USA! Or, Just What Are We Celebrating?

Some of the usual suspects on the left are bleating about the tasteless celebrations of Osama's death by the great unwashed.  Here is a Huffer:

While the killing of Osama Bin Laden is being enthusiastically celebrated throughout America and some parts of the world, to say that such merriment is out of order will surely be considered heresy. Nonetheless, I'm saying it--because it needs to be said. For starters, let me say this: "Those of you who are celebrating--could you just pause for a moment and consider: What message are you sending the world?"

...

But celebration in the streets and on the airwaves is neither appropriate nor advisable--really--no matter what your feelings of elation. Here's why.

"Celebrating" the killing of any member of our species--for example, by chanting USA! USA! and singing The Star Spangled Banner outside the White House or jubilantly demonstrating in the streets--is a violation of human dignity. Regardless of the perceived degree of "good" or "evil" in any of us, we are all, each of us, human. To celebrate the killing of a life, any life, is a failure to honor life's inherent sanctity.

And the reliable Glenn Greenwald:

The killing of Osama bin Laden is one of those events which, especially in the immediate aftermath, is not susceptible to reasoned discussion. It's already a Litmus Test event: all Decent People -- by definition -- express unadulterated ecstacy at his death, and all Good Americans chant "USA! USA!" in a celebration of this proof of our national greatness and Goodness (and that of our President). 

...The killing of Osama bin Laden is one of those events which, especially in the immediate aftermath, is not susceptible to reasoned discussion. It's already a Litmus Test event: all Decent People -- by definition -- express unadulterated ecstacy at his death, and all Good Americans chant "USA! USA!" in a celebration of this proof of our national greatness and Goodness (and that of our President). 

Let me suggest a thought experiment (if thinking is still allowed on the left) - what do these authors imagine the reaction would have been to the news that Osama had been captured alive and unharmed?

We don't know, of course.  But my guess is that the baseball crowd in Philly would still have chanted "USA", crowds would still have gathered at the White House and Ground Zero, people would have celebrated around the country, and the White House would have taken a victory lap.

Welll, then - if the reaction to Osama's capture would have been just the same as the reaction to his death, maybe we aren't tastelessly celebrating his death.  Maybe we are just celebrating the end of his era and the triumph of the good guys over the bad guys (sorry for the cryptic reference, libs - Team USA is the good guys.)  In which case the handwringing is utterly misdirected.

SINCE YOU ASK:  The politics around the capture of Saddam Hussein were complicated by feelings about the war, yet there were still celebrations in the US:

The reactions of surprise and relief in most American towns seemed muted compared with the responses of communities with strong and recent ties to Iraq.

In Dearborn, Mich., where a relatively large number of Iraqi-Americans live, scores of people flooded Warren Avenue early on Sunday morning, honking car horns and beating drums. Parties were planned to last into the evening. One man poked his head from the sunroof of his packed car, to wave an American flag, even as snowflakes fell.

''People were melting the snow with the heat of this celebration,'' said Imam Husham al-Husainy, an Iraqi Shiite leader who runs the Karbalaa Islamic Education Center in Dearborn. ''The real celebration and liberation begins today.''

 

Comments

[MayBee]

Any attempts by American authorities to question OBL's wife? Or other survivors.

I don't know. Ask the state department .

Bungle.

[MayBee]

Porch: Is that an admission by Ambinder that this is more about the election than anything else?

And why should the press partake in that?
They have always pushed to have information like this released.

[Ignatz]

Here's a video and story from Patterico about the scandal that at the very least should cost that corrupt nincompoop Holder his job.
Two dead federal agents due to the idiotic plan to make FFLs let known criminals buy guns and he pretends to know nothing about it and has done everything he can to stonewall congressional investigators.
Posted on the other thread too, but nobody should miss Holder's miserable performance.

[MayBee]

Now Carney will not even say if Obama's son was killed in the raid.

US did not take any survivors.

[Porchlight]

MayBee,

Ambinder is possibly the hackiest of all WH hacks and is probably comfortable spinning it this way. But other, actual journalists shouldn't be.

[Captain Hate]

How did F. Chuck, make such an error, because it is a doozy,

Tammy is re-tweeting F. Chuck on exactly that.

[MayBee]

Ambinder is possibly the hackiest of all WH hacks and is probably comfortable spinning it this way. But other, actual journalists shouldn't be.

Completely agree.

[Sue]

I took the Ambinder tweet as an attack on Obama. Am I wrong?

[centralcal]

F. Chuck wasn't the culprit. CBS 60 Minutes was and they have changed their story. F.Chuck and others were tweeting blurbs from Obama interview with CBS.

[Thomas Collins]

See LUN for the thoughts of James Jesus Angleton.

[narciso]

How did they hack up their segment, too many redbulls, that array of editors and fact checkers, borrowed from Dan Rather no doubt.

[Captain Hate]

60 Minutes must've given Mapes the fact-checking assignment

[Sue]

Ann Compton just informed me that one of the reasons Obama isn't releasing the photo is there hasn't been a clamoring from the Arab world for its release. Didn't realize Obama was president of the Arab world.

[Dave (in MA)]

And here is the video that they were watching in the WH SitRm, so you can see why Hillary had her hand over her mouth in shock.

[Captain Hate]

Iggy, I'm glad that Issa is finally drilling in on Steadman. Sounds like he came in very well prepared

[JM Hanes]

MayBee:

"Carney says Obama has decided not to speak at Ground Zero."

I imagine the numbers on his attempt to unify Osama, Giffords and 9-11 wasn't going over well, and he probably got cold feet about appearing all by his lonesome when Bush turned him down. I'd have bet serious money that the plan was to play GWB and BHO as the alpha and omega of the hunt for Osama, from bullhorn to yes-we-can.

