Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Remembering 9/11: 5 of 5 (Final Thoughts)

Of all the articles I read over the 9-11 period -this excerpt struck a chord; by Kathleen Parker

We often wish we could return to the past with the knowledge and wisdom we've gained in the interim. Monday we got that chance. Minute-by-minute, we were able to re-experience 9/11, this time knowing what we know.

It was chilling not only because of the obvious horror, but because of our utter inability to fathom what was happening. That lost innocence we keep hearing about was manifest as reporters delivered scraps of news and Katie Couric and Matt Lauer narrated [The Today Show Live on 9/11, 2001]

Snapshot: After the first plane has hit the North Tower at 8:46 a.m., they wonder whether there might be air traffic problems. At 9:03 a.m., the second plane hits the South Tower and the word ``deliberate'' finds its way into the conversation.

Couric asks, ``What are the odds of two planes hitting ... ?'' Still unknowing at 9:59, Tom Brokaw notes the extensive damage to the World Trade Center and innocently remarks, ``Those buildings will probably have to be brought down.''

What was impossible to imagine then is starkly clear now. What is also clear is that no one should have been surprised by 9/11, least of all our leaders. Our enemies had declared themselves and demonstrated their intentions -- repeatedly -- yet we seemed locked in blind denial.

We didn't need a five-hour docudrama to remind us of the horror of 9/11, but ABC's ``The Path to 9/11'' provided a useful chronology of events, beginning with the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center and continuing with other attacks on American interests.

When terrorists blow up a car here or an embassy there over a period of years, these events can seem random and disconnected. This is probably owing to our American sense of insta-time. While we're on motordrive, our enemies are content with a much slower shutter speed. Century time.

Viewed through their lens, those scattered events don't seem random at all, but are pieces of a choreographed plan for the West's demise.

Notwithstanding justifiable complaints from Clinton administration officials that the ABC production misrepresented people and events, the drama served well as a capsulated rendering of American indecision and inaction in the face of a known foe.

We did know Osama bin Laden's purposes; we did fail to stop him. That much is undeniable and irrevocable.

Another bit of footage I revisited during the 9/11 cycle was the video of President Bush sitting in that Florida classroom. Watching it again five years later, Bush looks boyish and uncomfortable, as though someone had put too much starch in his clothes. [end excerpt]

As We know, Americans took part in silent reflection and fresh mourning Monday, five years after the
Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks that killed 2,973 people. We still have varying opinions about exactly what happened on Sept. 11, 2001. Everything from the government having prior knowledge of 9/11, to government lies about exactly what happened, to people purporting to debunk common myths about so-called ‘conspiracy theories’. Even now there are TV miniseries being aired about the event as well as those who call it propaganda and point out descrepancies.

In fact –there is an interesting debate towards the end of this show with people representing each position. Link: 9/11 Debate: Loose Change Filmmakers vs. Popular Mechanics Editors of "Debunking 9/11 Myths"

Quickies:
Unity In The GOP?
The White House and three powerful GOP senators reached an impasse Wednesday over a Bush administration plan to allow tough CIA interrogations, underscoring election-season divisions among Republicans on the high profile issue of security.

In a direct challenge to President Bush Sen. John Warner, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said his panel would meet Thursday to finalize an alternative to the White House plan to prosecute terror suspects and redefine acts that constitute war crimes. Warner, R-Va., said the administration proposal would lower the standard for the treatment of prisoners, potentially putting U.S. troops at risk should other countries retaliate.

Need A Helping Hand
In his first state visit to Iran, Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki discussed the security situation in Iraq with the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and asked for his support in quelling the violence that threatens to fracture Iraq.

We had a good discussion with Mr. Ahmadinejad,” Mr. Maliki said at a news conference here on Tuesday, after the two met. “Even in security issues, there is no barrier in the way of cooperation.”

Air America To Declare Bankruptcy?
Air America Radio will announce a major restructuring on Friday, which is expected to include a bankruptcy filing

Vice President Cheney, White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten, and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher pressured senators on detainee legislation yesterday, urging them “not to be too restrictive in setting legal limits on CIA interrogations of enemy combatants.”

The trade deficit in July hit $68 billion, a record level for a single month. “This year the overall deficit is running at $776bn, which, if met, would set a record for the fifth year in a row.”

NATO announced suicide bombings have killed 173 people in Afghanistan this year. “
Most of Afghanistan’s surge in violence has taken place in volatile southern provinces, where some 8,000 NATO forces took military control from the U.S.-led coalition on Aug. 1.”

BP announced it had spilled 1,000 barrels of oil in Long Beach, California.
“The spill comes as BP is fighting to restore its public image amid a series of stumbles — such as leaks and corrosion problems at its oil field in Alaska and its safety shortcomings at its refineries and alleged trading misdeeds.”

Marine Maj. Gen. Richard Zilmer said yesterday that U.S.-led military operations are “stifling” the insurgency in western Anbar province but are not strong enough to defeat it.
“[I]f that mission statement changes…then that is going to change the metrics of what we need out here.”

Simply stated, short of a crime, anything goes at the highest levels of the Department of the Interior,” according to the department’s inspector general. “
Ethics failures on the part of senior department officials, taking the form of appearances of impropriety, favoritism and bias have been routinely dismissed with a promise ‘not to do it again.”

(Sources: AP, NY Times, DemocracyNow, ThinkProgress, TownHall, FOXNews, Reuters, ABCNews, USA Today, WSJ, Time, WashingtonPost)

No comments: