Today’s Paws to Ponder: How has the global political landscape changed since 9/11? Do you agree with the U.S. response to the attacks?

The political landscape has changed in countries such as Israel and Lebanon where the citizens are being pushed out of there land and culture by war. Many of the countries boarders are not separated by culture and are causing internal conflict.

Middle Eastern Counties now have to be aware of their boarders. It is not just a matter of desert out there anymore. Many countries in the Middle East have to protect their boarders when they did not have to before Sept. 11. Countries have individuals smuggling arms and non-citizens are moving across boarders and into their country. How the United States military has responded to the Middle East has greatly affected the political landscape.

The U.S. response to me does not just include the government’s decision to go to war or the increased security and lose of civil liberties. Whether this was the right choice or not, the U.S. is made up of citizens not just a government.

Sept. 11, 2001 was a one of the days in history that our nation simply stopped. We as a country were scared and in times of fear bravery shines through. We heard for months and months about story after story of heroes. That word took new meaning that day.

People who simply took their private planes and flew skin grafts at their own cost to New York. The thousands and thousands of volunteers that showed up night after night to help the injured and trapped are heroes. Others showed up at the blood bank waiting until they had room to store their donation. Those who died racing in to save others are all heroes. Our country came together then, giving money and time to help those they didn’t even know.

The New Orleans mayor sent trucks and trucks full of fireman to Ground Zero. When Hurricane Katrina hit New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg put 250 firefighters on a plane to try and return the favor. This shows the desire of our country’s citizens to help each other in a time of need.

To them they may have just been doing their jobs but since we were children American’s see public servants such as paramedics, firefights and police as heroes.

If we needed help other would help us so we helped them. I am proud that so many individuals cared enough to help and our response times were important. Our government may not have responded to the crisis in a manner every citizen agrees with. But every citizen responded how he or she could and made a huge difference in help our country recover from something we did not cause.