Wandering thoughts on 9/11

There's an old story – it has many traditions and origins – but they are all very similar.

A man is getting ready to cross a river when he sees a poisonous snake. The snake begs the man to take him (the snake) across. The man agrees on the condition that the snake not bite him, lest he die. And the snake agrees.

The next part is where the difference comes in. Either the snake bites the man half way across the river or on the other side. In any event, the man dies of the bite.

The stories rejoin after the bite – the man asks the snake how it could bite him. After all, the snake gave the man his word.

The snake's reply is telling: The man knew what the snake was when he picked it up.

And so, 15 years ago today, we felt the snake bite.

Al Qaeda has its origins in the 1970's when Islamic fundamentalists were waging war against the democratically elected socialist government of Afghanistan. They needed help and training. Saudi Arabia was willing to provide the money. Pakistan was willing to provide the place to train them. The USA agreed to train them. They were called freedom fighters because they were fighting against the Soviet Union's military which was invited in to fight against al Qaeda.

A little historical note – Osama bin Laden did not like the USA either. He used another proverb. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. So the USA and al Qaeda were allies. At least for a while.

A common enemy does not make an ally. After the enemy is vanquished, what stops the one from attacking the other?

And after the debacle in Afghanistan, al Qaeda began biting the USA. Attacks against US consulates and the USS Cole showed that they had no problems biting the hand that fed them. They were perfectly fine doing it. Wherever and whenever they could.

And then 9/11 happened and everyone went “WTF?” and wondered how it happened.

Religious fundamentalists went off on a tangent to blame homosexuals and others that they deemed immoral as the reason for the attack. Interesting that the 9/11 attackers share many of the same ideas as the religious fundamentalists in this country.

A few historians did some digging and provided the history of al Qaeda and how the US helped create this monster. They were largely ignored by the war party and media.

I remember seeing a story on Link TV about how money from the CIA that went to the Pakistani ISI (their version of the CIA) was funneled to al Qaeda. If this is true, our own tax dollars were used to fund the 9/11 attacks. I'd love to find the video. I think it was done by Greg Palast.

And then came the wars. We are aware of Afghanistan and Iraq – two debacles that we are still fighting to this day. No, we have not won either one. They are this generation's Vietnams. Unlike Vietnam, I sincerely doubt that a stable strong central government, or any government, will form in these countries. Iraq has a better chance of making it – but how long will it take? And will it be a people's government or one run by the wealthy and comprador elite? People willing to hand over Iraq's natural resources and manufacturing to foreign powers? Basically people that are willing to sell their souls to the devil.

But those wars solved nothing. Like the head of the mythical Hydra, every time a head was cut off, two sprang up. So al Qaeda spread back into Pakistan. And into other countries that the US stuck its nose into: Libya Somalia. They are having a field day (of sorts) in Syria. I wouldn't be surprised if they show up in Yemen. All places that the US and its allies are trying to crush democracy or overthrow leaders that they do not like. (Qadafi was not the greatest leader in the world. Who was going to replace him after he fell? The US & its allies had a plan to win the war. They had no plan to win the peace.)

So here we are 15 years later. And the world is no better off after all this war. If anything, things are worse because people are getting sick of the US and its constant beating of the drums of war and use of 9/11 as a crutch. And terrorists are still attacking people all over the world.

The sympathy for the deadliest terrorists attacks in the history of the world has been wasted on wars that have made the world so much more unstable.

And here we are.

And what have we learned Charlie Brown?

Charlie Brown always tries to kick the football when Lucy holds it.

And she always pulls it away.

And so it goes.

3000 people were murdered 15 years ago because of something their government did.

They were innocent victims.

And while we want to blame al Qaeda and do, did we not help create them?

10,000+ service men and women have died for what?

These are the war casualties and then the suicides after.

The reports say approximately 20 a day commit suicide.

The numbers are dropping.

Either the care is getting better for the veterans or there are fewer veterans.

I admit this is dark.

So I won't go into the high numbers of innocent & dead civilians and children.

Today is a dark day.

And we need to look at ourselves and our country and ask what type of country do we want to be?

What type of international citizen do we want to be?

We have overthrown democratically elected governments in other nations because we did not like the policies that they were enacting. And yet we claim to be and support democracy. Read some of the non traditional histories of this country (try the People's History of … for a start) and see what the history textbooks left out. Watch Link TV, Free Speech TV, the Real News Network, Democracy NOW!, Free Speech Radio News, and so many others for news that the corporate media and US government won't cover or talk about.

Perhaps we the people can learn and do something to prevent the next event.

It starts with understanding ourselves, our country, and our own history.

And righting the wrongs we have done.

Then maybe something will be different.

Until then, what?