Bin Laden the Dead Terrorist

Not wanting to let such a momentous occasion pass without comment that is more than 140 characters, I've moved away from the limitations of Twitter to the old-timey form of blogging. So, as you've no doubt discovered by now, Osama Bin Laden was taken out by US forces in Pakistan. His body was captured, inspected I'm assuming and then buried at sea when Saudi Arabia refused the body.

Here's a few points I want to make and then I'm done with this guy forever:

• This is excellent news for justice, and I know this helps to give further closure to the people directly impacted by his actions. So, congratulations and celebrations for that are certainly in order.
• As a Christian, it is unsettling to me to celebrate the death of someone, even someone who represents the worst of us all, when most likely he is now separated for eternity from a God that desired a relationship with him. That's what's crazy to think about. We all deserve complete and utter separation from God - whether we are Bin Laden or Mother Theresa, and all it takes to avoid that fate is the acceptance that God loves us and offered His Son to take the punishment for every single unholy act or thought we've ever done or had. A somber celebration is in order for Christians I believe.
• As for the credit, I believe there is plenty to go around. President Bush took the proper strategic steps from the moment our world changed in 2001. I'm not saying that everything he did was perfect, but he set the agenda for getting Bin Laden. We can debate Iraq all day long and whether that distracted us from getting Bin Laden sooner. I don't think it did - I would debate other merits of Iraq. President Obama ultimately took the right steps to finish the job in respect to Bin Laden, so he also deserves credit in this. I'm sure we'll know more about what those steps were in the coming weeks and months. Ultimately, though, the boots on the ground got the job done, and I believe they deserve 99% of the credit. They did their jobs and did them very well. We can split up the other 1% of accolades later.
• My final note, is once again my utmost pride in the USA. Again, America is the shining City on the Hill. What other country, upon killing their most wanted enemy after a 10 year hunt, then turns around to make sure that he is buried within the window dictated by his religious beliefs. Say what you want about America, but there is no doubt in my mind that she is the greatest nation in the history of the world. Have we had our mistakes and our issues and our problems and even our complete failures in some respects? Of course. No person and no country is perfect, but moments like this just go to remind me that America's heart is always in the right place.

God Bless America!