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Boy, was I mad.
I can still remember vividly waking up to a friend at the door. He walked in and said, "Have you heard?" He told me we were under attack.
I turned on the TV, and sure enough, there was the world trade center with two gaping holes, billowing smoke. You all know what happened then, and you all felt like I felt, I'm sure.
A bit of horror, a bit of disbelief, and a whole lot of shock.
Fortress America. Its walls had been breached, and the cockroaches had gotten in.
When I finally realized what was going on, both from items on the news and my own reasoning, I was mad. Boy, was I mad. How dare they? What makes them want to do such things? And, of course, the resounding, final, and most significant thought...: They will pay.
I felt it, and I knew I was right. They had struck into the center of our biggest city, knocking down two great monuments, killing thousands upon thousands in a short time. Not only that, but they had also hit the Pentagon, the center of the strongest military the world had ever seen. Another plane had probably been headed to DC, either to the white house or the other side of Pennsylvania Ave, but it had gone down mysteriously. I was mad.
And so was the rest of America. It was almost a mob mentality. Let's get em. There is no quarter for these animals. They will feel our wrath, and see the error in attacking us. This wrong shall be made right. We were mad.
People put flags on their cars, on the windows of their houses, on WebPages, even the news channels had little animated flags with their station's emblem embedded into it. Attack on America, they all said, as we sang "Proud to be an American" at the top of our lungs.
We pulled together. The majority of the civilized world backed us up, their leaders making statements of support, their people with tears in the streets. Even the Great Bear, Russia, expressed its deepest sympathy and pledged its aid. Great Britain played the national anthem at Buckingham Palace, and, in turn, brought tears to our eyes. We were mad, but we had friends.
We knew who the bad guys were. They were the same as always, be he Osama Bin Laden with his Al-Qaeda, or Hamas, or Hizballah, or Arafat's own Al-Aqsa Brigade. And we would not rest until they were taken down. Mad.
Still, after fighting so many years against racism and general prejudice, we had the presence of mind to remember that not ALL Arabs are terrorists. There are some peace-loving Muslims. And in this, we enhanced our strength, but lost some direction for our anger. For now we knew that there was an enemy hiding amongst us, but we could not identify him from looks alone. But we would find him, and he would pay. Because we were mad.
Some said it was a wake-up call to America. That she had become too complacent, overconfident. None denied that, but America yelled a resounding, "Not any more!" When our President, who enjoyed a popularity count of over 90%, sent the troops over to Afghanistan to take our revenge, we backed him fully. There were a couple dissidents, certainly, but they were booed and hissed, and soon sat in a corner, miffed. And America went over in all her strength, and the world of Afghanistan changed. We were mad, and so were our B-52s.
And now, we all look back. With sadness, and a little leftover determination. But now, people are saying that Palestine, a land of known terrorists, is being wronged by Israel. Arguments ensue, naturally. Who was there first? Who has a right to live there? How can you go against the Jews after all they suffered? How can you think the Palestinians deserve any leniency after the way they support known terrorists? How can you hate America so much?
And we can look back again, and see something else. We have become mad. Shaking with rage. It may be dying down, but it will never go away. But, as you can recall, maybe, when you were angry once with a friend, and you said some harsh words that shouldnt have been said. And you felt a little regret. And you steel yourself, saying that they deserved it, the Taliban should have known what would happen. An eye for an eye.
The arguments persist, however. And, once in a while, you notice that some arguments are getting harder and harder to refute. How can America scream about being wronged when it uses indiscriminate bombs and kills civilians? They had it coming, we reply. But there isnt the same force to it any more. Something's changed. With the anger subsiding, we can see a little of the wreckage left behind. And you have to ask yourself, "Since when, at what juncture, did I believe that two wrongs made a right?"
How can a rational people, especially one that prides itself on freedom and equality, march with wanton abandon simply because it has been wronged? Where did our patience go, our even, cool heads? What happened to Idealism, the need to do the right thing, whatever the cost? Was this not what our heroes are so idolized for? The Founding Fathers, when they rebelled against the crown, in the name of Freedom? They lost everything, some even lost their families, all in the name of that which is right. Martin Luther King, Jr., when he marched against white supremacy, knowing full well the mortal danger that lay ahead. Even our military heroes, who jumped into combat, alone with a single rifle, to pull out wounded, despite risking their lives, and even losing it in most cases. Those we follow after, that we look upon with such awe, did the right thing, despite the consequences. And now, we charge full ahead, slaying all that block our way, and for what reason?
Because we were mad.
We lost our heads, lost our cool. And even now, tho the doubt may be behind some eyes, we have trouble facing that. We indulged our rage, let it reign free. The death toll at the WTC is but a pale shadow to what we've "achieved" in Afghanistan.
Did we do the right thing? I don't know. I just know that now, as the red curtain slowly draws back from my eyes, I'm not as certain as I once was. Did we act in a just manner, simply because we had a just cause? Does our suffering make it alright to cause more? Is an eye for an eye neccessary? Is it right? Or does it just leave us with two people who have no depth perception? ;)
"What can you say about a country that even protects those that try to destroy it?"
"God Bless America."
Feldegast
