How did Osama bin Laden affect you?

It is the name -- the individual -- that overshadowed the history of the past decade. The man behind the events that defined how America and our lives changed after Sept. 11, 2001.

So the news this week that Osama bin Laden, the evasive mastermind behind Sept. 11 and the patriarch of Al-Qaeda, had been killed by American forces in Pakistan, has everyone talking.

Remember this is the individual who got us into a decade of war and can be blamed for turning simple airline travel into an uncomfortable ordeal.

Some of us may have even waited for a retraction or correction, thinking the announcement might have been a mistake, After all, bin Laden, the man who personified terrorism  had eluded capture for years, to the extend that some doubted he was even still alive.

And some do not always believe what our government says.

So the announcement late last Sunday night, by President Barack Obama that bin Laden had been killed in a firefight with U.S. forces brought all sorts of national and international reaction.

Now we want to know your opinion -- what residents of Gadsden County are thinking. Email your thoughts on the death of Osama bin Laden and the role of President Obama to the Gadsden County Times. And unlike Letters to the Editor or Guest Opinions, you do not have to include your name.  Submissions may be edited for clarity and appropriate taste for publication next week. Students are welcome to participate.

Send your thoughts of the death of Osama bin Laden to editor@gadcotime.com. If you are unable to email us, drop your letter off at the Time office by noon Monday.