Terror Trials in New York City: Shaun Hautly

Trials for the 9/11 suspects are quite a touchy subject to write about. I begin by saying that I know how hard it hit so many people. It made our vulnerability very real. Since then we've turned security in our country upside down. Now we slow down airport security and turn racist faces to anyone who "looks like a terrorist." My heart goes out to the families of the victims along with the victims of the Oklahoma city bombing, every shooting in East St. Louis, stabbing in Detroit, and any other awful murder of innocent people.

Now I'm not saying that 9/11 wasn't a big deal, but the way we handled it was backwards. More than the events themselves, the message and attitude we took away from them was not productive. We scared ourselves into a blind misrepresentation of what "patriotic" means. We put flags on our bumper stickers and weapons on our soldiers and got to work looking for retribution. Around 3000 people died. The images of the planes are still horrific. Regardless of whether or not it was a conspiracy.

While 3000 people died, we also lose more people each year to heart disease, colon cancer, drunk driving accidents, tobacco, homicide, and adverse reactions to prescription drugs. So while 9/11 was no doubt significant, perhaps, we should try this man somewhere, anywhere, deliver whatever justice our court system deems necessary, and get to walking through our next set of metal detectors. The sooner we stop publicizing every move and dreaming up every paranoid situation we can, the sooner we relax-- as a people-- and get back to a healthy economy and a happier people: People who aren't reminded everyday that terrorists are waiting, watching, and-- because we're constantly worried-- winning.

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