I do not normally take delight in the death of a fellow human being. Nor do I support the death penalty. But, if there was one man on the planet whom it was important to kill, not to just let die, it was Osama bin Laden. You should not be able to murder well nigh to 3,000 Americans and others with impunity. If you commit such a crime, you should fear every moment of every day that U.S. Special Forces will come crashing through the door to bring you to justice. I am sure bin Laden knew better than to be captured alive. (Given the legal nightmare of Guantanamo, thank God he was killed on the spot!) It took a long time to track bin Laden down, too long, and it is impossible not to think that we might have reached this happy day earlier if we had not detoured through Baghdad. But, this is no time for recriminations. It is time to celebrate.
As I write these words, images of young people streaming into the streets in front of the White House chanting “USA” and singing the National Anthem are coming onto the television screen. If it were not so late and I did not have an early morning, I would drive down myself. Vengeance is not a healthy emotion, I know. Assassination is against the law, to be sure. But, better to indulge and go to confession. I am glad Osama bin Laden did not die in his bed, as I am glad Hitler did not die in his bed and as I am distressed hat Stalin and Mao did. Men who commit such evil do not deserve normal considerations of human sympathy or civilized respect. The world is well rid of bin Laden. It is a great day to be alive.
This is from a typical right-wing Catholic blogger. Oh wait it was from Michael Sean Winters of in the National Catholic Reporter. The Vatican’s statement was.
Osama bin Laden, as we all know, bore the most serious responsibility for spreading divisions and hatred among populations, causing the deaths of innumerable people, and manipulating religions for this purpose.
In the face of a man’s death, a Christian never rejoices, but reflects on the serious responsibilities of each person before God and before men, and hopes and works so that every event may be the occasion for the further growth of peace and not of hatred.
No doubt Michael Sean Winters read this and immediately decided to do the opposite. If the Vatican urged us to celebrate his death he would take the opposite tone. Rather interesting that out of almost every single response I read on Catholic blogs his was the most militant and one that did not even offer a prayer for Osama’s soul.
We can certainly be glad that this threat was removed and human justice served. This was a man who did great evil and supported others to do the same. I don’t take any joy that he was killed on the spot while resisting and possibly using a woman as a hostage to protect himself. I am very happy to know that it was a Seal Team that carried out the operation considering that my fellow sailors were killed in the USS Cole attack.
I find it very interesting the reactions of liberals to this. Here was an operation with intelligence from secret foreign prisons and Gitmo where torture was used that then used the military to kill several people without even notifying the government these people were in. It looks like information about the courier that led to this operation came from Khalid Sheikh Mohammed who was tortured. Yet no cries of Obama the cowboy and human rights violator approving a mission without U.N. approval. There is some dispute about whether any of the information did indeed come about via so-called “enhanced interrogations”, but I don’t buy Sen. Feinstein’s denials as to this. When politicians use terms like enhanced and harsh instead of torture I simply don’t believe them. An intrinsic evil is still an evil even if you put a verbal bow on it.
Michael Sean Winters is against the death penalty, but he found an exception. So I guess he is now effectively on the side of Catholics who also think that generally the death penalty should be restricted, but that there are situations that can call for it – which is basically what the Church allows us to believe anyway. Mr. Winters talks you can not kill 3,000 people with impunity. Yet he supported Obama who is the most pro-abortion president in history and around 3,000 people die daily from abortion totally supported by the party he identifies with. Osama has less blood on his hands then the politicians and justices who gave us and kept legal abortion.
22 comments
All I can say is, “Beautiful!” I can’t add more without taking away.
Yes.
We cannot rejoice at the death of an enemy…we must pray for him and all those who persecute us.
As for the death of millions at the hands of Obama, God have mercy on his soul.
He needs it. Big time.
It is unChristian, probably sinful and certainly an affront to God to rejoice in the killing of any human being, but, to put it in Texan, Osama bin needed killin’.
Yes, it is troubling that people rejoiced so at the man’s demise. America has a lot of maturation ahead of it. I believe that “If you live by the sword you die by sword”, as said by Jesus. Osama died on his terms. His hands were blood drenched. And you know that somewhere someone is deeply satisified that the maniac died a “worthy death”, in battle against the evil USA. I think this is what the Klingons of Star Trek believed. All of it is the twisted blood lust of modern society, be it on the streets of LA,NYC, or in the battle fields an Afghanistan. Death is never a solution to any problem. It is always a bad day when human beings die. As a Christian man I strive to believe that we must try to see the creation of God that is every man. Even though it harder with someone who acts contrary to the God I love, like Bin Laden. Well, now, it is his turn to be judged. I just hope that when I die I will have risen higher than the values he held and found worthy of some compassion by the Just Judge. Over all, these are troubling days all around.
Assassination is against the law, to be sure. But, better to indulge and go to confession
For years I took Protestants to task for making an unfair caricature of the Catholic faith and the bogus idea that even one Catholic treated the confessional as permission to sin.
Do I need to retract my criticism of Protestant polemic? Or can I wait till the author of this comment actually goes to confession about this…
“Nor do I support the death penalty. But, if there was one man on the planet whom it was important to kill, not to just let die, it was Osama bin Laden.”
You just described the death penalty. Hypocrisy much?
“Vengeance is not a healthy emotion, I know. Assassination is against the law, to be sure. But, better to indulge and go to confession.”
Presumption of God’s Mercy is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
“Yet no cries of Obama the cowboy and human rights violator approving a mission without U.N. approval.”
The world is caught up in the hype. Why don’t Catholics cut through it with cries against torture?
