I hope when I die I am mourned more by the poor than by the rich.
I hope my coffin is carried by friends and not by soldiers.
I hope the clocks keep chiming for the world only spins forwards.
I hope that money is not wasted on my obsequies which could be better spent on doing good.
I hope that an Easter mass is celebrated not state-sanctioned pomp and pride.
I agree with him entirely.
Then I think my friend that you join him in a conclusion that at this moment cannot be substantiated by fact. There is no evidence that bin Laden was executed. He died in a fire fight when the team tasked with his capture tried to do so. To claim more than the facts currently state is to jump to a conclusion based in personal prejudice.
Aside from that one discrepancy, I also agree with much of what he said.
It did occur to me that the UK does public rejoicing (see Friday) better than the US (see this morning).
We have no room for complacency – remember ‘Gotcha’ in the Falklands war???
Yes, that was vulgar too.
Irrespective of the terrible atrocities masterminded by individuals such as Osama Bin-Laden…and…regardless of the improbable scenario of his being captured alive and put on trial, the rejoicing that followed his death was both tacky and tactless. Comments (albeit by family members of 9/11 victims) alluding to …”God placing him in Hell to rot for eternity…” similarly did nobody any favours. If anything, the backlash from extremists eager to avenge his death (martyrdom?) will now cost further innocent lives. The phrase that jumps to mind is: ‘least said soonest mended…’
I’m not sure that pacifist prooftexting is any lbetter than the other kinds. It’s surely morally permissable to celebrate the death of a legitimate, significant military target. And much of the “fanning the flames” rhetoric is inane – people can argue over whether nominally Islamic terrorism can be appeased , but the idea of Al-Queda dialing back their actions or reforming their ethos because (say) the world didn’t overly celebrate killing Bin Laden is ridiculous. Wouldn’t capturing him alive and forcing him to endure infidel courts be even more provocative than a martyr’s bullet and burial at sea?
I don’t think I like the idea of celebrating the death of anyone, Ryan.
That’s the kind of thing we find too often in the Bible, isn’t it? And it is vulgar there too.
I don’t like lynch mob mentality no matter who is on the receiving end.
Indeed – I agree that the “get it up ye!” response very much does not represent humankind at its best. But not celebrating *anyone’s* death is quite different, to me, to the most popular current arguments that largely emphasise that Bin Ladin personally is an inappropriate figure for Sic Semper Tyrannis triumphalism.
I found the Vatican’s reaction interesting:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactions_to_the_death_of_Osama_bin_Laden#Europe
From the Brechin diocesan website: “Saturday, August 20. 11 am – 4 pm. Grand “Everything Must Go” Jumble Sale at St Salvador’s, Dundee.” Everything must go? At St Salvador’s? Really?
Here are the intimations: 1 I am going to Linlithgow on Sunday evening to lead an evening of Taiz? worship. (Though only 1 hour, not all night). Starts 6 pm at St Peter’s (formerly St Mildred’s) Episcopal Church. 2 There will be a chance to practise the Taiz? chants at 2030 on Thursday evening at…
As we read the story of the Jewish passover this morning, we face the immediate recognition that this is a story of a people about to be evacuated from one place to another. The Jewish people stopped on their last night in slavery before making their run for it, through the red sea, as we…
Here are some websites I've been enjoying this week…www.magnatune.com (Excellent downloadable free music – esp the orthodox singing)www.csszengarden.com (Because I've been working on a big new website for someone and needed distracting from it. This – http://www.csszengarden.com/?cssfile=/176/176.css&page=0 just took my breath away. The new website I'm doing is not nearly so complex, though it is a…
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