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May 21, 2013
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Sept. 11: A Day Without WarPosted on Sep 7, 2010By Amy Goodman The ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States should serve as a moment to reflect on tolerance. It should be a day of peace. Yet the rising anti-Muslim fervor here, together with the continuing U.S. military occupation of Iraq and the escalating war in Afghanistan (and Pakistan), all fuel the belief that the U.S. really is at war with Islam. Sept. 11, 2001, united the world against terrorism. Everyone, it seemed, was with the United States, standing in solidarity with the victims, with the families who lost loved ones. The day will be remembered for generations to come, for the notorious act of coordinated mass murder. But that was not the first Sept. 11 to be associated with terror: Sept. 11, 1973, Chile: Democratically elected President Salvadore Allende died in a CIA-backed military coup that ushered in a reign of terror under dictator Augusto Pinochet, in which thousands of Chileans were killed. Sept. 11, 1977, South Africa: Anti-apartheid leader Stephen Biko was being beaten in a police van. He died the next day. Sept. 11, 1990, Guatemala: Guatemalan anthropologist Myrna Mack was murdered by the U.S.-backed military. Advertisement Sept. 11, 1988, Haiti: During a mass led by Father Jean-Bertrand Aristide at the St. Jean Bosco Church in Port-au-Prince, right-wing militiamen attacked, killing at least 13 worshippers and injuring at least 77. Aristide would later be twice elected president, only to be ousted in U.S.-supported coup d’etats. If anything, Sept. 11 is a day to remember the victims of terror, all victims of terror, and to work for peace, like the group September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows. Formed by those who lost loved ones on 9/11/2001, their mission could serve as a national call to action: “[T]o turn our grief into action for peace. By developing and advocating nonviolent options and actions in the pursuit of justice, we hope to break the cycles of violence engendered by war and terrorism. Acknowledging our common experience with all people affected by violence throughout the world, we work to create a safer and more peaceful world for everyone.” Our “Democracy Now!” news studio was blocks from the twin towers in New York City. We were broadcasting live as they fell. In the days that followed, thousands of fliers went up everywhere, picturing the missing, with phone numbers of family members to call if you recognized someone. These reminded me of the placards carried by the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo in Argentina. Those are the women, wearing white headscarves, who courageously marched, week after week, carrying pictures of their missing children who disappeared during the military dictatorship there. I am reminded, as well, by the steady stream of pictures of young people in the military killed in Iraq and in Afghanistan, and now, with increasing frequency (although pictured less in the news), who kill themselves after multiple combat deployments. For each of the U.S. or NATO casualties, there are literally hundreds of victims in Iraq and Afghanistan whose pictures will never be shown, whose names we will never know. While angry mobs continue attempts to thwart the building of an Islamic community center in lower Manhattan (in a vacant, long-ignored, damaged building more than two blocks away), an evangelical “minister” in Florida is organizing a Sept. 11 “International Burn the Koran Day.” Gen. David Petraeus has stated that the burning, which has sparked protests around the globe, “could endanger troops.” He is right. But so does blowing up innocent civilians and their homes. As in Vietnam in the 1960s, Afghanistan has a dedicated, indigenous, armed resistance, and a deeply corrupt group in Kabul masquerading as a central government. The war is bleeding over into a neighboring country, Pakistan, just as the Vietnam War spread into Cambodia and Laos. Right after Sept. 11, 2001, as thousands gathered in parks around New York City, holding impromptu candlelit vigils, a sticker appeared on signs, placards and benches. It read, “Our grief is not a cry for war.” This Sept. 11, that message is still—painfully, regrettably—timely. Let’s make Sept. 11 a day without war. Amy Goodman is the host of “Democracy Now!,” a daily international TV/radio news hour airing on more than 800 stations in North America. She is the author of “Breaking the Sound Barrier,” recently released in paperback and now a New York Times best-seller. © 2010 Amy Goodman Distributed by King Features Syndicate New and Improved CommentsIf you have trouble leaving a comment, review this help page. Still having problems? Let us know. If you find yourself moderated, take a moment to review our comment policy. |
By the Big Apple, September 8, 2010 at 6:04 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
911 should be a day of national uprising against the neocons and their dual Israeli cohorts, the real perpetrators of the attacks.
Report thisA simple amount of common sense and investigation should go beyond the obvious demolition of the WTC. The American psyche needs to realize who the real terrorists are. The axis of evil is located in NY, Tel Aviv and London.
