September 11th -- Five years later
Well, it is September 11th, so be prepared to be bombarded with disaster nostalgia.
I suppose September 11th is the November 22, 1963, for our generation, the same as December 7th, 1941, was for the generation before that, although Pearl Harbor probably had less of a psychological impact in an era before TV. Newsreels can't compare to CNN.
And like those folks who remember what they were doing when Kennedy was shot, we will probably always remember what we were doing when we heard of the attacks. I was waking up for the 1 - 5 p.m. shift at the telemarketing place where I had a second job, when Amy Fowler, one of the supervisors there, called me and told me that the afternoon shift was cancelled. Completely in the dark (I am not a TV person!), I asked her why. "Oh, my God!, Haven't you heard? The World Trade Center has been destroyed!" She then went on to say that terrorists were responsible, thousands were dead, etc. I responded by saying, "Yeah, I guess it would be kind of tough to sell people Gevalia coffee on the phone this afternoon." I then turned on the TV and, this being sometime between 11 and 12 on the East Coast, was treated to live pictures of the remains of the event. So I never saw the disaster in real time. But thanks to the miracle of modern technology, I get to see it over, and over, and over, and over...
My niece, Becky, was getting married that weekend on September 15, so Katja and I made the journey from State College, Pennsylvania, back to Racine, Wisconsin, for the ceremony. I remember listening to the memorial services on public radio on the drive back, and seeing all the flags displayed on vehicles, houses, bridges--virtually anywhere you could fly one. Hell, we even bought flag lapel pins to display our unity with the Zeitgeist of the country. The country was probably as unified as it had been at anytime since the Kennedy assassination.
So, now it is five years on, Osama bin Laden is still on the loose, the Iraq war is a fiasco, American stock worldwide is in the tank, and the next conflict with a Muslim nation (Iran) is on the horizon. How the hell could it have gotten so screwed up from that point after the September 11th attacks, when the world stood shoulder to shoulder with America against the forces of Islamic terrorism? Since hindsight is 20/20, here are two observations:
Loss of Focus
In my opinion, we could have gotten Bin Laden early on. You can't tell me that in this age of global satellite technology and the ability to pinpoint an attack with cruise missiles and/or smart bombs, that we didn't know where he was or couldn't have killed him. I have a feeling that our "ally", Pakistan, could have been and could be more helpful in nailing him, but the Pakistani government knows that it would not last long if they helped us to get him. The average Pakistani in the street tends to be an out and out supporter of Bin Laden, and the masses would establish a Taliban-like theocracy if given half a chance. The loss of focus really took hold with the later invasion of Iraq, as the Afghanistan war became a sort of sideshow which is currently coming around to bite NATO forces in the ass.
Loss of Freedoms
There is no reason that you can't fight a war against terrorists while abiding by the Constitution. When Bush and his cronies make a mockery of the Constitution, they put themselves above the law and show that the terrorists have indeed "won", namely by causing the US government to take freedoms away from the people in the name of security. There has also been an "Israelization" of American tactics in the war on terrorism, namely through the use of torture and secret jails, which is un-American at least and illegal at worst. And this hypocrisy from the "Land of the Free" demeans the value of the "war" in the eyes of others around the world, making it harder for the US to get support even from its allies.
In my opinion, Bush could redeem himself in the next 2 years by doing the following:
1) Put the focus back on Bin Laden. Kill him or capture him. Destroy all remnants of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Fight Al-Quaida worldwide through the use of covert ops.
2) Have a open process for trying accused terrorists. Use the civil justice system, even if it means some may be found not guilty. Close Guantanamo and eliminate torture as a means of gathering information from captured individuals.
3) Define and execute an exit strategy for Iraq. There may be no other solution than civil war in order to form the new Iraq. Civil wars are great for nation building. It may not be the Iraq we want, but I think it will happen if we are there or not. It is better to get the hell out in an organized fashion than to "scramble out of Saigon".
4) Quit calling this confict with terrorism a war. The frontline against terrorism needs to be as primarily an intelligence and police operation, with military operations only when absolutely necessary. Once Bin Laden is eliminated and the troops are out of Iraq, the time has come to stand down. Sometimes I think that by labeling this a war, the Bush administration is using it as a reason to fuel military spending and large, "pork" projects within the military-industrial complex.
5) Use diplomacy to diffuse the Iran conflict. The last thing we should do here is bomb something. I know it is tempting for the USAF, but I wasn't too shocked and awed by their performace in Iraq. The old notion stands: you have to have boots on the ground (and lots of them) to subdue a nation. Bombing will only turn our allies away from us and stiffen Iranian resolve. Use Western culture to promote change from within while opening up diplomatic avenues with the Iranians. Give them some trade goodies in exchange for strict control over their nuclear program, and bombard Iran with US consumer goods. Use Coca-Cola, Levis and hip-hop as soft, cultural "weapons".
It is unlikely that the Bush administration will take any path other than the path they are currently treading. "Stay the course" is their mantra, which, of course, allowing for no admittance of previous errors, seems to generate more and more failures as time goes on. Perhaps the President will get a wake-up call come November in the Congressional elections, but, being the cynic that I am, I am also sure that plenty of opportunities will arise for the guv'ment to scare people into voting Republican.
