Dean's World

So. It's three years.

Two years ago, I wrote this. A year ago, I also wrote this.

Has much changed for me? Nope.

I am still angry. The memory of those first few days is still etched indelibly upon me.

I was changed fundamentally by 9/11. Nothing has been the same for me since. Most fundamentally of all, I went from believing America should draw down her military forces and withdraw our forces from most of the world, to believing that our civilization will never be safe until we act to reform the conditions that made 9/11 possible. Thus my support, even before the politicians proposed it, for the notion that we needed to take out Saddam and begin the process of reforming the Middle East. That support is unchanged, and my committment to supporting political leaders in either party who will show that they are committed to that same effort remains unwavering.

Beyond that, my own youthful cynicism about Western civilization, democracy, and patriotism were all swept away by 9/11, never (I hope) to return.

My passions have cooled, but my determination is, if anything, more grim and resolute than ever. We must do whatever we can to prevent this from happening again. For it is not just the lives that were lost, but the incredible threat to our free way of life and everything we hold dear in terms of freedom that is on the line.

So now we remember those dark days. Beyond that day, and the days that followed, I still remember Amy Sweeney. I still remember Bali. I still remember Todd Beamer and Flight 93. I still think of the Pentagon. I still remember Madrid. I still remember Beslan.

Where I once viewed Yasser Arafat with ambivalence and moral equivalency, I now see him as an evil oppressor of the Palestinian people and a terrorist. I also see who helped fund Arafat's terror, and think always of the plastic shredders.

If we are not to destroy that part of the world, we must save it, and its people, from the madness of the thugs and theocrats who rule it.

Republican? Democrat? I don't care. We have to fix this. Inevitably, taking this position means that I will be at odds with people who think it should be fixed by different means--and especially it places me at odds with those who think we can fix it by withdrawing and being more accomodating.

So be it. That's what democracy and freedom of speech are all about.

To me it is no longer about the lives that were lost and the destruction that was wrought. It is neither about liberalism nor conservatism. It is about the threat to that bright, shining phenomenon known as freedom.

I will never be the same.

I don't think I'll have more to post today. Joe Gandelman tells me he has some very serious family obligations and so he may not be around much today either. That's okay. I think we have enough for now.

But I invite you all to continue to add your thoughts in the comments--regardless of whether you agree with me or not. I also invite you to read Michele's Voices Project, if you seek more remembrances of that horrible day. If you wish your spine to be straightened, you might also wish to read Art Chrenkoff's message of freedom. If you seek even more red meat, you may wish to read Winds of Change's Risin' Up From the Ashes. Also, Perry On Politics has a message to remember.

Beyond that, I can tell you that I will spend today in quietness and reflection. All else I will say is this:

Peace be with you and, I hope one day, to us all.