Reflecting on Our Response to 9/11 (by Jim Wallis)
Seven years ago this morning, airplanes were flown into the World Trade Center Towers, the Pentagon, and a field in rural Pennsylvania. The next day I joined with a few others to draft the following statement. In a few weeks, more than 4,000 of America's religious leaders of all faiths had signed it and it was printed as an ad in The New York Times.
Seven years later, as we remember that day, it is appropriate to reflect on this statement and to wonder how the world would be different if its counsel had been heeded.
We "demand[ed] that those responsible for these utterly evil acts be found and brought to justice. Those culpable must not escape accountability." Yet after seven years of war in Afghanistan, we are still engaged against a resurgent Taliban and al Qaeda, and Osama bin Laden has still not been found. Then, 9/11 was used as a rationale to invade and occupy Iraq, a conflict that has now taken the lives of more than 4,000 American troops and countless Iraqis. Rather than "the vision of community, tolerance, compassion, justice, and the sacredness of human life, which lies at the heart of all our religious traditions," we have seen the erosion of our civil liberties, torture at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo, and indefinite detentions without trial.
Today on this anniversary, let us pause to remember those who died, to reflect on what has happened since, and once again, "Let us rededicate ourselves to global peace, human dignity, and the eradication of the injustice that breeds rage and vengeance." We offered a different way to deny the terrorists their victory, which, I believe, could still be followed. It's not too late to change our course. Please read and reflect upon the original statement.
DENY THEM THEIR VICTORY: A RELIGIOUS RESPONSE TO TERRORISM
We, American religious leaders, share the broken hearts of our fellow citizens. The worst terrorist attack in history that assaulted New York City, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania has been felt in every American community. Each life lost was of unique and sacred value in the eyes of God, and the connections Americans feel to those lives run very deep. In the face of such a cruel catastrophe, it is a time to look to God and to each other for the strength we need and the response we will make. We must dig deep to the roots of our faith for sustenance, solace and wisdom.
First, we must find a word of consolation for the untold pain and suffering of our people. Our congregations will offer their practical and pastoral resources to bind up the wounds of the nation. We can become safe places to weep and secure places to begin rebuilding our shattered lives and communities. Our houses of worship should become public arenas for common prayer, community discussion, eventual healing, and forgiveness.
Second, we offer a word of sober restraint as our nation discerns what its response will be. We share the deep anger toward those who so callously and massively destroy innocent lives, no matter what the grievances or injustices invoked. In the name of God, we too demand that those responsible for these utterly evil acts be found and brought to justice. Those culpable must not escape accountability. But we must not, out of anger and vengeance, indiscriminately retaliate in ways that bring on even more loss of innocent life. We pray that President Bush and members of Congress will seek the wisdom of God as they decide upon the appropriate response.
Third, we face deep and profound questions of what this attack on America will do to us as a nation. The terrorists have offered us a stark view of the world they would create, where the remedy to every human grievance and injustice is a resort to the random and cowardly violence of revenge -- even against the most innocent. Having taken thousands of our lives, attacked our national symbols, forced our political leaders to flee their chambers of governance, disrupted our work and families, and struck fear into the hearts of our children, the terrorists must feel victorious.
But we can deny them their victory by refusing to submit to a world created in their image. Terrorism inflicts not only death and destruction but also emotional oppression to further its aims. We must not allow this terror to drive us away from being the people God has called us to be. We assert the vision of community, tolerance, compassion, justice, and the sacredness of human life, which lies at the heart of all our religious traditions. America must be a safe place for all our citizens in all their diversity. It is especially important that our citizens who share national origins, ethnicity, or religion with whoever attacked us are, themselves, protected among us.
Our American illusion of invulnerability has been shattered. From now on, we will look at the world in a different way, and this attack on our life as a nation will become a test of our national character. Let us make the right choices in this crisis -- to pray, act, and unite against the bitter fruits of division, hatred and violence. Let us rededicate ourselves to global peace, human dignity, and the eradication of the injustice that breeds rage and vengeance.
As we gather in our houses of worship, let us begin a process of seeking the healing and grace of God.
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Comments
Today is 911 a day that should be set aside not to make political points but to remember those innocent people who lost their lives at the hand of murderers. Instead you use it to push your political cause ...and in doing so show more disdain for our country and its leadership than you do for the terrorists who murdered. Should we be introspective and evaluate if we are making right choices... absolutely, but motives come into question when nothing is said in todays blog of the horror of the choices that the terrorist made on 911
Posted by: matt Jones | September 11, 2008 10:30 AM
CORRECTION: " nothing is said in todays blog of the horror of the choices that the terrorist made on 911" Poorly worded... what am trying to say is that the focus was of this blog was to criticize Bush and the current administration ...not to remember those who died or criticize those who killed the innocent ... criticism was made of the terrorists, but as an aside...
Also my comments are not in response to the ad placed into the Times, just today's blog.
Posted by: matt Jones | September 11, 2008 10:41 AM
Eric Sapp wrote the following at a web site called Faithful Democrats:
"At that moment in history, the unified political and international goodwill generated by the heinous attacks of 9/11 endowed our leaders with virtually unquestioned powers. If our President had called our country to become energy independent before the decade was out, it would have happened. Had our President asked Americans to reinvigorate the Peace Corps or launch a domestic service initiative to show the world the true heart of America, millions would have answered the call. Instead, he told Americans to shop; told Congress to pass his regressive tax plan; launched the war he and his advisors had always hoped for in Iraq; and he told the world that America believes torture and imprisonment without trial are OK as long as they happen to the "enemy."
"There are those who might say I'm a starry-eyed idealist to imagine we had any option but to respond with hate, fear, and revenge after 9/11. I am no pacifist (though I wish I could be), nor do I believe that the state bears the sword in vain. I'm too much of a "fallen world" Calvinist for any of that. "
"But even in this ethically-gray fallen world, I understand that my Calvinism is not a philosophy. It is a faith. And no matter what else might be encompassed in my definition of faith, at the very core of my faith is the cross. If we are going to preach Christ crucified; if we are going to believe there is any higher purpose to the political squabbles we engage in; if we are going to seek to serve our Creator in hopes of edging our world closer to his Kingdom; then we must be willing to take leaps of faith from time to time and understand that foolishness to the world is not always foolishness to God. I wish we'd had a leader who believed those things on September 12, 2001."
Posted by: Sister Marie | September 11, 2008 11:00 AM
matt -- Whether you appreciate it or not, what happened on 9/11 was at its heart a political act that cannot be isolated from a larger context; Osama bin Laden has made that clear from the outset. And it is also true that our response to it was to ignore the immediate cause and focus on a relatively defenseless state whose leader with whom GWB had a score to settle. These are legitimate issues to raise.
Posted by: Rick | September 11, 2008 11:04 AM
Yes, it is a day for remembering, but it is also a fitting occasion to call us to act on our highest ideals. I think it is very patriotic to call our country--its people and its leaders--to live up to our highest ideals. For me those ideals are based on the work of Christ.
