"USA! USA!" is the wrong response

I, personally, was disappointed to see the throngs outside the White House deliriously celebrating Bin Laden's death when the news broke out last night. What is there to celebrate in the post 9/11 world in which the US is now engaged in four wars or military occupations (Libya and Yemen recently added to the mix) supported by a political complex that not only tolerates but defends and empowers war profiteering on behalf of our massive and powerful industries. No doubt there are many speaking once again about "American Exceptionalism" now that we have finally killed Osama Bin Laden after ten years of not really trying. Yet there is very little that is exceptional about our country today beyond the ignorance of our population and manipulation of opinion by our media, as the US increasingly projects a militaristic agenda that seeks to strip its own people of individual rights, jobs (through globalization) and subvert the potential for reform and justice that our democracy has promised for so many generations through the corruption of our political process. Money is king and it controls not only the business priorities of the nation but the very essence of governance across the spectrum. The boogie man is dead but wars and exploitation of our populace will rage on despite the empty promise of hope offered by the breaking news.
http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/05/02/osama_and_chants_of_usa/index.html

This piece from The Nation illustrates the way we now blindly celebrate patriotism at sporting events and the backlash that comes to those citizens and athletes who question the wisdom of the wars that came from the tragedy of 9/11. The author reminds us of what happened to NFL star turned Army Ranger Pat Tillman when he began to openly question the legality of the war in Iraq.

Sports, bin Laden and the New Normal

http://www.thenation.com/blog/160329/sports-bin-laden-and-new-normal