9/11

The body of Father Mychael Judge is carried from Ground Zero. His compassion should be our lesson from 9/11.

9/11.

Those numbers have become so large in our culture. And for a week now, with the 10th anniversary of the attacks arriving, an extraordinary amount has been written and said about that day. And a lot of what I've seen is clearly the media getting as much mileage out of the tragedy as possible.

Here, in point form, are my thoughts.

* Everyone who suffered that day, and those who continue to suffer, should be in our thoughts and prayers.

* 9/11 showed us the real humanity of people. Especially in NYC, a city known for being a bit "cold," people were just people, united in survival, helping each other.

* 9/11 was not a government plot. That's nonsense. And the powers that be love it when we tie ourselves in knots with fallacies like this because then we aren't paying attention to what they're really up to. It would have been virtually impossible to orchestrate and our government was going to do what it's done overseas one way or another. 9/11, as Dick Cheney himself said at the time of the attacks, simply gave them the perfect excuse to get the ball rolling. Horrible serendipity.

* 9/11 is not just about 9/11. It is about all the causes that led up to it, and all the crimes that have been carried out in its name. So our thoughts and prayers should also be with the people of Iraq and Afghanistan. All the decent Muslim people who have been stereotyped and victimized. The victims of "extraordinary rendition," torture and illegal incarceration.

* 9/11 was further dishonored by our government with the Patriot Act and Homeland Security -- the names themselves are lies. Our rights have been severely attacked by these things. You can now be arrested for doing nothing at all and locked up without the right of habeas corpus. It's happening more than you might realize. (Read "The Attorney General's Guidelines for Domestic FBI Operations" -- also known as the Mukasey Guidelines -- or take a look at the book "Hell No: Your Rights to Dissent in Twenty-First-Century America.")

* To point out that our government caused 9/11 and exploited 9/11 is not to dishonor its victims. It is to honor them so that they may not have died in vain. Many of the 9/11 survivors and their families feel very strongly about this themselves.

* True patriotism is loving your country enough to speak up for it. True patriotism has nothing to do with loving a bunch of greedy politicians making emotional speeches about a tragedy, and then cutting off health benefits to those who suffer from its effects.

* 9/11 should remind us that we were naive to think that our government could throw its weight around all over the world, and nobody would ever bring some of that pain back to us.

* The so-called "War on Terror" is a blight on us all. We were hoodwinked. And the lie has cost perhaps millions of lives through invasions and sanctions -- men, women and children have suffered and died. Men, women and children just like us.

A young casualty of the "War on Terror." This is terror too.

* We have to have the courage and calmness to come to terms with the fact that successive U.S. governments have made America the world's leading terrorist nation, as defined by international laws and conventions.

* It takes an almost incomprehensible sickness to give mass murders names like "Operation Iraqi Freedom" and "Operation Enduring Freedom" (Afghanistan).

* It is very possible that today, on 9/11, also the first Sunday of the new NFL football season, those of us in America will spend more total hours watching football than thinking deeply about 9/11 -- its root causes and what it really means. If that is where our priorities lie, we have little right to point the finger at anyone else.

* 9/11 is Father Mychael Judge, the first recorded victim of the 9/11 attacks. Much loved in New York City, Father Mychael was the Chaplain of the NYC City Fire Department with a heart the size of the city itself. And the fact that he was openly gay didn't make any difference at all.

* Many Americans HAVE spoken truth to lies. Many DO understand the full scope of the 9/11 story. Their courage and compassion should be applauded.

* Each of us has more in common with the average person in Iraq and Afghanistan than with the megalomaniac elites in Washington D.C.

* To truly begin to heal the pain of 9/11, and to truly learn from it, we must learn that we are all one race, that our government does not speak for us, that in our name a handful of politicians have committed mass murder and toruture, that they have lied to our troops and put them unnecessarily in harm's way, that they've wasted many billions of dollars in military spending when our country is in the pain of a recession/depression (an ongoing crime of our government).

