Staff Editorial: War, then and now

This Wednesday is the 12th anniversary of an attack that scarred the American homeland, and from which the consequences still reverberate today.

Some students and professors can pinpoint exactly where they were, and recollect with fervor the fateful day in fall, while others may be too young to even remember the chaos and commotion that accompanied the al-Qaida attack.

It’s important for Americans to acknowledge the significance of 9/11 in order to teach future generations in an effort to better our society and not repeat the past.

Incoming freshmen may think of Wednesday as nothing more than a historical event, interrupting their favorite television and radio programs, but there are clear parallels between 2001 and 2013.

Twelve years ago, George W. Bush had Americans believing our biggest problems were al-Qaida and weapons of mass destruction.

While in 2013, President Barack Obama has us ready to rush into Syria to stop chemical weapons, and the diabolical Bashar al-Assad.

The war in Iraq was quite possibly the least popular occupation since Vietnam, and now Americans and the rest of the world look on in tense silence as the Obama administration deliberates on how much interference is necessary in the Middle East.

Obama has said there won’t be any “American boots on the ground,” and no military personnel has been shipped out, so why does it feel like America is on the verge of war?

On Tuesday, during Obama's address regarding the crisis in Syria, he announced that Congress has officially postponed the vote on America's next move forward.

Despite the urging of the president and other gung-ho politicians, the priority of the American people should be peace.

"I don't think we should remove another dictator by force," Obama said during his address.

However, the president does believe in a "targeted strike to achieve a clear objective to deterring the use of chemical weapons and degrading Assad’s capabilities."

Obama alleges that even without Congress' approval, he will not take the option of a strike off the table.

"It is in the national security interest of the United States to do a limited military strike," he said.

The commander-in-chief made it clear that despite the fact that he has the power and authority to go ahead with a military strike, he said he believes "our democracy is stronger when the president works with the support of Congress, and I believe America acts more effectively abroad when we stand together."

While there are similarities between the social climate of Sept. 11, 2001 and today, they are not the same.

America has not been attacked in over a decade, and if there is still an option of peace, we as nation should be doing everything in our power to make peace a reality.

9/11 is a day to remember because of the pain and heartache that touched the United States, but a war with Syria will only spread and perpetuate that same despair and sorrow.