Steady Clappin'

Read more, nephew.

Cotdamn I’ve been a terrible blogger. I can’t figure out if that makes me cooler, as it would mean a real actual life would be implied; or lamer, as who can’t blog? Blogging is like stealing candy from a candy-hating baby. That’s how easy it is. Anyways, here’s an mp3. It’s from an album called Surfing. Big ups to Goldcoast and their newest mixtape for reminding me of these two friendly fellows.

Megapuss // Crop Cirlce Jerk ’94

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Ned Wenlock made this video and it made all of our jaws drop at work today. It’s so well done and the details are so so good.

Although there are a million different articles out there describing, analyzing, criticizing, spinning, and conspiring the killing of Osama bin Laden, I thought I’d write a few thoughts down.

This, undoubtedly, was an important event. I was a senior in high school and was in my AP Government class when the first plane hit. We turned on the television and I remember being scared—of the event unfolding in front of me, and what was going to come to pass because of it. After all, New York City was only 100 miles away from where I was at the time. My family knew people who were in the city regularly for business. One of the most identifiable landmarks of the most identifiable city in the Free World was reduced to rubble by a few men with box cutters.

After more than nine years and trillions of dollars, the man who declared war on America that September morning was killed. Shot through the head while using one of his wives as a human shield. Just as al-Qaeda planned to destroy our nation’s symbols of democracy, we destroyed their warped symbol of holy war. Thousands of American and Allied troops have died fighting this sometimes misguided war. In the raid that mattered most, not a single American was hurt.

What I don’t understand is everyone’s reaction. I admit that I was legitimately happy when I heard the news. I did not expect to feel that way. And I don’t think that it’s wrong that I did feel that way. That vile man fundamentally changed our nation in a matter of hours.

It’s this insane dichotomy of complete pessimism and absolute ‘Merica attitude that baffles me. Know-nothing hipsters on Twitter who think it’s cool to spew out numbers about money spent and lives lost in Afghanistan and Iraq during all this time and tweeting “I hope it was worth it”. “Eye for an eye leaves everyone blind”.

Grow up. Put down whatever analog thing you have in your hands and grow the hell up. What happened the other night was important. The man who shot Osama bin Laden through the face should die of high fives. And I’m no war mongering NRA enthusiast. The Iraq war was immoral. We had no business being there. But al-Qaeda and the Taliban? They deserve every bullet our forces have. Sometimes you do have to fight. Sometimes people have to die.

On the other end of the spectrum are the people that were waving flags and celebrating like we won the World War Series. Again, there is nothing wrong with being happy about what had gone down. Justice was finally dealt. But dancing in the streets and acting a fool is. It’s ignorant. Death is nothing to celebrate. It is a sad thing. It is a sad thing that all those lives were lost on September 11th and it is a sad thing that all these lives have been lost in the wars since. It is a sad thing that these fundamentalists exist and believe in the things they do.

A “USA! USA!” chant is not the correct reaction. Respect should be shown to those that have served our nation and those that have died for it, whether in battle or in the attacks. We didn’t just hit a game-tying RBI single. We killed a 50 something year old millionaire terrorist who was hiding in a mansion. A standing ovation would have been more fitting.

Obama’s speech’s was well done. It was carefully worded and the tone was solemn and thoughtful. Thousands of lives have been pointlessly lost because of a small group’s ideology. Osama bin Laden being killed doesn’t bring them back, but it does bring an amount of purpose to why we are doing what we’re doing. It needs to be done. I am happy he is gone. He can’t harm one more innocent life.

So Republican or Democrat, Christian or Muslim, black or white, American or not, nod your head and tip your glass to the men and women who brought this evil man his comeuppance. He deserved every bullet in his face and they deserve all the credit and respect we have.

Just don’t throw a bannered aircraft carrier party.

DC