What comes next

I'm happy Bin Laden is dead. I just thought I'd be happier. I thought it would mean a little more to me. It seems a little hollow. Maybe it's because so much time has passed. Maybe it's because I realize there will be another whack job waiting to take his place. Maybe I'm just a little concerned about how this will all shake out with Pakistan. Obviously there were people high up in that government that knew where he was hiding. How much they aided him in his staying hidden is yet to be known, but my guess is, they helped a lot. What does this mean for our relationship with one of our only allies in the region, and more, what does it say about us that we were fooled into thinking of them as an ally?


I'm glad American soldiers were the one's to get him. I don't think it would have happened any other way. No one else in the region was going to do it.


I hate the fact that unctious politicians will attempt to use this, and by extension our military heroes, as a way to ingratiate themselves to the public ahead of the coming elections. Call me crazy, but none of them pulled a trigger, none of them should gain from this any more than the rest of us.


I'm happy for the people that lost loved ones on 9/11 and during the wars that followed. Hopefully this can bring them some kind of closure, help them deal with the grief they have been experiencing.


I know the reports out of the government will change many times over the next few weeks. I haven't really been paying attention and I've heard several different versions of the events.


I know there will be critics of the operation. I read that some Muslim clerics are upset that Bin Laden's corpse was "disrespected" by being buried at sea. Perhaps we should have shown him the same respect that his people treat their prisoners with. You know, we could have decapitated him and then posted the video on youtube. Or we could have released his dead body to an angry mob so they could tear him limb from limb. Maybe they would have considered that a little more respectfull.


Again, I'm not sure what happens now. I don't mean to sound callous, but it seems a little like the home team won a super bowl or world series to me. The team, obviously, is Seal team 6 and the rest of the military. The fans would be all of us. There is a sense of euphoria after the victory. The people that are more invested in the game are obviously more affected, but everyone in the community shares in the victory. Once the game is over, the parade is done, and the mess is cleaned up, we go back to our lives. There is a sense of pride, a feeling of accomplishment, but that only lasts for so long. Just like in sports, there is another season coming up.


Our team, our military can't afford to rest on it's laurels. They need to get right back to work to defend their title. I have no doubt that they will.


Oh, and one other thing. The smart owners, that's us, never offer a contract extension to the coach and GM right after the championship. They are under contract until 2012. Let's wait before we think about letting the politicians cash in on the team's victory. Coaches don't win championships, neither do GMs. Players do.