People don’t generally recognize the 12th-year anniversary of something. If they remember it at all, they usually go by fives, or tens, or twenty-fives, or something like that. Today is, of course, different. Because 12 years ago, we went to war — and 12 years later, we’re not only still at war, but our politicians are still chomping at the bit to enter into even more of them.
Exactly 624 weeks — 4380 days — 105,120 hours — 6,307,200 minutes — 378,432,000 seconds have passed since planes were flown into buildings resulting in the deaths of thousands of people. Since then, we have retaliated, taken the lives of many times that as died this morning 12 years ago, and our desire for revenge still blinds us.
There’s a lot of bitterness still left in our hearts. But I can tell that we’re tired. The killing has gone on too long.
I woke up to Sen. John McCain on NPR this morning. He was talking about how terrible of an idea it was to be taking a diplomatic route with Syria. He said that it would be faster to go to the UN Security Council with an airstrike proposal and get started bombing the shit out of them. This, despite being one of the many thousands of soldiers the US has chewed up and spit out, and having been one of those soldiers during one of the longest, bloodiest wars in US history. He is not only friendly with the idea of going to war for a third time — he seems to be filled with a particularly strong and particularly disgusting bloodlust this go around.
I think 12 years is enough.