911 Again!

Its that day again, September 11th, the only date that means something than just a reference to a 24 hour period.

The strange thing is I don’t feel any safer or anymore fearful. (Well at least from dying.)

If we were really worried about saving the most lives we wouldn’t fight the “war on terrorism.” We’d be fighting the war against stupid irrational driving or better yet the war against obesity, or apathy, or ignorance, or malnutrition. (Perhaps fat transplants, take it out of the obese and inject it into the malnourished, but I digress.)

Declaring a war on apathy or stupid irrational driving of course is a ludicrous idea. Nobody would last 24 seconds at a west wing lawn podium announcing such an initiative. Why? Because these are attitude adjustments and not battles to be fought. We are not fighting the war on terrorism, instead we are fighting the war against non-security oriented mindsets. Again a ludicrous “war” against attitudes.

The “war on terrorism” will never end; its the nature of the beast. Its not to say that there hasn’t been some good out of this “war”. The fact that we have one department charged with protecting the security of the country is a good thing.

But I think we’ve lost the war. Why? Because when you interview security screeners they’re just looking for a job, states still have insecure ID systems, people are so concerned with themselves and self focused to actually give a damn about national security. They want it to be someone else’s problem, but they don’t want to lose any rights.

So which do you give up? Anyone who does this life calculus comes to one of two binary answers derived from their value of freedoms. Either they value their freedoms and are willing to bear the slight additional risk, or like insurance obsessed freaks feel a need to reduce risk at all costs no matter if it costs more than its worth.

But who is the enemy now? I miss Saddam Hussein because he at least provided a focus, now we’re left with “Dark Actors” to quote a victim of the war on terror.

Last year’s effort was better, read it.