Killing a Killer to Stop Killing
I didn’t get to sleep until after 2am last night because I couldn’t shut off the news, and I’m at work so I can’t write a full post, but I will tonight. There’s a lot going through my mind right now, in regards to the killing of Osama Bin Laden, and the overwhelming joyous reactions of so many Americans. Until I can write a full post, I’ll link to this one, which sums up a lot of what I’m feeling. Here’s an excerpt.
“But I’m going to be the killjoy who insists we look at what has happened since September 2001, and wonder if we can really celebrate on a very deep moral level at all. Osama bin Laden’s attack on America killed roughly 3,000 people. Since then, the U.S. government has launched two wars in nations that were not previously our enemies, and one of which had no connection whatsoever to the 9/11 attacks. At the most conservative, over 100,000 people have been killed in Iraq. Over 8,000 civilians have been killed in Afghanistan. Let that sink in for a moment: more innocent civilians have been killed in Iraq every year since 2003 than the number of Americans who died on 9/11. Over twice the number of 9/11 victims have been killed in Afghanistan. In the meantime, hundreds of innocent men and boys have been literally snatched from their families’ arms, tortured, renditioned, and held for years without evidence or charge—all ostensibly for the purpose of preserving and advancing democracy.”
http://www.patrolmag.com/2011/05/02/david-sessions/frat-party-in-the-usa/