Tomorrow’s September 11th anniversary is another reminder of our nation’s failure to learn. As we continue heading in the wrong direction toward a catastrophic cliff. Another pandemic, world war, genocide, environmental collapse, or AI gone wild? Our systems of ‘civilization’ are simply unsustainable.
If you believe this is hyperbole, please read the preamble
to our US Constitution and give each of the seven intentions that “we the
people” want and need to survive and thrive a school grade. After that, if you still believe they can be achieved
if we just elect the right leader, political party, and Supreme Court Justices
in 2024- then stop reading here. You’re
delusional. Winston Churchill once said, “You can always count on the Americans to do the right
thing, after they have exhausted all the other possibilities.” He was an optimist at a time when Americans
were doers and not victims.
"The study of history is a powerful antidote to
contemporary arrogance. It is humbling to discover how many of our glib
assumptions, which seem to us novel and plausible, have been tested before, not
once but many times and in innumerable guises; and discovered to be, at great
human cost, wholly false." -- Paul
Bede Johnson (1928- ) British Roman
Catholic journalist, historian, speechwriter and author.
The most important thing in history that we American’s have
failed to learn - is doing the right thing.
Our modern acceleration of chaos, environmental degradation, and the
evolution of weaponry and war suggests we may be out of time. The rapid transformation needed urgently in
both our national and global governance systems appears virtually impossible given
the polarization of beliefs and geopolitical divisions.
There is one glimmer of hope. And that would be doing what
we have always known needed to be done.
Abiding by ‘the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God’ globally. Short of the second coming of Christ humanity
must ensure that the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals are
achieved before 2030. We are not on that
path.
If you truly love your country, please heed the words of
Samuel Adams who was considered the “Father of the American Revolution.” "He therefore is the
truest friend to the liberty of his country who tries most to promote its
virtue, and who, so far as his power and influence extend, will not suffer a
man to be chosen into any office of power and trust who is not a wise and virtuous
man... The sum of all is, if we would most truly enjoy this gift of Heaven, let
us become a virtuous people." -- Samuel Adams (1722-1803)
Humanity has always known the right thing to do. But too often we lack the virtue to do it. Even before Biblical times and events leading
up to the attacks on September 11th 2001, we knew what to do - and
didn’t do it. Even post 9-11. Why do we persist in ignoring the wisdom persistently
offered to us? And instead rely only on
our flawed personal, religious, political, or economic beliefs? Our policy choices going forward have only
exacerbate the predicted problems we have repeatedly been alerted to.
As Americans we are moving further away from the fundamental
truths (those “truths” that “we hold” “to be self-evident” introduced in our
Declaration of Independence - and offered before that in Thomas Paine’s “Common
Sense” pamphlet). Simple and profound
concepts that would have dissipated the root causes of most of the existential
threats we all face today.
Modern generations have been endowed with unprecedented
levels of wealth, technological power, and sustainable solutions. But instead of finding a great purpose we
allowed ourselves to be enchanted by it all, into comfort and complacency. And as we peer out the windshield moving forward
we are filled with increasing concern and a reckless hope - while ignoring the blaring
warning signs with a colorful road map on the seat next to us that could take
us off this path to hell. It’s labeled
the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
For enlightened mile posts we missed consider the 20 dates
and events below. Historic moments where
we could have taken a righteous and sustainable path had we valued virtues over
individualistic ‘feel good’ happiness, tribalism, nationalism, cheap
consumerism, and failing to keep our pledge of ‘liberty and justice for
all’.
Here’s the list that my mind recalls as a child in Sunday
school, a family physically abused by a father, a wrestler, a biology major,
two decades professionally advocating for protecting human rights and the
environment, and now a member of Rotary International. Starting with the Russian invasion of Ukraine
and moving backwards. Below this list are the details of each
chronological marker in the opposite order.
But beginning with our nation’s retrograde response to the attacks on
Sept 11th. Then leaps to the
very first human awakening with a nearly global recognition that here is only
one God – and moves from there going forward to today through each of 18 windows
of opportunity.
1.
2022 The Russian invasion of Ukraine.
a.
US fear of a nuclear war.
b.
Biden’s chance for true heroism
2.
2017 Warnings: The Casandra Effect...NFL
3.
