by Stephen Lendman
During and after 9/11 weekend, duplicitous echoes persist, regurgitating official lies instead of full disclosure.
A September 10 Wall Street Journal editorial headlined, “The 9/11 Decade,” recalling its 9/11/01 edition, saying:
That Tuesday morning, “the World-Wide column of The Wall Street Journal carried” violent incident reports in Istanbul, Nigeria, the “menace” of global justice protests, and challenges of various “urban-guerrila movement(s).”
It’s 9/12 edition covered what was too late to publish the previous day.
A personal note:
I bought and saved it as a remembrance of that horrific day. Headlined in large bold top of the page type, it said:
“TERRORISTS DESTROY WORLD TRADE CENTER, HIT PENTAGON IN RAID WITH HIJACKED JETS,” followed by feature columns filling the entire front page.
They included:
“Death Toll, Source of Devastating Attacks Remain Unclear; US Vows Retaliation as Attention Focuses on bin Laden”
“Nation Stands In Disbelief and Horror”
“Hour of Horror Forever Alters American Lives”
“US Airport Security Screening Long Seen as Dangerously Lax”
“Attacks Raise Fears of a Recession”
The entire edition concentrated heavily on what happened, including feature op-eds and two editorials headlined:
“A Terrorist Pearl Harbor,” and
“Civility Amidst Chaos”
On December 8, 1941, Franklin Roosevelt addressed a joint session of Congress, calling December 7 “a date which will live in infamy (when) the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”
On September 11, 2001, the United States of America willfully and maliciously attacked itself, blaming others for its crime that augured far worse ones to come.
In fact, the neocon think tank Project for a New American Century (PNAC – now the Foreign Policy Initiative) published an earlier document titled, “Rebuilding America’s Defenses: Strategies, Forces and Resources for a New Century.”
Saying “America should seek to preserve and extend its position of global leadership by maintaining the preeminence of US military forces,” it detailed an imperial scheme for US dominance to extend well into the future, saying achieving it required “some catastrophic and catalyzing event – like a new Pearl Harbor.”
Key PNAC members included Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz. As Bush administration members on 9/11, they got what they wanted to wage permanent wars on humanity. Under Obama, they rage out-of-control, and ahead may include general war.
The Journal’s September 10 editorial continued saying:
By 9/11 evening, “it was clear that the threat of Islamic terrorism was real, urgent and growing, and that it would require from the Bush administration a serious and sustained response, both on offense and defense.”
Fact check
Muslims then and now pose no threat to America. In contrast, America very much threatens them across North Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and dozens of other countries where thousands of US Special Forces death squads are deployed to summarily kill and destroy.
In other words, America’s post-9/11 overseas “rules of engagement” exclude due process, judicial fairness and fair trials. Just a bullet, bomb, knife in the back, or slit throat, besides torture and war on the world.
The editorial claimed terrorists threaten America, saying “(a) list recently compiled by the Heritage Foundation (an over-the-top extremist neocon think tank) records 40 foiled plots since 9/11.”
Fact check
In fact, none Heritage listed are true. Everyone charged is innocent. All of them involve falsely accused Muslims.
Post-9/11, America declared war on Islam.
Ever since, innocent victims paid dearly, including five principals of the largest Muslim charity in America (the Holy Land Foundation) – indicted, convicted and imprisoned for doing the right thing.
They were maliciously targeted for providing vitally needed aid to the “wrong” needy families, Muslim families, besides various other social services.
Even lawyers defending the “wrong” Muslim clients were targeted. Notably, Lynne Stewart, a heroic human rights champion, for representing an innocent man Washington wanted imprisoned for life.
For doing her job, she got 10 years in prison. Barring an early release, clemency, or pardon, she’ll be there until age 80. Given her less than ideal health, she may never again embrace her loved ones.
Lynne and others like her symbolize how America treats its best, especially in a post-9/11 world!
The Journal editorial was a wasteland of duplicitous distortions and lies, including:
— calling “real torture” what “happens to maimed victims of terrorist atrocities,” omitting the horrors of state terror;
— claiming Obama ended enhanced interrogations and closed down black sites, when, in fact, torture remains official US policy in numerous prison hellholes;
— calling those accusing Bush administration officials of trampling on civil liberties a “particularly vulgar partisan maneuver,” when, in fact, America during his tenure became a police state, hardened under Obama;
— saying America’s wars on Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries harboring Al Qaeda are justified when, in fact, all US wars are lawless imperial aggression against nonbelligerent countries; and
— concluding by claiming “the first 9/11 decade should, for all of the pain it has imposed, give us confidence that we can see the battle through.”
