The Attack Continues

Let me preface all of this by saying that the attacks of September 11, 2001 were horrific. Being televised, live, across the globe they will reverberate through history in a way that no other act of war ever could. And the subject itself is large for a blog post. The reasons for it, the full repercussions will not be known for generations.

But even before the first tower fell, the poetry of the attacks was clear. Those planes, while they hit the World Trade Center were really aimed at the world economy. It's tempting -- almost narcissistic -- to think that Al-Quaida had the sole objective of destroying the economy of the United States. Even someone who has only the most basic understanding of the economy knows that you cannot pull the American economy down without the entire economic world following it. The attack on the twin towers was a brilliant attack in that in a single blow it started a chain of events, it planted the seeds that are beginning to bear fruit.

It's now clear that to anyone who was paying attention exactly how George W. Bush would react to the attack, even if the specifics could not be clear. Blind rage is of course the natural response, but it takes someone with emotional maturity to resist the temptation of a knee-jerk reaction, not be ruled by that natural response. George W. Bush = emotional maturity? Not. A man known for his braggadocio, his studied, manufactured swagger and his renowned lack of intellectual curiosity is easily manipulated. And an American public that is encouraged to revere and emulate such qualities, who want a president they'd want at a backyard barbecue and not one who might actually be smarter then the average bear, quite frankly get what they deserve.

I'm angry. Much like the George Bush ignoring memos brought to him saying that Bin Laden intended an attack, Americans ignored the warning signs in the economy. As a nation we fail to connect the dots, we fail to realize that a fascination with blond starlets and allowing that fascination to dominate the media obscures and clouds the focus of real issues. We fail to realize that real issues will not be ignored. The result of of us watching I Love New York instead of reading a newspaper is that millions of people are losing their jobs, homes, dreams, and lives. An entire generation, if not more, will be saddled not only with the economic but the social responsibility of rebuilding Western culture. It will be done, but in many ways we are looking at an economic, social, and political dark age.

I, however, do not believe this dark age will last for generations. Two years tops. First, I have great faith in Barak Obama. With every passing day I believe a great man has arisen from the American populace and is equal to the challenge facing us as a nation. Much in the way that Roosevelt rebuilt the country from the Depression and guided us through World War II, I believe Obama will lead us through this. I know that how that reads. I realize that Obama is not perfect. I understand that my belief is based on a carefully crafted image, but to be honest what choice do we have?

I also believe that modern technology, which has contributed to our current difficulty, will also contribute to our salvation. Action can be taken in much swifter measures and results will be seen in hours and days where it might have taken weeks and years eighty years ago.

Yes, these are ugly times, but I truly believe that our best days are ahead of us and that it takes a crisis to stiffen our resolve, to wake us up and focus us on a common goal. It is by rebuilding Western culture that the lives lost on September 11 will be redeemed. It is for the new America, the new Western culture that their lives were sacrificed and I believe that Barak Obama will be the man to make good on that sacrifice.