Osama Bin Laden

I was drifting off to sleep when I heard NPR announce Bin Laden’s demise Sunday night.  I was disturbed that a world would celebrate the taking of a life, yet I understand the reservoir of pent up grief that was released- a huge balloon pricked and no longer able to hold back the tension.  I cried for the victim's friends and relatives, and felt a huge release of tension vicariously as they stood near Ground Zero holding little flags with welt up tears dripping from their cheeks. 

Is justice served?  Are we free to pick and choose when trials are not needed, and when capital punishment can be ordered from the power of a President?  Like all values in life, there are exceptions. Maybe this is one of those exceptions. Hitler was an exception.  Their lives were the trial- witnessed by the world. The punishment was implicitly accepted by the world.

Do I like that we executed an evil man without do process, even though his guilt was self proclaimed? No. Yet it seems appropriate. Are we a morally strong enough to restrict actions like this to only the rarest of evil doers who defy all morality  and inflict death upon  thousands of innocent people? I hope so.