Remembering 9/11, Living in a Big World

About 3,000 folks died in attacks on New York City's World Trade Center and the Pentagon on this date, 13 years ago.

The death toll would almost certainly have been higher, if passengers and surviving crew of United Airlines Flight 93 had not attacked their hijackers. They died, probably because the Al Qaeda pilot deliberately flew into the ground.

Depending on their views, folks have commemorated the 9/11 attacks in many ways.

Some have declared that the attacks were justified, because America is a big meany. They usually express the idea in more sophisticated terms, of course.

Others say that Muslims are to blame: all Muslims. Still others take the more sweeping view that all religion is to blame.

I think there is a tiny element of truth in 'all of the above.'

Al Qaeda's leader at the time, Osama bin Laden, almost certainly had sincerely-held religious beliefs: and chose American targets in response to this country's profound lack of fidelity to his brand of Islam.

I like being an American, and am still upset that so many folks were killed by religious fanatics. But I am not going to rant about folks who don't follow my faith: or those who do, and behave badly.

Instead, I'm going to take a look at how some — but happily not all — Americans have reacted to Catholics, Jews, blacks, and other 'threats' to my country....

The rest of this post is in another blog:

• "Remembering 9/11, Living in a Big World"
  A Catholic Citizen in America (September 11, 2014)

Related posts:

• "National September 11 Memorial Museum Opens: Some Folks Aren't Happy"
  (May 15, 2014)
• "Two Pools, Four Towers"
  (September 11, 2013)
• "September 11, 2001: Nine Years Later"
  (September 11, 2010)
• "Remembering 9/11"
  (September 11, 2007)
• "Six Years Ago, Tomorrow: Remembering 9/11"
  (September 10, 2007)

National September 11 Memorial Museum Opens: Some Folks Aren't Happy

(From the National September 11 Memorial Museum website, used w/o permission.)

I doubt that I will ever see the National September 11 Memorial Museum in New York City. I live about a thousand miles west of the city, and don't travel much.

At least part of the museum and memorial open today. As usual, some folks think it's a good idea: some don't.

"National September 11 Memorial Museum opens in New York"
Anna Bressanin, BBC News (May 15, 2014)

"The National September 11 Memorial Museum tells the stories of the more than 2,700 people who died in the city when jet aeroplanes hijacked by Islamist terrorist destroyed the World Trade Center.

"It also tells of those who survived, and of how the world has changed since the attack...."

The bulk of that article is a video.

Unidentified Human Remains

(From Reuters, via BBC News, used w/o permission.)
"Fire trucks and police cars carried the remains to the repository in downtown Manhattan"

"Unidentified 9/11 remains returned to 'Ground Zero' "
BBC News (May 10, 2014)

"Thousands of unidentified remains from the 9/11 attacks have been returned to 'Ground Zero' in a solemn ceremony.

"Fifteen vehicles took the remains from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to a repository under the World Trade Center site....

"...The 11 September 2001 attacks killed almost 3,000 people in New York, the Washington DC area and Pennsylvania.

"The remains consist of 7,930 fragments of human tissue that could not be identified by forensic teams.

"They were placed in metallic boxes, covered in the American flag and taken in a convoy comprising fire trucks and police vehicles to the site of the attacks in downtown Manhattan...."

Folks whose family members were killed in the 9/11 attack believe, for good reason, that some of the unidentified human remains belong to their loved ones. Some of these folks are upset about what's being done to these unidentifiable pieces of humanity. Apparently they believe that the remains should be buried in a more conventional cemetery.

I can see their point. My faith includes some well-defined principles about what should be done with human remains. Dignity and respect are two key points.

Happily, what happens to the unidentified 9/11 remains is not a personal issue for me. From my point of view, taking them to the 9/11 memorial and museum is somewhat comparable to placing the body of an unidentified soldier in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington.

I could quibble about its propriety: but am convinced that the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, like the 9/11 Memorial, is a well-intentioned tribute to our dead.

In the news:

• "National September 11 Memorial Museum opens in New York"
  Anna Bressanin, BBC News (May 15, 2014)
• "Unidentified 9/11 remains returned to 'Ground Zero' "
  BBC News (May 10, 2014)

Somewhat-related posts:

• "Two Pools, Four Towers"
  (September 11, 2013)
• "Using a Machete in a Global Civilization"
  (May 23, 2013)
• "Remembering September 11, 2001; and Looking Ahead"
  (September 11, 2012)
• "September 11, 2001: Nine Years Later"
  (September 11, 2010)
• "Remembering 9/11"
  (September 11, 2007)

Two Pools, Four Towers

It's a bright September morning here in central Minnesota. A school bus went by a few minutes ago.

Like most Americans, folks here are at work, sitting in classrooms, driving or walking, sitting or standing. Life goes on pretty much as it did before 9/11.

Living in the Real World

This isn't Brigadoon, of course, an idyllic place cut off from a changing world.

Ash Street, where I live, is wider now. A young family moved in across the street. They're Euro-Americans; but other new, and old, neighbors have ancestral roots in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Some folks around here seem to assume that Muslims are a particularly dangerous sort of foreigner. Others are equally diligent in expressing shock and horror at the enormities of American aggression.

Me? I'm delighted that folks are still trying to break into America. When my native land stops attracting people with get-up-and-go from around the world, we'll be in serious trouble.

Past and Present

(From Associated Press, via FoxNews.com, used w/o permission.)

Names of people killed in New York City, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania, are being read. I think it's fitting to remember the dead; and honor those who serve in America's emergency response services, and the military.

Remembering the past is prudent. So is keeping up with the present.

The Middle East is still far from quiet. Some autocrats are still around. Some countries, like Libya and Egypt, have traded old-school rulers for the troubles that come from developing new governments. I hope they are successful.

Some folks are still trying to force the rest of us into their antique world view:

• "Muslim rebels display human shield tied by rope in southern Philippine standoff"
  Reuters (September 11, 2013)

It's not that simple, of course. Territorial, economic, and other issues keep almost everything involving humans from being "simple."

Looking Ahead

I was born in the Truman administration, and remember the 'good old days' of the gray flannel suit. I was one of those 'crazy college kids' who didn't want a 'successful career.'

I wanted to change the world. My generation made mistakes, some of them appalling. But we also changed America from a nation of WASPs and WASP wannabes to the more obviously cosmopolitan country we have today.

Some folks still yearn for the days when Harper Valley PTAs and Boston Brahmins set the tone, and that's almost another topic.

The 9/11 attack changed Manhattan's skyline, but did not change the way NewYork City or America works: not the basics.

While wreckage from the attack was being cleared away and repairs made to the city's infrastructure, architects and city planners were wrangling over what sort of buildings should replace the old World Trade Center.

Pools lie where the twin towers used to be, part of a memorial. Most of the new World Trade Center's offices will be in four towers. Tenants like the Vantone China Center and Condé Nast expect to move in this coming December, or maybe early 2014.

There's a bit of Americana built into One World Trade Center. It's the tallest building in the western hemisphere: 1776 feet high.