* To truly begin to heal the pain of 9/11, we must think for ourselves and not just salute a flag and do what we're told because our government feeds us a good story. We must have the courage to speak up, protest, exercise our democratic rights, and stick together as citizens. Above all, we must learn to love rather than take the low road to hate.

Take care and God bless all the victims of 9/11 around the world,
Adrian

IF YOU FOUND THIS BLOG POST INTERESTING you might also like to take a look at THIS IS WHY I WRITE THIS BLOG.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH NORMAN FINKELSTEIN

Dr. Norman Finkelstein: Never shy when it comes to bringing the truth into broad daylight.

Norman Finkelstein (born December 8, 1953) is an American political scientist and author whose primary fields of research are the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the politics of the Holocaust. He is one of the more "controversial" figures on the left, largely because he refuses to "play nice" -- just as raw war footage from Vietnam delivered a not-so-short, sharp, shock to middle America, Dr. Finkelstein takes the same approach to the issues he writes and speaks about. He is a staunch advocate for a sovereign Palestinian state free from any interference by Israel. During the Second World War, both of Dr. Finkelstein's parents were interned in Nazi concentration camps and he takes vehement exception to anyone he perceives as trying to exploit the holocaust for personal gain. Finkelstein travels extensively giving lectures, primarily on university campuses. He has written several books, including "This Time We Went Too Far: Truth and Consequences of the Gaza Invasion"(2010) and "The Holocaust Industry: Reflections on the Exploitation of Jewish Suffering"(2000).


AZ: Some years back (October 15, 2001), in an interview with Don Atapattu, published as "How to Lose Friends and Alienate People," you said the following (according to the transcript that appeared on the Internet) in response to a question about elevating the image of Arabs and Muslims in the U.S.: "Nowadays nothing is possible with the events of September 11, a lot of hard work over many years to try to build a counter consensus disappeared in the rubble of the World Trade Center. I am utterly pessimistic about the prospects now, but I did not think it was impossible (before)." The 10th anniversary of 9/11 is upon us: Are prospects for improving the aforementioned image, and of helping the Palestinians achieve genuine sovereignty and freedom, still so grim?


NF: I overestimated the negative fallout of 11 September on popular movements and underestimated the clear thinking of most people. Already on the eve of the attack on Iraq in March 2003 there were massive antiwar demonstrations in the U.S. despite the orchestrated hysteria about Middle East terrorism. I do not think the War on Terror is any longer a serious distorting factor in public debate on the Israel-Palestine conflict.


AZ: You've also talked about America getting its comeuppance: That our government has maliciously interfered in so many countries around the world that 9/11 was not only evidence of this, but that there would be more to come. Certainly, as far as I can deduce, resentment continues to grow against the U.S. around the globe. From what you know, is this still evolving in militant ways that will see more backlash for the U.S., specifically on U.S. soil?


NF: I don't know anything more than the general public on the likelihood of future terrorist attacks directed at the U.S. But I am struck by how few terrorist attacks there have been. Everyone who rides the New York City subway knows how easy it is to commit a horrendous terror attack and how impossible it is to prevent by body searches, etc. Yet, it's not happened. My conclusion is that the terrorism threat is greatly overblown.


AZ: Is the key to unlocking the door of getting the U.S. out of Iraq and Afghanistan, helping Palestine achieve true sovereignty, restoring power to the U.N. in a way that it isn't emasculated by the U.S., rehabilitating the image of Arabs and Muslims in this country and so on, is the key to first democratize the U.S. mass media, to some extent, in some way, or, alternatively, giving more muscle to the genuinely alternative media like Democracy Now, Z Net, etc.?


NF: There is no single key. Our society seems headed in a very bad direction because the scale of the problems we are now confronting--particularly in the environment--are so much bigger and more potentially damaging, yet nothing serious is being done to address them. Quite the contrary, significant segments of our society are either in denial or just don't care: apres moi, le deluge. I myself worry more and more about what I eat. The new cuts in federal spending will hit hard the regulatory agencies. Right now about 30,000 people die each year from food poisoning. How many more people will have to die before people become convinced that federal regulation isn't such a bad idea, after all?


