As the 10th anniversary of Al Qaeda’s 9/11/2001 attack on the U.S. nears, I must confess to a feeling of unease…not about more terrorist attacks but about how the anniversary of this heinous act will be treated.

The first of two unappetizing appetizers to the banquet that’s to come is Dick Cheney’s release of a book that proudly touts the torture, deaths and destruction that he and the Bush administrations wrought in the aftermath of 9/11. He’s appeared to hype the book and brag about his crimes against international law on every cable channel except Animal Planet (which might have been the most appropriate).

The second run up to this anniversary was the National Geographic Channel’s infomercial-like presentation of George W. Bush’s historical revisions of his first reaction to the 9/11 attacks, his eventual responses to it and his surprise that it even happened (how was he supposed to know that a daily briefing titled, “Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US” and described the hijacking of planes wasn’t about Bin Laden collaborating with Unions for better pay?).

Many stations on cable and network tv have one or more 9/11 specials planned. No doubt, many will take viewers back through that horrible day and many of the most tragic and traumatic events that occured.

I am a lover of history and there can be no question about the historic importance of that day and how it changed the course of America. However, there can be a thin line between exploring those events and exploiting the horror of that day just for ratings or other less than altruistic agendas.

The question for each of these alleged tributes is, are they reflecting genuine remembrance and insights or are they just terror porn?

Will they honor the lives of the innocent that were brutally taken that day and those who loved them or will the real focus be the planes crashing into the towers repeatedly, people jumping and those on the streets running in terror from the debris clouds of the collapsing towers?

Do we gain something worthwhile from seeing those disturbing images repeatedly? Is it important that they be refreshed in our minds periodically? For me they seem drug-like, working on parts of the brain such as the fear center. Those images communicate a sense of fear, sorrow, helplessness and vulnerability which the majority in this nation has had more than enough of over the last 10 years.

I’m not for censorship, networks absolutely should be free to show them but I personally have no wish to be immersed in them again, to witness mass murder over and over. The irony is, at the time, I was like many who were glued to the news and watched repeatedly, the planes crashing into the towers and their later collapse. It was surreal, so hard to grasp, bigger than reality had seemed before.

However, now that we have seen these images for 10 years and know the details very well, now that Bin Laden has been killed and Al Qaeda’s on the ropes, it would seem most appropriate that the focus is on the human aspect of that day and moving forward. Reliving or going back to those days is in itself, terrifying (it was amusing how Bush and his Admin kept saying years later how he wished we could go back to those days right after 9/11 when Americans were united…what he clearly was saying was, it was so much easier to get what he wanted passed into law and critics silenced when Americans were all together in being scared shitless and gave him a 90% approval rating just for being President when we were attacked) .

Instead of the spectacle of fear and horror that day provided, I wonder if any of these specials will focus on the firefighters and workers who have contracted cancer and other terrible illnesses…but ten years later still can’t get the government to treat them as the heroes they proclaimed them to be and pay all of their health costs and help their families cope financially? Will we see tributes to those who were lost and will it be thoughtful instead of exploitative?

Will they document how the Bush Administration used the attacks to shove through violations of our Constitutional rights and freedoms, used the multicolor Terrorism Threat Level politically, raising the threat level periodically to whip up support for Bush when it waned (especially before the 2004 election) or how at a press conference, in response to Bill Maher making an irreverent statement about the terrorists, President Bush’s Press Secretary, Ari Fleischer shot a warning to  “all Americans that they need to watch what they say, watch what they do.”?

I wonder if they’ll document the chill on free speech and speaking out against Bush, describe the journalists, teachers, entertainers and others who were fired or had their careers damaged just for speaking out against Bush. Will they address how the Anthrax Terrorist struck right after the Al Qaeda attack, targeting only Dem lawmakers and the Bush Administration never convincingly identified the party responsible.

How about the duct tape and plastic sheeting we were all feverishly urged by our government to buy, to somehow make our homes chemical and biological weapon proof (even though having an absolutely airtight house would end up suffocating everyone to death instead).