(From , via CNN, used w/o permission.)
"One World Trade Center rises above the lower Manhattan skyline in New York. Twelve years after terrorists destroyed the old World Trade Center, the new World Trade Center is becoming a reality in 2013...."
(CNN)


(From World Trade Center, used w/o permission)

In the news:

• "9/11 observances: Moments of silence mark 12th anniversary of terror attacks"
  David Simpson, CNN (September 11, 2013)
• "Where were you on Sept. 11, 2001, when America changed forever?"
  FoxNews.com (September 11, 2013)

More:

• One World Trade Center
  Durst Corporation and
• World Trade Center
  Port Authority of New York & New Jersey
• New York City World Trade Center, Wikipedia articles
  • "One World Trade Center"
  • "2 World Trade Center"
  • "3 World Trade Center"
  • "4 World Trade Center"

Related posts:

• So far this year
  
  • "Syria, Chemical Weapons, and More of the Same"
    (August 27, 2013)
  • "Egypt, Opinions, and Cautious Optimism"
    (August 25, 2013)
  • "Using a Machete in a Global Civilization"
    (Thursday, May 23)
  • "Boston Marathon Bombing: Sincerity isn't Truth"
    (April 20, 2013)
  • "North Korea Nuclear Attack: 'Extremely Unlikely,' But - - -"
    (April 5, 2013)
• 9/11
  • "Remembering September 11, 2001; and Looking Ahead"
    (September 11, 2012)
  • "9/11 and the One-Size-Fits-All Explanation: 'It is the Fault of the Jews' - and the Yankees"
    (September 24, 2010)
  • "September 11, 2001: Nine Years Later"
    (September 11, 2010)
  • "New York City, September 11, 2001, 10:28 am"
    (September 11, 2009)
  • "Mumbai, 9/11, Lashkar e Taiba, Al Qaeda, and Lessons (Not?) Learned"
    (November 30, 2008)

Remembering September 11, 2001; and Looking Ahead

On September 11, 2001, thousands of people died in an attack on cities along the east coast of North America. The attack was carried out by people who apparently didn't approve of America, America's way of life, and anything else that wasn't exactly consistent with what they preferred.

I'm not entirely pleased about some aspects of America's contemporary culture, either: but slaughtering thousands of folks I don't like isn't a reasonable response. I'll get back to that.

Since 9/11/2001, a remarkable number of national leaders have decided that getting killed by religious fanatics isn't a good thing. Even more remarkable, many have committed to an armed response to the threat of Al Qaeda and like-minded outfits.

I think peace is nice. I think war is very unpleasant. But sometimes peace isn't an acceptable option.

The Job at Hand

In the short term, the job at hand is dealing with the sad fact that some folks would like to kill more people who don't dress and act the way they want us to. Since asking nicely hasn't worked in the past, my guess is that military action in the Middle East and other parts of the world will continue to be necessary.

Tolerance, Real and Imagined

While dealing with the physical threat posed by religious fanatics, I think it's vital to preserve the tolerance that earned America their hatred. That's going to be difficult, since my country is home to some folks who seem as fervently dedicated to their own notions as any Al Qaeda zealot.

One lot seems to feel that 'Muslims and other foreigners' are a Satanic threat to their own views of how everybody should dress and act. These folks see "tolerance" as allowing others to agree with their views: even if the others look like foreigners.

Another lot seems convinced that all religion is a sort of psychiatric condition or social pathology. These folks see "tolerance" as allowing others to hold differing opinions: as long as the 'intolerant' people keep quiet, and do whatever the 'tolerant' folks tell them to.

I'm not at all fond of either sort of 'tolerance.'

Sorting Out 'Quirky' and 'Constant'

Tolerance has been defined as "a permissible difference; allowing some freedom to move within limits." (Princeton's WordNet) I think that's reasonable.

One of the major challenges in today's world is determining just what "some freedom" means. We're going through exciting and promising changes - which means that quirky little preferences that may have worked a few generations back simply don't apply any more.

The trick will be distinguishing between rules that don't matter, like which side of a plate the fork goes on, and ethical principles that apply to 'left fork,' 'right fork,' and 'no fork' folks. It's not going to be easy: but it's necessary. And that's another topic.

Related posts:

• A quick review
  • "Playing 'Victim;' Living in a Big World"
    (March 13, 2012)
  • "Still Blogging About Anachronisms, Autocrats, and America"
    (October 8, 2011)
  • "Iran, Dubious Equipment, and a Nuclear Weapons Program that Doesn't Exist"
    (March 18, 2011)
  • "When In Doubt: Blame the Yankees?"
    (September 29, 2010)
  • "Burning the Quran?
    Better Than Burning a Muslim: Still - - -"
    (September 5, 2010)
• Tolerance, real and imagined
  • "Tolerance, Change, America, and the World"
    (March 22, 2012)
  • "Diversity in Unity: Two Millennia and Counting"
    A Catholic Citizen in America (April 18, 2012)
  • " 'The Jesus-Eating Cult of Rick Santorum' and
    'America - Love It or Leave It' "
    A Catholic Citizen in America (February 29, 2012)
  • "The Threat of People Who Aren't Just Like Us?"
    A Catholic Citizen in America (July 23, 2011)
  • "Religious Freedom, Niemöller, and Muslims in America"
    A Catholic Citizen in America (April 7, 2011)
• Working for a better world
  • "Business, Change, and Profit"
    A Catholic Citizen in America (September 10, 2012)
  • "Building the World of Tomorrow - Make that Worlds"
    A Catholic Citizen in America (May 28, 2012)
  • "Upset Applecarts: A Hopeful Sign"
    A Catholic Citizen in America (March 5, 2012)
  • "South Sudan, the Táin Bó Cúalnge, and Working for a Better World"
    A Catholic Citizen in America (January 6, 2012)
  • "Sustainable African Development: And Swift's Modest Proposal"
    A Catholic Citizen in America (May 6, 2010)

9/11 and the One-Size-Fits-All Explanation: 'It is the Fault of the Jews' - and the Yankees

As I've written before, blaming events of some conspiracy is quite popular. Tales of conspiracy sound cool, are full of drama and intrigue, provide a single explanation for just about everything, and allow folks to deflect blame on 'Them.

Who 'They' are varies:

• The commies were popular among conspiracy buffs a little over a half-century ago, here in America
  • Remember McCarthyism?
• Foreigners are a perennial favorite around the world
• Yankee imperialism may be dropping in the charts - or not
• And of course there's that old standby, the Jews

In some circles 'everybody knows' that the Jews are behind everything - and are running the Catholic Church. I am not making that up.

There doesn't have to be just one diabolical cabal of conspirators, of course: although I think that it's more aesthetically pleasing when there's a central conspiracy with minions. Iran's president combined two conventional bad guys in a rousing speech this week at the United Nations:

"Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hit the replay button once again Thursday, delivering a dubious rewrite of history that led to yet another walkout by the U.S. and its allies at the U.N. General Assembly.

"The U.S. delegation at the U.N. General Assembly walked out on the Iranian president's highly anticipated address Thursday after he unleashed his oft-repeated belief that the U.S. used the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to justify a war on terror that is still being fought.

"He also claimed that most Americans and nations believe that the U.S. government 'orchestrated the attack to reverse the declining American economy and its grip on the Middle East in order to save the Zionist regime.'..."
(FOXNews)

I suppose Ahmadinejad knows his audience, and thinks implied Yankee imperialism and the Jews are a more plausible combination than, say:

• The Illuminati and the Knights Templar
• Freemasons and the Bilderberg Group
• Any of the above and space-alien shape-shifting lizard people

Ahmadeinejad and the Ayatollahs (sounds like a rock group, doesn't it?) aren't the only ones to present conspiracy theories in pairs. Consider:

• Big Oil and the Bush family
• Obama and Islam

To true believers, of course, any of these conspiracy theories aren't theories at all: they're facts, and anybody who doesn't agree is either a dupe or a fellow traveler. Or a member of the conspiracy.

You can't argue with logic like that.

Me? I must be a dupe, a fellow traveler, or a member of Them: I don't take conspiracy theories all that seriously. Except as they affect the actions of policy makers and other leaders. Or, as in the Iranian president's case, are presented by leaders.

I don't think 9/11 was an inside job, that the Jews are running the Catholic Church, or that space aliens are targeting our nuclear bases.

Related posts:

• "Nuclear Weapons, Space Aliens, Conspiracy Theories, and Getting a Grip"
  Apathetic Lemming of the North (September 24, 2010)
• "Lebanon, Israel, Pakistan, India, and the Lizard People"
  (January 14, 2009)
• "Georgian Invasion an American Plot: Who Knew?"
  (August 28, 2008)
• "'911 Was an Inside Job! Our Boys Need to Know!'"
  (June 10, 2008)
• "The CIA Created Al Qaeda: Who Knew?"
  (April 2, 2008)
• "9/11: Anarchist Conspiracy!!!!"
  (October 19, 2007)
  • Here's one the conspiracy theorists seem to have missed
• "This Keith Ellison Story Might Take Off"
  (July 27, 2007)
• "Professor Ward Churchill: 9/11 Truthteller, or Nincompoop?"
  (July 25, 2007)

In the news:

• "In full: Obama speaks to BBC Persian"
  BBC US & Canada(September 24, 2010)
• "Obama: Ahmadinejad's speech 'offensive' and 'hateful' "
  CNN (September 24, 2010)
• "Exclusive Interview with Iran's President"
  FOXNews (September 24, 2010)
  • Video
  • Also see:
    • "Obama: Ahmadinejad's Sept. 11 Statements 'Hateful'"
      FOXNews (September 24, 2010)
• "Ahmadinejad Condemns Capitalism, U.S. and Its Allies Walk Out"
  FOXNews (September 23, 2010)

September 11, 2001: Nine Years Later

By this time, nine years ago today, what was left of New York City's World Trade Center had been evacuated, a crater was all that was left of Flight 93, and the Pentagon had a hole in one wall.

Today, there's a new World Trade Center going up where the old one was, and one family has learned a little more about someone they lost:

"Nine years after 9/11, a photo provides some peace"
CNN (September 11, 2010)

"Judson Box has never known exactly how his son, Gary, died on September 11, 2001. But an unexpected find nine years later has given him a glimpse into his son's final hours.

"Gary, then 35, had been working as a firefighter in Brooklyn for roughly five years when the terrorists attacked. He did not speak to his father the day of the attack and his body was never recovered, leaving the circumstances of his death a mystery.

"On September 11, 2009, Gary's sister, Christine, was visiting the Tribute Center when an employee asked her if she was looking for someone specifically. She mentioned her brother Gary, and the employee showed her to a picture of a firefighter in the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel that had a caption bearing Gary's name.

"But it was not Gary. It was a photo of Brian Bilcher, another member of Gary's fire squad who also perished on 9/11...."

A photo of Gary Box did show up. CNN did a pretty good job of telling part of that family's story.


(Erik Troelson, via the National 9/11 Museum & CNN, used w/o permission)
"A Danish businessman took this photo of Gary Box as he rushed toward the attacks on the World Trade Center."

I wrote more about this ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attack in another blog. (September 11, 2010)

Related posts:

• "Lemming Tracks: Remembering 9/11, Nine Years Later - This isn't Political"
  Apathetic Lemming of the North (September 11, 2010)
• "Actions have Consequences: Burning the Quran"
  (September 7, 2010)
• "Ground Zero 'Mosque:' What was He Thinking?"
  (August 24, 2010)

More:

• National September 11 Memorial & Museum
  World Trade Center Memorial Foundation

New York City, September 11, 2001, 10:28 am

At 10:28 am, New York time, this post will get published.

On this day, this minute, eight years ago. the north tower of New York City's World Trade Center fell.

Let's not forget.

Related post:

• "Remembering 9/11, Eight Years Later"
  (September 10, 2009)

Background:

• "September 11: Chronology of terror"
  CNN (September 12, 2001)

New York City, September 11, 2001, 8:45 am

At 8:45 am, New York time, this post will get published.

On this day, this minute, eight years ago. American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the north tower of New York City's World Trade Center.

18 minutes later, at 9:03 am, United Airlines Flight 175 hit the south tower.

40 minutes after that, at 9:43 am, American Airlines Flight 77 hit the Pentagon.

At 10:05 am, New York time, the south tower of the World Trade Center collapsed. Port Authority Police Department officers were climbing the stairs, seeing if they could rescue the several hundred people still inside.

10:10 am: United Airlines Flight 93 dove into a field in Pennsylvania as the passengers and crew were recapturing the airliner.

At that time, New York City World Trade Center's north tower was still burning.

Related post:

• "Remembering 9/11, Eight Years Later"
  (September 10, 2009)

Background:

• "September 11 | A Memorial"
  CNN
• "HEROISM AND HORROR"
  Chapter 9, National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. U.S. Congress (August 21, 2004)
• "September 11: Chronology of terror"
  CNN (September 12, 2001)

Air Force One Attacks New York City: City Passes Air Raid Drill

Updated (April 28, 2009):
Raw video footage

---

The White House apologized, New York City's mayor was "furious" (so is president Obama) (CNN), and Manhattanites got quite a break from routine today.


(from CNN, used w/o permission)

People working in New York City's skyscrapers saw a large airliner flying low - obviously not in normal flight corridors - and being escorted, or maybe chased, by F-16 fighters. Many New Yorkers, remembering what happened on September 11, 2001, and wanting to see April 28, 2009, started heading for ground level.

The flight of the VC-25, a military version of the Boeing 747 that's called Air Force One when the President's on board, was cleared through the FAA: No problems there. And the New York City police knew about the flight.

According to New York's finest, they were supposed to keep mum about the flight. Makes sense, considering how sensitive the exact location of that particular aircraft is, whether the president's on it or not.

The police say they didn't tell anyone about the flight, because they were told not to: "...'The flight of a VC-25 aircraft and F-16 fighters this morning was authorized by the FAA for the vicinity of the Statue of Liberty with directives to local authorities not to disclose information about it but to direct any inquiries to the FAA Air Traffic Security Coordinator,' the statement said...." (FOX News)

This Was a Pretty Good Air Raid Drill

Putting a positive light on this, I think this morning's little incident can be seen as a test of New York City's readiness for the next attack.

The impromptu mock attack demonstrated that New Yorkers know how to react to an attack: even if authorities don't tell them what to do.

The VC-25 / F-16 flight's mission was to update stock photos.

Vaguely related posts:

• "Holiday Attack on New York City Planned - Maybe"
  (November 27, 2008)
• "9/11 Memorials: 2008"
  (September 11, 2008)
• "The Noble Thief of Brooklyn"
  (July 5, 2008)
• "Times Square Bombing: 'We Did It' Didn't"
  (March 7, 2008)
• "Empire State Building Shines Green for Eid"
  (October 13, 2007)

In the news:

• "White House apologizes for low-flying plane"
  CNN (April 27, 2009)
• "White House Official Apologizes for Air Force One Photo Op in New York City"
  FOX News (April 27, 2009)

---

Update (April 28, 2009)

"Raw: Low Flying Military Planes Cause Panic Near Statue of Liberty"

LETHLSS, YouTube (April 27, 2009)
video 1:56

Thanks to bnsullivan, on Twitter, for the URL.

Murderous Muslims, Catholic Extermination Camps, and Common Sense

Chauvinists on both, or all, sides of the War on Terror are doing Islam, Western civilization, and Christianity, no favors.

