9/11: a quick reaction

Here's one of the big problems with all the 9/11 remembrances:
On 9/10, most Americans (outside New York City) had no clue what the TWIN TOWERS were (sports fans in Houston know that phrase from the Houston Rockets' old days). Now that structure has taken on mythical status. And very few remember that it was also attacked earlier in 1994 - just unsuccessfuly.
I was working as managing editor of the Plano Star-Courier, a daily suburban newspaper. My office also housed the county bureau for the FOX TV station so we watched the events unfold with the reporter. At some point, I had to go do my job and not linger... at the images (which were not going to get any better). I/we produced the best paper that community had ever seen that day..and long night.
However, I dashed off a column, begging people and the government NOT to retaliate against anyone, especially Muslims, because no country attacked us - criminals did! Unfortunately, very few listened or read - we attacked two nations, lost thousands of brave Americans (still not sure why), thousands more permanently injured, equal amount of families devestated ... and I, frankly, don't see one inch of progress made toward either eliminating the terror threat, or coming to some measure of understanding among people of the world, or even in this country (witness the silly events of the past week in Florida).
If, after Pearl Harbor, we can be friends and partners with the Japanese, then this, too shall pass.
We should be sad for all the loss of life that occured - at this day, and subsequently. For every action therer is often an equal or worse (lethal) reaction.