But during this day, the hymn-like refrain of Bruce Springsteen's song "Into the Fire" runs through my mind. He wrote in response to the dedication of the firefighters and other first responders. But the words work for anyone who goes beyond narrow self-interest, including the Great Example of Christ.
May your strength give us strength,
May your faith give us faith,
May your hope give us hope,
May your love bring us love.
Shalom.
Posted by: bethp | September 11, 2008 11:10 AM
Nice Democratic Talking Points as per usual Jim...
Posted by: buckeyeman | September 11, 2008 11:18 AM
Jim,
In agreement with those above I also wish that you could stow the political Election '08 push for one day to remember the victims and fallen heros of 9/11.
Are you currently on vacation? This makes two cut-and-paste articles in a row.
Apart from by general disagreement I find it offensive that you constantly draw up statements of your views and try to force Christians to affirm, sign, or adopt.
Posted by: Peter S. | September 11, 2008 1:12 PM
9/11 was an act of evil ,
Nothing defenseless about Iraq . The invasion of Iraq was a mistake in my opinion. Stategically and a lost of great human life, the innocent and those who who were ruthless in their desires to oppress .
This is not a day for gotcha or denial . Obama is right when he says we took our eye off the real perpetuators . John McCain is an honorable man and looking out for our best interest and those people in the world who love peace.
How we go about global peace has different opinions on how to get there .
This blog reflects one view . Nothing wrong with that Matt . I wish it was more unifying in the message also , leave the differences out for a day , but since when did this blog seek to those unify those who disagree ?
I would have to say the majority of Americans at least think invading Iraq was a mistake ?
But 9/11 , what an example of mindless murder and destrution by people with no concept of humanity or Love of God . Driven by extremism and a belief that God Hates those that they Hate .
Posted by: Michael | September 11, 2008 1:24 PM
Any comment on 9/11 needs to consider the implications of the 911 Truth movement being even 10% right as it completely changes the meaning of that day eg. http://patriotsquestion911.com/
Posted by: Gary M | September 11, 2008 1:25 PM
Bush has sullied the memory of the 2973 people who were killed on 9/11/2001 by launching a war on a country which:
(1) Was not involved in the planning and execution of the 9/11 attacks.
(2) Did not possess weapons of mass destruction.
(3) Represented no military threat to the United States or its allies.
Now, seven years later, we face the very real possibility that the same type of radicals who have ascended to power in Iran will also control the government in Iraq. Indeed, there have already been overtures between the two nations, and unlike Bush who had to fly into and out of Iraq under cover of secrecy, Iran's leaders have been openly welcomed.
Bush has redefined stupidity. And I am afraid that McCain has caught his mantle.
Posted by: Sister Marie | September 11, 2008 1:42 PM
It is painfully obvious by reading the above posts who seeks to perpetuate the victim mentality which has permeated our society since 9/11/01. If Mr. Wallis' words are offensive to you, I must wonder why. For those who are obsessed with blaming, I would remind you that we have no control over how others choose to behave or the choices they make. We can only control our response to their choices and behavior. As a nation and it's leadership, we had no control over the horrific choices of the terrorists who took the lives of so many innocent victims; but we did have control over how we chose to respond.
Holding our political leaders accountable for their choices is an absolute necessity that cannot be overlooked because of the magnitude of the issue. As a result of their horrific choices, nearly twice the number of American lives has been needlessly sacrificed in Iraq and Afghanistan as were taken on 9/11.
If you must insist on perpetuating feelings of anger, animosity, hatred and revenge to "remember" the events of 9/11, please don't use God to validate your self-serving agengas.
Posted by: Glen S., OH | September 11, 2008 1:43 PM
Although these events recede in the distance, time is not enough to cover the horrific events: It was September 11 in the morning; The roar of jet engines from airplanes flying low in the downtown area, explosions and the plumes of smoke that could be seen from everywhere in the city of Santiago, Chile in 1973 as the democratically elected president of that country was being deposed and murdered by the power of the United States... what goes around...
Posted by: alfonso maciel | September 11, 2008 1:51 PM
Although I, too, feel deep sympathy and solace for the victims of 9/11 and their families, I do so for a different reason.
When Wallis et al say, "In the name of God, we too demand that those responsible for these utterly evil acts be found and brought to justice. Those culpable must not escape accountability," as a member of the exponentially growing 9/11 Truth movement worldwide, I believe that there is more to 9/11 than meets the eye, and that "those responsible" may well include individuals and/or agencies of the U.S. government.
I certainly expect strong reaction to this from the overwhelming majority of posters here, but I would rather speak my truth and have it heard and rejected than not speak it at all.
Peace.
Posted by: Maani | September 11, 2008 1:52 PM
My birthday is 9/11. I remember well 9/11/01, we had planned a "Banquet Of Hope" for over 100 guests from local homeless shelters for that evening. As it became clear that we had been attacked in a senseless, evil and profound way, we thought about cancelling the Banquet but chose to go ahead, do the right thing, to carry on with hope and love in the face of hatred and destruction. It was a wonderful night! Barriers between "church folks" and our guests were done away with. We were all hurting, we had all been attacked, we all needed each other and the hope of the love of Christ.
Tonight we will have our 8th annual "Banquet Of Hope." 9/11 is still my birthday but it is also a day to intentionally give love, hope, peace, goodness, life to others. We can argue and disagree about many things, many things need to be said...but so many other actions need to be done. So do them.
Posted by: Rev, Jerry Hill | September 11, 2008 1:54 PM
For a take on 9-11 that encourages us to pull our boots up and quit acting like victims, see www.biblicalrecorder.org. We are not endowed with a spirit of fear from God. The only power of terrorists is when we crouch in fear instead of walking confidently in faith.
Posted by: Norman | September 11, 2008 2:13 PM
Today, I will continue to remember the innocent victims of these horrendous attacks and continue to thank God that these attacks have not been repeated on our soil. I also will thank God again for bringing our son safely through 2 deployments to Iraq as I continue to pray for the safety of his fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines, many of whom are on their 3rd or 4th deployments. Meanwhile, I pray, too, for a change of heart and mind of all those connected to the over 300 terrorist groups that have been identified. I pray that they will accept the right of all peoples to freedom regardless of their religious beliefs, their gender, and their ethnicity.
Posted by: judithod | September 11, 2008 2:15 PM
It is important to our democracy that a genuine
non-partisan, non governmental investigative committee thoroughly investigate the real causes of the imploding of the three World Trade Center buildings. That needs to be done rather than continuing to perpetuate the myth and vilifying
those who had no role in that horrid tragedy.
Posted by: christine | September 11, 2008 2:16 PM
For a take on 9-11 that encourages us to pull our boots up and quit acting like victims, see www.biblicalrecorder.org. We are not endowed with a spirit of fear from God. The only power of terrorists is when we crouch in fear instead of walking confidently in faith.
Posted by: Norman | September 11, 2008 2:16 PM
Holding those accountable? No one found guilty YET! not even taxi driver of former CIA employee, bin Laden.