Will there be mention of the aborted TIPS program that would have legally authorized and required any service person entering your home to spy on you (mail carriers, UPS and Fedex, power and telephone companies, cable installers,  even neighbors).  How we were terrorized on almost a daily basis by the Bush Admin that remote controlled model planes, crop dusters and dirty bombs in common suitcases may be used to destroy us? How our airports, stadiums, malls, bridges, reservoirs and trains were all at risk targets?

Will these specials describe how, in response to 9/11, Bush used what he has admitted was already a plan in hand to invade Iraq? How about the 200,000 to 1 million or more Iraqis who were killed by our liberating them? Or all of our servicemen unnecessarily killed and those permanently disabled because of that war of choice that 9/11 was used to justify?

Maybe they’ll cover the witch hunt against people who could be perceived to be Middle Eastern or Muslim, how they were required to turn themselves in for questioning and in some cases, detained for long periods without any rights or lawyer…meanwhile, the Bin Laden family members in the U.S. were allowed to fly out of the country while all the rest of America was grounded?

Will they cover how Halliburton, KBR and others war profiteered off Iraq with the help of Cheney and Bush and even electrocuted our own soldiers to death in faulty showers? How Blackwater/XE killed scores of innocent civilians and were immune to any prosecution for it?

What about how Americans were told by President Bush that the only way for them to patriotically respond to being attacked on 9/11 was to mindlessly go shopping? Or Freedom Fries, anyone? Or how 10 years later we’re just now starting to rebuild in earnest at the site of the World Trade Center?

And all those American flags people had on their cars…what the hell happened to all of them???

Unfortunately, out of laziness, greed for ratings or propagandizing to manipulate the public, it seems likely that the attacks themselves and their immediate aftermath will be what’s most focused on by many in the MSM.

The fallacy is that 9/11 ended. We are still living through 9/11, the fear of Muslims, Middle Eastern people and the rest of the scary world out there (Muslims were demonized for wanting to build a community center in Manhattan, GOP Presidential hopeful Herman Cain announced he would never hire a Muslim in his cabinet and that states should be free to prevent mosques from being built).

We are surrounded by the economic destruction and continued military and civilian deaths Bush began in the wake of 9/11. We continue the practices of rendition and there are scores of people locked up at Guantanamo for 10 years with no charges and few trials being held. The Republican party still strongly supports Islamophobia and boasts an appetite for torture and other violations of international and Constitutional law that 9/11 inspired.

Only if we were to see 9/11 holistically, beginning with the attacks but continuing through the government sponsored hysteria and oppression that followed, the launching and continuance of two wars, the massive economic collapse, the rise of the intolerant and prejudiced Tea Party with their Presidential candidate Rick Perry as a potential nominee of the GOP,  can we grasp the full scope of 9/11 and its impact on the American psyche.  Hopefully, in doing so, we can finally move past it so it truly is history.

9/11 was more than the horrific events that took place that day. It instigated more horrific acts on the part of the U.S. which helped undermine our moral authority in the world and decimated our sense of shared values with our fellow Americans.

We should remember 9/11 for the good people who were lost, the heroic acts of our fellow Americans and how we can come together to help and to heal each other. That day could and should be taken back from Al Qaeda by Americans, as a cause for coming together, however we differ in our opinions on politics.

If we can use the memory of 9/11 for  something constructive instead of re-living horror, fear and helplessness, that is, when we can truly overcome terror, then the terrorists have indeed lost.

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SueInCa
Member

Adlib
The more I thought about it, the more disturbed I got about Rocklin’s patriot day. I sent a letter to the mayor……………..

Mayor Magnuson

I am more than a little disturbed by the display the city of Rocklin is putting on with their “Patriot’s Day Celebration”. I understand it is in rememberance of 9/11 but I don’t remember kids gaming area, food booths or vendors and crafts people selling their wares at ground zero, either then or today. And to celebrate in such a manner is a gross display of disrespect for those who lost their lives that day, including our troops, and any other people who have lost their lives as an extension of that horrifying day.

