Downward Pick Gun

Downward Pick Gun

The Legacy of 9/11

The Legacy of 9/11

It's been nearly nine years since the September 11 attacks on the twin towers and the ramifications can still be felt reverberating through the nation like it was yesterday. Since that day America has been on a downward spiral, picking up speed with each passing day and putting us on a collision course with financial ruin as we search for revenge in the guise of national security to satisfy our insatiable desire to make somebody pay…no matter what the cost. Let's stop for a minute and reflect on how 20 men with a box cutter and an airline ticket managed to bring the most powerful nation in the world to it's knees, cripple it's economy and start a war that has dragged on for 8 long years with no end in sight. Let's talk about the thousands of lives lost or forever changed, the soldiers returning home with horrific injuries and the children left orphaned in the name of ‘national security'. Let's talk about whether we are safer today than we were on 9/11, 2001 and whether we are in a better place. Let's tear down the party lines and start a discussion as one American to another on what we've learned, how we've grown and just what we have ‘accomplished'. Let's analyze our mistakes so we do not repeat them and together let us decide how best we should proceed from here. As a nation we sit precariously close to the brink of ruin, possible already past the point of no return and yet still we barrel forward as if we are self destructing like some kamikaze pilot in a bad Hollywood movie. Let's quit placing blame, making threats and having knee-jerk reactions to isolated incidents. Let's talk about how 9/11 relates to the immigration crisis, the banking collapse, the economy in general, the war and even the oil spill. Let's talk about how vulnerable we are at this very moment and discuss how we can alter our destiny and begin to return this country to it's former glory, regain global respect and once again prosper in a world free of fear and hate.

9/11 was a tragedy of immense proportion, but the way we reacted to it has made it the most successful terrorist mission in the history of the world. We stepped into it, wallowed in it and now are on the verge of drowning in it. The cost in dollars and lives is staggering and we are still hell bent on making somebody…anybody…pay for it. I'm pretty sure the general consensus is that Sadaam Hussein had nothing to do with the attacks on 9/11 yet we weren't going to settle for anything less than showing the world images of him swinging from the gallows. George Bush's personal vendetta… still playing out on Youtube for anyone who wants to re-live the moment. Well…no harm done I guess…he was indeed a bad man and the world is no doubt a better place without him in it. We never did find the weapons of mass destruction…but no harm no foul. We continue the war effort under the guise of spreading democracy to the Middle East….a noble cause. We didn't ask the Iraqi people if they even wanted a democratic government but we know what's best for them…right? and they are oil rich so that's a good thing…I guess. The cost has been tremendous in money and lives…billions and billions of dollars I presume and we have managed to kill a few terrorists along the way…along with thousands of innocent people. But we'll just chalk that up to collateral damage. How much more will it cost to rebuild Iraq and compensate the Iraqi people? Does anybody have a clue? Billions and billions more I presume…and how long will it take? I'm guessing decades. I wonder how the number of terrorists killed stack up against the number who have now joined their ranks. That would be an interesting statistic. I have a feeling there may be a nation of orphans bent on revenge. But I could be wrong.

I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing we chased a lot of them out of Iraq and into neighboring Pakistan and Iran where they can enjoy the safety of their brethren. I wouldn't be surprised to see them return in correlation to our departure. Can somebody please explain to me exactly what we have accomplished there after eight years of battle? It seems kind of murky. Was it a success? Did we ‘win' the war?

Now we have moved back into Afghanistan to hunt down the Taliban. Was it the Taliban who were responsible for 9/11? Or are we just going after ‘all' the terrorist factions? Kill ‘em all and let God sort them out. Are we going to hunt down all of the insurgents who harbor ill will to America? That could take a while. Do we have enough money left to rebuild Afghanistan? We better set some aside…or maybe we could just print some more. If we can't even rid our own inner cities of street gangs and thugs what makes us think we can rid the Middle East of theirs? Just wondering. Do the Afghan people even want us there in the first place? It kind of doesn't seem like it to me. But maybe I'm wrong. I'm not there. Maybe they have welcomed our soldiers with open arms…like heroes…freedom fighters…and I'm just not aware of it. Is there oil in Afghanistan too? or are we just spreading democracy? These are questions I for one would like an answer to.

Let's go a little further now and discuss the issue of national security. Are we ‘safer' today than we were on 9/11?. Has this war been successful in keeping us secure from another terrorist attack? Have we made ‘friends' in the Middle East…or have we made more enemies? Is it even possible to ‘win' a war on terror? I think not. The sad fact is there are terrorists in many countries who have ties to our arch enemy Al- Qaeda, the Taliban and hundreds of other groups we've probably never even heard of. There are those who might argue that we are much safer today. We after all have not had a major terrorist attack since 9/11…right? I submit to you that the people who planned 9/11 are sitting in a cave somewhere with their laptops in smug satisfaction still enjoying a success beyond their wildest dreams and thoroughly enjoying the fact that we have spent ourselves into oblivion…to the very brink of financial ruin…willing to destroy ourselves for their amusement and cripple our defenses for the mere satisfaction of finding one man…Osama Bin Laden. They are probably going to enjoy watching us rebuild Iraq with a much more satisfactory infrastructure…beautiful state of the art buildings and a much better airport. They are probably already redecorating the 700 million dollar US Embassy building in Baghdad and hoping for a new soccer stadium.

