Reflections...

On the afternoon of April 15, 2013 I was home with my husband. I was prepping the ingredients for our dinner for that evening. We were laughing, talking and just enjoying each others company. As usual the television in the kitchen was on, when all of a sudden out of nowhere there was an interruption on the news about what was happening in the 117th Boston Marathon. We both sat down watching in disbelief as another terrorist attack was unfolding in our own backward. My first thoughts were for real? How can this be? It felt surreal. I saw the images on the television but couldn't believe it was happening. I remember my husband saying god bless those people and give them strength. I felt the pain of those poor people as if it was me in the middle of that chaos. How I would freak out, feel confused, scared, and not be sure of what to do or where to go. How can somebody in the middle of all that chaos know where it was safe to go?

The city and our Government learned that the country is still vulnerable to terrorist attack. The nation realized that the "war on terror" as President Bush declared isn't over. The world learned that people will do evil and cowardly things to make their points, and that Boston citizens are tough and don't cave in to terrorism. We are Boston strong. We all saw the bystanders that run into the blast to help out their fellow citizens.That horrible event also showcased how as Richard Serino stated in his statement to the hearing for Lessons Learned from the Boston Marathon Bombings: Preparing for and Responding to the Attack on July 10, 2013 "It was an amazing example of humanity, service and teamwork". In the same hearing Boston Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis, III stated that "The community plays one of the most important roles in our Nation’s fight against terrorism. They contributed to the success, efficiency and safe resolution of the investigation by providing videos, photographs, information and sheltering in place." Dr. Arthur L. Kellermann stated that "Boston’s responders were both lucky and good". The real lesson learned in this horrible event is that we as people don't really have the power to stop a lone wolf intent in hurting people, but we have the power to live and help those in need.



As a society we have to understand that terrorism is a form of manipulation. It is meant to terrify a community to despair and and give in to the terrorist demands. So what do we do about it? We do like that old British propaganda saying "Keep Calm Carry On". We don't let the terrorist dictate how we live. We live our lives without fear even if the possibility of an attack is around the corner. The minute we lock ourselves away and stop living freely we lose to the terrorist. We become stronger by continuing living and not fearing. We remember the victims of these horrible acts and turn it into moments of solidarity. Our next steps should be to identify how this happened. How a person living in this country can so easily turn into a lone wolf terrorist and use the very freedoms guaranteed by our constitution to terrorize.

The latest terror threats we receive are from Muslims extremist intent on harming the west by any means necessary. As a country we need to look into the war on terror, and be honest in determining if these wars have made us safer or left us with more enemies. In an analysis by James L. Payne of Osama's bin Laden's statements and interviews documented in the book "Messages to the World (2005)" by Bruce Lawrence 72% of bin Laden's statement revolve around "Criticism of U.S./Western/Jewish aggression, oppression, and
exploitation of Muslim lands and peoples". The percentage is staggering and telling if the ill will towards the west comes from our involvement with Muslims lands and it's people ,then why not give the terrorist what they want. Let's leave those country alone. Let them figure out what they want for their own lives, governments, and countries.

People do horrible things and this is nothing new. After all we been dealing with terrorism for decades, prior to 9/11 we had domestic terrorist. We have people dying through mass shootings in schools, malls, and churches. We also have empathetic, altruistic and brave people that jump into the fray and help out others. That characteristic of the american psyche is was makes me proud to be an american. We are strong, independent and don't give up easily.

9/11 did we make a mistake?

On September 11, 2001 the world as we knew it changed. It was the day that no american ever expected to see in their lifetimes. An attack on multiple sites at a massive scale on American soil. The country of the free and the brave was given a black eye, beaten down and left on the ground crying. The attack, perpetrated by al-Qaeda, turned  our own planes into missiles that went straight into the leadership of our military in the Pentagon and our financial power house in the world trade center. Almost three thousand lives where lost that day. It was more than the lives taken in Pearl Harbor and once again it had awaken a sleeping giant.

The attack change the blundering Bush administration from a vacationing President to as he called himself a "War President" with War in his mind. It also changed the American psyche forever. It made terrorism something that no longer happened in other places but could happen to them at anytime. That fear was then played up by the Bush administration to make sweeping changes to our government and country. The administration led the country into two wars. In October 2011 with support from various NATO nations we invaded Afghanistan with the purpose of finding Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda. Later the administration started making the case to invade Iraq and according to Bush's Treasury Secretary,  Paul O'Neill, the administration was intent in removing Saddam Hussein from power prior to the terrorist attack on 9/11. The administration claimed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and wanted to use them on the United States. In an address to the nation on March 22, 2003 President Bush stated "our mission is clear, to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, to end Saddam Hussein's support for terrorism, and to free the Iraqi people." According to an article by Joby Warrick of the Washington Post WMDs or biological weapons where never found.

The administration also took this opportunity to create a new behemoth of an organization to rule all other intelligence agencies. The Department of Homeland security was born out of this chaos, not to mention the growth of what the Washington Post investigation called "Top Secret America"where over 850,000 people have top security clearances and large corporations are involved in this new business for profit. The patriot act was also created during this time and it gave those agencies broad scope in powers that allowed them to eaves drop on all American citizens.

The administration used the terrorist attack to push this country into a war on terrorism. The reaction and response to the terrorist attack was overkill. It created fear and suffering not only in this country but through out the world. The intent presented to the public was to make america safe from terrorism.

There are various people that believe the war with Iraq was worth it. James Phillips Senior Research Fellow for Middle Eastern Affairs at the Heritage Foundation stated that "...the Iraq war was a risk worth taking". Abraham Sofaer George P. Shultz Distinguished Scholar and Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution stated "...the war was worth the cost, for one reason above all: It freed the world of a dangerous, determined, and irrational leader..." CBS News national security analyst Juan Zarate believes that we are much safer now in this new world than what we were in 2001. He believes we have better intelligence sharing and cooperation around the world. He states "the proof is in the pudding we've disrupted plots". The 9/11 Commission 10 year report card in conclusion states "Today, our country is undoubtedly safer and more secure

than it was a decade ago."

This is America's longest war and it hasn't succeeded in making America safer or stopping terrorism in the world. As the Tenth Anniversary Report Card: The Status of the 9/11 Commission Recommendations states in the conclusion of their report "We have damaged our enemy,  but the ideology of violent Islamist extremism is alive and  attracting new adherents, including right here in our own country". According to a recent study conducted by a collaboration of Universities and the Iraqi government there have been 500,000 deaths in Iraq alone. Think about how many of those family left suffering blame their condition to United States rash decision to go to war. We are no closer to winning this war on terror. We have provided the necessary anger, frustration, hate needed for disenfranchised Muslims to join in bin Laden's Jihad for years to come. In the process we have lost 8,400 precious soldiers and over 50,000 of those brave souls have sustained injuries. We have spent 1.7 trillion dollars in the war in Iraq alone and now a Harvard study projects that in the decades to come the cost of the Iraq and Afghanistan war will reach 4 to 6 trillion dollars. The wars during the Bush administration created ill will towards America. Committed billions of dollars into destroying a country and then trying to rebuild the same. All the while American citizens where losing their jobs and homes and where constantly being stressed out with warnings of possible terrorist attacks. America is worst off now than it was prior to the wars.