The Smelly Cheese

Reflecting on the reflections of a broken plan.

After reading, listening to and viewing a variety of "takes" on September 11th, 2001 and what has unfolded since I am more certain than ever that my gut reaction when I woke up yesterday morning was indeed correct. I woke up, having spun in my head the hours of preceding "spin" and conjecture amidst my sleep patterns, with a true feeling of disgust. I woke up and realized that I, like many others in this country, am still unnerved by the events at the World Trade Center. I am still frightened by the notion of waking up to another unimaginable horror that leaves us gripped by a paralyzing fear boring a gaping chasm in our souls that can only be filled with vengeance and retribution. I realized that this uneasiness has made my frustration boil and heightened my disdain for my own country's ability to protect itself from this outside terror.

I readily note that my hatred for Osama bin Laden and his network (and folks it is still his Al Qaeda network, don't fool yourselves) is even greater than 5 years ago. Osama has virtually disappeared and is now tucked away somewhere (Pakistan? Yemen?) completely untouched and unpunished for what will go down as one of the most vile, deceitful and horrific crimes of this century. A man who is now in hiding still determines, according to our commander in chief, where the "war on terrorism" is being waged. Though in one breath this monster is said to be marginalized and incapable of swaying the minds of his followers, he is in another the preeminent leader in a global struggle against our way of life and freedom throughout the globe. I am not sure what is more unsettling, the fact that an individual as heinous as bin Laden is still at large or the sporadic moral ambivalence with which my government uses to addresses him.

When I rubbed the momentary paranoia out of my eyes yesterday morning, I realized that my government and its leaders have learned little to nothing about how to deal with "terrorism" let alone rid the world of its ideals. When all is said and done, all the shouting of patriotism and civil liberties is quieted, we as citizens will be faced with a humbling truth: After five years of bombing, policing, secret prisons, secret wiretaps, unfounded intelligence and symbolic elections we as Americans can be held hostage by the idea of any Muslim holding a water bottle. How is this a rational plan for survival let alone "victory" against a fundamentalist view of the world? Our current government has had five years of complete political control and, until this past year, unquestioned "blank check" support from the majority of its citizens. What has this regime wrought?

Afghanistan is once again run by the very same drug warlords, the Taliban, which we fought (with world consent) to remove. Iraq could be, in a best case scenario, a loose federation of three different religious states held together by our continued military presence for the next 10-20 years. Iran's president is jumping up and down, waving his arms like a madman begging for attention or approval of his warped Islamic agenda. Instead of calling Ahmadinejad’s bluff and exposing him as an intellectual and religious fraud sending a clear message to the others like him, my government chooses foreign diplomacy that amounts to ignoring a 3 year old during a temper tantrum. Israel continues to be surrounded by an ever increasing number of nations that are at best, indifferent to its complete annihilation and outwardly sympathetic toward Hamas and Hezbollah. Lest we forget our good friend the house of Saud. A modern day monarchy that continues to turn a blind eye toward members of its own royal family that move operational funds to the Wahhabi institutions which double as terrorist training camps.

It is time for a policy of accountability to actually hold those in power accountable, not render
the blame onto previous acquaintances. It is time for "diplomacy" and "communication" to stop being political platitudes and start becoming the gold standard by which we engage the world around us. I echo of the sentiments of Mr. Olbermann, by saying that I am truly fed up with having my patriotism questioned for simply having a differing opinion. It is both ludicrous and morally disgusting to suggest that any opposing view on how to protect our country from those that would attack it, is itself helping the attackers. If I hear one more middle-aged white male pose the rhetorical question, "Don't you understand that these people want to kill us?" I might actually vomit in my own mouth. Of course I understand the threat. My generation is the one that will inherit this mangled mix of civilization. I understand the ramifications of what is happening at this very instant, and I know that what my government chooses to do today will affect the tommorrows of many generations to come.

I say this because I truly believe in my "gut", not my heart, that the only way we can preserve our democracy is by proving that the "world of order" benefits everyone while the "world of chaos" holds only fear and manipulation. "Hope," despite the mocking of sophomore English teacher, remains my favorite word because I know it will always be preferred alternative to despair.

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