On May 2, 2011, the world, at last, was rid of one of the most infamous men of modern times: Osama bin Laden.  Architect of the September 11 attacks and founder of international terror organization Al Qaeda, bin Laden was killed when his living compound in Pakistan was the target of a top-secret raid by elite Navy SEALs.

His death, albeit supposedly well-deserved, sparked an outcry from noted human-rights activist Rashard Mendenhall, who lamented that, “We’ve only heard one side…I’m not convinced he was even behind the [September 11] attacks” (twitter.com).

The government’s handling of the takedown of Osama was clearly flawed.  Although the attack itself was necessarily shrouded in secrecy while it took place, there is no need for the continuing cloak-and-dagger stance the US has taken in the days since.  Bin Laden’s death at the hands of US forces has touched off a powder keg of conspiracy theorists, and with the only information about the mission being government-provided (much of it conflicting with prior government reports), there is plentiful ammunition for anti-government wackos to hurl at the establishment.

The most obvious tenet of the opposition is bin Laden’s death itself.  Namely, that it shouldn’t have happened.

Benjamin B. Ferencz, the former chief prosecutor for the Nuremberg trials, argues that “secret nonjudicial decisions based on political or military considerations undermine democracy” (buenosairesherald.com).

Unfortunately, for every highly-qualified and level-headed concerned member of society such as Mr. Ferencz, there is a windbag like moral philosopher Emyunoxious, who utilized a video game forum as a medium for his message of truth and justice: “AmeriKKKans lynched Osama bin Laden because they hate freedom and liberty. I’m just telling it like it is” (finalfantasyforums.net).  Interestingly enough, Emyunoxious’ user profile describes him (or her) as being “Hateful.”

The moral of the story is that there has already been a significant backlash against the United States, specifically the Obama administration, from the human rights bloc.  And they are crying foul in a case that is as dead and buried as Osama himself.  Had bin Laden been captured rather than killed, who knows how big the circus would be that developed around him?  The O.J. Simpson trial would have had nothing on this.

Provided that Osama had gone to trial, even in the unlikely event that he was tried before a truly impartial jury (where would these people come from?!), Osama would likely have, for argument’s sake, been found guilty of something.  He would, then, be punishable under the law.  But with human rights activists screaming out against the death penalty (just as they do in real life), a more creative punishment for Osama would have to be crafted.

One such punishment, as proposed by correctional expert Hannah Lane, might be to, “force him to go through airport security for the rest of his life.”

This option is especially enticing as it would represent not only a decidedly excruciating punishment, but also poetic justice, as the September 11 attacks were the precipitating event behind the metal detectors and “random additional screenings” that plague today’s airline passengers.  One can only imagine that bin Laden, if he were subjected to said punishment, would be “randomly” selected quite often, too.

And so, the world will miss Osama bin Laden.  Not for his West-hatred and love of demolition, but for the missed opportunity of seeing him walk endlessly through the rat maze that is airport security, day after day after day.