Like Yesterday
I was fine until a few moments ago, while listening to the radio, the station played U2’s “Peace on Earth” behind comments from people who were there that day. They described seeing the second plane hit, or they described seeing people jumping from either of the towers. They described all the emotion and all the anguish of families looking for loved ones, or of friends who didn’t come out. I sobbed. I sobbed as I did the day it happened. And then, when I heard the voice of the President describing the reason for the attacks being our freedom, I was angry. That’s too pat an answer, sir. It’s also a lie to tell us that there was no forewarning – there was. The tune changed shortly after the words were spoken. So what are we to believe?
I suppose, five years later, it’s not uncommon to point the finger of blame and to get angry at all that has transpired (and frankly, hasn’t transpired) since that day. So allow me that, please. Allow too that we want answers. We want honest responses to what you knew, what you didn’t know, and what you’re doing to make sure it won’t happen again. And please, don’t point to the “war on terror” as proof of what you’ve done. I want real action – how much of our foreign policy has been re-examined? How much of what kind of controls we have in other countries have been considered as possible causes? What have we done to try to understand other cultures and respect that they are not like us, nor should they be? Has anyone at all listened to the underlying message? If so, what are you doing about it? And how exactly are you going to stop another country or faction from getting just as angry if you’re still operating “business as usual”?
People don’t just wake up one day and say, “Hey, I think this is a good time to start terrorizing the US.” There’s a reason (or more than one reason) why it happened. In all this post-9/11 planning and strategizing, has anyone at all listened to the message for the reasons?
In my most basic of PR and Communication classes, I was taught to ignore the emotion and the action and get to the point – the message. You cannot effect change successfully without finding out what the hell the other side wants. Yes, they’re terrorists. Yes, they are guilty of killing thousands. No, I’m not advocating negotiating with terrorists. But before, during and after they became terrorists, they had concerns – concerns that were not heard.
Perhaps it’s not a good time for me to be writing about this. But perhaps tomorrow, the message won’t be heard. My guess is it won’t be heard today, either. Until we have leadership’s ear – you know, that leadership that is supposed to be working FOR us, not against us – things will remain status quo. And God help us if it does.
You articulated it better than I ever could have.
Sweetie, I read your post. I defer to your description. You inspired me to write this. :))