by Joseph Carlson
So, when all the dust has settled and all the conspiracy theories get voiced the one thing that remains true of 9/11 is, that we were not prepared. The report spends the last fifty pages telling us what each agency could do and should do to help stop terrorist and make the middle east more stable.
The thing to take away though is that nothing is ever easy. From the FBI and the CIA not talking to each other, to the difficulty we had in dealing with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan there is not one silver bullet thing that could stop terrorism. What we can do though is take real lessons, which took a lot out of us as a nation, and really look at how we can change our policies and they way we interact with the wider world.
Unfortunately, it seems like the current administration doesn't want to listen to these lessons or even some people with experience. It is difficult sometimes to put into words so plainly as what was in the commission report. It would take weeks of dialogue and thought. With more committees and oversight, something that we have been doing for years.
Do things really change though? Can we point to anything as an improvement of that fateful day? It seems like now terrorist are becoming home grown. Natural born citizens are spray painting buildings with hate, churches are place of violence and it seems that even today it is even difficult to go to a movie without something terrible happening.
Here's hoping tomorrow is better.
The 9/11 Commission Report is available digitally and at bookstores.
Let me know what you think in the comments below.