9/11 10-Year Anniversary -- Another View

America’s “mission accomplished” has created an unstable, divided, economically devastated nation.

The man history knows as Osama bin Laden

(SALEM, Ore.) - Prior to 9/11, the threat of radical Islamism as a massive, sinister organized force of destruction, specifically in the form of al-Qaeda, was a myth perpetrated by politicians in many countries—and particularly American neo-conservatives in the Bush inner circle—in an attempt to unite and inspire their people following the failure of earlier, more utopian ideologies.

9/11 put al-Qaeda on the map and our budget-busting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq gave al-Qaeda legitimacy and an excellent recruiting tool.  In the meantime, under constant fear mongering, Americans gave up their privacy and rights in the name of security.

America’s “mission accomplished” has created an unstable, divided, economically devastated nation.  Closure to me would begin with a public apology from Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Rice.  Instead, we will get more self-serving books like Cheney's "In My Time."  Are we winning this so called war on terrorism?

Many years ago, I saw and highly recommend a 3-part documentary called "The Power of Nightmares," subtitled "The Rise of the Politics of Fear," a BBC documentary film series, written and produced by Adam Curtis. It consists mostly of a montage of archive footage with Curtis's narration. The series was first broadcast in the United Kingdom in late 2004 and has subsequently been broadcast in multiple countries and shown in several film festivals, including the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.

The films compare the rise of the Neo-Conservative movement in the U.S. and the radical Islamist movement, making comparisons on their origins and claiming similarities between the two.

Salem-News.com writer Ralph E. Stone was born in Massachusetts. He is a graduate of both Middlebury College and Suffolk Law School. We are very fortunate to have this writer's talents in this troubling world; Ralph has an eye for detail that others miss. As is the case with many Salem-News.com writers, Ralph is an American Veteran who served in war. Ralph served his nation after college as a U.S. Army officer during the Vietnam war. After Vietnam, he went on to have a career with the Federal Trade Commission as an Attorney specializing in Consumer and Antitrust Law. Over the years, Ralph has traveled extensively with his wife Judi, taking in data from all over the world, which today adds to his collective knowledge about extremely important subjects like the economy and taxation. You can send Ralph an email at this address stonere@earthlink.net

End Israel's Unwarranted Murder of Kids

---

Israel | Racism | Religion | Civil rights | War crimes | Most Commented on

Salem-News.com Top Stories

2025: Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst

Two Wars with No Way Out

No One Owns the Future

The Ugly Origins of Trump's America First Policy

A One-State Solution Could Transform the World

Comments Leave a comment on this story.

Name:

All comments and messages are approved by people and self promotional links or unacceptable comments are denied.

---

September 12, 2011 5:50 pm (Pacific time)

So Ralph, was your law school an online venture, or maybe one in Cuba? Your reasoning is, well, out there.

[Return to Top]

---

©2025 Salem-News.com. All opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Salem-News.com.

Articles for September 11, 2011 | Articles for September 12, 2011 | Articles for September 13, 2011