Yesterday, thanks to several Blackberry broadcast jokes and "gifs" of Osama Bin Laden "alive in the Dominican Republic and dancing reggaeton", I found out that the United States had found and killed Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden. Wanting to know more, I looked up reports on cnn.com, and found this one:
CNN: "A Good Day for America"
I have to admit, I have mixed feelings about celebrating ANYONE'S death, even if he was a murderer. In Ancient Babylon (about 4000 years ago), this intellectual named Hammurabi came up with a law called Hammurabi's Code, which stated, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." In other words, if you hit me, I can hit you back, 'cause that's just fair! I tend to agree more with Mahatma Ghandi, an Indian Human Rights Activist of the early 1900s (A.D.), who stated, "An eye for an eye leaves everybody blind." This "monumentous day in American history", the murder of Osama Bin Laden, speaks very clearly to these principles, in my opinion.
Thinking about terrorism, I remembered last year when we blogged about if Hitler was a terrorist. Check out the page for a blast from the past and to see your ideas last year about terrorism and if they have changed. Take time to read through it... it's pretty interesting, and amazing how your thoughts have grown so much in a year! Make sure to read the poem which, ironically, is called "Eye to Eye". It was written by a Palestinian teenager who lived through the "War on Terrorism". This poem was also made into a song, so you can see the power that WORDS can have to inspire AWARENESS and CHANGE. Here's the link to last year's blog on terrorism:
Was Hitler a Terrorist?
Feel free to share here what you think about all of this. I will leave you with the full quote (part of it I gave you in class today) from Martin Luther King Jr. about hatred and violence:
The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral,
begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy.
Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it.
Through violence you may murder the liar,
but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth.
Through violence you may murder the hater,
but you do not murder hate.
In fact, violence merely increases hate.
So it goes.
Returning violence for violence multiplies violence,
adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness:
only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
(taken from: http://www.drmartinlutherkingjr.com/mlkquotes.htm)
When I was watching all of the comments and read mine I was like: What the heck was I thinking?? I've could've answered my opinion in more details and everything..Time makes miracles I guess...
ReplyDeleteAnyways, about the MLK quote.. The words would've had more feeling if it were put in a SONG with a viedo and everything. I really like it and it has to do with the world TODAY. Actually,in my point of view, this may be actually a key for peace(maybe?) just saying eh?
If people applied to that, the rivalries between superpowers MAY vanish, but there's always this awesome guy and ruins everything... Nothing's impossible!(Coincidence: value of the month for May is positive attitude! :P)
-Maria A.
I don't think anyone's death should be celebrated. That's not a behavior that Jesus would want me to have. But, then again, I don't behave like Jesus would like me to.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, Obama shouldn't have killed him in the first place, because now all those suicide bombers will attack the US and the US will blame them on their history books..
Bye!
Danie Eli ♥
I have no idea what I have to answer, so i'll say anything related to what is up. You can't say it isn't a good day for america, because it is a load off their backs. And basically, Martin... says that we need more love and things like that.
ReplyDeleteNavy
hey, what i think is that this news is good in terms of anger and of vengance, but seeing it from the other sight this death cant help the fact that all the crimes he made are all ready done, but even so it is a good news cause now that he is dead (if he is really dead) then it means that they stopped him from keeping the criminal destruction.
ReplyDelete--
i think both statements are right. eye for eye... expresses equality and justice but the one about leaving everybody blind talks about common sense. both of them together make a great meaning. together they would mean that justice is meant to be but both would be victims and there would be no winner. i think that is what the statement should be.
ReplyDelete"Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, but an eye for eye leaves everybody blind". -Gabriela Susana
this can also mean that justice doesn't mean exactly to do the same to him as he did to you. life is not a game so that you can say what is equal is not cheating. its a game where you can make justice without repeating to the other what he did to you.
-Gaby
Actually, I still agree on what I wrote in the post of Hitler eing a terrorist. I know it was wrong from the US to kill Bin Laden, but it was wrong from Osama to want to destroy America. The BB broadcast's went to far away... Like R.I.H. that is mean, you would not like that for yourself. Anyways, even though they killed Bin Laden terrorism is not going to stop, like, there are many that may be worse than Bin Laden and that know his ideas. So, killing him made everything worst.
ReplyDeleteI agree on the quote "An eye for an eye, leaves everyone blind." it says that if, for example, someone hits you, and you hit them back, neither of you are going to learn the good way out. If you are not this way, I'm going to be that same way towards you, someone has to take the iniciative and start treating each other well.