By ofersince72, September 8, 2010 at 3:55 pm Link to this comment
Diamond, if you get a chance
pick up this book “A ..W.E.B. Du Bois READER
edited by Andrew G. Paschal with introduction
by Arna Bontemps
Also it would help to read what Marcus Garvey had to say.
Report thisBy ofersince72, September 8, 2010 at 3:42 pm Link to this comment
In 1950, an eighty two year old black man came from
Europe with a petition to deliver for the ending of the
Korean War. His name was W.E.B. Du Bois. This old man
was immediatly arrested with shackles and chains.
There to picket his arrest was a very young negro singer
Harry Belafonte….1950. Harry Belafonte went on to
have a rewarding recording career and admired all over
the world. He in effect , was an American Ambassador.
We couldn’t have had a classier one.. He went on to
become one of Rev. King’s closest friends and helped
finance the civil rights movement.
Johnny Carson revered Belafonte so much, that when
Rev. King was sceduled to make the tonight show, Carson,
being the class act he was, took leave and let Belafonte
take his spot and do the King interview. Belafonte
remains one of America’s best Ambassadors of peace,
civil rights , and civil liberties, so I am fortunate
Diamond, that I grew up having Belafonte a part of my
life. He will be there long after Led Zeplin, The Stones,
and many more artists become just a haze of a memory.
(thanks mom and dad)
Report thisBy ofersince72, September 8, 2010 at 2:32 pm Link to this comment
Unlike most Americans, especially Democrat and
Report thisRepublican supporters, I have the capacity to remember
past yesterday.
By ofersince72, September 8, 2010 at 2:29 pm Link to this comment
I am glad you noticed! ! ! !
It is those childhood memories that reminds me
Report thishow pathetic Democrats are !!!!
By diamond, September 8, 2010 at 1:56 pm Link to this comment
And you left out one September 11 connection. September 11 1943 is when the first sod was turned to begin building the Pentagon. It’s actually the Pentagon’s birthday and is celebrated each year by the Pentagon. They seem to think that date is lucky for them and so far they’ve been right, since no one has shut them down or arrested the top brass.
Report thisBy jaygarth, September 8, 2010 at 1:55 pm Link to this comment
Yeah , since no no legitimate or otherwise flight records can verify on board passengers . And since some of the so called hijackers are still alive and well. And not to forget that fbi.gov does not even want UBL for anything in connection with 9/11, oh I almost forgot the Iraq ‘war’ just another violent aberration of the political landscapes of losers .
Report thisIn a nutshell , my humble opinion is that if any Muslims were on the flights ‘so called’ on 9/11 that crashed into the WTC they would have necessarily been dead-asleep…...
By diamond, September 8, 2010 at 12:36 pm Link to this comment
You’re wrong Amy Goodman: 9/11 is the day the war on truth began and as long as no one tells the truth about that day, the war on truth will continue.
Nice to see ofersince72 is still hallucinating about his days in kindergarten. ‘Mama look at Boo Boo’? The problem is that Mama and Dadda don’t look at Boo Boo. They look at a lie and pretend it’s the truth and that’s why Pastor Jones can burn his Korans with a clear conscience, thereby encouraging thousands of other nutjobs to do the same. The world looks on and feels a mixture of pity and horror for what America has become and dread for where it’s heading.
Report thisBy Shenonymous, September 8, 2010 at 5:58 am Link to this comment
September 11 ought to be made a national memorial holiday to
Report thisremind Americans about the horror men do to one another.
By clipper, September 8, 2010 at 5:38 am Link to this comment
All jumped on the band wagon to invade Iraq, and found out it was based on lies,out of revenge and millions died, were wounded, and will suffer mental torture for years. The same will be known about the ones who were really behind 9/11, and the world will think about why they jumped on the band wagon. Only now some are thinking about reviewing the catastrophe after having time to cover up the True Facts with the False. Muslims Blamed to pay the price out of revenge.
