Let me apologize right away for giving U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, more play than he probably deserves on a blog that’s mostly local to Kitsap County. This is a question, though, that speaks more to a broader question about the celebrations following the death of Osama bin Laden.
When Kucinich was first scheduled to speak on Bainbridge, I mistakenly thought the event was Sunday night. Fortunately we discovered the error on time. During the speech Kucinich was critical of Obama and NATO for the strike on Muammar Gaddafi’s home, which killed his son and three grandchildren. Kucinich had earlier issued a statement about the strike.
“NATO’s leaders have blood on their hands. NATO’s airstrike seems to have been intended to carry out an illegal policy of assassination. This is a deep stain which can never fully wash. This grave matter cannot be addressed with empty words. Words will not bring back dead children. Actions must be taken to stop more innocents from getting slaughtered.
“Today’s attack underscores that the Obama Doctrine of so-called humanitarian intervention appears to be a cover for regime change through assassination and murder,” said Kucinich.
Had the Bainbridge even actually been on Sunday, I’m sure the first item of discussion would have been bin Laden’s death. I wonder how Kucinich and the audience would have responded to that news given an opportunity to be in the same place at the same time when the news broke.
I heard quite a few conversations following Sunday’s news in which people thought the celebrations were somewhat creepy. Some of the celebrators appeared more influenced by the presence of television cameras, but not all of them.
In 2001 I didn’t think all of the flag waving was the blood lust for revenge some deemed it to be.
Last Sunday night I didn’t read whatever celebration there was as that either. In both cases I’m sure that sentiment was present, but I don’t necessarily believe revenge it was the dominant motivator for most people in the world.
If you believe the world one moment is better than it was the moment before, what is an appropriate response? Maybe whooping it up out on the street is not a bad answer.
What do you think?