Pogo got it right, saying “We have met the enemy and he is us.”
Duplicity also shows up in New York Times articles, op-eds and editorials, including another disgraceful September 10 9/11 one headlined, “Loss and Hope,” saying:
“A decade later, we’re still trying to understand, looking back and looking ahead. It is not enough to simply remember and grieve.”
“People wanted to be enlarged, to be called on to do more for country and community than ordinary life usually requires, to make this senseless horror count for something.”
Fact check
From that horrific day to now, political Washington and major media scoundrels lied to Americans. They suppressed vital truths, including about wars against nonbelligerent countries and innocent Muslims.
Rogues US criminals were responsible for 9/11’s “senseless horror” that launched a decade of permanent wars Dick Cheney said won’t end in our lifetimes.
Admitting that “we were drawn into a misdirected war that has exacted enormous costs in lives and money,” besides “taint(ing)….our civic life….by a rise in xenophobia,” the editorial concluded by saying “(w)e are still learning about the events of 9/11.”
“Perhaps in time we will realize that the full meaning of what happened on 9/11 resides in the surge of compassion and hope that accompanied the shock and mourning of that September day.”
Fact check
We know more than enough to name political Washington, including the Pentagon and CIA responsible for state-sponsored criminality that launched a decade of raging imperial wars.
America’s victims at home and abroad deserve compassion and redress. Responsible culprits deserve lawful prosecution for a crime that unleashed multiple others without end.
But don’t expect duplicitous media scoundrels to explain or demand justice for 9/11’s real victims. In the end, they may include all humanity.
Washington Post commentaries are no better, including a September 9 editorial, updated on September 11 headlined, “Washington’s response,” saying:
“Innocent civilians – our friends, neighbors, family members – paid a terrible price for (9/11’s) murderous acts.”
Fact check
Indeed so, but don’t expect Post editorials or other broadsheet opinion pieces to lay blame where it belongs.
Saying innocent people died in New York, Washington, and on hijacked planes, the editorial ignored America’s crimes of war and against humanity that continue taking millions of lives abroad and at home, besides inflicting incalculable human misery.
Calling the scope of 9/11 terrorism “unimaginable,” dead, injured, occupied, and persecuted Muslims were out of sight and mind.
Only America’s pain matters, no matter how inflicted or why.
Despite “confusion and emotional trauma” on 9/11, “terrorists (were) denied….the victory they sought. And it revealed a core of strength in our region that will prepare us for whatever may come next.”
Fact check
Home-grown state terrorists got precisely what they wanted, even though unwinnable wars still rage in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Another may continue for years in Libya and perhaps whatever future countries Washington attacks. Others remain in its queue.
America’s core isn’t strength. It’s off-the-scale rogue criminality, state terrorism too gruesome to imagine. Ask millions of global victims. They’ll explain.
A Final Comment
On September 10, the BBC quoted Obama saying 9/11 made America stronger, adding:
“As a resilient nation, we will carry on.” Al Qaeda is “on the path to defeat,” but warnings say they’re behind new “credible but unconfirmed” threats to Americans.
“Yes we face a determined foe, and make no mistake. They will keep trying to hit us again. But as we are showing again this weekend, we remain vigilant.”
Obama is a duplicitous scoundrel, a serial liar, and war criminal, slaughtering innocent people in nations America wishes to destroy, occupy and control.
Ahead of America honoring its 9/11 victims, James Petras headlined his new article, “NATO’s War Crimes in Libya: Who Grieves for the Fallen Heros,” saying:
Besides other countries America and NATO attacked and occupy, they inflicted “systematic destruction (that) will cost Libya at least a ‘lost decade.’ “
In addition, “Sub-Sahara Africa will suffer” without Gaddafi’s proposed “Bank of Africa.” If established, it would have freed member nations from predatory international lending agencies like the IMF and World Bank.
Moreover, NATO repeatedly proves it’s more adept “at destroying than constructing a modern secular state rooted in a modern civil bureaucracy, universal free public education, secular judicial system and modern health services.”
Like Afghans and Iraqis, Libyans instead will get Washington-enforced colonization, occupation, plunder and exploitation – that is, those still alive when terror bombing ends to endure what’s planned next for them.
Petras accurately called NATO’s destruction of Libya “grotesque and criminal.” When fighting stops slaughtering thousands, Washington can claim another imperial trophy.
With echoes of 9/11’s commemoration still audible, Obama and his NATO co-conspirators can revel in the carnage they caused.
So can major media scoundrels that cheerled it all the way.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.
