The stories woven by official narratives often have little to with the reality of the situation. Lewis Lapham, editorially in Harper’s Magazine, was bold enough to contradict the official version of events. He lost subscribers, was labelled “unamerican” and worse, for his views. Listen to what he has to say as we near the approved mourning event.
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3 comments
September 10, 2011 at 2:06 pm
renetascian
What’s fascinating about this is that since 9/11 we have killed twice as many of our own people as during Enduring and Iraqi Freedom so far. I’d ask myself seriously who really won this campaign, because we didn’t. We contributed to the deaths of over 100,000 people (low end) over the deaths of 3000 people, which less than 5% were actually connected to those responsible (and that is an optimistic assessment). Most of the people who died because of our campaign were civilians who were guilty only of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I love this radio broadcast, and it gives me a least a little hope for America knowing that someone out there understands what it means to think critically, rather than being ruled by your emotions and superstitions. The unified anger of America should have been cause for concern, not as a proof of patriotism.
However, the real issue this poses to me as Lapham remarked, this crisis has been used to destroy America and American interests, erode our rights, and punch holes in our infrastructure. The reason why the state of Texas is falling apart is infrastructural, regardless of the contributions by the drought. The attitudes of people prove that the vacuum of reason in the war on terror has eroded our values, proof by the fact that this regime has given rise to a whole new generation unapologetic, superstitious politicians who shirk responsibility through religious dogma, or want to use that there of to destroy the separation of church and state. The same people, mind you, who befriend the Christian extremists who go on the record saying we should “kill the gays, atheists and others” for the sake of “God” showing favor to American in the upcoming Armageddon. The same people who point the fingers at the blameless for the “moral degradation” of society, while they use the “God Band-aide” to cover their more grievous moral inconsistencies.
It’s not coming, and it’s not real, but if this country or any other gives in to these lunatics, you can bet your ass they will start Armageddon, and will most certainly do so by using conflict, and fear-mongering to sell you into slavery. The self-fulfilling prophecies of the delusional should never be given credence, lest you want them to succeed. Thanks for this post.
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September 11, 2011 at 10:08 am
Ben Hoffman
Anybody who didn’t follow in lockstep with the Bush administration was deemed “unAmerican.” That was the scariest part of the 9/11 attack. I felt like the government hated me because I didn’t support their “war on terror,” and that’s not a good feeling.
Thanks for the Lewis Lapham link. I’d never heard of him before.
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September 11, 2011 at 10:39 am
The Arbourist
It really was and still is, to a certain extent, the fundamentalist binary thinking from many people which continues to send shivers down my spine. Our view point can be so limited at times, through our actions we sent another nation into similar spasms, but the first 9/11 in Chile rarely gets any press because, of course, its not us (but rather sponsored by us) and was against those dirty southern cone socialists. 9/11 was a moment in which America could have turned outward to the world and see the larger geopolitical picture and embrace the goodwill of the world, but America went mostly the other way, more insular, more introspective and more alienated from the rest of the world.
Lapham, as editor of Harper’s wrote many brilliant editorials. He has a nice mix of satire, appalling facts and historical acumen that push most of what he writes to the next level. If your reading pile is getting thin I would heartily recommend getting Gag Rule by Mr. Lapham as it is a seminal read in the area of American politics.
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