On 9/11, we mourned the almost 3,000 Americans viciously ripped away from us by the hands of terrorists. Post-9/11, 22 years later, we’ve lost over 10,000 US soldiers. We’ve also lost over a million Iraqi and Afghan civilians who had nothing to do with this war on terror.
We spent $8 trillion on this war and would be hard-pressed to find a single person who says we are safer or closer to justice due to it.
After 22 long and painful years, I hope that future generations resort to diplomacy and justice rather than war and violence.
Post 9/11
In the post-9/11 era, we’ve now begun to whitewash it as this moment of unity with Internet memes talking about how the country came together after 9/11 on 9/12 but is no longer that way. This is wishful thinking.
If you believe after 22 years, there’s more unity, then you’re not aware of the increase in hate crimes on our BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities.
It also means ignoring:
- The Muslim ban.
- The CIA torture program.
- Extrajudicial drone strikes.
- Six years of NYPD illegal spying on American Muslims.
- The dozens of states that passed anti-Sharia legislation.
- The Patriot Act, which allowed warrantless searches on US citizens.
- Guantanamo Bay and the prisoners held there illegally without due process of law.
All of this is a denial of the due process guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. The so-called unity was if you supported what George W. called a crusade.
The unity was if you unquestionably supported George Bush when he said, “You’re either with us or you’re with the terrorists.” He famously said this line to whitewash the killing of thousands of Afghan and Iraqi civilians.
Flight 93
On 9/11, Flight 93 crashed in Pennsylvania. It was the last plane, and it was headed to the U.S. Capitol to attack the seat of our democracy.
All of the things that America is and represented in the terrorists’ eyes in the world were to be attacked that day. The World Trade Center represented America’s economic power. The Pentagon was attacked for America’s military power.
The people aboard Flight 93 fought the hijackers, and they crashed the plane into a field and protected the U.S. Capitol. Their last act as Americans on this earth was to protect the seat of our democracy and the U.S. Capitol.
And here we are 20 years later, on January 6th, 2021, the war on terror continues.
A small group of United States citizens smashed the windows to the U.S. Capitol, threw the flag on the ground, and rubbed shit on the walls.Let alone the people who died from the January 6th event.
At the hands of a small group of United States citizens, they helped Osama bin Laden who was killed over 20 years ago, win on January 6th.
We also spent trillions of dollars to fight two wars. The Afghan and Iraqi wars.
We’re back where we started. More divided than ever, and our democracy is on life support.
We Can Do Better
The unity we need is one based on our U.S. Constitution where there’s due process of law and equal justice for all people regardless of faith, color, creed, or nationality.
Let us honor the memory of those lost on 9/11 by upholding justice by demanding due process of law as our Constitution requires.
Love isn’t just a word, it’s an action that calls to uphold justice for all people. Join the fight for justice because justice can’t wait. Help fight the war on terror.