When you found out?
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I was minding everyone but my own business online looking for something to post about for today when I got an email (9:44PM) from my friend Paula informing me that the President was scheduled to address the nation late Sunday night. No one knew about what or the exact time. I thought, "We're going to nuke Libya!" So I googled, "Breaking News" and up came the crawlers: "President to speak..." "Osama bin Laden dead..." I immediately sent the information back to Paula, turned on TV and then nothing - no "Breaking News" - nothing. I checked the AP and Drudge - nothing. I flipped channels - and finally "Special Report".
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My hair stood on end. My heart swelled. I felt immense - no deep, patriotic pride? I don't know if pride is the right word. I felt deep emotion and I thought and prayed - mostly for our military and those who defend our country, and for those who lost loved ones during the attacks of 9/11. I kept flipping channels, and then the President finally walked down that red carpet to speak. And I applauded President Obama.
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I actually stood and applauded President Obama!
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And then I said a prayer for all the dead: "May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace."
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God alone is the Judge of who is faithful.
I learned of it on Facebook via alleged "Christians" rejoicing over the death of a person. I wept because of that, and then I got angry.
ReplyDeleteHow funny that on the feast of Divine Mercy Christians- Catholic Christians- were rejoicing over someone's death and gleefully making jokes about virgins in Hell.
May God have mercy on us all.
I had just opened the door of my studio apartment, to pick up the morning paper. I let out a small gasp. 'JUSTICE HAS BEEN DONE' U.S. forces kill Osama bin Laden, headlined The Washington Post. I was astonished, having thought in the past, truly that old goat would have died peacefully holed up in some safe cave. Then I felt sadness, sadness for all the people who have died over the past decade because of this man's ego. I also wonder how much revenge killing will take place.
ReplyDeleteA Divine Mercy Sunday we won't soon forget.
Does that shock you as much as "alleged Christians" who have never once had a piece of abortion legislation in front of them they didn't sign?
ReplyDeleteThis was an act of self-defense. God only knows how many people are not going to die because this man is now dead.
Alas, too late for my friend Cee Cee, a flight attendant on UAL93, who got to make a couple of terrified phone calls to her family before slamming into the ground at 500 mph.
Do me justice, O God, and fight my fight against a faithless people. From the deceitful and impious man rescue me.
I too know someone who died on that day, and this latest death won't bring him back to his children.
ReplyDeleteIt's not about bringing anyone back. I don't believe in reincarnation. It's about preventing this murdering thug from ordering more murder.
ReplyDeleteAnd by the way, Navy SEALs told Bin Laden to surrender. He did not, choosing instead to start a firefight.
ReplyDeleteThey did NOT go in their to kill him, but to apprehend an international madman.
Should they have just let him enjoy retirement?
Don't ever start a firefight with Special Forces. You're probably going to lose.
*there*, whatever.
ReplyDeleteTerry,
ReplyDeleteI posted this at Father Z's. I think it makes an interesting comparison:
For those of you all eaten up with guilt at the rejoicing of a monster’s end (providing he’s indeed left us), this should put things in historical perspective: http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=4668028&m=4668044
Interesting comparison, and given the fact the 66th anniversary is coming up Sunday, well worth a listen.
The Vatican has already issued a response which should inform the response of Catholic Christians, but this seems to be another case where the Pope may be acknowledged if, and only if, what he says happens to agree with what one thinks.
ReplyDeleteThom,
ReplyDeleteNo one is suggesting we 'celebrate' a death. What I AM suggesting is that this man was a cold blooded murdered, quite willing and able to keep right on killing, who was asked to surrender, did not, and was killed. Forgive me if I don't weep.
Did you weep at all for the FOUR THOUSAND INNOCENT babies killed today in America ALONE?
Don't get all sanctimonious about the "alleged Christians" on your Facebook when we have an "alleged Christian" in the White House who has never ONCE tried to prevent or reduce the number of abortions; in fact, he OPPOSED requiring medical treatment for the poor half-dismembered babies who survive the ghastly procedure.
I FULLY SUPPORT the Vatican's statement. And for the record, every single Catholic I know felt exactly the same way BEFORE the statement came out.
I know you aren't, Cathy, but lots of people are indeed celebrating the death.
ReplyDeleteAsking, "But what about abortion?" might earn rhetorical points, but isn't helpful when trying to chew another moral issue.
And finally, I'm glad that you're surrounded by such virtuous Catholics; please send them my way, because that's not what I've been hearing since last night.
