Over the last couple days thousands of Americans rejoiced in the streets of cities across the US. Congratulations to us. We killed Osama. I find our celebration disturbing.Osama Bin Landen is a monster. A monster we created, and a reflection of ourselves. Osama was responsible for killing 2,998 innocent civilians on September 11th, 2001. That was horrible. In retaliation the US spent the last 10 years dropping bombs from drone planes in Iraq and Afghanistan. In Iraq alone we have killed 62,006 innocent civilians according to Iraq Body Count, a group of US and British academics. We're talking about children, JUST LIKE YOURS. Sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, grandparents, JUST LIKE YOURS. Our government calls this "collateral damage for the greater good". F#ck that. This is murder.
Incidentally, the cost of the Iraq war alone exceeded the sum to pay off the debts of every poor nation on earth. Imagine what the world would be like if we had done that instead?
Several days ago NATO (that's us people) dropped bombs in Tripoli in an attempt to kill Muammar Gaddafi. Muammar survived, but several military targets were killed, including his 29 year old son. Again there was celebration. What the hell are we celebrating? In addition to the military targets, 3 children under the age of 12 were killed in the strike. Look at this photo of Gaddafi's dead grandchild. Imagine this is YOUR CHILD, YOUR BROTHER, YOUR NEPHEW, YOUR GRANDCHILD. What would you do? How would you react? What would you think about the country who dropped the bomb? About the people cheering in the streets? How far would you go for justice?NATOs response to the deaths of these children - "We don't target individuals, we target objectives". F#ck that. Murder.
We create the future Osama Bin Ladens and the Muammar Gaddafis of the world with every bomb we drop. With every weapon we produce. With every celebration of death. To all the people cheering in the streets of NY and in front of the White House and around the US, wake the F#ck up.
TREE
ps. Please read this essay and pass it on. We must educate our citizens so that one day we can break this cycle of violence and free ourselves from the Military Industrial Complex - http://www.bidstrup.com/hate.htm
ps. Please read this essay and pass it on. We must educate our citizens so that one day we can break this cycle of violence and free ourselves from the Military Industrial Complex - http://www.bidstrup.com/hate.htm
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38 comments:
Nice post Sprinter Life. I couldn't agree with you more. What is wrong with this wrld?
its crazy what a double standard this country has. killing civilians is never ok. and the proportion of numbers is so out of whack. I bet we've killed well over 100,000 when you include afghanistan
the war on terror is crazy
Tree. What a great post. I honor you for speaking out about the insanity of this cycle of fear and revenge. I wish the whole world could get this message.
Love you,
mom
Rich: right or wrong, remember the SOB celebrated the death of thousands of Americans. Unfortunately this isn't a fight for land or power, that would be an easy explanation. This is a religious extremist that is so messed in the head that he's willing to kill anyone that doesn't believe the same way he does.
TREE: Rich, what makes a man that crazy? read the whole post.
Rich: I did read your entire view point and I politely disagree with it. Osama came to our house first and killed thousands of innocent victims. His followers have killed thousands in the middle east for such reasons as a married woman showing her face in public. Unfortunately war always means there will be innocent victims however i guarantee our intentions have never been to target them as Osama has done time & time again. People like him deserve to be hunted and brought to justice. We actually gave him a choice and he choose death; none of his victims ever got that choice. Is it morally right that we cheered upon hearing of his death; i understand why you & others would say no. But i for one am very happy to know that the bastard is rotting on the bottom of the indian ocean instead of planning his next attack. True there will be another to take his place. History proves that so but history also proves that if we do nothing, people like Hitler & Stalin run ramped killing all those against them any way. In my opinion, the real issue is not that we cheer for Osama's death. Its that we as American's assume ALL Muslims are like Osama. This is what causes hatred in the world, not excepting differences. Can't we all just get along.
TREE: I believe we can all get along. But not if we are perpetuating a cycle of violence that creates the terrorist of tomorrow. We need to fundamentally change the system if we want to change the future. Otherwise we'll be having this same conversation in 5 yrs, 10 yrs, 100 yrs.
