22 years later.

That morning, I’d just gotten up, grabbed my computer and began the ritual of looking for a job over my morning coffee. I’d flipped on CNN, back when they were an actual source of information, instead of propaganda and sat in stunned disbelief watching the replay of the planes flying into the twin towers.

I’d missed the actual event due to the time change but witnessed the aftermath and knew that our country would never be the same.

I pounded my fists bloody on the floor in front of the television. Impotent rage at something that had already happened. I was young… just over 40. I was afraid for my brother who I knew was going to be in the thick of it.

I also decided at that moment to take the first opportunity to finally go work for the Military Industrial Complex. I was too old to join the military, but by God I could help to build shit to utterly destroy our enemies. Or, as it turned out, build shit designed to add to the safety of our troops.

On 9/11/2001 I’d have turned the entire Middle East to nuclear glass, and never thought about the millions sent to Allah. It was a safe bet 9/11 was some asshole from the Middle East, My thought was nuke ‘em all and then you don’t have to worry about ‘em ever again. This was especially true when I saw images of people in the Middle East celebrating. I’d have gladly made sure they were all well and truly fucked. I’d have smiled watching those fuckers die like cockroaches in a cheap apartment.

My other half came home from school early. The classes he’d been subbing for had been dismissed and the children sent home to be with their parents. He hugged me, calming my rage and hate. Then he cleaned and bandaged my bloody fists. He pointed out that my nuke ‘em all and let Allah sort ‘em out was pretty close to genocide and that wasn’t a good solution. I admitted he was right. We sat on the couch holding each other, watching the news coverage until it became obvious that the talking heads were repeating the same thing over and over again. We turned off the TV. When we went to bed that night we held each other tightly wondering if there would be more attacks while we slept.

As I said, I knew our country would be irrevocably changed. At the time I didn’t realize that the source of changes  would come from inside our borders, from our own people,  and indeed from within the halls of Congress. 

Later, I remember being uncomfortable with The Patriot Act. I went along with it because there wasn’t a choice (my voice mattered little,) but also on the assurances that The Patriot Act was a Temporary measure. That was back in the day when I has some measure of trust in our politicians and political process.

Well, The Patriot act has been temporary for 21 years and it isn’t going away any time soon.

I never thought that fear would end up being so potent a weapon that Americans, of all people would fall in line asking the Government to protect them, or that they’d be so willing to trade rights and freedoms for the illusion of government protection.

We should have been demanding answers of our Government. We should have demanded an explanation how they had so abjectly failed to protect our borders. You know, the primary thing the government is supposed to do… Not from a place of fear, but from a place of holding the politicians fully accountable for their failure.

Yes, there were hearings and investigations. There were a few “sacrificial lambs”.  “New” more powerful bureaucracies were born. But in the end, the people that were in power, and therefore responsible for this epic failure… Remained in power. Most of the policies that had allowed 9/11 to happen in the first place are still in force today. 

The only people who experienced limitations of their freedoms and rights post 9/11, were American Citizens. Illegal surveillance, censorship, “enacted for the public good,” any of this ringing a bell?

Our borders, which should have been closed on 9/11 at the ends of gun barrels, remained open and still remain open today.

The rationale was and is, “These poor migrants are looking for a better life.” That is a true statement. But the chaos of our border policies, and lax enforcement of expired visas and our not deporting people who have committed crimes (the first of which was entering the country illegally,) and all the rest of it has led to our not knowing who is within our borders.

These are exactly the same conditions the 9/11 hijackers exploited to launch their attack in 2001.

As we listen to Mayorkas in hearings, if you listen very closely, you’ll hear that our border is no longer being over-run by only people from Mexico or failed South American countries. You’ll hear that nationals from all over the world are being apprehended at the border and many more are “got aways”

In other words, another 9/11 is possible, and I’d say probable. If I were a son of a bitch like Osama bin Laden, I’d be planning some big assed 9/11 attack on the 25th anniversary. God knows, I’d have plenty of time to move assets in place. Even if 10% of my guys were stopped trying to cross the almost non existent border, I could still put enough bad guys in place with enough time and resources to make the 25th anniversary a real “blow out”.

Every time I hear Mayorkas telling us that the border is secure I ask myself, “Is he delusional, or is he an agent of a foreign power?”

It needn’t be a disgruntled islamic nation that sets up a 25th anniversary “party” for America. It could literally be any nation on Earth with an Ax to grind, or who seeks the overthrow and demise of our country. China, Russia, Iran, Ukraine (when we can’t afford to give them money and arms). Literally any nation on the planet that would love to see America go down could put their assets in place. 

But the greater threat is, what happens if several nations or theocracies combine forces?

9/11, as terrible as it was for us in 2001 apparently taught our leaders absolutely nothing. I am not saying for us to live in fear. We have the ability to fix the problem, what we appear to lack is the will. Perhaps more concisely we cannot force congress to execute our will. That is a serious problem because Congress doesn’t seem to remember they work for the American people. We should remind them!

Yes, today should be a day of remembrance for those victims of 9/11.

We should remember the valiant action taken by the passengers of Flight 93. We should bow our heads in prayer for all those first responders who died trying to save others, and those who died later of diseases caused by exposure to toxic materials. Many of those men and women rushed in, knowing the dust was likely dangerous, they heedlessly continued to search for, and help others, without any protection.

We should also see to it that nothing like 9/11 happens again. We should see to it our government is brought to heel, with the American people once agin holding the leash. That’s how I believe we should honor the fallen, not with grandiose speeches, empty promises, and outright lies. 

We should honor them by returning to the safety, freedom, and security, our country enjoyed pre 9/11.