On the cause of celebration

The posting below this is original to this post. I've added this bit in italics because I can see that there are some who perhaps are not as convinced of the reality, or propriety, of recent events as I am and I think I need to explain something.

I am just as disappointed in things we do as anybody else. I have come to realize that the "Ugly American" that no one was ever able to convince me was real, actually is. There are so many respects in which we, as a country and a people, have failed in our relationships with the rest of the world. We can tell ourselves how great we are, but when you start to really LISTEN to what people from the rest of the world say about us, you begin to see a picture that isn't exactly pleasant. But that said, we still do it better - or try to - than anybody else. But I am not going to argue the merits of our country or the lack of merit that may be real. What I AM going to argue is that we, as human beings, citizens of Earth, like any other citizen of Earth, deserve to live without the fear of being blown up by, shot by, poisoned by or targeted by terrorists. Every man, woman and child on Earth deserves that - and those of us who live here on the Earth, who have the strength, knowledge and courage to protect those of our brethren who don't have the same access to resources, are obligated to do what we can. And that is what we are doing.

Do you recall being just a bit put out when you learned, on Sept 12th, 2001, that there had been joy and dancing in the streets across most of the Arab world upon hearing the news of the attack on the U.S. on September 11th? Or, maybe, did it actually draw you to anger?

Do you remember thinking that you couldn't understand how people could be so uncaring, so full of hate, so wrong about us and what we stand for?

Now. Imagine if you will how people in the Arab world - the Muslim world - see OUR celebration of the killing of Osama bin Laden. I think we need to be circumspect in expressing our joy at the man's demise.

That said, I personally feel relief and encouragement at the fact that U.S. intelligence and military assets were able to cooperate and execute the mission that brought the man down. More than that, those who remain in positions of leadership in Al Qaeda and The Taliban have to now know what the price is on their heads - and that the price is going to be paid. If we can find bin Laden, we can find any one of them. We have demonstrated our patience and our persistence - there are no places on Earth where they can run where we won't be able to track them down and bring them - or their bodies - in. The Indian Ocean is broad and deep. There's room enough for a whole BUNCH of terrorists, if that's what it comes to.

There are going to be more deaths, more destruction, in the name of Osama bin Laden. Al Qaeda is not dead. Terrorist cells exist all over the world. They are angry right now. They are angered by the joy we feel at bin Laden' death, just as we were angered by the unjustified joy the Arab world felt in reaction to 9/11. They will retaliate. They will express their hate and contempt for us with renewed vigor. And we will continue to track them, find them, and bring them to one form of justice or another.

Like I said, the Indian Ocean is deep and broad. And there's lots of room for many, many more terrorists.

Bye, bye, bin Laden. If my vision of the afterlife is true, then your Arab ass is roasting right now. Burn, fucker.

If your vision of the afterlife is true, and Allah is as displeased with you as I am, and I hope He is, then I hope all your virgins are spinster hags with vigorous and energetic crabs.

Ndinombethe.