Tag Archives: 9/11

military news

Sappiness to get stern test

A word comes to you from little ol’ me, who I have described as arguably one of the world’s biggest saps.

It’s my sappiness that I want to bring to your attention. In a sort of perverse way, I am rather proud of the tendency to let my emotions show to all the world to see.

It will occur on Sept. 11. I will board jetliner at Love Field in Dallas and will fly with 40-something military veterans to Washington, D.C. We will attend an Honor Flight, which is a lightning visit to D.C. We will arrive around noon on Sept. 11 and will return to North Texas the next day. Twenty-fours in and out, there and back. It’s going to be action-packed.

We’re going to visit several memorials in D.C. dedicated to veterans. We’re going to have volunteer companions who will act as our go-to men and women. They will be there to tend to our every need, request or whatever.

Where will the sappiness occur? What might bring it to the fore? We are likely to be given thanks, high praise and many of us will be reminded that during our time in service the nation didn’t respond to vets’ service in the same manner that many of our veterans are receiving today.

I served briefly in Vietnam while war was still raging. I didn’t serve in a combat unit. Indeed, I have spent nearly 60 years telling anyone who cares to know that I did damn little during my time there. None of that will matter to the folks who will show us around in quick-step fashion during our visit to the nation’s capital.

So, I suppose I could predict that I’ll be caught up in the good wishes and expressions of thanks and pride I rarely got when I came home for keeps in the summer of 1970.

I’ll be sure to have a hanky handy … just in case I need it. My history of sappiness tells me I will need it.

religious news

Islam is not our enemy

Very soon, Americans are going to commemorate a date that is every bit as infamous as the date that saw the United States plunge into World War II … the day Japan’s naval and air forces attacked our Pacific fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Just mention “9/11,” and the whole world knows what you mean. We went to war on that day because terrorists flew commercial jets into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and into a Pennsylvania field when passengers aboard a fourth jetliner sought to wrest control of the doomed plane from hijackers.

President Bush, barely nine months into his job on Sept. 11, 2001, spoke eloquently in an effort to rally the nation behind the fight against international terror. One of the major takeaways from the president’s speech that evening was that “we are not at war with Islam.” The nation was taking aim at the terrorists who masquerade as Muslims.

I mention this today because we are hearing throughout North Texas language that suggests that not all Americans heard the message that President Bush sought to convey. Islam, Bush told us, is a religion of peace.

President Obama also reminded us that the leader of the terrorists who killed thousands of Americans on 9/11 — Osama bin Laden — was “not a Muslim,” but that he was a terrorist who killed thousands of Muslims during his reign of terror, before U.S. commandos brought justice to the head of al-Qaeda.

And yet, we hear rumblings in North Texas about efforts to ban Sharia law, a tenet practiced by some Muslims. I hear rumblings in small communities such as Sachse. In McKinney, the city council might face a recall effort by residents angry over some council members’ support of a proposed mosque in that city.

I must be clear on this. A mosque is a house of worship where Muslims are guaranteed their right to pray as they see fit. It’s in the Constitution’s First Amendment. As for Sharia law, the Constitution also prohibits the any religion in our public schools. This all strikes me as a cause in search of a villain.

As Americans prepare to commemorate 9/11, a date that will — as Dec. 7 has done — be remembered as a “date which will live in infamy,” may we also remember that our enemies are not Muslims. They are those who have perverted a great religion for a dastardly political cause.

Uncategorized

Dubya looking better all the time

A dear friend and I today visited the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum. It was my fourth visit; it was her first.

I want to stipulate something I believe is quite significant, given that I think this is the second time I’ve been to the Bush center during one of Donald Trump’s administration. It is that I cannot help but compare the incumbent POTUS to the 43rd president. With each comparison that comes to mind, Dubya comes off looking better than the previous time.

I didn’t vote for President Bush in either of his presidential elections; nor did I cast a ballot for him for governor in 1994. I will not apologize for opposing his election to the governor’s office or the presidency or his re-election to the White House.

But I’ll be deep-fried and damned if he doesn’t look like the Second Coming compared to Trump. The Bush library contains many images of President Bush huddled with children while touting his education reforms. Today I noticed a hand-written letter from the late Sen. Ted Kennedy thanking the president for his work to help children learn to read. There is quite an exhibit explaining Bush’s efforts to combat HIV/AIDS, notably through his federal initiative known as PEPFAR, which stands for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Indeed, I learned in 2004 while attending the international AIDS conference in Bangkok, that PEPFAR has pumped more money into AIDS research than all other worldwide government programs … combined!

The Bush center also puts this man’s humanity on display. We see it through his care for families whose lives were destroyed by the events of 9/11 and by his concern for poverty that continues to strike all families across the land.

Quite naturally, the Bush center says nothing about the mistakes made by going to war in Iraq in 2003 or the economic freefall that struck the nation at the end of his presidency.

I just look at George W. Bush’s life of public service and I am filled with the desire to thank him personally for all he sought to do to make this a better world. I compare that to what Donald Trump continues to do to destroy the very fabric of our great nation. I simply shake my head out of disgust and rage.

national news

How do you shame the shameless?

