Wow. I’m sitting here transfixed by the images flashing across my television screen and fascinated by the audio being emitted from its speakers. Osama Bin Laden dead? When my sister came running into my room telling me the news, I couldn’t believe it. I rushed to my computer and googled, “osama dead”. Obviously, once I saw updates on Twitter and news updates on Google, I was sold–good ol’ technology for ya. I immediately turned on the television and waited for the breaking news to come. Sure enough, five minutes later, my program was interrupted by the news that Osama Bin Laden was in fact, dead.
As all of you probably know by now, Bin Laden was killed by a small team of U.S. Troops in a mansion 90 miles north of the capital of Pakistan. His body has been identified and his DNA has been matched, thus officially confirming his death.
On one hand, I think it is truly remarkable that the man responsible for the deaths of so many innocent people has finally come to an end, but on the other hand, I can’t help but agree with the statement made by one lady on Channel 5 who stated, “Capturing him [Osama] doesn’t make this all end. You know, it might bring us a little bit of relief…but it doesn’t end what happened on 9/11…it doesn’t bring Jeffery back to the dinner table.”
While many people are celebrating this occasion, and Obama has claimed that “justice has been done,” I cannot help but feel a bit uneasy and scared of what is to come. Al Qaeda’s number two, or now number one man, Ayman al-Zawahri, is still alive. Undoubtedly, Zawahri and his followers will be looking for revenge, and it seems inevitable that Al-queda reprisal attacks will result in the next days, weeks, or months to follow. Of course, U.S. officials are saying that a series of steps have been taken to ensure the safety of Americans and other people across the world, but this does not help to ease my fears.
I know I cannot live each day afraid of what will happen, but I also cannot help but be hesitant to celebrate during a time when I fear that only negative repercussions will result. Regardless, I am glad that such an evil being has been eliminated from this earth, and can only pray that we will live to see peace prevail. God Bless.
