Five years on
I remember what I was doing five years ago today. I was on a train to Middlesborough, when suddenly everyone's phone went off. 90% of the people in the carriage had their phone clamped to the ear, gasping. Listening intently. Reacting with horror as they heard of the planes flying into both towers. I didn't know they were two towers at the time, I only heard they'd flown two planes into the world trade centre. I got to the hotel, flicked on the news and saw the destruction for the first time. Saw the towers collapse. Saw the pentagon in flames. Heard the stories of the bravery of flight 93. Heard Bush swear revenge, saw Blair pledge to stand shoulder to shoulder. Saw the results of a terrorism for the first time, the result of a Bond film where the bad guy wins.
Now i'm sorry, but this is a political piece. It's no doubt the latest in a long line of reports on September 11th and the after-effects. It's not the first, and it'll no doubt be the last. But fuck it, it's my journal. If you get bored, click the x in the top right corner.
Five years on, the world's changed. The destruction of downtown new york has spread to the destruction of a region. Nations aflame due to the wrath of America. George W Bush pledged that he would never forget the lessons learnt on that fateful day. A cynic would say he's talking about the lessons learnt in 'My Pet Goat' or whatever he was reading. Well, forgive me. But the past five years have made me cynical and I see no reason to suggest he's learnt anything else. America may consider itself safer, but tell that to the familes of those caught in the Madrid bombings. In the London bombings. In the Mumbai bombings. In the Bali bombings. Of those caught in suicide bomings in Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia. Tell them you'vew made the world a safer place. Tell them we're winning the war on terror.
If there was one lesson that George Bush should've learnt by now, it's that you can't fight terror with terror. The way to destroy terrorism lies not with the bullet, but with the book. You want to destroy terrorism, you destroy the logic behind terrorism. Make al-Quida an irrelevance, not revolutionaries. Stop treating muslims as second class citizens, as a cheapened life. Stop giving Israel a blank cheque for mayhem. Global politics for five year olds - you push someone, they'll push back.
Five years after the worldwide support for America, they find themselves isolated, almost friendless. Afghanistan lay ignored until the recent resurgence of the taliban. Iraq lies a disaster zone, a heartbeat away from an unwinnable civil war. Lebanon and Gaza are in tatters, whilst the fascist regime in Iran grows stronger, unchallenged in the region. And the eyes of the world look towards the region, the best recruitment poster al-Quida ever had.
What of Osama bin Laden? It's been two years since we last had a credible lead on his whereabouts. Is the bastard hiding in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran laughing at us? Is he dead, his body destroyed, his legend, memory, spectre living on, haunting us? Why are we unable to tell? Will it matter? When killed, will al-Quida dismatle? No. Al-Quida has ceased to be an organisation. It is an ideology. And you cannot destroy an idea, especially one as powerful as al-Quida. It took but 19 men to change the world, a mere 4 to bring London to a standstill. The circle of violence can and will become more and more destructive, until there is no longer a world left to fight for. Just towns, cities and countries of dead people. If there is but one lesson of September 11th, if there is one thing that nearly 3'000 people died for, surely it is this. An act of violence, an act of hate can change the world. But appealing to the hearts and minds of those oppressed, that is where real power and real strength lies.
Thank you for reading.
Now i'm sorry, but this is a political piece. It's no doubt the latest in a long line of reports on September 11th and the after-effects. It's not the first, and it'll no doubt be the last. But fuck it, it's my journal. If you get bored, click the x in the top right corner.
Five years on, the world's changed. The destruction of downtown new york has spread to the destruction of a region. Nations aflame due to the wrath of America. George W Bush pledged that he would never forget the lessons learnt on that fateful day. A cynic would say he's talking about the lessons learnt in 'My Pet Goat' or whatever he was reading. Well, forgive me. But the past five years have made me cynical and I see no reason to suggest he's learnt anything else. America may consider itself safer, but tell that to the familes of those caught in the Madrid bombings. In the London bombings. In the Mumbai bombings. In the Bali bombings. Of those caught in suicide bomings in Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia. Tell them you'vew made the world a safer place. Tell them we're winning the war on terror.
If there was one lesson that George Bush should've learnt by now, it's that you can't fight terror with terror. The way to destroy terrorism lies not with the bullet, but with the book. You want to destroy terrorism, you destroy the logic behind terrorism. Make al-Quida an irrelevance, not revolutionaries. Stop treating muslims as second class citizens, as a cheapened life. Stop giving Israel a blank cheque for mayhem. Global politics for five year olds - you push someone, they'll push back.
Five years after the worldwide support for America, they find themselves isolated, almost friendless. Afghanistan lay ignored until the recent resurgence of the taliban. Iraq lies a disaster zone, a heartbeat away from an unwinnable civil war. Lebanon and Gaza are in tatters, whilst the fascist regime in Iran grows stronger, unchallenged in the region. And the eyes of the world look towards the region, the best recruitment poster al-Quida ever had.
What of Osama bin Laden? It's been two years since we last had a credible lead on his whereabouts. Is the bastard hiding in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran laughing at us? Is he dead, his body destroyed, his legend, memory, spectre living on, haunting us? Why are we unable to tell? Will it matter? When killed, will al-Quida dismatle? No. Al-Quida has ceased to be an organisation. It is an ideology. And you cannot destroy an idea, especially one as powerful as al-Quida. It took but 19 men to change the world, a mere 4 to bring London to a standstill. The circle of violence can and will become more and more destructive, until there is no longer a world left to fight for. Just towns, cities and countries of dead people. If there is but one lesson of September 11th, if there is one thing that nearly 3'000 people died for, surely it is this. An act of violence, an act of hate can change the world. But appealing to the hearts and minds of those oppressed, that is where real power and real strength lies.
Thank you for reading.