Seven years ago this week, I my website (which I was updating regularly at the time) was replaced with a black screen for two weeks. Not because I was showing some morbid response to what was the most deadly attack on American soil ever, but because I didn’t really know what to say.

I felt like I needed to say something, but I wasn’t really sure what I was dealing with. I don’t believe anyone knew at the time. I was as confused and fearful as everyone, disgusted and bewildered over what might come next.

I was braced for the worst but I could never anticipate what would happen next after that historically deadly day.

And indeed my fears were realized.

Fast forward seven years and things are worse than I could have imagined at the time. What we saw in the wake of 9/11 is a primer for THE worst political debacle of my generation and possibly all generations combined.

Sadly, that day went from representing a national tragedy to becoming a marketing buzzword for every single horrible idea the republican party had to sell to the American people.

For everything they shoved down the American throats, 9/11 was always on the tip of the tongue of republican politicians. Rudy Giuliani, ironically the mayor of New York at the time, was one of the worst offenders when he ran for president. I don’t care what you think of the man’s leadership at the time of the attack, Giuliani exploited that horrible day time and time again in hopes of securing the republican nomination for his party.

Thankfully, he failed miserably and his reputation is forever tarnished in the eyes of most Americans for his famous ‘noun, verb + 9/11′ speeches while on the campaign trail.

But back to my original point:

On September 12, 2001, nobody knew what to expect. You couldn’t really write about the future because the future was so uncertain at the time. It didn’t stop the media machine, who are famous for speculation and prognostication, but mostly we knew we’d have to wait and see what the future held while we ourselves held our breath.

One thing is for certain: As Americans, we were going to make somebody pay. All of the intelligence we had pointed to a man by the name of Osama Bin Laden, the leader of an organization called Al Quaeda, which was based in the mountains of Afghanistan. They almost immediately took credit for the attacks on 9/11.

What? This was a new one. Our enemy had no clearly defined borders. They weren’t defined by any clear geographic region, they moved from area to area and sat up training camps by night.

Somehow in the middle of all this, Iraq was dragged kicking and screaming into it. Despite every ounce of legitimate evidence, George Bush launched an attack against Iraq, referring to them as a rogue terrorist state, part of the ‘Axis of Evil.’ (How’s that for a marketing catchphrase?)

In the months and years that followed, we all know what came next. All proper evidence came to light (despite the Bush administration’s attempt to stifle it) that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. But it didn’t stop the republican party from justifying the attacks by stating that they had Weapons of Mass Destruction. Eventually that evidence, too, came to light and revealed that Iraq neither had WMDs nor were working on creating WMDs.

The United States had launched a major attack against a country that had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11.

And of course, you can’t mention logical facts or reason in this political environment. If you try to suggest that this ‘war’ (never declared as such by Congress, which means it’s not a real ‘war’) was launched purely on false evidence and faulty information, then the American people label you as a ’sympathizer’ or ‘unAmerican.’

But let’s be honest: Facts are facts. You can’t spin them and that bothers the right something awful.

In no uncertain terms, hundreds of American servicemen and women died as a result of the conflict and are still dying. Thousands of Iraqi civilians also died in the process. “Collateral damage,’ as it’s known within the government. The Iraqi infrastructure was systematically destroyed…including schools, hospitals, water systems, electrical plants and airports. And then systematically rebuilt by American contractors who were being given contracts worth billions of dollars to rebuild the cities we just destroyed. Lots of people died, but lots of people also got very, very, VERY rich. Not ironically, most of these contractors were friends of the administration.

Slowly but surely, everything came into perspective and into very sharp focus.

What was the most deadly attack on American soil became a reason to justify a war that should have never taken place.

As evidence came to light that this administration had fucked up, there was no switching gears. We watched politicians stand, giving speeches about how America does not ‘cut and run.’ We must ’save face.’ We declared ‘Mission Accomplished’ even before hundreds more of American soldiers were sent home in body bags. Our president looked into the lens during a speech that was broadcast all over the planet as he smugly told them to ‘Bring it on.’

And they brought it.

