Accomplished What?

I woke to breaking news this morning, the jubilant announcement that a small team of Americans killed Osama Bin Laden last night after a firefight in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Presidents Obama, G W Bush and Clinton see this as a momentous achievement. I don't.

After almost ten years of destruction and chaos in the Middle East caused by the US retaliation for the 9/11 attacks, this one murder becomes a symbol of victory in a tragic war. Hundreds of thousands dead, wounded, living in fear and squalor,with billions of dollars spent to compensate for the 3,000 lives lost in 2001. The lives lost on September 11th were the result of senseless acts of violence stemming from outrage and hatred. The response has simply mirrored - then magnified - this act. How can we "win" using the same behavior, that will surely trigger more of the same and then more of the same. An endless cycle. I would like to believe that as intelligent beings we could learn from our missteps. But ideologies, concepts, mental inventions and projections continue to subject us to tyranny. The irony is that the US purports to be wise, benevolent, and just. But the scale of our destruction - its purpose beside the point - dwarfs anything the Taliban, Al-Qaeda or Osama Bin Laden could muster. How can we be safe from terrorist acts when we continually use the same tactics to control, punish, or influence others. I'm afraid this is another "Mission Accomplished" that will only lead to more and more sorrow.