by Ernie McCray
Recently the UT asked readers to react to where we were on 9/11 and wanted to know what went through our minds that day, and how that changed our view of the world.
I had no response because 9/11 didn’t change my view of the world as much as it validated how I see the world.
My first thought after seeing the second plane crashing into one of the twin towers of the World Trade Center was “Oh! Oh! The Pentagon is going to do something real crazy in retaliation for this!”
That assumption was based on a lifetime of observing our country when it’s pissed.
Memories of atomic bombs being dropped, when I was a little boy, surfaced in my head.
I remembered the feelings of dread when the country almost got involved in a nuclear war with a country with whom we just couldn’t seem to break bread.
Ask the Sandinistas of Nicaragua about all the kinds of tricks that might be pulled if your politics went against our nation’s interests, all the illegal arms sales and drug trafficking and such that went along with that.
So, on 9/11, I had no idea what was going to happen next, but I knew that an attack on Wall Street, “The Street,” the financial hub of the world’s biggest economy, was not going to inspire anything near “turning the other cheek.”
Next thing we knew, we were fighting in Afghanistan.
In a global “War on Terror,” as though war, in and of itself, isn’t an act of terror.
My worldview before 9/11 and after that fateful day is based on the fact that America sadly and unfortunately finds it extremely hard to resist taking up arms.
And here we are, ten years after killing Osama bin Laden, the leader of what happened to us on that fateful day, and twenty years after invading Afghanistan to keep the terrorists at bay, watching the Taliban get a new regime underway.
After spending trillions of dollars and losing over 2,000 lives and treating 300 or so wounded warriors we’re back to where we were at the start.
Nowhere.
And that strengthens my view that what war is good for is: “Absolutely nothing!”
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
I was in Darwin Australia for a port visits (stationed onboard the USS Peleliu). We steamed out of there the following morning and headed for the Persian Gulf where we spent the next 4 and half months. The USS Philippine Sea fired the first missiles (from the gulf to Afghanistan) to officially start Operation Enduring Freedom. We watched from the flight deck. Quite a surreal experience.
?Say it again!
Apparently a music emoji becomes a question mark…
One thing is for sure, whether or not we should have gone to war in Afghanistan or handled things over there the way we did or how long we should have remained there will never be a consensus. I will reveal something about myself. This is a bit on the dark side and in retrospect it was probably not a healthy attitude. I was angry and full of hate. I was actually thrilled to watch those first missiles fired off into the night and slept very well that evening and actually taking comfort in knowing the destruction they were going to cause. Looking back I realize that’s a terrible way to think but I was caught up in the moment. I also realize I had the luxury of being 900 miles away from the actual fighting (cheering for the deaths of other human beings) while the Marines embarked onboard had to experience combat full boots on the ground. Thank God we had no casualties among them and they all returned back to the ship safely. So for me, 9/11 DID change at least some of my views.
Chris, I just used your comments for my new post on 9-11. Please add more if you wish.
Cool. Thanks Frank.
I was right there with you on this, Ernie. I was horrified at what the US was probably going to do given its history…and it has been worse than I ever imagined.
For those who DON’T have much knowledge of this country’s real historical background, here’s an article from Paul Street that reminds United States citizens of just some of the crimes committed in their name that they are not supposed to remember:
A 9/11 Reflection: Remember “Their” Crimes, Forget “Ours”
https://www.counterpunch.org/2021/09/10/remember-their-crimes-forget-ours/
So much we are supposed to forget or not know and/or care about, so little we are supposed to remember.
____
sealintheSelkirks
I felt exactly the same way. I thought this was going to be a pretext for extremely rash action considering who was in charge. I’m not sure whether it turned out worse than I expected, but it certainly went on for longer. It boggles my mind how popular the president at that time became after this lapse in security and the foolish commitment to two wars.
Bin Ladin and the Sept. 11 terrorists succeeded in subverting American Democracy with the election of Trump.
Yep, that Saudi rich man certain did it perfectly, eh? But then he was trained/armed/financed by the US Army to fight an empire…
Here’s more released today on the Saudis but of course the FBI chopped it the hell up.
What, we aren’t intelligent enough to make our own decisions. Guess not…
sealintheSelkirks
FBI Report Reveals New Connections Between 9/11 Hijackers And Saudi Officials
from Propublica
“This Validates What We Have Been Saying,” Says An Attorney For Families Of 9/11 Victims Who Are Suing The Saudi Government Over Alleged Support Of The 2001 Terrorist Attacks.
…The 16-page document was a final inventory of circumstantial evidence and leads from the FBI’s investigation of Saudi ties to the plot; it was heavily redacted.
Sorry, the link didn’t load:
https://www.propublica.org/article/long-secret-fbi-report-reveals-new-connections-between-9-11-hijackers-and-saudi-religious-officials-in-u-s