Four years later, ground zero remains a dusty void, a remnant of lost souls and lofty ambitions. Reconstruction of the site is in some endless stage of limbo, typical of all major municipal projects in Manhattan and other big cities.
At first, the entire nation was united in its desire to rebuild the World Trade Center as a defiant monument to our greatness and invincibility. As time went on, and people returned to their daily lives, those not living in the New York area lost interest in the haggling over designs, heights, leasing fees, contractors, cronyism, artistic differences and other issues surrounding the project. The pettiness of human nature had once again eroded the fragile, ephemeral patriotism and outrage inspired by the attacks.
Four years later, the country is drowning in the aftermath of the natural and human disaster known as Hurricane Katrina. Since late August, viewers have been inundated by images of haggard evacuees, buildings submerged in brown, oily water, terrified faces of little children, corpses wrapped in sheets or hastily covered in blankets, squalor and stink and stupefying stupidity.
Four years later, we are no closer to a secure, cohesive nation than before our complacency and arrogance were shattered by two jet airliners crashing into skyscrapers on that devastatingly beautiful September morning.
We didn’t realize it at the time, but it was by the grace of God that the events of September 11 did not kill 50,000 people, and that nothing similar had occurred prior in this country’s brief but belligerent history. What did we learn from this tragedy? Do we have the resources, programs and policies in place to respond quickly and decisively to another attack or a disaster of any magnitude?
Judging by the mortifying scenarios of Katrina, we do not.
Four years ago we were promised that The Patriot Act would bolster our national security and deter terrorism. Has it? Did it, instead, divert resources that would have been better used to restore and reinforce a crumbling infrastructure and demolished ecology?
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