How former presidents are handling the anniversary of 9/11

Thomas Veil

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George W. Bush will commemorate the day in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where flight 93 went down.

The Clintons, the Obamas, and President Biden are participating in a memorial ceremony in New York. Biden—you know, the feeble sleepy guy hiding in his basement—will actually visit all three sites, including the Pentagon.

President Jimmy Carter, 97, will reflect and pray at his home.

And Donald Trump?

Staff for former President Donald Trump did not respond to a request for comment about his plans to commemorate the anniversary. Trump is scheduled to provide commentary on Saturday night during a boxing match between Evander Holyfield and Vitor Belfort in Florida.


To which I say, Fuck you, you selfish, morally bankrupt, stone hearted bastard. 😡😡😡
 

fooferdoggie

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I think he has a new story about what he did on 9/11
big lies like the ones he told re: the coronavirus being no cause for concern; insane lies like boasting that Ivanka had created 14 million jobs; or complete and total WTF lies like accusing Joe Biden of using performance-enhancing drugs, the man is physically incapable of telling the truth.

Naturally, nothing has changed since Trump left the White House, which is why it should come as no surprise whatsoever to learn that in the run-up to the 20th anniversary of 9/11, the ex-president has been dropping his favorite lie about the attacks into conversation.

Appearing on Newsmax on Tuesday night, Trump claimed, as he has previously, that he was down at Ground Zero assisting first responders on 9/11, a piece of historical fiction for which there is scant evidence. “I was down there right after the event,” Trump said, “and I brought a big crew of people down and I helped, a lot of other people helped. Those first responders are very brave. And I’m telling you, we were hearing creaks; I’ve never forgotten it. There was—I think the United States Steel Building it was called at the time, and it’s 50 stories tall, and we heard creaks. I said, ‘That building’s going to come down,’ and two big firemen grabbed me and grabbed other people, and they just moved out of that area. Never came down, but I’d never heard a noise like that.”
 

Scepticalscribe

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George W. Bush will commemorate the day in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where flight 93 went down.

The Clintons, the Obamas, and President Biden are participating in a memorial ceremony in New York. Biden—you know, the feeble sleepy guy hiding in his basement—will actually visit all three sites, including the Pentagon.

President Jimmy Carter, 97, will reflect and pray at his home.

And Donald Trump?




To which I say, Fuck you, you selfish, morally bankrupt, stone hearted bastard. 😡😡😡

Well, there are individuals - even those with whom I disagree on political matters - who can still do decency, dignity, empathy, grace and compassion, and then, there is that malevolent and mendacious narcissist, complete with a black hole of cosmic dimensions where an ethical core should reside.
 

Runs For Fun

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Of course orange man isn’t doing anything. He has acted like a sore loser baby since losing the election. Pathetic.
 

SuperMatt

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That is affecting. Twenty-seven hundred people died in a day on 9/11, compared to over two hundred times that many between March of 2020 and 20 January 2021. The masks speak six hundred thousand words.
It’s sad to see how America was able to come together when we felt under attack from another group of people. But when it comes to an attack from a virus, we’ve got a sizable minority of people who are trying to divide the nation, some at the cost of their CHILDREN’s lives.
 

Scepticalscribe

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That is affecting. Twenty-seven hundred people died in a day on 9/11, compared to over two hundred times that many between March of 2020 and 20 January 2021. The masks speak six hundred thousand words.
Agreed that the masks - their collective wearing of masks - in that setting, in that context, is a very powerful (and positive) image, one which promotes the worthy concept of the public good.
 

Huntn

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Well, there are individuals - even those with whom I disagree on political matters - who can still do decency, dignity, empathy, grace and compassion, and then, there is that malevolent and mendacious narcissist, complete with a black hole of cosmic dimensions where an ethical core should reside.
W recently said that the Jan 6 US Capitol insurrection are no different than the 9-11 Terrorists. So as bad as a President that he was, there is hope for him as a human being seeking redemption.
 

The-Real-Deal82

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It’s sad to see how America was able to come together when we felt under attack from another group of people. But when it comes to an attack from a virus, we’ve got a sizable minority of people who are trying to divide the nation, some at the cost of their CHILDREN’s lives.

I think a lot has changed since 2001 and if 9/11 happened now, I highly doubt you’d see a United nation. The social and political split we see covered in the US transfers to so many topics.

I saw a terrifying stat on the news the other day that said America is losing 1500 people every 24 hours to Covid. That’s unbelievable.
 

lizkat

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I think a lot has changed since 2001 and if 9/11 happened now, I highly doubt you’d see a United nation. The social and political split we see covered in the US transfers to so many topics.

It's hard for me to sort that out to a firm opinion, I suppose because of the hindsight we've all acquired. But if a strike anything like that of September 11 could or did occur again right now, seems to me first impulse here would be "how the F do you think you can get away with that... we're coming for ya, whoever you are."

