9-11-14: Better or worse than 9-12-01?

I think we are worse off.
The Middle East is a mess, more of mess than it was.
We've wasted billions of dollars ramping up the military and law enforcement (such federal and state Dept. of Homeland Security outfits) in the name "protection," not to mention outfitting local cops with MRAPs, all sort of surplus military toys. There's been little change abroad and I think things at home are worse.
I don't think we are any safer, or any more or less of a threat(or target), to our "enemies than we were 14 years ago.
Plus, many people seeking to get elected continue play on these fears.

Plus, all that shit everybody else said.

 

Any particular reason you're wondering about where things stood a year ago?

 

There were no American soldiers in that region before 2003. And there was no ISIS there before 2003. Indeed, there was no real Islamic terrorist presence at all in Iraq before 2003.

The root source of the problem was not pulling soldiers out, instead it was our insanely shitheaded decision to illegally invade for no damn reason in the first place. It was the one secular govt in the region that was successfully keeping the terrorist groups out, so we toppled it so that they could then come pouring in. Brilliant.

 

One thing's for sure: We are a much more divided nation than we were 14 years ago. That's thanks to extremists in both parties, aided greatly by the fracturing of media.

Believe it or not, both elected leaders and the general public could have a meaningful political debate 20 years ago. Not today.

 

If W doesn't invade Iraq, none of this ^^^ happens

 

Uhhhh... What?

We had bases in Kuwait in Saudi long before 2003.

 

In a story that is shockingly not headlined, "Thanks, George Bush," John Hockenberry chimes in...

John Hockenberry: Why I'm done with the 9/11 ritual

 

We were divided before 9/11. Remind me again which party tried to overturn the will of the American electorate by impeaching the president, something only done one time previously in the country's history, over a trivial matter that had nothing to do with his job?

 

I think he's referring to "the region" as Iraq only.

 

That's not the region I was referencing, which I'd think should've been be apparent from the context of the discussion. I was talking about was the area where ISIS has seized control (roughly meaning western Iraq and eastern Syria). The world was far better off with that area as it was before we decided Iraq would be a fun place to invade for entirely fictional reasons.

 

Kuwait which, last time I checked, shared a border with Iraq, isn't the same region?

Ok...

 

Well at this point Baghdad is more or less a country, then it was the capital of Iraq.
I know, this coming from someone who phone texted 2014.