I didn't want to make the post about my personal opinion, I wanted it to be about the general public in the US. Because it was in reply to a premise that the general Muslim public in the middle east didn't find the actions as abhorrent as the US public did.

However, I will admit that I don't think I'm the same as the general public in this country when it comes to that. I think most of the people in the US would cheer to see Osama Bin Laden beheaded gruesomely, whereas I would think it would be an awful, terrible thing. (Edit, clarification: I still want to see him and his organization brought to justice, I just don't happen to believe in executions.)

Above it? That's a tough one, because if I say yes, I'm an elitist snob. But I think that there's a large amount of patriotic propaganda in this country that's not easy to avoid, and I work hard to try to think for myself, rather than giving into it. I don't think the general public, as a whole, feels the same way.