Bin Laden Killing

From Zanecorpwiki

I gotta say, I'm pretty creeped out by the celebratory air surrounding Bin Laden's killing. Killing is sometimes necessary, sometimes just, bit it's always weighty. Killing is always a sign of failure. A failure to reform, to repent, to forgive, a failure of circumstance. It's a least bad solution. Our virtue cannot be measured by how we handle the easy situations. "Thou shalt not kill" doesn't come with as asterisk that says "Unless they really deserved it, then go ahead and throw a party."

Initially, I was certain for myself that the pictures should be released. It is what it is. Jon Stewart makes an elegant case for releasing the photos on the 2011-05-04 show (a day after prompting my first comments above). I don't think it's a good thing to be involved in three wars and yet remain so isolated as to see nothing of the consequences. I'm sure a guy shot in the head is rather gruesome, but for me that's an argument of exactly why we should show these pictures.

Or not. Both Brooks and Shields (and others) make a compelling argument that releasing the photos would cause problems with our Middle East relations. I disagree with Shield's comment about purulent interest being the sole reason, but it is an important negative. The image would become a macabre fetish amongst some segments of the population.