Rich: what came first, a dictatorship or the democratic society? In my opinion its the dictators that are perpetuating the cycle. Do we allow them to point their guns and say 'do what I say or else'? Just a few weeks ago weren't you afraid of a gun yielding man wanting to share his view points with you and your family? We are simply reacting. We've tried isolationism, we've tried humanitarianism, either way we come up with a strike out. If we don't do anything, we'll still be blamed for being the riches nation in the world and not doing something. So we have to do something. I will say its nice that we quit the cowboy attitude of going it alone though, that was the problem with Bush. Obama has been very intelligent to allow Nato to take the lead in Libya. The US is not the Worlds watch dog however NATO was formed to do just that. By the way i respect your opinion, i understand your view point but i disagree with the root cause of the perpetual cycle you are referring to. Its not that we hunted down Osama and then cheered his death, its that we assume ALL Muslims are like him & thus don't allow for a mutual coexistence & respect of ones differences.
TREE: The fact is that anyone participating perpetuates the cycle. I wish we would be the ones to break it. I respect your opinion as well. Love you Rich!
Actually it did bring a smile to my face. But unlike his organization we celebrate Hope. The hope that this will send a message of our determination to bring justice to anyone willing to attack or torment our people. Our Celebration was one with candles, high fives and hugs. Not one where we tied his body to the back of vehicle, dragging him through our streets, while our people spit, stoned and kicked his corpse before burning it.......... So no, it wasn't that disturbing.
that photo of the little boy is sooo sad. I feel like crying now. Melissa :(
There´s an incredible essay on the web that I HIGHLY URGE EVERYONE TO READ http://www.bidstrup.com/hate.htm. It clearly explains ´why they hate us,´ the cycle of terrorism and how it is the consequence of US foreign policy, otherwise known as ´blowback.´ In order for the cycle to discontinue, first we, the citizens of the U.S., need to fully understand why it exists and what we can do to stop it. Step 1) No matter how tempting it may be, we need to not be hoodwinked into believing that killing Osama Bin Laden made any postive difference in the world. Al Qaeda will only fill the vacuum so long as the political dynamic stays the same. 2)We need to hold our government accountable and change the way we operate on the world stage. We need to go back to embracing the values that won us worldwide respect in yesteryears,namely ´egalitarianism, compassion, and an appreciation of the importance of rigorous education in reason and critical thinking, with an emphasis on the civics of democracy and the ethical and moral values of the Enlightenment.´ PLEASE READ THE ESSAY. I can´t possibly paraphrase as well as it reads. We have the power to stop this nonsense!! -STEVIE
yes, its good that justice was done. but killing bin laden won't change a thing. he'll just be replaced by another leader. its clear that the war on terror is not working. the question i have is how long will we continue to do things this way before we change the approach?
there is no excuse for killing 60,000 innocent people just because some maniac killed 3000 US citizens.
You have a great blog, Stevie.
The death of any person is never cause for celebration. It may be cause for great relief if lives will be saved because of it, but that’s not something to have a party over. You may remember I served over 6 years in the USMC. My father was a Marine veteran of Guadalcanal on the 3rd wave. I learned to shoot when I was 5 years old and always knew I would be a Marine some day. Our house was very hard line conservative. Still, I agree killing anyone should be avoided, whenever possible.
We did not create Osama Bin Laden. He created himself. The Bin Laden family is stinking, filthy rich. Osama turned his back on a life of privilege because of the gross unfairness of life for the underclass in Saudi Arabia and throughout the Arab world. We did not create the Taliban. We just gave them lots and lots of modern weapons to fight the Soviets and now they use many of the same weapons that we gave them- to fight us.
I must concede that Osama Bin Laden was totally committed to his cause. I am sure he knew it would cost him his life one day. I hope we haven’t made him even more powerful in death than he ever could have been in life.
"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
I just made myself watch over twenty people jump to their deaths from the twin towers. Horror total fucking horror. It was a National Geographic special on 9-11 that I suggest no one watches. FUCK Bin Laden FUCK HIM! He deserved death. I don't rejoice in his death, I don't rejoice in all the death of war, but I am mad.
Jeremy Glick called his wife at 9:49 am on 9/11/01 from flight 93, he had a 3 month old baby at home. The last words to his wife and child were "Were going to rush the hijackers!" Then he put down the phone.
What did you think was going to happen? What would have happened if we did nothing? It was an act of war.