How in the world does one heap shame on an individual who shows zero sign of shamelessness, one who seems to care little — if anything — about what others think of decisions he makes?

The answer is hidden somewhere in the weeds. I can’t find it. I’ll keep looking until I do. Donald J. Trump, of course, is the shameless individual about whom I am referring. His latest act of supreme snarkyness involves his response to the death of former FBI director Robert Mueller. “Good,” Trump said, “I’m glad he’s dead.” Let’s remember a couple of things here. No one in Trump’s family ever has worn the nation’s military uniform. Donald Trump infamously got a physician to sign off on a claim of bone spurs that kept the future POTUS out of serving during the Vietnam War. And yet … This pile of pig dookey rejoiced in the death of a man who volunteered for duty in the Marine Corps, served in Vietnam, was wounded with a rifle shot in the leg, was cited for valor many times, came home and then led the FBI as the agency was tasked with investigating the terror attack of 9/11. Trump has been vilified by Democrats and Republicans, by liberals and conservatives over his remarks about Mueller. Does it seemingly pierce what passes for his heart? Not that I can tell. Trump is a sociopath. Pure and simple. He has no moral compass. He is guided by nothing resembling an overarching philosophy. He is totally self-consumed, self-absorbed and full of self-aggrandizement. I fear the English language lacks the terminology that ever can penetrate this clown’s narcissistic shell.
national security

Defending the ‘homeland’

The term “homeland” emerged from the rubble after the 9/11 terror attack that sent the United States hurtling into what amounted to a new world war … against international terrorism.

I want to discuss a couple aspects about the term briefly here and I might piss some folks off with what I am about to assert.

First of all, I dislike the term “homeland” to label the United States of America and our territories scattered around the world. Why does it bother me? I cannot explain it fully, but I will start by asserting that the very term sounds antiquated. It’s as if it belongs in the 19th-century glossary of terms.

The 9/11 attacks prompted President Bush soon afterward to create a Homeland Security department in the Cabinet. The first DHS secretary was Tom Ridge, the governor of Pennsylvania. He took office in 2003. The current DHS head is Kristi Noem, former governor of South Dakota. More on her in a moment.

I have believed almost since the beginning of our war against terror that the national security adviser could assume the role of protector of our nation. Think for a moment about the term “national security.” I know it encompasses worldwide threats, but they all have a common denominator: Do they affect the security of our home country?

Furthermore, I also have believed — since the 9/11 attacks — that President Bush’s national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, has escaped any serious responsibility for her office’s failure to act on known threats to our security. I heard little commentary from the pundit class wondering: Why didn’t Rice’s team pick up on the clues that reportedly had been spread like bread crumbs along the trail?

Homeland Security has become the subject of recrimination these days, as DHS Secretary Noem has presided over the immigration cops’ handling of the task of ridding the country of criminals who are here illegally. She has lied her way through hours of testimony before Congress and has laid blame on the victims of two fatal shootings who died at the hands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement goons in Minneapolis.

Is it at all possible to roll Homeland Security issues into the national security adviser’s team, kick in a few billion bucks that are now being squandered at DHS and then charge the NSA with protecting the nation against the criminals hiding as undocumented immigrants.

media news

Living the editorialist’s dream

I guess you can date this phenomenon back to around 9/11, the day the terrorists declared war on the United States of America and thrust us into the global war against terrorism.

It fell on the laps of people like me — who was writing editorials and columns and editing the pages on which we would publish them — to seek to provide context, perspective and leadership through the written word.

The phenomenon of the moment took place in this fashion: Hardly a day went by while I was working as a full-time opinion journalist where I didn’t have something on which to say. That’s right. The task I faced almost every morning when I reported for work was to decide what to set aside for a later publication date.

Many of those who have done what I did for a living for nearly 37 years faced the opposite … finding topics on which to comment to fill a gaping hole on the page. Not me, man! 9/11 introduced us to a whole host of terror-related and national security issues that required commentary from the newspaper. This occurred during the time when newspapers actually meant something to the comunities they served.

Writer’s block? Fuhgettaboutit!

I had a brief bout with writer’s block. It’s passed. My A-game has returned. I am grateful.

I now will continue living the dream … a life as a semi-retired blogger who gets to foist his views on the rest of the world.

local news

9/11: spirit of national unity

We just commemorated another year since the horrific terror attack of 9/11 and today I took a member of my family to tour the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum which honors an important part of that terrible moment.

I’ve told you already that I am a big-league sap when it comes to certain events. The events usually involve profound tragedy and national responses to it. The 9/11 attacks on the Trade Center, the Pentagon and the thwarting of a fourth jetliner aimed for some DC target all bring tears to my eyes.

It’s been 24 years since the attack occurred and every one of those profound moments of resolve, of courage beyond measure of emergency responders, of a president who suddenly took command of the world’s mightiest war machine and the unity displayed in homes across the land … they all fill me with emotion that is hard to control.

This was my fourth visit to the Bush Library and Museum in Dallas. It was my family member’s first visit. He came away feeling proud of the president, who stood tall on the WTC rubble and told the crowd, “The people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon.”