Enough of my ramblings! What are your 9-11 memories? Please feel free to share your comments here. I'd love to hear them.
I suppose September 11th is the November 22, 1963, for our generation, the same as December 7th, 1941, was for the generation before that, although Pearl Harbor probably had less of a psychological impact in an era before TV. Newsreels can't compare to CNN.
And like those folks who remember what they were doing when Kennedy was shot, we will probably always remember what we were doing when we heard of the attacks. I was waking up for the 1 - 5 p.m. shift at the telemarketing place where I had a second job, when Amy Fowler, one of the supervisors there, called me and told me that the afternoon shift was cancelled. Completely in the dark (I am not a TV person!), I asked her why. "Oh, my God!, Haven't you heard? The World Trade Center has been destroyed!" She then went on to say that terrorists were responsible, thousands were dead, etc. I responded by saying, "Yeah, I guess it would be kind of tough to sell people Gevalia coffee on the phone this afternoon." I then turned on the TV and, this being sometime between 11 and 12 on the East Coast, was treated to live pictures of the remains of the event. So I never saw the disaster in real time. But thanks to the miracle of modern technology, I get to see it over, and over, and over, and over...
My niece, Becky, was getting married that weekend on September 15, so Katja and I made the journey from State College, Pennsylvania, back to Racine, Wisconsin, for the ceremony. I remember listening to the memorial services on public radio on the drive back, and seeing all the flags displayed on vehicles, houses, bridges--virtually anywhere you could fly one. Hell, we even bought flag lapel pins to display our unity with the Zeitgeist of the country. The country was probably as unified as it had been at anytime since the Kennedy assassination.
So, now it is five years on, Osama bin Laden is still on the loose, the Iraq war is a fiasco, American stock worldwide is in the tank, and the next conflict with a Muslim nation (Iran) is on the horizon. How the hell could it have gotten so screwed up from that point after the September 11th attacks, when the world stood shoulder to shoulder with America against the forces of Islamic terrorism? Since hindsight is 20/20, here are two observations:
Loss of Focus
In my opinion, we could have gotten Bin Laden early on. You can't tell me that in this age of global satellite technology and the ability to pinpoint an attack with cruise missiles and/or smart bombs, that we didn't know where he was or couldn't have killed him. I have a feeling that our "ally", Pakistan, could have been and could be more helpful in nailing him, but the Pakistani government knows that it would not last long if they helped us to get him. The average Pakistani in the street tends to be an out and out supporter of Bin Laden, and the masses would establish a Taliban-like theocracy if given half a chance. The loss of focus really took hold with the later invasion of Iraq, as the Afghanistan war became a sort of sideshow which is currently coming around to bite NATO forces in the ass.
Loss of Freedoms
There is no reason that you can't fight a war against terrorists while abiding by the Constitution. When Bush and his cronies make a mockery of the Constitution, they put themselves above the law and show that the terrorists have indeed "won", namely by causing the US government to take freedoms away from the people in the name of security. There has also been an "Israelization" of American tactics in the war on terrorism, namely through the use of torture and secret jails, which is un-American at least and illegal at worst. And this hypocrisy from the "Land of the Free" demeans the value of the "war" in the eyes of others around the world, making it harder for the US to get support even from its allies.
In my opinion, Bush could redeem himself in the next 2 years by doing the following:
1) Put the focus back on Bin Laden. Kill him or capture him. Destroy all remnants of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Fight Al-Quaida worldwide through the use of covert ops.
2) Have a open process for trying accused terrorists. Use the civil justice system, even if it means some may be found not guilty. Close Guantanamo and eliminate torture as a means of gathering information from captured individuals.
3) Define and execute an exit strategy for Iraq. There may be no other solution than civil war in order to form the new Iraq. Civil wars are great for nation building. It may not be the Iraq we want, but I think it will happen if we are there or not. It is better to get the hell out in an organized fashion than to "scramble out of Saigon".
4) Quit calling this confict with terrorism a war. The frontline against terrorism needs to be as primarily an intelligence and police operation, with military operations only when absolutely necessary. Once Bin Laden is eliminated and the troops are out of Iraq, the time has come to stand down. Sometimes I think that by labeling this a war, the Bush administration is using it as a reason to fuel military spending and large, "pork" projects within the military-industrial complex.
5) Use diplomacy to diffuse the Iran conflict. The last thing we should do here is bomb something. I know it is tempting for the USAF, but I wasn't too shocked and awed by their performace in Iraq. The old notion stands: you have to have boots on the ground (and lots of them) to subdue a nation. Bombing will only turn our allies away from us and stiffen Iranian resolve. Use Western culture to promote change from within while opening up diplomatic avenues with the Iranians. Give them some trade goodies in exchange for strict control over their nuclear program, and bombard Iran with US consumer goods. Use Coca-Cola, Levis and hip-hop as soft, cultural "weapons".
It is unlikely that the Bush administration will take any path other than the path they are currently treading. "Stay the course" is their mantra, which, of course, allowing for no admittance of previous errors, seems to generate more and more failures as time goes on. Perhaps the President will get a wake-up call come November in the Congressional elections, but, being the cynic that I am, I am also sure that plenty of opportunities will arise for the guv'ment to scare people into voting Republican.
Enough of my ramblings! What are your 9-11 memories? Please feel free to share your comments here. I'd love to hear them.
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