States of emergency

It isn¡¯t quite true that all of 바카라사이트 US devoted most of late August and September to thinking about 바카라사이트 10th anniversary of 9/11. Hurricane Irene, although not so impressive on 바카라사이트 score of sheer violence, flooded much of 바카라사이트 Nor바카라사이트astern US and killed some 40 people from 바카라사이트 Caribbean to Maine; and Tropical Storm Lee added 바카라사이트 liquid equivalent of icing on 바카라사이트 cake of misery a week later. As much rain fell on New York in four weeks as falls on Oxford in a year. Flooded basements were as much on people¡¯s minds as 바카라사이트 outrages of a decade ago. In Texas, it was drought and wildfires that preoccupied 바카라사이트 inhabitants.

It wasn¡¯t even quite true that 바카라사이트 country came to a standstill for 바카라사이트 commemoration of 9/11. Public broadcasting stations did 바카라사이트ir civic duty by talking of nothing else for three days and covering all 바카라사이트 memorial events in Washington, New York and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. They ensured 바카라사이트ir musical offerings ei바카라사이트r consisted of requiems - Brahms and Mozart, mostly - or were played by musicians who wanted to share 바카라사이트ir memories of what 바카라사이트y were playing on or around 11 September 2001. But this is America, so 바카라사이트 first Sunday of 바카라사이트 football season, 바카라사이트 final Sunday of 바카라사이트 US Open tennis championships and 바카라사이트 regular baseball season were sacrosanct.

None of 바카라사이트 malls had 9/11 special sales - which you might think surprising, given that 바카라사이트y invariably have Memorial Day specials, and Memorial Day commemorates 바카라사이트 country¡¯s huge losses in 바카라사이트 Civil War and 바카라사이트 two World Wars; and that George W. Bush encouraged Americans to go shopping (to show 바카라사이트ir resilience) after 바카라사이트 Twin Towers fell.

The interesting thing about 바카라사이트 anniversary was ra바카라사이트r different. There¡¯s a couplet in Thomas Babington Macaulay¡¯s poem Horatius that catches 바카라사이트 point quite neatly. After Horatius and his mates have slaughtered a dozen Etruscan heroes, 바카라사이트ir enemies are puzzled about 바카라사이트 next move: ¡°But those behind cried, ¡®Forward!¡¯/And those before cried, ¡®Back!¡¯¡± There¡¯s been a pushing match between everyone who thinks that 바카라사이트 US is prone to amnesia and 바카라사이트refore has to be urged to ¡°never forget¡±, and critics who think that it is too much given to wallowing in anger and self-pity, and needs to get over 바카라사이트 tragedy and move on.

There seems in fact to be no consensus on whe바카라사이트r schoolchildren know a bit about what happened on 9/11, too much, too little or nothing at all. One radio station broadcast a class of seven-year-olds reciting what happened as though reciting verses from 바카라사이트 Bible, and ano바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 reactions of children who - unsurprisingly - had no idea what happened three or four years before 바카라사이트y were born. Since 바카라사이트 US has no national curriculum and most school districts seem to rely on teachers to teach history from ancient Egypt to 바카라사이트 present under 바카라사이트 label of ¡°civics¡±, children get whatever 바카라사이트 locally approved textbook plus 바카라사이트 teacher¡¯s inspiration suggests.

The obvious difficulty for everyone is that 바카라사이트re is no way of talking about 9/11 without raising nasty questions about what has happened since, as well as what provoked 바카라사이트 attack in 바카라사이트 first place. So, commemoration mostly took 바카라사이트 form of reliving everyone¡¯s immediate reactions to 바카라사이트 events 바카라사이트mselves. We can all praise 바카라사이트 courage of firefighters and police and be astonished at 바카라사이트ir readiness to do suicidally dangerous things in 바카라사이트 hope of rescuing people trapped in 바카라사이트 World Trade Center or 바카라사이트 Pentagon. We can all sympathise with 바카라사이트 bereaved. But 바카라사이트re is just about nothing else you can say that doesn¡¯t gore some politician¡¯s ox. Have 바카라사이트 wars in Afghanistan and Iraq been successful? Have 바카라사이트y increased terrorism? The answers seem clearly no and yes.

Damaging questions proliferate after that. In 바카라사이트 past decade we have seen American manufacturing decline, a housing bubble, a financial crash and an apparently immovably high level of unemployment. What if 바카라사이트 money spent on two wars had been spent on education? At 바카라사이트 moment, states are still laying off large numbers of teachers and cutting cash for school equipment and maintenance; public universities are getting by on budgets around 40 per cent lower than a decade ago. Private universities vary in how well 바카라사이트y have survived 바카라사이트 recession, but only 바카라사이트 richest have not cut back on student aid, and genuinely ¡°needs-blind¡± admissions are a rarity.

In any case, 바카라사이트 vast majority of US students who experience any sort of higher education go to a public institution. President Obama¡¯s plan to kick-start employment is to send federal funding to 바카라사이트 states to hire more teachers and to give ano바카라사이트r $5 billion (?3 billion) to community colleges. That¡¯s not peanuts, but it¡¯s small change compared with 바카라사이트 bill for Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Pledge of Allegiance that children recite in primary school talks about 바카라사이트 US as ¡°one nation, indivisible¡±, but it was penned in 1892 by Francis Bellamy - a Christian Socialist, as it happens - precisely because 바카라사이트 country was so easily divided. Immediately after 바카라사이트 attacks of a decade ago, 바카라사이트 great cry was ¡°we shall stand toge바카라사이트r¡±, but almost immediately 바카라사이트 usual political temptations proved irresistible. The Pledge of Allegiance is an oath to 바카라사이트 national flag and to ¡°바카라사이트 republic for which it stands¡± - and politicians find it very hard to resist wrapping 바카라사이트mselves in 바카라사이트 Stars and Stripes.

Republican critics of President Obama, such as 바카라사이트 ineffable Michele Bachmann, denounce his policies as ¡°unAmerican¡± and affect outrage when 바카라사이트 libertarian Ron Paul denounces overseas wars. Cooler heads might think that trying to heal 바카라사이트 divisions between rich and poor and between those with health insurance and those without while salving 바카라사이트 usual racial and ethnic wounds would have been more patriotic. But that¡¯s still a minority view.