Anniversary of Lies
Today, September 12, 2006, is the 5th anniversary of one of the most horrendous crimes ever perpetrated in the United States of America. 5 years ago today, according to Richard Clarke's sworn testimony before the 9\11 Commission, that George Bush and his cabal - Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle, John Bolton and others - betrayed the memory and tragedy of the victims of the 9\11 attack and began the campaign of lies that lead to the War in Iraq. Anattack they had all wished for since long before 9\11, since the beginnings of the Project for a New American Century (PNAC).
According to Clarke, it was on this day that he was approach by Donald Rumsfeld and told to look for reasons to attack Iraq over 9\11. Clarke states that at first he thought this was a joke, but soon realized that he was serious. In the ensuing weeks he was only able to convince the administration to an "Afghanistan first" policy - meaning, of course, that Iraq would quickly follow Afghanistan. And hence the reason the US was more than prepared to "cut and run" from Afghanistan - they never intended to stay - and why they had no plan for post-war Iraq - they never intended to leave.
So while we rightfully mourned the victims and heros of the largest criminal act in US history, the single largest incidence of mass murder, yesterday, today we need to mourn the death of truth, justice and liberty at the hands of those who exploited North America and the World's anger and fear for their own narrow, nationalistic, economic interests.
If I would have told you on September 12, 2001 that within 5 years, the US would be the pariah of most of the world, that it would launch a pre-emptive, unjustified war based on lies against a country and a people that had nothing to do with 9\11, and that the real perpetrator of this heinous action would still be walking free, essentially unpursued and unmolested inside the territory of an "ally", you would have laughed in my face, called me crazy and made me a tinfoil hat. If I would have further told you that the US President would exempt himself from US law over 700 times, create a prison where people are held indefinitely without charge or trial, ignore the Geneva Convention, condone torture and run a secret network of Gulag-style international prisons where preceived enemies are "disappeared", you would have checked me into a psych ward. Yet here we are.
The real legacy of 9\11 should have been unparalleled international cooperationand unity - even Hezbollah and the Iranians were condemning the attacks on September 12, 2001. Instead, we have a once great USA slipping into 'facism with a friendly face', a group of men using lies and propaganda in order to rule above the law, for their own self interest (Haliburton, KBR, Bechtel...).
President Eisenhower's warning of the the 'military industrial complex' has certainly come true. And the memory of real heros is sullied and besmerched by these exploiting bastards.
But I am not a pessimist. I believe in karma. I know that in the years to come, I will mark another anniversay - the anniversary of the day these men were met with justice. I can hope that justice come via the ballot box, but it is just as likely it will be the ends that all fascists meet, one that usually involves partisans, rope and a bridge.
Either way their end will come, and not soon enough.
posted by Mike @ 9:00 AM
16 comments
16 Comments:
"If I would have told you on September 12, 2001 that within 5 years, the US would be the pariah of most of the world, that it would launch a pre-emptive, unjustified war ... you would have laughed in my face..."
Actually, I don't think too many would have laughed. It was pretty obvious that the US wasn't interested in dealing with the realities of terrorism. I'll bet a lot of us saw this coming right away.
Hey, I thought Bush was just incompetent, I never thought he would be this stupid. Honestly, I actually thought this might work out.
Never underestimate the incompetence and sheer evil of a neo-con.
7.5 paragraghs to try and spin the politics of that day? you are nothing, if not long winded. that is the power of the left though, never letting another voice be heard.
the people that died that day should be remembered, not some trumped up, cry-baby story about american politics and such. have some common human respect and stop standing on the dead like a soapbox.
you got 364 other day to drop the flyers from the plane.
LOL,
So I'm the bad guy for voicing my opinion the day after 9\11 (I purposely didn't post this ON 9\11), attacking the US administration for buggering up the last 5 years, but Bush can go on national TV to "stand on the dead like a soap box" and sell his war in Iraq (which, if you haven't been paying attention, had nothing to do with 9\11 or Osama).
Yeah, so how's that moral relativism working out for ya, hypocrit?
You want to honour the 9\11 dead? Catch and either kill or try Osama bn Laden and his henchmen. Build a memorial on the site, like Olbermann suggests. But don't start war's on lies against a contry that had nothing to do with 9\11 and was not a threat to the US.
Well, we'll agree to disagree Mike. Given your opinion on the matter, I don't blame you for being upset, but I do think your veiled comparison of Bush to Hitler is way over the top.
Even if we take all your assumptions - Iraq was no threat, not connected to 9/11 etc - the war waged on Iraq was in no way a parallel to the war waged by Hitler. The US does not want to be in Iraq, the objective was not genocide or mass murder, and there is no perverse ideology at work. Even if we take the PNAC stuff literally, ostensibly the objective in Iraq was to turn it into a free democratic society. Big difference, wouldn't you say?
alw,
Funny how Saddam IS Hitler when it is convenient for the administration, right?
It was not a vieled comparision of Bush to Hitler at all. I really believe that the neo-cons and by extension the Bush administration are actually fascist or proto-fascist:
"Fascism is a radical political ideology that combines elements of corporatism, authoritarianism, nationalism, militarism, anti-anarchism, anti-communism and anti-liberalism."
I'd say that pretty accurately describes the Bushies and the neo-cons.
A lot of companies, including Haliburton and others have made a lot of money off of this war. The Administration is (trying) to secure the second-larges proven oil reserves in the world, again for their corporate buddies - all from the US treasury, I might add (suprlus to record deficit in 5 years).
