It has been fourteen years since a group of religious extremists used America’s interference in the Middle East as justification to launch a terror attack on American soil, and although the sentiment is waning, there are still reminders from conservatives to “never forget 9/11” as if any American over the age of four could possibly do so. Americans should remember the day of the attack without being reminded by Republicans, but what they should remember is how the Bush administration used the horrific terror attacks to start two lengthy and very costly wars; particularly with Republicans desperate for any reason to start another Middle East war.
There was actually a world of bad things that happened as a result of the 9/11 attacks that Americans far into the future will suffer from, whether it is the mind-numbing economic cost of the two wars paid for with borrowed money, the loss of American citizens privacy due to abominations such as the Patriot Act, or the ill-will America continues to face around the world due to its aggression toward innocent Muslims as a result of George W. Bush’s “crusade.”
It is telling that all of the nasty things that the Bush administration wrought on America after 9/11 are the result of his reaction and response to an attack carried out by a gang of criminals; not any foreign nation. The reason this is an important time to remember the Republican damage as a result of the terror attacks on 9/11 is that Republicans are so desperate for another war that they are going beyond insane to repeat that historic debacle that may have never happened without the reaction of a gang of Republican extremists.
Although Republicans have not yet planned a terrorist attack on American soil and blamed it on Iran, they have attempted to use every despicable means to repeat Bush’s catastrophic war in Iraq. The latest Republican threat to thwart the United Nations’ P5+1 agreement with Iran is to sue the President of the United States, the only office tasked with setting foreign policy and negotiating international agreements, for having the temerity to set foreign policy and negotiate an international agreement as part of a six-nation partnership.
The Republicans’ desperation move to sue the President of the United States in court for being head of the Executive Branch followed closely on the heels of the Republican-controlled Senate’s failure to “disapprove” of the Iran nuclear agreement. One still wonders why Congress was allowed to have a say in a United Nations’ international agreement and the White House’s foreign policy, but it is most likely because America is now required to give a foreigner, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “veto authority” over the Executive Branch’s Middle East foreign policy decisions.
It is noteworthy that Republicans did not attempt to scuttle their demi-god Ronald Reagan’s historic nuclear agreement with the former Soviet Union, but it is likely because setting foreign policy and negotiating an international agreement by a white Republican is a different story. Plus, Reagan did not have a Congress that worked closely with a foreign government to thwart his administration’s foreign policy or efforts at preserving peace.
While Americans are ‘remembering‘ 9/11 at ceremonies dedicated to the memories of the lives lost in New York, Washington D.C., and a field in Pennsylvania, they should think about the 4,486 U.S. soldiers who died in Iraq and 2,345 soldiers who died in Afghanistan as well as the 1 million American troops wounded in both unnecessary wars. They should also grieve that the Bush administration used a terror attack on American soil to rack up $6 trillion in costs for two wars that were unfunded as a reaction to a gang of criminals. Add in to those costs in American lives and money the current cost to Americans to deal with the Bush administration’s special creation, ISIL that did not exist until America invaded Iraq. Although it was no sweat, cost, or concern to most Americans, there is the little matter of over 600,000 innocent Iraqi civilian deaths as a result of George W. Bush’s crusade and response to an attack on America committed by criminals.
This is in no way diminishes the horrors or loss of life as a result of the terror attack on 9/11 that the Bush administration had several advance warnings was days away. However, it is a reminder that Americans should think about the horrible event’s monumental cost to this country in lives and assets due to Republicans’ lust for war in the Middle East. It is the same lust Republicans have displayed over the past year-and-a-half at the prospect of sending American soldiers to fight and die in another costly war without an attack on America as provocation.
Americans should remember the terror attacks on 9/11 and give pause that thousands of innocent Americans lost their lives to a gang of criminals driven by religious ideology. But they should also remember that a Republican administration took advantage of the attack to wage two unnecessary and unfunded wars on sovereign nations that did not attack America, and enacted policies that have robbed Americans of their privacy.
Now, 14 years later, the exact same Republicans driven by devotion to the military industrial complex and Israeli ideology are drooling over the prospect of waging another war on another Muslim nation that has not attacked America, or any nation for over 234 years. And with no terror attack as provocation for a war with Iran, Republicans have conspired with a foreigner, committed sedition, and are now threatening to sue the President of the United States for setting foreign policy that does not include waging war as the only option.