Epithets like "towel head" and "dog" reduce discussion of the current global conflict to name-calling. This is nothing new. In my youth, it was terms like "commie" and "capitalist lackey." As a "capitalist lackey," I'm rather glad that the "plutocratic oppressors" weren't replaced with collectives, and that Russia is in the process of sorting itself out.

During the Cold War, I could be amused by the 'capitalist running-dog militaristic aggressor' speeches in the United Nations. The daft, simplistic, name-calling rants by some who seemed to think they were defending Freedom, America, and Decent Folks Like Us, were an embarrassment.

Today, it's 'déjà vu all over again.'

Murderous Muslims, Catholic Extermination camps, and "Self-Satisfied Ignorance"

The behavior of bin Laden and Ante Paveliç have given Islam and Christianity a rather bad name. Paul Myers and his academic colleagues have a little evidence to back up their attitude toward religion in general.

Academic freedom, American style

The point is: every group, if it's large enough, is going to have its crazies. Talking about the 2008 American presidential election, I wrote: "When elections shake the tree of liberty, quite a few loose nuts fall out."

I'd expand that to include most stressful situations.

Thanks to Al Qaeda's impassioned and, in my view, misguided, defense of Islam, many people know who Osama bin Laden is. Ante Paveliç isn't so much of a household name, at least not in America.

Catholic Concentration Camps in Croatia!

Someone going by the name of akhter left a half-dozen or so comments on this blog yesterday. Long ones. Two on one post.

This akhter knows quite a bit about Christianity. And, those murderous Catholics:

"...Surprisingly few know that Nazi extermination camps in World War II were by no means the only ones in Europe at the time. In the years 1942-1943 also in Croatia existed numerous extermination camps, run by Catholic Ustasha under their dictator Ante Paveliç, a practicing Catholic and regular visitor to the then pope. There were even concentration camps exclusively for children!..."
(February 7, 2009 - you'll have to search the comments for this gem)

I don't doubt that Paveliç was a "practicing Catholic and regular visitor to the then pope." I don't doubt that. The Kennedy's are generally billed as 'practicing Catholics.' Which is regarded as a scandal by Catholics who pay closer attention to what the Roman Catholic Church actually teaches. But that's a different topic, for a different blog.
I also don't doubt that rather disgusting things happened in Croatia, and Serbia, and other places in that part of the world.

But I don't regard Paveliç's "Catholic" concentration camps as typically Catholic, any more than I regard the 9/11 attack as typically "Islamic."

9/11, by the way, wasn't a CIA plot. According to akhter, it's America's fault. And the fault of the Jews. Specifically, Israel:

"...The reason for the appearance of these anti-Muslim attacks is linked to the active or passive support of Western powers of the invasions of two Islamic countries, Iraq and, previous to that, Afghanistan. Supposedly, this was in revenge for the murderous Muslim attacks on the USA in 2001. However, those attacks were themselves in revenge for the American support of the State of Israel and the ethnic cleansing of Arabs which that State has carried out in Palestine for nearly sixty years. Thus began the present spiral...."
(February 7, 2009 - again, you'll have to search in akhter's comment)

'Simplistic,' and Loving it

Quoting myself again (a bad habit, I'm told):

"...I've been informed, from time to time, that my views are 'simplistic.'
"If it's 'simplistic' to deviate from the assumptions of Professor Churchill, Code Pink, ANSWER, and people who are upset by the use of draftees in Bush's war on Iraq, then my approach to reality is simplistic.

"And I wouldn't have it any other way...."
(January 11, 2009)

I've corresponded with enough Muslims, and have studied what has (and hasn't) been happening enough, to believe that "Islam is a peaceful religion." At least in some cultures. And, I've known enough Christians to believe that the Ku Klux Klan and the Westboro Baptist Church (the one in Topeka, Kansas) aren't typically Christian organizations.
But, I also don't believe that the CIA blew up New York City's World Trade Center, that the Middle East imbroglio is the fault of the Jews, or that America is a racist oppressor. In fact, I am at best extremely skeptical of all 'it is the fault of the---' belief systems.

That makes me "ignorant" or "unintelligent" in the eyes of quite a few of the 'right sort' of people. But, I'm okay with that.

Does this Post Sound Familiar? There's a Reason

I just remembered: I wrote a post recently, on roughly the same subject: "Retard! Or, How Not to Make Your Point" (January 20, 2009).

Related posts:

• "What is Islam? Even Muslims Don't Seem to Agree"
  (February 6, 2009)
• "Retard! Or, How Not to Make Your Point"
  (January 20, 2009)
• "Another War-on-Terror Blog and Simplistic Views"
  (January 11, 2009)
• "Ayman al-Zawahiri: The Face of Islam?"
  (January 6, 2009)
• "'Why is Everybody Always Picking on Me?' - The United Nations, Muslims, Zionists, and 'Those People'"
  (October 5, 2008)
  Particularly "A Secret Enemy Makes Life So Much Easier "
• " 'Self-Satisfied Ignorance?' Eucharist, Quran, and Atheist Book Trashed"
  (August 5, 2008)
• " 'Will the Real Islam, Please Stand up?' "
  (February 6, 2008)

Mumbai, 9/11, Lashkar e Taiba, Al Qaeda, and Lessons (Not?) Learned

It's already tomorrow (December 1, 2008) in India. Mumbai is cleaning up after a terrible attack. The death toll is heading in the direction of 200. The last I heard, bodies were still being carried out of the Taj Mahal hotel.

Right now, it looks like either a group based in Pakistan, or Al Qaeda, are responsible. Maybe both.

Or, maybe neither. I'd say it's too early to tell.

I think Indian government officials could learn from what American authorities experienced, while investigating what happened in the 9/11 attack: and who was responsible.

Indian Investigators Sorting Out Evidence

The surviving terrorist said that he had been told to 'kill until the last breath'. (MailOnline (November 30, 2008)) Indian authorities say his name is Azam Amir Kasab, that he's 21, and from Pakistan.


(from MailOnline, used without permission)
Mighty Muslim? Holy Hindu? Patriotic Pakistani?
Bottom line: He's alive, lots of others are dead.

I sincerely wish that more of the ten terrorists in the Mumbai attack were still alive. Partly because I value life, partly because survivors are generally more informative than corpses.

Mumbai, Blame, India, and Pakistan

International diplomacy is proceeding normally: India says that the terrorists came from Pakistan; Pakistan's leaders say 'we didn't do it!' And, that Pakistan may move troops from the Afghanistan border to the Indian border.

Which may be a good thing. That way, coalition forces may only have Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and local sympathizers shooting at them. Pakistani forces may or may not have been ordered to shoot Americans trying to deal with terrorists in the wrong places.

I don't blame Pakistan's leaders for being a bit touchy on the subject of providing a base of operations for whoever killed over ten dozen people in Mumbai. Between differences of opinion about whether or not Pakistani troops have been ordered to shoot American soldiers who are trying to protect Pakistan, and the odd coincidences surrounding Benazir Bhutto's assassination, I get the impression that Pakistan is somewhere between India and Somalia in terms of having a stable, competent, government.

Why Blame Pakistan or Al Qaeda?

It's not that there aren't non-Islamic terrorists.

Hindu terrorists (or activists, or whatever) tend to tear down mosques or burn people. (Remember the Babri Mosque, back in 1992?); or the missionary flambe incident in 1999?)

Forming mobs or planting bombs seems to be their style: not putting together a well-planned military operation like the Mumbai incident.

