I’m not the most prolific blogger, as you’ve surely noticed. Nor am I often, if ever, inclined to write about politics when I do blog. Mostly, I rant about things like, should “blog” really be both a noun and a verb?

But this morning, as I sit at my desk attempting to get into my work after a short weekend (worked all day Saturday), my mind and attention is continually drawn to the world’s biggest event of the day, one that will go down as one of the most significant events in history. And I feel that if I don’t get this out, I’ll be thinking about it all day, and I won’t be able to work. So here it is – you can either appreciate my catharsis, or ignore it – I’ll end up relieved either way.

Osama bin Laden is dead. Have you heard? If not, you’re probably like this guy from the Geico commercial who lives under a rock:

Do you live under a rock?

My first reaction was that of good ol’ fashioned Amerr-can patriotism. My heart swelled with red, white and blue pride, and I felt the nearly irresistible urge to hoot and holler, jump up with a mighty fist pump and break out into a random chorus of “God Bless the USA”.

Then, in a swift moment, my heart was saddened as I heard the news anchor indicate his “delight” to bring us this long-awaited news. And my mind stopped, as a car into a brick wall. Delight? Really? As in, squealing like little girls at a birthday party who just discovered that there is in fact a real pony in the back yard, that kind of delight? (I have daughters, forgive the analogy) And as I watched my friend’s reaction across Facebook – what a crazy development in society, to see this little window into the hearts and minds of hundreds of your acquaintances, in real time, without the benefit of reflection time – I saw quite a mix of reactions. Celebration. Glee. Joy. Patriotism. Cynicism. Skepticism. Sadness. Self-righteousness. Anger. (really!) And much more.

So with a night to sleep on it, and a brain that needs to release this before I can move on with the day, I offer my thoughts. Not all of them are original; I have some very thoughtful and otherwise wonderful friends who have expressed the same things I feel. I also will not claim all of them to be right, or myself to be the beacon of truth and justice in how to react – I only react the way I think is right based on what I believe and know to be true, and let that be that.

My first reaction was one of patriotic pride. For many Americans, I expect this to be the first and most sincere reaction, and without a worldview that requires viewing thoughts and events through a lens of Godliness and Biblical truth, it’s the reaction I expect to be taken to its fullest extreme. These are not the people to whom I’m referring in most of this piece. I’m more concerned with how we, as Christians, should respond.

I’m proud that our troops did their job. This job was remarkably hard to do – it took nearly ten years, and I choose to recognize the persistence and determination that ultimately led to a successful mission. I’m proud that the troops have done, and continue to do their jobs on a daily basis, in most cases with results far less newsworthy than this, but no less important. I recognize that the Bible teaches justice. That our God is ultimately a God of justice. It’s that justice that requires His infinite grace, because faced with justice alone, we are hopelessly damned. So in that light, it’s appropriate to feel satisfied in the delivery of a just conclusion. While I’m not convinced it is the case, my hope and prayer is that the soldiers involved, and our world by extension, are safer as a result.

That being said – the reaction I see of pure glee and unbridled joy at the death of the world’s #1 villain over the past decade is simply disgusting. Do we really believe in that mercy I spoke of earlier? Do we really believe that no matter what a person has done, God’s grace and mercy is sufficient, and that when He carried the sins of the entire world on his shoulders he meant EVERY SINGLE sin, and that given the opportunity, if he were to accept it, God would gladly give His grace and mercy and eternal life to even the most vile of criminals? Celebrating his death with joy and dancing communicates that we are glad a soul is in hell, eternally separated from God’s presence. It communicates that we are happy with his demise, and even if God could have and would have saved him, we’re relieved and satisfied that he DIDN’T.

That’s a dark place in our souls, indeed. Who among us wants to see bin Laden (or Stalin, Hitler, Saddam, et al) in heaven, worshipping at the feet of our God? As humans, we don’t. I certainly don’t. But as children of the living God, what greater joy than to see the darkest criminals come to Him, confessing that He is Lord?