As more time passes, the prouder I become of President Bush and the manner in which he handled the national trauma. Did he make mistakes in the pursuit of the mastermind of the attack? Sure. I never doubted for a moment that he put the country first as well as his commitment to protect us from further catastrophic acts of violence.

In its way, the visit today to the Bush exhbit was timed perfectly to coincide with the commemorations we experienced as we remembered the day that changed this country forever.

Indeed, we must never forget what can happen when we let our guard down.

Uncategorized

How did she escape blame?

I want to revisit one of the darker chapters in our nation’s glorious story, the 9/11 terror attack that killed 3,000 or so innocent victims.

Netflix has produced a three-part documentary that chronicles the effort to hunt down Osama bin Laden, mastermind behind the 9/11 attack. It’s more than four hours of really gripping TV. It takes the viewer through all the pre-9/11 attempts to hit the United States. There are interviews with key officials from the Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations.

We remember what happened that day. It was a gorgeous September morning in New York. A jetliner crashed into one of the Twin Towers. Then a second plane tore into the other Tower. A third plane smashed into the Pentagon. A fourth jet crashed into a Pennsylvania field after passengers fought with hijackers for control of the doomed craft.

The documentary sought to assess responsibilty for the catastrophic intelligence failures that produced the tragedy. I didn’t hear one time the name of an individual at the center of the intelligence network, nor did I hear a single reference made to anything she did or didn’t do: Condoleezza Rice, national security adviser for President Bush.

It has been a major puzzle to me how in the world she has escaped any recrimination for the failure to detect or act on any clue that might have materialized prior to the events of that horrifying day. I recall at the time as the nation endured the shock of what happened that no one seemed to mention Rice’s name publicly. My goodness, she was at center of our nation’s intelligence-gathering network.

President Bush selected Rice to be his national security adviser because she is known to be a deep thinker, a critical analyst, one who studies her craft thoroughly … and for my money, someone who should be held accountable for whatever failings occurred on her watch that led to the mass murders and destruction of the World Trade Center.

The series concludes with a detailed look at the planning that went into the eventual killing of bin Laden by the SEALs. I was struck by this nugget as well. President Obama was told that his national security team had less evidence of bin Laden’s presence in that Pakisani compound than what was used to persuade Americans that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. He didn’t have the WMD and we went to war in March 2003. All Obama had was purely circumstantial evidence that bin Laden was in the compound.

I am still waiting to learn, though, whether Condoleezza Rice ever will be asked to answer this question: Did you do all you could have done to prevent 9/11?

local news

No fun traveling these days

Remember when you were a kid and you just couldn’t wait to go to the airport and prepare to fly on a big jet airplane?

Traveling was fun in those days, correct? Not any more.

Hey, I’m whippin’ a dead horse with that one, but it needs a little wallop once again.

I just returned from a four-day trip to Portland, Ore., to bid my sister a heartfelt farewell. Getting there and back, though, was no picnic.

Transportation Safety Administration personnel always seem to ensure that our next flying adventure will be one for the books. To be fair, this one doesn’t qualify as an epic experience. My departure from Dallas/Fort Worth airport was relatively hassle free. I didn’t have to remove my shoes and place my laptop in a separate basket for screening. I breezed on through.

Coming home last night was a bit different as I departed Portland’s airport. TSA staffers were barking orders and, frankly, giving this old guy a bit of anxiety trying to get through the maze and lie ahead.

But I got through.

I say all this merely to remind us of the havoc those fu**ing terrorists created on 9/11.

We won’t ever return to the good old days when flying was fun.  Stlll, I kind of like longing for a moment when I can relive the joy I used to feel when I got ready to get on that big bird and fly away.

national news

‘The Mayor’ has fallen farthest

It was striking to me as I watched the nation commemorate the 22nd year since the 9/11 attacks that one man was missing from all the ceremonies we saw.

At Ground Zero. At the Pentagon. At the field in Shanksville, Pa. Dignitaries noted the tragedy that befell the nation. They saluted the first responders. The spoke to the unity that brought Americans of all political stripes together.

Who was missing from all of this? The man we once hailed as “America’s Mayor,” Rudolph Giuliani has become persona non grata.

The more I think about it, the more I am left to conclude that no political figure has fallen farther and more dramatically than Giuliani in the 22 years since he burst on the American political scene simply by being a man of strength and dignity trying to rally New York City from the wreckage brought by the terrorists.

He would become Time’s Person of the Year in 2001 … and with great reason. He stood like a colossus over rubble where the Twin Towers once stood. Americans looked to him to provide strength that would feed the rest of us.

America’s Mayor delivered … in spades.

Now, though, he has become a ridiculous caricature of himself. He stands with a former POTUS who lost the 2020 election and proclaims that he actually won it. Giuliani has been indicted by federal and state grand juries. He is in danger of losing his law license.

Do I pity him? Do I lament his fall from the nation’s grace? Not for a second. The man made his choice willingly and I’ll presume with a clear head.

Given all the chaos that he engenders these days it would be the depth of folly for him to appear publicly to take part in events designed to remember the horrendous event that handed him the opportunity to stand tall.

America’s Mayor has become America’s Joke.