Who ever thought of this idea needs to sit back and think what this day is really about and it should not be about commercialism. Cashing in on such a day of remembrance is, in fact, wrong. I am sure the victims families would be horrified that people are participating in such a crass display.

This is a day of reflection and solitude, not a carnival in the parking lot celebration. I am sure you have many opportunities to sponsor this kind of “Patriot’s Day” any other day of the year, it would be much more appropriate than the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

Sincerely,

Susan

Chernynkaya
Member

AdLib, this brings up so many conflicting emotions in me. I guess my overarching feeling is that I want to forget the whole episode, even though we are still at war and still subject to most of the same legislation that was put in place because of 9/11.

Here’s why: I am focused (heh–laser-like!) on re-electing Obama. Nothing about 9/11 will help him, except for killing OBL and the other terrorists.

Remembering 9/11 reminds us that we are still at war and still in Iraq–costing trillions and enriching KBR, corrupt military contractors, and mercenaries of the most evil kind. It reminds us that there is no justice for the criminals who got us into this war. It reminds us that the Patriot Act, renditions, Gitmo etc are still in place. (Never mind why–I understand all of that completely.) My point is, all of these things demoralize us and suppress voter turnout to some degree. On the other hand, it might serve to remind some voters who dropped the ball on 9/11 and who got us into this quagmire, but I doubt that. So I know that it is unrealistic of me, but I wish the entire 9/11 orgy of emotions would just go away. Anything that hurts this (flawed) administration from winning 2012 will only make all the ensuing problems from 9/11 worse.

bito
Member

Nothing about 9/11 will help him, except for killing OBL and the other terrorists.

Eugene Robinson took the opposite view on this yesterday (linked in TO/OT.) He feels the more Bush/Cheney are out there it wii bring more notice that President Obama is dealing with monumental problems not of his doing and will show the ineptness on the previous administration.

Chernynkaya
Member

I hope what Robinson wrote proves to be the case for most voters. It works for me but as I say, it’s a double edged sword. Who knows? I posted a recent poll showing that most people are smart enough to continue to blame Bush for the economy, so there’s hope.

funksands
Member

For a perceptive man like Mr. Robinson, no doubt that will be the case.

bito
Member

funk, here is the link to Mr. Robinson’s article. I thought it was quite good.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/bush-and-cheney-remind-us-how-we-got-into-this-mess/2011/09/01/gIQAboXFvJ_story.html

chasethis
Member
chasethis

AdLib, many of the meatier questions you ask here may be answered by the Maddow/Engel “Day of Something/Decade of War” presentation that began last evening. The rest of it airs tonight. I had to watch last night’s show in fits and starts. Several pacing on the patio breaks. It was alternately heart-breaking and blood boiling. One of the biggest blood boilers for me is (are? See last sentence.) the fear-mongering cottage industries that have sprung up over the last decade. Another is the billions and billions that have been spent taking revenge on 19 or so assholes with box cutters. I know that’s simplistic, but it’s hot outside and I’m out of energy.

bito
Member

Chase, I also thought the program was quite good and the, as you say “the fear-mongering cottage industries” segment ticked me off too. Let’s package ‘fear’ and sell it. That jerk selling the line, and books, about 3-5 schools being attacked and 200-300 children being killed per school fear-mongering-to-make-a-buck was sick. How much money did/does NYC mayor Guiliana (sp) make of selling his fear-mongering? Millions!

SueInCa
Member

Adlib
You are gonna love this. The city of Rocklin(where i live)is having a Patriot Day event for 9/11. Vendors and Crafts People will be there to sell their goods.

Rocklin Patriot Day

Sunday, Sep 11 11:00a to 4:00p

atBlue Oaks Towne Center,Rocklin,CA

Recognizing our community servants on the 10th Anniversary of 9/11.