“Mr. Winters talks you can not kill 3,000 people with impunity. Yet he supported Obama who is the most pro-abortion president in history and around 3,000 people die daily from abortion totally supported by the party he identifies with. ”
What does that have to do with Bin Laden?
Join the discussion on Bin Laden and torture (may or may not contain explicit language):
http://boards.4chan.org/b/res/326634578
Thread is alive as of this comment.
Yes, this world is upside down. One can only wonder what God in His heaven thinks of those who bemoan the death of a terrorist, yet millions of babies be murdered. I think the difference is that Osama was killed, while these babes are murdered!
I think God mourns the loss of each and every soul……OBL included.
Prayers for the world to turn away from the culture of death be it through war, senseless killing or uterine terrorism.
[…] If you answered E, you are correct! It comes from noted progressive Micheal Sean Winters from notorious dissenting rag National Catholic Reporter. See Jeff Miller’s entry: http://www.splendoroftruth.com/curtjester/2011/05/i-do-not-normally-take-delight-in-the-death-of-a-f… […]
Justice was served a message was sent and who knows what the terrorists will do now. I understand the celebrating in New York and at the military academies, but the rest of us should maintain our composure because this war is far from being over. As far as the flip flopping liberals, who cares.
I support the death penalty as there are stillmonstrous people like Bin Laden, Hitler, etc. that have been brutal and unrepentant in their evil. Capital punishment is justified in some cases and it is not a sin to think so.
It’s pretty clear that the only Church Michael Sean Winters wants readers to support and be loyal to is first and foremost the high church of the President Obama and all that he says and does. To be fair and present both sides the NCR ought to have a Republican party operative as a columnist as well. Since that is apparently all they are concerned about. Party, first, Church, second…a very remote second much of the time it seems. Will be interesting to see if Michael Sean Winters accepts a paid position with the campaign or just continue out of his altruism to pressure Catholics to vote for Obama via supposedly “Catholic” publications.
I realize I’m an “Unwaffled Anglican” newbie Catholic, culturally more Texan than American but:
a) I really don’t care what Bolshie closet atheists like Mr. Winters have to say;
b) I was under the impression that the Church considered the death penalty a prudential matter, with a preference towards not killing people (at least that’s what I get from the writings of a guy who used to be named Ratzinger until a recent promotion);
3) Referring to the recent death-by-perforation of OBL as “assassination” is like referring to the death of Yamamoto as “assassination.” Yeah, he was deliberately targetted to be killed as part of a military operation in wartime. I think we traditionally call that “KIA.”
4) As someone who clearly made a deliberate and intentional choice to be an enemy of God and a little-a antichrist, I really don’t care which compartment of the afterlife the camel- little weasel ends up in. I have offered a couple of prayers for the repose of his misbegotten soul because that’s what Christians are supposed to do, secure in the knowledge that the Lord isn’t going to send him back, but good riddance.
5) And kindly no one give me any arguments about “he did what he believed was right.” Per Jay Budziszwewski at the university down the road, there are “Things You Can’t Not Know.”
6) Sounds like he went down with a head shot. Pity. One would have hoped he had time to hurt. A lot. Dang SEALs are too good at their jobs.
I reserve the right to celebrate the same as I hope to at Satan’s final casting into hell. If I’m suppose to feel sad for the scum-sucking vermin and put on a sympathetic face in order to prove my Christianity, it’s not gonna happen.
The Lord giveth and the Lord bloweth away; blessed be the name of the Lord.
Mike the Geek –I agree with your reasoning. Makes sense to me.
I am sure old bin (the has been) is reaping his reward as I type…
It reminded me of the Saddam Hussein hanging, when his fellow countrymen danced and hooted in wild savage excitement at his demise. While justice was done the celebrations of the taking of any human life is primitive brain stem behaviour. Those young people celbrating the death od bin laden behaved like young people true, but they should have stayed at home
We cannot rejoice in the death of any person. However, we can rejoice in victory over our enemies. It is sad that we had to kill him to obtain that victory.
A right-winger who voted for Obama?! LOL! You have to be kidding me. Can’t you come up with a better example. I thought I misread that, but double-checked. Come on people.
I feel contentment. He’s dead. If I could do a cartwheel I would.
I agree with the Vatican. And I believe cheering on the streets is a bit much. But I can understand the relief of those who lost loved ones or were injured on 9/11. I pray for peace and an end to all terrorism, but I doubt if Ben Ladin would ever have surrendered peacfully. His judgentment I leave up to God.
[…] OSAMA BIN LADEN, good riddance, by Roger Kimball; and Curt Jester– I do not normally take delight in the death of a fellow human being …. (newcriterion, […]
I am shocked by this article. We should never want anyone dead, no matter what evil they commit. We should pray for every soul that passes on, as I have prayed for Bin Laden’s soul. We should be willng to cry over the death of this soul, because it very well may have gone to Hell. I see it as a tragedy, not a comedy! Shame on you and your rejoicing!
You know, all this sympathy for bin Laden is disgusting. All this navel-gazing about how one should respond to his death — or whether he repented — is even more disgusting. Bin Laden was a mass murderer. I rejoice at his death. In fact, I prayed for it! Why? Because too many innocent people have been targeted by such scum for far too long. I’m sick of “good Catholics” praying for the salvation of a monster who believed that what he did was God’s will! If that’s not a mockery of the divine, then nothing is.
Oh, wait. Praying for bin Laden is a mockery of the divine, as well as a mockery of any sense of moral consequences.