What He Said

Friday 6 May 2011 - Filed under Uncategorized

Here is a bit of a different angle from my post yesterday on why a dead bin Laden isn’t the best thing to happen since sliced bread.

It took nearly a decade after 9/11 to catch and kill Osama bin Laden. During that time, America launched two wars and a new cabinet-level security agency while funneling money into the defense budget at record levels. This was the United States government’s response to bin Laden, yet very little of it contributed to his capture. We know what bin Laden cost us: thousands of American lives, a sense of safety and security for millions more. But now, with bin Laden finally dead, America and its leaders must also come to grips with what we have chosen to spend reacting to his acts of terror—and the sad fact that most of it wasn’t worth the price.

[. . .]

Hunting terrorists the most effective way, he says, “does not inconvenience Americans. It does not inhibit their liberties.” But as is all too clear, that’s not the way we chose to pursue our response to 9/11. Bin Laden cost us plenty, and he deserved to pay for his crimes. But the response we chose cost us dearly too.

And if anyone thinks that ObL’s death won’t ratchet up said poor response to his crimes, I have some land in Florida to sell you.

2011-05-06  »  madlibertarianguy