It is in the core nature of any individual who becomes President of the United states of America that he (or she) can ride the waves of popularity and gain the applause of the masses, or the President can reach down deep with himself and find that central core placed there by God that allowed him to be President in the first place.
President Obama has the “right stuff” to made him a hero to generations of the world’s citizens. But he must first accept, with deep humility, the fact of his election as President of the USA.
I believe that witnessing via video the killing of the arch-enemy Osama Bin Laden should drive the President to his knees in prayer. Such an event as the ending of another human persons life, (arch-enemy or not) is a crisis event. An individual can come away from it with an erection of pride or come away from it in deep humility and awesome angst.
Why awesome angst? Because the killing of one human person by another, no matter if a Special Forces soldier does it under the President’s authority, is still murder! Perhaps some will want to soften the accusation with the term Justifiable Manslaughter, but the end result is the same. The person who ordered the “hit” and the person who carried out the order have the blood of the victim on their hands. Harsh. Yes! But such is the nature of homicide.
It is not a cavalier endeavor and it definitely is not a video game. Please remember that the trained professional at the trigger of the weapon, fired on the orders of the President of the USA.
It is to be quickly granted that the heartbeats of three thousand (plus) persons were stilled by the cold-blooded decision of the terrorist.
And, immediately, it is granted by this writer, that the terrorist Osama Bin Laden never regretted his decision to kill over three thousand innocent people. So the fiend deserved to die.
Nevertheless, it is crucial for Americans, as a people, to understand that the way of violence and the way of terror and the way of murder, IS NOT THE AMERICAN WAY. We may be forced to it by others and by circumstances, but such a way is inherently antithetical to the American way.
I am not in any way, shape or form critical of President Obama in this case. But I wish that we could have brought Osama Bin Laden to the bar of Justice where he could have espoused his terrorist views, Then we could have heard him defend himself and his murderous ways. Then we could have listened and tried to understand what is going wrong in our world. Then we could have analyzed what he said in court and having heard, we could have judged not only him but the cause he espoused.
Friends, this writer wants peace in his time. He also wants peace for his children and grandchildren.
I am sure that President Bush wanted and now President Obama wants the same for themselves and theirs.
Do we really believe that Osama Bin Laden and the others wanted less for themselves and their children and grandchildren?
What’s the problem?
It is the failure of diplomacy. Which is to say, that it is the failure of the conversation of common- unionication!
What is the answer?
Firstly, I think that President Obama has reached a critical moment in his Personal life as well as his Presidency.
What is it?
It is his decision as to whether he wants the way of violence and personal destruction or he wants the way of peace with all of its torturous twists and turns without violence.
This is one of those moments of destiny.
President Obama has already chosen a unique path. But this path leads to a crossroad. Which way will he turn? Will it be toward the CIA and the Special forces? Both of them tools in the hands of politicians. Or will he turn toward the values of the Nobel Peace Prize?
We’ll just need to wait and see!
And we need to pray.
Progressive Politics 