Moorpark Reacts Online

Sunday night the world learned that United States armed forces led a military action that led to the death of Osama bin Laden, the infamous terrorist behind 9/11 and a number of other attacks.

The world first got news of  bin Laden's death via the social networking site, Twitter, according to the New York Times, which reported "Keith Urbahn, the chief of staff for the former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld, wrote at that time, 'So I’m told by a reputable person they have killed Osama Bin Laden. Hot damn.' ”

It is no wonder then, that the platform many people, including Moorpark residents, used to express their reactions to bin Laden's death was a digital one. Twitter, for example, set a new record for sustained tweets.

The Huffington Post reported "Twitter said it recorded the "highest sustained rate of Tweets ever" on Sunday evening, when an average of 3,440 tweets per second were sent between 10:45 p.m. eastern standard time and 12:30 a.m. eastern standard time."

While there was no central, spontaneous gathering in Moorpark, like there were in other cities, residents had something to say. A number of Moorpark residents, past and present, expressed their feelings about the death via their Facebook posts.

Overall, there was a general sense of jubilation showing up in Moorpark posts.

"I was totally going to post about the fact that we're going to Geece today," wrote Kamini Lall, "but waking up to this INCREDIBLE news is SO MUCH BETTER! GO AMERICA!"

Former residents, who now happen to be closer to cosmopolitan centers of celebration, relayed the party-like atmosphere of their environments.

Justin Joyce posted, "I have a final tomorrow, and people are honking horns, shooting off fireworks, shouting, and chanting USA...but I have never been happier to lose sleep in my entire life."

 Azwa Salleh, another home-grown poster, said, "What a time to be in DC."

There was also a sense of national pride among many Moorpark residents.

Local, Amy Reid wrote simply, "God Bless America," while former resident Nick Fritsch thanked the troops for their actions.

Moorpark resident Robert Sichmeller also thanked President George W. Bush, though he received some guff for his comment "Without your guidance this would never have been possible."

There were also those who felt uncomfortable with the degree of celebration surrounding bin Laden's death.

"Feels weird to celebrate a death, regardless of the bad guy's level. Heres to a world that strives for peace," wrote former Moorpark resident Chelsey Label.

To some, the news of bin Laden's death offered little solace for the pain and death he caused while alive.

"Everyone who is feeling super patriotic right now--I'm sorry but I don't get it," Garner Kropp posted. "Was Osama bin Laden a blight on humanity? Yes. He blew up trucks that killed 223 people in Kenya and Tanzania; blew up planes that killed 2,977 in PA, DC, and NYC; and he blew up a boat that killed 17 on the Cole. But keep in mind that it took the U.S. thirteen years to find him, and in the process, sent another 1,465 Americans to die in Afghanistan. His death, at this point, is a very, very small consolation. I don't understand how I can call this a victory. The single act of killing him is a relief for humanity, but it is impossible to feel that without contextualizing it against some horrific atrocities of the past thirteen years."

 Many thought that bin Laden's death was a miracle of sorts. Moorpark celebrity chef Fabio Viviani posted, "3567 days later magic did happen. "USA" ... "USA" ... "USA"  ;-))."

Resident Eric Dee was cautiously optimistic about the death.

"What an amazing feat," he wrote. "Osama Bin Laden is gone...question is, who will succeed him?"

In the days to come Americans will surely beg similar questions. All that can be said is that this particular chapter of American history has finally come to a close.