Rather, it might be more accurate to say that the Obama presidency just may live on. Or that it has got a booster shot in the posterior at a time when it could very well use it, what with the economy not really doing any better than when he took office. But conspiracies of political mileage apart, and staying miles away from those theorists who suggest with a conspiratorial smile that bin Laden is actually still alive, there are a couple of other things that I wish to dwell on.
More than anything else, I am struck by the images of celebration. Across the USA, looks like it is Christmas in the summer time. People are rejoicing over images of a man whose face was quite likely molested after he had already been killed by a shot to the head. But as the enemy, I guess he stopped being "human" long ago. He was perhaps even worse than animals, because there are few who would publicly laugh at the execution of even a rabid dog. No, I don't want arguments about how animals, as opposed to humans, do not go around crashing planes in to buildings. And hence, how animals are anyway better than humans. While I agree with that statement for the most part, it uselessly takes this conversation on to an unrelated tangent that I frequent often enough, as it is.
As I was saying, it amuses be greatly, to see a 'civilised' people displaying what I will unhesitatingly term a sort of blood lust. Again, I have not much against violence in general, and I think barbarians were quite cool. But apparently, my point of view is not very popular and hence gives rise to the supposed advocates of peace and liberty the world over. Those who will raise their sword to protect those who don't have a sword, so to speak. Amusing how the use of violence is justified by those in power while telling others exactly why it should not be used. Unless the others happen to be minions. So went Saddam, so has Osama been put out to sea and so will probably go Gaddafi.
Dehumanising the enemy I think is a fundamental principle of war, no matter its scale. Otherwise, it becomes difficult for the soldier not just to take another life, but even to commit other acts of atrocity, such as loot or rape, or for that matter, to desecrate dead bodies. When you fail to dehumanise the enemy, or when the enemy's humanity stares you too starkly in the face, you end up with the heart of darkness.
The other thing is that struck me as curious is this: Why the secrecy surrounding this latest American adventure? No one gets to see anything but those two photographs of Osama's bloodied face. There is a video of his "burial at sea" that is supposed to be released at some point, but who knows what even that will actually show. And what became of the bodies of the others killed when the mansion was invaded? Were they left behind for the vultures or what? Why won't they just display the body of the man whose death everyone in their country is cheering? Why the big rush over everything? What's the big idea behind giving the ultimate face of terror some sort of an ultimate short shrift?
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With Osama, the US veil of secrecy over the operation, the hurried burial and lack of pictures only serve to fuel the conspiracy theories. It's a far cry from when Bush got a hold of Saddam and they showed pictures of his teeth being checked. But war is always a sort of dirty secret, involving looting, pillaging, murdering, raping, etc., that takes place when an enemy city is captured. The victorious Armymen don't talk about it. The enemy country has no voice. Neither does Osama. But on the subject of human rights, to cite one train of thought on the subject, there is no such thing. At least when the powers that be say so.
i ain't denying there being lots of fuel for the conspiracy fire. and anyone has only as many rights as they are granted by those in power, be they humans or animals, or even machines.
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