Audio engineer and instructor for SAE. Writes op/ed commentary supporting Secular Humanist causes, and exposing suppression of women, the poor, and minorities. An advocate for freedom of religion and particularly, freedom of NO religion.
Born in the South, raised in the Mid-West and California for a well-rounded view of America; it doesn’t look good.
Former minister, lifelong musician, Mahayana Zen-Buddhist.
…Le Shrubs buddies the House of Saud financed and provided most o’ the terrorists for 9/11/2001…
…not only were they not held accountable, while the skies were supposed to be totally free of air traffic, several Saudis who were KNOWN to have knowledge of the conspiracy were flown out of the USA by Le Shrub & Co.
…then came the fearmongering and warmongering leading up to the invasion of Iraq…
…again, those who started the war skated out with no accountability…
If another Rethug gets the Presidency, we WILL have war with Iran. Gas will be at least $10 bucks a gallon. And the economy will collapse.
I think what is more important to remember is Osama bin Laden (leader of Al Qaeda) was a member of a family with very close ties to George W. Bush, who had previously invested in Georges oil company and also remember that on September 12, when all flights were grounded a number of the Bin Laden family members were flown back to Saudi Arabia.
Also remember that 28 pages of the 911 investigation that were redacted because they tied Saudi Arabia to the funding.
Funny how your story conveniently misses these details (I’m sure it was an oversight).
War with Iran would decrease oil supplies and increase the price of oil.
Watch out for them WMD’s. They’re the bomb!… and how that turn out? remember rummy, saying we’ll be out with the oil, in 2 weeks? how about, the shrub, and cheney cant leave the usa, anymore, or face possible world court trials. only a few african country’s have let baby bush pretend hes not under house arrest in crawford, with his paint by numbers…
Brilliant Piece, Rmuse!
We must not ever let the truth die!
Netanyahu’s Expert Testimony Pre-Iran:
http://www.c-span.org/video/?c4529120/netanyahus-expert-testimony-iraq-2002
John, when have rethugs NOT had a war planed? They could have a couple on the books right now in the middle east. All they need is to be placed in command. In fact they are drooling at the prospect. War fills their pockets, they do not care who gets hurt, as long as the all mighty dollar makes them richer.
I can barely remember Ike. He was the last DECENT Republican. He didn’t plan any wars I don’t think. But he did send advisors to ‘Nam. He did lie about the U-2 flights.
Bush/Chaney crime syndicate that cost this nation so much and will span generations. How could a SC Judge sleep at night?
Cheney’s got one foot in the grave, and he’s still obsessed with Iran. His insane paranoia and dellusional self importance gives him something to live for, I guess. It kills him knowing we aren’t currently at war for oil. His puppet retired and nobody else is listening, except FOX. There’s a special place in hell for he and Rumsfeld, right next to Hitler. May he rest in peace, soon!
“Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch, and the blood boils with hate, and the mind is closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader, and gladly so. How do I know? For this is what I have done. And I am Caesar.” (Julius Caesar)
There is no proof that Julius Caesar actually uttered these words. But they do succinctly sum up how the Bush/Cheney administration and Republicans got their war in Iraq after 9/11.
Let the legacy of 9/11 include support for the JCPOA. Then maybe at last the U.S. can live down its international reputation as an anti-Islam imperialistic warmonger.
It makes me wish Hell were real, so the Republicans can suffer for all eternity for what they did to America.
because we are getting most of our oil from them now? I forgot, we get it from iraq. opec produces 31 mill barrels a day give or take. iraq produces 3 or 4 mill a month. and almost none of it is used by the US.
And not mentioned above is this important start to it all. Bill Clinton handed Dubya a big fat file filled with urgent warnings to keep an eye on. Dubya and team dropped the ball.
This is why we elect serious candidates to the office of POTUS and not Bushes.
