Ending the reign of a leader has always been a huge moment of change on this planet. History catalogues the end of eras and the shifts in power in Rome, Egypt, China, Central America, and elsewhere by the murder or exile of the head of the snake.
More often than not, by the time the final day arrives when the King, Emperor, Czar, Pharaoh, General, etc. is wiped off the map, his involvement in the day to day operations of his rule has long past. Usually age, health, or ego finds the final years before his demise spent on attempts to secure immortality with slaves building oversized tombs, and the hoarding of wealth, in an attempt to leave a hardened legacy. They have already appointed successors and stamped their face on so many coins, statues, and frescos.
In the case of Bin Laden, the lack of borders, no personal army, and the decrease in his wealth, makes this period in history unique. This madman had found in Pakistan segments of the government, or army, willing to keep his whereabouts a secret, probably in exchange for millions of dollars of his family's fortune. OBL goes down in history as a truly dispicable, rogue character; taking the wealth and privilege given him early in life by his wealthy father to forge a vision and a fanatical following to wreak havoc on thousands of innocent souls on Earth. Good riddance!
He was wanted on the FBI 10 most wanted for at least 13 years and credit is due the current administration for continuing and committing to the pursuit. It is worth looking up the remaining 9 most wanted and realizing the huge difference in the crimes of those 9 vs. OBL. No murder is OK; no extortion should go unpunished, but shouldn't there be a different kind of list for mass murders and humans that believe that whole societies and religions should be exterminated?
It is clear these are different times. Terrorism is global and not being waged by one country or religion against another, or one tribe against another; but by an aberration of an ideology vs. the youngest country and its way of life. It is easy to criticize so many aspects of the financial, corporate, and foreign policy realities of the USA, but the Constitutional rights granted our citizens are the envy of all persecuted humans elsewhere.
It is a time of emotional sighs of relief. The end of a time when Americans needed justice to be served. Death is final; but people get satisfaction when the killer is dealt with. We will watch the tragedy of next couple of years, to see if this episode will change the path of our economy, our policies, and how the rest of the world views us post OBL. There is so much clamor for freedom in oppressed countries, particularly in the Middle East, and those humans already are expressing appreciation for the act of our bravest Navy Seals.
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