For those of us who remember, precisely, where we were when the news started breaking about the attacks on September 11, 2001, it is a bit surreal to realize that 25 years, a quarter of a century, have passed.
At the end of this post, I have included the actual post I created last year which includes the links to all the other posts on my blog.
For now, I want to reflect on two articles in the September issue of The Atlantic which I read a few days ago.
The first was about a firefighter who died on that tragic day. It described his life to that point, his passion for fighting fires, and how his two sons spent a number of years participating in the search for his remains. It was sad, of course, but also uplifting in that it detailed a man who loved his life and the work he did, in service of his community, and how his example has been passed down to his sons. It also illustrated, not only the camaraderie that existed in the station, but how the sense of family that they created did not end when someone was killed. The sons of that brave firefighter continued to be welcomed in their circle, to be treated as if their own sons.
As I read the article, titled "Kevin Dowdell's Sons", being unfamiliar with his story, I half expected that there would be some type of closure; that Dowdell's sons would find their father's remains. While they did find his Halligan bar, a tool used by firefighters in the course of their job, they never found anything else. Since his last known location that day was in the South tower, after it was struck by the jet but before it collapsed, it is easy to assume that he was obliterated by the half a million tons of concrete and steel that descended upon him, and anyone else still inside the building. That the steel tool was all that was found is certainly no surprise.
The article after that also addressed that horrible day by posting the question "Did Al-Qaeda Succeed?"
Now, one might consider publishing those two articles back to back a risky endeavor, especially in light of the push by the current administration to decry information that portrays America in a bad light.
Or asks difficult questions.
Or requires self examination on a national scale.
Or makes us think.
For me, I began reading that second article with some very strong per-conceived notions. But, as is true when we read, there was some interesting information presented, some details about the last 25 years, that I did not know, and some assertions, on both sides of the yes or no answer to the title's question, that made me rethink part of my own conclusions. And, that like all simple questions, there is no simple answer.
On one hand, there is the belief that Al-Qaeda never accomplished anything close to its stated goals, at least Osama Bin Laden's stated goals, of forcing America out of the Middle East, both in influence and in terms of a physical presence. Bin Laden underestimated America's ability to track down and kill himself as well as his successors. At this point, for better or worse, American is even more involved in the Middle East than before 9/11, and one might even say has more friends there.
Most people forget that it is widely believed that the funding for the training and recruiting of the men who flew those plains into our buildings was provided by Saudi Arabia, yet now the Saudis are much more friendly (are better at using us some might say) than ever, and certainly no friend of Iran.
While there are still some people who are waiting for the other shoe to drop, waiting for the next big attack on American soil by Al-Qaeda, most analysts believe those days are gone. That the new leadership is barely listened to by the ideologues that foster terrorism against our interests. In fact, there was a surprising point made by the author that the attacks of 9/11 were harmful to the movement, if we assume that establishing a recognized state was the ultimate goal. Some of this part of the article went pretty far into the weeds, but still presented a picture that was far more nuanced than "they hate us, so they attacked us."
While I have not altered my opinion in its essence, I at least have some more information to meld into that perception.
In the end, I believe that by attacking our strengths, Bin Laden succeeded in injecting doubt into our national psyche. Even though we have been attacked before, the British in the War of 1812, some Spanish incursions during the early 20th century, and of course, Pearl Harbor, the attacks on 9/11 were far more damaging because they happened to both our financial and political capitals, New York and Washington (at the Pentagon). In some ways, it doesn't matter than Al-Qaeda has done virtually nothing to us since, it only matters that we still have that memory of such a direct and effective attack.
America is a bit less free since 9/11/01, freedom being our biggest strength. We have sacrificed personal freedoms through laws like the Patriot Act which allow surveillance of Americans by our own government. We have a host of things we can't bring on planes, nor can we board a plane without a passport or Real ID. We can't go into federal buildings without specific papers.
