Thursday, September 11, 2003

 

Recap: 9-11 from 01 - 03

I mentioned a few nights back on my home messageboard, that September is like the actual New Year. I suppose using that analogy, today, 9/11, is like New Year's Day. Not in a celebratory sense of course....unless you happen to live on Atlantic Ave. But as a date that we'll always look to as a marker for how things have changed. I thought we should take this opportunity to see where we've gone since the date that actually marks the new millennium.

After the horror, while the clouds of toxic dust still swirled throughout NY, the United States had the sympathy of the world (with obvious exceptions), as they nervously awaited our response. They knew...and we knew they knew....and they knew that we knew that they knew.......a violent response was called for and we are the country most capable of providing that response. The only question was....just how large would this response be?

WE had the unilateral support of the world as we invaded Afghanistan and toppled their government. We were righteous in our response and put the bad guys on the run. Unfortunately, that spirit was short-lived as we quickly changed targets before Bin Ladin could be held accountable in some way..... to a "usual suspect" kind of enemy....coincidently, with vast tracts of oil fields and NO ecological restrictions by the way. An oilman's dream! Hey! Our Government is crawling with oilmen...!

Suddenly, we were seen as aggressors instead of victims. The U.N., whose opinion was valued in our invasion of Afghanistan, was now being disparaged by our government. We declared that Iraq had violated the U.N. doctrine applying to them and must be invaded to preserve peace. (Invaded to preserve PEACE???) While the U.N. agreed that they had indeed violated the rules imposed upon them, they disagreed on how to respond. America, in its infinite pompous wisdom, declared that we would punish them for violating the U.N. doctrines by violating a different U.N. doctrine. Screw all the rest of you. From now on, we're going to call them FREEDOM ticklers. And you...Germany....! All of a sudden YOU'RE for peace? Com'on...give us a break. Arabs are Semites, just like Jews!!! It'll be like the GOOD old days.

It wasn't very long after 9/11 when our Government made public a whole list of freedoms that will just simply have to be revoked in this emergency....that will last an undetermined length of time (except we know it won't be short). It appeared to be a very well thought out list for such a short period of time to elapse. Apparently, for THIS, we were prepared. We knew just what rights had to be leashed. Much quicker than the Strategic Air Command response to the 4 hijacked jets.

Our way of life is being challenged. Not just from our declared enemies, but from within. On 9/12/01, Bush had the support of the entire nation....the entire WORLD. He took our trust in him and used it to soil our most sacred document, the Constitution. Remember all the talk about cheaper gas prices after we take over Iraq? Gas prices in America have never been higher! It seems like every friggin' day I wake to the news of more dead G.I.s. They're pickin' them off like fleas off a dog. These are guys with regular jobs who left their families back here waiting and praying. They've recently been told they have at least an extra 6 months to serve there! And THEN what? A new bunch of guys to guard the oil pipelines?

I haven't seen a photo of it, but I've read that the statue of Sadaam that we helped topple as the news cameras rolled, now has writing on the remaining base that says something to the effect of...."OK, it's over. Now go home". It's been quite a couple of years.

posted by ~Brahma 3:46 AM