OGO 5-1-11

Forgive me the time needed to make this point. I realize it's a miniscule detail in the symphony of events but I think you will agree it is as grave a detail as one can have, or at least have the decency to acknowledge. It's the kind of detail that irks at one's insides. It's the kind of viscous fact that unsettles the mind, like a "Christian nation" engaging in nationally sponsored assassination.

Like most Americans, if not all, the news brought a sigh of relief. No longer would Bin Laden run from the blood of September 11. No longer would "the cave dweller" out maneuver the most technologically advanced and most powerful military in the world. And in fact, a number of them, as the U.S. was not the only nation seeking him out. For a decade he remained the most wanted man in the western world. A man who continually eluded us. And now, finally, we have, as it were, his head on a platter.

The collective sigh of relief erupted in jubilation and celebration that this "face of evil" had been brought under the most enduring form of American justice...a bullet. (damn, details are dicey!) And the celebration lasted long into the night with song and dance, flags and standards, pomp and circumstance. All this for the few precious "words" we wanted to hear: Geronimo E-KIA. And thus my point emerges.

At first, the patriotic swell within me was vast and I reveled in it. And then it hit me. Was I reading perhaps too much into it? Does that codename really equate OBL to Geronimo? Does that, by extension, call Geronimo a terrorist?

If one is not aware of the history surrounding the Apache nation and the United States, the parallel is perhaps elusive. But the narrative fits so well...except for all the terrorism-face-of-evil part. A quick Google search will inform but suffice it to say that a long, drawn out search for an elusive and wanted man (read: group) that finally ends in capture and custody by the U.S. is precisely what the two stories encapsulate.

I will not be a part of that tawdry correlation. It may be a catchy phrase and easily fit within the pantheon of American Code Names: Operation this and that. But to casually accept the comparison would be to participate in a gross form of truncated historical interpretation. And so, it is for these reasons that I have chosen to call the mission to kill off Osama bin Laden: OGO 5-1-11 That is to say, Obama Got Osama 5-1-11

This is one I can tolerate without having to endure the devils of detail that often plague me. I can only hope that those that read this can see my point and, hopefully, agree with it. Although I fully realize the futility of this attempt, officially and pop culturally speaking, I cannot sit idle as my country so casually and comfortably associates a great man like Geronimo who fought against foreign incursion into his land with the likes of a Osama Bin Laden. And dare I say, that I am "shocked and awed" that President Obama allowed for such a callous misuse of his name.


Note: For those who will only read "I Hate America and I love Osama bin Laden" in these words, let me clearly state that I fully support and love my family and friends who have chosen to live their lives, and quite possibly give their lives, in service of our country.

Note: Many thanks to Calpurnpiso for this designation OGO 5-1-11. He can be found on YouTube. ***Not for the easily offended***