On the anniversary of September 11th 2001, let us not just honor all those who were lost, but their families and friends who carry that loss today. Many of those families feel that justice has not been done. The passage of JASTA, the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, in Congress is the first step to holding those responsible accountable. We must pursue every available avenue to ensure that what happened that day will never happen again.
We must also not turn to scapegoats. The Muslim ban, imposed by President Trump in the name of fighting terrorism, singles out countries that have nothing to do with 9/11, many just because they are Muslim majority nations. 15 of the 19 hijackers that day were Saudis. There is no ban on immigrants from Saudi Arabia.
We must also remember that the war in Afghanistan began as a response to 9/11. The mission was to destroy Al Qaeda. This has not happened. 17 years later we are mired in a trillion-dollar, un-winnable war. We need to ask what we are doing there. The soldiers on the ground ask that question every day. Let’s listen to them.