John,
I agree that 9-11 was horrible and that Bin Landen needed to be held accountable. I am not saying that we should have done nothing. I AM saying that we did completely the WRONG THING. Bin Laden killed 3000 Americans and everyone in the US got emotional and revengeful. The next thing you know we killed well over SIXTY THOUSAND civilians in the middle east. Seriously, does that make sense to you? That is 20 TIMES the number who dies on 9-11. Is that justice? It's easy to say, "well, I don't agree with that part", but WE ALL LET IT HAPPEN, and it is a direct result of the way we approach the problem as a country. Therefore we are all responsible for it.
What I'm trying to get people to see by posting the picture of a dead child is that we are creating the same horror we experienced on 9-11 every day in the Middle East. And in doing so we are perpetuating the cycle of violence and death. Saying things like "well, thats what happens in war" is a cowardly cop-out.
People, this isn't a question of whether or not we do something. It is WHAT we do that will define us and the world for hundred of years to come. Who cares who started the cycle, what matters now is who will be brave enough to END it.
Think about it.
ps, the quote from Martin Luther King above is beautiful. Thanks to whoever posted it.
TREE
dude, why the downer post? shouldn't you be sipping an umbrella drink on the beach right now? My 2 cents... Bomb them off the face of the planet. Just kidding. War is stupid. If we were kids on the playground we'd all be in a time out right now.
Yes, it's very disturbing. Not acknowledging them is more powerful than arguing with them. Steer clear of fear, there's still more beauty than ugliness in the world.
It is nice to hear an American say what a lot of the rest of the world is thinking!
Tree we are in total agreement with you.
The quote from Matin Luther King says so well what wise men have known for thousands of years.
Every bomb we drop creates hatred and terrorists.
Sadly it's all about oil, greed and unenlightened minds.
Stevie: Always love the passion, but feel compelled to say that we are only part of this problem. Religious zealotry existed centuries before the US was even a country. And this type of zealotry (regardless of its geographic location) has focused its attention on many targets historically and will continue to focus it's actions on new targets well into the future. We, the US, are just interlopers in that big picture.
Moreover, my view is that we should be solving our problems at home (the US) first before even moving beyond our borders. Yes, I'm fairly isolationistic with the skewed (warped?) opinion that a nation's (and the world's) economy is THE most important factor in all of this. For without an economy, there is nothing to tax to support a government and its military.
Oh, and my political opinion is that the whole Osama Bin Laden "issue" became irrelevant years ago. But, then, I'm only one tax payer...
like like like
"People, this isn't a question of whether or not we do something. It is WHAT we do that will define us . . . "
Yes, and what we are doing right now defines US as morally much "worse" than THEY are. A small number of crazy religious fanatics come over here 9/11 and did something very wrong. We had the sympathy of the world then. We could have taken the higher moral and spiritual ground and kept that good will, gone on to build bridges, engage in honorable activities with the intention of healing everyone. But no - we, like mankind throughout history - fell right into the pit of fear and REVENGE. Then we go over there and kill thousands and thousands of innocent people for 10 years, completely destroying their trust, their infrastructure, their livelihoods, their families, - everything. We have tortured and maimed nations for years. Can you imagine their horror and their HATE? And the effect of actions? Look what we have created! Now BILLIONS of people hate us, and the rest think we are crazy. And it IS crazy. We as a nation are crazy and immoral. We are losing our humanity, and our souls. This is supposed to be "a nation under God", blah blah. I guarantee neither Jesus nor the Buddha would be saying God wants us to kill ANYBODY, for ANY reason, especially revenge. We are the richest, most privileged people on the planet, and yet our personal awareness, morality and compassion for others is lower than low. We seem to be able to justify anything we do to get what we want. All the government (read that military-industrial monster) has to do is define their target as "Other" and we all justify war. And celebrating the death of anyone? It is a sadness I can hardly bear that we have evolved so little.
Change begins with each of us first changing our own values - to embrace peace as the answer NO MATTER WHAT is the only way to stop the cycle that humanity has engaged in for thousands of years. Compassion must weigh out over anger, reaching out to others must rule over fear. We must each be a light to each other. We must really desire the suffering to end for ALL people, and do whatever is necessary so that ALL people can be healthy and happy. If only we had spent all the war money on that goal - this nightmare might have been avoided. We are all One World now, and together we will live or die.
how about instead of spending all that money on war we spend it on building schools instead. That is the best way to WIN this war. Read this book...
http://www.threecupsoftea.com/
Man I love being so popular. Sprinter Life for LIFE, YO! TREE
USA TODAY GALLUP POLL - May 4th, 2011
Do you approve or disapprove of the US military action that killed Osama Bin Laden?
