To the editor:

I will not be attending the 9-11 memorial services in Lawrence. I did not know anyone who died in the attacks and cannot pretend I did. Certainly I will grieve the loss of those who died on that tragic day, but mostly I will ponder why it seems so difficult for Americans to accept responsibility for the policies of their government and the consequences thereof.

I will also ponder why some 70 percent of us continue to support the president of the richest, most powerful, and most polluting nation on Earth, while that very president refused to attend the World Summit on sustainable growth but aggressively sabotaged any hope the summit might have had of salvaging what remains of a battered and dangerously degraded earth. I will ponder the absence of a memorial service for the thousands of Americans who died last year because they could not afford the drugs they needed to survive.

Perhaps I will even ponder why we did not have a memorial service for the 90 percent of rivers and streams in Kansas whose waters are not fit for fishing, swimming, drinking, or many of the creatures who used to live there in nature’s exquisite balance.

Amidst all the memorial services, flag wavings and proclamations of patriotism, I expect to feel little solace and faith in our safety. Such temptations will be quickly dashed as I recognize that no group of terrorists, no “wacky” Iraqi, or any other external force, can threaten America as efficiently and effectively as we threaten ourselves. The greater tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001, is that we have learned so little from that infamous day, and instead, have put virtually every priority aside in the name of political gain and the pathetic pursuit of revenge.

Dick Walker,

Baldwin