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Edited on Sun Sep-11-11 12:06 PM by derby378
Yesterday, I encouraged my fellow DUers to dig out their copies of Fahrenheit 9/11 and watch it once again as a reminder of what the Bush administration has managed to unleash on America in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. But, as most of you are quite aware by now, it all started way before the first plane hit the Twin Towers - and Michael Moore did a great job of connecting the dots.
But I also watching part of the memorial service today, with Bush and Obama delivering their speeches behind thick panes of bullet-proof Plexiglass and the bells signalling silence in memory of the thousands killed on that fateful day. The memorial garden with the twin pools is very beautiful, and the pain of those leaning against the pools and pouring out their grief seemed as fresh as it did 10 years ago.
And yet, I could not help but feel that too many people are treating 9/11 as some sort of force majeure or act of God, as though there was nothing that could have been done to prevent the attacks. A little perspective is in order.
Hurricanes such as Katrina and Andrew could not have been prevented. Neither could the drought that is currently sucking Texas dry and aggravating the wildfires ravaging Bastrop County and other locals throughout the state. Same goes for the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami that killed hundreds of thousands in Indonesia and southeast Asia in December 2004, and the violent eruptions of Mt. Pinatubo and Mt. Saint Helens.
But the decision to fly those planes into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania were made by human beings. And the plans to inflict such carnage on America could have been thwarted had there been the vigilance and the will to do so. All of this brings us back to the stolen Presidential election of 2000. The Republicans pulled out every dirty trick in the book. The Democrats, for the most part, did nothing to stop the shenanigans.
America knew, and America did nothing.
Oh, sure, once Bush was installed, we hid behind the hedges and we cracked our little jokes and made our catty little remarks, but all to no avail. But how to stop what we all knew was the coming avalanche that eventually hit on 9/11/01? I can't offer any easy answers except for one: When in exile, plan for the time when you return from exile. There was so much that could have been done to cement the Democratic victory in 2008, to build a firm foundation for wise and even-handed leadership and legislation for the next 40 years. And that meant, in no small part, defusing this Tea Party nonsense before it even got started, depriving the movement of oxygen. Try holding your breath after exhaling and see how long you can stand it.
And our own President Obama finds himself in the crosshairs of a Congress who wants nothing more from him except his swift departure from the White House. Perhaps he chose to seek friends on the other side of the aisle, and it's costing him dearly. Obama needs another four years, but more importantly, he needs a new Congress that will inspire him to seek bold initiatives or at least give his own ideas all due consideration.
You probably know the old saying, "Politics is like driving; put it in D to go forward and in R to reverse." But the automobile of politics also has cruise control, which all too many of us make frequent use of at the worst possible time. I'm sitting this election out; let the other guy handle this Herculean labor. My vote doesn't county anymore, anyway. Screw it.
Or how about this as an alternative? Never forget. If there was no installment of Bush, there may never have been a 9/11. Never forget. Because Bush, bad as he was, is only the overture - if we fall asleep at the switch again, we're going to get even worse than what we had. Never forget. Because this opera is only getting started, so forget looking for the fat lady. Never forget.
And John Kerry's "Help is on the way" pitch? Screw that. We are the only help on the horizon. We have to rely on each other, support each other, inspire each other. The ghosts of JFK, FDR, and Thomas Jefferson are not riding to our rescue. We are the proverbial "it."
Never forget.
Never forget.
For the love of all you hold dear, never forget.
Now, kick ass.
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