9/11 And The Politics Of Fear

We all know about 9/11, not much needs to be said about this, where we were, how we felt, and how we reacted. Our President was fast to condemn the attackers (and rightfully so) and pledged to "find them dead or alive" and "smoke them out" of their caves, well, good for him. Unfortunately, a few months after the attack, the same president stated that he was not that concerned about UBL and that he doesn't think about him a lot. That was a 180 degree change from previous statements, surprising many, that the one of the worst mass murders was not thought about anymore.

Meanwhile, the mass media kept on showing pictures of planes hitting buildings and buildings collapse and talking about how many have died as a direct result of those horific events. The nation was in a collective state of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome of sorts and being kept there, the fear card played happily and often by almost every member of this administration. I have often wondered if we were all held in some sort of mental captivity because of the images being repeated over and over and over again, resulting to some degree in collective Stockholm Syndrome (http://www.mental-health-matters.com/articles/article.php?artID=469, in which the administration claims that they are the only ones who can keep us safe or taken it a step further, to whom we owe the fact that we are, after all, still alive.

Using fear as a political play card, this admistration has been able to push through the Patriot Act, has circumvened the FISA court to spy on citizens without a warrant (that would most likely have been guaranteed by the FISA Court if asked for), has established rules for our handluggage for plane rides etc. It has also been able to convince some citizens and most lawmakers alike that we have to start a war with Iraq, because it would keep us safe, or safer, and by "fighting them there, we don't have to fight them here." If you ask me though, every American servicemember killed over there hits us here, because here is where we all feel the impact.

Shortly after 9/11, Jon Stewart from Comedy Central gave a lengthy monologue, at times fighting back tears as he summed up his reaction to these events. http://www.smithappens.com/flash/126/Daily-show-post-911-monologue.html. I think that he spoke for many of us with his heartfelt words.

But his sense of "fighting back" (as I interpreted his remarks) unfortunately turned out to be wishful thinking, especially after the US invaded Iraq. The fear card was still played over and over again and the same assertions repeated over and over again. We were warned to be vigilant when the threat level was raised (as it turned out later, many of those were for political reasons as former Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge asserted), while at the time we were told to just go about our lives as normal, but hey, do not forget theplastic sheets and the duct tape and don't forget to stop by your neighborhood grocer and stock up on tuna and crackers, and yes, watch out for pregnant women in New York subways, as they could be a decoy, really not being pregnant but carrying a dynamite laden belt under an oversized t-shirt. What is going on? My only possible answer is that they want us to be afraid and confused, because generally, fearful and confused people are irrational for the most part and can't be trusted to think for themselves so they gladly leave that part of their lives to the higher ups in the admistration to keep us safe.

Yes, there were the "Miami Seven" who apparently planned full-fledged attack against the US (with seven people, heck, my dog can take them down). Then the "foiled" plot in England a month or so ago, where the majority of the alledged plotters did not even have passports or tickets, but we leave the breastmilk and lipgloss at home, while still being able to carry a wrench and knitting needles.

In the past two weeks, again, almost every member of this administration has played the fear card again with the usual and a bit stale sound rhetoric. My six year old has begun to wonder and asks "why Bush can only talk about war?" A very wise observation indeed. Then comes the 5th anniversary of 9/11; I must say, CNN did a good job not showing many images of this fateful day, giving us at least a bit of a chance to recover from PTSD or Stockholm Syndrome :)

My 6-year old's homework assignment for this day was to wear red, white, and blue, which he did. He claimed on that morning that he remembers us watching the events on TV, and given the size of his brain and how he uses it, I would not put this past him. He is a sensitive little guy, needless to say, he was very upset that 9/11 happened and did shed a few tears that many people died that day. He was angry at the "people who snatched the planes" and wondered if they were from Iraq. I told him that they were from Saudi Arabia and he was getting a bit confused. I assured him that being confused about this was fine as his mother was confused as well. He wondered why people "were stupid and jumped out of windows. They knew they would DIE." Then I tried to explain to him that these poor people had to make a horrific choice regarding a "better" way to die, either jumping out of windows or being burned alive. As I was driving him to school, he was sobbing again, and went into a full fit of tears when he saw the flag at half staff, thinking it was "broken". Again, another attempt by me to explain why people fly flags on half staff at times.

Naive me thought that things with him would get better once the afternoon came around, but while driving later that day, the president's speech was on radio. My little guy heard him say something about "they want to kill Americans" which again brought on another flood of tears. I ended up stopping the car right were I was and reassured him that his chances of dying in a terrorist attack are about as high as being struck by lightning, twice, the same day, and that we are in more danger of "moronic drivers". Why I had to have these discussions with my 6-year old is beyond me. He should be thinking about Legos, dinosaurs, penguins, and what to read at night. Needless to say, I silenced Mr. Bush. I couldn't take it anymore.

Bush says that he is "fighting a war on terror". I think this is a misnomer and it be called "war on terrorism". Anyone supports this, if it is done right and the means needed (troops and FBI and CIA etc.) are not being diverted to some misguided adventures in the desert sands of ancient Mesopatamia. Yes, stay in Afghanistan, move everyone there and find that SOB OBL and that Mullah Omar and the other misguided individuals that have hijacked their own religion for political goals. Terrorism is an instrument and needs to be silenced.

Terror is a state of mind, the state of mind that I found myself in on Monday, September 11, 2006, when I looked at the terror-stricken face of my little guy hearing "they want to kill Americans." I don't want my son to grow up being terrorized by people that we are supposed to trust. Terror is what I felt when my husband told me he was going to Iraq in 2003, and again in 2005. Terror is what I felt for 12 months total when the phone rang at some un-godly hour, fearing the worst. Terror is what I felt when our friend Ken got blown up and burned by a landmine in Iraq. Terror is what I felt when I saw him at Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio. Terror is what I felt when I saw the fear for his live in his wive's and childrens' eyes. Terror is what I felt when he died. Terror is what I felt when I saw his family holding his dead body before the cuffin was closed one final time before he was taken to his final resting place. Terror is what I felt when I learned that another friend committed suicide in Iraq. Terror is what I feel every time when I hear of another service member being killed. Terror is what I feel when I think about their families left to grieve.

The response to the presidents speech was expected, each party accusing the other side of playing politics with 9/11. I had a lot of thoughts about that too, that instead of offering some hope and positive outlook when given the chance, this president again and again choose to play the fear card. Instead of remembering the dead and their families, he offered fear, tried to make vain connections between 9/11 and Iraq (more about that at a later point), in my opinion defending the undefendable. Keith Olberman summed up wonderfully in his commentary that same day. Since no comment is needed for what Keith had to say, here is the link: http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/09/11/keith-olbermanns-special-commnet-on-bush-who-has-left-this-hole-in-the-gr. Maybe the flag is broken.