Today was a
sunny and glorious day. Not too hot and not too cold, I regretted only that I hadn't gotten up earlier to take more full
advantage of it. But sadly that is in the
past, and I must live with my
mistake.
I could talk more about today, but I want to address a couple of things that have been troubling me about what happened on this day a year ago, and the events following it. The world's been on a state of alert since that day, and entire year full of mistrust, gloating nationalism, jingoism, racism, and random blaming of the world's ills on 'terrorists'. In my opinion the number, and the danger stemming from terrorism has in fact been very low during the period I'm talking about, and even before. In fact I would even go so far as to say that the acts of 9/11 weren't terrorist in nature.
A terrorist usually has some sort of ideal, or message, or demand. Nothing like this was ever released, and you'd expect the most 'successful' terrorist attack in history to be accompanied with some kind of open statement of exhultation, or indeed a demand of some sort. Nothing like that happened, we only got shown some dodgy tape of some guy in a cave months later talking in the vaguest terms about a 'successful' operation. This does not a compelling case make.
A compelling case is however visible for assuming that far from demanding some sort of political response from the USA, or the wider world, the purpose of the 9/11 attacks was to change the nature of our consciousness both at an individual level, and as a society. If anything should have underlined what people are willing to go through for their beliefs in destroying the symbols they hate, and in the fragility of life, then it was undoubtedly the devastating impact of a plane full of innocent people onto a building full of more innocent people.
Imagine the kind of mental strength of belief, and the will power required to fly not the first plane, but the second into the tower while one can see the burning first tower in full view. How many people reading this could relate to someone like this? It represents a fundamentally different kind of mental approach. One we would describe as insane, but also one that no amount of political chicanery or economic gifting could alter or divert. If someone who thinks like this chooses to kill you, you are indeed already dead. It is only a matter of time. It is a new form of consciousness, and one that is threat to the extant one, so anyone, innocent or not, who exhibits this kind of mindset is seen as a threat, and ruthlessly hunted down.
Those people in guantanamo bay fought to defend their adopted home from an invading force, much as the American's did in their war of independence. Those first forefathers of the American nation exhibited a freedom from existing values and a determination mirrored by those in the icy cages in cuba today. Most of those incarcerated are highly intelligent well read perfectly normal middle class guys from good families, and well educated backgrounds. Sadly America has not learned the lessons of it's creation well. Like the British Empire before it, it's time will come, and not on it's own terms. The only thing it can do is decide if it has lived by it's own terms for itself and it's citizens.
The security measures in place would not stop a nuclear device entering New York and being detonated. ABC proved as much through a chilling documentary this evening. The political changes and the spying on people would have minimal effect on those versed in the arts of originality and concealment. Those whose ideals are more important to them than their lives are not likely to be swayed by the images of supposed comrades in chains and cages, the openess with which America commits hypocrisy will only serve to strengthen their resolve. Perhaps a more fruitful line of inquiry would be to ask why they feel the way they do, and why they chose the targets that they did?
Just as the chaining of innocents in cuba will have little effect, the attack by the worlds strongest country on the world's weakest country has only deepened the divide between the mindsets of Americans and those attacked, in this case the Muslims. Are they expected to be thankful? Would you be if people bombed your home and broke in with guns? With that conflict winding down, and the civilian death toll there far outweighing those lost in 9/11, is it really wise to go into another war?
Iraq has been quiet for years, castrated and cast aside, a pariah in the world left to beg for food, and unable to sell oil except to it's enemies in unfavourable terms, the medical embargo to this nation alone costs 5000 children's lives a month. Despite widespread hatred of the Iraqi leader, this same leader is unlikely to take the brunt of military action if and when it comes. The world, especially the Muslims have considerable and deep sympathies for their brothers and sisters there, and attack would win America no freinds, and certainly serve to deepen the hatred of it that created 9/11 in the first place.
I guess it looks to me that America is trying to extinguish the flames of hatred and resistance that threaten it's citizens by pouring gasoline on the fire every few months. This does worry me. Not least because the leader of America can barely say 'fire' let alone spell it.