How bad is Carney? Bad enough that I'm beginning wish they'd bring Gibbs back. I think Carney is the Obama Administration's version of Scott McClellan: totally outside the loop.

[Sue]

Bill Clinton declined too, JM. I would imagine Obama is pissed off at them for refusing his invite.

[Sue]

Good grief, talk about clowns. Now Senator Scott Brown is saying the picture he and others saw was not authentic.

[JM Hanes]

Captain Hate:

Issa is terrific. He was also practically the only guy who had both the goods and the guts to confront Joe Wilson in the House Judiciary Committee hearing back in the day.

[narciso]

Seriously, he's coming off like the smarmy characters that Jason Bateman, used to play
on early 80s sitcoms.

[clarice]

Yes, jmh. Scott McClellan. I had forgotten his name earlier when I said O had finally found a spokesman as bad as Bush's.

[JM Hanes]

Sue:

"Bill Clinton declined too, JM."

More than just poetic justice there, eh? It was really interesting that when Bush turned him down, he said he was already planning to go to Ground Zero on 9/11. Preemption -- is there anything it can't do? Maybe he'll invite Obama to join him. ::grin::

[DebinNC]

WCVB/Boston:

"Sen. Scott Brown's office said he did not view the actual death picture and was duped by one of the various fake photos circulating the Internet."

He was "duped" by internet pics of a dead OBL? Sheesh. I hope Rep. Rogers and others weighing in weren't that stupid duped.

[Danube of Thought]

Donald, the owner is Greg McPartlin--ever run into him in there?

[narciso]

I think we've seen plenty of times now, that Scott, has been taken in by 'candygram'; I mean landshark.

[Captain Hate]

My biggest problem with Scotty Centerfold isn't that he makes so many dumbass mistakes but that he feels the need to contact the MFM to publicize them. I don't even think Durbin is that stupid, although I could be very wrong about that.

[Sue]

Great. Reuters bought pictures from the Pakistanis of the dead men in the compound. No guns are seen in the photos.

[Porchlight]

Maybe he'll invite Obama to join him. ::grin::

Actually I think it's a certainty that Obama will try to horn in on whatever Bush is doing on 9/11 in NYC.

[Porchlight]

Could the SEALs have taken the weapons with them, Sue?

Don't get me wrong, I think this firefight story is bogus, I'm just trying to think of possibilities.

[Donald]

Probably not unless he was telling me to shut up Mr. DOT. I was young back then!

About 5 years ago, I took my wife out to San Diego to see the Beat Farmers. A good friend of mine who was living out there met us on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, and we sat there with Joey playing (A day after the 25th anniversary Beat Farmers show). It was a great day, she got to meet my Senior Chief (Lee Ellingson...shout out to Lee), he got us on to one of the carriers, I'm looking at a picture now. Man I'm not pretty! We also went across and showed Becky the Hotel Del and ended up eating at that diner on the main drag about 1:00AM (I forget the name). That was a long day.

When I was stationed on the Ranger and we were in North Island I made about $140.00 ever two weeks. That was the wrong town for that!

[Danube of Thought]

Limbaugh was saying this morning that a SEAL Chief Petty Officer with twelve years service makes $54K a year. They ain't in it for the publicity, and they ain't in it for the money.

[Sue]

$54k a year to do what they do. Unfreakinbelievable. I love them, I do, I do, I do.

[Sue]

Porch,

I don't know and really don't care if they had weapons. They needed killin'.

[Stephanie]

But, Sue, to the arab street those killed without weapons were 'civilians.' The US killed unarmed civilians!!!eleventy!1!

[Porchlight]

I don't care either, Sue. Just anticipating the spin.

[Sue]

Stephanie,

Yeah, well...the Arab street is going to do what the Arab street is going to do. And I'm sure, like me, you don't lose much sleep worrying about offending them.

Porch,

If there had been an armory inside that compound, they would spin it. See above. I've just about reached the end of my give a shit rope.

[Rocco]

I doubt OBL wore a bullet proof vest 24-7. They're big and bulky and uncomfortable as well. And he must have felt pretty secure after living there for 6 years or so. Perhaps he was still breathing after the chest shot? Would one between the eyes be a humane way to end ones suffering? I also believe Obama didn't want OBL alive with all the hype over civilian trials versus military tribunals and closing Gitmo etc. That can of worms would have continued right through the election. What a hypocrite, gotta close Gitmo cause it's inhumane but it's ok to kill an unarmed man because my poll numbers can't afford that debate! To be honest, I would have preferred he be taken alive, then tortured till he gave up every last one of his secrets, then shamed as a rat who gave up his brothers followed by slow painful death!

[centralcal]

I've just about reached the end of my give a shit rope.

What took ya so long, Sue? lol! I reached it (as far as the ME, or the Arab street, et al. go) a long, long time ago. Don't give a rat's ass if they are offended. Don't give a rat's ass if "moderate" American Muslims are offended - first off they will have to PROVE TO ME that moderation they claim.

[Rocco]

I think the 54 Hamas supporting Democrat Congressmen owe us an explanation since Hamas condemned the killing of OBL

[Captain Hate]

What a gruesome bunch the 54 dhimmicrats are; I was *shocked* to see Kucinich not on that list so I guess there's a distance even he won't go to against the country. Marcy Kaptur from Toledo shows that she'll spread 'em for anybody as long as the price is right.

[MayBee]

Porch- our officials have said we did not take any weapons away from the raid. That was before these pictures were released, so that may be revised.

[jorod]

In the end, when all is said and done, we are just taking care of business...

[Porchlight]

Thanks, MayBee, I didn't know that.

It all stinks to high heaven, doesn't it? It is such a shame because it tarnishes the superb work by our forces.