My 9/11 memorial
Today, several folks have posted 9/11 remembrances online. I’m fine with that. We should remember the people who died as a result of the plane crashes, as well as their families and friends. But don’t stop there. Also remember how this tragedy was cynically exploited for political purposes by folks like Rudy Giuliani and George Bush. How it was dishonestly used to justify the US invasion and military occupation of Iraq*, the torture and abuse of innocent Afghanis, and the continued incarceration without trials of men at the US military base in Guantanamo.
Americans are rightly outraged by the 9/11 terrorism. But we should also be outraged at the atrocities committed by America in the name of the victims of 9/11. We should work to make sure another 9/11 never happens, and we should work to make sure our emotions are never again hijacked for political and financial profit.
*15 of the 19 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, a US ally. Zero were from Iraq. Thousands of Americans were killed or injured in the illegal and immoral invasion of Iraq. Tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis were killed or injured as a direct consequence of the US invasion. ISIL/Daesh arose as a direct result of the US invasion and military occupation of Iraq.
The events of 9/11/2001 were the worst things to happen to the US since the Pearl Harbor Invasion that brought us into WW2. That’s pretty clear.
We attempted to deal with that by going after the mastermind, who holed up in Afghanistan.
That he was of Saudi origin is more or less irrelevant.
The effort to capture him was not immediately successful, although Afghanistan was more or less conquered by the US. The mastermind escaped, was not caught, not for another ten years. Goerge Bush Jr, president in 2011, took US war furor and refocused in on Iraq for no good reason. The mastermind was eliminated by US forces in 2011, under Bush’s sucessor Barack Obama.
The mastermind was of Saudi origin, but was disavowed early on by that government, although still supported by wealthy relatives & friends there.
@Fred,
“The mastermind was of Saudi origin, but was disavowed early on by that government, although still supported by wealthy relatives & friends there.”
Bin Laden killed no Americans. He was supported by 19 hijackers who did kill Americans, 15 of which were Saudi and zero of which were Iraqi.
We should have left Afghanistan when bin Laden was driven out. We should never have invaded and occupied Iraq at all.
We should have left Afghanistan when bin Laden was driven out. We should never have invaded and occupied Iraq at all.
Joel Eissenberg:
Very fine remembrance.
Please delete the above post, since this post is simpler to read:
https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/files/cow/imce/papers/2021/Costs%20of%20War_U.S.%20Budgetary%20Costs%20of%20Post-9%2011%20Wars_9.1.21.pdf
September 1, 2021
Estimated Costs of Post 9-11 Wars, 2001 – 2022 and Future Veterans’ Costs
By Neta C. Crawford
Appropriations Department of Defense (including $42 billion request for 2022) ( $2,101 * )
State Department/USAID (including $8 billion request for 2022) ( $189)
Interest on Borrowing for DOD and State Department Overseas Contingency Operations Spending ( $1,087)
Increases to DOD Base Budget Due to Post 9-11 Wars ( $884)
Post-9/11 Veterans’ Medical and Disability through 2022 ( $465)
Homeland Security Prevention and Response to Terrorism ( $1,117)
Total War Appropriations and War-Related Spending through 2022 ( $5,843)
Estimated Future Obligations for Veterans’ Medical and Disability, 2023 – 2050 ( c. $2,200)
Total War-Related Spending through 2022 and Estimated Obligations for Veterans’ Care through 2050 ( $8,043)
* Billions of Current Dollars
The Dept of Veterans Affairs budget request for FY 2024 is $325.1 billion.
I grew up in NYC and metro suburbs.
I happened to be in California on business that day and was up early (PDT) viewing CNBC…….
Brother was at work in lower Manhattan that day, not directly impacted but he as everyone else walked out of Manhattan that evening on one of the bridges going to the “island”.
Most New Yorkers knew someone in the Towers and/or first responders.
My nephew 12 years old at the time had a friend whose FDNY father died running in, saving people that day!
That said the reactions over the years more than spent the peace dividend, from ending the cold war, and to this day US is spending on war like Ronald Reagan did!
I would be neglectful of I did not remember the death on Sept 11 2001 of Father Mychal Judge, son of Irish immigrants.
He was an FDNY chaplain, his parish was in lower Manhattan. He went to the scene and was ministering to the distraught, injured and dying when debris from the nearby collapsing tower killed him.
Bravery and sacrifice, the best of humanity in the midst the great pain, and suffering.
Bravery and sacrifice, the best of humanity in the midst the great pain, and suffering.
[ Surely. ]
Hey:
I was at work in Michigan at the warehouse I was in charge of then. We were watching on TV the planes hitting the towers. I called my boss at corporate and asked if I could visit and chat. I knew what had taken place and what it was.
“We were now at war with the attack on those towers. “
I was wondering what we should be doing JIC we needed to do something.
We had no people of Arab descent. I had two Lebanese warehouse people. I told them at the time to come and get me if anyone bothers them. People can be vindictive.
We had no people of Arab descent. I had two Lebanese warehouse people. I told them at the time to come and get me if anyone bothers them.
[ This is inspiring. ]