Make no mistake, history will show that this was a needless war we jumped into that cost (what some figures estimated) hundreds of thousands of lives. And while there’s no disputing that the world is better off without the reign of Saddam Hussein, there is also much evidence supporting that he had absolutely nothing to do with the attacks on 9/11.

Which was the reason for the attack on Iraq.

Meanwhile, those seven years that followed revealed a horror all their own. Americans were asked to give up their liberty to help maintain security. They were told that if they didn’t do what was asked of them, the NEXT 9/11 would be right around the corner. That if we didn’t do what we were told, it could perhaps be OUR families next.

“It is not a matter of IF, but a matter of WHEN,” in regards to the ‘next’ attack.

We were told to get used to this new era in security. Told to adjust to the idea that “PEOPLE HATE OUR FREEDOM.”. We were told that to ensure our safety, we would need to bend over backwards to allow the government to take care of us as only they could.

WHAT A GIANT BUNCH OF BULLSHIT.

Americans were afraid (and rightly so) and this administration exploited the fears we had. We were continually reminded and continually told that 9/11 will always be around the corner, waiting to attack YOUR town next. We were scared shitless into submission. And we did submit.

But what we learned in the past 7 years (those of us with a mind and a soul, at least) was that NOBODY hates freedom. And the terrorists don’t give a fuck about our freedom in particular. You know what terrorists hate? When other countries occupy their land. When they’re told what to do and how to live by an outside military force. When they use force to kill their relatives in an effort to ’spread democracy.’

AND I’LL SPELL IT OUT FOR YOU HERE: MAKE NO FUCKING MISTAKE. THERE IS NO JUSTIFICATION FOR TERRORISM. Neither is there an excuse for trying to take over a nation that isn’t yours.

Ever read the play, ‘Macbeth’ by William Shakespeare? Remember what the main message was in that tragedy?

BLOOD WILL HAVE BLOOD.

This is an age old idea that if you strike someone, they will strike you back. And so forth until there is nothing left. One of the most tragic concepts ever penned and also one of the oldest, yet we still haven’t figured it out yet.

I don’t have time to break down the ideals for how and why the United States of America was founded. Hopefully, we all learn that back in high school. The blueprint for this country was spelled out dutifully and expertly so that all generations to come would be able to reference those rules and carry on the idea of a country founded to do right, not wrong.

And this administration has continually ignored and mocked that blueprint in the last 8 years and we’ve watched our country suffer miserably as a result.

So why we were all holding our collective breath as a country, bracing ourselves for the next terrorist attack, we forgot to watch the wolves that were protecting the henhouse.

I realize I’m going to catch shit for this but I can’t stand it anymore: The attacks on 9/11 were disgusting. They were horrible, malicious and despicable. But that was just one single day.

The majority of the damage to this country that followed 9/11 was and remains a DIRECT mismanagement by the current administration. The continual bumblings, the missteps, gaffes, the abuses of power, the failure to build and repair infrastructure, education, health care and most of all, the economy here at home is what’s brought us to where we are currently.

In no uncertain terms, WAY more damage was done to the United States of America by those in charge than the series of attacks on that horrible, fateful day.

So exactly WHERE are we now? As a country, I mean.

Well, that’s very clear. So long as you believe the facts and figures. We’re a nation with one of the highest debts in our history. Spending is out of control on a war that, by all indications, wasn’t even necessary.

And I know that’s a tough bone to swallow. It pains me to even suggest it but by all accounts it’s true. And really, who gives a shit about my opinion. I’m looking at the evidence. There isn’t one single document suggesting that this war was necessary to the security of our country. Because when you chase a rogue group of terrorists out of one country, they gather in another to start training again. And in fact, there was a document released by our own government less than a year ago that stated that Al Quaeda was officially STRONGER than it was on 9/11. After all those casualties, after all that destruction and questionable mismanagement…those who CAUSED the attack were actually STRONGER after the Iraq war was ‘coming to a close as the result of the ’surge.’”

So what happened here exactly? Are we stronger as a nation as the result of seven years post 9/11? Absolutely not. Are we safer? Again, absolutely not. If you know anything about the phenomena known as ‘blowback,’ then you realize that we’ve undoubtedly stirred up a hornet’s nest in the Middle East that we’ll be dealing with for literally generations to come.

