9/11 -- A YEAR LATER

In a few days we will pay homage to those who lost their lives in New York, Washington, DC, and elsewhere. While I certainly agree that such remembrances are appropriate, I am concerned that hard questions will not be asked and the focus will not be placed where it belongs.

First, who has been punished for these murders? Second, what do we do to minimize similar events in the future? Third, our “allies” have shown their true nature by either their lukewarm or non-support of our efforts. Why then do we support them financially and why do we build bases in their countries and stock troops and equipment there? Fourth, I’m about as fed up as I can get with Congress as a whole and the Democrats specifically. They rely upon the fact the American people are both greedy and stupid and have bought into their lie that they are the loyal opposition – they are neither. Have people forgotten that shortly after 9/11 Congress passed a resolution giving the President whatever he needed to prosecute this “War on Terrorism?” Why then is there any need to discuss attacking Iraq or anywhere else?

Getting the UN’s approval is even a bigger mistake. If we are truly the world’s only super power why are we even bothering to talk to people who hate us and in many instances cheered the events of 9/11? We should pay them no more attention than an elephant should a flea. While I’m hardly a follower of the John Birch Society we ought to kick the UN out of the US, rebuild the Twin Towers on their original site and build a memorial park where the UN used to be.

Yes, some minor players have been killed or captured, but do we really think this was done without the help of a nation state? Why were troops of unknown loyalty allowed to play a critical role in Tora Bora. Would bin Laden have escaped if the Seals or Delta been there? Frankly, I think we ought to attack Iraq as soon as possible. While that's going on we ought to negotiate an oil deal with the Russians, drill in Alaska, and pull our troops, planes, and other equipment out of Saudi Arabia, and destroy our bases there. After Iraq, we ought to bring democracy to the Saudi people. I find it a lot more than mere coincidence that so many 9/11 players were Saudi.

Then we need to bring democracy to North Korea. The President has identified it as part of an “Axis of Evil.” Why then haven’t we thrown a naval blockade around it and let it be known to the people of both Koreas that we would support any overthrow of the Communist dictatorship. Iran can then be told after a global show of force by us that they can either change or cease to exist. If our cause is just and we are the World’s only super power why are we worrying about what a bunch of dictators or terrorists think?

The only way to deal with a bully is to convince him we’re not going to back down. Any country that wants to praise the murderers of 9/11 or criticize our actions can find themselves the target of our economic and military power. Where free and democratic governments do not exist we need to use our might to make freedom a reality. Leaders who deny their people freedom should find themselves a target of the United States. Foreign aid should be ended and those funds used to fix things here.

The British are the only ones besides the Israeli’s to enthusiastically support us. Such loyalty should be rewarded. The Palestinians seem to think the murder of civilians is justified. I don’t know about anyone else but that's my definition of terrorism. Either they stop this murder or we’ll occupy the West Bank and give it back to Israel.

The President should force the Democrats hand before the fall elections. Make the evidence against Iraq public and if the Democrats won’t support a declaration of war against Iraq brand them the traitors they are. Don’t let the American people forget such duplicity and make sure we give the President a Congress that will wage a global war on terror.

I lost 14 friends on 9/11. They had families, friends, and dreams. Yet they rushed into the second tower after the first one collapsed. They paused only to write their social security number of their bodies because they knew the chances of getting out alive were slight but they went anyway. How could any terrorist be so stupid as to think they could defeat a nation where common men and women display such valor. We have a sacred responsibility to all those that died to crush terrorism and tyranny everywhere in the world-that should be their memorial, not a structure of stone and steel.

On 9/11 I will not watch any of the memorials on television. I will complete my work day as a contract instructional designer for a federal agency that is a tier one terrorist target. I’ll then drive home, change into a suit and go to the Mormon Temple here in Albuquerque and in a very special way pray for those who’ve died and ask God to comfort their loved ones.

Evan

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