September 11, 2001: When the Chickens Came Home to Roost
By Kennie Anderson

As should have been expected, after spreading so much methodical bloodshed all over the world, bloodshed returned to the United States mainland on September 11, 2001. The death toll was about 3,000, only 0.1% of the 3,000,000 Vietnamese killed by US aggression. The number of casualties from the attacks on September 11th was also much lower than the over 30,000 children who died from starvation and easily curable diseases on that exact same day. For those who only value American lives, keep in mind that over 7,500 Americans suffered cigarette-related deaths that same week. (Yet Philip Morris has never been the target of US bombing raids.)

This is not to devalue the American lives lost on September 11th. It was a horrible incident. All human lives are equally precious, but it is important not to single out September 11th, when so much death and destruction exist in this world, often brought upon by the United States. It is important not to use the loss of innocent lives on September 11th to justify the taking of many more innocent lives!

Some very angry people backed the retaliation on September 11th. Just read any interview with Osama Bin Laden that took place before the attack. They were angry at the United States for its support of authoritarian and brutal regimes. They were angry at America's continuous intervention to block any movement towards democracy and economic development, especially in Third World countries. They were angry at America for supporting Saddam Hussein (enemy of Bin Laden and the Wahabs) through the worst of his atrocities, including gassing the Kurds (something Bin Laden brought up constantly). They were very angry at the US for its continued genocide on Iraqi people through bombing and sanctions. They were angry at the US for its relentless economic, diplomatic, and military support for Israel and its invasion and occupation of Palestine.

The people who organized the attack on September 11, were completely counterproductive in their goals. America is now even more paranoid, intrusive, and violent than before. The US was given a reason to destroy Afghanistan that the people would cheer for (unlike its previous Afghan interests of heroin, oil pipelines, and Soviet subversion).