September 11, 2006: Where are We in the War on Terror?
Tomorrow, 9/11/06, marks the five year anniversary when our country was attacked by a terrorist group, Al Quida. Most of us will commerate this solemn day in our own way, and surely many bloggers will have posts, tributes and their own memories on the importance and impact of this day on them. But there is a larger question, at least for me, that looms in the background, as we approach this anniversary: Where are we today, as a nation, and around the world in combating the war on terror?
Bush will tell you, as many may have heard yesterday that we are indeed winning this war, for their have not been any more attacks on U.S. soil since that horrible day. But does this act alone constitute a victory? Have we won the battle, but are we yet to gain in the war? How do we explain many home-grown terrorist groups that have surfaced recently in Iraq, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Hamas in Israel? What about the larger threat of Iran, and its development of nuclear weapons down the path? How about North Korea, can this country be excluded as a potential terrorist entity as well?
Since we invaded Iraq, this county has become its own training ground for fundamentalist Islamic extremists from the Middle East, whose goals are to destroy all that is Western, which includes, destroying Israel as well. Have we as a nation truly learned the lessons, and are we better prepared to face those who want to attack us today, 5 years later, or is there still much more work to be done? Do you feel that, it many ways, our world is a scarier place today, September 11, 2006, than it was 5 years ago? Why have the recommendations from the 9/11 Commission not been implemented? Has our leadership been effective, or has it failed in making Americans safer today?
As usual, my post asks more questions than it answers. That being said, these are some of the thoughts that circle inside my own brain today as we get ready to mark this anniversary.
All prayers and good thoughts are with those who have suffered, in one way or another from this tragic day in U.S. history. May the burdens of your hearts be lifted, as we, a nation, and us, a world begin to make some sense of those actions that took place on that terrible day.
As a side note, and one that I think about each and every day, my thoughts and prayers remain with the three Israeli soldiers who were taken more than two months ago, and it is my fervent wish that they will be returned safely to their homes.
Thank you for your minds.
Bush will tell you, as many may have heard yesterday that we are indeed winning this war, for their have not been any more attacks on U.S. soil since that horrible day. But does this act alone constitute a victory? Have we won the battle, but are we yet to gain in the war? How do we explain many home-grown terrorist groups that have surfaced recently in Iraq, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Hamas in Israel? What about the larger threat of Iran, and its development of nuclear weapons down the path? How about North Korea, can this country be excluded as a potential terrorist entity as well?
Since we invaded Iraq, this county has become its own training ground for fundamentalist Islamic extremists from the Middle East, whose goals are to destroy all that is Western, which includes, destroying Israel as well. Have we as a nation truly learned the lessons, and are we better prepared to face those who want to attack us today, 5 years later, or is there still much more work to be done? Do you feel that, it many ways, our world is a scarier place today, September 11, 2006, than it was 5 years ago? Why have the recommendations from the 9/11 Commission not been implemented? Has our leadership been effective, or has it failed in making Americans safer today?
As usual, my post asks more questions than it answers. That being said, these are some of the thoughts that circle inside my own brain today as we get ready to mark this anniversary.
All prayers and good thoughts are with those who have suffered, in one way or another from this tragic day in U.S. history. May the burdens of your hearts be lifted, as we, a nation, and us, a world begin to make some sense of those actions that took place on that terrible day.
As a side note, and one that I think about each and every day, my thoughts and prayers remain with the three Israeli soldiers who were taken more than two months ago, and it is my fervent wish that they will be returned safely to their homes.
Thank you for your minds.
20 Comments:
Hi there,
not sure where my thoughts are.
9/11 New York 3000 dead
Katrina New Orleans 1500 dead
southeastasian Tsunami 100,000 dead
Iraq Gulf War II 150,000 dead
Iraq Gulf War I road to Basra 100,000 fleeing (retreating Iraqis) nuked
Lebanon - how many killed?
Which ones are human (more human?), which ones were good people, which ones deserved to die. which ones deserve to be mourned.
If there is a God, I guess mortal opinions matter little
Killing and wars have been going on almost from the beginning of time. The methods change over the centuries but people still get killed. People can't seem to be happy with what they have and they invade other people. Those people fight back to save their lives and property. This is nothing new, only the methods change.
We have really been blessed not to be attacked on our own soil since Pearl Harbour. When 9/11 took place, five years ago, it reminded us that we are not safe in our own land any more. One of the main provisions of the Constitution is that the government is to protect us from attack. We will have to fight for our freedoms and our land.
Are we safer than we were five years ago? No! Could it be worse? Yes! How else can you answer that question. I don't have a crystal ball and I don't have the answers but pandoras box is open now and we have to continue as best.
Barbara go read this entry at Rossputin's blog: http://rossputin.com/blog/index.php/a/2006/09/08/stratfor_on_iraq_and_iran
As for me, I want to remember those that died on 9/11. I have all the rest of the year to think about how we are handling the war.
Obviously these are tough questions to answer. I hold the Clinton and Bush administrations responsible for 911.
