"celebrations"

It may seem as if my last "picture post" was to flaunt what you undoubtedly knew would be my take on "celebrating" OBL's death. But it wasn't. I arranged that post prior to seeing your last. I merely wanted to mark our site with "history's first draft", that being the headlines of various newspapers around the nation. In addition, that shot of the President and senior staff was during the raid, they were watching it live from the situation room, complete with audio sending the spent rounds into the air around them (and that gasp from Hillary says the proverbial "thousand words"). And the SEAL TEAM 6 pic, well ... that's just frigging cool, and my Bund tip of the hat to the most elite warriors on this planet.

Funny, the discussion you had with Liz is one I had with my mother. She wasn't too keen on the celebrating either. Beck had the same take as my mother and your bride. And all for the same reason it seems- on a gut level it appeared unseemly to them. They preferred to think of it as a moment of reverence. And here's how I answered my mother:

The bulk of the "unseemly" (their words) celebrating was offered by college age kids, or there abouts. Now think about something. 9/11 occurred when they were anywhere from 8 to 11 years old. Their entire identity as an American is one wrapped up in fighting terror, specifically this one man, OBL. And in a war where there will be no surrender on the deck of a ship, I understand the need to take to the streets to celebrate what must have been a very cathartic moment for young men and women whom don't remember an America that wasn't at war with Osama bin Laden. How could they not celebrate? How could they not see a VE Day in this and run out and kiss a nurse?

And for those slightly older, say my age (35). Men (and women) whom perhaps consume news and information a bit more than the (non veteran) college aged kids. Whom are more familiar with the heartache of mistakes and sacrifice in Iraq (the former by civilian leaders, the latter by our armed service members). Whom perhaps understand slightly better the Gordian knot that is Afghanistan has no easy answers. For us this seemed like a single, bright, clearly positive moment in 10 years of moving the ball one yard at a time. Finally, we had a touchdown - and it was a big, big pass. How could we not celebrate? How could we not grab a nurse and kiss her?

So my take on this - it wasn't a celebration of death, but of life. That with this man gone life on this planet was more safe, more certain. That 24 SEALs delivered this touchdown pass with no casualties. You see, I see the celebration of life everywhere in these gatherings. And most importantly, those whom lost their sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, wives and husbands on 9/11 from the victims in the towers, to the first responders, Flight 93, and the Pentagon, those surviving family members were afforded some level of justice which held a wholly different meaning for them then the rest of the nation - they could close a very personal chapter and in some small way reclaim a peice of their life. How could they not celebrate that?

And to be honest, as I watched these gatherings, it was heartening in a world of MTV, Jersey Shore, and tabloid minutia to see 18 to 25 year olds gathering in front of the White House and spontaneously erupting into a group recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.

As one man put it, "It was like the entire country won the World Series last night." And anyone who's ever witnessed their team do that knows it's a celebration of your victory, not the opponents loss.

So score one for America...

And I see nothing wrong in celebrating that.