We need another 9/11

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9/11: "we need another"

Overview

It has been suggested at least twice, by supposed conservatives, that we need another 9/11 to unify the United States politically against terrorism. The basic premise of these arguments seems to be that the threat represented by terrorism is far worse than the loss of a few thousand lives. In the most recent instance, the argument was presented in at least two mainstream media outlets including favorable coverage on Fox News.

Conclusions

  1. They've got to be kidding.
  2. It doesn't look like they are.
  3. Although it can be argued that "another 9/11" would politically unify the country, it would also be evidence that Bush's anti-terrorism policies had failed
  4. Unfortunately, this important point would probably be lost in the chaos and demogoguery which would inevitably follow
  5. The frenzy into which the United States would probably be whipped would certainly compare to the frenzy whipped up by the original 9/11, and we would probably end up going along with some idea just as bad as the US invasion of Iraq, possibly worse.
  6. The potential US invasion of Iran seems like a strong candidate for this "bad idea"
  7. "Another 9/11" would, under the current administration or a subsequent administration with similar attitudes, inevitably lead to further reduction of civil liberties and expansion of unconstitutional activities
  8. If no significant number of Bush-supporters promptly jump forward to condemn this idea, it lends considerable credibility to the theory that 9/11 could have been allowed to happen, encouraged, or even engineered by a group of Americans believing themselves to be acting in the best interests of America.
  9. It seems likely that this sort of attitude is intended to distract attention away from the administration's anti-democratic efforts to further consolidate its power and squash dissent.

Questions

If Bush himself does not condemn this idea, at least in passing, what does that tell us about Bush's attitude towards 9/11?

Links

  • 2007-08-09 To save America, we need another 9/11 by Stu Bykofsky: "What kind of a sick bastard would write such a thing? A bastard so sick of how splintered we are politically - thanks mainly to our ineptitude in Iraq - that we have forgotten who the enemy is. It is not Bush and it is not Hillary and it is not Daily Kos or Bill O'Reilly or Giuliani or Barack. It is global terrorists who use Islam to justify their hideous sins, including blowing up women and children. Iraq has fractured the U.S. into jigsaw pieces of competing interests that encourage our enemies. We are deeply divided and division is weakness."
  • 2007-06-03 GOP chief: New strategy key quotes Saline County (Arkansas) Republican Party chairman Dennis Milligan: "At the end of the day, I believe fully the president is doing the right thing, and I think all we need is some attacks on American soil like we had on [ 9/11 ], and the naysayers will come around very quickly to appreciate not only the commitment for President Bush, but the sacrifice that has been made by men and women to protect this country,” Milligan said.' He probably didn't mean it the way it sounds, but it does rather illustrate the kind of "thinking" at work among Bush supporters: better to have another 9/11 than to have to keep dealing with (much less acknowledge the validity of dissent). The right wing truly does have more in common with the Islamic extremists than with most everyone else.
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