First off I must warn that this post may offend some of you, but do not think that for one moment I will regret what I post. Tomorrow is the 10th year after the September 2001 attack, now the American media is playing to that to get people to watch these shows where politicians get the chance to try and re-write history while saying things that never happened or are even true.
Since that day we have lived in a country where our American freedoms have been taken from us in the name of security. The DHS and its overpowering and over growing authority still exists, the pat downs and the body searches at the airports are still here. The war in Afghanistan is still going on and IT IS a failed war, the illegal war in Iraq that was started because of a government that let one Administration manipulate the facts to send American service members to do their dirty work so private contractors and oil companies could reap in record profits. All the while destablizing Iraq and other countries in the middle east, because America always needs to get involved when oil is present.
My military friends may not be happy with what I say, or how I say it. But in the real world, where we the common people live; the only thing that has truly changed in ten years is that we have lost our freedoms. Americans have died in two countries where the wars weren't needed, and on a daily basis I see posts that say it is important to support the troops even though you may not support the wars. I think this is complete bullshit! As members of the military we cannot hide behind orders and hide behind the fact that officers may have told us to do missions that have caused harm to others. But more on that in another post...
People are talking about this 10th year anniversary and how important it is, and it is important. The message that needed to be broadcast should have been one of truth and facts. Yes 3,000 people died that day, but what happened next is even more important. The expansion of the government, the creation of the DHS and its ability to use the Patriot Act. But in all honesty compare those 3,000 to the hundreds of thousands that have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan since. Where is their day? Where is their justice? How do you think they feel? To watch another country bring its military forces and destroy everything, to round up people for fighting back or even kill them without cause. But of course we are selfish country and any republican or American who just watches fox news would tell that the Iraq war was necessary because of that day. But thats not true, there was no connection or wmd's. How come we aren't talking about those lies?
As Americans we are a society that is fueled by racism, we have politicians who claim that Americans who are Islamic deserve to be watched and have their rights stripped from them. Does this sound familiar? We did it in WWII against the Japanese, or how about the 1950's and McCarthyism. We do not learn from our past, we repeat it. It's an on-going cosmic joke that Americans will never learn from their past, we tear down one group of people whether it be over; race, gender, political status or societal status. And for most people this would make them sick to their stomachs, instead is encouraged through the republican party and their racist wing in the tea party. These people want to ban Islam because they think a religious law will take over our land, news flash these people are trying to enforce a christian law. In my opinion no religion is right, no religion should be used in this government in anyway shape or form. The founding fathers saw that and put it in the constitution, but more and more we see politicians use the religion as way to get votes and push some crazy ass agenda.
It is true that this is a time to reflect on ourselves and as a country as a whole. We need to see that in ten years nothing has changed. Two wars continue on that drain our country of money and human life, we need to see that it is time to rebuild our country. We need to continue to push for my generation and the generations after me to grow up in a country where FEAR isn't used a political tool. We need to reflect on both wars and how the have impacted the world and our country. How one war has since failed and the other was started under illegal actions.
I remember where I was in 2001, I was a sophomore in high school. What happened that day did not shape me in anyway shape or form to serve in the U.S. military. I did that on my free will, I did that because the only way to understand it and understand the world it lives in you have to serve in it. My past in the military may haunt me from time to time but one thing is for sure, I did not join it to take freedoms away from my own countrymen.
We must not back down from our politician's, we must seek out the truth even if we do not like what the truth is. We cannot hide behind orders from officers and a rapidly changing world to say we were afraid to speak out. We must remember that WE THE PEOPLE run this country, and the most important thing, it was just not Americans who suffered on that day, or the days afterwards. Many people suffer in this world and they do not get a media driven day just to get ratings to help themselves.
