Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Where I Stand — Brian Greenspun: In need of real resolve

WE RESOLVE to always remember Sept. 11, 2001. But, will we always remember it with resolve?

There was nothing else to think about Wednesday but 9-11 because, at least up until the time I am writing this, there was nothing else of note happening. Anywhere. That, of course, is good news.

Every television station, every newspaper, every conversation at and away from work centered on the tragic events of just one year ago. There was no way to escape the emotional grasp that enveloped every American. Should it have been any other way? Of course not, because Americans must never forget what happened to us one year ago. We must never become so insensitive to the destruction and devastation and evil that played out in our country that we would forget for one moment the pain, anger, frustration and, yes, even hate we felt toward the immorality that was visited upon us.

Nor should we ever forget the incredible acts of bravery -- whether it was the firefighters and police who went up those buildings when every survival instinct screamed at them to go down, or the brave souls aboard Flight 93 who made the selfless decision to give their lives so that a fourth airplane could not find its intended target in Washington, D.C., or the tireless acts of human kindness and remarkable resolve that followed in the wake of the devastation -- because those are the actions of real heroes. At a time when many in our country worshipped Madison Avenue heroes who never fit the mold, Sept. 11, regretfully, has given us the genuine article, thousands of them.

Assuming the rest of the day went incident free, an assumption any self-respecting optimist is allowed to make, the question remains: What's next?

I remember in the days following 9-11, when the country was still in shock and looked to Washington for leadership, it came in the form of President George W. Bush who did what I believe any U.S. president would have to do in the face of such an attack. He told us we would be all right and that the people who were responsible for this evil would not be. He told us he would keep us safe and make life miserable for all those who harbored, abetted and carried out that heinous act. He told us our first stop was Afghanistan. And the people backed him because he said the right thing and was doing the right thing.

What has happened in the ensuing twelve months is that our president has found out just how complicated the world really is and how difficult that job of his really is. He told us Osama bin Laden would be brought to justice, that he couldn't run and couldn't hide. He's found out that what President Bill Clinton was unable to do, with a couple of missiles and some back-channel diplomacy, has been just as elusive for him using the full power of the entire United States military. It seems bin Laden is still alive and still plotting. And if not, he's got dozens of clones doing the dirty work. In short, what we all believed and hoped would take a matter of days or even weeks to accomplish is still not done a full year later.

But this country still supports our president because we have no choice. We must beat these guys and beat them badly. Now is the time to rid the world of Osama and other scourges who threaten decent people everywhere. And if we have to drag the other "civilized" nations of the world along this path of righteousness, then we will do that, too.

Today President Bush made his case before the United Nations on why Saddam needs to go. By the time he got there, though, he had changed his tune from that which we had expected -- that of the United States and its faithful friend, Great Britain, going it alone -- to sheet music forced upon us by our other "allies and friends" around the world. The rest of the world wants to use the force of right and might of the United Nations to force Saddam to straighten up and fly right before any nation does so on its own. And, even though I question the motives of countries like France and Germany (money, money, money) and our friends in the Middle East, like Saudi Arabia and others whose necks we keep saving (do what you want to others as long as you don't do it to us), there is one bit of logic left in their caution.

We still have some time before Saddam can go wild and crazy with his weapons of mass destruction. If that is not the case, sound the charge. But, until that happens, it seems to me we have some unfinished work to complete.

The U.S. went on orange alert -- that's next to the highest -- Tuesday. That's because President Bush had credible evidence of a terrorist threat to U.S. interests over here or over there. As far as I know, the people pulling those particular strings are al-Qaida. One year after we started Enduring Freedom, those bad guys should not be able to do this to us. It isn't right that our lives should be miserable when we can make theirs so much worse. Or end them. We know where they are. In many cases, we know who they are and who is giving them aid and comfort. I have to assume we are doing something about that but, again, that's the optimist in me. The pessimist would suggest that we are treading too lightly when we should be leveling something.

So, as I look forward to Sept. 11, 2003, I can't help but wonder what color alert we will have; what terrorist will have us over a barrel; what "friend" of ours will still be sticking it to us. Will we still hear excuses why we aren't yet safe in our homes, at our workplaces and where we travel? I hope not.

So, as we resolve never to forget 9-11, we must also do it with resolve. The resolve it takes to know that what we are doing is right and what they are doing to us is wrong. In this very complicated world in which we live and want to live, the solution to this one is really quite simple.

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