Sometimes, the Bums Just Need to be Thrown out of the Bar

I was on my way home after a long day on the working side of the bar at the Indian Rock Inn when I got the news by way of BBC radio that bin Laden had been apparently killed by U.S. forces. My initial reaction was one of relief and perhaps a bit of smug gratuitous joy, but then the usual circumspect analytical side of my personality began to take hold. I knew that the man who had just got done proving the legitimacy of his birth would soon have to prove the legitimacy of another man's death. And by early morning the crazies would already be spouting their far-flung conspiratorial theories on both the airwaves and the web.

I have come to the conclusion that there resides within the human brain a place that allows small children to believe in the Easter Bunny and adults to believe in God—a wonderful place that operates on simple faith, and is most often a source of peace and comfort. But unfortunately, that same group of neurons and neural pathways that can foster strong beliefs, without the benefit of any tangible evidence, can also give rise to dangerous distortions of the facts when driven solely by fear.

My own brand of logic causes me to question just how much we actually gain by the killing of one man. While I fully support the notion of cutting off the head of the snake, I know that another serpent will soon emerge from the viper's den. And all too often that snake tends to display even more loathsome reptilian-like behavior. But for the sake and safety of those decent well-behaved patrons that are presently sitting in the saloon, sometimes the bums just need to be thrown out of the bar. And even though there is probably a more nefarious scoundrel lurking in the shadows—we can thank God and the Easter Bunny for good bouncers and great Navy Seals!