AZ: Just how critical is it that people be educated in the notion that "U.S." (in political terms) is not the same as "people of the U.S." and that "Israel" (in political terms) is not the same as "people of Israel"? After all, millions in the United States are quite radicalized, and many Jews are very much against the way their government conducts its affairs. Furthermore, how would this education best be achieved in the U.S. and, from there, evolved into action?


NF: Most people are decent; most would not want to inflict suffering gratuitously on other; most can be convinced that sharing wealth isn't a terrible idea. But if you look at poll data, there are also reasons to be pessimistic: over 90 percent of Israelis supported the Israeli aggressions against Lebanon in 2006, against Gaza in 2008-9, and against the Freedom Flotilla in 2010. So, depending on where you look and what you count, you reach different conclusions about how representative governments are of the people.


AZ: Obviously, on any issue, there are a great many things that people can do to aid progress. What would be the most effective thing/s that folks in the U.S. could do to aid the cause of Palestinian sovereignty and peace between Israel and Palestine?


NF: Right now the most important task is education. People are unfortunately ignorant of the basic facts, although more and more people are becoming better and better informed. Judging from poll results, about half the American people have a pretty clear idea that Israel is not up to any good, but most Americans still have a very negative image of Palestinians.


AZ: My specific area of interest is in doing my small part to help unify the single-issue groups of the true Left (generally, but not necessarily, beyond what tend to be called "progressives") so that a synergy might be created to fight for broader, institutional change. Give me your best piece of advice for this.


NF: My best advice is: Try to be consistent in who you are as a public and private person. It's the only way to win people's trust, and without bonds of trust there can be no progressive politics.

The award-winning documentary: "American Radical: The Trials of Norman Finkelstein."

My sincere thanks to Dr. Finkelstein for his time.

Take care,
Adrian

IF YOU FOUND THIS BLOG POST INTERESTING you might also like to take a look at NO WAY TO HONOR DR. KING by Medea Benjamin.

WE MUST ATTACK IGNORANCE AT EVERY TURN

I just responded to someone else's blog post. I can't condemn them outright for their misguidance -- at least they took the time to post their thoughts. So I will assume they were sincere. If not, at least they got off their butt -- metaphorically speaking.

There are so many misconceptions and plain falsehoods that are passed off as truth.

This is why we must continually educate ourselves in the facts about what is going on in the world and then use those facts and our own energy to rebut those misconceptions and falsehoods.

Bit by bit we will break down the propaganda wall that so many have come to believe represents the truth.

And bit by bit, in doing so, we will build a new wall of truth that will keep out the lies and protect our efforts to make this a better world.

THIS IS THE BLOG I READ (Title: US Defense Spending Has Doubled In Past Decade)
(URL: http://digg.com/d31Qdnv)
(It had a chart of "defense" spending for the years 1940 to 2010. The figures allegedly come from government sources -- and they probably do.)

It read:
'Since the September 11, 2001 attacks on US soil, the defense budget has risen steadily year after year. This year, we will spend twice as much as we spent before the attacks. Obviously we needed to step up our spending after the attacks, but the question is, how sustainable is this? Defense Secretary Robert Gates posed a question in a speech this weekend:

“Does the number of warships we have and are building really put America at risk when the U.S. battle fleet is larger than the next 13 navies combined, 11 of which belong to allies and partners? Is it a dire threat that by 2020 the United States will have only 20 times more advanced stealth fighters than China?”

His argument focuses not on cutting spending, but making sure that we are using the money more efficiently. When we spend more money than the rest of the world combined, you would think we could get the job done without steady increases every year. Read more about the speech Gates delivered here and here*.'

*"here" and "here" were hot links to the CNN and New York Times websites respectively. More on those monkeys another time.

