September 11th Reflection

I remember my mother telling me about her trip to New York last year. She talked about how the city was just how she remembered it: Times Square, Fifth Avenue, yellow taxis as far as the eye can see. Everything was the same except for that odd patch of blue sky that now shined down onto the shops along East 41st street. In the space where the World Trade Center Towers once stood, centerpieces of the storied New York skyline, proudly representing the triumphs of capitalism, little more than shards of metal and dust remained. She told me visiting “Ground Zero” was a powerful experience for her, looking down at the hulking crater where almost three thousand completely innocent people lost their lives. She said she thought a great deal about all the people who died there, imagining what they were doing as they went to work that day, what it was like trying to flee the buildings, what the firefighters and police officers thought when they were first dispatched to the towers. There were so many people, just going about their everyday lives, all dying for absolutely no reason at all.

Now, after a year of reflection, even tho

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The usually bustling school, with kids loud and full of energy, was dead silent. We need to find a balance between security and freedom; in protecting our lives, we shouldn’t change them. Bush should realize that forcing his own personal agenda on the international community is very near-sighted, and could have ramifications that last long after his presidency.

Unfortunately, the Bush Administration’s objectionable policies aren’t limited to their international proposals. ugh I’m still hurt by the attacks, it’s been even more sobering watching our country handle the situation. Everything about 9-11 has been exploited. The most dangerous product of the September 11 tragedy, though, is the Bush Administration’s exploitation of our patriotism to justify an unnecessary war in Iraq and to further policies that endanger many of the freedoms that our attackers sought to destroy. I will never forget how I felt that day last September, and I don’t want my government to forget that those three thousand innocent people died because they represented freedom. From the international perspective, the proposed invasion of Iraq is highly hypocritical in light of the fact that the US easily has more nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons than any other country on earth. We were now vulnerable and largely helpless in fighting a war of this type, but as troubling as this new perspective is to me, I feel using this fear for unjust political means or as an excuse to abandon our civil liberties is wrong.

After the attacks, the international community’s outpouring of support brought the US much closer to many of our allies. Bush’s drive for an unjustified war against Iraq has caused America to once again be viewed with distaste throughout the world, as evidenced by the recent British poll that showed English citizens fear Bush more than Saddam Hussein almost 2-1. Although Bush’s political goals have not changed since his inauguration, using the tragic events of 9-11 to justify his actions makes them even worse. I came to the realization, looking at the students’ solemn faces as they walked through the halls, that this was something none of us had ever experienced before. The media exploited our willingness to watch television 24 hours a day with their incessant coverage and analysis and over-analysis of absolutely everything related to September 11th.

Approximate Word count = 759
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

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Essay's Topics

UN-disrespecting Bushs