Sept. 11, 2001, wasn't just a day, it was the beginning of an era. Now it is time to close that chapter and put it behind us so America can move forward and heal as a nation.

What started as a justified response became a descent into darkness, as we lost our way as a nation. From surrendering our privacy with the Patriot Act to our use of “enhanced interrogation” techniques, to abandoning our allies in the final moments of the war, history will not look kindly upon the course our nation chose to take.

(2) comments

DavefromConway

The problem Ray, is that the terrorists are not putting it behind them. They will attack again. As we say in the military, 'the enemy gets a vote'.

MEPD Ret

Ray, I agree with most of your well-thought-out opinion except for one particular sentence; "Now it is time to close that chapter and put it behind us so America can move forward and heal as a nation."

One of the problems that those who haven't experience the horrors of such events, is the tendency to lose that emotional connection and thereby lessen the meaning or significance of the event itself. When that happens, it becomes easier to distance ourselves and fall into a false sense of security or apathy and forget the lessons of our past.

Many of our future conflicts could be avoided if we look closely at the events that led to these touchstone moments and didn't "move forward" from their tragic outcomes. History has a funny way of repeating itself because of history ignored, forgotten, or removed.

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