Six Years On

I still get incredibly sad watching the remembrances and re-broadcasts of the events of that fateful day, 6 years ago. I also get sad when I think about how united our nation was in the aftermath of the attacks, and how divided we are now.

I understand that there will always be disagreements about the best way to conduct policy--both foreign and domestic--and I think that is one of the things that makes our democracy healthy. However, today a significant number of Americans evidently hate their country and/or the current administration so much that they actually believe, in the face of mountains of evidence to the contrary, that their own government either committed the atrocities of that day or were complicit in their execution. Like most conspiracists, these people string together any loose thread of apparently contradictory information they can find and force it into bizarre scenarios that conform to their pre-conceived fantasies.

Normally, I just ignore the rantings of this pathetic group of fabulists. But, their cancerous ideas have begun to spread through the body of the Democrat party, to the point where 42% of registered democrats subscribe to their claims. I guess I should be glad that it's not a majority...yet.

From where does this madness derive? Why is their initial reaction to always assume the worst? Do they really believe it deep down? Is it pure political calculation? Are they genuinely delusional? It's hard to say. I'm not a psychologist or sociologist. People believe what they believe for a variety of reasons. Of course, these people are entitled to their opinions. And I'm entitled to say that I think their opinions are reprehensible. The fact that their ideas are even seriously entertained by rational adults is just...sad.

Well, I guess I had to get that out of my system. Now I can devote my thoughts and prayers to the families and friends of the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Although I'm an optimist by nature, I fear that nothing short of another terrorist attack will unite us--as we were 6 years ago.