Here’s what I am sure of: This country’s economy is the weakest it’s been in my lifetime. Our currency is weaker against the rest of the world. The mortgage crises has claimed more than a million homes of American citizens. Inflation is up. Way up. Corporations are paying less taxes and enjoying record profits. More companies are being rewarded for sending American jobs overseas. Wages are down, cost of living is way, way up. Even the small things that you need to get through the day are way more expensive than they were just two years ago. Oil prices are through the roof. More than 47 MILLION Americans have absolutely no health insurance of any kind and medical bills are the NUMBER ONE cause of bankruptcy in America. We are more divided than we’ve been as a nation since the Vietnam War. Republicans hate democrats, Democrats hate Republicans and there is infighting within each of those parties. Unemployment is way up and majority of the few jobs that are created pay near poverty level wages. The rich are getting uber richer and the poor and trying to keep their heads above water to make it from one month to the next.

That’s where we are now.

And coming out of the Clinton years, it’s basically a complete turnaround in the wrong direction.

Have we been safe? Sure. Just like the hundreds of years before 9/11, Americans have been safe on their own soil after 9/11. Was it the result of giving up our privacy and freedom that we enjoyed this safety? Absolutely not. If anyone can direct me to a legitimate source that reports this administration thwarting a serious potential terrorist attack, I’ll stand corrected. We know about the ‘liquid bombers’ from a flight that originated in the UK (4 of whom were recently found ‘not guilty,’ even though this plot was thwarted by Ml5 in the UK…)

So, for the moment at least, we’re safe. Since launching the attack on Iraq, we’ve rattled sabers in one form or another with all the other countries that make up the Axis of Evil, basically in a ‘do as we say or you’re the next target.’ And even more recently, we’ve threatened Iran, Russia, and North Korea (again).

As a nation, our country is literally at one of its most important points in history. There is absolutely no denying that. We’ve spent nearly 8 years watching the current administration make a mockery of what was once clearly the strongest and greatest nation in the world…a land of opportunity and respite, truth and justice.

And every single day brings worse news to the economy, though republicans don’t seem to be bothered by it in the least….with plans on voting in Bush crony McCain as his replacement.

And so it goes…this nation is polarized with no signs of improvement.

I spent 9/11/08 on an international flight crossing the Atlantic into the east coast of the U.S. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have any concerns at all but I’d also be lying if I told you that I’m more scared of terrorists than I am of the republican party and what will happen to the U.S. if they neo-con hijack continues. More of the same of the past 8 years? With an administration and party that has regularly chipped the freedom away from us and practically ruined whatever success we’ve enjoyed as a country in the previous 8 years, I’m going to go so far as to say that this country cannot take 4 more years of the same. Statistically speaking, we’ll be in a situation close to that of the Great Depression.

And for what?

People hate our freedom?

Well, if they hate our freedom, they must be super stoked on Bush because his administration has taken nearly all of it away.

They hate our affluence and our wealth? Again, they’re stoked on Bush because under him, the majority of Americans have suffered economically under this administration in many dramatic ways.

If I were a scholar and an economist, I’d go so far as to venture that the policies and decisions put into place post 9/11 by this administration did TONS more damage than that single day of attacks on American soil 7 years ago.

The damage that the republican party and the Bush administration has inflicted on this country will last for years, possibly decades to come.

It’s at this point that, as a non-scholar and a non-economist, I openly wonder who REALLY damaged this country. And also where I openly suggest that if a political party supports this type of downward spiral for America, to question THEIR patriotism and their judgment. And possibly even go as far as to suggest that if anyone would openly support 4 more years of policies from the past 8 years, maybe they WANT to watch this country spiral deeper into the mire.

Anyone would be a fool to look at this country’s downward trajectory and ask for more of the same. But still they’re out there in huge droves. It defies reason, it defies logic and it defies sanity in my opinion.

It’s been seven years since September 11th, 2001.

Who are we supposed to be worried about again? Because I keep forgetting who the real enemy is. Is it the people trying to destroy our country from the outside in or the people successfully destroying our country from the inside out?

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 13th, 2008 at 05:21 and is filed under 9/11, philosophy, life, politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.