Ten years ago on the anniversary of 9-11 I wrote:
Television, news magazines, and newspapers have beaten us over the head with non-stop discussions, ceremonies and interviews. It has been ad nauseam repetition. It’s as if no one is aware of what had happened and the media needs to keep retelling the same thing over and over.
Unfortunately the cost to all Americans is great. We have spent lives and money chasing an enemy that will not be easily stopped. Our government has done a mediocre job of preventing another attack. Travel to NYC, San Francisco, Los Angeles or any other city and you will see that ports are unprotected, bridges poorly guarded, and large entertainment media facilities unprepared for another attack. Just the other day, I read in the Los Angeles Times that fire and police agencies still do not communicate on the same air frequencies.
Overseas, rather than chasing al-Qaeda we have focused on nation building in Iraq and Afghanistan. Arab terrorists must be happy to watch us waste our resources in battles we cannot win.
There seems to be a light in the tunnel as conservative Republicans have questioned our purpose in other nations. It appears we are starting to learn we cannot steer world affairs. There is hope!
What changed in the past ten years? Nothing.
President Biden finally ended a war that the past two presidents tried to end but politics got in the way. Sadly our military and embassy led our government to believe Afghanistan was being built into a western style democracy that could survive and stand on its own.
Have we learned anything? I doubt it!
Coast Contact 