11:00AM- 4:00PM

Ceremony Tribute to 9/11 to begin at 3pm.

* Police Helicopter
* S.W.A.T. Team Vehicle
* Hook and Ladder Fire Truck
* Food Booths
* Police Motorcycles
* Jaws of Life
* Huge Kids Gaming Area
* Vendor & Crafts Booths
* Whitney High School Marching Band
* Police K9 Unit
* Rocklin High School Jazz Band

Sponsor & Vendor Opportunities still available
Info: http://placercountyheroes. read more

Read more: http://events.sacbee.com/rocklin-ca/events/show/204935405-rocklin-patriot-day#ixzz1WoliIiRD

funksands
Member

Ad, this was a thought-provoking article. I wrote several responses only to erase them and think some more. At this point I’m not sure how to respond to the titular question.

I guess it would depend if we had learned something from this tragedy and then applied that new knowledge to do things differently.

I’m not really sure we have.

SueInCa
Member

This might be appropriate for this article:

Dear Susan:

Yesterday, the Commission on Wartime Contracting released its final report.

The Commission reported that between $31 billion and $62 billion of the tax money spent on contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan has been wasted. It also said that between $10 billion and $19 billion of what contractors billed and received was fraudulent. In fact, $360 million of our tax dollars went straight to . . . the Taliban.

Wow. Who could have imagined that?

Well . . . me.

When I saw that the Bush Administration was doing nothing about fraud in Iraq, I revived a law going back to the Civil War that allowed whistleblowers to bring lawsuits in the name of the U.S. Government. I filed case after case, which were promptly greeted by the Bush Administration with gag orders – gag orders that they kept in place for years. They didn’t want any more bad news coming out of Iraq.

So I went on CNN, spoke to the New York Times and the Washington Post, and told America whatever I could say without violating those gag orders. And when the Bush Administration finally let one case out from under those gag orders – and declined to prosecute it – I took that case to trial, and won a $14 million judgment. It was the third-largest judgment for whistleblowers in the 143-year history of that law.

Those contractors built bases without hooking up the plumbing. A general testified that when he went there, he felt like throwing up.

The Wall Street Journal reported in a front-page article that I was “waging a one-man war against contractor fraud in Iraq.” The national organization Taxpayers Against Fraud named me “Lawyer of the Year.” And people started to think, “what is going on over there?”

In Congress, I spoke out against the wars, and I voted against the wars. I wrote and introduced The War is Making You Poor Act, HR 5353. My bill pointed out that you could:

Require the Pentagon to fund the wars from its own budget of over $500 billion, not supplemental appropriations;
Take all the money that would save and eliminate taxes on everyone’s first $35,000 of income, $70,000 for married couples; and
Still have over $10 billion a year left over, to cut the federal deficit.
OpenCongress’s unscientific poll showed 91% in favor of HR 5353.

After I left Congress in January, I took up the work against contractor fraud in Iraq again. And I won an $8.7 million settlement from DynCorp and the Sandi Group. The defendants paid our attorney’s fees last Friday.

Here’s some simple arithmetic. We’ve budgeted $159.3 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan this year, through next month. (The true cost is much more, but let’s leave that aside.) That’s:

$159,300,000,000.00.

You could take all that money and create 5,310,000 jobs here in America paying $30,000 a year, rebuilding our bridges, our roads, our schools, instead of the ones in Iraq and Afghanistan. That would immediately lower the unemployment rate from 9 percent to 5.5 percent, and get money flowing in our communities again.

Now, that’s a job program. I’ll put that up against whatever President Obama proposes next week.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have killed more than 8,000 Americans, and who-knows-how-many Iraqis and Afghans. War has destroyed our economy, just as the war in Afghanistan destroyed the Soviet economy. According to the calculations of Nobel Prize-winner Professor Joseph Stiglitz, the war in Iraq alone has cost us around 8% of our $50 trillion national net worth, all of the wealth that America built up over two centuries. Over $13,000 for every single American, young and old.

