Historic Day for the U.S and Written Down in the NZ Paper

Yesterday, which was May 2nd 2011; 3:00 pm for New Zealand, my flatmate rushed into my room to say, "You need to come watch the news!" Anxiety pulsed through my body as I thought, oh please not another natural disaster..what country was hit? As I asked with a heavy heart, "what happened now?" my flatmate who is also from the United States, said with a grin, "Osama has been found and killed."  We rushed downstairs and huddled around our TV as the news was transferred to the United States breaking news. We watched as past videos of Osama are played and recapped 9/11 and events that followed. I began to think back about what I experienced after 9/11 and the late night news reports of guns being fired in the air in the middle east; the taunting of Osama; and the videos of U.S citizens being murdered on the internet by Al Qaeda. It kind of bothered me that I was so happy that a human being had been killed but what else could have been done to stop such a destructive and corrupt man. I also began to grow a bit home sick. I wished I could have be home to share in the victory and share the emotional experience that my fellow Americans would be able to relate along with me. As Obama came on screen to give his speech I  wondered what he would reveal in his speech. It was surreal to hear that he knew about Osama's where-abouts several months earlier. ( I could only imagine how gitty he was about that!...I pictured him sitting at family dinner table fidgeting like a little school girl trying to hold in a deep secret that was entrusted to her ). Other parts of his speech I enjoyed were, "Our war is not against Islam because Osama was not a Muslim leader, he was a mass murderer of Muslims." It was nice that he reinstated this because I think many Americans forget that our neighbors who may be Muslim are suffering just as much as us. I also enjoyed how he said, "...because of who we are. One nation; Under God."  Maybe again we can forget about fighting over keeping God out of our schools, papers, and government and stand behind the President and our nation by saying God please bless America and the REST of the World and help those who are struggling to find Your peace.

 Some of the headlines in the New Zealand paper today. Still concerned about the future the paper writes, "A mission accomplished but not the mission accomplished...Bin Laden's death still does not answer what to do with more than 100,000 US troops, including Kiwis, still fighting an ill-defined guerrilla war in Afghanistan."

 This part talks about the celebrations by Ground Zero and by the White House and what exactly Osama has been living in for the past months. The bottom of the news paper talks about people who may replace Osama as leaders of Al Qaeda.

 This paper talks about the life of Osama and his hate for Americans because he believed we were taking on war with God.

I thought this picture was spectacular and devastating. During my fall break the North Island coasts have been burdened with floods and landslides. This is a pygmy blue whale which means it is the smallest of the blue whale species.  They are usually found on the Western and Southern coasts of Australia and in the Indian ocean. This one was a little far away from home.