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Posted on 11/30/2001 9:36:16 AM PST by NorCoGOP

STORRS, Conn. -- Sept. 11 has become an ambivalent slogan twisted to mean many things and consequently has come to mean nothing at all. I realize that some of you reading this will automatically disagree with this statement and all I ask is that you, the reader, please bear with this viewpoint and the structure of this op-ed piece.

The first lines of each paragraph of this column state the obvious, or what has been told to both you and me over the television, through the newspapers or heard on our daily walks to class. They are the messages, the news flashes, the speculations and supposed facts about Sept. 11 and the time after concerning those attacks. Following those common statements are the things being said about the same situations but with the other side stated.

It is easily seen that there are opposing sides to each thing being said and what seems to be evident is that the view or message with the most air-time becomes the "right one" to many people and more dangerously becomes a legitimate fact. This unequal relationship of language in the name of one day in September, makes the connotations of that day too far-reaching. This is what is meant when I say that Sept. 11 has become a slogan and has come to mean too much and adversely mean nothing at all. This point is illustrated in the examples that follow.

Let there be no mistake on the point that I strongly feel that Sept. 11 was a day of tragedy. It is a day that saddens me greatly, but I truly feel that what has come about in the name of Sept. 11 is the greater tragedy.

In the weeks after Sept. 11, people became very vocal very fast. Many messages were hurled at us in the days and weeks that followed the collapse of the Trade Towers. Some politicians declared we as Americans were united due to the horror of Sept. 11, but if Sept. 11 united all Americans then what caused students from Wesleyan University to take to the streets of Hartford in protest of the United States bombing campaign on Afghanistan Operation? If all of America was unified under the flag and government then why did numerous Americans speak out against going to war in newspapers, at vigils and in churches? Why did a small amount of members in Congress speak out that the United States should not go to war, but rather find other solutions before bombing Afghanistan?

In the wake of Sept. 11 some individuals took out their rage on those of Arabic descent living in the United States. These attacks received little press coverage as the mass media's focus was on portraying the image of the wounded American. The image of the American in mourning was painted, and the image of the vengeful American would do little to gain sympathy. These acts of violence conflicted with the image being portrayed on the television, even though these acts of violence were happening. So why would citizens and the media ignore these acts of violence by not reporting on them, and only react with an attitude of silent condoning? Because the image of the American in mourning is a "good" image, and the image of Americans committing various hate crimes is "bad." From the evening of Sept. 11, Americans knew that they were going to go to war, the media knew this as well. Simply put, the media aided, if not led a propaganda campaign for war, and retaliation. The mindset that was conveyed that "we were attacked, and we could do what we wanted to avenge ourselves." Why else would they not, meaning the media and politicians, condemn these actions of violence toward those of Arab descent?

Adding to this is my belief that Sept. 11 was a day that the naïve overconfidence in Americans was crushed. I feel that that overriding feeling of disillusionment that such a thing could happen here in the safe America caused some to act violently toward Arabs living in the United States. Why else would assaults on those of Arabic descent in America have taken place? Why else would those that looked Middle Eastern be threatened at their jobs and called racial slurs at their universities? Why else would some be violently beaten or shot at while they worked at their jobs if people could not cope with the idea that terrorism happened on American soil? Why else would a few Muslim Mosques in America be burned to the ground?

Sept. 11 was a day that the media turned its back on ethics. Why is the media only reporting on Sept. 11 and on stories that serve the war cause? Is there no other news other than that of Sept. 11? Why is the image the story? Why is what is suspected now a truth, without proper investigation? Is there no other news than who is suspected of having anthrax or a feel-good story about Chucky the wonder pooch that can bark the beginning lines of the Star Spangled Banner?

As a reaction to Sept. 11 the United States went to war with Terrorism and on the orders of the charismatic President Bush the enemy was named, one Osama bin Laden and consequently missiles pounded Afghanistan, the place that he was supposedly hiding. The message was conveyed that all citizens of the United States wanted war but even here at the rural University of Connecticut campus anti-war protests took place.

To others, Sept. 11 has become a selling point. This to me is the most disgusting thing imaginable -- making money off of human casualties. Why is it now such a brilliant idea for me or any other American to spend a few dollars and purchase a patriotic package from a television infomercial? Should I, like other Americans, think that with this patriotic package, made up of various American flag decals made in countries other than America, think that we can add to the fight against the Taliban? Will those that turn their automobiles into terrorist fighting machines still show their pride whilst being stuck in traffic due to protestors blocking the streets that they are trying to drive down after a day of work in Hartford? Will these individuals who seemingly bought into the idea that to show your pride in America is to spend money on decals and slogans, equate those who are blocking their streets and exercising their right to publicly assemble as tree hugging anti-American hippies who love Osama bin Laden? Will they make the association that those who want peace are wrong?

In the name of Sept. 11 and safety politicians passed bills to combat terrorism here and abroad. Why, in the eyes of the government could I, or you be a terrorist? Why else would they pass a bill to be able to tap into your phone line without a court's consent? Why else would the government now be able to search you, your home or your business without your knowledge and without a search warrant? Why does the government want to watch everyone? Why, since Sept. 11 was a requirement made for all travelers arriving from the United States, about 350 million visitors per year to carry digital I.D. cards?

To big corporations, Sept. 11 was the reason their businesses were failing, and in effect and in the name of Sept. 11 people were to laid off at Sears, Roebuck and Co and at Eastman Kodak. Why am I told that the economy is suffering due to the failure of the American consumer to buy, but Sears, who will be laying off 4,900 employees supposedly due to the Sept. 11 attacks, closed 89 stores, discontinued carrying bikes and basketball equipment, stopped selling cosmetics and sold off their pest control business prior to the Sept. 11 attacks? Why are their current layoffs caused by Sept. 11 if their past cuts that affected their employees were caused by trying to maximize their profits for their shareholders?

Why does Alan Lacy, the chairman and chief executive of Sears, state that, "Our (Sears) new approach to merchandising reflects a distinctive competitive positioning, a clear emphasis on home and family and a lower cost operating model," when anyone with an ounce of logic knows that unemployed people can't purchase goods for their homes or their families when they have no income? Why is Eastman Kodak following Sears in laying off 3,500 to 4,000 jobs in the name of Sept. 11, when it was Fuji Film's lower competitive prices that started cut into Kodak's profits beginning in the early 1990s?

Why has the Republican party used Sept. 11 as a way to introduce a supposed "new" tax cutting budget, in hopes to stimulate the economy, when all their package does is cater to major corporations and wealthy Americans, a classic Republican political move that was employed during the Reagan years?

The truth is that the truth is hard to swallow and most Americans don't want to understand the world that is changing around them.

Truth be told, Sept. 11 has become the ultimate excuse. It has become a bargaining chip for politicians to push through bills that do nothing more than control civil liberties. It has become a rationale for people to hurt others here and in Afghanistan. Sept. 11 has become a disgusting moneymaking slogan for business entrepreneurs. It has become the ultimate excuse for businesses to lay off employees and at the same time pass the blame for a failing economy to the consumer. It has become a way for the media to twist language into abstractions and use the fears and sympathies of people to boost ratings and to create self-serving news.

We are being told conflicting tales. This is clearly seen when we are being told to go back to your "normal" pre-Sept. 11 lives, while two minutes later we are being told to be on the look out for another terrorist attack. I even received a mailer from the United States Post Office on what to do with suspicious mail.

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