The Politics of Bin Ladin's Death

So we killed Osama bin Ladin. Big deal? Why are there so many college students crowding Pennsylvania Avenue? The answer is simple. We killed Osama bin Ladin.

For the past 20 years, we - as in Americans - have witnessed no major military victory (considering the Gulf War was too controversial to judge, the count would be 66 years), despite the billions - if not trillions - of dollars in military spending. We needed something to feed our American hunger - what was once called Capitalism and is now Democracy. We needed our self-righteousness.

Was it Really that Easy?
After 10 years, millions of innocent lives - is there a difference between a New York businessman and a local Pakistani street vendor - and billions of dollars later, we kill a sitting duck. Fact: Osama bin Ladin was relatively close to an Army base. Fact: bin Ladin's Mansion was just outside of Islamabad, and FACT: I doubt any good Al-Qaeda groupee would really care for him. For the past 10 years - sure he took down the edifice that symbolized American vitality - he did just about nothing for militant Jihadism, for al-Qaeda.

An Unbiased View
Let it be known that there is no "good" side in this battle. We cannot judge the cause - to spread "Democracy" or to spread "Islam" - as a good or bad one. But, we can make this conclusion. Both parties have taken approaches that have killed safely thousands, approximately millions and possibly hundreds of millions in the past 20 years. In fact, they both say - to an extent - "innocent lives are necessary for our cause." Well, let us make it clear. Violence is barbaric and has no place or justification in our 21st-century world.

Trial
A question that has been been thrown around is bin Ladin's right to a fair and speedy trial. This dilemma - in my opinion - is pretty straightforward. bin Ladin was on the FBI's most wanted list...so that makes him, if caught, a prisoner of the United States. And from there, everything falls into place.

"No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury...the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial" (Bill of Rights, Amendments V, VI)

The trick is that there can be no going around this. Only an amendment to the Constitution can...or if the US Congress passes a bill allowing criminals to be "detained" and killed without a trial--a law that would never pass the watchful eyes of the Supreme Court. 


And what especially makes very little sense is how we have chose to break precedent. Consider Saddam Hussein and the 11 hijackers from 9/11. All twelve were put on trial and "brought to justice." We declared war on Hussein and the hijackers were not high-profile world leaders, either. So, how could you differentiate bin Ladin from either case?


On the Engangment
In the raid on the bin Ladin Mansion in Islamabad, it is important to note that quite a few "others" were killed besides just Osama - such was the fate of the kingpin's wife, who is an innocent bystander. Novices are quick to point to Osama's "cowardice" in putting her in between him and the godforsaken weapon that tore into the woman's skin. But does anyone dare say that it might just be the fault of the Seals, who entered the small "basti," guns a-blazing? No. They are American heroes. Again, I do not support violence...against anyone.


Global Terrorism
And so Terrorism continues. Its not going to stop. Pro-war advocates are trying to shove bin Ladin's death in our faces...attempting to prove something, but when asked what, there faces go blank.

Had I ever doubted that America could not capture and kill Osama? No. However, just like how my view of water-boarding, I know battle works, but my question is how can we save the capital - the green and the HUMAN captial?

So again, we have killed Osama. Now what? Has terrorism stopped? No. Will security "de-beef?" Of course not...it will only escalate. Will we get out of Afghanistan? No. Let it be known. We are not in Afghanistan to "pass on Democracy." That's bullshit. Anyone'll tell you that. The reason we're in Afghanistan - as opposed to Iran (with its oil) and Libya (with its anti-American rhetoric and political disturbance) - is because of the power the Taliban and Al-Qaeda have gained against the US.

Let's face it. If we were in Afghanistan to fight off the people who hijacked those planes and to kill Osama, we would've been outta there right when Osama was killed. Remember, war is expensive and no one wants to fight them...unless there is an amazing reason behind it. If the United States does not continue to fight the Taliban, it and Global terrorism will grow, as will anti-American sentiment. After all, why else are we in Libya and not Syria, Bahrain or - in the past tense - in Egypt? But of course, there needs to be civil disturbance...we can't be in 125+ countries (120 of which have American bases) at the same time. Remember: North Korea and Iran have stable governments.