The Dawn of a New Day?

One aspect which struck me hardest last night as news unfolded that US forces had located and stormed the plush mansion compound where the Al Quaeda leader Osama Bin Laden was hidden, and that he had been killed in a firefight - the mostly youthful faces of those out in front of the White House and on the streets of Manahattan and around the nation.

So many celebrating the news were in the early to late twenties, and for that group most of all, Bin Laden has been the giant villain to end all villains. Since they have been children - nine, ten, eleven years old - the evil terrorist and his network of killers has held enormous influence. They essentially have grown up in a grim world terrorism and Bin Laden had created and on the evening of May 1st, 2011 that world changed again.

For many thousands of young people in the Middle East - in Egypt, Libya, and more - the terrorist was already irrelevant as the protests and demands of a younger generation pushed to end dictatorships and seek a more democratic and more free world.

Certainly, terrorism will remain a fact of life for far too many people. But for now, a brighter future has been seen and felt for the first time in nearly a decade and we all hope this is the future which flourishes.