It angers me that gov't agencies such as the FBI and CIA failed to share information that could have alerted us and possibly prevented 911.
Are we safer? I am not sure. But I am convinced that the terrorists have not been on vacation and that the current admin must receive some credit for stopping attacks within the Continental USA.
Barb, I hope I didn't sound snippy, I didn't mean too.
Great post.
I think our innocence died on 9/11 and we feel as vulnerable as other nations around the world.
Before 9/11 I resented all the extra security our shuls and schools have to have in London thinking that if I was in the US life would be much easier. Now I know safety is an illusion.
No offense taken, Lucy.
Yes, these are tough questions to answer, which is why I will weight to weigh in on the issue. Moreover, it is much more pleasing to read all of your answers here.
Dear Barbara,
In some ways I think we are safer. Not because of stepped up security measures or fewer terrorists.
Finally as a nation we have accepted that terrorism can and will happen on our soil if we ignore the evidence.
My own observation and opinion is this: we came away from WWII with a feeling of invincibility. No one will ever try to attack America again!
Vietnam took away those feelings. The people I grew up around were attracted to Reagan because he successfully revived those feelings in Americans...pride in our country and it's strength.
With the toppling of the Iron Curtain and the Berlin Wall, wars became economic wars, not wars in which we feared actual battles. If America wanted something in the world changed, we issued sanctions, or we outspent the enemy.
Think about other attacks: 1993 WTC bombing and the Murrah Building. It just seemed to me that even then we as a country didn't take a stance that we need to be more diligent.
So I guess what I am saying is that we have improved our diligence, and that has made us somewhat safer.
In terms of the war in Iraq: I think I have said this before....America helped to create Saddam Hussein, and we had a moral obligation to free his people from his murderous regime. But was this the right way? Or was this a pretext for other interests.
I don't know.
WW
I do not think we are "winning". The fact that there have been no more attacks in the USA is not the point. What about Madrid and London? And why are we STILL at orange alert? Three year old kids have to put their shoes through the x-ray machine.
But what are the options? Do nothing? That will not work.
The truth is that at least 10 years or more have to pass before anyone can say if the current war is being won or lost.
Terrorism is not a government or any single state. It is an idea. The trouble is that ideas are not exactly easy to do away with.
Oy, so much going on
Today, 9/11, is a day to remember, mourn and have a vision of hope for the moment and the future.
What a sad day. The world changed that day 5 years ago.
I do feel somewhat safer. At the very least, we are more aware of the threat of radical Islam and their intentions. (It had been pooh-pooh'd before this tragic event).
Scary times, for sure.
You have a wonderful heart you put to good use while here on earth Barbara.Thank you for YOUR mind.
Peace to you and yours always.
You have a wonderful heart you put to good use while here on earth Barbara.Thank you for YOUR mind.
Peace to you and yours always.Tab
Barb.. i will be short and breaf.. No we are no longer safer than we were five years ago.. this is a very sad and touchy subject for me.. Although i did not know anyone personally who died in 911.. I still feel the pain.... The US Gov plays games with the mind and the media of the world and the biggest Terrorist resides in the white House... Killing innocent people is terror. Using top secret weapon on innocent people is terror.. Dropping a bomb on or missles in residential neighborhoods is terror... This angers, saddens and hurts to the deepest level of my soul.. The great lie of 9/11... If the war was really about terror than why didn't he go after Bin Laden first... Terror right now = the US.. Our troops are killing innocent people if the tables were turned and someone's military showed up in our back yards the way the us troops is showing up in others then we could see things differently, besides there are no bombs over Fresno, Atlanta or Jersey just only over Bagdad and other cities with innoncent people... War is Terror....
The questions surrounding how and why we were attacked on September 11, 2001, in my mind, are distinguishable from whether we are indeed safer today, and where we are in 2006 in the war on Terror.
A friend of mine send me this article from the NY Times this morning. I think he makes some good points:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
September 12, 2006
Editorial
President Bush's Reality
Last night, President Bush once again urged Americans to take terrorism seriously — a warning that hardly seems necessary. One aspect of that terrible day five years ago that seems immune to politicization or trivialization is the dread of another attack. When Mr. Bush warns that Al Qaeda means what it says, that there are Islamist fanatics around the world who wish us harm and that the next assault could be even worse than the last, he does not need to press the argument.
After that, paths diverge. Mr. Bush has been marking the fifth anniversary of Sept. 11 with a series of speeches about terrorism that culminated with his televised address last night. He has described a world where Iraq is a young but hopeful democracy with a "unity government" that represents its diverse population. Al Qaeda-trained terrorists who are terrified by "the sight of an old man pulling the election lever" are trying to stop the march of progress. The United States and its friends are holding firm in a battle that will decide whether freedom or terror will rule the 21st century.
If that were actual reality, the president's call to "put aside our differences and work together to meet the test that history has given us" would be inspiring, instead of frustrating and depressing.
