Editorial #319 Did 9/11 Teach Us Anything?
We all know where we were on September 11, 2001. It was another day that lives in infamy just like November 22, 1963 and December 7, 1941. But what is the infamy that we are supposed to remember?
No one can forget where they were, if they were alive, on those days. We were suddenly thrust into a surreal world that was unbelievable and too incredible to think these sorts of things could happen, much less affect us so deeply in our little corner of the world.
We will again see a September 11 pass on the calendar. That date will always remind us of something that happened decades ago. But now we are wondering how can things be still happening, because of 9/11, that again are unbelievable, surreal and incredible, causing us to again have the same feelings we had 20 years ago, in our little corner of the world?
We are told to learn from history. The best way to learn anything is to be able to teach others to do the right things learned from experience. Do we need to touch a hot stove again to know it will burn?
The pain we feel is the hurt from loss and embarrassment of making mistakes that should have been avoided. The logic used in making any management decision is to know what to do because of knowing what works, and not looking at the mistakes that should never be repeated to see if the outcome will be different this time.
How to end our nation’s longest war was not supposed to be a publicity stunt or an attempt to spin it by praising those who are trying to help the others left behind trying to salvage what little dignity remains because of this stunt.
The unintended consequences of most political mistakes are usually just wasted tax dollars. But this withdrawal, around the commemoration of 9/11, borders on treason with the consequences living far into the future. The precedence regarding our world standing and credibility with our allies is seriously damaged that will take decades to repair.
There is a saying: “Everybody is good for something, if only to show what a bad example looks like.” I only pray the lessons we learned over the past few weeks regarding this war on terror can somehow lower the future price of lives and treasure used trying to keep the world safe.
This is Keith Kube wishing you the best in making the world a better place.
Keith has a regular commentary on WJAG 780 radio at 7:40 on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Check his website www.keithkube.com for past editorials.
