Reaction to Osama Bin Laden’s Death

2 May

The Scene at Ground Zero (New York) Last Night After News of Osama Bin Laden's Death Was Shared

Folk/Punk singer Frank Turner responded to news of Osama Bin Laden’s death in a Twitter post inspired by the apt words of Mark Twain. “”I’ve never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure.” And, that’s about how I felt when I was blindsided by the monumental news while watching the Mets vs. Phillies game on ESPN last night. In a meticulously organized military operation conducted by a group of multi-skilled special soldiers, Osama Bin Laden was shot in the head in a voluminous compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan yesterday. The news was remarkably propagated to the entire connected world within seconds. Oh, the wonders of technology.

It is stunning news. I was debating what diction to use on this post, and stunning stood out. That is how I felt and still feel. The killing of the single most hated person in America since Hitler is a tremendous feat that certainly portrays power and eventual success. I do not want to come off as jingoistic, but this death oozes American nationalism, and I do think it is good for our struggling country. Yes, it is eerie that we are celebrating a death, but as Twain hinted at, most American’s woke up this morning and saw a noticeable face printed in the newspaper – a face immediately linked with utter hatred – and smiled. I did the same. I was 11 when the Twin Towers fell. I watched them fall over and over again on television in a horrifying phantasmagoria. In my opinion, there are only a few heinous crimes worthy of the death penalty, and Bin Laden deserved what he got. I only wish it came sooner.

I believe it is only appropriate to leave this as the sole news item in today’s Music News. I do feel obligated to provide you with a song that somehow can encompass these events. Famous American classics have been overused already, so instead I turn to something a little unconventional.

He’s Gone. He’s Gone. And nothing is gonna bring him back.

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