Today is the tenth anniversary of September 11th.
My thoughts are with the victims of September 11th and the soldiers and civilians who have died on both sides in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. May they all rest in peace, and may their families have strength in their time of grief.
@D!D!D!
You are 100% correct.
I should have said “one reason” and not “the reason.”
But whole societies don’t see terrorism as an acceptable recourse. Al Qaeda is just a tiny, zany cult of death that very few people actually support in any substantive way.
I am opposed to the idea of having special days of remembrance for certain groups of deceased people. It strikes me as implying that others (and their deaths) are somehow less important.
Then again, maybe I should be happy that someone on today’s obituary page is remembered as a person, not just a number like 3,000.
I don’t think that Gaius is saying that Al Qaeda themselves are either poor or oppressed. Rather that there exist a system of deep global inequalities, and those inequalities have led entire societies to see terrorism as an acceptable recourse.
I have nothing but disgust for those who would hand angry, disempowered young men a suicide bomb and say “here, this will solve all your problems”.
@Gaius
I might be tempted to agree with you if the perpetrators of 9/11 weren’t predominantly middle or upper class Saudis who themselves tout their culture as The Best Culture and are among the privileged class in a country that treats its underclass far worse than The United States does. The common strain among Al Qaeda is not any sort of legitimate political grievance but rather Wahhabism and an attendant arrogance born of devout religious faith.
I don’t really comment on posts much, but I’d like to say that I agree with your post Gaius. Nice work.
If September 11th ever became an official holiday
Oh, no… how long before there are tacky “September 11 Sales” and “Memorial Blowouts”?
(I think in the US it’s already a national day of remembrance?)
If September 11th ever became an official holiday instead of the unofficial one it currently is, what should we call it? I’ve been wishing people “Happy Terrorism Day” but that’s just a sick joke of mine…
My thoughts and prayers go out to the families all over the world that were affected by this horrible event.
Gaius’ image of Al Quida as a group of poor, oppressed people is utterly false. Osama Bin Laden himself was part of an extremely wealthy and well connected Saudi family. He used these connections extensively to raise funds and provide equipment for the Arab and Afgan Mujadeen as they fought against the Soviet Union. He even had most of a degree in civil engineering. Even without his family’s wealth, Osama could have lead a good life in Saudi Arabia with his four wives. Osama Bin Laden’s original justification for a jihad against the United States was the presence of US… Read more »
The real September 11th tragedy isn’t New York or even Chile, it’s the events of September 11th, 1922, when the British Mandate of Palestine was established.
The number of deaths that stem from that day dwarfs the toll of the other two.
My thoughts are with everyone who was impacted as a result of the terrorist attacks on September 11 in the US.
On this day, I also like to remember what is known as the “first September 11” in Chile.
http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/chiles-september-11
I bow my head for all those lost on 9/11. Ten years on, and let us hope that the things which divide us shall finally come to an end, and the 21st century can once again become the unifying age it was meant to be.
Why would we ban you for that, Gaius? It is both relevant and non-hateful. 🙂 Besides, I’m pretty sure there’s a couple of us dirty socialist bastards who would agree with you.
I’m 100% with you Gaius. You shouldn’t be banned for speaking the truth – and in fact any remembrance of the tragedy of the day would be incomplete without it.
I would like to take this opportunity to make a controversial statement. It is important to remember the victims of 9/11 and their families, as it is important to remember the brave soldiers and civilians, ON BOTH SIDES, who have suffered through two wars since then. But it is also important to remember why 9/11 happened. Though an act of unjustifiable violence against people who were not directly responsible for any grievances, 9/11 happened because Some People Are Pissed Off. To quote Jean Baudrillard: “As the west ascends into simulation and hyperreality, the only remaining political tactic of any consequence… Read more »