Children who were born on 9/11 2001 turn 18 today, officially becoming adults. We are approaching the point where this attack is effectively one generation ago. With growing distance we need to keep supporting those who lost friends, family, colleagues – as well as take care of first responders – while also becoming more dispassionate in our evaluation of our reactions to the events. We must revisit the Patriot Act, the Department of Homeland Security, the forever-war in Afghanistan, Guantanamo, and the use of drones. All of these were created or massively ramped up in the immediate aftermath and have proven deeply problematic in countless ways. Ultimately the memory of those killed on 9/11 and since then is best served by returning to the principles of a democracy with a system of checks and balances, or in other words, by being the place those who attacked us were seeking to destroy.
