9/11 Anniversary

Good morning. It is Friday and this for many is a reason to cheer. It is a big day for many being 9/11, a day that has changed the world at large, directly or indirectly. It also gave governments and spy agencies a good excuse to invade our privacy and spy on whoever they want to, in the name of national security of course.

Many will remember watching the news reports that allowed us to see the planes smashing into the twin towers, over and over and over again. We were glued to our television sets, even though the same news was broadcast over and over and over. Who will forget the massive dust cloud when the towers collapsed.

Then came the televised wars. I mean wow, war brought to our living rooms, better than any reality TV. Reporters running round with troops, making us feel as though we were right there with them. Glamourising war it seemed. At that time the public was so shocked and disgusted by the terror attacks that the invasion of Mars would have seemed a brilliant option, if of course George W had told them that he martians were behind the attacks.

Then came the troop casualties and the doubts and with it, ground support for the war to come to an end grew and grew. However, at this time, there was so much of the war machine operating in Afghanistan and a bit later, in Iraq, that it was too late to simply withdraw. (Yet despite all the conspiracy theories, the protesting against the war, the loss of ground level support for him, old George W, still managed a second term...?}

Eight years on, the troops are still there, still dying daily. Obama is now set to pull out of Iraq, despite the daily bomb attacks and political unrest caused my the 'justified' invasion. However, more war equipment and troops will be sent to Afghanistan to fight the evil Taliban and terrorists. More and more fathers and mothers. More and more sons and daughters.

I just wonder if this is really helping? Killing militants is great for news and I am sure makes some sleep better, thinking that each is another terrorist gone. Still, I am sure there are, in most big cities, terrorist cells sitting, planning some kind of attack against the so called free world. It suites them to allow the world to think Afganistan is the breeding place of terrorists.

It is time for a new approach perhaps. Just the rest of the Western world, the US public is tired of war, they don't seem to support the Afgan war anymore, as they don't support their troops dying in Iraq. Who can justify the death of so many children, or even adults not fighting, whole families...is that not in itself equal to the same thing they are fighting against?

Do I have the answer- wish I did. It is something that should be discussed, debated to find new ways to combat terror, to maybe open discussion with other religions or people who oppose us and our views. Maybe find some common ground.Until we do, we will continue killing each other, as we always have done.