So it’s a mixed bag, to be sure. Glad he’s gone? Yeah, I suppose I am. I’d be lying if I said otherwise. Happy he’s dead? I can’t bring myself to it. There’s just a nagging voice that keeps reminding me that while death is gain for those that know Him, death is the beginning of eternal separation from God for those who don’t. And that is not to be celebrated.

I won’t even bother to get into the quagmire of political ramifications – will he become a martyr to be rallied around? Will there be a clash of those taking credit (Bush started the hunt, he was found on Obama’s watch, blah blah)? Is the world really any safer? It’s an accomplishment, but doesn’t signal the end of the fight, right? I guess I’ll only leave with this – it’s the one sentence version of this really long post that I left on Facebook this morning: It’s a fine line between celebrating justice and celebrating the eternal death of a man’s soul. I pray we don’t cross it.

Ah, Total Beverage, the truth is I really do love you. You’re a liquor supermarket – a store larger than most grocery stores, selling all manner of wine, beer, and the hard stuff. You have a wine selection so huge, I really don’t know what to do other than pick something at random (which usually works out just fine). You get all kinds of yummy beers, from all over the world. Overall -you’re a great place.

So now that we’ve established that, let’s talk a minute about a couple peculiar laws regarding stores that sell alcoholic beverages here in the great state of Colorado.

Currently, only licensed liquor stores can sell anything with an alcohol content of greater than 3.2%. This excludes pretty much everything, except that many beer manufacturers distribute a special “3.2″ version of their beer – “near beer”, I’ve heard it called.

Any single owner (person or company) can only own one such store in the state. So this means that while Safeway can’t sell full-strength beer and wine, they can set aside and license one store in the state. So there is one location of each major chain that has its own full-strength liquor section.

Up until a couple years ago, these stores were mandated by law to be closed on Sunday. This was changed, and now these stores can choose to open on Sunday or not. Most do.

So that’s how things are in Colorado. When I first moved here, having to go to a separate store for my beer or wine (I rarely buy other liquors – which in Washington required a special trip as well, unlike California where a grocery store can sell anything and everything) was quite irritating. But I quickly learned that the trade-off is well worth it: selection. Because Colorado has created an internal industry of stores that specialize in beer, wine, and liquor sales, the competition has brought forth tons of stores that carry more than a few garden-variety beers. Where grocery stores are loathe to dedicate valuable shelf space to yet another obscure microbrew, stand alone stores thrive on it. It’s even paved the way for stores like Total Beverage, mentioned above, and Daveco – just a few miles from here, certified as the world’s largest liquor store. It’s like a Walmart of beer, wine, and spirits. I wouldn’t have it any other way – let the grocery stores carry everything, and soon the stand-alone stores will start closing, and before long we’ll have to make special trips to the few remaining out of the way stores to find the wealth of microbrews we can currently choose from.

So naturally, being a budding wine lover and an established beer geek, I’m on the mailing list for the Total Beverage store in Westminster. Today, we get an email about proposed changes in Colorado’s liquor laws. This happens every year – someone lobbies to change the system. And of course, the liquor store owners fight it tooth and nail. But rather than just tell us the truth – the truth we already know – Total Beverage wants to fight the changes because it will keep alcohol out of the hands of minors. The argument being, it’s easier for a minor to obtain alcohol when it’s more readily available in convenience stores or grocery stores than just the state-approved liquor outlets. Which is 1. ridiculous and 2. dishonest. Kids will get it where they can get it – most kids that are drinking are not out knocking off 7-11s and stealing the malt liquor. They’re getting it by way of fake IDs, or older friends, or careless parents.

If having fewer kids drinking is a result of Colorado’s current laws, fine. I’m ok with that. And Total Beverage, in spite of your ridiculous plea, I understand and support your position. I want to maintain the selection that comes from a more restrictive set of laws. So if you’re going to lobby against these changes, by all means, do so. Just don’t insult my intelligence by trying to tell me your motivation is so that “fewer kids drink alcohol”. It’s a lie, and lying liars really irritate me.

Now if you’ll pardon me, I have a sudden hankering for a hefeweizen.