Monday, September 11, 2006

Five Years


Let us all take a moment to remember those that have lost their lives in New York, DC and around the world because of the events of September 11, 2001.

In the hours and days that followed, the saddness and the shock were tempered with the love and support from all over the globe. Friends and countrymen - some, who in the big picture have survived worse - were stunned at the horrible attack.

At the time, America was seen as the land of the free, leader of the world in so many ways and New York City the capital of it all.
In a sense, the world was attacked that day because people from all corners of the globe have passed through that harbor and lower Manhattan on their way to a dream here. My paternal grandparents included.

What saddens me now almost as much as the loss of life between then and now is the state of our nation and the state of our standing around the world.

What could have been a defining moment for the leadership of our country, turned into a chance for war profiteering and to divide our people.
Rather than say we're going to conserve, unite, build and we're going to work with the rest of the world, we bombed two countries into rubble and set loose a chain of events that both scattered terrorists far and wide and gave them a place to literally fight on a front.
Our bumbling Homeland Security under the eyes of a bumbling phony Texan and his cronies have not made us safer.
A hamstrung FEMA couldn't even rescue a handful of poor folk after the result of a storm we actually saw coming.
You and I can't bring a bottle of Arrowhead on a plane, but our ports and our borders are practically wide open.
In place of real leadership, we got talking points like "war on terror", "stay the course", cut and run" and the most dumb of all "islamo-fascism".
And don't forget tax cuts for the most wealthy among us..

Iraq is a disaster and I'm not going to even go into the reasons again why, because either you're listening to reality or you're listening to BushCo.
In the end, this will cost thousands of lives, limbs and at least a trillion dollars to secure those Mesopotamian oil fields.

While we all love our country and what we are capable of doing, the steps taken to get us where we are now have to be undone.
Our freedoms are too precious, our standing in the world community is too important and what we STAND for has to be returned to that of the greatest free nation.


People have streamed though New York Harbor and lower Manhattan for over a century. On the way, they watched in wonder cruising past Liberty Island. And though proud of who they were and where they were from, now planted their feet on the ground of the United States of America in search of that place where they could melt into this pot of many nations, many people and the freedoms of our great nation.
As this year comes closer to an end, I believe that we CAN undo the steps taken that have changed our nation for the worse.
It's only temporary.

10 comments:

Diane said...

Amen.

Unknown said...

You started off so well. Can't you folks take one day of from the nay saying and anger, to just remember those who died. To mourn a little for the loss of what we all thought we had on 9/10/01.

Geez.

Mike V. said...

because, Jennifer, we've all mourned already and there is no reason to stop the dialog.
that's my opinion, yours may differ..

Sar said...

Great points, Mike. Have you quit your day job to become a political speech writer and just neglected to tell me?

Thanks for the nod of approval on my post, btw. I was wondering if it qualified in your book as coming back with a vengence. ;)

Steve Landis said...

Jennifer, dear Jennifer...

We have mourned quite enough, thanks! As a disabled vet, I for one think Americans should be more cognizent of the veterans who continue to lose their lives because of the horrible war, Bush got us into.

Rather than reflect upon the continued, growing loss of precious life, we are paralized each year by 9/11. Rather than remember our lost veterans each Memorial Day, we enjoy fat slices of apple pie... It is disgusting and just what the Republican Party wants us to do.

Mike is right on target with his thoughts. Only the sick and twisted would be happy by the loss of life on 9/11 but it takes a special kind of depravity to continue the charade called Iraq and Afghanistan.

We as a nation have allowed ourselves to be subjugated by a man and his followers, each of whome is more dangerous than the last if only because of their alarming numbers. The right is wrong. The path we are on will lead to our continued misery if we do not stop now to contemplate where we've been and where we want to go. I for one look forward to the downfall of the worst president to lead our once great nation.

Tom Harper said...

For those first few months after 9/11 there was such unity. Most Americans were united, and most of the world was united behind America. This unity was wrecked by the crazed neocon agenda of global hegemony and pre-emptive attacks.

Unknown said...

Well, first, it's Jenn, not Jennifer, can ya'll not read?

Second, I'm super glad you all are out of mourning. Me, I'll always mourn those lost that day, and so much more that was lost that day. But, you can all be proud to be over it. Good for you.

Mike V. said...

I see no reason to stop the dialog for the day.
Particularly when the prez uses it in such a disgusting fashion, still trying to back up his "long war".

There is no war on terror and there can never be one. You cannot have a war on an idea.
Rather than work with the world community and use the intelligence services that we have here and around the globe, the Neo Cons proceeded with their PNAC plan of invading Iraq to secure the oil fields.
Bush used 9-11 as a means to an end there, and to try and dismantle the Constitution of the United States of America.
Two courts in this country have said that Bush is a criminal.
First, for illegally tapping phones and the like, second, for torturing people in our name.
To support this administration is to have blood on your hands. Anyone who continues to do so should hang their head in shame.
History will not be kind to this criminal regime.
To top it all off, their domestic policies that have been nothing but a wealth transfer for the most rich in this nation and have ruined our dollar and our trade imbalance will be felt for years to come.

I prefer Jennifer. Sounds more grown up to me.

Jay said...

I think those lost on 9-11 deserve a moment of silence, followed by a lifetime of action.

LA said...

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