the 9/11 commission report: chapter 2 (part 1)

when people talk about “the terrorists”, the essence of the conversation is about how “the terrorists” hate us for our “freedoms” and our “values.”

here are a few statements in the book from/about bin ladin regarding why he hates america:

“If the present injustice continues…it will inevitably move the battle to american soil.”

“He inveighed against the presence of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia, the home of Islam’s holiest sites. He spoke of the suffering of the Iraqi people as a results of sanctions imposed after the Gulf War, and he protested U.S. support of Israel.”

“In early 1992, the al Qaeda leadership issued a fatwa calling for jihad against the Western ‘occupation’ of Islamic lands.”

i don’t hear anything about american values or freedoms there, do you? i hear resentment toward american actions and american policies in other parts of the world. the reason why it’s important to make this distinction is because if you don’t correctly define the motives of the terrorists, you cannot correctly formulate a solution. the united states has participated in just actions around the world. it has also been involved in situations it should not have been. denying this is not productive.

i am a Christian, so i approach everything with a Christian point of view. i believe that people are inherently sinful (meaning they do things that are wrong). this leads me to believe that there is no government on earth that is capable of being righteous or moral, because governments are run by sinful people. this belief leads to the conclusion that a government run by sinful people WILL be engaged in activities it should not be engaged in. this applies to the united states as much as it applies to any other country. sin and evil is not just “out there.” it is everywhere, in every country, in every government. once you agree with that statement (and you may not)…you have to say it is probable that the united states has done things it should not have, and when governments do that…they anger people.

this does not excuse terrorism, or violence, or murder. terrorism is not a rational response to frustration/anger with a government or nation. and i would never say that the united states “deserved” 9/11, or that it deserves attacks from terrorists in any form.

but claiming that the united states is an innocent little girl, and people hate us because we’re so moral and free…is false. and it doesn’t lead to us becoming any safer.

here is the most ironic statement ever made in the history of the world (does this use of exaggeration discredit everything else i say?)…

“Over time, their policies – repression, rewards, emigration, and the displacement of popular anger onto scapegoats (generally foreign) – were shaped by the desire to cling to power.”

that could easily

easily

EASILY be applied to the united states.

it reminds us that evil/bad people are not just “out there”…but here. the desire for power is great, and it would be naïve to think it doesn’t play a role in u.s. actions and policies.

i am not an expert on this. i am still learning about what the united states has done that has pissed off the terrorists so badly. but i have gotten so far as to realize...we've done SOMETHING. this isn't about some angry people that felt like killing people for no reason. with humbleness i proceed to study these things, and admit my own part in our nation's shortcomings. by making votes without educating myself, i have participated in the nation's wrongdoing. by blindly supporting leaders in government without thoughtful criticism, i have participated. ignorance does not excuse me. it is my responsibility to understand these issues, and do what i can to hold our elected representatives accountable. it is not my responsibility to blindly accept everything they do as "right" (if my favorite political party or person is in power), OR to automatically label everything they do as "wrong" out of cynicism.

i’ll end on that note.

i have to break this chapter into 2 parts, because the next half…is about what i’ve learned regarding the iraq war.