Recently we here in America have all been hearing about one thing — the death of Osama Bin Laden. Many herald this as another step toward controlling and removing terrorist threats from our great world. Supporters even flooded streets across the U.S., with a notable rally being held right here in our very own Ames.

But there are those who criticize the demonstrations as wrongful celebrations of death. I certainly feel they were otherwise. Some notable criticisms I have heard since the rallies are almost too absurd to recall, but I will address a few here.

First and by far the most ridiculous, I was asked that if I celebrate the death of our enemies, what makes me different from the terrorists we hate? Wait, what? And they really wanted an answer. I was really asked to tell someone how a 19-year-old kid from Iowa was different from America’s Most Wanted Man, who was responsible for the deaths of thousands of non-combatants, and who repeatedly claimed that he hated and wanted to destroy multiple countries and their inhabitants. I didn’t give them an answer.

I was also informed that such displays were extremely disrespectful of the dead. On this point I will certainly agree. It was never my intention, as one of the lead rally-goers, to respect the dead. When I claimed this in person I was met with a shocked stare. Apparently some people don’t understand that everyone has their own beliefs and values. They couldn’t grasp the idea that one of my beliefs is that only respectable people deserve respect in death. I was then promptly told that my belief was wrong.

Further critics have claimed that the rallies were not in accordance with what God would want of us. I’m sorry, but my intentions are not to be in accordance with your beliefs about God. Again, I think some people need instructions on the multitude of beliefs in the world. To be honest, I hear an awful lot about what God wants of me, but it never seems to come from Him.

Even more critics were calling the Iowa State rally a drunken riot. Folks, I was at the head of the march down Lincoln, I was next to the speaker in Campustown and I was looking down on the crowd from a pillar in front of Jack Trice, and I can tell you that the prevalence of alcohol was scarce, at best. The rally was, as far as anyone could tell, completely non-violent, which rather obviously separates it from a riot.

I was also told that the rallies were celebrating a false victory, that the War on Terror wasn’t over, and I should stop acting like they were. Now folks, let me tell you, I knew exactly what I was celebrating. I was celebrating the death of a man who all too willingly took responsibility for the deaths of civilians worldwide, the deaths of armed forces from around the world, and who desired the deaths of all of us here in America.

I took to the streets shouting about how much I love this country for that. If I should ever see the day when my president comes before the nation and tells us that the global War on Terror is over, I will literally haul a** to Washington D.C. and really celebrate this great nation.