We’ve taken our inheritance, and dumped it into a wood chipper.

My father served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He told me once that one of the most common questions that men of his generation heard was, “what did you do in the war?” Maybe our children will ask us, “what did you do against the war?”

That’s a question I can answer.

Courage,

Alan Grayson

escribacat
Member

From your mouth to the ear of MSM, Adlib. What exactly have we learned from 9/11? Before he got eaten by the fishes, bin Laden gleefully stated that his intent was to bankrupt the west. We walked right into that one and haven’t figured it out yet.

SueInCa
Member

Everyone
There is a really good book written by Vincent Bugliosi called The Prosecution of George Bush for Murder. I highly recommend reading it. It gives some real insight showing just how insensitive Bush was about the terror he caused and lays out a plan for prosecuting him. Too bad no one who can do something about it, did anything. I think it has to do with the Miliary Commissions Act of 2006 although if challenged in court it could probably be overturned. Bush basically wrote his own pardon.

http://www.prosecutionofbush.com/

Emerald1943
Member

Sue, there is a copy on my coffee table where it has been for quite some time!

I urge everyone to read it!

Also, there is a group with the website, http://www.indictbushnow.org

They are keeping up the drum beat for ALL the war criminals to stand trial for their crimes!

SueInCa
Member

Em I knew we were soul sisters…………

ADONAI
Member

If they’re gonna show the footage, show it all. Show the people jumping from the Towers to their death rather than burn alive. Show the deformed corpses lining the street. Show the people horribly maimed by FIRE FALLING FROM THE SKY!

Show every goddamn bit of it. The soldiers cut in half by I.E.Ds, hung like criminals and set on fire, beheaded, and every other terrible thing they’ve had to endure. Had to take cause America got a murder boner.

See how long people have a stomach for what actually fucking happened. What is still going on. Everybody so goddamn happy to go to war. And GOD less the thousands who went to the streets to protest this BS. But it didn’t matter. This country wanted war SO BAD. Ready to put a fucking sticker on their SUVs and be so goddamn proud of themselves. They contributed their $2.50 to the cause.

Republicans didn’t drag us kicking and screaming into this. It’s not like Democrats haven’t had chances to end this. Choosing instead to talk about their “just war”. And I can’t blame them. I wanted shit to burn after 9/11. Wanted to see the Middle East crumble.

But, being a reasonable person, I got over that. I supported Bush all the way up to the day he started lying about Iraq. Most of the country did. We wanted war. A vocal minority spoke up on the wrongs of invading this country. I listened. I believed them. I thought that surely the American people wouldn’t go for this.

So when I first ventured into politics it was with a cynical point of view. It was the first major event of my adult life. My introduction to “how things work”. It still influences every aspect of my political thoughts today. Robert Byrd gave a speech to an empty room. No one bothered to show up. No one had one bad thing to say about invading Iraq except him.

I just look back and think, “What the fuck happened? What were we thinking? We’re suppose to be better than that.”

Emerald1943
Member

Hey Adonai, I can tell you exactly what happened. The Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/republican machine went into operation immediately! They scared the sh*t out of all of us! Then, to top it off, they sent the most trusted man in America, General Colin Powell to the United Nations with “data”, charts, satellite pictures, and a script to chill you to the bone. WMD’s, chemical weapons, and delivery systems for all of them were on everyone’s lips from the Idiot-in-Chief on down. They had us believing that it could happen at any moment!

I remember Colin Powell’s speech, having watched it live that day. I thought at the time that Powell certainly would not lie to us…so I believed along with most of the people in this country. Sad that I was so gullible, but who woulda’ thunk it?? I really think that many people just could not fathom the fact that our President would lie about going to war. Even the media did not ask the “hard” questions.

coveark
Member
coveark

That is strange how we often see things differently……

I watched Powell speak at the UN, “WMD,WMD, WMD,WMd…etc WMD,WMD,ETC…WMD”…….and thought….not true, too hard sell, BS.

