The problem I have with 9/11 is that the attacks succeeded in their intended purpose: to attack the western way of life. The towers were the first dominoes to fall, but we made sure that the rest happened. I hate what happened on 9/11 and I hate the fact that so many people died, but what I hate even more is that their deaths have been used as political tools by politicians and bureaucrats ever since. How much more dishonor is there than that?
If I had a loved one die in the 9/11 attacks, at this point I would be more pissed off at our own government for how they have used those attacks to justify the destruction of our way of life, our stated values and our rights.
Ok, rant over for the time being. If I talk about this too long I just get more and more pissed off.
I feel the same way. Here we are, 10 years later and we're still jumping at every little noise, scared of every shadow, terrified when a stranger sits next to us on the bus or train, and willing to put up crap that would have been laughable 11 years ago.
We've accepted that we're either going to be either groped up or nuked at airports just so we can say we feel 'safe'. We no longer blink when we're asked to hand over nail clippers or an simple open water bottle and the like just to fly.
Utter paranoia, fear, distrust and an ever present almost overwhelming air of wanting to run home and hide under the bed is how we as a Nation have reacted to this terrible day. We seem to just want to close the borders, shoo away the neighbors and cancel the play dates so we can stay home and huddle under the blankets.
We as a country have changed in how we live our lives, and I think this more than anything is a terrible way to honor those people who died. I'm ashamed at so many things we've done since, and the direction in how we appear to be moving towards.
I know this sounds almost callous, but: Nothing in life is 100% without risks. Flying, driving, walking across town or just stopping in at the Post Office to mail a letter. Yes, I could get killed by a 'terrorist', but I could also get hit by a car, choke on my food, stub my toe, die from the flu, fall and break my neck or get hit on the head by a meteorite. Sometimes bad things happen.
We all need to realize that we have 2 main options. (oversimplified, I know) One, we can mourn those who died, and learn from our mistakes. Hopefully so we don't make them again. We can take
reasonable steps to keep it from happening again with the understanding that life still has risks. And yes, there are people out there who really really don't like us.
Or two, we can demand that the 'government' do everything and
anything to make our lives 100% safe. Expect to be wrapped in cotton wool and bubble wrap and told over and over that we're safe now, just all we have to do is give up our freedoms and liberties to do so. Give up control of our lives and how we live day to day over to the 'powers that be' in exchange for false promises that it's 'all going to be okay now'.
Agree to allow our fine men and women go out there and die every day so that we can make the bad bad men pay for what they did.
I know that not everyone will agree with me and will probably have different opinions. And I respect that. And yes, I know that there really
are no simple, fast or 'happy warm and fuzzy feeling' ways to solve these issues.
But dangit..it does piss me off as well.