Some thoughts and reflections...

Peace with all the world is my sincere wish. I am sure it is our true policy, and am persuaded it is the ardent desire of the government.
-- George Washington

I spent much of yesterday at home, alone. When I got up I watched a few minutes of the news and then turned off the radio and television. I tried to get some work done, but then I remembered what I was doing two years ago.

It was a beautiful September morning, a bright blue sky, I got a cup of coffee and I sat down at my computer. The first thing I saw was an AP headline about the World Trade Center being on fire, so I turned on the television. There it was, the now familiar picture of the twin towers with smoke billowing from them.

I spent that day in this room watching and feeling helpless. Like a lot of people, I wanted to do something but what could we do? When I was a kid and the river started to rise we would put on our boots and walk to help the men fill sandbags to protect our neighborhood. But, this was hundreds of miles away and yet right there in my living room. And looking back now I think that may have been the beginning of my current bout of depression.

The horror of seeing first people jumping to their deaths and then both buildings collapse sticks with me. Even more frightening than seeing the collapse were the shots of people on the street watching. The looks on their faces as the first tower started to fall and their screams were just terrible. As were the scenes of people running up the street being pursued by a giant cloud of dust and debris.

In the days that followed there were services on campus and at local churches. I wanted to go but I could not get myself to leave my home. I am not a religious person, and coming from a Congregationalist background, I have always viewed the church more as a community center than a worship center. Sure there was a service every Sunday morning but the things that I remember about my little country church are the picnics and the bloodmobiles and packing boxes of food for the elderly, community-centered more than faith-centered events.

Those of us whose political leanings skew to the left are ridiculed by our flag-waving rightist counterparts. We are accused of treason, of blaming America for everything and being unpatriotic; but in fact we love this country as much as anyone. I feel the same way about patriotism as I do about religion: that actions speak louder than words. You don't need to make a big show of your patriotism (or religion), just participate and do your civic duties and protect the rights of everyone. Putting a U.S. flag sticker on the back of your SUV shows that you are just as much of a hypocrite as someone who prays in public.

A few years ago I spent some time in France. I remember seeing machine gun armed patrols in the train stations and airports. At the time I thought how scary it must be to live in a society where you have to worry about such things. On that same stay I picked up the Herald Tribune and saw that a former professional wrestler had been elected Governor of Minnesota.

So here we are two years after our country was attacked. We are back to mindless "reality" shows and rappers are rapping about about their platinum jewelry and the size of the rims on their Lincoln Navigators. Meanwhile, our leaders are fighting a war that they planned years ago in order to secure a source of oil. We say that the rule of law should prevail throughout the world and human rights should be respected, yet our government refuses to join in the International Criminal Court, we are holding hundreds of prisoners at Camp X-Ray at Guantanamo Bay, and we are holding American citizens in a military brig without charges, without due process, and without access to legal counsel.

Instead of waving a flag and yelling "let's roll" or dumping French wine and smashing Dixie Chicks CDs, people should take a closer look at what we are doing around the world and here at home. This land was colonized by people who fled from state imposed religion yet we are constantly told that this is a christian country. The founding fathers crafted a Constitution that allowed for rule by the majority but protected the rights of the minority. They recognized that human beings have basic rights that are not given to us by a government but rather they are inherent. Now we have an adminstration in power that loves secrecy. They think that they know best and anyone that questions them is a traitor.

I think that the September 11th attacks made me more aware of the advantages and disadvantages of living in a free society. Also that if we value our freedom we cannot let anyone one take it away, not terrorists and not our federal government. Now that I have rambled and gone off in too many directions I'll quit. So let me know what you think, tell me why I am stupid and naïve.