That is true Cathy - I felt exactly the same as what Fr. Lombardi said in his press statement - before that statement was released. I'm certain all moral adults felt the same way - or will do so after they recover from the shock.
ReplyDeleteWithout doubt the cheers at the White House and Ground Zero were a bit jarring to watch after the President's address. The people certainly appeared to be celebrating bin Laden's death. I don't know many people who would approve of that kind of 'celebrating'. I'm not convinced that was the intention of every one participating in that spectacle.
I think in many cases it was more a coming together in solidarity. I think many people were cheering the difficult work and sacrifice of our military, as well as President Obama's decisive move. I think what we witnessed is an emotional release, an outpouring of relief that the hunt for Osama bin Laden is over, that the personification of the threat to the security of our country is finally 'out of the way.'
We have been at war for 10 years, with more losses than gains. This event is but a symbolic victory.
That said, I commend his soul to the mercy of God.
In your charity, please pray for me too, because I am obviously a bad Christian. Thanks.
God have mercy on us all.
I was in bed, just getting ready to flip off the tv. I happened upon the finale of the Trump show, which I had swore that I would boycott! Anyway, Trump got trumped, and perhaps we have yet another conspiracy to talk about...
ReplyDeleteSeriously, I pray it is the closing chapter of a sad decade, but it can't be; perhaps the beginning of something worse. Our "ally" in the war on terror, who we have been giving billions to, had him living right under their noses, a couple thousand yards from their military headquarters. Huh? They couldn't find him, but I can now easily find his mansion on google earth, a short walk from West Point??? Give me a break! (For anyone interested, google earth "kakul road, Abbottabad, pakistan" Take Kakul rd. north east to the big bldg -- the military headquarters - the biggest bldg visible. Take Awami Rd. NW to Gadhara School, which has a photo icon. It is the 2nd intersection on Awami Rd. There, directly above, is Osama's compound. ) I think I need a job with the CIA!
This is the first and ONLY time that I applauded President Obama; that I thought he acted with decisiveness, leadership, and with presidential mien.
ReplyDeleteAs to celebrating - I didn't think that people were celebrating a death. I think they were celebrating their relief that finally, justice had been done. As someone else noted, bin Laden chose to fight, and therefore chose to die.
I prayed instantly for God's mercy upon him, and at the same time felt a rush of euphoria that this man will no longer be a threat, albeit he will have plenty who are willing to take over the reigns of terror.
Can anyone other than God really win a war on terror? I strongly doubt it. However, we humans can occasionally come out ahead in a battle.
Thom,
ReplyDeleteIf you think for one second that abortion and the current culture of complete and utter disrespect for life are not linked, you're mistaken. One follows the other.
The cheapening of life makes it socially acceptable to piss on people's graves, figuratively speaking of course.
I'll give the virtuous Catholics your digits.
By the way, I once saw The Virtuous Catholics open for Bon Jovi at Soldier Field.
ReplyDeleteGreatest night of my life.
I know they're linked. That's why I can't fathom why people seem to prefer speaking up for either the unborn or those who have already been born, and not both equally.
ReplyDeleteI Googled The Virtuous Catholics but didn't find anything, sadly. I like "discovering" new music.
Current earworm: Deadmau5
I'll tell you why I speak up so much for the unborn: because they cannot speak for themselves and it is 100% legal to murder them in this nation.
ReplyDeleteIf I get murdered tonight, at least I had the ability to run, to fight, and to PRAY. Babies have none of that. They are literally the most vulnerable, most at risk, and most murdered of our ranks. No Hitler, no Mao, no Pol Pot, and no Bin Laden even comes close. In fact, COMBINED, they don't even come close to putting up those kinds of numbers.
The ability to murder the unborn is the foundation for the ability to dehumanize and denigrate and destroy any other human we find inconvenient.
It is, as the Holy Father has said, THE most pressing issue of our time.
(LOL, I totally made up The Virtuous Catholics - as Dave Barry used to say, "That'd be a great name for a rock band.")
Here is something to consider: Abortion was made legal in this country at the conclusion of the Vietnam War, where politicians' lies sent innocent 19-year-olds to their deaths under the pretext of defending their country. A country that cavalierly sends young people to die so other men can line their pockets and inflate their egos need not wonder why the culture of death has sucked the unborn into its vacuum. Sorry, but I don't buy the notion that one issue is unrelated to the other. When we lose our sensitivity to death, particularly the death of those we cannot see, we shouldn't wonder why babies are snuffed out in their mother's wombs.
ReplyDelete