"I look at how caviler we are in guarding our southern border (thanks to Congress) and am amazed that we have not learned a damn thing in 18 years. We are still as fat, dumb and happy as we were on 9/10/01."
Tomorrow is the 18th anniversary of 9/11. A day many now call Patriot's Day. It is a day which most folks can tell you down to the most finite detail what they were doing when the news of the attack erupted over the media. Most will never forget it. Ever. Anything changed in the past 18 years? We have new laws, some of which erode some of our personal liberties. We have new government - like Department of Homeland Security, which was created in 2002. And bad guys. We still have lots and lots of bad guys who would do us harm.
Unlike so many other days on our calendar which are noteworthy, 9/11 is not a day of celebration. It is a day of remembrance. It is a day to remember all the brave souls who perished that day, guilty of the crime of simply going to work, or trying to save people in badly damaged buildings. It is a day we remember the death toll keeps rising after 18 years. The lingering cancers inflicted upon so many first responders by the toxic, choking soot and smoke still kills today. All this harm and misery because of the bad guys who would do us harm.
Wait a minute - did we not kill Bin Laden to avenge this horrible day? Yes, we got him. He was the master mind. But he was only one of a cadre of others who feel the same way about these United States. That we are evil. The Great Satan. So there will be others like Bin Laden. There are others like Bin Laden.
I remember years ago asking a friend of mind with a very sharp Geo-political mind, a simple question. If most of the hijackers came from Saudi Arabia, why was all our ire taken out on that dirt poor country of Afghanistan? Why not Saudi? His answer was simple and direct. "It's complicated". And I believe that answer still stands today. It is complicated. It is a complicated world. Are the Saudis friends or enemies? Can we trust them? Can we trust the Taliban to negotiate a peace with them? Can we trust anybody in that neck of the woods?
America, the savior of the planet in two world wars, protected by two vast oceans, found out 18 years ago just how vulnerable we are. Why so vulnerable? Our naivete. We were stumbling along life's path, fat, dumb, and happy. We were invincible. Nothing, outside a nuclear missile, could ever hurt us. So our guard was way down. Our PC was way up. We were ripe for something like this to happen to us. How do I know?
It happened before in 1993. Remember the "Blind Sheikh"? He and his team were going to blow the foundations in the North Tower, which would have allowed it to come crashing down into the South Tower. Thousands were going to die. Only it did not work. Our warning sirens should have been going off at ear shattering decibels after that failed attack. But they did not. Soon, we slipped back into lethargy.
Today, I look at how caviler we are in guarding our southern border (thanks to Congress). I am amazed that we have not learned a damn thing in 18 years. We are still as fat, dumb, and happy as we were on 9/10/01. We give sanctuary to people we know nothing about, decry the fact we even have borders anywhere, and allow all kinds of poisonous drugs to cross the Rio Grande. Are there bad guys in this mix? You better believe it. Bad guys who could do us harm similar, or worse than 9/11? You tell me.
Who are the real bad guys which still exist? The ones we know about? Congress. Not all members, but we all know which ones I am talking about. The fat, dumb and happy ones. The clueless, naive ones. The ones which after our next attack will act the most surprised. "How could that have possibly happen?", they would wail, looking for someone to blame. Well, Mr. or Ms. Congressperson - all you need do is look in the mirror. You will find the bad guy staring right back at you.
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