In the end, Osama wins

Today, with the new of Osama bin Laden's death, I noticed a lot of celebrating today on the news channels, in the workplace, and on Facebook. I wasn't one of them; I stayed out of the discussions. Had bin Laden been killed or captured a few years ago, then maybe I'd feel different. Today, I feel nothing.

A decade after 9/11, the U.S. is still fighting in Afghanistan, Iraq, and now Libya. Our deficits are out of control, with our currency rapidly depreciating, along with our economic and civil liberties. What kind "freedoms" are the soldiers fighting for these days? To be groped by the TSA and have the IRS enforcing a new healthcare mandate? It puzzles me that so many of us get caught up in the moment without looking at the big picture.

This isn't a victory. And like the unwinnable war on drugs, another leader will rise to take Osama's place with revenge on his mind. Neither a large warfare or welfare state equals freedom.