How do buildings fall at free-fall speed WITHOUT controlled demolition explosives?
Why only controlled demolition experts allowed at Ground Zero BEFORE FEMA et al?
And WTC#7?
Why no wings or tail section of supposed jet-liner found at Pentagon site?
We must do our homework. We are not given a spirit of timidity.
www.911scholars.org
The truth will set us free from perpetual war.
Well, maybe!
alan
Posted by: alan | September 11, 2008 2:26 PM
We shall always remember 9/11, but I still Question,- who was Really behind it?
Posted by: marta | September 11, 2008 2:30 PM
Dear Jim, thank you for all your efforts
for peace. Here are the lyrics to a song that
I wrote this morning in rememberance of the tragedy of 9/11. I believe it relates to the meaning and message of the statement that you
and other religious leaders made as a response
to terrorism in 2001.
The song is based on a prayer by St Francis.
May it bring affirmation and inspiration on the ongoing path of healing and peace.
Healing
where there is injury
may we grant pardon
where there is offense
may we forgive
where there is darkness
may we see light
where there is death
may we live
healing healing
touching the Heart of the Holy One
healing healing
touching the Sacred Source of Love
where there is shame
may we bring acceptance
where there is indifference
may we bring care
where there is ignorance
may we bring knowlege
where there is hardship
may we all together share
healing healing
touching the Heart of the Holy One
healing healing
touching the Sacred Source of Love
where there is fear
may we bring courage
where there is weakness
may we bring strength
where there is hatred
may we bring understanding
where there is conflict
may we bring peace
healing healing
touching the Heart of the Holy One
healing healing
touching the Sacred Source of Love
where there is despair
may we bring hope
where there is doubt
may we bring faith
where there is sadness
may we bring joy
where there is human willfulness
may we bring Grace
healing healing
touching the Heart of the Holy One
healing healing
touching the Sacred Source of Love
touching the Sacred Source of Love
healing healing
reaching out to give
we receive
healing healing
trusting in the Heart
we believe
Healing Healing
Forever Healing
Posted by: Joe Kirkwood | September 11, 2008 2:37 PM
Deny Them Their Victory: A Religious Response to Terrorism.
NO! Jesus says that the response to those who harm us is love, not more war and violence. That is how we deny them the victory
Posted by: oliver | September 11, 2008 3:08 PM
You write: "Let us rededicate ourselves to global peace, human dignity..." which is good, but I'd suggest that dedicating ourselves to love and the author of love would trump social justice... in fact, it would compel it. How we find ways to do this, it key.
Posted by: Fade to Black | September 11, 2008 3:20 PM
Since 9/11, I have had only one prayer about the events of that awful day: That we find the grace to respond without violence, to pray for those who attacked us, and through these acts, to show the world the moral fiber of Christianity in a clear and unmistakable way.
To say that that prayer has gone largely unanswered is not a political statement. To the best of my knowledge, no major party candidate has even come close to expressing such a view, and none who does so is ever likely to get elected. The response will have to come from others joining me in prayer.
Thank you, Joe, for your updating of St. Francis. Now, will others join in? Wherever two or more of you are gathered in my name...
Posted by: Another nonymous | September 11, 2008 3:31 PM
Quite soon after the shock I too worried that revenge would be the response. It was confirmed when my wife and I watched President Bush give his first speech after 9-11. We do not have TV so this was actually my first time watching Bush. Of course I had seen his picture and heard him on the radio. As the speech proceeded my jaw dropped and I finally muttered "that guy is evil". All of my worst nightmares have pretty much come true. The horrible crime has not been punished and more even worse crimes have been committed in the name of revenge and/or political and financial gain. I believe that people of conscience will need to speak out loudly and perhaps put their lives on the line thru non-violent civil disobedience to bring about any meaningful change.
Posted by: Dan Peper | September 11, 2008 3:40 PM
I'm not going to criticise the military, the political leaders but rather do as one writer above suggests: reflect on the meaning of life and the tragic loss of life, and the bravery of those who went in to face the fire ...
Perhaps my feelings are as a result of my firm committment to peace and justice. Perhaps because of the grief I'll always feel about the whole 9/11 attack and it's aftermath. I refuse to call it the "Attack on America" because terrorism is not just an American thing. It's world wide, and the result of those who feel the ONLY voice they have left is something extreme. I pray that those who love peace and justice will try and work with potential terrorists with the aim of getting them to realize that peaceful means are actually more effective!
There is no way in the world, though, I will ever SUPPORT such an act, no matter how justified someone may feel. Terror IS terror, and WAR is terror. We need to get OUT of Iraq and Afganistan and if need be, actually seek out and bring to justice the architects of 9/11 rather than using it as an excuse to stay at war.
And last but CERTAINLY not least: God bless those who survived the attack and got to safety, and those who went in to help evacuate the building. They are the real heroes ...
Lynn Magnuson WB7PTR
New Orleans, LA.
EMT Basic Candidate
Posted by: Lynn Magnuson | September 11, 2008 3:50 PM
This is quite beautiful and is remembrance of a time when our hearts were broken and our souls united. Thank you Jim for the initiatives you take to bring us together, and your eloquently soothing words.
Posted by: DLajoie | September 11, 2008 4:10 PM
Today the readings from scripture which were read during the Sacrifice of the Mass were from the gospel of Luke,6:27-38, so appropriate for today.
"Jesus said to his discibles:' to you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, pray for those who mistreat you.'"..."Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful."
O Lord God, help us to do your will.
Posted by: evelyn marie peterman,fsm | September 11, 2008 5:06 PM
Christine, Alan, Marta:
I am so encouraged to see that I am not the only one here who has posted in that regard. Thank you for your trust. "The truth will set you free." Absolutely. But that means the unblemished, unvarnished, unspun "ugly underneath."
Peace.
Posted by: Maani | September 11, 2008 5:39 PM
In the blog replies, it strikes me that somehow we all mourn, even for the same things. But with differing emphasis.
Maybe most of all we mourn that things didn't turn out differently, better somehow; that we went through another testing and we didn't come out with satisfying results, smelling of the fragrance of Christ.
No one knows if another course of action would have secured different, much less better, results and feelings inside us.
That's where we all theorize and are tempted to play the blame game.
All I can say is that the words in the original statement from faith leaders seem more profound today than ever; they seem to more clearly paint the picture of a road less traveled than they did at the time, because now we can all kind of see it from a distance as the road not taken; wherever it might have led us--it's not the road we took to get there.
May God have mercy on us, forgive us our corporate and individual faults as only God can know them, teach us and lead us to a closer walk with Jesus as a result.
Posted by: Cory Trenda | September 11, 2008 5:58 PM
The inspired ministerial response gave good advice. Would that it had been heeded! Nothing educates us more than hindsight. Real truth can promote justice; faith can promote hope. If only---every person could abide by the statement "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone." The greatest power in the world is love, because God is love.
