It's still sort of shocking for me to hear something other than the Party Line regarding 9/11. It's hard to walk that line between criticizing some of our government's actions in the wake of it and being apologetic for the attackers. Or to try to mention some of what may have made folks want to do such a thing to the US and being apologetic for the attackers.
I've lately found myself in a bit of a crunch. After 9/11, I found that for a while I was very much along with most other folks in regards to their feelings about "bomb afghanistan, let's do this thing." etcetc. Lately, however, I've become more and more ticked off with what's being done in the name of preventing something like this from happening. I may be just reading too much into things, but it seems like too many people in this country are okay with giving away some of our freedoms for a police state, just so that this doesn't happen again.
'Course, that's just how it's appeared to me. While the deaths of 3000 people are a horrible thing, I can't help but feel that they're being abused by those in power in order to gain more power and to go off into other tangents. Now what's going on, we're talking about invading Iraq? *sigh* I thought we were going to go in and take out Bin Laden and Al Qaeda, and that's about 75% to done.
Instead, we're turning the War on Terrorism into a much worse version of the War on Drugs. There's no possibility of ever having an end date, so we'll basically just be in a state of war all the time. Seems like soon no one will be able to speak up against it, lest they be accused of offering aid to the enemy. And the worst part is most americans seem to be swallowing the idea, hook line and sinker. Gulp.
It's cliche and it's been trotted out before, but I can't help but draw similarities between this and "1984." Constant state of war and the rapid changing of enemies. I have the feeling that one we go into Iraq, bin Laden will be forgotten. We have a new enemy for the masses to support their leader in defeating! Hooray!
Ugh.
...
Apologies for my rant.
I've been drinking for St. Paddy's for the last 5 hours, and in a little bit I head out for another few hours of imbibement. Hopefully I can at least stir up something, though, with the rest of you folks that are celebratin'.
sapienza