It Took Obama to Hunt Down Osama

Published in El Mundo.es
(Spain) on 5 May 2011
by Carlos Fresneda (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Anne Seidenberg. Edited by Patricia Simoni.
Behind us is that night of drunkenness, with chants of “USA, USA.” Also behind us is the marketing of revenge, with pictures of the Statue of Liberty cutting off the head of bin Laden. Still, vendors remain, like Keith Bryan, who is selling t-shirts for $15 that say "It took Obama to hunt down Osama," but what you breathe in today at Ground Zero is a quiet desire to close the circle and turn the page.

In a brief, reflective piece, titled “the Psychology of Revenge,” giving Americans much to think about, Pamela Gerloff says, “... we cannot even begin to have peace until we stop the cycle of jubilation over acts of violence.”

At Ground Zero, Bill Steyert, a Vietnam veteran who calls himself a “grandfather for peace,” said, “My greatest wish is that this may serve to put an end to the war. Today is a beautiful day, and there are reasons to be happy, but when all the excitement is over, we have to put pressure on Obama, because the hour has come to bring home more than 100,000 soldiers who are in Afghanistan.”

In lower Manhattan, Hollywood Houghton, dressed as Uncle Sam, showed off her best smile. Without wanting to offend anyone, she said, “Obama's visit is going to help heal the wounds of September 11. I give him all the credit, because he had the courage and determination to get bin Laden. Bush should be jealous, and this is why he declined the invitation. He had eight years to hunt him, and what did he do? He declared war on Iraq.”*

There were many African-Americans on the corner of Church Street, where the curious had congregated. Among them was Deanne McDonald from Harlem, who had spent four days at the corner chanting: “Obama got Osama. And this demonstrates that he has what he needs to be president. I never doubted him, but part of this country doesn't accept him, because of racial prejudice. I hope this will now change.”*

The large police presence has deterred the t-shirt sellers, who were running around Broadway with their banners and “souvenirs,” but my friend, Keith Bryan, who came from Washington, had the ability to win over both the police and the people: black t-shirts with a picture of the deceased, and white ones with Obama talking into a walkie-talkie and declaring, “We have him!”

“I am not taking advantage of the tragedy,” said Keith apologetically. “Nor did I take advantage of Obama’s election. These t-shirts serve to immortalize historical moments, and, without a doubt, this is one of them. This is also a way of giving thanks to the president. I already have many ideas for his reelection in 2012.”*

*Translator's Note: The complete title of Ms. Gerloff’s blog is “The Psychology of Revenge: Why We Should Stop Celebrating Osama bin Laden's Death.” Efforts to verify the quotation have not been successful.


Atrás quedó de marras a los gritos de “USA, USA!”. Atrás también el mercadeo de la venganza, con la estampa de la estatua de la Libertad cortándole la cabeza a Bin Laden. Aún quedan vendedores como Keth Bryan, vendiendo a 15 dólares las camisetas (“Hizo falta Obama para cazar a Osama...)., pero lo que hoy se respira en la zona cero es un deseo callado de cerrar el círculo y pasar de hoja.

“¿Cómo vamos a tener paz si seguimos celebrando con júbilo la violencia?”, se pregunta Pamela Gerloff, en un “La Psicología de la Revancha”, una breve pieza de reflexión que está dando mucho que pensar a los americanos.

“Mi deseo más firme es que esto sirva para poner fin a la guerra”, afirma a pie de obra, en la zona cero, el veterano de Vietnam Bill Steyert, que se define a sí mismo como “abuelo por la paz”. “Hoy es un día muy bello y hay razones para estar alegre. Pero cuando pase todo el alboroto, tenemos que presionar a Obama: ha llegado la hora de traer de vuelta a casa los más de 100.000 soldados que tenemos en Afganistán”.

Hollywood Houghton, vestido como el Tío Sam, luce también su mejor sonrisa en el Bajo Manhattan, pero sin ánimo de ofender a nadie: “La visita de Obama va a servir para cerrar las heridas del 11-S. Yo le doy todo el crédito a él, porque ha tenido el valor y la determinación de ir por Bin Laden. Bush debe estar celoso, por eso ha declinado la invitación. Tuvo ocho años para poder cazarlo y ¿qué hizo a cambio? Declarar la guerra a Irak...”.

Los afroamericanos son multitud en el esquinazo de Church Street, donde se han ido congregando los curiosos. Entre ellos, Deanne McDonald, que vino desde Harlem y lleva cuatro días dando botes: “Obama cazó a Osama... Y de paso demostró que tiene lo que hay que tener para ser presidente. Yo nunca lo puse en duda, pero hay una parte del país que no le aceptó por prejuicios racistas. Espero que eso cambie a partir de ahora”.

El gran despliegue policial ha disuadido a los vendedores de camisetas, que corretean por Broadway con sus banderitas y sus “souvernirs”. Aunque el amigo Keth Bryan, que vino desde Washington para la ocasión, tiene la virtud de camelar por igual a los agentes y a los paseantes. Camitetas negras, con la estampa barbuda del finado. Camisetas blancas, con Obama exclamando por el walkie talkie: “¡Lo tenemos!”.

“No estoy traficando con la tragedia”, se excusa Keth. “Como tampoco trafiqué con la elección de Obama. Las camisetas sirven para inmortalizar los momentos históricos, y éste es sin duda uno de ellos. Es también una manera de dar las gracias al presidente... Ya tengo varias ideas para su reelección en el 2012”.
This post appeared on the front page as a direct link to the original article with the above link .

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