Members of India's many ethnic minorities who think that their people should have their very own little independent territory, and that it's okay to kill other people to get what they want. (India isn't the only country with terrorists within its borders. America's Timothy McVeigh wasn't the only person in the country willing to kill those don't have the 'right' ethnicity and/or beliefs.)

But India's separatists, like the National Socialist Council of Nagaland, don't seem quite up to planning and executing the recent attack on Mumbai. (The NSCN., or National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Khaplang-Kitovi), or Isak-Muivah, or KK, says it isn't a separatist movement: that the territory it wants was never part of India. I give them points for ingenuity, if nothing else.)

All of which narrows the field.

Pakistan's military or intelligence organizations might have mounted the attack: Pakistan and India both want Kashmir. Besides, Pakistan is a predominantly Muslim country, India is predominantly Hindu: It's easy to assume that Pakistan's government is behind the attack.

Maybe they were.

But the attack is very much Al Qaeda's style:

• Big
• Well-planned
• Indiscriminately lethal
• Very high-profile

It's quite easy to assume that Al Qaeda is responsible.

LeT, Lashkar e Taiba, Lashkar e-Tayyiba: Trouble, No Matter How It's Spelled

It may not be Al Qaeda, though. The one surviving terrorist says that he's with Lashkar e Taiba, or LeT.

LeT is a group that operates in Pakistan. And, as is often the case, has a name that's spelled quite a few different ways in English:

• LeT
• Lashkar-e-Taiba
• Lashkar e-Tayyiba

Just to make things more interesting, Lashkar e Taiba is also called

• LT
• Jamaat ud-Dawa and Al Monsooreen
• Lashkar e-Toiba1, Lashkar-i-Taiba
• Paasban-e-Ahle-Hadis
• Paasban-e-Kashmir
• Paasban-i-Ahle-Hadith
• Pasban-e-Kashmir

No matter how it's spelled, or what it's called, the group is trouble. This "Army of the Pure and Righteous" is on the American State Department's list of terrorist organizations; is supported by Al Qaeda; gets money from Pakistani communities in the United Kingdom and the Persian Gulf region, and from Islamic Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). It's been banned in Pakistan since 2002.

But, since LeT's goal is to kick India out of Kashmir, there's the suspicion that Pakistan's government, that wants Kashmir, pretends it doesn't notice LeT installations in Pakistan.

In fact, in India at least, it's assumed that "the LeT has been a 100% owned subsidiary of the ISI's anti-India operations." (Times of India, December 1, 2008) (ISI stands for Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence, or Inter-Services Intelligence. (thefreedictionary.com))

Unlike Al Qaeda, LeT tends to use heavy infantry, not suicide bombers.

Since the attack on Mumbai was essentially an infantry operation, and since there don't seem to be reports of beheadings, this looks like it might not be an Al Qaeda operation. And, that it might be something Lashkar e Taiba planned.

And, the survivor says that he and the others were trained by LeT. Of course, he could be lying.

Even if Lashkar e Taiba is responsible for the attacks, that doesn't mean that Pakistan's current government - the one that got elected after Bhuto was assassinated - is behind the Mumbai massacre. LeT probably is supported by, or politely ignored by, the ISI, but the civilian government doesn't control the ISI, and neither does Pakistan's military. "The ISI has become a state within a state, answerable neither to the leadership of the army, nor to the President or the Prime Minister." (globalsecurity.org) Sounds like the ISI is like the die-hard American liberal's view of the CIA.

Mumbai and 9/11: Something to be Learned

It could be that 'the usual suspects' are behind the latest Mumbai attack. Or, some group other than Lashkar e Taiba or Al Qaeda may be to blame.

It's too early to tell.

The last I heard, Indian authorities were still taking bodies out of the Taj Mahal hotel. The last terrorists were killed this weekend. It looks like this attack took a year to plan: it will probably take a few days, at least, to put all the pieces together.

Let's remember the 9/11 attack, and the days following it.

• By the afternoon of September 11, 2001, there were strong indications that "Saudi militant Osama bin Laden" was behind the attack
• Lots of Saudi Nationals left America, after
  • National airspace re-opened on September 13, 2001
  • Being checked by the FBI
• All but four of the hijackers were from Saudi Arabia
  • At least, they had the names of Saudi nationals

Apparently, though, the Saudi government didn't have anything to do with the 9/11 attack. Although, considering the antics of Saudi clerics - some of them in official positions - it's still easy enough to imagine Saudi involvement.

But, imagination and reality aren't the same thing.

Related posts:

• " 'India's 9/11' - Who Did It?"
  (November 28, 2008)
• "Why Attack Mumbai? And, Why the Taj Mahal Hotel?"
  (November 27, 2008)
• "Gateway of India? Taj Mahal Hotel - in Mumbai? What - and Where - Are These Places?"
  (November 27, 2008)
• Bad Night in Mumbai: Islamic Terrorists This Time"
  (November 26, 2008)
• "Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Foreign Troops: One Issue, Two Approaches"
  (September 16, 2008)

News and views:

• "India in fix over how to handle Pak"
  The Times of India (December 1, 2008)
• "Indian minister resigns over Mumbai attacks"
  CNN (November 30, 2008)
• "Mumbai attacks: surviving terrorist says he belonged to Pakistan militant group "
  Telegraph.co.uk (November 30, 2008)
• "Pakistanis Deny Any Role in Attacks"
  The New York Times (November 30, 2008)
• "Top Indian Security Official Resigns as Toll Eclipses 180"
  The New York Times (November 30, 2008)
• "Indian minister resigns over Mumbai attacks "
  CNN (November 30, 2008)
• "Attackers expose luxury hotels' vulnerabilities"
  International Herald Tribune (November 30, 2008)
• "Pakistan pledges to look into any militant role in Mumbai attacks"
  Los Angeles Times (November 30, 2008)
• "Officials quit over India attacks"
  BBC (November 30, 2008)
• " 'I was told to kill to my last breath': Captured terrorist's account of Mumbai massacre reveals plan was to kill 5,000 "
  MailOnline (November 30, 2008)
• " 'No evidence' of UK Mumbai link"
  BBC (November 30, 2008)
• "Terror blasts hole in peace with Pakistan"
  TimesOnline (UK (November 30, 2008)
• " 'Terrorists planned to kill 5,000 in Mumbai attacks' "
  The Hindu (November 30, 2008)
• "Taj Mahal hotel chairman: We had warning"
  CNN (November 29, 2008)
• "We're all Bombayites today"
  Hindustan Times (November 29, 2008)
  • "...Nobody blamed George Bush for 9/11...." ?!
    Vir Sanghvi apparently doesn't follow American news all that closely.
• "Officials quit over India attacks"
  BBC (November 29, 2008)
• "Indian media react to Mumbai carnage"
  CNN (November 29, 2008)
• "Westerners, Asians from all walks of life among Mumbai victims"
  CNN (November 29, 2008)
• "What They Hate About Mumbai"
  The New York Times (November 28, 2008)
• "Mumbai terror attacks: Who could be behind them?"
  guardian.co.uk (November 27, 2008)
• "Polarisation route to power nirvana"
  Central Chronicle (November 27, 2008)
• "CORRECTED-India police arrest Hindu monk over bomb attack"
  Reuters (November 13, 2008)
• "Next hearing in Babri mosque demolition case on July 11th"
  Thaindian News (July 4, 2008)
• "Orissa Christians told to 'convert or die' "
  Christian Today (January 25, 2008)
• "Hindus attack churches on Christmas"
  USA Today (December 26, 2007)
  • It was the Christians' fault, a Hindu spokesperson said.
  • The Christians, he said, wanted to attack an 80-year-old man.
• "Graham Staines murder case: Chronology of events"
  rediff.com (September 22, 2003)
• "1992: Mob rips apart mosque in Ayodhya"
  BBC's ('On This Date' for December 6)

Background:

• "Lashkar e-Tayyiba"
  globalsecurity.org
• "Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence [ISI]"
  globalsecurity.org
• "Flights of Saudi Nationals Leaving the United States"
  factcheck.org (PDF file)
• "Furious Saudis reject US 9/11 claims"
  guardian.co.uk (July 25, 2003)

'India's 9/11' - Who Did It?