It is like death by a thousand cuts, but cuts which individually seem insignificant, yet taken together sound like Big Brother. All as a reaction to being attacked om 9/11
More importantly, the War on Terror began a now 25 year run averaging $1 trillion dollars or more, each year, in deficit spending, over $2 trillion each year since 2020. Yes, the 2008 financial meltdown as well as the stimulus packages associated with COVID added considerably to that expansion of debt, but this year will feature another $2 trillion in deficit spending, some due to a war in the Middle East.
https://www.us-debt-clock.com/data/deficit-by-year
I guess my point is that we have grown so used to printing money that we don't have, so used to kicking the can labeled national debt down the lane, that we have no way to go back, and I believe some of that blame rests on the damage to our national psyche that the 9/11 attacks created. We believe without doubt that we must spare no expense to defend our way of life and to punish those who attack it, that we are willing to bankrupt ourselves in the process.
To me, that is the one and only victory that could be assigned to Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda, that, just as we outspent the Soviet Union and pushed them to the brink of bankruptcy, we have done the same thing to ourselves.
Perhaps worse, we appear stuck in a cycle of revenge seeking, first for all the deaths and destruction which occurred on that horrible day, but now even against ourselves. Whether its called "owning the libs" or released through depictions of those who align with MAGA as in a cult (yes, I am guilty of that), we are a very divided nation.
Can that be considered a result of the 9/11 attacks? Perhaps it is a stretch, but when any people feels threatened, especially an aging population as we have in America, it is not uncommon to seek someone to blame. Sometimes, that tendency results in a unification, as when America was as one in condemning the attacks on 9/11, or the bombing of Pearl Harbor. When it is obvious who the enemy is, it is much easier to become united.
But now, especially with the daily rhetoric of the current administration, we have turned much of our anger inward. One might say that can be good, a bit of self reflection to determine why our enemies hate us, perhaps even an acknowledgement that some of our actions in the past created an environment for ill feelings against our country.
But that is not what is happening now. We have reached a point where on daily basis we are being told that we have identified the enemy, and it is us. In our haste to blame someone for our national ills, we are no longer united in defining our enemies. In fact, there are some who tell us that our traditional enemies, Russia in particular, are our friends, and our historical allies, other democracies, especially Canada right now, are our enemies.
And, of course, if we choose to vote for or support the wrong party or candidate, that too is a sign that we are enemies.
I have written a story in which the world, let alone America, is united by a common, in this case, extraterrestrial enemy.
But I fear that even that possibility will not work, as is evident by the pandemic of 2020 in which we were unable as a country to unite to defeat the spread of the disease, and that even to this day there are people who draw a line, those who believe COVID was a hoax, and those who don't, to determine who if a friend, who to trust.
That inability to rally around helping the most vulnerable to survive a global pandemic tells me that it will be worse when the next one comes, and that we may have lost the ability to recognize who are enemies are in the first place.
Or are unable to reject the constant stream of propaganda that tells us who to hate, from the media, from the president, from our religious institutions.
Whether we are able to alter the path we are on, remains to be seen. I remain a pessimistic optimist, assuming it will only get worse, hoping to be wrong.
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As I said above, here is the post from last year, reproduced rather than linked to, but which does include links to the older posts concerning this pivotal event in our history.
Today marks the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
24 years.
Most children born that year, and the four years following it, are in their early 20's. Perhaps on college campuses as we speak, or in the work force as they begin their adulthood adventures.
I am sure many have children, despite the declining birth rate. Experiencing the joys and anxieties associated with raising an infant. The struggle to balance work and home life, day care expenses, and the challenge of leaving their care free young adult lives behind in lieu of responsibilities, bills, and budgets.
The wars that were inspired by that horrific day are behind us, although the threat of war is still prevalent, the wrath of those who would destroy our "way of life" still widespread.
I have posted a number of times under the label of Nine Eleven, twice in the first year, then for the first and second anniversary. But only a few times more since then, in 2016 and last year. Perhaps there are others that I haven't been able to identify, but I am less than happy that I have allowed this anniversary to be pushed out of view, at least my view, so often.
Here are links to all the other posts concerning this topic.
https://wurdsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2024/09/twenty-three-years-have-passed.html
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