It is not surprising to see that the fickleness of the American people has not changed. Sept. 11 was a wake up call to all Americans one that they heard loud and clear. In the days following 9/11 Americans hailed firefighters, police officers and members of the armed services as heroes. They were treated with respect and admiration everywhere they went. These men, women and many volunteers replaced multi-million dollar athletes and actors as our national celebrities.
Americans rushed out to stores across the country to purchase their “Patriot Kits” by the millions. By Patriot Kits I mean the American flag for their homes, the FDNY T-shirts and hats to wear to the office and sporting events, and their American flag pin to put on purses and book bags. All of these items were purchased with the hope of being the fashionably patriotic American. Then there was the approval rating of our president, which soared when he came out and denounced terrorism and took a strong stand in defense of our country against the potential for further attack. The American people demanded revenge for the actions of Sept. 11, which killed nearly 3,000 innocent Americans, and revenge is what they got.
Flash forward to almost a year and a half later and America is a much different nation of people. Firefighters and police officers have been reduced to nothing, if not villains. For example at Ohio State University they had beer bottles and curses thrown at them as they tried to protect and serve; so much for the parades and support for them a short time ago. And the men and women in the armed services who received so much thanks and support now enjoy insults and the potential of enduring a war with no support from the people of America. Then there are the Patriot Kits that went out of fashion. Flags only wave at the homes of those who had them long before it was fashionable, the FDNY T-shirts and hats are left in the bottom of closets and drawers with other bygone fashions and the flag pins that have fallen off purses and book bags or were broken have not been replaced. Last but not least, our president is still doing what we demanded of him on the horrific day in September, but now with little support and a low approval rating.
This is a wake up call to Americans; we can no longer live this fickle lifestyle. War is very real. People will die and they will be our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters and family. Memorials will be raised in their honor and millions will grieve for their loss. The terrible truth remains that though war may go in and out of popularity, death will always be permanent and forever. No one truly wins at war; it is not a game to be idly played over oil, or control of a forsaken piece of sand. And that is not what this war is about. This is about a tyrant who murders, exiles and silences hundreds of thousands of people without thought or care. This is about a man who does not answer to the laws of man or the laws of the world. To those “human shields” out there who want to go to Iraq to save their people: What about our people? Why don’t you line up around our battalions of troops, our carrier ships in the Gulf or our Marines who will be subjected to guerilla warfare in the streets of Baghdad? These are the soldiers who would lay their lives down for you. Why wouldn’t you be willing to lay your life down for them?