No discussion of national security would be complete without bringing up the subject of illegal immigration. Nine years after 9/11 we still have 15 to 20 million people in this country illegally. There are hundreds of people walking across our borders unchecked on a daily basis. Forget about the fact that they are taking jobs from hard working middle class Americans, getting educated at our expense, filling our jails and prisons, placing a huge burden on our health care system…there are actually those among us who feel it is ‘unfair' to stop them and ask for identification. That blows my mind. What's to stop the next twenty terrorists with a half baked plan from coming into this country with all the ease of the perpetrators of 9/11? Are we powerless to stop them? Is it going to take a dirty bomb planted in Washington DC to wake us up and make us realize that our border patrols are not working? Amazing. Are we going to live with the Mexican drug cartels infiltrating our inner cities, murdering our citizens and selling their drugs to our children? I'm pretty sure if the cartels can figure out how to smuggle tons of marijuana across the border it would not be too difficult for a couple of terrorists to smuggle in a nuclear device.

There are still people who believe the illegal immigrants are just here doing the jobs nobody else wants. But go to California, Arizona, Texas, Florida or any number of other state and you will see that they are taking most of the construction jobs, motel work, road work, landscaping, floor covering, roofing, framing, painting, cabinetry and restaurant jobs. They are working for large corporations like Wal-Mart, Verizon and McDonalds. Don't believe for a second they are all out picking oranges. Illegal immigration is a problem that must be solved…now. We cannot afford to wait.

It is no wonder our economy is stressed to the breaking point. We may never rid the world of terrorists but we can certainly make it tougher to infiltrate our borders and wreak havoc on our people. We need to get away from the mentality that we are going to make somebody ‘pay' for what they did to us on 9/11. We need to outsmart our enemies. Would it not be wiser to hunt Osama Bin Laden and other wanted terrorists with a more covert operation? Is it wise to rush in…in broad daylight…in uniform…with guns blazing or sneak in under cover of night…dressed in black…with silencers? Maybe I've just watched too many Hollywood movies.

Speaking of the ‘make somebody pay' mentality brings us to the subject of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Here we go again with our ‘string ‘em up'…rush to judgment attitude that got us into an eight year war. Why don't we just ask the head of BP to publicly emasculate himself and serve his balls to Congress on a silver platter? Will we not be happy until BP hands us their checkbook and begins bankruptcy proceedings? Is that really in our best interest? To drive BP out of business? With around 2,000 oil platforms in the Gulf are we really surprised that there is a spill? Was it not bound to happen sooner or later by either hurricane of human error? Who approved drilling in the first place? How much money has BP pumped into the Louisiana economy over the last thirty years? They must have some motivation for allowing deep water drilling in their own backyard. It's not that I don't think BP should pay…and clean up the spill but to see everybody and their mother lining up with their hand out 60 days into this thing is a little disconcerting. Now they were talking about restaurants in Nevada that can't get shrimp filing a claim…motels who's business is down 75% when we all know this is off-season on the Gulf of Mexico.

Look…nobody is more disgusted than me about the oil spill…I'm from Florida. But I know that anybody going to Florida this time of year is going to Orlando. Winter is our tourist season. Let's stop the leak…clean up the mess…access who has a ‘legitimate' claim and who does not. It is in our best interest to see that this company survives. We don't yet even know the extent of the damage. Do you know how many people in America and Europe have their retirement funds directly tied to BP. Do you have any idea at how big of a hit their stock has already taken? Billions of dollars have already evaporated from their bottom line. If BP goes under, we the tax payers will be left holding the bag. Take a deep breath. If your business can't survive a couple of months without going under you might want to think about getting into a new business. Maybe Senator Mary Landrieu can fork over some of the 100 million dollars in pork she got for selling her health care vote to help out some of the families.

I'm just saying…think about it. With hold judgment until we have all the facts. It was an accident…plain and simple. Louisiana makes millions of dollars every year for allowing deep water drilling in their own backyard. If you don't think so then why are they so opposed to the six month moratorium? Think about it.

I don't know where this country is headed, but I have a feeling there is rough water ahead for the middle class. It's time to quit bickering and get to work. This is no time for partisanship. We need to take this country back. We need new blood in Washington…term limits…and anybody that is blocking progress needs to have their ass kicked back to wherever it is they came from. We are on the brink here folks. We are one disaster away from total collapse.

Your views and comments welcome.

An Independent Mind

About the Author

relationship advice,pop culture critic,political commentator

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