I was in southwestern Minnesota getting ready for work the morning of 911 when I saw the burning South Tower and turned to my better half and said: "Either we choose to be in continual war from now on, or we reassess our foreign policy toward the Middle East. Otherwise, this isn't going to stop."
Eleven years later as we remember the anniversary of the attacks, it is apparent that we chose war as our future. It hasn't been until George Bush left office that we are finally getting disentangled from those wars of choice that have wrecked our economy and our standing abroad.
Our Middle East policy toward the Muslim world continues and has cost us blood and treasure and thousands of lives of innocent people in those countries. We have hunted down and killed Osama bin Laden and decapitated the Al Quaida leadership. And what has it gotten us? Do you feel any safer? It seems that for every Muslim we kill, another two or three rise to take their place. We are spending billions to lay waste to entire countries.
We still prop up monarchies that suppress their people for oil, regimes that deprive women of simple human rights, and "our friends" still continue to finance the movements of radicals against us. That's what we chose and now we have to live with it until we regain our national collective sense. Our policies continue to nurture hatred against us among their young generations.However, it can't be said that this nation has not shown the resolve necessary to confront a determined enemy.
The USS New York was built with 24 tons of scrap steel from the World Trade Center.
It is the fifth in a new class of warship - designed for missions that include special operations against terrorists. It will carry a crew of 360 sailors and 700 combat-ready Marines to be delivered ashore by helicopters and assault craft.
Steel from the World Trade Center was melted down in a foundry in Amite, La., to cast the ship's bow section. When it was poured into the molds on Sept 9, 2003, "those big rough steelworkers treated it with total reverence," recalled Navy Capt. Kevin Wensing, who was there.
"It was a spiritual moment for everybody there."
Junior Chavers, foundry operations manager, said that when the trade center steel first arrived, he touched it with his hand and the "hair on my neck stood up.
"It had a big meaning to it for all of us," he said. "They knocked us down. They can't keep us down. We're going to be back."
The ship's motto? "Never Forget."
Closer to home, the unveiling of the new Fire Station No. 1 at 106 W. Retama in South Padre Island will feature an I-beam salvaged from the World Trade Center that will be mounted next to the flag pole in front of the station, Fire Chief Burney Baskett said.
But just as 911 united us as a nation, it has also fueled an industry that feeds on the national grief. The U.S. government finally gave in to the pressure and allowed several new types of cancer to be paid by public funds to first responders at Ground Zero who complained of the diseases and blamed them on being there during rescue operations.
And if you want to talk about a 911 permanent industry, how about the $700 million price tag of the 911 memorial at National September 11 Memorial and Museum at Ground Zero and an annual budget of $60 million to operate it?
The Associated Press reported that $12 million a year would be spent on security, more than the entire operating budgets of Gettysburg National Park and the monument that includes the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl harbor.
At some point in time we have to let go of this national grief frenzy. We will never forget the nearly 3,000 lives that were lost there in Sept. 11, 2011. But in a blind effort to strike out at the perpetrators we have invaded two inoffensive nations under contrived justifications, lost more than 4,000 more American lives in the process, and are now in the longest war of choice in our history.
It's time to bring our soldiers home, maintain a vigilant military and intelligence stance and go about the task of rebuilding our own nation's economy and restoring our moral strength. The best revenge, we're certain those who went down in 911 would agree,would be for our nation to perform well again and give those after us a hopeful future.
It's the least we can do to respect to their memory.
4 comments:
Juanio you have a better half??? Since when??????????? If you had a better half you would not write the Sh*T you write on your blog.
We are no safer because we continue to stick our noses into the business of other countries. Please explain how some goat herder in Afganistan poses a threat to the US? The fact remains that a large majority of the hijacks were from Saudi Arabia. I guess I missed the war where we attacked Saudi Arabia.
Juan, you are so wrong. call me.
I agree with both of you, but until our enviromental movement pulls it's green thumb out of their ass, we will have to protect the oil sources in the middle east. I would bring everybody home, tell the middle east, don't fuck with us, and if they do, we'll wipe you out. I bet if we did do all of this, they would still fuck with us. Their religon calls for our elimination.
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