Time to move on from 9/11

Maybe the best way to memorialize the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Tuesday, September 11, 2001 is simply to note the event with a simple ceremony but commit ourselves to moving on. Enough is enough already. This idea of a never-ending, gut-wrenching "War on Terror" that has almost nothing to do with the events of 9/11 is truly absurd.

Hey, we gave it our best shot, didn't we? Well, okay, we didn't give it our best shot and we fumbled mightily, but maybe that was as good as we could have expected to do given the void in moral and practical leadership at the national level.

There is absolutely no good reason to continue to carry on a "war" in the name of the events of five years ago. Yes, we should continue a significant level of counter-terrorism and we should remain moderately vigilant, but there is no useful purpose served by encouraging American citizens to live in such a climate of fear.

In truth, all of our heavy, overwrought rhetoric serves only to embolden and encourage terrorists to continue their "fight" with even more resolve.

It would be far better for President Bush to go on TV on Monday and announce "Mission Accomplished" and inform the terrorists that terrorism is once again merely a law enforcement activity. Sure, the CIA, Coast Guard, FBI, et al will continue counter-terrorism activities, but the rest of us can and should get back to a normal life. That won't fit into the warmongering agenda of the Neoconservatives and the rest of the Pro-Israel Lobby, but... screw them.

As far as air travel. Just hire 75,000 air marshalls (or use National Guard or active members of the armed services) and put five air marshals on every plane, maybe two uniformed and three plainclothes, until things settle down. Sure, occasionally some terrorists will succeed, but that's not such a bad price to pay for having our lives, our country, and our peace of mind back from the so-called "War on Terror". The "war" itself is doing more to terrorize innocent civilians (and service members as well) than actual terrorist attacks.

And as far as our foreign policy, we as a nation need to find the courage to tell the Neoconservatives and the rest of the Pro-Israel Lobby to take a hike.

-- Jack Krupansky