Reassessing The Cost Of The Post-9/11 Era, Post Bin Laden

Osama bin Laden's death doesn’t end the post-9/11 era, but it does provide an occasion to look back at everything that’s happened since the attacks nearly 10 years ago and reassess the costs.

It’s been a long, grueling and enormously expensive time for this country, a time of endless war and massive fortification, of borrowed money and of missed opportunities.

There’s the human toll. More than twice as many Americans -- over 6,000 -- have now died in the two wars that followed 9/11 than did in the original attacks, along with more than 100,000 Iraqis and Afghans. Over three million Iraqis and 400,000 Afghans remain displaced. Several hundred thousand U.S. soldiers suffer from long-term war-related injuries and health problems, with more than 200,000 diagnosed with traumatic brain injury alone.

And there’s the extraordinary financial toll. Indeed, even as Washington officials panic about the growing deficit, much of the problem can be traced back to 9/11 -- not to the attack itself, but to the response, and particularly to the decision to go to war in Iraq.

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I often wonder how difficult it will be, to put "closure" on the victims and their families of 911. There are still so many questions to be answered, in regards to the lies of the previous administration.

Then you have the victims of the families in the Middle East who everyday, see the ruins left behind by us. Then, when it's all said and done, they look up at our oil fields with a constant reminder, of why their loved ones are no longer with them.

Sometimes I think their worst days are behind them however. At least they can rebuild. How, when and even why sometimes, may be a legitimate question. However, our worst days are ahead of us I'm afraid. With no economy and huge debt, it's easy to see who our allegence is to. With big oil sucking up the Middle East's earth, and sucking our economy dry, I see no other way out of this than a revolution. And a real one this time!!

How intense or how long, I dunno. However, it's pretty obvious (God is it obvious here in the hoosier state) that the people in this country are in bondage in ways totally unimaginable by our corrupt government. I imagine most of our corrupt politicians, have developed a "callus" towards our utter dissent towards them.

And then the last (very little) last hope we had with No'bama, and he lies about capturing/killing Osama Been Forgotten, to bulster his ratings of course.

I sent an e-mail to the White House a few weeks ago, regarding O.B.Forgotten. But just like the countless other e-mails I've sent to the criminals here in Sindiana, I'm sure my e-mails will be deleted as well.

Just like Ronald Reagen said to Gorbechev in tearing down the Berlin wall, how hard will it be for the rest of us, to tear down those God awful oil fields? We are literally sitting on a gold mine in green energy growth here in the states. How long will it be, until enough people just get fed up with this garbage.

...it possibly can't be too far away.

I've witnessed over the last ten years after 911, that there has been two levels of fear to overcome. One, was the power to express my dissenting voice. The other, was preparing for it's consequences.

But regardless of how the second turns out, I truly for the first time, realize what freedom is all about. Because you have to defend it, and not "fess up" to it.

One will strip you of your fear. The other, will keep you in bondage to it.

Far more difficult to tear down the oil fields than it was for the Russians to tear down the Berlin Wall. A wall is just that...a wall. We...meaning America... were not dependent on anything from that wall and, once it was gone, the Germany that emerged became one of the best economies in Europe, and one of our staunchest allies. Unfortunately, the oil fields are subject to the West's need for the oil they produce. Where are we going to be without their oil? Our very existence is dependent on energy and how to keep it coming to our greedy selves! The oil fields are located in an area that is made up of a culture that is suppressed by its religion...except for the males, of course... the same religion that has kept the area from evolving out of its Iron Age attitudes. But with the recent uprisings in those areas, maybe things are going to change. It will be slow, though, because of the long pattern of suppression...and religion plays such a big role in the people being willing to be suppressed. There are some factions trying to make that happen in our own country, and unfortunately, being very successful in making it happen!!!!

Personally, I am beginning (Note I say BEGINNING..it may not last!) to change my mind about domestic oil production. While I've not lost the vision of other energy resources, nor my hope that they will eventually be developed more fully, if we could become less dependent on foreign oil, maybe it's time to consider more pipelines, or things like that. In my area, it's amazing how many people are leasing their land to solar panel construction companies. I've seen four of them going up in the last year. Below my house, there's an ideal field for it, and I am hoping the owner of that field will see about it. It beats his putting a hundred trailers in there...which I've heard he's thinking of doing!

But then, I see our Congress critters don't want the big oil companies to pay their fair share of taxes...where's the wisdom in that???? :roll

Good to see the possibilities of solar panel production taking off in your area Catherine. The county just to the north of us, has a couple hundred wind turbines installed and operational now, with more construction on the way. The sad part is, that they are being manufactured in China, and brought here for installation. (not a surprise huh) Granted, there are the maintenance aspects of this, that creates the jobs here, which is surely needed. However, with the exception of a cable company manufacturer here where I live, this is the only "blue collar" jobs being offered for wind turbine construction here. (and I applied for it as well)

Yes, it's so sad to see our misfit political whores knee padding themselves out to foreign corporate interests. We could hire the blue collar worker here, send them to a trade school like I went to for precise training, on how to maintain and design these works of art.

Kinda reminds me of the Batman days, when Batman and Robin were in a closed room, with all four walls closing in. How long will it take for the people in this country to wake up!!

...fortunately, and with the help of the filthy right, some people are starting to wake up. The serpant is indeed rising, with the potential slaughter of medicare/medicade and social security from these pigs.

Wouldn't it of been nice, to see May 21st, the last day for Republicans, instead of the last day for the rest of the world!!

Jesus could of saved them the time in going through the airport screeners, then swept them away like a funnel cloud!!

Singing...

"There's no place like home."
"There's no place like home."

Excuse me, I need to grab a tissue!!

***Have you ever read anything written by Ted Bell, ETL?

No I haven't Catherine. I've never heard of him before. However, I'm preparing myself to read his first four "teaser chapters."

And yes, the dems better get their act together soon. I've already seen a few politicians in this embarrasing state, run away in horror from these right wing slugs.

You raised a good question, regarding our spineless dems...

I watched some videos on MSNBC. Chris Mathews was making the comments, that the right wing doesn't really have a strong candidate for 2012. But what worries me is, how much better is NoBama? If NoBama was the progressive that we thought he was, then I'd imagine the right wing trolls would launch someone more agressive to defeat him. Probably someone who is more of the racist type, such as the evangelical christians, with a side of Rush Limbaugh.

Heck, No Bama has caved in on nearly ever issue involving the filthy right. It's more than obvious now, that the medicare dismantling from the right, won't win them any elections. So what's left? Possibly just letting things play out, and see if NoBama makes a big mistake, like some of his lies catching up to him. I'm still utterly amazed, (but not really anymore) how NoBama has failed to stand with the labor unions against the right. If he doesn't start making some serious changes in the economy, fair taxes or the war, he MAY, be playing right into these pigs hands.

In the eyes of a Republican, if it's broke, don't try to fix it. Damn near everything so far from NoBama, has either been not toughing an issue, caving in to an issue or lying about an issue. I guess the real question anymore, is how likeable is NoBama to the corporate media? Sure as hell the corporate media is not going to ask the tough questions next year in the debates. So why should NoBama worry? I think the biggest enemy that NoBama has right now, is propanganda. If he rides the "tidal wave of spin" successfully, and stays a good little boy, then I think he gets re-elected rather easily. If he tries to push something radically progressive through Congress, then the "white house meter" may expire, in regards to his second term. Issues such as Israel/Palestine lately.