Thought provoking. Ii feel compelled to mention that the other side of the unity that you mention around the Sept 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S. is silencing of dissent.

Had there been more dissent, then perhaps the voices clamoring for the U.S. to not invade Iraq would not have been pushed aside by the media, politicians, and those in power.

Dissent is part of the mature democracy…but as in all things, there must be balance. Mindless blame and dissent for the sake of it is just as damaging as mindless unity. Anarchy and Police State are the extremes…either can be leveraged into oppression. Democracies have the difficult task of teetering on the middle ground…and I’m sure you’d agree that none of us have it 100% right.

Thanks for the thought-provoking post.