It will be a generation that has passed since the terrorist attacks on the USA on September 11, 2001.
The attacks that day practically shut down the country. Planes were grounded for three days and still until today, any plane believed to be in violation of the control towers is escorted by NORAD to a safe landing without striking buildings or people. And if those planes tried to veer off course they can be shot down by the USA military.
I think the San Diego Union-Tribune below said it well. The ripple effect from that day was felt everywhere in the world. Some say an annual commemorative is overdone. That there is no comparison to Pearl Harbor because these were civilians and not USA soldiers on duty to the country. There is validity to that argument.
But, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC suffered the greatest trauma, and until this day every year, there are commemorative ceremonies to honor those that died.
The issue at hand is about the families that did not receive compensation through the programs offered by the Bush White House and passed by the USA legislature. There were some families that did not receive their family and/or friends back to bury, except, in a vile provided by the City of New York. The contents were from "the pile" of debris that burned for weeks if not months after the destruction took place. The 911 families became a focus of the country to understand the devastation of the acts of terrorists half a world away. At hand is the question, "Do the families in their lawsuits have the right to classified material?"
There is a lot of policy about classified material. Some items like the USA Census are prohibited from public knowledge for 70 years because of personal data. This year on September 11, 2021, it will be 20 years since the material was classified. Given there is a museum to the people that died in that horrible act, there are documents that can go to the museum as well.
There were people that did not approve of the lawsuits filed and to that there may be resistance to release the records, but, there are also many unanswered questions about that day and the weeks that followed. We all have questions about why the bin Laden family had been whisked away from the USA to Saudi Arabia. They weren't made to answer questions. There are issues about the relationship between the Saudi family and the Bush family. A lot revolved around oil, but, there were very personal relationships that may have led to the preferred treatment of one particular family.
There are many other issues, such as the fact the 19 terrorists that died that day were all citizens of Saudi Arabia. AND. They were known to the FBI and CIA. Within in 24 hours, the 19's pictures were published and it was like, what the heck? If they knew that on September 12, 2001; knowing the wreckage in all three locations was burning; why didn't they know it on September 10, 2001, to stop this insanity?
The questions go beyond that. The idea we could put this entire tragedy to rest and open the files to discover there are truths that need to be dealt with would be a good thing for the country as well as the families and friends of those lost.
Twenty years is a long time for intelligence to be kept secret. The USA is leaving Afghanistan and oddly enough as predicted by many, to a return of the Taliban without a clear understanding that the future will hold no surprises. But, there is a time when the USA needs to move away from chronic police actions in a country and find better ways to recognize dangers and prevent them.
In my opinion as well as others, 911 should have been prevented. It could have been and that is the tragedy. The real tragedy. The intelligence services knew about Moussaoui (click here). The FBI had him in their sights and no one could stop the others. The terrorists left Moussaoui out of the attack because they knew he was "made" by the FBI. The other terrorists lead by Atta were worried the FBI would tail Moussaoui and discover their plans before they could carry them out. It boggles the mind to know the FBI was just that good and no one ever did anything about it.
President Biden was in the Senate at the time of these attacks. He could easily speak to the turmoil and resolve in the US Congress at that time. He voted to allow Executive Power to invade Iraq (click here). Iraq's invasion was a political act and what appeared to be personal reasons by Former President Bush. He wanted Suddam Hussain.
Since the Iraq War, all the so-called evidence to invade had been decided to be inadequate to carry out that war. We came to know a lot from the 911 Commission and the Iraq Study Group. I don't know how much the USA changed history in that country. There were ways of taking Saddam and his sons from power, but, the Bush administration had no use for the process.
All that said, I think it is time to bring the truth forward and provide closure to the families of the victims that did not take USA Treasury money to solve their problems at the loss of their relatives and friends. If we care about the families, then we care about the way these families resolve their loss. A generation has gone by and these families have seen children grow up and others pass away. It is time to bring the truth forward.
I think President Biden has a clear mandate after 20 years to assist in the closure for these families and bring the remaining truth to the American people. This is not a political stunt. It is a matter of time, national security, the right of the public to know, and an act of compassion to fellow Americans.
August 6, 2021
By Elizabeth CrispAs the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks approaches, (click here) the White House is defending its handling of classified federal evidence that victims' families have been seeking on the role that Saudi Arabia possibly played—even as some of those family members say President Joe Biden should skip memorial events this year if the documents aren't released before then.
"Our hearts are with the families who lost loved ones on 9/11—especially in these days preceding the 20th anniversary of the attacks coming up just next month," White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Friday. "The White House Office of Public Engagement and the National Security Council staff have had several meetings with groups representing the families of those who perished on 9/11 regarding their document requests and to hear their thoughts on policy priorities that will continue to be a priority."
Nearly 1,800 people directly affected by the attacks signed onto the letter saying they won't welcome Biden to events honoring the victims....
