This reminds me of the time my friend foolishly fought in a pro kickboxing match. After the fight both dudes looked bloody, beat up and really bad. To someone watching ringside there was no difference in the two combatants: sweaty, bloody, gashed up faces, bruised legs and, at least for my friend, fractured ribs. To the judges, the peeps with training to see the nuisances of this form of combat, there was a winner-by points. Again, to the normal average peep, there was no clear winner and both dudes looked f*cked up. My buddy won the match, but by looking at him you couldn't tell. That is what this war(s) is.
Public enemy number 1 has bee killed in a mansion in Pakistan. It is not the hillside cave we all thought he was chillin' in (and certainly not a mansion by American standards), but what does that matter. We got 'em. Or did we.
Dude was ready to die and be a martyr for his cause before any of this started. (Probably) In his mind, he was dead long ago. Now aprox. nine years latter the United States of America, the country that I'am proud to be a citizen of, is involved in several wars in the Middle East (and that doesn't include the presence with our bases and "advisers" all over the world...all over), Islamophobia is rampant in Western supposedly civilized countries, countless lives have been lost (on both sides), and the timing of these wars for Democracy coincides with slumping economies, in fact Depressing economies.
The financial cost of war(s) is the elephant in the rooms of every country that has sent and sacrificed troops to fight Bush Jr's Crusade. Here in the States there is daily debate about the economy. Social programs are on the cutting block, both sides are fighting over taxes and tax cuts, but by far the war(s) is using up the most money. One month fighting war(s) can feed the peeps, save social programs, etc...but it is never talked about on the news programs and in the papers (well, not as much as I would like).
So "we got him" and now we can send the boys, and girls home, right. I doubt it. There is nothing about the history of this conflict that says to me that the troops are coming home. Hell, victory was already declared 8 years ago-they didn't come home then. The powers that be will just move the bar. The war has always been about fear-that is how the Patriot Act was passed (which has taken away more of our civil liberties than any attempt by terrorism). The controversy over TSA and their screening techniques will not pass (does anyone for one second think that will change-I do not). I can hear a spokesperson now saying that while Osama Bin Laden is dead*, terrorism is still alive...we can't let our guards down...the war is not over...(live in fear people and feed the incredible war machine).
In the aprox. nine years that we have been looking for him, he has inspired armies of followers, all of which are ready to step up to the martyr plate. We got one, but he will be replaced by many-that is what revolution is. Islamophobia has polarized this nation and the freedoms granted all American peeps are in jeopardy; not only from outside forces, but from within. The state of fear that we are currently living in, the mindset that is encouraged by media coverage, will not go away.
So, who has won the war...no one.
* I can also hear the stupid conspiracy theory wacko's now..."it was not his body, it was staged, it was an attempt by the government to fool the people, it was for the Presidents ratings, bla bla bla."
** Oh one more thingy. I do want everyone to come home safe, on both sides, I'm just telling like it is. Bush's Crusade will not end. The Generals and soldiers on our side that believe this war was ordained by a white Christian God and the Muslim soldiers that want to hold back the secular/atheist (atheist means non Muslim) scourge still believe those things. So unfortunately, nothing has changed...but I wish it would.
ABC News
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