Tom’s Top Ten Terrorism Topics

As we prepare to note the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, here is my top ten list of the topics associated with the attacks and how they have been playing out over the past five years.

10. Terrorism is a Tactic. As Bush quickly labeled the US response to the attacks as a “War on Terror”, more sensible minds pointed out that terrorism is a tactic and wars are not fought against tactics, but rather against nations/states or, in the case of a civil war, between opposing parties within the same nation/state. More people have come to this sense, but the Bush Administration continues to use “War on Terror” to propagandize the public and to assert Presidential war powers.

9. Islamic Ignorance. Following 9/11 Americans asked, “Why do they hate us?” It soon became apparent that “they” were followers of Islam, and that Americans were overwhelmingly ignorant of that religion. Muslims in America were harassed, prompting a parading of “moderate” Muslims before the public to show that not all Muslims hate us. Harassment may have diminished slightly, and the parading has almost completely stopped, but we remain as ignorant of Islam as ever. However, many Americans asked the question sincerely and at least try to be open to learning. Many of the world’s Muslims, however, appear to be locked in a closed minded ignorance, believing that all non-Muslims are threatening infidels, Jews are the worst threat and Americans are partners with the Jews.

8. Osama been Forgotten. Osama bin Laden, the admitted mastermind of the attacks, is still at large, with no serious effort to bring him to justice. The special task force to apprehend the villain has been phased into more general duties. We have continuously been told about yet another “number two” al Qaeda leader being killed or captured. But in spite of all the Bush cowboy talk, the number one desperado is still at large.

7. Afghanistan Still Suffers. The US and Soviet Union used Afghanistan as a surrogate battlefield during the cold war, completely disregarding the welfare of the Afghan people. The US supported anti-communist warlords and regimes such as the Taliban. When the Soviets gave up and pulled out, the US allowed the repressive forces it had supported take over, which is when Afghanistan became a host for terrorist training by bin Laden. With hindsight, our post 9/11 demand that the Taliban oust bin Laden seems unreasonable, since we have not been able to do that ourselves after we took over the country.

Our real purpose in invading Afghanistan was probably to put the American people in a war frame of mind, with what seemed a quick victory, in preparation for doing the same in Iraq, and as some say, to install a friendly government to obtain natural gas pipeline rights consistent with American strategic needs for access to that commodity. Afghanistan like Iraq seems to be in a state of civil turmoil, to the ongoing detriment of its people.

6. Department of Homeland Security Unimpressive. The Department of Homeland Security, an idea of Democrats, originally opposed by Bush, has not impressed Americans or made us feel more secure. Improving coordination by increasing the size of the body is always a tricky proposition. The DHS seems like an athlete who quickly bulked up on steroids and is stumbling over his new muscles. The latest head scratcher was having DHS agents escort that fugitive child fancier and false confessor back from Bangkok - what the hell did that mental case have to do with Homeland Security?

5. Iraq Debacle. Every relevant thing the Bush Administration said about Iraq was wrong. There were no WMD, we were not welcomed as liberators, Iraqis do want a religious orientation to their government, Iraq had no al Qaeda connection until the US occupation offered American troops as training targets and the few feeble contributors to the Bush supposed coalition have all had enough sense to dump it back on the US.

4. Bush Retains Power through Fear. Bush, with the help of an Ohio voter disenfranchisement program, retained power after the 2004 elections, by continuing to instill fear in the American people - not just fear of terrorists, but fear of other Americans - those who disagree that Bush should be retained and given any power he claims he needs to protect us, in spite of what the US Constitution says.

3. The Second Shoe Has Not Dropped. Bush constantly reminds us there has been no repeat of 9/11 and he claims it is all because he has prevented it. But there are so many documented holes in our national security that one has to ask why the second shoe has not fallen. As disgusting as the 9/11 attacks were, the magnitude of what they accomplished is astounding, not just bringing down the towers and killing all the people, but producing the sustained hysteria of Americans and empowering Bush to proceed with a middle east strategy that plays right into the hands of the terrorists. The ongoing effects of 9/11 are so profound that a second, more feeble attack might actually lessen the stress. It is possible al Qaeda has chosen to just leave the prospect of the second shoe hanging.

2. Damn the Constitution. Times of fear always jeopardize civil liberties, and the Bush Administration has used 9/11 as an excuse to throw the Constitution out the window. Bush has claimed a plethora of wartime powers, some going beyond what other Presidents have claimed, even during our War of the Rebellion and two World Wars.

And the number one topic associated with the 9/11 attacks, which is also one of the least covered topics in our mainstream media...

1. It Was about the Oil. OIL -Operation Iraqi Liberation. Ever since it was first learned there was oil under the middle eastern deserts, US foreign policy has included a requirement that the oil from those fields remain available to America on terms acceptable to us.

Osama is a Saudi as were most of the 9/11 perpetrators. Saudi Arabia has been the main breeding ground for radical Islamic terrorists because the Saudi government has gone easy on them, in fear of being overthrown by cracking down. The US has supported the Saudi government because the Saudis are friendly to US oil interests. Our pro-oil foreign policy has enabled the growth of Saudi bred terrorism.

We enabled Saddam’s control of Iraq because he was anti-communist and we could get oil from him and keep it from the communists. We enabled his gassing of the Kurds because we feared their opposition to Saddam’s government. As Saddam started acting more independently of the US and as Soviet communism ceased to be a player, US policy for Iraq became the removal of Saddam and installation of a new regime we could better dominate. The Bush Administration purposely misled the American people into believing Saddam was involved in the 9/11 attacks [a poll this week shows 43% of the American people still believe that lie, while the Senate Intelligence Committee report issued this week confirms there was absolutely no Saddam involvement], so that 9/11 and the distorted intelligence on WMD could be used to justify taking over Iraq.

As Baghdad fell, American forces moved first to control oil fields and secure oil records, ignoring the looting and pillaging and security risks to the population. As an early part of the US choreographed development of the new Iraq government, US access to Iraqi oil was guaranteed, as was pointed out here last November under the title, “What about the Oil?”.