Report thisBy bogi666, September 8, 2010 at 4:46 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
The 9/11/2001 attacks needs to be referred to as the War of 9/11 a one day war. a staggering, incomprehensible defeat of the USG by 19 men some with box cutters. The magnitude of the defeat is almost unfathomable which is why the propaganda spin about the War of 9/11, its true context cannot be used. The Bush/Cheney response has been a 9 year temper tantrum against the world. That this is best described as a Bush/Cheney temper tantrum is borne out by their histories of cowardice, masked with belligerency, growling, sneering, lying, denying all responsibility, hubris, arrogance, disdain and abusing the American public while implementing draconian measures with a propaganda campaign and a complicit MSM whose purpose is to recite the government’s propaganda to create imagined fears and murdering 100,000’s of thousands mostly women and children. Bush honed his appetite for sadism while Governor of Texas by the use of the death penalty and scorning those who appealed to him for clemency. This was to display his image as a tough guy and is reason enough to eradicate the death penalty nationwide as it is used by ruthless politicians and prosecutors by sacrificing people just to prove they are tough.
Report thisBy kerryrose, September 8, 2010 at 4:13 am Link to this comment
It would do American well to realize that we are not the center of the universe, and that other countries continually experience ‘terror’ with the US often as the perpetrator.
Amy Goodman is a voice of reason and sanity because she does not put Americans on a pedestal, and consider us as ‘more human’ than the rest of world population.
Report thisBy PatrickHenry, September 8, 2010 at 3:18 am Link to this comment
What rising anti-Muslim fervor? Burning some korans?
I think there is a rising anti-Israel feeling as indicated by a continuing sucessful BDS movement.
No more Hebrew national hot dogs or Teva sandals for me.
Report thisBy ofersince72, September 7, 2010 at 11:28 pm Link to this comment
The duopoly is the manager of the store for the
Oligarchs that own the Plutocracy. Over the years
they have consolidated power while they were pacifying
you and keeping you diverted with the Dem vs Pub show.
Ha ha ha.,, you got fooled again.
and the Maddow/Olberman vs Beck/Palin show
Report thisis just another diversion for you fools. Show me
where and how that there is a political process left in
America.! ! ! Who is your new Savior? Feingold, ha,ha,ha
again…and how about you conservatives, your new savior
is Palin? ha, ha, ha, or Romney, ha, ha, ha,
You dummies have let them manipulate you with the politics
of divide, blaming each other…all you
liberals and conservatives are fools, you shouldn’t be
fighting, but organizing. dummies, dummies, dummies
keep your fingers pointing at each other while they
sip their scotch and waters laughing at you all.
By ofersince72, September 7, 2010 at 11:17 pm Link to this comment
If the public believes they can turn around a
forty year well thought out plan by the oligarchs, who
control all the money, HA HA HA on you. Here it is in
a very short outline.
The sixties showed how harmful a well educated and
informed public can be to their plutocracy so
1. seventies, go after information services and
dumb down the public
2. eighties….start busting unions and blaming all
of Americas ills on them
3. ninties. keep the money flowing for a while longer
while they get all financial laws favorable to them
4. the 00s…get the public debt so out of control that
they will always own the government.
Simple shit…a forty year plan that worked quite well
Report thiswhile they pacified the public.
If you believe that this is going to change by voting
Dem or Pub HA HA HA again.
RICH BOSS SMARTER THAN YOU.
Now you and the journalists are abusing the internet
by not using this tool to organize a peaceful revolution.
And soon , we aren’t going to have this tool and you are
once again going to be smacking yourselves in the face
for letting the last opportunity get away , once again.
By ofersince72, September 7, 2010 at 11:07 pm Link to this comment
Hey Amy, did you notice how Scheer never once
mentioned the gross war budget when speaking about how
the Clinton and Reagon Administraions robbed the public??
This topic is off limits.
Report thisBy gerard, September 7, 2010 at 9:32 pm Link to this comment
War is death.
Peace is life.
Choose life.
Report thisBy Caroline Levine, September 7, 2010 at 8:45 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Would like to hear more of the US Gov’t back central Gov’t in Kabul. To mention corruption, without examples, is to ignite the smoking gun. Lets expose the corruption, see what our tax dollars are backing.
Report thisAs to angry mobs in downtown Manhattan, this is what Osama bin Ladin wants. Part of the plan to create more extremist suicidal terrorists to help him with his religious war. The American public is being played, as are the Muslims. How Bin Ladin, must be grinning as he watches anti muslim sentiment grows in the US. Here is the religous war he wants.
By ofersince72, September 7, 2010 at 6:03 pm Link to this comment
Mama look at Boo Boo, dey shout,
dat is your government
Oh no, my government can’t be ugly so
Shut your mouth, go away
Report this