Remembering 9-11

[jordan179]

Ten years ago today, it was the morning after an all-nighter. I was taking out the garbage outside my apartment in Little Egg Harbor, NJ. The skies were clear. Thunder rolled out of a cloudless sky. I looked around, but could see neither a stormcloud nor a supersonic airplane. And the sound was strangely protracted. I shrugged, went back

Comments

Explicit and Implicit Arguments

[jordan179]

Why do you feel America has been trying to convince itself of the threat being unreal?

Because of the repeated argument, explict and implicit, that this isn't a "real" war, or that the Muslim terrrorists aren't the "real" enemy.

For an example of the explicit argument that this isn't a "real" war, note the claims that one cannot declare war or authorize warlike operations against a non-governmental organization. This is untrue, as even a cursory examination of the history of military and naval campaigns against bandits and pirates illustrates.

For an example of the implicit argument that this isn't a "real" war, note the idea, now officially accepted by the US government (though fortunately rarely acted-upon) that we must provide "trials" for captured enemy personnel. In war, one normally holds prisoners until the cessation of hostilities or an agreed-upon exchange of captives.

For an example of the explicit argument that the Muslim terrorists aren't the real enemy, note the popular conspiracy theories that seek to blame someone (anyone!) other than Al Qaeda for the 9-11 attacks. I have also heard certain Democratic Party activists explicitly state that the Republican Party is the "real" enemy.

For an example of the implicit argument that the Muslim terrorists aren't the real enemy, note the attempts to argue that George W. Bush (or the CIA, or the FBI, or whoever) was "really" responsible (due to incompetence) for 9-11 in that they failed to intercept the attacks. The implication here is that we shouldn't blame the terrorists for attacking us.