abroad.
Last night I was watching television when the news broke of Osama bin Laden’s death. Needless to say that was not what I expected to hear. Just the day before news had broke that Col. Qaddafi’s son had been killed at his compound in Libya – and I assumed that the momentous breaking report would have something to do with more news coming out of the UN backed civilian protection mission in Libya. Citizens for Global Solutions has been advocating for the protection of civilians in Libya, not the overthrow of Col. Qaddafi, but we understand that in order for this story to end something will need to change in Libya. But I digress from the point – Osama bin Laden is dead – and this is a cause for what, celebration?
I remember as a sophomore in college the morning of September 11th, 2001 waking up to the reports of the tragedy of the Twin Towers coming down and the murder of more than 3000 innocent civilians. I also remember the confusion and fear that gripped this country and the rest of the world for the months and years after. I remember four days after the attack when a Sikh man was killed after being dragged behind a car in a “retaliation” hate crime attack in Arizona because he wore a turban. I remember protesting on the UC Berkeley campus in 2003 when President Bush waged an illegal war in Iraq, misleading the American people while invading a country without the support of the United Nations. I remember my sadness at the staggering numbers of innocent Iraqi and Afghani civilians and American soldiers dying in the pursuit of “justice.”
Last night President Obama told this country that:
For over two decades, bin Laden has been al Qaeda’s leader and symbol, and has continued to plot attacks against our country and our friends and allies. The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation’s effort to defeat al Qaeda…
After nearly 10 years of service, struggle, and sacrifice, we know well the costs of war. These efforts weigh on me every time I, as Commander-in-Chief, have to sign a letter to a family that has lost a loved one, or look into the eyes of a service member who’s been gravely wounded.
I am still struggling with the simple question, is President Obama right? Were the last 10 years of sacrifice, struggle and war made tangible yesterday with the death of Osama? Was it all worth it? Watching the flash celebrations last night in front of the White House, at Ground Zero in Times Square and in town squares across the country I was confronted with an entire generation of young Americans who have become adults in an age that has proven that American might does not always make right – that it can’t always protect our shores. A generation that has known the costs and burdens of two wars that cannot be won in the same ways of the past. A generation that finds their country responsible for 45% of the world’s military spending while shortchanging humanitarian and diplomatic efforts abroad.
I feel relief for the families of Osama’s victims that justice has been served and can only hope they feel some sort of closure. I feel relief that Osama bin Laden will no longer be able to sacrifice innocents in pursuit of his cause. I feel relief that we have a President of the United States who I trust to make the difficult decisions in the Situation Room. I don’t feel like celebrating, maybe instead I’ll work on creating a new world view for that next generation of adults.