2003 The US invasion of Iraq
a.
OBL greatest gift.
b.
Weaponization of Smallpox
4.
2001 The Global war on terrorism.
a.
Clear warnings ignored!
b.
The three reason OBL attacked us.
c.
OBL’s two objectives
d.
Anthrax.
e.
Rule of Law?
Torture and drone strikes... more terrorists today.
5.
1995 Black Hawk Down and CIA study
6.
1995 Oklahoma City bombing. WACO?
7.
1991 Collapse of the Soviet Union.
a.
Bioweapons program!
8.
1980 PCWH
9.
1978? Smallpox eradication
10.
1975 the Vietnam war.
11.
1950 Korean War
12.
1948 UDHR
13.
1947 Creation of the UN
14.
1945 Anatomy of Peace
15.
1945 the first use of nuclear weapons.
16.
1939?
Hitler invasion of Poland
17.
1918 Pandemic and World War I
18.
1862 the US Civil war “It
is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on
his not understanding it.” -
Upton Sinclair
19.
1776
Declaration of Independence.
20.
Biblical times!
21.
Pre-biblical times.
I’m sure there’s other dates I’ve
missed and errors I’ve made originating from my flawed memories and ChatGPT answers
I received. I encourage anyone to expose
them. Please!
4. 2001 The Global war on terrorism: To
this day most Americans only remember the immediate horrors of the Sept 11th
attacks and maybe the long-lasting aftermath of contamination and illnesses of the
first responders that day. I’m guessing
fewer one in a thousand Americans know why they did it, other than ‘they hated
our freedoms’. The only thing that shocked me about the
attacks was that American’s were shocked by it.
I’d been following the bi-partisan Presidential Commission studying the national
security threats Americans would face in the new millennium. There had been clear warnings! And they were ignored!
Six months prior to the 9-11 attacks the final report of the
three-year bipartisan Presidential Commission initiated by President Clinton was
summarized. There was unanimous agreement
that terrorism was our greatest threat.
And it warned that Americans should be prepared to die in “large numbers”
on American soil. Commissioners couldn’t
say when or where but multiple red flags were obvious. And even the report’s recommendations were ignored
by the new incoming Bush Administration.
The final report of this
bipartisan Presidential Commission on National Security in the 21st Century,
also known as the Hart-Rudman Commission, highlighted additional key threats
and challenges facing the United States in the 21st century besides the growing
threat of terrorism, particularly from non-state actors and extremist groups.
Other obvious threats included the
proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs). Nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons and
the potential for rogue states or terrorists to acquire and use them, plus the need
to address global health issues, such as pandemics and infectious diseases
inevitably having significant security implications.
Cybersecurity with the
increasing vulnerability of US critical infrastructure and each of our national
security systems to cyberattacks.
The dangers posed by the collapse of states leading to
instability, conflict, and humanitarian crises extending beyond political borders.
Multiple ongoing and potential
conflicts in various regions, including the Middle East and Asia as potential
threats to U.S. interests, plus challenges posed by transnational criminal
organizations involved in activities such as drug trafficking, money
laundering, and human smuggling.
Concerns about the United
States' dependence on foreign energy sources and the potential for energy
supply disruptions plus the need for better immigration and border security
measures to address potential security risks.
The report also highlighted environmental and Resource challenge such as environmental degradation, climate change, and resource scarcity. Each were identified as long-term challenges with potential security consequences.
All three reports of the Hart-Rudman Commission provided a comprehensive assessment of the new national security landscape and recommend measures to enhance U.S. security in the face of these evolving threats and challenges. And like most other non-controversial but vitally important reports over the previous decades - it became a another dust collector.
Why were we attacked on 9-11?
I’m guessing fewer than 1 in a thousand US citizens or elected
policy makers could offer the three three top reasons OBL attacked the US on Sept
11th, 2001. HIs reasons were
outlined in various statements and writings, including his 1996 fatwa and
subsequent messages leading up to the 9/11 attacks.
1. U.S. Military Presence in Saudi Arabia, particularly in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. He considered this presence a desecration of Islamic holy land and a symbol of Western interference in the Muslim world.
