The excuse for the War on Terror is gone; will the War on Terror now come to an end? The bipartisan high and mighty rushed to insist that it most certainly will not. Obama, Bush, Kerry, McCain, Boehner, Schumer — all the great and good were quick to say that “the fight is not over,” the “threat is still there” — the profitable wars and fearmongering will go on. And on. And on.
(Besides, who needs bin Laden when we’ve got Gadafy back as the demon du jour? In any case, Great Satans are always thick on the ground when the War Machine needs greasing.)
I suppose there is a chance, however — a chance — that the elimination of this emblem might finally stir a few more people to oppose, or at least begin to question, the continuation of the wars that were supposedly launched in response to 9/11. Perhaps a few more people will look around and say, “Why is our nation going bankrupt fighting all these wars? Didn’t they kill ole bin Laden already? Wasn’t that what it was all about?”
Of course, that never was “what it is was all about.” But as the elites push forward with their wars, perhaps we’ll see a bit more pushback. A wan hope, perhaps — or rather, certainly. By and large, the American people seem to have accepted permanent war as a natural state, just the way things are and will always be. But perhaps the removal of this all-obscuring symbol from the public consciousness will let a few more chinks of light into a few more minds.