LET THE PUBLIC SPEAK: ON 9/11 ANNIVERSARY

In his Sunday column, Editorial Director Paul Gullixson invited readers to share their thoughts on the 9/11 anniversary and answer such questions as "Are we safer 10 years later?" Here are some of the responses we've received.

A plea for unity

EDITOR: I agree with Gullixson about unity ("In your words: Moments now part of history," Sunday). I'm particularly remembering the picture of our elected officials standing together on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. What a powerful message that sent to the United States of America and to the world. It seems to me that if these politicians truly wanted to get our country back on track, they would attempt to rekindle the spirit of that picture and come together for the common good. I will pray for this to happen and also for them to remember that our forefathers used the word united for a reason.

NANCY J. ALLEN

Santa Rosa

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Out of sync

EDITOR:There was something oddly out of sync Sunday with all the pomp and circumstance, speeches from dignitaries, bands, hundreds of thousands gathered in New York and around the country, every TV network monopolized by remembering the victims and families of 9/11 with their personal stories.

On balance, there was exponentially less weight, honor or tribute given to the 5000-plus servicemen/women who have died, the 250,000-plus maimed for life or the families left behind with their hearts ripped out as a result of our response to 9/11 (ill-begotten or otherwise).

Not to diminish the heroism of the first responders, but for perspective, more than 400,000 Americans died in World War II, yet all we have is one World War II memorial that took more than 40 years to open. Seems shameful.

BILL EDELEN

Santa Rosa

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An anniversary poem

EDITOR: On Sunday morning, my heart was touched by the picture of a father kneeling at the name of his son at the 9/11 memorial. Each 9/11 loss of life created grief for friends and family members, for communities, for a nation. 9/11 itself was a larger grief, the loss of the illusion of the invulnerability of the U.S. to outside attack. A moment after looking at the picture of the grieving father, I pictured millions of grieving people all over the world, kneeling near their loved ones dead from wars and the misplaced priorities of humankind. I was struck by the insanity of what has become acceptable life. I reflected on the billions of dollars spent on military posturing instead of life promoting food, shelter, clean water, a healthy planet.

Year of kneeling, years of grieving When will it end, when will it ever end?

When will we learn, when will we ever learn

that cooperation and compassion return the same, that loving kindness is enough?

MARCELA RIES

Ukiah

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The big picture

EDITOR: Thank you for printing the statistics from 9/11 on Sunday's front page. While nearly 3,000 people died from the twin towers attack, it's rather telling that more than twice that number of U.S. military personnel have died in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And what about the many thousands of innocent civilians who have been killed as a result of our "terrorism." And what about the many billions of dollars that have been spent on these senseless wars -- Iraq, which had nothing to do with 9/11, and Afghanistan, where the war continues even after Osama bin Laden is gone?

What could that money have been spent on to help U.S. citizens at home?

I know 9/11 was a terrible tragedy, horrific beyond imagination. And I understand the anger and outrage, but I hope we can keep in mind the big picture, too, and all the other tragedies that came after that might have been averted.

MARTY ROBERTS

Sebastopol

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What about Bush?

EDITOR:In all the discussion and reviews of 9/11, I have heard not a single word about President George W. Bush's role. I blame him for its occurrence. He ignored warnings from Richard Clarke, the national security advisor held over from the Clinton administration. While on one of his frequent vacations at Crawford, Texas, he was presented with a President's Daily Bulletin that Condoleezza Rice later told a congressional committee was titled, "Bin Laden is planning to attack within the U.S." Again, Bush paid no attention. If Bush had been vigilant and had insisted that all leads be acted upon, I feel certain that the attack on 9/11 would not have happened.

E. BLAKE PETERSON

Santa Rosa

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Less secure

EDITOR: It's the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and we are less secure now. We have wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the "war on terror" and are fostering hatred of the United States by our brutal behavior. We have killed and maimed hundreds of thousands in Iraq, destroyed the infrastructure, displaced millions and sown the seeds of a religious war that will last generations. We're doing the same in Afghanistan.

I feel such terrible sadness at the waste of it all. Again.

MOSS HENRY

Santa Rosa