The Looming Tower is before us...

The Looming Tower is the famous title of the book written about 9/11. Lots of reflections have taken place since that book was released. What we have gained and what we lost has been reflected upon in great detail as we marked the 20^th Anniversary of 9/11 in this country.

The type of things we value were on display. Law enforcement heroes and firefighters who showed courage in the face of looming disaster were remembered and honored. The heroes of the doomed Pennsylvania flight who chose to take the plane down rather than allow the evil hijackers to assault the government were praised and lauded.

What we cherish was on full display. How we learned to grieve is part of our legacy. The long road back to restore the pride of our New York skyline was another tale. We even debated, in the tradition of Americans, how to remember the Towers and the legacy that they left to us. It was also a stark reminder of why we went to fight in Afghanistan.

In all of these memorials, we unearthed a final piece to the puzzle. We found the answer by unraveling another important and vitally sad truth. The best of the nation somehow was lost after 9/11. What is good about America has been lost in our recent battles.

Our Looming Tower is now with us daily. It’s the shadowy figure of a hulking tower of malice that resides in Mar-a -Lago. The Looming Tower is manifest from January 6th attacks on our Capitol. And the threats remain. There is a threat of continued violence from terrorists. But the real threat to the democracy comes from within.

Our Looming Tower is upon us. We have challenges this very month from the legacy of hatred and bigotry and division that were sowed throughout the Trump Presidency. That is why we have seen people working to try and unite a divided Nation. The Looming Tower before us also crumbled from the latest Pandemic that showed so many of our internal weaknesses. There is a starkly vivid contrast between the rich and the poor in this country. It showed with the lack of health care provided to the poorest and most vulnerable and a lack of caring for our fellow citizens.

The Looming Tower is before us. The threat that we face is one that we can plainly see is coming from within the building. And the loss of our democracy is the greatest blow to shatter and fall into pieces we can never pick up. That is the looming threat we face.

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