Let us begin this commentary with a moment of silence and deep
respect for those who lost their lives in the barbaric Sept. 11,
2001, attack on the United States. Let us also remember the rescue
workers, the family members still living and, of course, the
American troops who fight abroad to assure our security …
Let us begin this commentary with a moment of silence and deep respect for those who lost their lives in the barbaric Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the United States. Let us also remember the rescue workers, the family members still living and, of course, the American troops who fight abroad to assure our security …
… Our collective memory is short. Perhaps it is the anguish associated with 9-11 that is still so difficult to bear. Perhaps it is because we have great difficulty imagining people who would hate Americans with such violent, premeditated passion. We must recognize, however painful, that preserving freedom requires constant vigilance and that our government’s first and foremost responsibility is the protection of its citizens.
Our president has asked for $87 billion in additional funds for military operations and reconstruction in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa. It is a staggering sum – and still our soldiers die, day after day in a land far away. It is an unclean war, this battle against terrorism.
Yet, we must acknowledge that since Sept. 11, 2001, we have traveled across the Golden Gate Bridge, taken our families to Disneyland, flown across the country to see old friends and visited the Statue of Liberty in relative security. Those who would kill, maim and destroy us have been kept at bay. And we have paid a dear price for that. But what is the alternative? Said President Bush a few days ago, “We are fighting that enemy in Iraq and Afghanistan today, so that we do not meet him again on our own streets, in our own cities.”
It’s not that we shouldn’t question how America plans to spend $87 billion or what the long-term strategy is regarding American troops abroad. But we must keep in mind the alternative and be keenly aware of the fact that in our country we have been safe. The United States has not become a virtual war zone, like Israel, where car bombs, destruction and death are routine. There is one great irony worthy of more than contemplation in the post Sept. 11th world. The saying made famous in the “Pogo” comic strip applies: “We have met the enemy and he is us.”
Why isn’t there a clarion call reverberating across our nation for a substantial tax investment in developing alternative fuels? Do we not realize that it is our oil money that fuels the terrorist cells? To cut our dependency on foreign oil is to strike true terror into the hearts of al-Qaida. We have built and torn down’s Saddam’s statue and weapons. When will we go after the real culprit and make an investment in an array of energy options that will render the Middle East less than the economic Goliath that it has become?
Asking difficult questions for good reasons honors the spirit of American democracy. Playing politics with difficult decisions faced by our leaders does not. It is important that on this day, the two-year anniversary of what is this generation’s Pearl Harbor, we remain committed to our country’s defense, to our value of peace but not at all cost and to respect for those who were killed in the attack and for those who died trying to save their countrymen.
America, after all, is only as strong as her citizens.
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