Never forget

I may not agree with the mainstream politcal regime, but I, too, mourn the loss of life on Americal soil on 9/11/2001.

One of my views is, however, that we should have seen it coming. Shame on us for not thinking of it, being vigilent enough, and not having leaders responsible enough to actually listen to the advice they were getting from their different intelligence sources.

I saw a hippie freak carrying a sign the other day. It read something like, "9/11: Inside Job" and he was yelling at passing cars, "Jet fuel doesn't melt steel." He was grinding a conspiracy axe - as if Cheney planned and encouraged the attacks on the WTC in New York.

I can't go that far. But the war in Iraq, that's another story. It's good for business, and the neocons jumped in there because they saw 9/11 as their opportunity to ram it down our throats. Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with Osama bin Laden's terrorist strike. So tell me, why are we now committed to spending $400 billion plus a year over there? How does that do anything for the victims of 9/11?

I recently watched Spielberg's film "Munich". I remember being in my teens when Black September took the Israeli team hostage, and watching on TV as the whole horrible thing unfolded. It occurred to me, "Why hasn't this kind of thing happened over here?" I knew back then that it was only a matter of time. As car bombs and suicide bombers began to proliferate in Israel and Palestine, I never for one moment entertained the illusion that it could never happen in New York or L.A. In fact, I'm surprised that it took until 2001 to occur.

Maybe it's the result of being a Cold War baby. I always thought that the Big One was going to drop on us at any time, without enough warning to climb out of my metal chair and take cover under my desk, leaving my lunch milk and sandwich behind.