Now, after the media has made a big deal about Mendenhall's Twitter comments (see video below) regarding Osama and 9/11, I gotta say I have a little bit more respect for him. It's not that I agree with everything he's saying but I respect that he's unafraid to speak up and say how he feels and stand on one side of the fence whether he's perceived as wrong or right. Much respect to him for that. And I also give him props for backing up Adrian Peterson and his comments that football players are modern-day slaves. I'm not saying I agree with those exact words when not spoken in the proper context but it's NOT unchartered territory for someone to compare the two.
As for the comments Rashard made...
"What kind of person celebrates death?" This is a question we'll all have to at least ponder for a second after Osama bin Laden's death. If you're not thinking about this right now you're either under a rock or so morally and ethically disconnected that there's probably no helping you anyway. And yes, it's an accurate statement to make that it's "amazing how people can HATE a man they have never even heard speak." I'm sure some would argue that we've technically heard Osama speak via those viral (ha) videos he used to drop like mixtapes, but that's beside the point. The point here is that we can hate hate hate all we want and judge Osama for his actions (or alleged actions, depending on the instance and how you feel) but in the end, God is his ultimate judge. And with that in mind he deserves the same respect in death that any other human being does.
I repeat, Osama bin Laden deserves the same respect in death that any other human being does.
By no means am I condoning anything he did during his life that hurt people and their loved ones. And by no means am I saying that he wasn't a threat and danger to me, my family, and everyone else's family.
BUT....
If the shoe were on the other foot and your cuzzin Spook/Tiny/Nuke/Tim-Tim/or-whoever (trust me, everybody got that one cousin) that sold drugs, shot people, and perhaps killed a person or two and you knew he just wasn't a "good" person per se...
You still would not want the picture(s) of him in death with his body riddled with bullets plastered all over television and the Interweb. I took issue to how the U.S. handled the Saddam Hussein death sentence and I will probably have a similar issue in this case but it seems like Obama's going the way of NOT showing the pictures of a dead Osama. Kudos to our President for seemingly having some respect for Osama or at the least some perspective on this situation.
Because most of us only know what the media tells us about Osama I think it makes it easier for some to rejoice in his death. There's no real human connection there for you to feel like you're doing something that may not be quite right. All we know is what we're told. Even if all of it is true, can't we just accept the fact that he's dead, say a prayer for our lost ones and let them know how much we still love them, and MOVE ON feeling like there's one less terrorist (out of many still left) to worry about?
Like I said in my last post about this topic, this is not going to be the end of terrorism and we all know that, even those out there celebrating. This is an exhale moment. Exhale and be relieved on a small level. But in the big picture, what are we rejoicing about? This is like LeBron and D. Wade having a parade after beating the 76ers in the first round! You would be like, "Get-da-fugg-outta-here! You still gotta get past Boston, not to mention Chicago and probably the Lakers." I make that comparison to say, the war ain't over yet, we just beat a team in the early rounds that it took us (literally) years to outsmart, catch up to, and ultimately take them out. There are more fish to fry.
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