A moment of silence.
Today is the anniversary of the day that 19 hijackers, all Egyptians or Saudis, flew passenger jets into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania.
A moment of silence for the 2,993 Americans who died that day, all but 55 of them civilians.
Our government, Republicans and Democrats alike, responded by launching a series of wars abroad and at home.
A moment of silence also for the 822 American soldiers who have died in Afghanistan, the 4600 American troops who have died in Iraq, and the tens of thousands who have been wounded.
A moment of silence also for the 8,000-11,000 Afghan civilians who have died in this war so far, and the 90,000-100,000 Iraqi civilians who have died. For the hundreds of thousands in both countries who have been injured.
No Afghans and no Iraqis were among the hijackers. All were Saudi and Egyptian. The US remains close allies with both Saudi Arabia and Egypt, two nations with undemocratically elected leaders with a long record of abusing their people. Almost up until the day of 9/11, US foreign aid was still flowing to support the Taliban. Some US money is still going to them, in the form of tax-funded military contractors who have been paying Taliban forces for protection.
A moment of silence for the over $900 billion that has been spent on these wars so far, money that could have gone to help Americans directly at home, or to help needy people around the world.
A moment of silence for the loss of our right to a judicial trial, the loss of our right to privacy from government snooping, the loss of our basic human right to not be tortured by our government, at home or shipped abroad.
A moment of silence for this terrible legacy that our former President began, that our current President is continuing. Surely we can find a better way to memorialize 9/11 than what we are doing now.
Enough silence. Speak up and make some change.
Pass it on.
- SW
Sources for the figures I used:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks
http://www.icasualties.org/I
http://costofwar.com/
http://www.house.gov/paul/tst/tst2001/tst110501.htm
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/09/03/world/worldwatch/entry5285160.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casualties_of_the_Iraq_War
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilian_casualties_of_the_War_in_Afghanistan_(2001%E2%80%93present)#Aggregation_of_estimates
A moment of silence for the 2,993 Americans who died that day, all but 55 of them civilians.
Our government, Republicans and Democrats alike, responded by launching a series of wars abroad and at home.
A moment of silence also for the 822 American soldiers who have died in Afghanistan, the 4600 American troops who have died in Iraq, and the tens of thousands who have been wounded.
A moment of silence also for the 8,000-11,000 Afghan civilians who have died in this war so far, and the 90,000-100,000 Iraqi civilians who have died. For the hundreds of thousands in both countries who have been injured.
No Afghans and no Iraqis were among the hijackers. All were Saudi and Egyptian. The US remains close allies with both Saudi Arabia and Egypt, two nations with undemocratically elected leaders with a long record of abusing their people. Almost up until the day of 9/11, US foreign aid was still flowing to support the Taliban. Some US money is still going to them, in the form of tax-funded military contractors who have been paying Taliban forces for protection.
A moment of silence for the over $900 billion that has been spent on these wars so far, money that could have gone to help Americans directly at home, or to help needy people around the world.
A moment of silence for the loss of our right to a judicial trial, the loss of our right to privacy from government snooping, the loss of our basic human right to not be tortured by our government, at home or shipped abroad.
A moment of silence for this terrible legacy that our former President began, that our current President is continuing. Surely we can find a better way to memorialize 9/11 than what we are doing now.
Enough silence. Speak up and make some change.
Pass it on.
- SW
Sources for the figures I used:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks
http://www.icasualties.org/I
http://costofwar.com/
http://www.house.gov/paul/tst/tst2001/tst110501.htm
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/09/03/world/worldwatch/entry5285160.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casualties_of_the_Iraq_War
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilian_casualties_of_the_War_in_Afghanistan_(2001%E2%80%93present)#Aggregation_of_estimates