With his death, was justice served?

I have written several columns this year on topics ranging from "The first week of school," to "How do you like to be appreciated?" This is my last column ... sad, isn't it?

Well, on to the main point: Osama bin Laden is dead. For those of you who don't know, he was killed Sunday. And his death has been a topic of discussion at Yuba City High School this week.

As I was walking through the halls on Monday, I overheard two students worrying that we would be bombed. That got me thinking. What do the students at YCHS think about bin Laden's death, and do they fear some sort of retaliation?

I asked senior Rebecca Sanders those questions first. She said: "Well, it's about time. It was nifty to hear. And, yeah, there will probably be retaliation."

Most of the students were glad to hear that bin Laden had died and are hoping that it could herald the end of the war in Afghanistan.

"I think it's good," said junior Lucas Sanchez. "I'm glad that the Americans got him, and, yeah, I think they'll retaliate. But I also hope that American and Pakistani relations remain positive."

Which brings up an interesting point. Considering that bin Laden was hiding in with a wealthy Pakistani area, will that cause tension with Pakistan now as well?

Or will it remain all the same, as Julia Ganitoen, a senior, thinks: "It's not going to make much of a difference. I mean, he really wasn't doing much of anything anymore, and besides, there is always going to be terrorists."

"I am glad that our forces were finally able to kill him after more than 10 years," said junior Sierra Eaton. "Still undecided as to my thoughts about retaliation, though, not so much because they lost their leader."

The one question that generated the most discussion is: Was justice served? Many can, without a doubt, say yes, whereas others say no. But, then again, who can judge what is just for a man who masterminded the attack on Sept. 11? The mastermind who killed 3,000 Americans in one fatal swoop?

Alex Raddler, a senior, said, "Justice was served to an extent, because if he had been brought back to the U.S., he would have received the death penalty anyway. And even so, he probably would have killed himself rather than live in our prisons. So I guess so."

"I think that he deserved a trial, but he wouldn't have made it back alive anyway," said senior Jeremiah Hays. "He did have a (large) bounty on his head."

Jasdeep Sidhu and Jotti Bhandal, both seniors, agreed: "No, he got what he deserved. It was done the right way, and he didn't need a trial."

As I close my final column, I want to say one last thing, Osama bin Laden was just a man. And like any other man, he died. As will the rest of us one day.

We are Honkers and we will fly.

Tucker Walden is a senior at Yuba City High School. This is his final column for Education.