England
The media and news stations (before the Geronimo operation that took down bin Laden) were buzzing about the wedding in England between Prince William and Kate Middleton. This provoked from people I know, the campus paper, the news, etc., ranging from "Can't wait till they get it off the news" to "It's just like a fairy tale!" to "This is an argument for the monarchy."
I was babysitting four girls ages 9 to 12, and of course they just had to get up to see it live at four in the morning. It was a lovely service, but all they were worried about is "When are they going to kiss?" and "What will her wedding dress look like?" We watched it on Fox News, and the reporter stated, "The first ray of sunshine came out the moment she entered the church. This is just like a fairy tale."
Honestly, all I can say is, I hope the world gets its fill of royal romance now so that some of us don't have to deal with it any time soon. I feel kind of sorry for the couple - I wouldn't want 1/3 of the world (an estimate we saw on TV, so very iffy) watching my wedding and going "When's he gonna kiss her?" But it means that the English figurehead monarchy, which must be excellent for national identity, is being strengthened. So, good news.
U.S./Pakistan
And then the news came in that Navy SEALS, with information from military intelligence, killed Osama bin Laden in a military compound in Pakistan. Americans have been rejoicing and celebrating in the streets. Again, this has prompted a wide spectrum of opinions that I have heard, from the common jubilation to "We're asking for the war to get worse" to, finally, someone who shares my response.
Proverbs 24: "Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles...For there will be no prospect for the evil man; the lamp of the wicked will be put out."
It doesn't make us any safer.
It isn't good that we took vengeance into our own hands instead of leaving it to God.
But there's this: The people who lost loved ones on 9/11, and in other bin Laden-engineered Al-Qaeda attacks, know that the man who masterminded those events is dead. For that, I am glad.
American reaction:
ReplyDelete"BEEP Yeah, America"
International reaction: http://www.economist.com/node/18648254
An obituary that speaks of an engineer, a poet, a man who would be a sage, a businessman exiled from his country, and a man who was enraged that holy places were occupied by foreign forces with the help of a corrupt government. It was, I think, as an obituary should be. It spoke more of who he was than what he did, it spoke without assumed moral code, and it showed a side of a man most had never seen before.
My reaction:
We killed him. Not that big a deal. Wait...Badness. We made a martyr. We made a freaking martyr. Yay us.
Wait...He was killed while unarmed, not attempting to flee, and intentionally? And this is the story the administration told the press? This is bad. Obama gets the boost in polls, but this is overall a bad thing.