Let’s learn from 9/11

My heart goes out to all of the victims of of the September 11 terrorist attacks and their families. September 11 is a day that will forever live in infamy.

I do believe that we should, however, learn as much as we can from these attacks.

I believe that there are two principle, fundamental questions that now need to be asked.

The first question is:  what is it that provoked the attacks?

This is an incredibly important question to analyze, because how can we expect to stop future attacks if we don’t know what caused past ones? Some people believe that the reason for the terrorist attacks is that Al-Qaeda hates the freedoms of the United States – but that doesn’t make sense. We’re not the only free country in the world, and bombing a country because it’s “free” seems like a lost cause. A reason that makes far more sense is retaliation against the United States for continually going into the Middle East, toying with the countries and governments in those countries, making a mess, and then leaving. Perhaps less interventionist policies would actually result in more domestic security – not vice versa as both Democrats and Republicans seem to believe.

The second question is: has the U.S. government’s infringement on Americans’ civil rights been beneficial? Has sending people merely accused of being terrorists, in a McCartyhian fashion, actually preserved the freedoms that Al-Qaeda supposedly aimed to destroy? Is the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act, which came about as a result of the September 11 attacks actually “patriotic”? The answer to all of these questions is a resounding no.

The attacks that occurred on September 11 are truly tragic. Ironically, as a result of what occurred, the U.S. government has cracked down on individual rights with legislation such as the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act, which was the supposed goal of the terrorists. We should not forget what happened on September 11, but let’s also remember that we need to protect the freedoms our ancestors have fought so hard to preserve.