Since today is the 10th Anniversary of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, I suppose I should offer my reflections. By and large, the emotion I feel is one of sorrow. I am sad for the innocent people who lost their lives that day. Though I understand it is not a popular sentiment, I am also saddened at the deaths of the alleged hijackers. I am sad that those fellows felt this was an appropriate means to express ideological and/or religious displeasure.
While most people will focus on the approximate 3,000 fatalities of 10 years ago, my greatest sorrow is for all the innocent people who have died as the result of that tragic day.
Our nation used that seminal event to wreak havoc in, at least, five Muslim countries. In our national grief, we sought out the deepest kind of revenge possible. We have laid waste to Iraq. We have killed hundreds of thousands of people. We have also killed countless more in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia.
Too many of my brethren in this country see this as a fair trade. For ever life lost in New York City, Washington DC and a field in Pennsylvania, ten times as many (if not more) have been killed elsewhere. Talk about a sick form of inflation!
In promulgating our various wars, we've lost far more soldiers than the death toll on 9/11. Some we have lost through physical death and many more through psychological torment. The numbers will only increase as we continue to attempt to blot out the pain of ten years ago.
My greatest sorrow is that we drew the wrong lesson from 9/11. Instead of becoming a nation that genuinely embraces peace and basic human rights, we have become a ruthless thug. We beat up on those who are weaker than we are and then thump our chests as super patriots. Instead of working to treat others with respect, dignity and fairness, we have become increasingly the big bad bully that gets our way through threats and intimidation.
Our leaders talk incessantly about combating terrorism, but our belligerent behavior toward everyone else on the planet only produces the very thing we say we want to stamp out. Not only has our nation become a terrorist organization itself, but we are setting the stage for another 9/11 to visit us again.
While most people will focus on the approximate 3,000 fatalities of 10 years ago, my greatest sorrow is for all the innocent people who have died as the result of that tragic day.
Our nation used that seminal event to wreak havoc in, at least, five Muslim countries. In our national grief, we sought out the deepest kind of revenge possible. We have laid waste to Iraq. We have killed hundreds of thousands of people. We have also killed countless more in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia.
Too many of my brethren in this country see this as a fair trade. For ever life lost in New York City, Washington DC and a field in Pennsylvania, ten times as many (if not more) have been killed elsewhere. Talk about a sick form of inflation!
In promulgating our various wars, we've lost far more soldiers than the death toll on 9/11. Some we have lost through physical death and many more through psychological torment. The numbers will only increase as we continue to attempt to blot out the pain of ten years ago.
My greatest sorrow is that we drew the wrong lesson from 9/11. Instead of becoming a nation that genuinely embraces peace and basic human rights, we have become a ruthless thug. We beat up on those who are weaker than we are and then thump our chests as super patriots. Instead of working to treat others with respect, dignity and fairness, we have become increasingly the big bad bully that gets our way through threats and intimidation.
Our leaders talk incessantly about combating terrorism, but our belligerent behavior toward everyone else on the planet only produces the very thing we say we want to stamp out. Not only has our nation become a terrorist organization itself, but we are setting the stage for another 9/11 to visit us again.
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