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.

Comments

Hillary and the Man in the Arena

From the standpoint of one who voted for and endorsed Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton, there seems to be a question hanging in the air. How could someone who opposed the Clintonian dynasty support Hillary’s bid for the Presidency? Isn’t it a bit hypocritical? Or at least inconsistent with the view previously taken? This is true for many supporters of Obama. Some on the left cannot support her bid for President.They see many of her acknowledged flaws and conclude she cannot be a viable option. My view comes from watching her over the course of the past eight years, four as the Secretary of State within this Administration. And having watched the two debate in 2008- Obama vs. Hillary- there can be little question that the divide that separates them on most issues is a small one. Theirs is a centrist left view of the world. On Foreign Policy, I daresay that Hillary would never have worked for Obama had she held wildly opposing views from his own world view. But the...

What hath We Wrought?

If someone waking from a deep freeze just saw that tape where Trump was bragging off the record about the way he treated women, grabbing them by the crotch because they "let you do it", it would seem that so many red flags are raised that they would immediately conclude it as disqualifying for any candidate for higher office. It goes without saying that women are not objects, or something lesser to be grabbed and treated as toys or groped simply because someone believes themselves immune from the rules of polite society, an ethical code of conduct or common human decency. It was obvious that Trump couldn't handle even the small amount of power that is bestowed on a Hollywood TV Reality star. Why would anyone think that this person could handle the immense power and pressure that the highest office in the land entails? That does say something about the voters. Voters didn't vote simply for change, they voted for the strong man who didn't just fall to the top...

Are we even asking the right questions?

What is this about really? Are we somehow conflating this withdrawal with the idea of America as a superpower? Is it about American Exceptionalism and the idea that we have lost our innocence? Is this something that we will use to justify what we are doing in the world; where we are going, and what we want to be known for in the world? Just asking what we want to stand would be a good start in terms of questions going forward. This may be a conversation that needs to be had in the coming years. All of the talk, and the hopes and aspirations were discussed and mapped out before being put into the small 21st Century online political group that was created in 2017. The thoughts & ideas came from a hopeful take on the dark reflections seen in the election of Trump in 2016. Are we a country and a people that are even capable of building a better tomorrow? We need to be able to have this serious talk with Allies and others of good will; T...

Red State/Blue State

Search This Blog