Posted by: Jimmie | September 11, 2008 5:59 PM
The sad thing about this Iraqi war as America's response to 911, is that Jim's original post was not the only warning against this course that our president had. Few remember that in January, 2003, about 40+ denominational heads wrote their president, seeking audience with him, to dissuade him against the war, and he refused to meet them. Fancy that! A born again "believer-king" refusing to entertain the "prophets" from Yahweh, proven by their prophecy which turned out right!
Matt, I completely disagree that by re-posting today, Jim is playing politics. Perhaps he is only playing his part of the prophetic community to remind us what Yahweh said, even though "all Israel" followed after their "king" by supporting him in this war.
Reading through the Old Testament, it cannot be lost on the reader that the act of memorial - not just of the dead, but of what God has done (and what God told Israel to do, whether they did or not) - is a central part of the story.
Posted by: Michael Friday | September 11, 2008 6:30 PM
I heard Palin's explanation today for her comments about going to Iraq after 9/11. And I wondered.
Who are we to think that God is about taking any body's side when violence is employed on behalf of a cause?
If we were on God's side what would have been required of our behavior?
Fear, outrage and revenge are greedy emotions if allowed to monopolize our senses. Can we get past our national PTSD long enough to see past the fire red lip stick?
Too many of our young people went to Iraq with the desire to be the rescuers and returned horrified when they were asked by their leadership to behave like the bullies.
We can not keep doing this to the next generation. How are we going to change this?
Posted by: Ms. Cynthia | September 11, 2008 7:29 PM
[i]But we must not, out of anger and vengeance, indiscriminately retaliate in ways that bring on even more loss of innocent life. [b]We pray that President Bush and members of Congress will seek the wisdom of God[b] as they decide upon the appropriate response.[i]
Prayer for God's wisdom, eh? Hmmm... how'd that work for ya?
Posted by: dromedaryhump | September 11, 2008 7:51 PM
It is encouraging to see people of faith who are stepping out and calling for a true investigation of 9/11. I have been extremely grieved for the past seven years as I have seen evangelicals parroting the official myths of 9/11 in establishing a certain type of political agenda.
My grief became even greater as I began to research the events leading up to and occurring on Sept. 11. My friends, I am a professional civil engineer. I state emphatically and unequivocally, the collapses of the three towers on 9/11 can only be explained by Controlled Demolition. This was not the work of Osama bin Laden. The sooner that people recognize this, the sooner we will see the dismantling of the war complex assembled by successive American governments.
Posted by: Rob Tamaki | September 11, 2008 8:03 PM
Rob said: My friends, I am a professional civil engineer. I state emphatically and unequivocally, the collapses of the three towers on 9/11 can only be explained by Controlled Demolition.
Wonderful. And I'm quite sure you have many years of experience with 1000's of gallons of burning jet fuel being suddenly dumped into a sealed exoskeletal highrise building. What's that you say? No one has ever seen that before, so you DON'T have any experience with it?
So much for your "professional engineer[ing]" experince building septic systems, or whatever your specialty is.
Here's a thought: Conduct an experiment recreating the event, then report back on the results, which should be repeatable. I for one will wait with bated breath.
That conspiracy theorists drag their inane paranoia out every sept 11th and parade it around is simply pathetic.
Now, let me guess: I'm either a tool of the government, a dupe, or part of the conspiracy. OK, Got it,thanks.
Posted by: dromedaryhump | September 11, 2008 8:20 PM
dromedaryhump,
After several years of trying to inform people about the facts and physics of the events of 9/11, I have seen my share of responses like yours. An ad hominem attack upon me is pretty typical, and quite frankly, counterproductive. People see through those methods.
This is not the forum for debating the details of building collapses and the physical evidence for demolition. There are plenty of other sites around the internet to do that.
The reason that I post here is because I believe that the prophetic calling of the church must begin at this point of great anguish for people of America and the world. We have been deeply wounded, and that woundedness continues to fester in a way that is destructive of our souls and communities. Until we come to grips with what really happened on that day, we will never be prepared to administer the healing balm of the cross.
Posted by: Rob Tamaki | September 11, 2008 8:56 PM
Most conservative thinkers and their supporters in America are outspokenly concerned with "victory" in the Middle East. They are obviously referring to military and political victory. But as long as we embrace Jesus as our role model and central paradigm, there is only one credible alternative which will lead to sure victory: forgiveness. Revenge and true justice is God's to administer. Whomever takes revenge and justice into their own hands rejects Christ's forgiveness on themselves. Romans 14:9 ~ 21
Posted by: Jonathan Rasmussen | September 11, 2008 9:21 PM
Rob,
Thats quite a sanctemoneous testament. Thanks for that. As for healing balkms, Neosporin..it works wonders.
The problem is, you have no "facts". You have what every conspiracy theorist has: imagination, an agenda, a need to embrace sensationalism.
Your appeal to your "professional engineer" background speaks volumes. Its tantamount to someone saying "I'm a scientist [aka I work with plastics and resins] I can say unequivocally the moon landing was a government fake." That many websites exist that endorse that nonsesne doesn't lend much to its validity. It simply reaffirms crackpots are a dime a dozen.
Your combining your unfounded paranoia and proselytizing religious fervor with a unique and horrifically tragic national disaster speaks volumes. It speaks of the rejection of reality, denial of scientific evidence / the most obvious causations, in favor of convoluted myth and hearsay, masked in some religious agenda,
It does your credibility and religious efforts little good. Get another hobby.
Posted by: dromedaryhump | September 11, 2008 9:32 PM
There are young people in our midst looking to us for an example. They really want to do something that will take that expression of anxiety off of our faces.
What example will we offer them?
Posted by: Ms. Cynthia | September 11, 2008 9:34 PM
"I can say unequivocally the moon landing was a government fake.That many websites exist that endorse that nonsesne doesn't lend much to its validity. Posted by: dromedaryhump | September 11, 2008 9:32 PM"
Hump,
Are you telling us that the moon landing was real? Cmon. The next thing you'll be telling us is that the earth is more than 6000 years old!
Posted by: Sister Marie | September 11, 2008 9:54 PM
sister...
Hahah!!! Excellent.
Ya know. I'm getting to really like you.
You're the 2nd theist I've met with a damn good sense of humor .
;)
hump
Posted by: dromedaryhump | September 11, 2008 10:01 PM
The drones like dromedaryhump are never far away from destroying any sane discussion re 911. One only needs a high school education in physics (including the law of gravity) and the openness of mind to question the almighty govt and media to see that those buildings didn't crumble like they would if they were out of control, and that leads to some kind of conspiracy.
What should we tell children in our midst ? To think for themselves and that Islam is not to be feared as much as the govt/media would have us think.
Posted by: garym | September 11, 2008 11:13 PM
After 9/11 we never honestly asked, "Why would anyone be so angry with us as to do this to us?" Instead we asked only "Who did this to us?" By stooping to a violent response, we not only dishonored those who died but dishonor those whom we send to retaliate with violence in our name.