2. U.S. Support for Israel and its policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He viewed the United States as a key ally of Israel and held it responsible for perceived injustices against the Palestinian people. Including Israel’s actions in Lebanon and it shocking level of destruction. He believed the US needed to experience this firsthand.
3. U.S. Foreign Policy in the Muslim World. Particularly its military interventions and economic exploitation in various Muslim-majority countries. He argued that the United States was oppressing and exploiting Muslims and sought to undermine and challenge American influence in the region.
Obviously, his reasons are not accepted
as valid justifications for the 9/11 attacks.
But US reasoning for launching a Global War Against Terrorism (GWAT) also
lacks any moral or realistic justification on these same grounds. GWAT resulted in a profound continuation of
militaristic foreign policy instead of the promotion of the Rule of Law American’s
are always touting as the foundation of civilization. We continued to relate to the rest of the
world with the law of force. Where our freedom and national security
trumped any global ideal of liberty and justice for all. And the challenges of war, terrorism, and
human insecurity has only grown since then.
With more violent extremists today (at home and globally) than ever
before. In an era of unprecedent individual, group, or national access to affordable,
powerful, anonymous, and difficult to detect WMD, and a loss of human freedoms and
privacy that may be beyond any nation’s ability to stop or control.
OBL’s objectives:
Osama bin Laden's primary objectives for the 9/11 attacks were to
inflict maximum damage on the United States and inspire jihad. But there were also other overarching goals. He believed the attacks could provoke our
nation into a war it could not win- and would break us economically as his
assistance in Afghanistan broke the Soviet Union, pushing it off the edge of
power. He believed the 9-11 attacks had
the potential of sewing political and economic divisions within the US. Funny that he didn’t predict us doing both
these on our own...without any help from him.
And of course, his broader goal was establishing a global Islamic caliphate. ISIS still has the same idea.
Our nation’s use of torture and persistent use of drone strikes that frequently caused collateral damage did little to stem the growth of violent extremism. And there are more of these today domestically and globally than ever.
“The steep decline in America's image and standing after 9/11 is a direct reflection of global distaste for the instruments of American hard power: the Iraq invasion, Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, torture, rendition, Blackwater's killings of Iraqi civilians” Shashi Tharoor
Anthrax shortly after 9-11 attacks: These few bio-weapon incidents, letters
containing anthrax spores were sent to several individuals and media outlets,
resulting in illness and fatalities. These led to heightened concerns about
bioterrorism and an increased security measures, including the development of
bioterrorism response protocols and the implementation of stricter regulations
for handling dangerous biological agents. The investigation into these attacks
ultimately led to the identification of a suspect, but the motives behind the
incidents remain a subject of debate and speculation. But it should have woken the us public up yet
again...about our accelerating vulnerabilities given our privacy laws.
sometimes deeply infuriating government actions, and overall government fundamental
dysfunctions.
No real justice system, health care system, a rigged economic system, and excessive freedoms with a population lacking in fundamental virtues like the Golden Rule.
How different would the world be today if the US had viewed the
9-11 attacks as a crime against humanity?
A war crime? An unprecedented mass
murder event requiring a global “rule of Law” effort instead of “law of war”
effort. Supreme court Justice Kennedy
once defined the “Rule of Law” as needing three basic elements to be most
effective. 1) Laws made and enforced by a democratic
process. 2. Laws applied equally to all
people. 3. Laws with the primary purpose of protecting inalienable
Rights. Instead, the Law of Force is the path we have
today...that only protects national sovereignty...the flawed concept that nations
are free to do what they please...and not be held accountable if they have
nuclear weapons. Humanity must decide
soon. What ‘rule’ are we going forward
with. As a comedian once said, ‘Humanity
stands at a crossroad. On path leads to
utter hopelessness and despair. The
other, to complete annihilation. I hope
we have the wisdom to choose the right path.
"We will be safer from terrorist attack only when we have earned the respect of all other nations instead of their fear, respect for our values and not merely our weapons." - Theodore C. Sorensen
"We have destroyed our democracy to an extent the terrorists never could have. We've changed our democracy into a semi-police state. William Binney"- Bill has nearly 30 years as a top executive in America's super-secret National Security Agency (NSA)
In the days following 9-11 I’ll post the list of other moments in history where humanity or the US knew
what to do. And blew it! Starting with the wisdom of Pre-biblical times.
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