September 11

Six years ago. We all lived through that terrible day. We were glued to television to become eyewitnesses to the most horrific one day tragedy in our nation's history. We cried, we cringed, we feared. Yet we were never truly defeated. Collectively we vowed to rebuild and to take down those who perpetuated the evil destruction that cost over three thousand lives. Looking back to such an event does not emote nostalgia but it does reflect on an innocency that no longer is there. Democrat or Republican. Blue or Red. It did not matter. We cheered for the firefighters and police. We were initially led by a courageous Rudy Giuliani who we put much of our trust in. Although absent at first, we even ran to President Bush's side and followed him as he embraced those toiling in the remnants of the trade towers. He said we would find the guilty ones and bring them to justice. We believed. We prayed that he would be the one to help us in the physical and spiritual rebuilding. But now six years past and how we were deceived. Deceived into a wrong turn into a war that might never end. Deceived into allowing almost four thousand more to die in a country which had nothing to do with the infamous act. Deceived into letting thousands more bear the marks of war while we partied and played and followed Paris and Britney. To imagine that on this very day, the long awaited war report from General Petraeus would be heard. How did Congress fall for this? Should there not have been a solemn closing of the government for the day? Instead Bush has gotten his wish. By holding the Iraq hearings on September 11, this new American holy day, the President hopes to permanently link and sear into our brains that his Iraq policy is one and the same with the tracking down of bin Laden and the real criminals of 9/11. The question now is will enough of us be fooled into believing his twisted logic and fall prey to his deceit. If we don't awaken from these lies a whole generation will be defined not by September 11 but by a needless war in Iraq.