The Fool's Paradise of the 9/10 Worldview

Five years ago tonight, nothing had happened...at least that's what we want to tell ourselves. The horror of 9/11 was still one day in the future. But the driving force that plotted and executed the massive destruction of that day was easily visisble--we just weren't looking. This partial list is courtesy of D J Drummond:

02/26/1993 – World Trade Center bombed
03/08/1995 – Two U.S. diplomats in Pakistan murdered
06/25/1996 - Khobar Towers bombed
11/12/1997 – Four U.S. businessmen kidnapped and murdered
08/07/1998 – Embassies in Tanzania and Kenya bombed
10/12/2000 – U.S.S. Cole attacked by suicide bombers

I'm sick and tired of this blathering about whether we're safer or not--we weren't safe then, we aren't safe now, and we're not going to be safe tomorrow either. The sad reality is that we live in a world populated with people who are ready, willing and able to kill us, and to die in the effort. There is only one way to be safe from such people, and frankly there's no way to identify and kill them all before they strike.

And we just don't get it. Collectively as a nation, we are refusing to accept the reality of the world and deal with it. Please note carefully, I am not saying we are refusing to accept the reality of the post-9/11 world. We refused to accept reality pre-9/11 as well. Terrorism was a reality before before the first plane crashed into the tower. The threat did not originate that day. The world really didn't change that day, although it has become cliche to say that it did.

Too many Americans are tired of fighting the war on terror. They want it just to go away. One of our major political parties is staking its entire electoral strategy on promising to quit fighting. Lest you think I exaggerate, go look at Ned Lamont's victory over Joe Lieberman in the Senate primary in Connecticut, and take a good hard look at his proposals for the war on terror. Although he's smart enough not to say it directly, the net result is capitulation. Frankly many of the Republicans aren't much better.

This is not a partisan issue--or at least it should not be. It's literally a matter of life and death. And our enemies don't care whether we think so or not. In fact, they'd rather that we didn't--it makes their job easier. The reality is that five years later, we still don't get it. And I fear that one day, probably soon, that failure to face reality is going to bite us in such a way that will make 9/11 look like a flea bite. I wish so desperately to be wrong...