I've heard the attack on Mumbai called 'India's 9/11.' It's a reasonable comparison: Mumbai is enormously important to India's economy, and is a major port city, just like New York City. And, the attack on Mumbai earlier this week was a large-scale operation, like the 9/11 attacks on America.

Thankfully, it looks like the Mumbai attack has killed less than a tenth as many people as 9/11.

The last I saw, part of the Taj Mahal hotel was still on fire, and two or three terrorists are still inside.

Over at the Chabad house, the killing is over. The terrorists missed a two-year-old boy, thanks to a quick-thinking cook, but got most of the rest of the Jews.

Enter the Experts

Experts are proclaiming that this is obviously the work of the Pakistani military, or Al Qaeda, or some other outfit. At least one of them is likely to be right.

I agree with those who say that the scale and organization of this suggests Al Qaeda, as it was when it hit America back on 9/11. But, at this point it might be any bunch that could plan and coordinate an attack like this.

Related posts:

• "Why Attack Mumbai? And, Why the Taj Mahal Hotel?"
  (November 27, 2008)
• "Gateway of India? Taj Mahal Hotel - in Mumbai? What - and Where - Are These Places?"
  (November 27, 2008)
• Bad Night in Mumbai: Islamic Terrorists This Time"
  (November 26, 2008)

In the news:

• "Survivor recalls gunman's smile as hunt in Mumbai continues"
  CNN (November 28, 2008)
• "Pakistan-Based Terrorists Suspected in Mumbai Attack"
  FOXNews (November 28, 2008)
• "Brooklyn Couple Killed in Attacks"
  The New York Times (November 28, 2008)
• "Gunbattle enters third day, intense firing at Taj hotel "
  NDTV (November 28, 2008)

9/11 and What They Want You to Believe

Seven years ago today, hijackers took over airliners in America. A few hours later, thousands of people were dead in the ruins of New York City's World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania.

Although many of the men were from Saudi Arabia, it wasn't a Saudi attack. Al Qaeda had made history with a coordinated attach against the United States.

And quite a few people think that's what They want you to believe.

Conspiracies, Convenience, and Comfort

Who the "They" is varies a bit across the globe. America, more specifically the American government, is a big favorite. So is Israel, at least in the Middle East.

As I've said before, when elections or other stressful situations shake the tree of liberty, quite a few loose nuts fall out.

In cases like the 9/11 attacks, I think that many people find the idea of an attack on that scale, by a group like Al Qaeda, unthinkable. These people could

1. Take the information, re-evaluate their beliefs, assumptions, and values, and come to a new understanding of what the world is, and how it works
2. Point to their preferred bad guys, assume that they did it, and then assume that They conspired to hide the truth by besmirching Al Qaeda

Option 2 takes much less effort, and isn't nearly as painful.

When I was growing up, quite a few Americans seemed to believe that 'the commies' were behind most of the world's ills. (If you're too young to remember the fifties, watch some M.A.S.H. reruns. Frank Burns is a played-for-laughs buffoon, but he's also a caricature of a real sort of person.)

Times change. The commies have been replaced by other bogey men: like the CIA, Bush, and Big Oil. But the general pattern is the same: make up your mind, then treat reality like a cafeteria. If you don't like something, you don't have to accept it.

An outfit called World Public Opinion did an opinion poll, involving people in 17 nations. They released the results yesterday:


(From World Public Opinion, used without permission.)

I like the graph, but some of those numbers are a tad hard to read, so I put a table together, to get a better look at the data. A couple things jumped out at me. The percentage of 'don't know' goes from 3% to 57% - quite a range. And, what I think is good news: the European nations polled seem to have dropped anti-Semitism, for the most part. 1% is pretty close to background noise.

The Middle East, on the other hand, has a fair number of people who think Israel is responsible for the 9/11 attacks. A very interesting follow-up on this poll would be finding out why so many Egyptians, and others, believe that the Jews attacked America.

I don't think that public opinion polls are useful for determining what's true, and what's not. I do, however, think that they can be very useful in learning how people view the world: and what parts of reality they accept; and what parts they replace with their own assumptions.

---

	Al Qaeda	America	Israel	Other	Don't Know
Germany	64%	23%	1%	2%	9%
France	63%	8%	0	7%	23%
Britain	57%	5%	1%	12%	26%
Russia	57%	15%	2%	6%	19%
Italy	56%	15	1%	7%	21%
Ukraine	42%	15%	1%	5%	39%
Palestinian Territories	42%	27%	19%	9%	3%
Turkey	39%	36%	3%	1%	21%
Egypt	16%	12%	43%	11%	18%
Jordan	11%	17%	31%	4%	36%
Kenya	77%	4%	3%	3%	12%
Nigeria	71%	7%	2%	6%	14%
Taiwan	53%	4%	0	10%	34%
South Korea	51%	17%	1%	9%	22%
China	32%	9%	0	3%	56%
Indonesia	23%	14%	5%	1%	57%
Mexico	33%	30%	1%	18%	19%
Average	46%	15%	7%	7%	25%

(Data from World Public Opinion.org.)

---

More:

• "International Poll: No Consensus on Who Was Behind 9/11"
  Reuters (September 10, 2008)
• "International Poll: No Consensus On Who Was Behind 9/11"
  World Public Opinion.org (September 10, 2008)

9/11 Memorials: 2008

Seven years ago today, an airliner crashed into the Pentagon. Another two hit New York City's World Trade Center towers, and a fourth dove into a field in Pennsylvania.

Today, at those three sites, people are remembering their children, spouses, parents, relatives, and acquaintances who died then.

Given the energies involved, many people were left without bodies to bury. Some victims were most likely vaporized, and New York was picking bits and pieces of others of the rooftops for years after the attack.

9/11 Memorials

For many survivors, the sites of the attack are the closest thing they have to a grave. That's part of the reason why memorials have been planned for these places.

• New York World Trade Center
  There isn't one yet, but someone came up with another design: "Latest Design Is Unveiled for 9/11 Museum" (The New York Times (September 9, 2008)).
  
  (From The New York Times, used without permission.)
  This one looks cool, as did the previous ones. Sooner or later one may be built.
• Flight 93 National Memorial
  The National Park Service is building a memorial near the Flight 93 impact site. The design is a bit unusual. So much so that some people say it's really a mosque.
  
  (From the National Park Service, used without permission.)
  If the memorial looks like the proposal's renderings, it'll be an impressive place. About the 'it's a secret mosque' idea: It sounds crazy, but there are quite a few very odd details about the "crescent of embrace." (I wrote about this before: "Flight 93 Memorial - Why Isn't This an Issue?" (January 16, 2008), most recently.)
  
  (From the National Park Service, used without permission.)
• The Pentagon
  This is the only memorial that exists as something other than architects' renderings.
  
