Yes this marks the symbolic end of a very difficult time for our country. The wounds we sustained collectively and individually from the 9/11 terrorist attack are still in many ways unhealed and this moment is ripe with the promise of closure.
Yet the unabashed glee at the killing of a human being is distasteful to me. It dishonors the man who died and in my mind dishonors those that died in the World Trade Tower tragedy. Glorifying violence, even when it is for “the greater good” is fueling a cycle of hate that is very hard to escape from.
I’m sure that what we’re seeing on TV with crowds in the street “partying” at this moment is not representative of all Americans. But my guess is that this seemingly drunken revelry is all too common this week. I think it’s a dangerous notion that lethal punishment of violent offenders can take care of the emotional tearing apart that loss imparts on us.
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