Posted by: Sister Dorothy | September 11, 2008 11:16 PM
We cannot kill our way to victory. That is correct to some extent. But one must never forget that we can die our way to defeat.
Posted by: drawkcab | September 11, 2008 11:31 PM
The common sense of the original ad and plea for sanity was ignored by the Bush administration after 9/11, because the Bush administration either 'made it happen' or 'let it happen.' In either case, 9/11 WAS Bush/Cheney's Reichstadt...and the result was the same as that perpetrated on the "Good Germans."
Therein lies the insanity and complete and utter lack of reason, and indifference to human life of the Bush administration (et al) and the Republicans, and many Democrats, which continues to this day. The American people go into a trance when they hear the word "God" from candidates, and their minds, eyes and ears slam shut like "Good Germans." They refuse to even acknowledge the knife in their backs. It's insane.
Wake UP! Stop being "Good Germans" and demand that Bush and Cheney, et al, be impeached, tried and put in prison for the rest of their natural lives for mass-murder-for-profit! Habeas corpus is GONE. The Posse-Comitatus act is GONE. Freedom of speech died behind Republican and police "free speech zones" surrounded by razor wire. Killing, Torture and Illegal 24-hour surveillance, public torture by 'tasers' and media censorship of the TRUTH is now the tool of oppression chosen by the elite few to keep all of us under control..and it is working. Americans, being fed bread and circuses, like the Roman people, are paralyzed. Wake UP!
Our nation has been looted for the benefit and profit of the few...and has taken the lives of OVER ONE MILLION INNOCENT IRAQIS, THOUSANDS OF U.S. AND ALLIED TROOPS. Our democracy and our people have been deceived, raped and pillaged...and good Christians must NOT be afraid to say the words, LIES, MASS MURDER, TREASON, LOOTING, or FASCISM...BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT WE ARE FACING...ADVANCING FASCMISM:
America Has a Problem…a BIG PROBLEM
“The liberty of democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic STATE itself. That, in its essence, is FASCISM – ownership of government by an individual, by a group or by any controlling private power.” -- President Franklin Roosevelt
THE IDENTIFYING
CHARACTERISTICS OF FASCISM
By Dr. Lawrence Britt
Free Inquiry Magazine / Spring 2003
Dr. Lawrence Britt, a political scientist, studied the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and Pinochet (Chile). He found the regimes all had 14 things in common, and he calls these the identifying characteristics of fascism. The article is titled 'Fascism Anyone?', and appears in Free Inquiry's Spring 2003 issue on page 20.
The 14 characteristics are:
1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism -- Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.
2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights -- Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to 'look the other way' or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.
3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause -- The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial, ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.
4. Supremacy of the Military -- Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.
5. Rampant Sexism -- The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.
6. Controlled Mass Media -- Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or through sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in wartime, is very common.
7. Obsession with National Security -- Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
8. Religion and Government are Intertwined -- Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.
9. Corporate Power is Protected -- The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.
10. Labor Power is Suppressed -- Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely or are severely suppressed.
11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts -- Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.
12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment -- Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses, and even forego civil liberties, in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.
13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption -- Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions, and who use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.
14. Fraudulent Elections -- Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against (or even the assassination of) opposition candidates, the use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and the manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections
The Warnings
“There are two passions which have a powerful influence on the affairs of men. These are ambition and avarice; the love of power, and the love of money. ...Place before the eyes of such men a post of honor, that shall be at the same time a place of profit, and they will move heaven and earth to obtain it. The vast number of such places ...renders the British government so tempestuous. ...[and is the true source] of all those factions which are perpetually dividing the nation [and] distracting its councils...” -- Benjamin Franklin
“The welfare of the people in particular has always been the alibi of tyrants, and it provides the further advantage of giving the servants of tyranny a good conscience.” -- Albert Camus: French novelist, essayist, and playwright.1957 Nobel Prize for Literature. 1913-1960
”A great wave of oppressive tyranny isn't going to strike, but rather a slow seepage of oppressive laws and regulations from within will sink the American dream of liberty.” -- George Baumler
”The means of defense against foreign danger historically have become the instruments of tyranny at home.” -- James Madison: US fourth president, 1751-1836
Posted by: AlwaysAskWHY | September 12, 2008 2:04 AM
any tragedy provides us the chance for empathy with those most traumatized. but at some point one must consider how to respond in action to the reality left in the wake of pain. we have experience 7 years of what I would describe as infantile. If we really want to have a lasting memory , honor those who died and support their families, and as Matt mentions denigrate the perpetrators I humbly suggest a response that would be akin to Jesus when He cautioned His minions about responding to violence with violence. My interpretation of His message was that He said something ' put away the swords, they will know we are Christians by our love. '
In closing I would also like to mention that although terrorism is despicable I believe Americans who love must do something about the reasons such a desperate act would be committed. Please help stop imperialist economic policies that ravage the poor in our country and exploit the masses in the world. Use your voice, use your vote, and actively make choices that do not promote an ugly America but a loving neighbor America.
Posted by: terry tinkle | September 12, 2008 7:20 AM
It is good that most of the bloggers here have ignored the conspiracy theorists who want us to believe that 9-11 was a government inside job. The best response to that kind of nonsense is to ignore it. When we try to engage them in debate, we legitimize their ideas, and it's an exercise in futility anyway, as they are so convinced that they're right they won't let the facts get in their way.
I agree with Another nonymous, who said a Christian response should be one of forgiving those who wronged us. After seven years of revenge-taking, we have seen what that leads to. It's time for the people of God to learn another Way and to begin demonstrating it to the world.
Almost five hundred years ago, when the Islamic Ottomans were threatening the West--specifically the city of Vienna--Martin Luther wrote a treatise addressed to the Holy Roman emperor, called "On War Against the Turk." In it, he advised the emperor to lead the people in prayer and repentance before undertaking any military action. Luther said that if we don't spend time on our knees, our armies would be fighting not against the Turks but against God, and that's a fight they can never win. Seven years ago, our nation failed to heed this lesson from history, and we have seen where it leads. Is America fighting against God? I'll leave that up to you all to think about. But I am convinced that America cannot prevail in the fight against terrorism unless we first spend some time on our knees. And that has to be something the people of God initiate, because our leaders won't be calling us to do it; of that we can be quite sure. (And I don't think the winner of the election, whichever it is, will be doing it either.)
Peace,
Posted by: Don | September 12, 2008 10:33 AM
With the Commemoration of the 9-11-01 Anniversary, I am deeply saddened that our Congressional members have not actively sought to hold OUR leaders (OSP) and neo-conservatives (AEI) accountable for leading this nation into war falsely: WMDs.
It is us - Americans - who have sought to maime generations of Iraqi people through the use of WMDs: depelted uranium and white phosphorous in Fallujah; resulting in rare cancers, monsterous tumors, and grotesque birth defects.
To further their objectives, we were branded "unpatriotic" if we dissented through compassion; extolling Christian values. No, our leaders have taken this unfathomable act; this failed policy; wrapping in the American flag, baptizing it with Holy water, and consecrating the war dead to God's care, while families weep.
