Osama Photos-Doomsday Clock Still Alive and TICKIN'

Last week, when President Obama publicly stated the pictures of a deceased Osama bin Laden would not be released to the public, the response from several newsmakers was predictable. In her always infinite wisdom, Sarah Palin tweeted, "Show photo as warning to others seeking America's destruction. No pussy-footing around, no politicking, no drama;it's part of the mission." Leaving aside the interesting use of a semi-colon in a tweet (hey, I wore a black tie to McDonald's once, too!), Ms. Palin's statement crystallizes the more-than-fascinating social response America had to the news of Osama's death. College students, in particular, took to the streets celebrating death. Now, this isn't going to be a Rashard Mendenhall-inspired rant.

Mental side-note: Speaking of Twitter etiquette, is there any way these professional athletes could hire a Twitter consultant? You know, someone who sits there, at a laptop or with a smartphone near one of these celebrities 24 hours a day, and could translate good ideas into 140 characters that actually make sense, or beat the person upside the head with a 2x4 when they decide to post about "one side of the issue" when talking about a man who killed thousands of innocent civilians? I'm available. And if I get to cherry pick on the catering spreads, I'll work for pennies on the dollar.

The point I'm trying to make is one that has been made before, but was emphasized by the euphoria inspired by the apparent convergence of justice and violence. Let's not forget the unease created by Palin's response to her daughter's pregnancy just a few years ago. Apparently, in her memoirs (at the same level of urgency on my "to read" list as the owner's manual for my car), Palin recounts "gagging on her toothbrush" when she heard news of her daughter's pregnancy on national television affiliates. Yet, the idea of violent photos being released to the public is "part of the mission." If fear-mongering and the destruction of innocence is part of the United States' "mission," I think I'd like to be debriefed and get the hell out, thank you very much.

Family members and those personally affected by September 11th should feel a sense of relief in the days that have followed Osama's death. But that sense of closure should come with the unease that America's thirst for violence, seen in its willingness to celebrate death, is at perverse odds with its sense of moral decency in issues of sex, language, and general decorum. I want to believe that sitting on my butt playing Gears of War 3 late into the night doesn't make me a more violent person. But I can't say that about everyone, and I certainly couldn't say it Sunday night when I saw hundreds of my peers waving flags and singing songs inspired ostensibly by a sense of togetherness, but one that required death and destruction to do so.