kevin colbert

[saturn]

I forgot it was September 11th until I saw a reminder on the news. The thing is, I remember all the time. It's difficult to forget here with the memorabilia cluttering the tourist spots and the view out my office window that doesn't look like it's supposed to. I don't feel safe and I'm waiting for something to happen again. I can't believe we've gone three years without another incident in America. On the Hill, government employees are trained to respond to chemical attacks. We have secret surveillance cameras watching our major cities. In midtown office buildings my bags run through an x-ray machine and I walk through a metal detector. When I fly to San Diego, my friends can't meet me at the gate. There are constant reminders, every day, every where, that our lives have changed. And it's not just us. It's Russia. It's Spain. It's Israel where there fear and reality of terror is part of their lives on a frighteningly regular basis. The rules have changed. The United States still declares war and military actions. We show up in uniform with tanks and guns and announce our presence and plans to attack. Our enemies don't fight that way. Our enemies are in the shadows, defending what they believe is their right to freedom against our tyranny, and it reminds me of the British soldiers lining up on the battle fields of the new world taken off-guard by the Patriots hiding in the trees. The difference is today civilians and children are dying. We're not facing covert attacks on our soldiers. We're facing attacks on busses, at work, and in schools. I don't know what the answer is but we're nowhere near a solution. No one can guarantee our safety but, at the very least, I'd like a president who works with foreign leaders on a global solution rather than a president who alienates foreign leaders with his personal vendetta. It's easy to let our government parade widows and firemen and photos of Iraq and tell us that this is about us, about two towers, about four planes, but it's more than that. It's about us, two towers, four planes, 2 trains, many busses and school where more than 150 children died. I'm not sure where I'm going with this and I didn't wake up with a rant on my mind but, watching the memorial on NBC, I'm reminded of even more than the loss. I'm reminded of how far we have to go.