It is time to act on the TRUTH. According to Mike Scheuer (headof the bin Laden unit at CIA), there were ample opportunities to intercept and eradicate bin Laden. But both Clinton and GW Bush failed to act; failed to stop the hijackings.
No. The Party of Davos must be stopped and also held accountable for their actions that precipitated this reciprocal act of terror.
Posted by: seartangel | September 12, 2008 11:25 AM
I cringed to read "countless" [Iraqi deaths]. I think Iraqi deaths should be treated as American deaths are - if a specific "more than" number is given for American deaths, then I'd appreciate seeing the same for Iraqis. Their deaths may be countless but are not uncountable: making that small effort seems the least we can do to indicate that we grieve Iraqi deaths every bit as much as American. And possibly more, because they didn't die as a result of free choice as our American troops do.
Posted by: France | September 12, 2008 12:33 PM
There are whacko's on the left and on the right.
The righties will continue to justify a war that never should have been, shifting its original purpose to suit their agenda... first WMD, then an evil dictator, then aleged terrorist activity, and now spreading western / "christian" democracy in the middle east at the bequest of GOD. They are liars, either by intent, or by their own self deception.
The lefties will continue to see conspiracy theories behind every rock. For surely a goverenment that will embroil us in an unjust war wouldn't hesitate to stoop so low as to enlist people to fly into buildings, the blow them up (as if the planes werent bad enough) to kill 1000s of innocent Americans to justify their policies.
These people are deluded buffoons who's love of hate drives their idioctic delusion. People who will mouth "physics" and the "law of gravity", but who accept biblical superstition without a grain of scientific evidence.
A pox on both their houses.
What's sad is that so few of us here have opted to drive a political perspective on a day that should have been dedicated to rememberence and morning. So much for the much touted "christian goodness".
Posted by: Anonymous | September 12, 2008 12:49 PM
sorry... the sept 12 12:49 pm (est) post was mine. I failed to tag it.
Posted by: dromedaryhump | September 12, 2008 1:11 PM
"But I am convinced that America cannot prevail in the fight against terrorism unless we first spend some time on our knees. And that has to be something the people of God initiate, because our leaders won't be calling us to do it; of that we can be quite sure. (And I don't think the winner of the election, whichever it is, will be doing it either.)"
Peace,
Posted by: Don | September 12, 2008 10:33 AM
Don, is it too much to expect that the American evangelical crowd which arguably put GWB in the White House both times around shouldn't be holding the "born again" President to some kind of account for his failure to do the Jesus way. Rather, he did the Texas gun-slinger thing and/or the "sandbox" thing - you throw sand in my eye, I'll throw even more in yours!" Maybe evangelicals should be focused on "throwing out" a president/party whose agenda was evidently un-Christian. Regrettably, from what I can tell from afar, the same kind-of "the McCain/Palin ticket is the Jesus ticket" is taking over among evangelicals. What's the old line? Those who learn nothing from history are doomed to repeat it?
Seymour Hersch's CHAIN OF COMMAND makes a very convincing case that going after Saddam would be the number one priority of a Republican administration beginning w/ meetings among the old boys' network from the mid/late '90s on, an agenda that evangelicals, however ignorantly, swallowed whole-hog in putting King George II into the oval office.
In 1994, Mark Noll's "The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind" began by observing that the scandal of the evangelical mind is that there is no evangelical mind.
Apparently, little has changed in that respect w/ regard to U.S. politics.
Posted by: canucklehead | September 12, 2008 2:03 PM
dromedaryhump: "The lefties will continue to see conspiracy theories behind every rock."
Dromedary, one of the interesting things about the 9/11 conspiracy theory is that it's not confined to the political left. Some folks in the libertarian/Ron Paul camp, people in the radical right militia movemen, or what's left of it anyway--they often espouse the theory also.
Posted by: carl copas | September 12, 2008 2:42 PM
Minor correction to previous post: Dromedary, one of the interesting things about the 9/11 conspiracy theory is that it's not confined to the political left. Some folks in the libertarian/Ron Paul camp, ALONG WITH people in the radical right militia movemen, or what's left of it anyway--they often espouse the theory also.
Don't want to imply that Ron Paul fans are radical right militia types!
Posted by: carl copas | September 12, 2008 2:53 PM
CONSPIRACY "THEORY" OR CONSPIRACY "FACT"?
Phillip Zelikow (co-author with Condoleeza Rice, and author of justifications for Bush crimes) was in control of the 9/11 Commission. He wrote the outline AND the conclusions for the 9/11 Commission BEFORE they asked the first question. He excluded crucial testimony from the report and excluded public testimony of those on the scene and respected scientists.
NEW BOOK: "The New Pearl Harbor Revisited" by David Ray Griffin. Many people testifying that there were NO AIRPLANE PARTS AT THE PENTAGON...AND THERE WERE TWO (2) CRASH SITES IN PENNSYLVANIA, to name just a few of the newest information provided.
BEWARE of dissent killing rhetoric. Those who mock others who question the 'official' conspiracy theory don't want you to look deeper, because they, themselves, can't face the truth: that their uninformed, low-information, and irrational vote helped authorize the Bush Mafia to do their evil.
GOOD CHRISTIANS, really non-violent, Jesus following Christians absolutely MUST get outside their traditional information loop and dare themselves to find out the truth. Then they must carry the message, and get in the streets and the halls of congress. Salvation of this so-called 'democracy' and human life demands action...and NOW.
START HERE: http://www.911truth.org. Watch the videos of the buildings falling and the explanation and then wonder why they didn't 'tip over'; watch WTC7 fall 6 hours later and ask yourself WHY; see the small 16' hole in the Pentagon made by a 757 - piloted by a guy who couldn't fly a Cessna, but made a 180 degree turn at 500 mph (ha!); listen to testimony of those at the Pentagon and WTC about explosions going off, people dead in a blown up lobby in WTC1 and WTC2 as they escaped...BEFORE the towers began to fall; see the strewn wreckage of Flight 93...over 5 miles (and see if you can imagine a slushy crater that opened up and swallowed that plane as we are told happened); try to figure out how cellphones were working at 20,000 feet at over 500 miles per hour, when we lose cellphone calls just driving through the city at 35 mph; read just ONE of the many books defying the official explanation.
Sojourners is leading the way to opening the eyes of self-aggrandizing people who call themselves Christian, who have no trouble saying they are pro-LIFE, but then approve of the decimation of everything good that supports it, and approving and encouraging mass violence and murder in the name of our Lord. It's a blasphemy! They are NOT pro-LIFE, just pro-BIRTH.
Thank you, Jim Wallis, for leading this Awakening!
TRUTH IS THE SUNLIGHT THAT DISINFECTS...and God and the rest of the world know this nation needs a cleansing... of minds, hearts, and conscience.
