Anecdotal Catharsis

http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/04/06/Moussaoui.victims/index.html

The occurance of September 11, 2001, in a sense, brought America to a new state of awareness. As a country we realized that we were not impenitrable, nor invincible. Following this tragedy, our nation has moved in a new direction, we have declared a "war on terror". We have put forth millions of dollars to ensure that every last terrorist is confiscated and tried for his or her crimes against humanity. Over the past few years, this "war" has been everyting but successful in bringing down a terrorist regime. That is why the confescation and on-going trial of Zacarias Moussaoui is so important right now.

In a sense, we as a nation are using this trial in a cathartic manner. The people who lost loved ones on September 11 now have a means of feeling that some sort of justice is finally being served. These people finally have a tangible face in which to pin blame for their heartache.

Because the case against Zacarias Moussaoui is so emotionally charged, people have lost interest in whether Moussaoui was actually involved in the September 11 attacks or was just a "want-to-be-terrorist". It seems that the nation is willing to allow Moussaoui to take blame, whether he was truly involved or not.

I think the most interesting part of this trial is the use of personal anecdotes from the people who lost loved ones in the September 11 attack. These anecdotes are heart wrenching. There are stories of children, husbands, and wives left behind, some resorting to suicide to deal with their losses. And there is also the aspect of the ones who perished, all having lives and hopeful futures, now lost.

It is my belief that Zacarias Moussaoui would be found guilty and sentenced to death with out the aid of these personal anecdotes. However, I feel that the people who have lost the ones they love will have a greater sense of justice if they can tell their tragic stories. They are being given the ability to tell the "enemy" and the nation just what they have gone through i the years since September 11. It seems that this could be a catharsis for the families who have lost and the nation as a whole. We are being given a chance to tell the stories of our lost, hopefully with the result of a bit of relief. We can all share a bit of the heartache and let go of some of the anger that remains from one our nation's greatest tradgedies.