The Devaluation of 9/11

I watched the President’s speech last night under the theory that one should know one’s enemy. Her said many things but again he used it as a justification for his private war in Iraq.

Let’s look at a little of what Georgie boy said:

“We have learned that they form a global network of extremists who are driven by
a perverted vision of Islam -- a totalitarian ideology that hates freedom, rejects tolerance, and despises all dissent.”

He’s talking about the terrorists here but if you change Islam to Christianity you could be talking about the right-wing in our own country.

“America did not ask for this war, and every American wishes it were over.”

Well I doubt every American wishes it was over, lets talk to the oil company heads and the military contractors…they’re loving this war. And in it’s unilateral support of Israel in the middle east without regard to the feeling of her Arab neighbors, American policy did sow the seeds of hatred that led to this war. We may not have invited it, but our policies certainly pissed people off enough that something was going to happen.

“He and other suspected terrorists have been questioned by the Central Intelligence Agency, and they provided valuable information that has helped stop attacks in America and across the world. Now these men have been transferred to Guantanamo Bay…”

Let read this the way it SHOULD be worded shall we? ‘He and others were tortured by the CIA and are now being transferred to Gitmo where they will get sham trials and be locked up and tortured some more.’

“The world is safer because Saddam Hussein is no longer in power”

Is it really? Have you looked at the caskets coming home from Iraq George? 3,000 American troops are dead George. Saddam never attacked us George. There were no WMD’s oh wait…except for those 10 year old degraded shells from the Iran-Iraq war that could barely kill anything.

“Al Qaeda and other extremists from across the world have come to Iraq to stop
the rise of a free society in the heart of the Middle East. They have joined the
remnants of Saddam's regime and other armed groups to foment sectarian violence…”

In other words George, you have allowed to happen what Saddam prohibited. Iraq and Al Queda ARE NOW LINKED where they never were before. Congratulations!

“America will stay in the fight. Iraq will be a free nation, and a strong ally
in the war on terror.”

Kinda sounds like through sheer force of will he’s going to make this happen. They WILL be a free nation. They WILL be a strong ally in the war of terror.

“Osama bin Laden and other terrorists are still in hiding. Our message to them
is clear: No matter how long it takes, America will find you, and we will bring
you to justice.”

It’s been 5 years George. Perhaps if we send all the troops from Iraq to Afghanistan and Pakistan we MIGHT find him in another 5 years.

“We are now in the early hours of this struggle between tyranny and freedom”

This should say, we’re gonna be at war in Iraq for a Looooong time.

“Winning this war will require the determined efforts of a unified country, and
we must put aside our differences and work together to meet the test that history has given us”

This means ‘PLEASE DON’T TAKE MY REPUBLICAN CONGRESS AWAY FROM ME IN NOVEMBER”

“Americans united in prayer, came to the aid of neighbors in need, and resolved
that our enemies would not have the last word. The spirit of our people is the
source of America's strength. And we go forward with trust in that spirit, confidence in our purpose, and faith in a loving God who made us to be free.”

Finally he went for the religious angle and invoked God. I particularly liked “and faith in a loving God who made us to be free”. He forgot to add ‘unless you’re gay’ at the end.

Had he just stuck with a remembrance of 9/11 and its victims and heroes I think George could have had a good speech. But instead he turned it into another diatribe in favor of an illegal war in Iraq. And by throwing in a pinch of politics and religion he shifted the entire speech squarely into the election/political spectrum and further devalued his remarks.

This was not so much a remembrance as it was yet another speech for justification and a plea for support. And now we begin to hear about Iran, all the things we heard about Iraq before the war. We hear ‘oh they are developing WMD’s’, ‘oh they are mean to their people’ and ‘oh, they are a threat to the region and the world’.

Mark my words, Iran is next or will it be Syria. I think that's an even money bet at the moment. I can’t help wonder if this isn’t a crusade.

Raven