Remembering 9/11 and its Aftermath
September 10th, 2007 by Anindita Sengupta
Tomorrow, it will be six years since terrorists crashed two planes into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. The New York Times blog has information about the 9/11 Commemoration with a list of events at the different places. Also, here is a photo essay of the event.
As frightening as 9/11 was, its aftermath has been even more terrifying. The event spawned countless conspiracy theories and ostensibly led to Bush’s “War on Terror” which has devastated Iraq. Both forces have unleashed a tidal wave of fear and insecurity in most of the world. People, communities
and governments have all come under suspicion. The lies, deceit and horror continue to haunt.
The 2003 invasion of Iraq has lasted till date and the civilian death toll stands at 650,000 people according to a Lancet survey. Over 4.2 million Iraqis, more than 16% of the Iraqi population, have lost their homes and become refugees since 2003. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimated that 2.2 million Iraqis have been displaced to neighboring countries, and 2 million were displaced internally, with nearly 100,000 Iraqis fleeing to Syria and Jordan each month. Among them was Riverbend, who is famous for her blog on wartime Iraq, Baghdad Burning, and for her subsequent book by the same name.
On the eve of 9/11, it’s interesting to see what people are talking about. I visited some of the more prominent sites and this is what I found.
This article at Counter Currents raises questions about a conspiracy theory.
If correct – IF – the immediate reaction is like a cosmic big bang. It would have taken considerable effort by a number of people with expertise and access to the buildings to rig them so that they could be intentionally collapsed when the two jets hit the towers. Tough questions flood in: Who could have engineered all this? Could foreign agents accomplish such complex actions – and if they did, why not take credit for it? If Americans did it, why would they intentionally inflict inevitable mass death and devastation? Worse, they seemingly knew about the plan to fly the jets into the towers.
Post-9/11, why have the government and official investigations not come to the same controlled demolition conclusion? This might be explained if the government was involved.
And this one ponders why post 9/11, Europe has suffered from far more terrorists attacks than the United States.
In response, Europeans for the most part are looking inward to explain why Islamic extremists have made the Continent a favored target, while the United States has been spared - despite its leadership and the anger it has stirred waging wars in two Muslim countries.
In that setting, questions about how minority populations of Muslims are integrated into the mainstream are coming to the fore, along with basic questions about Islam itself. Less attention is being focused on finger pointing at the United States, analysts say.
But no matter what came after, nothing can take away the importance of the loss of those who suffered on 9/11. Those who lost children, siblings, friends. The suddenly orphaned. The unexpectedly widowed. The men and women who frequent graveyards and remember, and on remembering, cry. And the ones they cry for. RIP.
UPDATE: It was brought to my notice that my linking to one of the articles above is tantamount to endorsing it. I would like to clarify that it is not. I am merely pointing to the lead article on Counter Currents in order to provide information and not because I subscribe to the views expressed in it.
September 11th, 2007 at 1:30 am
I am surprised that you have written this after your post, A day in the life of… in your other blog, Noah’s Ark Broken.
What is your contention? That we deserved 9/11, because of what was to happen in Iraq, two years later? Or is it that the U.S. government deliberately plotted 9/11, so they could invade Iraq? Or is it that the Russian government acted in such a manner to invite Islamic terrorists to mow down 300+ kindergartners? How is this any different from your acquaintance casting aspersions on your behavior, for all the sexual harassment that you suffered from your boss ?
I am sorry, but adding a couple of sympathetic lines at the end does not absolve you of the hypocrisy demonstrated in the rest of the post
September 11th, 2007 at 1:45 am
@RF
That was not my contention. In this blog, I usually provide links to different articles / aspects of an event and that is what I have done. On the eve of 9/11, these are some of the discussions that were happening on the Internet. I have provided information as is amply clear by the fact that I have not commented on any of the articles I have linked to. I don’t see how this constitutes hypocrisy or amounts to a contention of any sort.
To answer your specific questions: That we deserved 9/11, because of what was to happen in Iraq, two years later? Certainly not. I have said that the incident “ostensibly led” to the War on Terror. I don’t see how this means that you “deserved” 9/11. It’s like saying the Babri Masjid incident was terrible and it led to the riots, which were also and perhaps even more terrible.
Or is it that the U.S. government deliberately plotted 9/11, so they could invade Iraq? Or is it that the Russian government acted in such a manner to invite Islamic terrorists to mow down 300+ kindergartners? I have pointed to articles. It doesn’t mean I concur with those opinions. I did debate whether I should post such controversial links but the spirit of this blog is to look at what different people are saying and not push my own agenda or opinions.
September 11th, 2007 at 2:01 am
I hesitated, too, before writing this comment. Then, I went back and reread your other post.
I bothered to comment (even though I wanted not to) because silence is not the answer. Because when people are loudly, aggressively speaking foolishness, giving them exposure through links and quotes is not always the best solution. Because lies must be trashed. Because I hoped that no one, including you, will not easily give any credibility to such lies next time s/he writes on such unspeakable horrors (and yes dammit, they were unspeakable horrors).
I apologize for plagiarizing some of your words.
September 11th, 2007 at 2:09 am
Rational Fool: I agree that the CounterCurrent article seems extra - conspiracy theorist and tends to imply that the US government was involved (in some way) in the loss of thousands of innocent lives. However, I don’t believe that Anindita was in any way supporting that argument. Rather, she was just referring to information currently available on the net. Having said that, perhaps she could be more clear in defining that this article (and line of thought) may be factually incorrect.
September 11th, 2007 at 2:26 am
@RF
The purpose of this blog is to provide information as well as offer personal opinion. On the eve of 9/11, I was interested to see what people were talking about and that is what I pointed to. Perhaps, I should have made it clearer that I did not necessarily endorse the opinions expressed in these articles. Thanks to you I have posted a disclaimer.
However, while it is important to argue with foolishness, it is also important to not ignore it. One can sweep views under the carpet and move in rarefied circles and forget that there are others out there. Doesn’t make them disappear. The fact that the article appeared on Counter Currents is also interesting because the website often carries other sensible “humanist” articles. The purpose of this blog is to highlight different aspects precisely so that people know and talk about just as you did. I didn’t expect to be made accountable for other people’s views though. Perhaps, the site needs a general disclaimer.