I have a pre-9/11 mindset. Those on the right accuse people like me of this. I have thought about it, at times refuted it, and have been angered by these accusations. Do you know what... THEY WERE RIGHT.
In fact, I have a pre-10/04/00 mindset. 9/11 changed very little for me. I remember the
millennium bombing threats from Al Qaeda and understood that they were bent on the destruction of America. I also had confidence that our government was doing everything it could to monitor Bin Laden and thwart his efforts. I remember Clinton attacking Afghanistan in retaliation for the bombing of the USS Cole and the reaction from the
republicans. I have a pre-9/11 mindset, because I still believe that our civil liberties and our constitutional rights matter and that "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little
temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety". I still believe in diplomacy first, war second and that building coalitions is necessary to find success when confronting other nations. I have a pre-9/11 mentality because I never believe that there was a nexus between Bin Laden and Saddam. I still remember Bin Laden's fatwas, which called for the overthrow of the Saudis and Saddam. I have a pre-9/11 mindset, because I still will not condone torture, rendition, or indefinite detainment. I believe in treaties and international accords. I still believe that all people deserve basic human rights and respect. I still judge people by their deeds, not their ethnicity, religion, or place of origin.
I have a pre-9/11 mentality, because I still believe in fiscal discipline and spending our money wisely. We, by the end of this year, will have a debt of nearly
$9,000,000,000,000; over 3 trillion more than pre-9/11. The interest payments alone on this additional debt is about half of our current deficit. Think about it; we are spending an additional
$175,000,000,000 a year in non-discretionary, interest payments. The more I think about it, the more I am proud to say that "I have a pre-9/11 mindset", I did not let fear let me sacrifice my own beliefs. So next time Sean Hannity or his ilk say this about people like me, I will say "You Goddamn right, I have a pre-9/11 mindset, the terrorist did not defeat me"