THIS WAS MY RESPONSE:
There are no grounds whatsoever for the assertion that "we needed to step up our spending after the attacks [of 9/11]." The U.S. spends far too much on "defense" and has for decades. Stockpiles of nuclear weapons. Invasions of sovereign nations. Contracts for o-rings that cost a fortune, purchased to boost the coffers of corporations that have their hooks in Washington. As you have cited, it is a bloated budget that eclipses all other nations. Money that could go to the poor, infrastructure, education, universal health care... you name it. Improving those things would make this a much safer place to live. Think about it.

And what are we defending against? Where is the invasion? This is OFFENSE spending. And, yes, it is offensive.

Best wishes,
Adrian Zupp

Knocking down the propaganda wall doesn't take a huge intellect. Just common sense and the facts. But the cost of silence is a bleak future for our planet.

Take care,
Adrian Zupp

LEST WE FORGET -- PART 2

This blog entry will be a bit of a hodge podge of random thoughts on the subject of war; but that's okay. It's what's in me today.

As far as I can determine, there is no animosity between Australians and Turks over Gallipoli. It was nothing personal, after all.

And yet thousands died -- the ultimate sacrifice. What should we make of it all?

I am proud that Australians in wars past are noted for their courage, for being monumental volunteers, for often doing the dirty work and taking the highest casualties. But it is a pride that I'd just soon derive from watching them play on the football field against other nations, not the battlefield.

The preeminent intellectual Noam Chomsky once told me that he is not a fan of emotional speeches. He believes emotion clouds rational thinking. (He even confessed he never liked listening to Martin Luther King.) War and patriotism are often the triggers of high emotions. At the beginning, when the blood is up but not yet spilled, they can seem pretty grand. But the costs can be high. I agree with Chomsky: It is better to weigh up right and wrong to make a decision about heading off to fight rather than saluting any flag that's run up a flagpole by politicians or captains of industry and profiteering.

An 18 year old might see war as adventure but governments repackage it to the masses as patriotism. Patriotism and nationalism can be very dangerous things -- although patriotically cheering on your team at the Olympics is obviously fine. But more on this another time.

I think my Dad probably qualified as what is called a "war hero." Not that he would ever have thought of himself that way. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of him many times and I often wonder what he would say about war if he were still alive. My guess is that he would be much more critical of the why's and wherefor's of it all. But I am enjoying the notion that he now has a cosmic advantage over us all.

War gives perspective to our selfishness and our petty concerns. War is Big World. We must learn from it.

I have little time for war movies, although some have their merit. Most are rather unrealistic, as far as I can tell. Others are blatant propaganda and flag waving. Remember the spate of Hollywood war movies after 9/11? That was no accident. As the comedian Bill Hicks used to say: "Your government is in control."

Which raises the issue of the difference between "wars" and "invasions." Let's mark that one down for future discussion as well.

ANZAC Day numbers were up this year. The original ANZACS themselves are all gone but the mixture of reverence and myth is as ingrained in the psyches of the two countries as ever. I reiterate: That isn't necessarily a bad thing. As long as we revere the right things.

Several years ago I interviewed an American veteran of the Battle of the Bulge for a newspaper article. He was a great bloke. Friendly, self-effacing, quietly spoken. We talked about the war he experienced and he had very little good to say about it at all. And towards the end of the interview, out of the blue, he asked rhetorically: "Why are we so warlike?" It is something that has stayed with me over the years.

The final lesson is surely that we must teach peace. Not just preach it, but teach it. To every child. And we must explain it. Teaching the history of wars and their jumble of dates and battles is just so much memory testing and storytelling. We owe it to those who have died in wars to teach peace. We have seen again and again -- and we still do -- the price of not doing this.

ANZAC Day is gone for another year. But in my Aussie heart every day is ANZAC Day, in a sense. And I am grateful for the examples set and the lessons offered. We must remember history as it really happened. That is our duty.

Lest we forget.

Adrian Zupp