By Arlen Grossman/ The Big Picture Report
No, we mustn’t forget 9/11 and the thousands of unfortunate victims of that fateful day. I just wish we didn’t dwell on it. The aftermath of that horrendous attack changed our country in major ways–and all of them bad.
What is the point of dwelling on a horrible attack from which no good lessons were learned and for which we reacted in the worst possible ways? Why dwell on an event that pushed us into the easily frightened and bellicose people we are today?
Because of our heightened fear, we re-elected an incompetent, shallow-minded president, and illegally invaded and occupied countries that weren’t even responsible for 9/11. Because of that fear, we were able to justify crimes rationalized as “enhanced interrogation” (torture), “extraordinary rendition” (torture by proxy), and “collateral damage” (killing innocent civilians).
Why should we dwell on a tragic event that helped spur us into a more militaristic nation waging perpetual war–which allowed us to justify extravagant spending on the military/industrial complex while siphoning money from where it was desperately needed: schools, infrastructure, jobs, and social services.
Why dwell on an event that allowed us to meekly and willingly surrender so many of our constitutionally guaranteed civil liberties and privacy, while becoming history’s most efficient surveillance state.
No, the victims of 9/11 shouldn’t be forgotten. But neither should we overly dwell on that horrific day that changed us into a nation our founders would be shocked to observe. A nation that in twelve years has changed from the land of the free into a fearful and divided military/security state ruled by leaders who no longer care about privacy, compassion, nor peace.
Next anniversary, we should remember 9/11, but please, let’s not dwell on it. Our leaders failed to learn and we continue to pay a stiff price for the belligerent and frightened way we responded. At some point we need to learn from those mistakes.
When we do, that would be reason to dwell.
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Thanks for tthe post
Thank you, Simon. I appreciate that.
It seems to me, Jeffrey, if not to you, that the billions of dollars and the lost lives in Iraq and Afghanistan, did not leave us better off. The invasions ruined their countries and didn’t accomplish anything for ours.
Arlen Grossman, the chaos in the Middle East could have been avoided. Having said that, those on the Left want to lay the brunt of the blame at the feet of George W. Bush. I am not defending all of his positions from a foreign policy standpoint, by the way. Bill Clinton should also get some of the blame for his inadequacy of a response except to bomb an aspirin factory in the Sudan
Arlen Grossman, in another post, I asked you what some of the positives were regarding the Presidency of George W. Bush. One thing you mentioned is how he calmed the country down and promoted tolerance toward Muslims, despite the radicals who attacked us. Another point was Medicare part D, if I recall correctly. When you asked what I thought was positive about Barack Obama, I did say that he was right to support legal recognition of same-sex marriage. Quite frankly, as crude as it sounds, what goes on behind closed doors between 2 consenting adults, regardless of sexual orientation, is nobody’s business. Quite honestly, I would lay much of the blame for the carnage in the Middle East at the feet of Bill Clinton. Why? Because he ignored all of the signs and did not respond adequately to the first World Trade Center attack. His only real response was to bomb an aspirin factory.
The only difference I have with you, Jeffrey, is that I would lay the blame for the added chaos in the Middle East on W. He invaded the wrong country and that region has never.been the same. I don’t know how Clinton could have stopped the 9/11attack. More force in 1993 would only have made things worse.
Arlen Grossman, Bill Clinton could have retaliated more effectively. More force in 1993 would only have made things worse-I think you are wrong.
You make the assumption, Jeffrey, that military attacks solve problems. More often than not, they do the opposite. Examples: What have the invasions of Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan helped?
Arlen Grossman, the situation in Vietnam did not help, so we agree on that. However, this is not relevant to the situation with the other 2 countries you mention.