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I remember the attacks of 9/11. I was shocked, hurt and saddened. I'm still saddened, but increasingly so by our response to the attacks. I think Ted Koppel said it best: let's stop playing into bin Laden's hands.
The goal of the attack was to generate an over-reaction. It did, first by what we did in Iraq. Now, I was for the Iraq war at the time, and still think getting rid of Saddam was a good thing to do. But the Iraq war proved both unnecessary and a dangerous distraction from Afghanistan. Our second over-reaction was the whole Gitmo / black site / waterboarding campaign we embarked on "to keep us safe." Instead of keeping us safe, it acted as a recruiting tool for Al-Qaeda.
We also need to keep in mind Bin Laden's stated strategy, articulated in 2004 when he said " "All we [Al-Qaeda] have to do is send two mujaheddin . . . to raise a small piece of cloth on which is written 'al-Qaeda' in order to make the generals race there, to cause America to suffer human, economic and political losses." So, let's be just a little more cautious as to where we invade next.
Lastly, I'm very saddened by how politicized 9/11 is. Now, we've got Glenn Back and Sarah Palin selling tickets and beer at a 9/11 "rally" in Alaska. What next - "preferred seating" at funerals?
Nor can I help but connect Palin's event to the "9/11 mosque." It's helpful to remember that both the Pentagon and the South tower of the World Trade Center had mosques in them. The Pentagon's mosque remains.
The goal of the attack was to generate an over-reaction. It did, first by what we did in Iraq. Now, I was for the Iraq war at the time, and still think getting rid of Saddam was a good thing to do. But the Iraq war proved both unnecessary and a dangerous distraction from Afghanistan. Our second over-reaction was the whole Gitmo / black site / waterboarding campaign we embarked on "to keep us safe." Instead of keeping us safe, it acted as a recruiting tool for Al-Qaeda.
We also need to keep in mind Bin Laden's stated strategy, articulated in 2004 when he said " "All we [Al-Qaeda] have to do is send two mujaheddin . . . to raise a small piece of cloth on which is written 'al-Qaeda' in order to make the generals race there, to cause America to suffer human, economic and political losses." So, let's be just a little more cautious as to where we invade next.
Lastly, I'm very saddened by how politicized 9/11 is. Now, we've got Glenn Back and Sarah Palin selling tickets and beer at a 9/11 "rally" in Alaska. What next - "preferred seating" at funerals?
Nor can I help but connect Palin's event to the "9/11 mosque." It's helpful to remember that both the Pentagon and the South tower of the World Trade Center had mosques in them. The Pentagon's mosque remains.
