For some people, it was the bombing of Pearl Harbor or the assassination of President Kennedy. For me, it was the 9/11 attacks--that event in one's lifetime where you are asked, "where were you when this happened?". I was in 111 Noyes Lab, one of the chemistry buildings on the campus of the University of Illinois. My fellow students were coming into the classroom talking about an attack that had happened. At that time, it was rumored that the White House was on fire. Later, we all came to find out that hijacked planes had been flown into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and a fiery crash had occurred in Pennsylvania. Thousands of Americans died. It was the first time in my 18 years that I felt scared and vulnerable because I lived in America. Nothing like this had ever happened in my lifetime. I remember shuffling back to my dorm after class passing some Gideons who were passing out Bibles. I had a Bible and was a Christian already, but I took a Bible from them anyway. I needed that reassurance. Looking back, it was providential that September 11th was the day of their once a semester Bible handout.
That is the picture of 9/11 that is burned in my mind. Every time I hear news about the war in Afghanistan, that is what comes to mind for me. I anticipated President Obama's speech yesterday with cautious optimism that he was going to make the right decision. I wasn't able to watch his speech live so I cannot judge his delivery, tone, or body language, but I was able to read his speech.
To be honest, I was surprised that authorized as many troops as he did, but still not as many as General McChrystal requested. Of course, he didn't mention why it took him three months to make this decision, but what can you expect from someone who took 6 months to pick out a dog. As I read the President's speech I noticed that the White House inserted (applause) into the parts of the speech where the West Point cadets applauded. This means that the word applause was in the transcript 6 times more than either the word "win" or "victory", which weren't in there at all. He spoke more of a undefined exit strategy than he did of a bold victory strategy. War is not a pretty thing by any stretch of the imagination, but in the event that it is necessary, as the President said during the campaign, it must be fought with conviction, boldness, and with wholehearted support from the Commander-in Chief. I didn't see that with the President's rhetoric. From the excerpts of the speech that I saw, I did not hear passion in his voice. Defeat of al Qaeda is necessary, and the proper strategy is needed as is the proper support from the President. The troops need that. The families of the troops need that. The American people need that. They don't need a President referring to himself more than 50 times in a speech about a war strategy. They don't need a President who reads heartless words from a teleprompter rather than speaking words directly from his heart.
It is not only the President's rhetoric that concerns me. It is his action. Obama spoke in his speech of his intention to close Gitmo. That means that suspected terrorists will, as it stands now, potentially end up in a prison in the northwestern part of my state of Illinois. The President seems to support this as do the Governor and one of the Senators of my state. They do this all in name of supposed job creation. Yes, the area of the state where this prison lies is economically hurting, but our Governor has proposed laying off prison guards in another part of the state due to budget cuts. I guess it's OK to provide prison jobs as long as it is paid for by federal funds instead of state funds. I suppose I have digressed, but it's saddening to me how bringing terrorists to Illinois in the name of job creation is a good thing, especially when doing so brings the potential for indoctrination of other prisoners and the making of Illinois a potential target for attacks.
Additionally, the trial of the mastermind of the attacks will be tried in New York City. It seems that he will be given the same rights as any American citizen, even though he has confessed to taking away the rights of thousands of Americans. He will have the chance to plead the fifth and have an attorney. He is entitled to be tried justly, but to be given the rights of an American citizen and to be tried in a civilian, as opposed to a military, court is unacceptable.
The Obama administration must think that the world is the same as it was on 9/10/01. It isn't. Thousand of Americans have died, both civilians on the day of the attack and military personnel fighting for our freedoms. It's a post 9/11 world, Mr. President. Please act accordingly.
As I wrote this, I was reminded of song that was released shortly after the attacks. It is never more fitting than it is right now.
