Shot out to Rashard Mendenhall

Aside from the second "r" in his first name (I'm used to "Rashad", oh well), I didn't pay much attention to Mr. Mendenhall unless it was fantasy football related or "they playin' the Ravens this weekend" related. Just for the record, I'm a Redskins fan (go ahead, laugh it's cool) living in Baltimore. For that reason, I follow both teams. Back to my point though...

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.

Why I Can't Rejoice over Osama's Death

With news last night of Osama Bin Laden being killed I couldn't help but notice just how happy people seemed to be about it. Happy enough to go to the White House and sing the National Anthem. Happy as if another man's death is something to rejoice about. I'm aware of the history of terroristic acts, the bombings, etc. but something inside me won't allow me to be as happy about all this as people seem to be. The only thing that I feel a little positive about is the symbolism of his death. The death of Osama is not going to bring back all the people that died during the 9/11 attacks or any other attacks that he was involved in. I won't for a second act as if I can understand the pain of someone that lost a loved one during any of those attacks. The level of tragedy and the magnitude of those attacks can never be over-stated. But I wonder how many of those rejoicing were those who lost loved ones in attacks by Bin Laden and out of those, how they'll feel tomorrow, next week, next month, or next year. Because no matter how much "happiness" you felt last night, the people we all lost during those attacks will not be brought back because Bin Laden is dead. I guess justice was served but at the same time, what will happen next?

Learning of his death and listening to our President's remarks made me think of the movie, The Kingdom. First off, it's a great film. Second, the film is about terrorism in the middle east. But one of the most poignant moments/scenes in the film is when an older middle eastern man forces a young child (presumably his son or grandson) to watch a bombing of innocent people that the older man apparently coordinated. At the end of the film, this same older man (identified as a terrorist) was killed by American Special Forces but there was a cut-away to the son/grandson from the scene prior that showed the vigor and desire in his eyes to carry-on what his father/grandfather had forced him to watch. The pain and anguish he felt because his father/grandfather was killed only served to light a fire inside him to carry-on what he was taught. I was left thinking, "now that kid is going to want to continue the terroristic acts the older gentleman forced him to watch." And I think that's what we're dealing with when we talk about Bin Laden's death. The 48 Laws Of Power (specifically, the 42nd) do not apply. There will be some sheep that scatter but the death of the shepherd will serve to invigorate others that agree with his (Osama's) thinking and principles.

This is one of the main reasons that I can't be happy about Osama's death. Regardless of whether the body is shown on TV or he was executed for the world to see like Saddam Hussein or we never see the body at all, he will be a martyr to many. And the thought of that should be scary enough for the same people rejoicing over his death to think twice about just how happy we should all be.

The one thing I did take away from this as positive is the symbolism in the U.S. and other forces taking 10 years of determined work to find him. It will show others who aspire to perform the type of terroristic acts that they will be pursued relentlessly and with great resolve even if it takes years. Problem is, when one is unafraid to die for what they believe in, how can you truly have any power over them?