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/20/us/clinton-aides-plan-to-tell-panel-of-warning-bush-team-on-qaeda.html
Thank you, Rmuse, for hammering home the undeniable
truth regarding Dubya’s decacle. Who can forget that
stupefied expression on his face after he was told his
Saudi oil cronies had double-crossed us? And idiots like
Huckabee still haven’t learned that science flies you to
the moon, but religion can fly you into buildings. You
truly cannot fix stupidity.
You are overlooking or forgetting the fact the world oil prices are determined by the entire inventory of oil. Where one source is omitted or deleted, that can result in an increase across the board. Predictions are that oil prices will lower when or if Iran is back full force in the markets, because there will be additional supplies that could potentially glut the market.
I suspect this attack was known about in advance. I will leave it at that.
I remember well former President Clinton telling how before leaving the Oval Office he tried to meet with W regarding intell/threats from the Middle East. W wouldn’t meet with him; he knew more/better than Pres. Clinton.
The look on W’s face when told about the 9/11 attack said it all: ‘Oh shit, maybe I should have met with Clinton…’
They knew maybe not the day but they knew an attack was coming. Bush even said after reading the briefing said thank you ,you covered your ass Now watch this shot
AND… where were the news media? Did they even make one comment on the subject? Nope! The news media glossed over this traitors actions. Still do. For this alone (Shrub) should be held responsible. To say nothing of the 1000’s of deaths caused in his war and in Iraq, the numbers of homeless, children being unable to be educated. But OH! I forget, being educated is a no. no for rethugs. Home schooling is the way. Sure!! can you imagine a future America with all these home schooled adults running the country? Only knowing what their parents taught them? Sure glad I won’t be around to watch….
On Friday morning was watching Mike & Mike on ESPN and they had bush on to remember 9/11 asking him did he feel scared when he threw out the first pitch during the World Series. I was pissed. I know its a sports show and maybe the powers to be told them don’t ask any political questions but I wish they would have ask him one simple question. Why did you lie us into war with Iraq
Oversight?? SURE David.. question: how can there be three votes down on this subject? Are these people just ignorant uninformed or stupid?
They are so concerned with a strong Iran that we MUST go to war with them. Lest we forget that taking down saddam didn’t just create isis/isil, it strengthened Iran. You built that rethuglicans. Just like with isis/isil, Obama is trying his best to deal with the (iran nuclear issue) bag of sh*t left on his doorstep. “We should get a better deal.” Yeah, and we should let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
…on a previous thread I got, like 8 down-checks for sayin’ “No Comment.”…
The WTC buildings dropped perfectly into their own basements. Even the building that was never hit. The plane into the X? Did anybody see a plane hit the Pentagon?
It looks like any an inside job to me.
Ted, Never forget: They quickly shipped all pieces of the World Trade Center shambles to China. So we could never trace what actually caused it to crumble like it did.
Will the Supremes do it again?
“Stop Counting The Votes: Bush Won!”
And on top of all the dead from those actions, all the dead and injured, both from the planes and those who tried to save the victims, came those who died and were injured in body and soul afterwards in needless wars where nothing much was accomplished, except to fire the hate of those who were prone to that terrible disease anyway. And we can never know how many suffered and in what ways they suffered from the hate. It spewed like a sick volcano over all who were not like those around them. The other, more useful, ways of dealing with that horrible incident, whatever they may have been, have been buried in the rubble, too. They are there with broken hearts and ended dreams. All we have left is to clean up the hate and maybe learn a lesson from it before it poisons our hearts and we can’t love purely enough to keep ourselves alive.
This is an excellent article that clearly and simply sets out facts of the Iraq war. HOWEVER it is a biased one in the sense that it mentions nothing of the wars caused/sponsered by the Democrats that have not resulted in debt but greater mayhem. First is LIbya, next is the crisis in Yemen right now supplied by US and UK but by far the most damaging to the world that may eventually lead to Armageddon is the one on in Syria now and the inaction on it. Not even a no-fly zone was set up and no serious attempt was made to work out an agreement with Russia to end instability it seems.
Question: Why does Liz accompany Cheney to all of his interviews?
Riding with him to the interview is one thing but she has to sit on the teevee while he is being interviewed?
He appears to be suffering with dementia!
The republicans did absolute nothing to stop 9/11.
3 plane got through, but the one that didn’t was taken down by the working class.