I'm very satisfied with the outcome of the events that played out over last weekend. I have expressed this satisfaction numerous times to family, friends, and acquaintances, and even on my limited social media circle. As an Indian army brat, I am also having my "Told you so" moment now that OBL was found "hiding" in luxury 800 yards from the elite Pakistan Military Academy (that country's equivalent of West Point). I (like millions of others) am also impressed at the measured calm of President Obama's actions and pronouncements, so refreshingly different from the screeching high decibel noise that some other incumbent would have brought to the occasion.
Yet, I cannot bring myself to condone the street celebrations outside the White House or in New York City. I grant that these two places that were hit the hardest by the Sept 11 attacks, have the most to celebrate, but still....call it my middle class upbringing or whatever, but pouring into the streets to celebrate the death of someone, even a monster? I don't know...candlelight vigils would do, public meetings, too. Even as I was expressing my happiness that the monster was gone, I couldn't imagine rushing out or lighting firecrackers or anything like that. In my opinion, there was something unseemly and inappropriate about those images. Maybe it was the jarring contrast of so many young people celebrating something that they, hopefully, are far from - death.
Is there any appropriate way to gloat other than in private? I wonder.
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