Not Sports, Still Important

Never been prouder to be an American. Last night, circa 10:45 pm Eastern time, it was announced that Osama bin Laden had been shot and killed in a firefight in Pakistan. After eight long years of searching and combing the deserts and caves for this man, we finally got him. Hearing President Obama address the nation last night instilled a lot of hope in me that our nation, while we have our issues, can still step up and make things right. After he received a tip around last monday, President Obama launched an undercover mission with special forces in Pakistan. On monday, forces were mobilized, and last night, the job was done. But what's more important than us getting him? What's more important than the fact that we got the job done in a timely fashion?

Not a single American was killed. Not a single American was even harmed. Those men and women who executed that mission are home safe, not a scratch on them. Hearing President Obama say those words gave me a feeling of patriotism I have admittedly not felt in a long, long time.

I feel like this is tremendous in the face of other nations. This is, in some sense of the word, a phenomenal bit of foreign policy. Our country was in a tough spot, and, while I'm not saying this erases a lot of stuff we are trying to resolve, it is a great reflection on us as a country. This was starting to feel like a lost cause, and I had been thinking for a long time now when we would finally get him. We finally got it done.

Love him or hate him, President Obama helped to end things. While I tend to fare on the Left on the political spectrum, I'm not gonna spew liberalism here and start saying things like "LOL PRESIDENT OBAMA KILLED OSAMA AND NO ONE HELPED HIM, REPUBLICANS ARE DUMB". It's not like we didn't know who Osama bin Laden was until President Obama took the Oval Office. This was an issue eight years in the making. President Bush obviously tried tirelessly to get this man, but President Obama finished the job. And for that, President Bush, I give you the assist. Again, love him or hate him, President Bush helped to get this ball moving.

This was a truly amazing thing to happen. But this isn't the kind of "amazing", I believe, that warrants wild drunken rioting in the streets, or something like that. Celebration is in order, but I think it is more of a solemn celebration. I believe that this is a great way to bring some shred of closure to those related to 9/11 victims. What Osama did to the country was an abomination, and I could not be happier that he can never bring terror to anyone else's lives. I will say, however, I will always be curious to see what would happen if we captured him and brought him back and tried him. He deserved the justice that came to him, sure, but I would be fascinated to see that justice come in the form of the United States Judicial Branch.

To all those affected by 9/11, which, to some extent, are all of us, I offer my solemn condolences, but know that the man who caused all of this pain has met his maker.