Iraq had nothing to do with the war on terror until the Bush administration decided to invade it. The president now admits that Saddam Hussein was not responsible for 9/11 (although he claimed last night that the invasion was necessary because Iraq posed a "risk"). But he has failed to offer the country a new, realistic reason for being there.
Establishing democracy at the heart of the Middle East no longer qualifies, desirable as that would be. Where Mr. Bush sees an infant secular Iraqi government, most of the world sees a collection of ethnic and religious factional leaders, armed with private militias, presiding over growing strife between Shiites and Sunnis. Warning that American withdrawal would "embolden" the enemy is far from an argument as long as there is constant evidence that American presence is creating a fearful backlash throughout the Muslim world that empowers the fanatics far more than it frightens them.
Fending off the chaos that would almost certainly come with civil war would be a reason to stay the course, although it does not inspire the full-throated rhetoric about freedom that Mr. Bush offered last night. But the nation needs to hear a workable plan to stabilize a fractured, disintegrating country and end the violence. If such a strategy exists, it seems unlikely that Mr. Bush could see it through the filter of his fantasies.
It's hard to figure out how to build consensus when the men in charge embrace a series of myths. Vice President Dick Cheney suggested last weekend that the White House is even more delusional than Mr. Bush's rhetoric suggests. The vice president volunteered to NBC's Tim Russert that not only was the Iraq invasion the right thing to do, "if we had it to do over again, we'd do exactly the same thing."
It is a breathtaking thought. If we could return to Sept. 12, 2001, knowing all we have seen since, Mr. Cheney and the president would march right out and "do exactly the same thing" all over again. It will be hard to hear the phrase "lessons of Sept. 11" again without contemplating that statement.
Very touchy issue.....I agree with Jack....it's so sad to see/hear gov't agencies....not on the same side...not sharing info and such.....Now if they don't trust each other....how are we as citizens suppose too??
Are we safer??....I can only hope so!!!
Have a great day!!!
I think being at war is in itself, a loss. Also, it would be one thing to send soldiers to support some other initiative, but since it seems there is no strategy in Iraq, the only thing they can do is monitor chaos, and that is nothing heroic of a leader to send soldiers to do. You can't send soldiers to spread democracy, love and peace. You just can't.
As for the Isreali soldiers, I also hope they are safe and return thus. I think Hamas is only the tip of the iceburg of a problem and that the militant wing of it is only a tip of that iceburg. Whether they are in government or not doesn't really matter. You have to fix the problems. I'm not sure forcing them to negotiate through freezing funds helps either. It makes people angry and starves children. Anyway, here's sending thoughts of peace, if that counts for anything.
I think that in keeping with the thoughts of your previous post, there is a LOT of change ahead for all people of the world. There are many more lessons to be learned, prides to be swallowed, hatchets to bury, and genuine gestures of peace to be offered.
Yes, the "crusades" have been going on fer way too long.
As fer calling what we have hear "leadership" well, of that I take great exception. The only thing dubya has accomplished is murdering 3000 more US citizens with his self-righteous,
flag-waving holier-than-thou attitude.
And the senate and congress are now bickering over which one of those dolts should be in charge.
Dang!
I'll tell ya the thing that really gets my goat...though y'may not want t'know it.
It's how the government has gotten t'call us Americans.
As in, they've done such a supberb job of claiming the right t'be called American that other countries also call us Americans.
Y'go to Canada, they call us the Americans. Y'go t'Mexico, same thing. "Those crazy Americans...."
Here is a bit of trutrh.
If any other government on any of these three AMERICAN continents gave themselves the income and power that our government has given themselves, there would be (and have been) rioting in the streets.
If businesses in Brazil, Chili, Peru, Mexico or even Canada raped their citizens the way our businesses do to us, there would be stores burning, owners dragged out into the streets, and a host of other terrible things....
"American" my butt!
Anyone who has a disagreement with this thinking, well, read the Declaration of Independence before y'come out with some kind'a response. And I mean the second half more than the first half.
You'll find that we have been sold down the river by big business.
'Course, this is hardly an answer to the original question(s)....
Long before we were alive,
long before this government first drew power,
long before Christ,
long before Alexander,
Long before Moses,
there was war between men.
That's the bad news.
The good news?
Long before we were alive,
long before this government drew power,
long before Christ,
long before Alexander,
long before Moses,
there were folks who tried t'help one another.
Tried t'heal the pain
...physical or mental...
dress the unclothed,
feed the starving,
house those left in the elements.
And, we'll be around LONG AFTER the hateful have left this earth.
Take this quote, "Yes, we love peace, but we are not willing to take wounds for it, as we are for war." -John Andrew Holmes
I'm not sure, I don't side with Bush nor do I oppose him. I agree with some of what he's done and disagree with other things he's done. But, the first reason we went to war with Iraq was we thought there were weapons of mass distruction there..which, turns out, there weren't.
I'm not sure what to believe, as the news generally only provides the bad or gruesome news, rarely, if ever the good or peaceful. You'd have to ask a soldier who has been there himself or herself, who would really know if we were making progress or not.
God Bless,
Katelyn
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