Is this a family payback for daddy, George you smarmy weasel?

I am anti war in most cases………..this was one. There was no reason for us to go there.

America was up in arms and justly angry but knee jerk war ……not right……so many civilians maimed and killed………so many of us going into hell and being told that it was righteous. GD Toby Keith and his message to help keep everyone blindly riled.

I, as many, had hoped that the lessons of Viet Nam had been absorbed into the fabric of our nations consciousness.

Yes, they did scare the shit out of many. People would say, well what if they invade us? I would reply…”we would fight, fight for our families and our people. We would kick ass with a vengance.” They would say well if you are anti war, how can you say that?? “Well, think about it …….it is a whole different scene.”

It was like an out of body experience watching from above the total chaos, lies, fakery,etc. Watching it all and being unable to have any power to change it. I am sorry that no one could comprehend, believe, or listen.

KillgoreTrout
Member

Adonai, the Iraq war was sold to the American people like a used car salesman sells lemons. We were lied to over and over again. They told us that the military action would last “six days, maybe six weeks and absolutely no longer than 6 months. We were told that Iraqi oil would pay for the whole shebang! We were told that Saddam had chemical and biological weapons and that he was attempting to build a nuclear weapon/s. We were told that al Qaida was hiding out in Iraq. Lie after lie and the majority of the American people fell for it. Hook, line and sinker.
There is a really good book about it called “The Greatest Story Ever Sold,” by Frank Rich.

SueInCa
Member

KT I read that book, good read.

SueInCa
Member

Adonai
I don’t know about anyone else but my main thought when Iraq was brought up was: hey wait a minute, no Iraqis were involved in 9/11-WMDs is not a reason to invade a sovereign nation. I am not a supporter of war anyway and I used that analogy to form my opinion. People did not agree with me that is for sure.

It was like the country went mad for awhile but targeting people who were not involved did not make a bit of sense to me. Later I read PNAC and knew I was right all along. 9/11 was their Pearl Harbor

SueInCa
Member

Adonai
Another thing that helped me decide is I have a friend from Iraq and he was just here at that time a little over two years. He provided some insight into the Iraqi thinking during that time and what he knew to be true about Iraq from experience

coveark
Member
coveark

Both you and Emerald are very elloquent in telling the truth and it is a pitiful truth.

During those years it was simply crazy to watch what was happening and realize what WAS happening.

I know that 9/11 was a horror and that the passing of that date should be mentioned………but I personally am sick of it……I do not want to see or think about it.

For those who were simply witnesses via media, their lives have gone on and the aftermath of the Village Idiot and Darth’s handeling of it is what we need to be working with.

I despise everything that came of that and that we have been wounded more by our stupidity than anything else. It was evident what was happening…..I could see very much of it …but no one that I know wanted to hear it….Oh well, Thank you both for shining the light.

Emerald1943
Member

Thank you, coveark, for your kind words.

You are right…nobody wanted to hear it at the time. If you made the mistake of speaking out, you were immediately labeled as a “traitor”, “not supporting the troops”, or “un-American”. With the passage of the Patriot Act, many of my friends were actually afraid of speaking out, knowing that people could be simply “disappeared”. It was but a small step down the slippery slope of totalitarianism!

Things are definitely better now…witness our being able to come to PPOV and voice our concerns in a completely open environment without fear. Let us hope and work toward the day when we no longer have to be afraid of our country slipping back to where we were just after 9/11.

Thanks again for your nice comment! 🙂

SueInCa
Member

Adlib, I know how it feels to be treated as less than a “real american” by not supporting the war in Iraq. I also felt it from some during the 1991 invasion. I know as well as anyone else that Saddam was a monster but so was Suharto and the US had a hand in placing him in power so how is that any different? Iraqis did not ask us for help at any time and in return for help in Saddam’s invasion of Kuwait, the Kuwaitis agreed to establish a democratic government within a year after the battle was over. They never did and no one enforced that promise. Another worthless Bush.

