Clarice's Pieces: Ten Years After 9/11

It's the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and an appropriate time for people to recall where they were on that day and how they reacted.  I don't really need an annual reminder though.  The day is so much a part of me that I still often dream that I am in the World Trade Center jumping from a top floor, watching as the havoc around me takes place so close to the  Hudson River and the Statue of Liberty, thinking of my loved ones and hoping -- in my last minutes -- they are well.  Like so much of that tragedy, the really important things -- the  doomed WTC jumpers, the dancing in the Arab streets -- was underplayed or censored by the media.

Living in the District of Columbia, I remember the outrage, confusion and horror of that day and many days that followed, including the anthrax attacks and fears of them that rattled the city for weeks after.  And on quiet nights I often imagine still hearing the tramping of thousands of commuters walking miles home from the center of the city when all other forms of transport were unavailable.  They are so much a part of me, anniversary reminders are unnecessary.

Quickly the fear and outrage we felt was considered by the elite to be too dangerous to acknowledge or validate.  They consider the rest of us moronic murderers it would seem.   Instead of reminding us of the truth of that day, they fed us a steady stream of  gelding, feminizing pap about religion of peace, multiculturalism, overwrought (never realized) fears and claims of anti-Moslem discrimination and harassment, and blame shifting to us the acts of  genuinely murderous thugs.

As usual,  a counterfactual  elite perspective  was mouthed by now-President Obama who laid the blame on the attackers' "failure of empathy", "poverty and ignorance" and urged us to do more to alleviate the "hopes and dreams of embittered children" around the globe:

"We must also engage, however, in the more difficult task of understanding the sources of such madness. The essence of this tragedy, it seems to me, derives from a fundamental absence of empathy on the part of the attackers: an inability to imagine, or connect with, the humanity and suffering of others. Such a failure of empathy, such numbness to the pain of a child or the desperation of a parent, is not innate; nor, history tells us, is it unique to a particular culture, religion, or ethnicity. It may find expression in a particular brand of violence, and may be channeled by particular demagogues or fanatics. Most often, though, it grows out of a climate of poverty and ignorance, helplessness and despair.

"We will have to make sure, despite our rage, that any U.S. military action takes into account the lives of innocent civilians abroad. We will have to be unwavering in opposing bigotry or discrimination directed against neighbors and friends of Middle Eastern descent. Finally, we will have to devote far more attention to the monumental task of raising the hopes and prospects of embittered children across the globe-children not just in the Middle East, but also in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe and within our own shores." [/quote]

In a further Orwellian effort to erase from our memories the horror of that day and the antipathy toward the attackers and their political supporters, the administration desecrated the event by turning it into some community organizing type Day of Service. 

I agree wholeheartedly with Matthew Vadum:

Obama's desecration of 9/11 is part of an effort to dumb down the nation and turn the solemn annual commemoration of the Sept. 11, 2001 atrocities into a meaningless feel-good event that glosses over both the horrors of that day and the evil intentions of the Islamofascist barbarians who made them happen.

At heart, Obama telegraphs not only his  mindless osmotic adoption of elite foppery but his willingness to ignore the truth: There is no evidence that the hijackers and planners were anything but privileged members of their own societies.  They were not Frantz Fanon's enraged victims of colonization, and we were not their colonizers or exploiters.  We were targeted because our freedom and prosperity underscored that Islamic rules of submission to reactionary despots have left most in that part of the world economically and intellectually centuries behind the West. 

Frankly, my aims were different than futilely  trying even harder to soothe the homicidal  impulses of these wretches with charity.  It was to  reduce the possibility of future attacks and to end forever the reliance on energy from countries that hate us and supported the attack in any way, something at odds with the present Administration.

And from this Administration's unremitting attacks on energy production in the United States, a country rolling in natural energy resources, it is clear that he has made us weaker and less able to respond to the threats from the Middle East that face us and our less resource rich allies.

This 9/11 I have some comfort, however, in the evidence that this Administration is fast sinking into ignominy and political irrelevance and by 2012 will be gone.

The Washington Post makes fun of his latest effort at speechifying us into ignorance about the state of the economy:

 Almost all Republicans ignored the call of some within their ranks to boycott the speech.  In fact, the empty seats were on the Democratic side.  Democrats lumbered to their feet to give the president several standing ovations, but they struggled at times to demonstrate enthusiasm.  When Obama proposed payroll tax cuts for small businesses, three Democrats stood to applaud. Summer jobs for disadvantaged youth brought six Democrats to their feet, and a tax credit for hiring the long-term unemployed produced 11 standees.[snip] Obama spoke quickly, urgently, even angrily. Rep. Jesse Jackson (D-Ill.) stared at the ceiling. Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) scanned the gallery. Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) was seen reading a newspaper. And Republicans, when they weren't giggling, were mostly silent.

Andrew Malcolm of the LA Times mocks his sudden urgency-961 days after taking office -- on jobs:

Citing the plight of millions of struggling Americans whose wishes for jobs Obama ignored for most of the 961 days he's been in office while chasing shinier healthcare and financial reforms, Obama said it was time that Congress stop blaming others.  He said it was time members take responsibility for their inaction and halt their phony partisan games and political circus acts that pervade Washington culture.

Because the Americans Obama hasn't been listening to are really hurting now.

The speech was so ridiculous he asked Congress 17 times to "pass this [nonexistent] bill" .  His hem kissers at AP, fact checked his claims and found them wanting.  The reaction to the jobs speech signals the shift in the wind.

Remarkably, the New York Times acknowledges the wisdom of Sarah Palin and the non partisan appeal of her (and the Tea Party's) message about corporate cronyism and our political elites.

Chris Matthews conceded that Social Security is a Ponzi scheme as Rick Perry claimed in this week's debate.  This suggests that the Democrats are coming around to the notion of entitlement revisions instead of skinning  non existent zillionaires to keep the gravy train on track.

Salon's Matt Stoller argued that the Democrats should have a wide open nomination process for the Presidential primaries.  Most of the Salon  article is laughably nonsensical, but that a left wing publication openly suggests the President who just recently was the party's messiah, is a loser, is akin to the  earth wobbling off its axis:

In a few months, we'll know better if Obama still looks like a loser next year. If he does, that does not mean the Democratic Party must follow him down the path to oblivion.

Signs are that the voters see not just their standard bearer Obama, but the entire Democratic Party as losers . Two Congressional elections are to be held this coming Tuesday and the Democrats chances in both look slender.

The best way to commemorate and avenge the dead and wounded of 9/11 is not to paint community meeting halls or pick up trash or to invite CAIR to tea.  It is to honor their memory and never forget who caused their deaths. And it is to get rid of this feckless   President and his party and replace them with experienced executives  we can trust to defend this land, support its troops and restore us to the prosperity we once enjoyed.