  (From Pentagon Memorial Project, used without permission.)
  More, from CNN:
  • "Pentagon 9/11 memorial honors victims in symbols, concrete (September 11, 2008)
  From the Pentagon:
  • "Pentagon Memorial Project
  • "Pentagon Memorial Design Description
  • "Family Statement
  • "Pentagon Memorial - News / Events / Articles
  • "Pentagon Memorial Project Photos

Unintended Consequences: The Boeing 787 Dreamliner

There's good news, and bad news, about the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. And, it's the same news:

• Good news: The Dreamliner's control system is so sophisticated and so integrated that passengers can plug in their laptops and connect to the world
• Bad news: The Dreamliner's control system could be hacked

According to The Times (UK): "The technology used by the new generation of aircraft is now so advanced that aviation officials fear that terrorists could use it to fly the plane."

The FAA says it won't certify Boeing's Dreamliner until data connections in the cabin don't allow someone with a laptop to hack into the airliner's control system. A ZDNet blog (cited below) brings up a very good question: How did Boeing, six years after the 9/11 attack, let the Dreamliner get this close to rollout with a potentially-lethal glitch?

There's a slightly technical discussion of the Boeing 787 control system issue at "Boeing 787 at risk of in-flight hacking" ZDNet, January 5, 2008.

Two Cultures: Two Responses

A terrorist group in northern Iraq, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), killed a dozen or more Turkish soldiers near the Iraq/Turkey border. Turkish artillery bombarded PKK positions.

Turkish officials are talking over whether this is when Turkey invades Iraq. They're still saying that they'd prefer that Iraq take care of the PKK problem.

This is a serious event by itself, but I think it's also useful as an example of contrast between cultures. Turkey has grievances: Dozens of Turks have been killed by terrorists using northern Iraq as a hiding place. Here's how Turkish officials have responded.

• "Every kind of attack will be avenged many times over" Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek
• "Our anger, our hatred is great" Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Vengance. Hatred. Understandable, of course.

---

Unlike most posts in this blog, I'm including extensive quotes and excerpts from America's Executive Branch. This is partly for your convenience, so you can read what America's leaders said, partly to focus on what I regarded as the important parts. I recommend following the links, to read the originals.

In the likely event that you'd rather not wade through all that speechifying, feel free to go directly to my conclusion, "All Cultures are Not Alike."

---

Here's how another leader, from another culture, responded. Over three thousand of the country's citizens, together with many people from other countries, had been killed by terrorists:

Remarks by the President After Two Planes Crash Into World Trade Center
Emma Booker Elementary School, Sarasota, Florida (September 11, 2001, 9:30 a.m. EDT)

THE PRESIDENT: Ladies and gentlemen, this is a difficult moment for America. I, unfortunately, will be going back to Washington after my remarks. Secretary Rod Paige and the Lt. Governor will take the podium and discuss education. I do want to thank the folks here at Booker Elementary School for their hospitality.

Today we've had a national tragedy. Two airplanes have crashed into the World Trade Center in an apparent terrorist attack on our country. I have spoken to the Vice President, to the Governor of New York, to the Director of the FBI, and have ordered that the full resources of the federal government go to help the victims and their families, and to conduct a full-scale investigation to hunt down and to find those folks who committed this act.

Terrorism against our nation will not stand.

And now if you would join me in a moment of silence. May God bless the victims, their families, and America. Thank you very much.

Remarks by the President
To Police, Firemen and Rescue Workers
Murray and West Streets New York, New York (September 14, 2007)

THE PRESIDENT: I want you all to know that America today -- that America today is on bended knee in prayer for the people whose lives were lost here, for the workers who work here, for the families who mourn. This nation stands with the good people of New York City, and New Jersey and Connecticut, as we mourn the loss of thousands of our citizens.

(from the crowd) I can't hear you.

THE PRESIDENT: I can hear you. (Applause.) I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. (Applause.) And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon. (Applause.)

CROWD: U.S.A.! U.S.A.!

THE PRESIDENT: The nation sends its love and compassion to everybody who is here. Thank you for your hard work. Thank you for making the nation proud. And may God bless America

President Urges Readiness and Patience,
Remarks by the President, Secretary of State Colin Powell and Attorney General John Ashcroft
Camp David, Thurmont, Maryland (September 15, 2001)

THE PRESIDENT: I've asked the highest levels of our government to come to discuss the current tragedy that has so deeply affected our nation. Our country mourns for the loss of life and for those whose lives have been so deeply affected by this despicable act of terror.

I am going to describe to our leadership what I saw: the wreckage of New York City, the signs of the first battle of war.

We're going to meet and deliberate and discuss - but there's no question about it, this act will not stand; we will find those who did it; we will smoke them out of their holes; we will get them running and we'll bring them to justice. We will not only deal with those who dare attack America, we will deal with those who harbor them and feed them and house them.

Make no mistake about it: underneath our tears is the strong determination of America to win this war. And we will win it.

I'm going to ask the Secretary of State to say a few things, and then the Attorney General.

SECRETARY POWELL: Thank you, Mr. President. I might just say that I'm very pleased with the response we've been getting from the international community. I think every civilized nation in the world recognizes that this was an assault not just against the United States, but against civilization.

We should also take note, it's not just Americans who lost lives in the World Trade Center - dozens of countries lost lives and they realize that this was an attack against them, as well.

We are receiving expressions of support from around the world - and not just rhetorical support, but real support for whatever may lay ahead in this campaign that is ahead of us to win the war that the President has spoken of.

I might especially want to thank the President and the people of Pakistan for the support that they have offered and their willingness to assist us in whatever might be required in that part of the world as we determine who those perpetrators are. It's a coalition that will stay intact, that will be built upon over time. And what we have to do is not just go after these perpetrators, and those who gave them haven, but the whole curse of terrorism that is upon the face of the earth. And this is a campaign that we have begun this week and we will stick with it until we are successful.

THE PRESIDENT: Attorney General.

ATTORNEY GENERAL ASHCROFT: Four days ago we began an investigative effort to understand not only those who perpetrate this heinous assault against America and free people everywhere, but to develop an understanding of those who are associated with it and how it was conducted.

The FBI, together with very cooperative local and state officials and law enforcement agencies has processed thousands of leads. We are making the kinds of contacts and developing the information that allow us to describe this as proceeding with reasonable success. We believe that the picture is developing a kind of clarity that's appropriate. We have named 19 individuals that we have high levels of confidence were the hijackers. And we are further refining our understanding of the ways in which this terrible crime was developed.

I might add that we have put in place very serious measures that we believe will provide greater security and provide a basis for our country returning to the kind of freedom and business and conduct that is characteristic of this great nation.

Q Sir, what do you say to Americans who are worried that the longer it takes to retaliate, the more chance the perpetrators have to escape and hide and just escape justice?

THE PRESIDENT: They will try to hide, they will try to avoid the United States and our allies - but we're not going to let them. They run to the hills; they find holes to get in. And we will do whatever it takes to smoke them out and get them running, and we'll get them.

Listen, this is a great nation; we're a kind people. None of us could have envisioned the barbaric acts of these terrorists. But they have stirred up the might of the American people, and we're going to get them, no matter what it takes.

In my radio address today I explained to the American people that this effort may require patience. But we're going to -

Q How long -

THE PRESIDENT: As long as it takes. And it's not just one person. We're talking about those who fed them, those who house them, those who harbor terrorists will be held accountable for this action.

Q Sir, are you satisfied that Osama bin Laden is at least a kingpin of this operation?

THE PRESIDENT: There is no question he is what we would call a prime suspect. And if he thinks he can hide and run from the United States and our allies, he will be sorely mistaken.

Q Mr. President, do you have a message for the Reservists that you called up yesterday? Can you tell us whether you think more may have to be called up?

