Death of bin Laden Trumps All

Tuesday, May 03, 2011

Scott Cordischi, GoLocalProv Sports Editor

It was this writer’s intention to write about the Bruins-Flyers game 2 today but something much bigger than a playoff hockey game took place less than 24 hours before they dropped the puck in Philadelphia.

Yes, I am speaking of the United States’ successful effort to kill Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.

The aftermath of this stunning news has made me both proud and embarrassed to be an American.

On the one hand, I’d like to think that I am as patriotic as they come. I bleed red, white and blue and could not be more proud of not just of those Navy Seals who successfully executed this mission but every man and women who has served and continues to serve this country so that we may enjoy the freedoms that we do.

Watching President Obama’s speech live on television Sunday night sent chills up and down my spine and filled me with pride as an American citizen.

Like many of you reading this, I had a very busy day at work on Monday and didn’t get a chance to watch TV until I returned home around 7:30pm. I couldn’t wait to tune in to find out all of the details about this successful mission that brought down the mastermind of the 9-11 attacks on our soil.

However, what I witnessed made me embarrassed to be an American.

Like the 9-11 attacks in New York, Washington DC and Pennsylvania, you would have thought that this news would have also galvanized this country. You would have thought that we would have celebrated the news of bin Laden’s demise as one.

Instead, the talking heads on MSNBC and Fox News were at their very worst Monday night. In typical fashion, the MSNBC hosts were quick to credit President Obama for the success of this mission and, at the same time, take shots at President Bush and the Republican party for not getting the job done. They openly taunted the Republicans wondering if they were still going to claim that Obama and the Democrats were too weak when it comes to their commitment to the military.

Meanwhile on Fox News, Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity and company went out of their way to suggest that the Obama administration and Democrats deserved very little credit for bringing bin Laden down. They suggested that the wheels were clearly set in motion by the Republicans and former President Bush.

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah!

I don’t know about you, but I have no tolerance for the divisiveness of our political parties which is, in part, propagated by the hosts on the aforementioned networks. If these morons can’t unite on a subject like this, what can they agree on?

I heard someone say on Monday that it’s appropriate that the last thing that Osama bin Laden saw before he died were the uniforms of military members from the United States of America. I could not agree more.

I am proud to be an American. I am proud to live in the greatest country in the world. But I am embarrassed that we have so many nitwits in Washington DC and on MSNBC and Fox News who are more concerned with political gain than what truly is best for all Americans. It saddens me.

By the way, in case you’re wondering, the Bruins beat the Flyers in overtime 3-2 Monday night. But the Boston power play (now 0-28 in the playoffs) is as lifeless as bin Laden!