Marla Moreta <3
as people say, if you kill the king does that mean the people will die? of course not. this hasn't changed anything except Obama's likeliness to be president again.
ReplyDeletethatguy47
well.. for me is not right either to celebrate someones' death, as Danie Eli said, that's not a behavior that Jesus wants me to have, neither something he wants me to do. It can be the most dangerous person I could ever met or heard about, but still, it's not right to celebrate it's death.
ReplyDeleteomg! the comment I did last year! I was really embarrassed when I read it now. It was SO simple! I should have written more, but it's true what I said :)
and Martin Luther King's piece of writing impacted me and it said all the truth about what happens now actually and I really like it alot<3
~Camille Espaillat<3
i dont know what i have to answer i didnt understand but this is of osama bin bin , bin laden :p , its true its not right to celebrate bin laden death because if you are intelligent osama have a biggggg family he have a lot of brothers and sister , and a lot of kids, us is dead, when they think that is over is when bin laden family is going to attack
ReplyDeletejorge
As I was watching the news and I saw all that people in Times Square celebrating and happy about Bin Laden's death i could understand them but there was no way i felt the same. he did destroy alot of people and families and even though it is a relief that a guy like that it's no longer out on the world he still is considered a person and nobody deserves that not even him. that's why in funerals people's lifes are celebrated to remember the good not their deaths.
ReplyDelete-Jennifer Melo
I dont think the death of Osama Bin Laden should be celebrated because of:
ReplyDelete1. this will make the Al Qaetha mad so thwey will try to attack US
2. They new how Bin Laden acted, now they have no idea about how the new leader will act, about what goes through his mind
3. you cannot fight fire with fire if you want to turn it off, I think it is more logic to use water
4. and who know what other bad things could happen
And I also think it was stupid because if they had waited more they could have captured him and interrogate...
-charyl
i think that violence for violence is a stupid way to solve problems becuase you are having more violence like for example what happened with Bin Laden, they killed him but that won't return all the lifes that he took.
ReplyDeleteAlfonso Medina
you cant lighten up a room by turning off the little light it has. but you CAN stop a serial killer from killing by killing him.. Actually its human nature to get rid of what is not needed. you finish a banana you get rid of the peel...so why not kill somebody who b,y most everyone's eyes, deserves it? if heaven and hell do exist osama was "Sentenced" with hell. but should humans have that ability? also no major terrorist attackshave occured and believe that that should be atributed to the newer security in airports. so with probably no terrorist attacks coming why not take the chance? why not kill the pupeteer behind this act?
ReplyDeleteEsteban Polanco
violence for violence? this is completely wrong because killing bin laden doesn't change anything it makes things worse. either way, he being alive or death, it's still bad because if he was alive he will still be hiding and attempting against the US and he being dead won't stop his people from taking revenge from his leader death, leaving the US citizens in danger while they are celebrating. also all this started with the US instead those people wouldn't be doing this stuff and bin laden will still be alive.
ReplyDeletecamille luna♥
An eye for an eye?? Really? p[eople we are int he twentieth century. It's not like were canniblas. I we follow Hammurabi's code that we will end up killing ourselves and extinguishing the human race.
ReplyDeleteYes Obama had done horrible things to Americans. Is that a reason for Americans to bruttaly kill him and celebrate his dead? no it isnt. Nobody deserves to die. you shouldn't be judged for what you did in the past. It the present that counts. And even worst Americans shouldnt really be celebrating his deeath. It is a person that was just murder.
this will only cause Al Qaeda to mad and attack the Us and the Us will fight back.Then other countries will get involve and it all will vecome World War 3. So the everyone is going to die. BOOM!
-Alba Reynoso
maybe violence for violence will solve some of the problems.... if I kill your dad or mom or son or brother or sister or any family member,you would like to see me dead, if not, you will think that the police is making a poor job trying to find me.
ReplyDeleteBin Laden did something bad to the United States, and killed a lot of people. It was the government's job to find him and take revenge, if not, people would think that the government is making a poor job.
The problem is that Americans had families, Bin Laden had a family,a family that as Americans wanted revenge, they want revenge too. And I don't know a lot about Bin Laden, and I don't know whether he had a family or not, but he was a leader, he had followers...
What I'm trying to say is that revenge make you fell good, but the other say will also want to fell good.
*Victor Vargas*
violence and violence equals violence.. MLK said Darkness cannot drive out darkness only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.. i think his death was good but theres no reason for people to joke with it or celebrate it and yes he is finally dead USA would not be kidding about it
ReplyDeleteMAO