SEPTEMBER 11 , FIVE YEARS ON
This page continues from SEPTEMBER 11 , TWO YEARS ON ( which should be read first , what is written there still applies today ) .
Five years is a reasonable time for reflection upon these events . There is no attempt to rewrite history here , but we are not prepared to have the selective rewriting of the history of September 11 go unchallenged . This is the least we owe to those who perished .
What happened on September 11 , 2001 still , five years later , makes the writer ( a citizen of both Australia and the United States ) extremely angry , both because of what was done that day and how many of those responsible are still free .
We have chosen to start this page with a striking image , one every bit as moving as those from Viet Nam :
The unspeakable events which caused people to jump from the World Trade Center towers have been canvassed in 9/11 : The Falling Man ( 2006 ) , an excellent documentary . Yet , the fact that some did jump has been generally suppressed , sterilising the horror of the occasion . If all of the events and factors affecting the day are not acknowledged , it is impossible to learn the lessons of 9/11 .
The " Jumper "
In memory of Jonathan , the family has decided to establish a 501(c)(3) scholarship under " The Jonathan E. Briley Memorial Scholarship Fund " This fund will be managed by the family members of Jonathan Briley. The scholarship fund will aid any college student or students pursue their education in the study of Audio Engineering .
Your tax deductible contribution can be sent payable to :
Jonathan E. Briley Memorial Fund , PO Box 44322 Ft Washington , MD 20749-4322
Jumping is only one aspect of the 9/11 story , just as two of the pictures above portray aspects on the Viet Nam War story which people wish to forget . Until we accept the totality of both Viet Nam and 9/11 , we will not be able to move on and properly defend ourselves against present threats . We must be open to all views , understand them and then accept , reject or modify them . This is the process of argument and counter argument , not rhetoric . Armed conflict is a despicable business and should be shown to be so , not sanitised . Cluster bombs , made in the U.S.A. , are dropped in civilian areas of Lebanon , yet few ask why , who is responsible etc. ? The media has a lot to answer for in the area of balance and the presentation of all of the relevant facts .
The War in Afghanistan should have been completed , not left half done . Bin Laden could have been destroyed , along with Afghan drug production . Granted , we are back now , but with insufficient force . Another missed opportunity .
Those involved in terrorism need to be brought before the International Criminal Court , or similar organisation , not into a system that uses kidnapping and the corruption of long held legal principles . Hearings must be fair and open for the World to see .
Iraq was not a terrorist threat , even though it now is .
The Palestinian question is still as unsolved as ever .
World leadership has it's responsibilities , at present these are being poorly discharged .
Terrorists thrive on publicity and the post 9/11 media frenzy fed the twisted minds of terrorists and , more importantly , of potential terrorists . They have seen that America can be successfully attacked and that the response was ineffectual . The terrorist's existence has not been effectively challenged . Iraq may turn into another example of perceived defeat . Iran has the potential to be another seeming victor over us .
We need to analyse what we are about . We can not change hundreds of years of legal practice because of potential terrorist threats alone . If we truly believe that our beliefs and culture is superior to theirs we should be out there demonstrating that superiority in positive and practical ways .
If we do not take effective action now , not only will we not prevail , but we do not deserve to prevail .
These actions must be carried out in the memory of those who were murdered and injured on September 11 , 2001 , October 12 , 2002 in Bali , London and in so many other places and times . Our thoughts are with all Americans on this fifth anniversary .
However Gorge W. Bush is viewed , he is still the President and we would suggest that he has a obligation to lead the country in remembrance on this day . The White House Press Office does have a point in not wishing a Presidential speech to upstage the three 9/11 ceremonies he will be attending . But why not follow in the steps of another President to another field in Pennsylvania almost133 years ago ? This president was one of many speakers , including the great orators of the era . As was then , a great struggle is raging and this anniversary presents an occasion to make what could be the seminal speech of the Bush Presidency .
The speech could be made where so many died refusing to accept their fate without a fight , their actions most likely saving the White House , most of it's occupants and some of it's neighbours .
The speech could finish as before ;
" It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us. . .that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion. . . that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain. . . that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom. . . and that government of the people. . .by the people. . .for the people. . . shall not perish from the earth. "
A last thought on this day , why not rebuild the towers using a structural concrete frame ? If the North tower had been constructed using this method , it may well have survived . ( Discussion of the design deficiencies of the towers has been suppressed . )
Most importantly , reconstruction sends the strongest possible message to the world and those who would attack us . Adding an extra floor at the top of each tower for museums would honour the victims and crystallise the messages of 9/11 .
POSTSCRIPT
A postscript , on this and other pages , we have sought to understand terrorism . Terror is a tactic and as such it is illogical to have a war against it , this is the same as having a war to stop war ( which was tried twice last centaury ) . This is a mistake made by the present governments of the US , UK and Australia . A lot of effort has been wasted although defence against this form of attack has significantly improved . But the bigger ideological clash has not been met .
However 9/11 and other acts are viewed , they are unjustifiable and notwithstanding politics past and present , we must acknowledge that the US , UK and Australia have on many past occasions fought for basic principles of human rights , which are anathema to extremists . More and more we are coming to the realisation that this is the prime motivation behind these attacks .
Note : We do not wish for this
page to become a slanging match . Please go to
PAGE
2 of our two years on review for that
.
COMMENTS :
GOD BLESS AMERICA
TERRORIST OR FREEDOM FIGHTER ?
Speech by Lee Kwan Yew, Senior Minister, Republic of Singapore
Waging Modern War : Bosnia,
Kosovo, and the Future of Combat
Due Preparations for the Plague: A Novel
"This is the worst president ever. He's the worst president in all of American history." ...... quote from Society of Professional Journalists gathering in Los Angeles re G. W. Bush