93% Approve
5% Disapprove
3% Undecided
Sprinter life, you do rock. F that poll. stay blonde
I have to believe there is a better way to approach this problem as well. The solution to death and bombs and violence can't be more of the same!
ha, this post is funny
I agree with your friend Rich. Ignorant people think all Muslims are like Osama, but many people know they are not. Americans are not the only ones celebrating Osama's death. Many Uslims in different countries are also happy he is gone. Feeling it's a step in finally ridding the Arab Nations of terrorists. Lets not forget the Bin Laden's own family does business with America and Saudi Arabia having millions of dollars, and disowned Osama because of his views and actions. Finding Osama, and killing him during the apprehension was justified. Just has hunting down a serial killer, or child molester is justified. I am happy for the 3000 families affected by the 9-11 attacks that hopefully they get closer. I am also sad and have empathy for Bin Laden's family who knew someday their brother, son would be held accountable for his extremest actions. They probably miss the boy he was in childhood before he became a nut job. And they probably miss him.
Bin Laden like Hitler's issues I am sure can be linked somehow to his family life. Another nut with daddy issues.
Osama Bin Laden has been dead since 2002.
People who know the truth have way more proof
http://www.prisonplanet.com/top-us-government-insider-bin-laden-died-in-2001-911-a-false-flag.html
Than the fakers who run the government today.
It's all an act.
Who cares if he is dead or alive. I think the question now is what we do in the middle east. Why are we staying there? Its time to get the hell out once and for all
Three Cups of Deceit.....
http://humanosphere.kplu.org/2011/04/ten-points-from-three-cups-of-deceit-starting-in-seattle/
I believe that instead of military, we need a world police force. Osama and other terrorists should be dealt with for their crimes, but not by military who kill civilians it the way. If the US spent all the money they currently spend on military on peaceful efforts to help poor countries, like building schools and sustainable economies, the world would be a different place within 5-10 years.
The question isn´t not whether or not Osama Bin Laden deserved to die in retaliation for killing 3000 Americans on Sept.11. The question is whether the 60,000 people (mostly civilians, including women and children, and thousands of MORE Americans in the armed forces) deserved to die in an effort to kill Osama. Why hasn´t anyone addressed the real point of the post....the fact that collateral damage is MURDER. Just like the deaths at the Trade Center were MURDER.
The USA Today headline from yesterday captured it best. It said, in so many words, that Americans have a renewed faith in the war on terror. Then, two sentences down, it said that most Americans also expect some retaliation. So, it seems that the futility and irony of the `war on terror`isn´t completely lost on our nation....we just don´t care if the cycle continues. -STEVIE
where did you find that photo of Ghaddafis grandchild? Not in the american press for sure! I liked your last post on sprinter life, soo true!
Stevie, no, I don't think the extra innocent lives of 60,000+ people was worth catching Osama Bin Laden. It's sad.
they started this, so if the people of those countries don't want to be bombed, then they should do something about the problem themselves. otherwise, we will. and we did!
HELLO, common, this guy isn't even dead. Check out the news coming out of the middle east. Everyone is saying he is still alive. you've all been HAD!!!!! hahahahahahah
Hahaha? Tell that to all the thousands of people who have been murdered over there Chris. Most of them are just like you and me - (ony a hell of a lot poorer). They are just folks with families who are struggling survive and have a decent life. Whatever Osama did, or whether or not he is alive - it does not justify OUR going over there and murdering innocent people. It makes us worse than the terrorists are in the eyes of the world - and in reality. We made Osama - and we have BECOME Osama - only a thousand times more cruel and lethal. All this killing does not solve the problem - it just makes the terrorists more filled with hate and revenge. The only way to stop killing, hate and revenge is to stop killing, hating, and taking revenge.
Study your history people--nice guys finish last--actually they don't finish. Sure we'd all like peace on earth but it ain't gonna happen and I for one don't want my grandkids being forced to speak Arabic and pray to Mecca 5 times a day, not to mention what will happen to our girls and women. There is no way to win the war on terror--the best we can do is out-terrorize them and put them back in their caves for another 2000 years.
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