Bush and his buddies may not be committing genocide, but they are, by PNAC's own admission, striving for an Empire, destroying long held civil rights and operating very much akin to the Soviet Union when it comes to "terrorists". As a lawyer, I would expect you to be shocked at the lack of habeous corpus or respect for the Geneva Convention, no matter what your political stripe.
Bush is more along the lines of Mussolini (pictured above), Samosa, Franco, or Pinochet. They may not be genocidal fascists, but their corporatism and lack of respect for the US constitution makes them fascists all the same.
mikey, you voiced your opinion and Bush voiced his, both in the same way (as YOU stated). in your little try-as-you-might political spin session, you managed to compare yourself to Bush (both standing on the soapbox of the dead). maybe you two have more in common that you think. nice job.
"A lot of companies, including Haliburton and others have made a lot of money off of this war."
spare me the sixth-grade Michael Moore logic. do you really think all that aid we donate to the 'poor' and suffering third world actually puts rice on the table there? or maybe guns in the hands of dictators.
the 'soft-corporations' of aid that you and yours preach are in the same money-making boat as a defense company like Haliburton. the only difference is that we know where the Hariburton money goes.
btw, ask yourself where the (requested) 0.07% GDP would come from next time bono or some other mouthpiece stands up and demands it. those profit loving neo-cons have eveything to do with the fact that we have a GDP.
you're like a freakin' comedy show with your shoes half done up. you keep tripping on your words.
back to your day of hard earned begging for funds, like the rest of the left.
"spare me the sixth-grade Michael Moore logic. do you really think all that aid we donate to the 'poor' and suffering third world actually puts rice on the table there? or maybe guns in the hands of dictators."
How much profit have these companies made from government contracts? How much has Haliburton's stock risen since 2001? I'll let you figure it out. Watch "Why We Fight" and see if you can refute the facts in there. Nice straw man though, since I actually said NOTHING about aid, soft or otherwise. So that whole section is irrelevant.
"btw, ask yourself where the (requested) 0.07% GDP would come from next time bono or some other mouthpiece stands up and demands it. those profit loving neo-cons have eveything to do with the fact that we have a GDP."
What are you talking about? I'm talking about politicians using foriegn policy to enrich their own companies and the industries of their friends, from the coffer's of the US treasury. Some places, that's called corruption. Again, nice straw man. Try to stay on topic.
"you're like a freakin' comedy show with your shoes half done up. you keep tripping on your words. "
Right. So I said nothing about GDP or foriegn aid in the entire post, and you waste your response to me slamming me on things I did not talk about, and I'm the one tripping over my words? Have another drink.
"back to your day of hard earned begging for funds, like the rest of the left."
LOL. Funny stuff. I work in private industry and I'll wager I make more than your sorry ass. Shocking as it may be to you, some of us on the left are market loving business people. That doesn't mean I like watching fascist take over the US and the 'BananaRepulicans" use their power to line their own pockets.
If you alright with that, that's your problem.
Richard Evans, is that you? Its been a while....
spin or dodge, you only have two settings.
so if I choose a topic that was only a tangent in your ramblings you cannot comment? hey whats your favorite vanillia or chocolate (best to dodge that one too, there's only so much a brain can handle)?
keeping with your able to narrow sight a conversation, i'll reply to what you did comment on.
private sector? good for you. but tell me, is there a fluffy union covering your day-to-day on the job ineffectiveness? i'll wager there is.
bottom line, democracy has placed bush in power. i don't agree with every thing that he says or does, but the people put him there (twice). try to respect that. i mean c'mon democracy also put the liberals in power here and we survived that.
"s there a fluffy union covering your day-to-day on the job ineffectiveness?"
Aw, isn't that cute, he can't read and understand what "market loving business person" might actually mean. You would lose that wager.
"bottom line, democracy has placed bush in power. i don't agree with every thing that he says or does, but the people put him there (twice). try to respect that. i mean c'mon democracy also put the liberals in power here and we survived that."
Which is why I said
"I can hope that justice come via the ballot box," in the post. I am not condoning the actions in the picture, merely observing that those who acted like Bush and his group are acting now, did meet that end. And some of them were initially elected.
Really Richard, its been fun, but if you won't at least login as yourself, or actually discuss what I wrote, why should I play along.
Of course I'm sure you'll accuse me of "spinning and dodging" again....
Heh. I recognize this spud Mike, the same under the tinfoil hat rantings get posted to my blog daily now - but I moderate and don't allow anonymous posts after one warning, which appears to be driving him entertainingly batshit insane.
I have a pretty good idea who is, the florid paranoia and bile is like a finger-print.
Careful Mike, he fixates. You might come home and find your bunny boiled.
speaking of tinfoil hats look who's brave enough to get over his fear of lip flapping.
everyone, cliffy, cliffy, everyone who had a great laugh at your expense.
we had a blast while the comments were posted, but we've moved on. mike on the other hand shows that he is your mental superior. he can hold his own quite nicely in the comment back and forth.
sorry, mike, i'll keep it relevant, just had to take the opportunity to introduce cliffy here to the audience.
don't worry cliffy you'll be able to come out and collect your non-parishables soon. your database of responses was starting to play like a bad re-run towards the end. no offense but you're no longer needed to prove a point. there's a couple of neo-cons that owe me a coke.
keep up the posting mike, i do enjoy reading the other side of the wall once in a while.
god bless canada, god bless comment mirrors!
Heh. Looks like I was right, huh?
Well, the blogsphere is certainly entertaining, isn't it?
Very.
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