Where Is That Cave?
Back in the 1960’s, when I was in high school, there was a news story about a Japanese soldier on a Pacific island who finally surrendered. He had been hiding in a cave, coming out only in the dark, since 1945 totally unaware the World War II had ended more that 15 years earlier.
Letters to the editor appear in The Times criticizing Americans, opposed to the war in Iraq, of forgetting the outrage of 9/11.
It makes me wonder, where is there a cave big enough for 41% of Americans to hide in for years? A Newsweek poll from June 23, 2007 asked this question, “Do you think Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq was directly involved in planning, financing, or carrying out the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001?” Despite evidence to the contrary, 41% of Americans answered, “Yes.”
At least three times President Bush has said that Iraq and Saddam were not involved in the 9/11 attacks.
The 9/11 Commission Report says it could find “no credible evidence” linking Iraq to the 9/11 attacks.
Al Qaeda trained all the hijackers in Afghanistan. Of the nineteen 9/11 hijackers, fifteen were from Saudi Arabia, two were from the United Arab Emirates, one from Lebanon, and one from Egypt. None - 0 - were from Iraq.
Even Bin Laden said the Iraqis were not involved.
With apologies to Al Gore, it’s time for that 41% of Americans to accept these inconvenient truths, no matter how negatively it affects their other beliefs.
No, Americans have not forgotten 9/11. However, 41% learned the wrong lesson from 9/11. It's time for them to come out of their cave and into the daylight.
Letters to the editor appear in The Times criticizing Americans, opposed to the war in Iraq, of forgetting the outrage of 9/11.
It makes me wonder, where is there a cave big enough for 41% of Americans to hide in for years? A Newsweek poll from June 23, 2007 asked this question, “Do you think Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq was directly involved in planning, financing, or carrying out the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001?” Despite evidence to the contrary, 41% of Americans answered, “Yes.”
At least three times President Bush has said that Iraq and Saddam were not involved in the 9/11 attacks.
The 9/11 Commission Report says it could find “no credible evidence” linking Iraq to the 9/11 attacks.
Al Qaeda trained all the hijackers in Afghanistan. Of the nineteen 9/11 hijackers, fifteen were from Saudi Arabia, two were from the United Arab Emirates, one from Lebanon, and one from Egypt. None - 0 - were from Iraq.
Even Bin Laden said the Iraqis were not involved.
With apologies to Al Gore, it’s time for that 41% of Americans to accept these inconvenient truths, no matter how negatively it affects their other beliefs.
No, Americans have not forgotten 9/11. However, 41% learned the wrong lesson from 9/11. It's time for them to come out of their cave and into the daylight.
posted by Jack McLeod at 6:50 AM
1 Comments:
Bravo! It is heartening to hear a clear voice of sanity in our local press regarding this issue. Few have the guts to write what you've just written.
Because in the end, when all the word parsing is done, the real reason the American people could be led into supporting the Iraq war was that a sufficient number of them could be convinced that it would in some way pay back 'someone' for the 9-11 attacks. Regardless of whether that 'someone' had anything to do with the attacks. This is the same primitive mob appeasement dynamic that took place in the past when 'someone', anyone, was hanged for a heinous crime. It was ultimately more important that a sacrifice to the gods be made than justice be done.
Today we have Osama bin Laden free in Pakistan, our supposed ally in the war on terror. Our efforts in Afghanistan given only a fraction of the support necessary there, where ex-Taliban warlords have retaken most of the country. We spend what is now estimated to be $12 billion/month on the war in Iraq. And yet our President has the gall to stand up and speak of the 'war on terror' and the Iraq war as if they are one in the same.
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