Obama Got Osama

I think the whole world can breathe a collective sigh of relief, now that one of its most notorious criminals has been killed. I am glad Osama bin Laden will no longer be able to instigate hatred and terror around the world, but I can't help but find some aspects of the killing to be surreal and sometimes disturbing.

In the "surreal" column, someone was actually tweeting about the raid as it was happening. Yes, tweeting on Twitter, all the way from Abbottabad, Pakistan. Apparently Sohaib Athar was awakened by the sound of the helicopters and was understandably annoyed. It was, after all, almost 1 am local time. So, not fully knowing what was going on, Athar started tweeting about the raid on bin Laden's compound. It's a pretty small world when a top-secret US raid on the world's most-wanted villain is getting live play on Twitter.

In the "sometimes disturbing" column, I was dismayed to see people partying and dancing in celebration of the news. A violent death, no matter how warranted, just shouldn't be the cause for celebration. Silent celebration, sure. Quiet joy, no problem. Public dancing in the street? I don't think so.

On the other hand, I have no problem at all with the sudden plethora of Obama Got Osama products on Zazzle. Even if I don't believe in public dancing in celebration of violence, I don't have anything against peaceful free speech.