As the first decade of the new millennium draws to a close, identifying that one song which captures the greatest challenges now threatening our nation was an exceedingly difficult task. Two of the most daunting issues before us, and ultimately the rest of the world, are warfare and the environment. I could not find a song that captured both. So this week’s selection will address the former; next week’s the latter.
The United States is arguably the primary aggressor in the world today, maintaining a “defense” budget that, by some accounts, exceeds that of the rest of the world combined. Our country is currently embroiled in two major military actions on the opposite side of the globe, presumably to “keep us safe.”
To the extent that the official accounts of 9/11 are valid, the 19 hijackers came from the following countries: 15 from Saudi Arabia, 2 from the United Arab Emirates, 1 from Egypt and 1 from Lebanon. The United States immediately identified Usama bin Laden as the mastermind of these attacks, although to this day, even though bin Laden is included on the list of 10 Most Wanted Fugitives, the FBI website makes absolutely no mention of his being wanted in connection with the events of 9/11, as can be seen here.