19 January 2004
Now, 28 months after 9-11, not a single government, military, or intelligence official has been punished for failing to protect the US, and not a single officeholder, building code official, architect, engineer or builder has been penalized for the collapse of WTC.
All senior federal, state and local officials serving on 9-11 remain in office (or have left for unrelated reasons); all leading congressional members, especially those on the intelligence, defense and government oversight committees, remain in office; all contractors, lobbyists and financial supportors of these remain in place; and all these appear to have increased their power, wealth and position as a result of 9-11: in Washington the mil-intel committee members, the President, intelligence agencies and military departments, the Justice Department, FBI and law enforcement; in New York Governor Pataki, ex-mayor Guiliani, the Port Authority, celebrated architects, engineers and builders, Wall Street and downtown developers; and across the US pundits, lobbyists, flacks and apologists churning their accounts.
Beneficiaries of the 9-11 failure of duty and responsibility hope the 9-11 Commission investigating the disaster -- the reasons it was not prevented and how to prevent its recurrence -- will not be extended. That the warmaking, homeland protection, and creating enemies will continue to climb the charts.
They hope the public will continue to buy into the notion that the disaster could not have been prevented, but that it will likely be repeated unless people like them are trusted to protect the nation, that preventive war is necessary whereever the US is challenged.
They warn that because of worldwide envy of US success there's really only so much can be done to protect the nation unless the American people gives up more freedom, accepts more secrecy, supports overwhelming military action against those opposed to US principles and beliefs, and trusts those who have a vested interest in promoting fear, uncertainty and doubt.
An uncowed, clear-thinking person might wonder who is benefiting from terrorism, who wants it never to end, and who pays the burgeoning cost in money and lives.
Said a brave man, "I have a dream."