Fresh Start

Big news last night from the White House about the fate of the al Qaeda mastermind behind the horrific acts of terrorism over the past two decades. President Obama announced that Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces, achieving the highest goal of the U.S. Armed Services since the September 11th attacks in New York, DC and Pennsylvania almost 10 years ago. So what's next?

Perhaps President George W. Bush in his statement yesterday succinctly summed up my thoughts:

The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done.

While bin Laden's death may bring closure to his victims' loved ones and our wounded nation, both Presidents Bush and Obama are right, our fight goes on. We cannot lose sight of our ultimate goal -- ending global terrorism.

History has shown that even though a movement may lose its figurehead, its followers may not lose their commitment to the cause. Bin Laden's death gives us a fresh start and new opportunity to destroy the roots of this violence and hatred. Our work must continue and identify the base causes of these actions and educate people to follow teachers of nonviolence, such as Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., instead of inhumane instructors like bin Laden and his al Qaeda cronies.