DEMAND IMPEACHMENT NOW: PROBABLY THE ONLY APOLOGY THE WORLD WILL ACCEPT FROM A DISINTERESTED, SELF-INVOLVED, GREEDY, INDIFFERENT AMERICAN PEOPLE. IMPEACHMENT MAY BE THE ONLY THING THAT WILL SAVE THIS NATION FROM ECONOMIC DESTRUCTION AND INDIVIDUALS FROM FUTURE VIOLENCE WELL INTO THE FUTURE.
AS WE SPEAK RUSSIAN PLANES HAVE LANDED IN VENEZUELA...WITH SHIPS TO FOLLOW THIS YEAR. Ask yourself WHY? BECAUSE IMPEACHABLE CRIMES, A SOCIOPATHIC BUSH ADMINISTRATION'S INCOMPETENCE AND CORRUPTION, THEIR THREATENING PRACTICALLY THE WHOLE WORLD, AND THE DEMOCRATS' REFUSAL TO IMPEACH AND STOP THEM, HAVE TAKEN US TO THIS POINT.
DEMAND IMPEACHMENT NOW.
Posted by: AlwaysAskWHY | September 12, 2008 4:02 PM
AlwaysAskWHY, meet Dolores Lear. Dolores Lear, meet AlwaysAskWHY. Perhaps you two can exchange alien abduction stories. Myself, I'm off to a workshop on crop circles.
Posted by: carl copas | September 12, 2008 5:45 PM
Carl - beautiful!
Apparently ALWAYS ASK WHY believes repetition is the mother of learning.
Posted by: canucklehead | September 12, 2008 7:22 PM
May I thank Jim Wallis for his teachings; and share my sorrow with all who lost relatives or friends in the Twin Towers.
However, reading the Statement that was sent out from here soon after 9/11, I was surprised to see this:
"The terrorists have offered us a stark view of the world they would create, where the remedy to every human grievance and injustice is a resort to the random and cowardly violence of revenge -- even against the most innocent."
Just yesterday I watched a DVD on the former School of the Americas, now renamed "Western Hemisphere Institute for Strategic Cooperation", where thousands of Latin American soldiers have been trained in - among other skills - torture techniques for use in subjugating their home populations.
The "stark view of the world" described above is very close to what the USA foreign policy in Latin America has been at least since the 1950's in Guatamela and other Latin American countries. Whole villages have been massacred (like El Mozote); thousands have been tortured (like Sister Dianna Ortiz) in an atmosphere of terror and subjugation so that the poor do what the owners and managers of e.g. the United Fruit Company want them to do. Anyone who spoke for the poor or taught them their rights was a likely target of assassination. Legitimately elected governments have been overthrown with the help of the CIA - as was that of Allende in Chile on September 11 1973. The paper-trail behind this has now been released.
It is important to see a connection between (generally hidden) US foreign policy and the angry attempts by such as Al Qaida to “pay back”, even though ALL revenge is quite opposed to how we Christians need to treat our neighbours, Arab, Samaritan, or local.
Peter - Auckland, New Zealand
===============
Posted by: Peter | September 13, 2008 1:01 AM
the breadth of comment and insight here is amazing. And the only really good news is that no matter what; right , left, alien or conspiracy if, we move forward in loving and serving each other it wont matter who is correct. All hate disappears when Love replaces Fear.
Posted by: terry tinkle | September 13, 2008 12:07 PM
Thought provoking ideas. I personally wonder every time I recall 9/11 what our country and world might look like now if we had made a truly Christian response to the terrorists attacks. Mourn our beloved lost, but celebrate their lives and rejoice that that they are gone ahead of us to our heavenly home. Forgive the offenders,as the Amish forgave the man who killed their children. Live our faith in afterlife with our Father and Brother and all whom we love.
I wonder how our world would be had we spent billions of dollars on helping poor nations by building water and agricultural industries instead of destroying some who never harmed us. Adam Clayton Powell said, "No one can say that Christianity has failed. It has never been tried." When will we TRY?
Posted by: anna | September 13, 2008 2:20 PM
Adam Clayton Powell said, "No one can say that Christianity has failed. It has never been tried."
Thanks, anna. And other voices have echoed Powell as well. For example,
"ANY OBSERVER WOULD HAVE TO say that Christianity is fashionable at present in the United States. This might be a good thing, except that the observer, observing more closely, would have to conclude that, to the extent that Christianity is fashionable, it is loosely fashionable. It seems to have remarkably little to do with the things that Jesus Christ actually taught.
"Especially among Christians in positions of great wealth and power, the idea of reading the Gospels and keeping Jesus’s commandments as stated therein has been replaced by a curious process of logic. According to this process, people first declare themselves to be followers of Christ, and then they assume that whatever they say or do merits the adjective “Christian.” (For don’t we know that everybody named Rose smells like a rose?)
"This process appears to have been dominant among Christian heads of state ever since Christianity became politically respectable. From this accommodation has proceeded a monstrous history of Christian violence. War after war has been prosecuted by bloodthirsty Christians, and to the profit of greedy Christians, as if Christ had never been born and the Gospels never written. I may have missed something, but I know of no Christian nation and no Christian leader from whose conduct the teachings of Christ could be inferred.
"One cannot be aware both of the history of Christian war and of the contents of the Gospels without feeling that something is amiss. One may feel that, in the name of honesty, Christians ought either to quit fighting or quit calling themselves Christians...
"They have justified their disobedience on the grounds of the impracticality of obedience, though we have little proof of the practicality of disobedience, and precious few examples of obedience. The implication invariably has been that for a few feckless worshippers of God to obey Christ’s commandments may be all right, but in practical matters such as war and preparation for war we will obey Caesar. The Christian followers of Caesar have thus committed themselves to an absurdity that they can neither resolve nor escape: the proposition that war can be made to serve peace; that you can make friends for love by hating and killing the enemies of love. This has never succeeded, and its failure is never acknowledged, which is a further absurdity."
--Wendell Berry. Blessed Are the Peacemakers: Christ’s Teachings about Love, Compassion & Forgiveness. Berkeley, CA: Shoemaker & Hoard, 2005.
Posted by: Don | September 13, 2008 8:41 PM
9/11 found me in Assisi, Italy, hometown of the saint of Peace, st Francis. I had just come from the Democratic Republic of the Congo where the Red Cross had announced officially that 4 million people had died in our war, a war over who would possess the mineral wealth of the country. So as I watched the horror of 9/11 on Italian TV, my attention was divided by the other vision of four million people whose news never reached the media or was relegated to a news clip. Faced with these two horrors, 9/11 and Congo, I felt that something was wrong. We justly cry for one but ignore the other. What can we do to eliminate all the horrors in every country?
Posted by: Damien Isabell | September 15, 2008 2:20 AM
As tragic as the 9/11 attacks were, and I truly mourned that day with the families affected, who are we as Americans to think that terrorism that is so widespread across the globe should not touch us?
Also, why do we not mourn publicly each day for the thousands of children in our country alone (not to mention the world) who die each day because of our injust economic system? They die from malnutrition, lack of healthcare or insurance, violence that is prevalent in the poverty-stricken neighborhoods, drug addiction and more.
