Celebrating bin Laden's death

Ahmad Fuad Rahmat, "Why Are Americans Celebrating Osama's Death?" 
Stop Public Celebrations of Osama's Death

The inevitable backlash over bin Laden's death have arrived.  These are two rather thoughtful examples.  Common Sense has also received several posts concerning the celebrations, characterizing them negatively.

Common Sense has mixed views in this regard.  On one hand there is an essential sameness between the US celebration of bin Laden's death and the celebrations in some radical Muslim societies over the events of 9/11.  Common Sense's reaction to one is revulsion but to the other a mixture of fundamental agreement and cautious concern.  That's a personal reaction of course, not an objective evaluation of either.

Celebrations of this sort are in many ways simply human.  While we are all human, as a species we remain generally tribal.  When my tribe triumphs I quite naturally feel pride.  Celebration is not far behind.  In this way such celebrations are just expressions of humans being human.  That makes them understandable.

The two links are interesting but in Common Sense's view fail to grasp the essential issues.

Consider John McWhorter's  

I will experience my joy at bin Laden's death as a private sentiment best gotten past as quickly as possible -- and all lusty, communal "Ding dong, the witch is dead" celebrations of his death as unfortunate.

Is bin Laden's death simply "unfortunate."  Common Sense wonders when did the death of a mass murderer become unfortunate.  Common Sense has seen real evil disguised as a human first hand.  Common Sense wonders should such people retain an absolute right to life?  Most of the world, including much of the western world, continues to recognize the death penalty in law.  Underlying the death penalty is a recognition that some people forfeit their right to life by their actions.  Is execution of a murderer "unfortunate?"  While Common Sense has reservations about such executions, they are on balance not "unfortunate" but just.

Being part of a civilized just society requires rather more than two arms and two legs.  It requires an acceptance and participation in the essential norms of civilized society.  Bin Laden rejected those norms and actively participated in the terror death of thousands of innocents.  His death is thus just.

Ahmad Fuad Rahmat's remarks

The triumph can only lie in the feeling of redemption: Americans can finally convince themselves that the War on Terror has been, after all, worthwhile.  Bin Laden's death lets it all make sense: they can now proclaim that the deaths of millions of Muslims, the sacrifices of thousands of American soldiers, and the depletion of America's own wealth in the process, have not been in vain.

also miss the mark focused as they are on the cost of the War on Terror and the notion of its justification/redemption. 

Does the War on Terror make sense?  Common Sense thinks that depends on what you think it is.  Do the Iraq and Afghanistan wars make sense?  That's certainly a valid question given the state of their governments and marginal success the US has had at establishing a civil society in what was previously a largely lawless tribal region.  Common Sense notes that there are not many examples of military imposition of a civil society where one did not previously exist.

But the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are not the only part of the War on Terror.  The US intelligence community has been remarkably successful in thwarting terror activity in the US and elsewhere.  Surely that part of the War on Terror is just common sense!

As to Mr Rahmat's notion of redemption.  Common Sense notes that there is no redemption nor, for that matter, justification necessary when an elected government in a democratic society acts consistent with the wishes of its citizens.  Here Rahmat's concern seems to Common Sense rather political.  As such they are not so much about celebrating an enemies' death as objecting to a political decision.  While questioning that decision is certainly reasonable attaching that  question to the celebration of an enemies death is little more than a crude attempt to change the topic.

Just a Common Sense POV.