Point: How Quickly We Forget
I pose a question to the readers of Point vs. Point.
What if on September 11, 2001, instead of terrorists flying 4 commercial airline jets into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and potentially the White House, these terrorists had flown military planes over New York City, Washington D.C. and Boston dropping bombs that killed the same amount of people. Would you feel differently about the war in Iraq?
While the attacks of September 11 spawned a horror in me that will never fully die, I feel that many people now have come to terms with that day (in the effort of coping with such an atrocity) as an isolated terrorist incident, and now go on with their lives feeling, I would venture to say, equally as safe doing their daily life tasks as they did before. I don't know if there are many rational Americans now who say they still live in the type of fear we felt in those first weeks after 9-11.
My point is, there is a reason for that. There is a reason that we do not live in constant fear. It is not because President Bush told us not to: I don't care how many times he says it, "resolve" doesn't enable me to get out of bed, take public transportation, fly in airplanes, visit national monuments, or travel abroad.
The reason that we don't live in fear is because President Bush has, quite literally, put his money where his mouth is. Yes, the deficit has been blown out of the water. Ok. That is something I can't argue with. But, what have we gotten for our $3.4 billion in increased military spending? How about freedom. How about the ability to live relatively secure without fear of random terrorist bombings or attacks.
I love the fact that I have three times now been stopped at security because my industrial strength, Italian made, i-can't-live-without-it Blue Sapphire hair straightener looks like a weapon of mass destruction. I enthusiastically thank airport security for ripping apart my bags filled with perfectly folded clothes and tightly packed shoes.
I love the fact that I know when there are big events in the city that draw crowds, there are undercover police, FBI, and (hot) secret service agents in civilian clothes at ground level working to protect us.
I like what I've read of the Patriot Act so far (I'm a slow reader, so I've only gotten to Sec 214. Pen Register and Trap and Trace Authority Under FISA (huh?). Share information guys! Work together! Expand our intelligence!
So, I guess what I'm saying is, for better or for worse, the terrorists declared war on America on 9-11. I think if they had used bombs, or had driven tanks over our front yards, Americans would still today have the same vengeful feelings we did three years ago. The President has tried diplomacy, he has tried reasoning, and he has tried ultimatums. Now he is using all of his resources to protect our country and the freedoms that we hold dear / take for granted.
No one wants war - no one likes war - and there are many elements of how Bush is going about fighting this war that I can contend with - but unfortunately because this is a war without borders, it's hard for people to understand and quantify our progress, and therefore its easy to point the finger. At Bush.
tamar.
What if on September 11, 2001, instead of terrorists flying 4 commercial airline jets into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and potentially the White House, these terrorists had flown military planes over New York City, Washington D.C. and Boston dropping bombs that killed the same amount of people. Would you feel differently about the war in Iraq?
While the attacks of September 11 spawned a horror in me that will never fully die, I feel that many people now have come to terms with that day (in the effort of coping with such an atrocity) as an isolated terrorist incident, and now go on with their lives feeling, I would venture to say, equally as safe doing their daily life tasks as they did before. I don't know if there are many rational Americans now who say they still live in the type of fear we felt in those first weeks after 9-11.
My point is, there is a reason for that. There is a reason that we do not live in constant fear. It is not because President Bush told us not to: I don't care how many times he says it, "resolve" doesn't enable me to get out of bed, take public transportation, fly in airplanes, visit national monuments, or travel abroad.
The reason that we don't live in fear is because President Bush has, quite literally, put his money where his mouth is. Yes, the deficit has been blown out of the water. Ok. That is something I can't argue with. But, what have we gotten for our $3.4 billion in increased military spending? How about freedom. How about the ability to live relatively secure without fear of random terrorist bombings or attacks.
I love the fact that I have three times now been stopped at security because my industrial strength, Italian made, i-can't-live-without-it Blue Sapphire hair straightener looks like a weapon of mass destruction. I enthusiastically thank airport security for ripping apart my bags filled with perfectly folded clothes and tightly packed shoes.
I love the fact that I know when there are big events in the city that draw crowds, there are undercover police, FBI, and (hot) secret service agents in civilian clothes at ground level working to protect us.
I like what I've read of the Patriot Act so far (I'm a slow reader, so I've only gotten to Sec 214. Pen Register and Trap and Trace Authority Under FISA (huh?). Share information guys! Work together! Expand our intelligence!
So, I guess what I'm saying is, for better or for worse, the terrorists declared war on America on 9-11. I think if they had used bombs, or had driven tanks over our front yards, Americans would still today have the same vengeful feelings we did three years ago. The President has tried diplomacy, he has tried reasoning, and he has tried ultimatums. Now he is using all of his resources to protect our country and the freedoms that we hold dear / take for granted.
No one wants war - no one likes war - and there are many elements of how Bush is going about fighting this war that I can contend with - but unfortunately because this is a war without borders, it's hard for people to understand and quantify our progress, and therefore its easy to point the finger. At Bush.
tamar.
posted by paul at 6:50 PM
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