Call Me Crazy

I'm probably going to incur a lot of wrath for this post, but I'm quite annoyed about this so I'll post it anyway. After all, it is my blog and I can say what I please.

As many of you know, the noted terrorist al-Zarqawi was killed this week. There has been much rejoicing in the media since the story broke. Everyone is talking about it. Average people are glad. The Embassador to Iraq said the US's goal the entire time was to kill him. And just this evening, ABC News named the special forces unit that killed him their Persons of the Week.

Is it just me, or is it really sick that we are spending so much time, effort, and jubilation on the death of another human being? Because I find it sickening. I'll be the first to admit that al-Zarqawi was a bad guy and didn't deserve to roam free. He's either killed or ordered killed a large number of innocent people. He was a terrorist, and does not deserve any support for his ideology.

BUT, he was still a human being. Some will argue he DESERVED to be killed. I counter with the statement that there is no such thing as some DESERVING to die. No one has the right to play God and take the life of another. It happens, both intentionally and accidentally, in peace and in war. And it is ALWAYS tragic, regardless of which side you're on. I won't even speak to the fact that we're so proud of our soldiers for dropping a bomb on our most hated enemy. He didn't die while we tried to capture him or anything. We simply wiped out the building he was in from above and never mind any collateral damage.

And before you all accuse me of being some liberal commie pinko, I remind you I spent 5 years in the Navy and served in the first Gulf war. I would have felt horrilbe if I had to kill someone, but I would have defended my ship and my shipmates if I had to, and attacked the enemy if ordered to do so. Cause it was my job. But my conscience would still have bothered me, even then.

The bottom line is that I cannot in good conscience celebrate the death of another, regardless of who they are, even if they are an "evil" human being. And I find it very sad that our society is so pleased with itself for this man's death. No talk of how it was unfortunate but necessary, no words of sorrow for his family that this drastic action had to be taken, no nothing. Except to say that we hunted a man down like an animal and blew him to bits.

I hope Americans are proud of themselves. Cause I'm not.

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