BUT: so many people I know in the USA (on both right and left) do either question or regret the degree to which we Americans have allowed powerful interest groups and Congress to sell in "homeland security" as worth loss of some important civil liberties. Some of those losses persist to this day. And there's no stuffing back into a toothpaste tube all the subsequent gains in surveillance tech and the related usage and lawmaking.

OK, It's hard to say how much of at least surveillance technology advances might have happened without the impetus of the 9/11 attacks. We were already into a mode of "better mousetrap, better mice" evolution of snooping on each other electronically, even if only for the sake of corporate bottom lines in a consumerist economy.

I saw a terrifying stat on the news the other day that said America is losing 1500 people every 24 hours to Covid. That’s unbelievable.

It's horrendous and shameful, the worst stats of any of the "developed" nations.

What's unbelievable to me though is that there are so many millions on millions of unthinking [expletives deleted] in the USA. Really. I'm old so I've observed plenty of stupidity (and cruelty) committed by people not really thinking things through. Spitting at Vietnam Vets deplaning from their tours of duty comes to mind... and so does sending in young untrained members of the National Guard to quell an anti-war demonstration on a college campus.

What does the phrase "lessons learned" mean, anyway? All it takes is one idiot with the will and means to do violence, and after that fact then millions of people may quickly decide that millions of other people are to blame and equally likely to be violent idiots. (And if there are any people left who think choice of language itself doesn't break any bones, they really haven't been paying attention. Good diplomacy doesn't break any bones... but then one must have the will not to regard bone-breaking as desirable).​

Still, this stuff ---the anti-masking, anti-vaxxing, anti-guidelines attitudes in the USA, all ginned up through extreme politicization by the GOP of a global pandemic, and all so clearly and up-in-your-facedly for the sake of power-lusting gotcha politics alone, is orders of magnitude beyond my previous ability to imagine the degree to which Americans could depart pretty basic education, common sense and moral values... and stay there for so long.

The speed with which this has occurred is pretty alarming. I understand populism expresses itself in waves, but this is not actually populist, and it certainly goes beyond what we saw in 2016, when truly populist impulses were tugging at us from both ends of our two-party political spectrum. The politicization now of everything covid-19 or otherwise in the USA is more about an ongoing hangover from 2020, a set of sore loser grudges, and it's really poisonous, really contagious and a really absurd drive to make everything on the planet into binary options: thumbs up or down, yes or no, with us or against us. There is no room for flexibility. Yet the coronavirus thrives on its own flexibility... and is playing us into our graves while we argue over waxing and waning needs for masks and guidelines on remote or in-person commerce.

Few things on earth are truly binary, including decisions on how to respond to a next terrorist attack. If we haven't learned that in 20 years then I do really fear for the Republic. Looking at how we respond to covid-19 in the USA, I feel entitled to at least some alarm.
 

Thomas Veil

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I think he has a new story about what he did on 9/11
What? He's not still telling that other made up story about how he heard thousands of Muslims cheering when the towers fell?

W recently said that the Jan 6 US Capitol insurrection are no different than the 9-11 Terrorists.
From an op-ed discussing Bush's remarks:

Former President George W. Bush was entirely correct in his comments marking the 20th anniversary of 9/11 Saturday when he drew a comparison between the 9/11 attackers and those who waged the January 6 act of "domestic terrorism." While Bush didn't mention the attack by name, it was clear he was invoking it when he said that our nation has seen "growing evidence that the dangers to our country can come not only across borders, but from violence that gathers within."
I vocally disagreed with Bush on policy issues when he served in the White House. But the former President struck the right tone when he noted that, while there "is little cultural overlap between violent extremists abroad and violent extremists at home," they share the same "disdain for pluralism" and "disregard for human life," as evidenced "in their determination to defile national symbols."
When Bush stated that both the 9/11 and domestic violent extremists wanted to "defile national symbols," I instantly thought of how the January 6 attackers laid siege to our Capitol and how the 9/11 terrorists had also plotted to strike the Capitol (or the White House) with the fourth plane, United 93. It was hard not to notice, given that Bush was speaking in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, the very place that plane crashed when heroic passengers rushed the terrorists in control of the cockpit.

How can anyone disagree with that?

 

hulugu

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What? He's not still telling that other made up story about how he heard thousands of Muslims cheering when the towers fell?


From an op-ed discussing Bush's remarks:





How can anyone disagree with that?


