I couldn’t help but think of the ending of Elliot S! Maggin’s Miracle Monday^•:

Shortly before four in the afternoon on the third Monday in the month of May, the people of the city of Metropolis learned the meaning of joy. They had no explanation for this feeling, and there were gaps in their knowledge of what had gone on in their lives so far that day. It was as though they were all waking up, or at least opening their eyes, for the first time in an awfully long time. The first thing many of them saw was the red-and-blue figure of Superman drawing a line across their sky, and he became the symbol of their joy. It felt like a miracle, though none could say why.

Great book, and you should read it if you can find a copy.

I went off to Nunu’s, a local locals bar, when I heard that the forthcoming news had been confirmed; I don’t have television, and I got to see the news with a couple of other people who wanted to get out when they heard the news. Obviously we weren’t the only people that occurred to, judging from the crowds waving American flags in Times Square, ground zero, and outside the White House.

Yeah, nothing’s changed, and nothing is over with. We will soon have to face up to the fact that the war on terror is not a war against one man, but a race against statistics and two converging lines on a graph.

It still feels damn good. Even with a hangover.

I might have more later, but for now, carry on.

Ah, here’s a good way of saying it:

Americans tonight are united in celebration and gratitude. God bless all the brave men and women in our military and our intelligence services who contributed to carrying out the successful mission to bring Bin Laden to justice and who laid the groundwork over the years to make this victory possible. It’s a testament to the hard work and dedication of these brave Americans who relentlessly hunted down our enemy.

This is a victory for the American people, for the victims who were heartlessly murdered on September 11 and in Al Qaeda’s other numerous attacks, and for all the peace-loving people of the world.

May God bless our troops and our intelligence services, and God bless America!

A little uncynical joy every once in a while isn’t a bad thing.

Okay, it’s later, I’m back from work, and it’s time for more. At the end of Miracle Monday (and really, read the book^•), the devil¹ is wreaking havoc throughout Metropolis and the world. This is real evil. It is at the limits of Superman’s prodigious power to counter the evil this creature is doing. The problem? The devil is hiding behind an innocent—has possessed an innocent human—and Superman will have to kill her if he wants to stop the relentless evil inside her.

The rest of the world doesn’t understand why Superman won’t kill her. They probably considered him weak for it; and it’s true, it is a weakness, and it’s a weakness evil will always manipulate.

But this is Superman. The real Superman, by a real writer. Superman tells the demon, I’m not going to kill her. Instead, I will track you to the ends of the universe. I will counter your evil wherever I can. Someday you’ll make a mistake, and I’ll be there to catch you. “I don’t suppose there could be a nobler mission for a superman.”

It took a few decades, but one of our own lesser evils has been caught, and stopped. A noble mission for a superpower?