The media is already running stories of how that fateful day in 2001 changed so much, but did little to create any understanding of why. A good buddy of mine lost his brother in the WTC. They never found anything of him, no body, no personal belongings.

I remember going to a hockey game in Kloten that evening and wondering if the events in New York would change our daily routines significantly. In truth, nothing changed. The Allies went to fight wars on dubious grounds with as much relevance as the crusaders headed east hundreds of years prior. So now there are thousands more dead than the almost 3'000 that perished on 9/11 and it turns out that world peace is still as fictitious as purity of the body and soul.

Having been on a carrier off Pakistan reporting on events some years ago, I wonder if all the hardware that was dropped on the Taliban in Afghanistan could do anything positive vis-à-vis the World Trade Center and Pentagon victims, or if their last wishes could have been something more spiritual than avenging their deaths so violently? We have sent our children to fight our wars out of desperation for lack of a better solution. The net result? More solemn homecomings with coffins draped in national flags and more grieving and mourning. Equally, those that planned and executed the 9/11 attacks have in some way restricted our democracy, our freedom of movement and the way we live. Paranoia and suspicion remain rife, almost McCarthy like in effect. I don't proffer solutions, I cannot see into the minds of suicidal maniacs that value their narrow-minded opinions above their love of life or the lives of others.

For you the blind who once could see, the bells toll for thee.

I will only send you this link in return for what you've said because it puts into perspective what I feel about what has happened in the world in the last 10 years.

After the cold war coming to an end in the 90ties there had to be a new global conflict I guess. And the attacks on the WTC filled this vacuum. Read somewhere that having a "concept of the enemy" also strengthens the bonds between members of a community which is important in an immigrant country like the US. Us vs. them.

9/11 certainly caused a shift in world power. Suddenly, the inconquerable could indeed be conquered. There was a moment after 9/11 when the world powers were willing to come together. It was a magical moment with a united vision: to make the world safe again. Unfortunately, the moment was lost when GWB turned his back on his allies and decided to declare war in Iraq. He used fear as his campaign platform and conveyed the idea of the US against the rest of the world. Since that time, many US citizens have lived in fear of being attacked again, and now, are in fear of losing their jobs, homes, etc. The US has lost its status in the world’s credit rating and the struggle to regain its foothold on being a credible worldpower hasn’t made much headway.

As for the Middle East, many changes have taken place. Are those countries a better place than 10 years ago? I don’t know.

And here in my village, where I’ve always been proud that my children can walk to school without fear, that they can play in the streets without fear, and where my neighbours are basically good, honest, and trustworthy, well, that hasn’t changed. There are still jobs available and the economy is basically stable. And for that I am grateful.

Sometimes fact is stranger than fiction!!
"Al-Qaida has sent a message today to the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, asking him to stop spreading conspiracy theories about the 9/11 attacks."

Sometimes hard to know who your friends are!!