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July 28, 2004 As everything has been belated with me lately, I believe it is time I wrote about the 9-11 Commission Report. I was planning on holding off until I concluded reading it, and am currently on Chapter 7 of the report, having just finished reading about the radicalization and assembly of Mohammed Atta and his men for the “planes operation” in mid-1999. I approach this issue with humility, as so many lives are riding on a fair and balanced (Fox is coming after me) reading and interpretation of this report, especially in lawmaking circles. It may be best for Congress to postpone their vacation, or at least the vacations of key committee members, so as to begin the process of plotting out and creating some of the changes the 9-11 Commission sees as helpful. The 9-11 Commission, with my own Indiana boasting Vice-Chairman Lee Hamilton, approached the monumental task of filtering through all of the information and misinformation surrounding the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania with the utmost discipline and care for the fact that they were looking through extremely sensitive documents in extremely sensitive times. While the Bush Administration at first did not want an independent, bi-partisan 9-11 Commission, and later flip-flopped because of the massive outcry from the families of victims, and while they dragged their feet in allowing Bush and Condi Rice to testify, the bottom line is that, eventually, they were put before the Commission and forced to tell what they knew and when they knew it. Like a shot in the arm, the fear of it was much worse than the actual thing. From what I have read, especially in Section 1 (“We Have Some Planes”), the United States – three years ago and today – is ill-prepared to prevent a terrorist attack, and even worse off at combating an attack once it is already in progress. As the report stated, by 8:00 a.m. on September 11, 2001, the terrorists had already defeated the last line of security that prevented them from taking over commercial jetliners and using them as missiles. This is simply not acceptable. The 9-11 Commission Report also reveals Al-Qaida to be what it is: not the haphazard, Saudi- or Afghanistan-based terror coalition Richard Clarke, Sandy Berger, Condi Rice and Donald Rumsfeld once thought it to be, but a worldwide syndicate with finance, public relations, operational and planning wings. It is, in short, a self-supporting government by terror, for terror, and of terror. And it is still there, still growing, still an ever-present and grave threat. Usama bin Ladin is still alive, somewhere out there, presumably between Afghanistan and Pakistan. If he is not still in direct charge of Al Qaida, it continues to live through self-sustaining cells and regional branches, and through corrupt charities and government associations, and through the donations of corrupt individuals of extreme wealth, and through the willingness of corrupt governments to harbor it. An Al Qaida attack is no longer an if, but a when. The if that once protected us from an attack now moves to whether or not we will be able to prevent or minimalize what Al Qaida does next. The War on Terror, as the report says, is far too broad and ill-fitting. It is an old-world war, like those we are so used to fighting. To succeed in this War on Terror and finally dismantle Al Qaida, we must rethink our method of waging war. Rest assured I will get into this later. But now our mandate is clear: change, reform, renovation, as quickly and effectively as possible. The very structure of the government of the United States of America relies upon it. Let us not shirk this duty. Let us act swiftly and strongly, and forget partisan lines for the betterment of the United States. We have our task. Let us carry it forward. ------------ About the author: Max Burns lives in Indianapolis and interns with the Indiana Democratic Party. Visit The Rabid Demoncrat or read the fantasy-fiction novel "Alcardia". He is currently a senior at Lawrence North High School and is active in political clubs and associations. Max thinks it's time to hatch a real environmental policy and plant George W. Bush back in Crawford. Email: MBurns_NS@hotmail.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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