Raining On Your Parade

Forgive me if I'm not delirious with joy over Osama bin Laden's violent death. I'm satisfied, to be sure, but it just doesn't seem Christian to gleefully celebrate the slaughter of one more human being, even one guilty of slaughter himself. I'm not saying that dispatching bin Laden was wrong; homicide is justifiable in a just war, as is ours against terrorism. But all the flag-waving exultation seems a bit unseemly to me. I find no happiness in dancing on someone's grave, or washing my hands in his blood. I'd rather observe this occasion by praying for bin Laden's many victims and their families, and begging God that the hate and murder stop, here and now.

I'd be happier if I thought killing bin Laden would bring that about, but I doubt that it will (unless God so wills it). His chief mentor, adviser, and right-hand man Ayman al-Zawahiri -- allegedly the "real brains" of al-Qaeda and the closest thing it's had to an operational director since 9/11 -- is still at large. Certainly bin Laden, an astute businessman, made sure long ago that his untold wealth was secured and distributed in such a way that it would be available to his minions whenever and however he met his end on this earth. Worse, he's cloned himself tens of thousands of times over across the globe, and has left legions of jihadis eager to avenge his death at our hands. He's even established hosts of schools and camps to train up new ones still in their youth and yet to be born. Far from ending radical Islam's war on the West, the killing of bin Laden may usher in a new and even more murderous phase of it. We may soon find ourselves praying for many more thousands of victims, even in this country.

We must remember that bin Laden and his followers are steeped in a culture of death. They seem to love dying as much as they love killing, and find greater zeal with every new drop of blood shed, whose ever it is. Bin Laden spent many years sowing dragon's teeth around the world, and we may soon have to battle, even on our own soil, the armies of crazed warriors sprung from them. Are we ready for that war, spiritually and materially? I wonder. The prospect fills me with dread and sadness.

And I fear that the immediate consequence of bin Laden's killing may be shameless political manipulation for the benefit of certain "leaders" in Washington and elsewhere, who celebrate today even as they work tirelessly to bankrupt this nation morally and financially, and so rob us of the strength we need to survive our enemies' onslaught. Will we succumb to well-wishing and complacency, and maintain these sappers in power--just because one criminal, out of thousands or millions, was brought down on their watch?

Again, I don't condemn what was done, and I don't feel "bad" about it--certainly not for Osama bin Laden. I salute the brave, capable men of our armed forces and intelligence apparatus who carried it out. I just don't share the euphoria. Go ahead and celebrate an early Fourth of July, everybody. I'll be on my knees praying for a real national deliverance.