I have watched some of the NatGeo on this past week and you are right none of the points you mentioned were covered. The Bush interview was so ridiculous I almost laughed. One point, he knew before he walked into that school a plane had hit the WTC. HE KNEW AND WENT IN ANYWAY. Then he used those kids as an excuse for his lame response to the second plane.

There were so many around the country who were targeted by the Bush cabal but most Americans are too dumbed down to reach out and read those stories. One person who I thought had a good handle on the path Bush was taking was Naomi Wolf. Some say she is a fear monger but I find most of what she wrote pretty accurate. The only thing I did not see was what could happen to the US if Palin had been elected along with McCain. If you want to read the aricle she wrote, here it is:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/naomi-wolf/the-battle-plan-ii-sarah_b_128393.html

She missed the dominionist connection but she sensed pretty much the same thing with her. I read this late one Saturday night just a few weeks before the election and it chilled me to the core. I called my girlfriend and got her out of bed to talk me down. LOL

Emerald1943
Member

Sue, great comment! I too am a fan of Naomi Wolf! She is so spot on in her writings. As a matter of fact, only today an new article of hers was posted on HP. It was a comparison of the conditions of Victorian England and the new and repressive laws being pushed by Prime Minister Cameron. In fact, some of the issues in our country were mentioned in her article. Apparently, the more liberal in their society are fighting the same things that we are here in the US..loss of the social safety net, increased surveillance of the population, and voter suppression.

I liked her book “The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot”. If you have not read it, I would recommend it! 🙂

SueInCa
Member

Em
I have read it. When I discovered her, I gobbled up every book I could find to read. Some say she is an extremist but she backs up her statements with credible info most of the time. I will go look for her story from today, thanks for the heads up.

Emerald1943
Member

Sue, I kinda’ thought you had probably read her! Hope all is well with you! 🙂

Emerald1943
Member

Bravo, Adlib! Incredibly well done!

These are all good points that we would do well to remember in looking back at the tragedy.

I remember making note of the fact that the terror alerts used by the Bush administration were timed to elicit the fear of the American people, just at the time when Bush’s poll numbers were sinking. This was prior to the 2004 election as you noted. But just as soon as Bush “won” the second term, we NEVER saw another raise in the threat level. How convenient! But of course, there were never any “credible or substantial” threats…only “chatter” as they described it.

Osama Bin Laden was always portrayed in the media as a fanatic living a rather bizarre life in a cave, needing kidney dialysis, and putting out his propaganda through operatives that took his tapes to Al Jazeera. But OBL was never portrayed as stupid. We were told that he had an excellent education and enough money to back up his plans.

Apparently, OBL knew his opponent well! He knew enough about the ignorant Village Idiot that sat in the Oval Office to realize that Bush would immediately give the call to arms. OBL got the fight he wanted. His end result was to cripple the US economically…and he succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. The attack on the World Trade Center was symbolic, but the long-term goal was to financially ruin this country. And of course, the Village Idiot played the game.

Now, ten years after, we are left in shambles with trillions of dollars wasted, not to mention the horrible loss of life and the loss of any respect from the rest of the civilized world for our invasion of Iraq. Any person who would blame anyone for our present difficulties except Bush and Cheney is living in an alternate universe. Now we are faced with a decline in our standard of living, our educational system, and our business leadership around the world. The blame can be laid squarely at their feet.

Are we any more safe from terrorist attacks in the future? Well, perhaps to a point. But we have been forced to surrender many of our personal liberties and submit to invasive searches at airports for instance, something that I don’t feel makes us any more safe. Who was it that said “People who surrender their liberties for security deserve neither”…or something like that?

We hope to see Al Qaeda completely dismantled and scattered to the four winds. It will take us a long time to undo all the harm that BOTH Osama Bin Laden and Bush did to this country. This is what we should remember on 9/11…then we should re-double our efforts to support our President in his attempts to do so.