Seven years is enough to mourn those killed on 9/11. We should go out in their names and show the world the kind of country we claim to be.
Posted by: Debby Wagner | September 16, 2008 2:43 PM
Rob Tamaki:
You suggest that this is not the forum in which to discuss alternative theories of the 9/11 attacks. ANY forum is the right forum where finding the TRUTH is concerned. "The truth will set you free" - no matter how "hard" or "painful" that truth may be.
"Conspiracy theory" is comprised of two words: "conspiracy" - when two or more people plan and/or execute an act, usually illegal - and "theory," a supposition supported by evidence.
In this regard, the so-called "official story" of 9/11 is as much a "conspiracy theory" as any alternative theory of the events. The Bush administration has a "theory" that OBL and Al Qaeda planned and executed the 9/11 attacks. The "supporting evidence" for their "theory" is The 9/11 Commission Report.
Yet the 9/11 Commission Report is replete with omissions, distortions, and conflicts of interest. Even the two chairs of the 9/11 Commission (Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton) admit in their book that the Bush administration, and numerous agencies (FAA, DOD, FBI), stonewalled them, and that they did NOT have ALL the relevant facts that they wanted.
Someone else here has already noted that the executive director of the Commission - the person who actually chose which lines of inquiry and evidence to follow - was Philip Zedlikow, a member of the neocon Aspen Strategy Group (Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, Wolfowitz, Perle et al), a member of the Bush-Cheney transition team, and a close personal friend of Condi Rice. (So many conflicts for one single person!) And at least half a dozen commissioners had fiduciary or directorship responsibilities at the two airlines (American, United) and/or Boeing, the maker of all four of the planes. This is about as outrageous a conflict of interest as can be imagined. And the attorney for the Commission worked for a law firm which was defending three Arabs who were tied to funding terrorism.
I could go on, but let me get to dromedaryhump's ridiculous claim re jet fuel and the collapse of the twin towers. All of what I am about to say can be found at thousands of science-based sites; it is all Physics 101.
Jet diesel fuel burns at a maximum temperature of 2000F - but only in a vacuum. Under normal conditions (like those at the WTC), it burns at a maximum of 1800F. Galvanized steel (which is what the twin towers were made of) melts at 2800F, but can soften at temperatures as low as 2200F. It is clear from these two facts that the burning diesel fuel (a max of 1800F) could not have melted the steel (a min of 2200F). But let me add two other facts.
First, we all saw the fireball when the second plane hit. What we saw was the majority of the jet fuel being spewed OUT of the building; i.e., only a portion of the fuel remained inside to burn. Second, as any camper knows, the lighter the smoke, the more oxygen or fuel-starved the fire. When the fires started at the towers, there was thick black smoke. Yet within 30-40 minutes, both fires were yielding grey/white smoke - which means they were fuel-starved: there was nothing left to burn. In fact, give it some thought and you will realize that there is not much to burn in the first place: most things are made of metal or plastic; the only things that would have "fed" a fire were wood (some furniture) and cloth (carpeting).
Finally, let's look at Physics 101 again. If you had dropped a penny from the 110th floor of the WTC it would have taken ~16 seconds to hit the ground: that is, without any resistance at all. This is called "free fall speed." The two towers collapsed in 16 seconds or less. (Just watch any video footage of the collapses and time it yourself.) Yet the bottom 2/3 of each building were COMPLETELY UNDAMAGED by the plane crashes and fires. Even had there been a "pancake effect" of the floors collapsing on top of each other, it would have created a "stutter" effect that would have taken at least 1 second per floor - or 90 seconds or so. Yet the buildings collapsed against 66 or more floors of resistance AT THE EXACT SAME RATE AS IF THERE WERE NO RESISTANCE AT ALL. That is a scientific impossibility, no matter what the construction of the building or damage to the upper third.
The only way a building can collapse at "free fall speed" is if the internal structure has been compromised - completely. Even if the plane crashes and fires had done some MINOR damage to the overall structure, there would STILL have been resistance from the lower two-thirds of each tower, causing it to collapse much more slowly than it did. And the only known method for compromising the internal structure of a building so that it falls at "free fall speed" is controlled demolition (thermite).
Again, this is physics, plain and simple. One does not need to be an engineer or an expert. You learned this in high school (or at least college). It can be found on thousands of physics-based websites. It is not "conjecture" or "conspiracy theory." It is fact.
The reason why so many people have a hard time considering the probable truth about 9/11 is that it is incomprehensible to them that one's own government could be complicit in the murder of 3,000 of its own citizens simply to advance a political agenda re power, greed, money, oil, and control. Yet these types of "false flag operations" (done by the government, but blamed on another party) are actually quite common in history: from the Reichstag fire (set by Hitler's men but blamed on the communists, it led to Hitler's chancellory) to Pearl Harbor (not planned or executed by the U.S., but "allowed" by Roosevelt (who knew about it) so the U.S. populace would support going to war against Hitler) to the Gulf of Tonkin incident (which was a complete fabrication, but was used to escalate the Vietnam War).
I can understand that people cannot wrap their minds around the level of "evil" that would have to be at play for a government to murder its own citizens. Yet why is that any harder to fathom than the "evil" that has been perpetrated on the Iraqi people (with well over 300,000 civilians dead - 100 TIMES the number killed on 9/11) in a war that had NOTHING to do with 9/11, but was an unprovoked, pre-emptive regime change in which the elected leader of a sovereign nation (no matter how heinous he might have been) was removed from power and executed, and a foreign country (us) simply occupied it.
Your government has used 9/11 to create a "climate of fear" re a never-ending "war on terror," and using that climate of fear has been permitted - PERMITTED, BY YOU, BECAUSE TOO FEW HAVE SPOKEN UP - to shred the Constitution: to deprive you of numerous civil rights, civil liberties and freedoms in the name of an illusory "security." Your government has eviscerated habeus corpus and posse comitatus, illegally wiretapped your phones and surveilled your email, and has centralized power in an executive which can unilaterally (i.e., without Congressional approval, which used to be the case) decide who is an "enemy combatant" - including U.S. citizens - and incarcerate you for up to three years without contact with family or lawyers, and can unilaterally declare martial law (via the National Guard - and Blackwater, which has a contract with the U.S. government to "assist" during periods of "civil unrest," "martial law" or "national emergency."
WAKE UP! The truth is immensely painful and frightening - but it is the truth! And as others have noted here: it is only when people wake up to the WHOLE TRUTH about 9/11 and its political aftermath (the Department of Homeland Security, Patriot Acts I and II, "special rendition," "the Bush doctrine," near-imperial executive branch, etc.) that they will get angry, speak out, and actively demand that proper justice be carried out on those who really planned and executed the 9/11 attacks.
Until then, the "sheeple" will continue to fall in line with color-coded terror alerts, the fear-mongering of their government, and the shredding of the Constitution.
Peace.
Posted by: Maani | September 16, 2008 10:48 PM
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