hadn't thought of the jumpers before. news reports spoke of it, but didn't give a sense of scale. a good article, one that makes me think. i was right there with him until he went decidely anti-war, almost as far as to say the trade center was not an attack, that there was no clear-cut enemy. seems to me, the idea of a clear-cut enemy has always been a fiction. our government was looking for a reason to enter WWII, but was everyone at hiroshima our enemy? were all the nations participating in WWI really angered by the assassination - and retaliation - of a prince
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The shining conclusion that stands out for me post-9/11 is just how much blood and treasure the US has spilled in the wars following that attack. There's no doubt in my mind that the US would not be in the precarious financial position it currently is, had they not spent the hundreds of billions they did on Iraq and Afghanistan.
Even beyond the philosophical arguments against the form of retaliation the US chose to adopt, I think there are countless tactical and judgment errors made which increased the costs of waging these wars manyfold. A lot of US businesses and individuals have feathered their nests pretty thickly as a result of these wars; that sort of thing is a lasting painful legacy, in my opinion.
Not to mention the horrible treatment received by first responders in NYC themselves. I've heard many stories about health care coverage being revoked, families of first responders not being adequately compensated, all sorts of awful stuff.
Forgot to mention Homeland Security. That's a fucking débacle of the highest possible order. Billions and billions spent on useless technology that doesn't appreciably reduce terrorist threats. A bunch more guys have made themselves extremely wealthy off those contracts, too.
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Even beyond the philosophical arguments against the form of retaliation the US chose to adopt, I think there are countless tactical and judgment errors made which increased the costs of waging these wars manyfold. A lot of US businesses and individuals have feathered their nests pretty thickly as a result of these wars; that sort of thing is a lasting painful legacy, in my opinion.
Not to mention the horrible treatment received by first responders in NYC themselves. I've heard many stories about health care coverage being revoked, families of first responders not being adequately compensated, all sorts of awful stuff.
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