September 11, of course, was a terrible day in American history. The events of that day caused the deaths of several thousand Americans, and led to a dramatic shift in foreign policy that resulted in the deaths of thousands more.
The people who died in the World Trade Center, in the Pentagon, and in that field in Pennsylvania were innocent victims of a senseless attack. And as a people, we were right to want to see those responsible for this atrocity brought to justice.
However, I have to say, I think that there were more victims of September 11th than just the people who died that day. I think every American was a victim of that day, but not in the sense that you may think I mean. We’re all victims of 9/11 because on that day, we lost all sense of perspective.
In the last seven years, we have spent more than a trillion dollars fighting a “war on terror”. It has preoccupied our national conscience and consciousness. And we have allowed what happened on that day to overshadow several far greater threats to American security and prosperity.
I’m not talking about global warming. Not this time. The case for urgent action to address the climate crisis has already been made by far more persuasive and influential people than I.
Three thousand people died as a result of terrorism, on one day, seven years and two days ago. Since that day, more than three million Americans have died from cancer. And so I ask you: which is the greater threat?
I’m not belittling 9/11. I would just like to know why this is acceptable. What would happen to an external enemy, a country, that caused the deaths of half a million Americans? Can you imagine the destruction that would rain from the sky if that happened? But half a million people will die from cancer in the United States this year, and comparatively speaking, we do nothing.
Some crazy people fly planes into a building and kill thousands of people, and we mobilize, and we invade, and we think and vote and act differently. We even treat each other well for about a week. But half a million people die, and we’re not even aware of it, except on an individual level, when it happens to someone we know. And then we shake our heads in sincere regret, and move on with our lives.
That personal connection ought to mean more. Do you know anyone who died on 9/11? Probably not. Do you know anyone who died from cancer? Of course. Why isn’t this a national priority? Why is a crusade to cure cancer in 10 years the subject of one episode of The West Wing and not a national crusade in real life?
I guess this is partly because a major disease hasn’t really been cured since polio. I guess it’s partly because some people believe that a cure has to be found through private research and others think only the government has the resources to solve this problem. But I think the main reason is that we have lost our perspective.
John McCain is seventy two years old and still has his mother. Good for him. But I am thirty five and my mother has been gone long enough that I am starting to forget what her voice sounded like. And there are millions of people like me out there who could express similar thoughts.
I have written only sporadically about this presidential campaign for a number of reasons. I don’t want to write talking points for my side, so I only write when I think I have something to say. I also haven’t written much because this campaign is incredibly frustrating. I thought that maybe, just maybe, we had a chance this year for a campaign about ideas. That this election wouldn’t be about distortions and lies.
There are forgotten issues that we don’t deal with anymore, or never have. That’s what’s worth writing about, the campaign that never was. A campaign that included a discussion on catastrophic illness. A campaign that recognized poverty and remembered the homeless. A campaign with candidates who spoke honestly and with insight about the anxiety many people have about the future of this country.
People talk about 9/11 and what happened that day, and their bumper stickers and car magnets say “Never Forget”. Perhaps the trauma of that day has caused us to forget a lot of things. Or maybe that day has been exploited by people who want us to remember September 11, and not the other 364 days of the year.
