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Examining The Head

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Message Mark Sashine
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http://www.7days.ae/storydetails.php?id=105070&page=localnews&title=Get%20your%20head%20tested


Anyone who questions whether the US should have killed Osama bin Laden needs to have their head examined, President Barack Obama has said.

( from the link above)

 

  "As nervous as I was about this whole process, the one thing I didn't lose sleep over was the possibility of taking Bin Laden out," Obama said.

( from the link above)

 

That's what our President said.   His position is clear: US(!) killed    a man. Get over it. He does not lose the sleep over this. Examine your head if     you doubt     the decision.

 

I am trying to examine my head. So far I    had no reason to complain about the level of reasoning     my head demonstrated but if the President says so.. I am trying.   The best     way to examine your head    is to put yourself into the man's shoes. Here you are, a Commander-in-Chief   and   there's a sworn enemy of your country, seemingly accessible.   You can order to take him out and it will be done. It will   bring   a closure to a lot of issues. It will be a huge political gain. You also will be able to monitor the killing on TV, so that   there     will be no doubt at all.   All     the people around you     tell you that it is a good chance. The gun is loaded and ready; just pull the trigger, Mr. President. What would I have done? What would any of us had     done?   Can any of us honestly answer that he/she would have done   something different? Such questions were always asked     of those who judge after    the fact and they   seem the killer questions because they are   Markovian. They presume that nothing was before that, that this particular event    is independent from the past, that there are no connections, that it is only here and now. That assumption   is truly wrong in politics   where everything is connected and interconnected and   where power is not only a manifestation of    strength but also of wisdom.   Now     we see the light in the end of the tunnel; was it   a   wise decision or not?   It depends on the criteria of wisdom   in the head of the President or in the head of   whoever   presumes   to be in his shoes.   My   head   that is.   So, in my head   I   am    put in front of the dilemma of taking a human life.   I can do that.   Maybe   even more than one life.     Obviously, my first question would be if I could avoid that by taking a person into custody. All things considered, I am not a unilateral decider to kill and    we have courts for that. If     the sworn     enemy   is vulnerable   so much that   there is a chance to   execute him ( not even by a sniper   fire but   by a shot to the head), can we take him alive?   That would be even better politically, right? So many people are accused of collaborating with him, so many questions could be answered, so     many     issues   resolved. Now they     forever   will   remain unsolved.   The operation information revealed to all     the     world that    Navy Seals met no resistance whatsoever; why wasn't he taken alive? Where is wisdom here? And   why doesn't our President explain to us whether that option was considered and under what conditions?

 

Now, there is another question too. Obviously, our President knew in advance that    there were other people in the house.   Did he order to kill them too? Did he order to kill the 19years' -old boy?   See, that's an issue with those   licenses to kill-   you must be   either very specific or very broad. Say, why not   use a taser?   They   work wonders. Or why not   hit a boy on the head, knock him down.     That surely could be done if the President had adamantly stated in his order that only one person should be targeted for killing and   that only if he resists.   How     was an order    stated? Can we see a written    text? If our President like a medieval king watched the execution of his enemy on the TV together with his staff it is only prudent for the public to see the text of that fateful order.    That's what my head would ask first. I would like to follow     the decision process step-by --step.   I would like to see     the wisdom, not vengeance or political posturing. In fact that's where I question the     wisdom of our   Chief   Executive. Some people might say I don't know everything.   But I am in his shoes, right? Tell me, I am ready to listen.

 

Mr. President, so far I had examined my head and saw nothing wrong with it except for an unfortunate decision to vote for you in Y2008. Not that I had much of a choice. I saw all that in you;   you were a capable and ambitious man with a very diverse background, a real American,   with a touch of high intelligence but   also with   one unfortunate feature- you did not seem   to be a   very educated man and your premises sounded rather shallow whether in your books or in your speeches. Still, you seemed   much     better than the alternatives although   I had some suspicion   even then. You were too eager to please.

You did not seem comfortable acting   under     the malicious scrutiny.   Examine your head, Mr. President; maybe that's the real issue?

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The writer is 67 years old, semi- retired engineer, PhD, PE. I write fiction on a regular basis and I am also 10 years on OEN.

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