There has been a controversy brewing the last few days over the potential release of the Osama Bin Laden death photos. Unfortunately, this has come about because we have a President who is pretty fond of talking the talk, but not walking the walk.
President Obama said he would close the military prison at Guantanamo. He won't be doing that (and with good reason). He also said he would have the most transparent administration in history, but then he rammed a 2,000 page Health Care bill down the publics throat without giving anyone time to actually read it... including critics, supporters, or opponents. He has refused to release copies of his school records. He finally released a copy of his birth certificate...two years after becoming President of The United States. So....let's just say that Obama has a problem with authenticity. People don't believe what he says. He needs to release the Osama Bin Laden death photos.... mainly because people fear it is part of his usual pattern of concealment of crucial facts.
The Obama Administration has their own reasons. They fear that releasing these photos will make Osama a martyr and encourage more attacks against Americans. That argument doesn't hold water.
Muslims have committed over 17,000 terrorist attacks since 9-11. Osama Bin Laden being dead isn't going to stop them.
It reminds me of a scene in a episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer where the character played by Sarah Michelle Gellar trips a vampire, causing him to tumble and look foolish. The vampire looks at her angrily and says "I'll kill you for that!". She laughs and says "For that? What where you trying to kill me for before?"
Indeed, Muslims will continue to attack and kill others because their ideology encourages them to do that. They have been doing it for 1400 years and they will not stop now. Showing the Bin Laden photo won't add or subtract to their death toll.
The Obama Administration needs to release the photos for several reasons:
1) Obama needs to stop the controversy and to silence the conspiracy talkers. There are many people who are out there saying Bin Laden isn't dead. That this is all a cover-up. And with the way Obama operates with facts, it is easy to see why people disbelieve him.
2) To show proper respect to the dead. There are families of those killed on 9-11 who are still grieving. Their loss can never be made whole again. But it would give those families great comfort to see that the man who masterminded the death of their loved ones is, indeed, gone.
3) To show proper respect to the rest of the world. America lost thousands of its citizens on 9-11, but the rest of the world ... over 90 countries...also lost citizens to this tragic event. England lost a lot of people. So did Canada. India, surprisingly, lost a lot of people that day. Osama Bin Laden was a threat not just to Americans, but to the entire world. The bus bombing in London. The train bombing in Madrid. The hotel massacre in India. It would be the height of arrogance to think that America has the right to conceal this information from other countries of the world. If the British newspapers -- The Sun or The Mirror -- had the Bin Laden death photos, they would have no qualms about blasting it out on their front pages. Any other country would have no problem sharing this crucial information with us. So why are we behaving this way towards a world that suffered greatly at the whims of this madman?
4) To send a message. I actually prefer the release of the photos for this reason. President George W. Bush told terrorists all over the world that they would not win. They need to see that America delivered on that promise.
So...why the photo of Clint Eastwood as William Munny? Well, the movie "Unforgiven" is one of my top 10 favorites of all time. Maybe it's just me, but I couldn't help but think of William Munny when I heard the news about Osama Bin Laden.
Munny is a notorious, mean-spirited killer who bursts into a bar filled with armed men who are looking for him. He kills the owner and several others as the crowd watches in horror. He tells everyone else to leave, and they do. Later on, as he's leaving, he yells to the people outside that he is coming out, and if anyone shoots at him, he will kill them. He says he'll kill their friends, their family, their wives, and children. He says he'll burn their houses down.
When Seal Team Six burst into the Bin Laden compound, they killed his son, they shot Osamas wife in the leg, and then put a bullet through Osamas head. On the way out, they set an enormous fire that could be seen for miles.
When it comes to dealing with terrorists, America has become the William Munny of the world.
And I don't have a problem with that.
