My feelings about 9/11 aren't entirely clear to me yet. In the scope of history, it's still a fresh event and nobody's really sure what it means yet. In twenty years we may look at that day as the begginning of a series of terrorist attacks, each one worse than the last. Or, it may be viewed as a wake-up call, the event that shook the Americans out of their post-Cold War slumber to the realization that its still a scary world and their a number of people in that world that would like to see alot of us dead. In this respect, the day could prove to be a sort of Pearl Harbor.
I haven't seen any of the news coverage today, because I've been at work all day, but I can imagine its nothing short of maudlin and garish. However, there is no escaping this day being used as a call-to-arms. The events of that day should lead to a reexamination of our country.
It's not scapegoating to say that because of 9/11, we need to get real in our pursuit of international terrorists. It's not scapegoating to say that becaue of 9/11, we have to begin a dialogue in this country about the balance between liberty and security. It's not scapegoating to say that because of 9/11, our priorities must change.
(For a look at the way the homeland security issue can be used in an election irresponsible, and dangerously, click here.)
The war in Iraq occured, in part, because of the events of 9/11. But it wasn't scapegoating and it wasn't diversionary. (Nor was it preemptive. Iraq was in the process of a twelve year breech of a UN resolution and the Saddam regime contributed to the instability in a region in which stability transaltes to saftey for the United States.) Whether Saddam Hussein had direct links to 9/11 is irrelevent at this point. The War on Terrorism isn't about isolated, targed response to only those responsible for the 9/11 attacks. It's about wiping out foreign and domestic threats to American security wherever we find them. Iraq posed a threat to American secuirty, and we took efforts to neutralize that threat. And while I don't think that attacking Iraq is going to stop terrorists from targeting this country, it was successful in two ways. It ridded the world of Saddam Husein and it served as the first step in a process of convincing potential terrorits that if you are even considering attacking us, we will retailiate with extreme prejudice.
The first and most important concern of any government is the security of its people. On 9/11 that security was breeched. If we fail to be moved to action by the events of that day, it will undoubtedly happen again.
Tony
