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I don't believe that there's a single American who has forgotten what happened on 9/11, how it happened, how thousands of people died in horrific ways, or that Middle Eastern terrorists were responsible. How could they, both from the magnitude of the tragedy itself and from the magnitude of the media's subsequent coverage of it?

I don't think that I need others to prod me and poke me and direct me towards instant replays every year "in case I had forgotten." It's a bit insulting to suggest that I have "forgotten." Or is it that I've "forgotten" how others believe I'm supposed to feel about 9/11, or about subsequent actions taken using 9/11 as a pretext?

The Information page does contain some truth. Yes, freedom does not come easily or without sacrifice. Many have died and suffered to maintain the American way of life over America's history. Many died on 9/11 as inadvertant victims of anti-American hatred. Many others died while doing their jobs as rescue workers and attempting to save lives. Is there anyone who will question the above?

But the Information page is also slanted in a particular direction. It's not "Have you forgotten?" It's "Have you forgotten that this is why we need to go to war and remain at war?" And therein lies the debate, as many feel that the wrong people and the wrong country are being targetted, with lives (both Iraqi and American) lost on a daily basis. Many feel that the focus has shifted away from the true culprits, that the current war in Iraq is being counterproductive towards its stated ends, and that those in power were not honest about why America went to war against Iraq.

I don't know anyone who disputes the need to find those responsible for 9/11 and hold them accountable for their crimes, and to take steps to prevent future crimes of that nature. I know many who question whether the Bush administration is going about that in the right way, whether Saddam and Iraq had anything to do with al-Qaeda or 9/11, whether the invasion of Iraq and overthrow of Saddam were justifiable (much less justified by 9/11 specifically), and whether it's time for new leaders and a new approach as to how America responds to terrorism and hatred.

9/11 is a permanent part of America's history. There will be no shortage of remembrances, memorials and tributes to 9/11, nor would I suggest that they would be out of place. But how we _respond_ to 9/11, what lessons we learn from it and how we apply those lessons as individuals and as a nation, is even more important than that, and if the wrong responses are made, there needs to be accountability.

At the Republican convention, speakers mentioned 9/11 frequently, but mentioned Saddam's name a hell of a lot more than Osama's.

Has Dubya forgotten?