Bush's speech full-text:

...
Thank you very much. Laura and I are honored to be with you. Madam Vice President, Vice President Cheney. Governor Wolf, Secretary Haaland, and distinguished guests:
Twenty years ago, we all found -- in different ways, in different places, but all at the same moment -- that our lives would be changed forever. The world was loud with carnage and sirens, and then quiet with missing voices that would never be heard again. These lives remain precious to our country, and infinitely precious to many of you. Today we remember your loss, we share your sorrow, and we honor the men and women you have loved so long and so well.
For those too young to recall that clear September day, it is hard to describe the mix of feelings we experienced. There was horror at the scale -- there was horror at the scale of destruction, and awe at the bravery and kindness that rose to meet it. There was shock at the audacity -- audacity of evil -- and gratitude for the heroism and decency that opposed it. In the sacrifice of the first responders, in the mutual aid of strangers, in the solidarity of grief and grace, the actions of an enemy revealed the spirit of a people. And we were proud of our wounded nation.
In these memories, the passengers and crew of Flight 93 must always have an honored place. Here the intended targets became the instruments of rescue. And many who are now alive owe a vast, unconscious debt to the defiance displayed in the skies above this field.

....It would be a mistake to idealize the experience of those terrible events. All that many people could initially see was the brute randomness of death. All that many could feel was unearned suffering. All that many could hear was God's terrible silence. There are many who still struggle with a lonely pain that cuts deep within.
In those fateful hours, we learned other lessons as well. We saw that Americans were vulnerable, but not fragile -- that they possess a core of strength that survives the worst that life can bring. We learned that bravery is more common than we imagined, emerging with sudden splendor in the face of death. We vividly felt how every hour with our loved ones was a temporary and holy gift. And we found that even the longest days end.
Many of us have tried to make spiritual sense of these events. There is no simple explanation for the mix of providence and human will that sets the direction of our lives. But comfort can come from a different sort of knowledge. After wandering long and lost in the dark, many have found they were actually walking, step by step, toward grace.

...As a nation, our adjustments have been profound. Many Americans struggled to understand why an enemy would hate us with such zeal. The security measures incorporated into our lives are both sources of comfort and reminders of our vulnerability. And we have seen growing evidence that the dangers to our country can come not only across borders, but from violence that gathers within. There is little cultural overlap between violent extremists abroad and violent extremists at home. But in their disdain for pluralism, in their disregard for human life, in their determination to defile national symbols, they are children of the same foul spirit. And it is our continuing duty to confront them.

....After 9/11, millions of brave Americans stepped forward and volunteered to serve in the Armed Forces. The military measures taken over the last 20 years to pursue dangers at their source have led to debate. But one thing is certain: We owe an assurance to all who have fought our nation's most recent battles. Let me speak directly to veterans and people in uniform: The cause you pursued at the call of duty is the noblest America has to offer. You have shielded your fellow citizens from danger. You have defended the beliefs of your country and advanced the rights of the downtrodden. You have been the face of hope and mercy in dark places. You have been a force for good in the world. Nothing that has followed -- nothing -- can tarnish your honor or diminish your accomplishments. To you, and to the honored dead, our country is forever grateful.
In the weeks and months following the 9/11 attacks, I was proud to lead an amazing, resilient, united people. When it comes to the unity of America, those days seem distant from our own. A malign force seems at work in our common life that turns every disagreement into an argument, and every argument into a clash of cultures. So much of our politics has become a naked appeal to anger, fear, and resentment. That leaves us worried about our nation and our future together.
I come without explanations or solutions. I can only tell you what I have seen.
On America's day of trial and grief, I saw millions of people instinctively grab for a neighbor's hand and rally to the cause of one another. That is the America I know.
At a time when religious bigotry might have flowed freely, I saw Americans reject prejudice and embrace people of Muslim faith. That is the nation I know.
At a time when nativism could have stirred hatred and violence against people perceived as outsiders, I saw Americans reaffirm their welcome to immigrants and refugees. That is the nation I know.
At a time when some viewed the rising generation as individualistic and decadent, I saw young people embrace an ethic of service and rise to selfless action. That is the nation I know.
This is not mere nostalgia; it is the truest version of ourselves. It is what we have been -- and what we can be again.
Twenty years ago, terrorists chose a random group of Americans, on a routine flight, to be collateral damage in a spectacular act of terror. The 33 passengers and 7 crew of Flight 93 could have been any group of citizens selected by fate. In a sense, they stood in for us all.
The terrorists soon discovered that a random group of Americans is an exceptional group of people. Facing an impossible circumstance, they comforted their loved ones by phone, braced each other for action, and defeated the designs of evil.
These Americans were brave, strong, and united in ways that shocked the terrorists -- but should not surprise any of us. This is the nation we know. And whenever we need hope and inspiration, we can look to the skies and remember.
God bless.
 

SuperMatt

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I saw this article highlighted on Daring Fireball. It’s quite prescient about the 9/11 aftermath, and was written on Sept 12, 2001.


The towers are gone now, reduced to bloody rubble, along with all hopes for Peace in Our Time, in the United States or any other country. Make no mistake about it: We are At War now -- with somebody -- and we will stay At War with that mysterious Enemy for the rest of our lives.
 

hulugu

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I saw this article highlighted on Daring Fireball. It’s quite prescient about the 9/11 aftermath, and was written on Sept 12, 2001.


Thompson was often the clearest-eyed person around.
 
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