THE PRESIDENT: The message is for everybody who wears the uniform: get ready. The United States will do what it takes to win this war. And I ask patience of the American people. There is no question in my mind we'll have the resolve -- I witnessed it yesterday on the construction site. Behind the sadness and the exhaustion, there is a desire by the American people to not seek only revenge, but to win a war against barbaric behavior, people that hate freedom and hate what we stand for.

And this is an administration that is going to dedicate ourselves to winning that war.

Q What did Pakistan say it would do to help the United States?

SECRETARY POWELL: We put before the Pakistani government a specific list of things that we would like cooperation on, and they've agreed to all those items. I'm not prepared to announce today what those specific items are. But the Pakistani government was very forthcoming and we're appreciative.

Q Mr. President, what kind of military options are you considering, if you could talk broadly?

THE PRESIDENT: This is an administration that will not talk about how we gather intelligence, how we know what we're going to do, nor what our plans are. When we move, we will communicate with you in an appropriate manner. We're at war. There has been an act of war declared upon America by terrorists, and we will respond accordingly. And I appreciate very much the American people understanding that. As we plan, as we put our strategy into action, we will let you know when we think it's appropriate - not only to protect the lives of our servicemen and women, but to make sure our coalition has had proper time to be noticed, as well. But we're going to act.

Q What is the risk of additional attacks on us at this point?

THE PRESIDENT: I would think the American people need to be - go about their business on Monday, but with a heightened sense of awareness that a group of barbarians have declared war on the American people.

Q Sir, how much of a sacrifice are ordinary Americans going to have to be expected to make in their daily lives, in their daily routines?

THE PRESIDENT: Our hope, of course, is that they make no sacrifice whatsoever. We would like to see life return to normal in America. But these people have declared war on us and we will do whatever it takes to make sure that we're safe internally. So, therefore, people may not be able to board flights as quickly. Our borders are tighter than they've ever been before. We're taken a variety of measures to make sure that the American people are safe, just as the Attorney General spoke about.

But we hope, obviously, that the measures we take will allow the American economy to continue on. I urge people to go to their businesses on Monday. I understand major league baseball is going to start playing again. It is important for America to get on about its life. But our government will be on full alert and we'll be tracing every lead, every potential to make sure that the American people are safe.

Q How long do you envision -

THE PRESIDENT: The definition is whatever it takes.

All Cultures are Not Alike

To be honest, the American president did mention revenge and hatred, referring to "... a desire by the American people to not seek only revenge, but to win a war against barbaric behavior, people that hate freedom and hate what we stand for."

But, this is what he defined as the attitude and goal of America: that "...this act will not stand; we will find those who did it; we will smoke them out of their holes; we will get them running and we'll bring them to justice. We will not only deal with those who dare attack America, we will deal with those who harbor them and feed them and house them."

The key word is not hate, hatred, revenge, or vengeance. It's justice.

I realize that pointing out America's virtues is regarded as "flag waving" - deplored and despised by my betters. It's simply not fashionable. Not at all de rigeur.

This seems to be a time for some deplorable flag waving.

The war on terror is about two radically different ways of thinking about the world:

• A civilization whose leaders speak of justice when thousands of its people are killed
• A civilization whose leaders speak of hatred and revenge when dozens of its people are killed

And that's one of the the west's allies.

Does it matter, who wins the war on terror? Yes.

"Inside Islam: Faith vs. Fanatics:" Michigan

Sheikh Kabbani, an imam of Flint, Michigan, tried to warn the U.S. government of an impending attack by Osama bin Laden - three years before 9/11.

Sheikh Kabbani is a Suffi Muslim - a sort of Islam on the Wahhabi 'not approved' list.

He was ignored by the American government, accused of being an alarmist by the State Department. Then he went to Wahhabi leaders in America. They considered him a threat, sent him death threats. Soon he was shunned by at least many Muslims in America.

It seems that the "no snitching" code isn't limited to inner cities - or that Muslims are inclined to accept the word of a large number of loud leaders, rather than do their own investigations. That really is a very human way to act.

Posts about "Inside Islam: Faith vs. Fanatics:"

• "Inside Islam: Faith vs. Fanatics" - This blogger's introduction (last section of "Muslims, Terrorism, Islam, PBS, and 'Inside Islam: Faith vs. Fanatics'")

1. "Inside Islam: Faith vs. Fanatics:" Denmark
2. "Inside Islam: Faith vs. Fanatics:" Canada
3. "Inside Islam: Faith vs. Fanatics:" Canada - Women
4. "Inside Islam: Faith vs. Fanatics:" Chicago
5. "Inside Islam: Faith vs. Fanatics:" Michigan
6. "Inside Islam: Faith vs. Fanatics:" Arizona
7. "Inside Islam: Faith vs. Fanatics:" France

Related posts, on censorship, propaganda, and freedom of speech.
Related posts, on Islam, Christianity, Religion, Culture and the War on Terror.
Related posts, on tolerance, bigotry, racism, and hatred.

SITE, Osama bin Laden, and Online Security: What Part of "Secret" Doesn't Washington Understand?

On the morning of September 7, an Osama bin Laden video taken from Al Qaeda's online system by a private intelligence company was turned over to senior American officials. By that afternoon, the video was being broadcast on the news.

I like to be kept informed as much as anybody, but the company, SITE Intelligence Group, says that making the video public ruined years of work.

"'Techniques that took years to develop are now ineffective and worthless,' said Rita Katz, the firm's 44-year-old founder, who has garnered wide attention by publicizing statements and videos from extremist chat rooms and Web sites, while attracting controversy over the secrecy of SITE's methodology." That's how the Washington Post put it.

"While attracting controversy over the secrecy of SITE's methodology?!"

Let's think about it:

• A bunch of religious nuts have decided that they're supposed to kill Americans, wholesale.
• Being smart fanatics, they do their planning and preparation in secret
• Among other things, the fanatics set up a secure online communication system.
• A private-sector investigation firm cracks into the system, making it possible to learn of the next attack.

And there's controversy over whether or not the firm should tell how it cracked into the terrorists' system??!!

As it is, thanks to some bozo or bozos on Capitol Hill, Al Qaeda now knows that its online security has been breached, and has probably plugged the hole by now.

I sometimes wonder if the people inside the Beltway really understand what's going on. Although it isn't as obvious as the Luftwaffe's regular bombing of London, back in WWII, the war on terror is very real.

Happily, attacks like 9/11 replays of 2002 and 2003 didn't happen. Not for lack of effort, though. People like Khalid Shaikh Mohammed haven't stopped trying to promote their brand of Islam, and I don't expect them to.

I'd feel safer if the people whose job it is to run this country acted as if they realized that we're all at risk.

This Osama bin Laden video isn't the first time that that classified information has been leaked in Washington. As the St. Petersburg Times put it, writing about the fuss over the leak of September 10, 2001, messages in Arabic, "Leaking is a Washington tradition, especially on Capitol Hill. By leaking information to a reporter, members of Congress can make a point without leaving their fingerprints."

Much as I admire and respect traditions, leaking classified information while there's a war on simply doesn't make sense. The British, for example, after they cracked the Enigma code, the British had the good sense to keep the fact secret.

I'm going to make a prediction, and I hope I'm wrong.

The presidential campaign will whip our elected officials into a frenzy next year.

At least one candidate is going to demonstrate his or her knowledge of world affairs and Washington by leaking - or openly discussing - information that would have best been left under wraps until after the war.

Related posts, on Individuals and the War on Terror.