September 11^th terrorist attacks.

On September 11^th, 2001, four airplanes were hijacked by Muslim Fundamentalist from the Al-Queida terrorist network, sponsored by the billionaire Saudi Arabian “Sheik”, Osama (or Usama) bib Laden. Two of the planes were flown into the World Trade Center towers, about twenty minutes apart, causing the towers to collapse and causing the death of approximately 3,000 men, women and children of all nationalities. The third airplane was flown into the Pentagon building in Washington, D.C. and killed almost two hundred people. The forth plane crashed in Western Pennsylvania after passengers wrestled control back from the hijackers, but were unable to gain full control of the plane. All on board the forth airplane were killed. These events, as they most all are these days, were broadcast on live television, and the “anchors” remained on-air for two or so days, continuously feeding the American viewing public images or horror, with on-site, personal, up front interviews of anybody they could point on camera.

For several days the nation remained dazed, much the same as I remember it when John Kennedy was killed. Television news broadcast the on-going horror, government officials expressed their outrage, citizens pretty much cancelled their lives, or put everything on hold until it could be determined how these acts had happened and who was responsible.

George Bush, the brand new forty-fifth President of the United States, in office for nine months or so, and without a majority of the American vote, seemed to step up from this, again I think press created malaise to the forefront of world affairs, and declared, after about a week, that indeed, Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network, whom for the previous nine or so years had taken to blowing up American Embassies and soldiers barracks, and killing diplomats, had, indeed, been responsible for these “crimes against humanity” AND the United States, with its allies, were now declaring war not just on bin Laden and Al-Queida, but on all of terrorism, worldwide. The catch phrase was, “If you’re not against terrorism then you’re against us, and you’ll pay the consequences”.

In November of 2001, troops from the United States, acting with, or better yet, in support of various Afgan alliances, Northern, later, Southern, began the route of the Taliban government controlling Afghanistan. This government had taken Osama bin Laden, and his network of terrorists into their country and allowed them to train as terrorists while the Taliban leader, a recluse, one-eyed fellow named Mulla Mohammed Omar embraced the terrorist philosophies aimed at destroying, basically, the United States. The crimes here, allegedly, were supporting Israel and U.S. troops remaining on Saudia Arabian soil after the end of the 1991 Gulf War, in which the United States destroyed the army of Iraq and freed Kuwait from occupation and ruin at the hands of Sadam Hussein (I’m sure both Iraq and Hussein will come up again as I continue with this Chronicle).

The “war” was short as superior air power (we had airplanes, they didn’t) pounded dug in ground forces into hamburger. Each target was softened up with relentless bombing, and then our “allies” would follow up on the ground and shoot a few Tailban until they, the Tailban warriors for God who will fight to the death (so says their leader, the one-eyed Mulla Mohammed Omar) surrender in droves, or run away, or somehow escaping back into the general population, or to Pakistan, or else where. At years end, 2001, Afghanistan was rid of the Taliban and a new government was formed. The government was composed of various “tribal chiefs” (I hesitate to use the term war lord) whom were disposed by the Taliban six or seven years ago, so you see one thing you can learn from the Afghans is that they are patient. Of course, in early January of 2002, a group of interested American Congressmen took a trip to Afghanistan and were told $1,500,000,000. ($1.5 Billion) would be needed to re-establish the country after decades of war and neglect. It was also noted that, “AND don’t forget, if you walk away, like you did ten years ago, who knows what may happen again”. It seems to me the Afghans are patient AND manipulative.

As for Osama bin Laden and Mulla Mohammed Omar, they “disappeared” and to this date, January 17^th, 2002 has not been captured. A bunch of Tailban/Al-Queida soldiers have been deported to Cuba (and that’s kind of funny, don’t you think), along with one John Walker, hence forth known as either “Jihad Johnnie” or “the American Taliban, I prefer the former, shall be tried in military tribunals, hopefully starting soon. The government plays down the lack of bin Laden and Omar, saying the war was on terrorism, not individuals, BUT I know and so does everyone else, that unless you cut off the head of the snake, the snake will bite you again.

I’m sure this epic, which began with the horrors of September 11^th, 2001 is now at the beginning, not the end and I wonder, as I sit writing this at 3AM, summoned awake to write these words for unknown reasons, what the end will be, and where it will take us as a country, and the world in general.