(also posted at The Agonist)
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I have no particular desire to revisit the 10 years since 9.11 in any sort of retrospective fashion. Too many pundits are already doing just that, and I simply don’t have it in me to travel down that path. For this, the 10th anniversary, I’m planning on keeping my powder dry and my recollections and thoughts about the past 10 years largely to myself, because my views will not make me particularly popular among the “America First” crowd. What I will say is that, if you take an honest look around, the terrorists have indeed won. The aftermath of 9.11 has made us weaker, meaner, more divided, and less sure of ourselves. That victory need not remain a permanent one, however, and my hope is that we will use this anniversary to reflect upon where we were, where we are, and how we might collectively move ourselves to a better place.
Among the surprises I’ve found in my research was this video of a song by Joe Scarborough, of all people. One of the hosts of MSNBC’s Morning Joe. Scarborough, besides being a somewhat bombastic (and occasionally thoughtful) talk show host, is a former Republican Congressman from Florida- though I suspect he would be far too moderate for today’s GOP. Scarborough’s song, “Reason to Believe,” is a surprisingly thoughtful, bi-partisan, and soulful consideration of where we are and how we got here. He’s not the Second Coming of Bruce Springsteen, but “Reason to Believe” is surprisingly good, and the lyrics provide some much-needed food for thought.
Consider this my 10th anniversary gift to you…a chance to stop and think. It’s something we could all stand to do more of.
