Alan S. Austin
Arizona Playwright • Writer • Poet
  

NEVER FORGET (9/12)

It is right and proper that we all remember and mourn the victims of the 9/11 tragedy. Nearly three thousand lost their lives. What should also be remembered is that 1% were foreign nationals from 8 different countries, that 21% were born outside the US and that 93 of them were illegal immigrants. This was more than just an American tragedy. Your coverage seems to imply that the Afghans were to blame. It was our interference in Russia's war in Afghanistan by supporting the Mujahedeen, which brought about the rise of Bin Laden and his followers. The 9/11 conspiracy was thought up and planned, financed and executed by Saudi Arabians and was their second attempt at the WTC. Because of their oil reserves, we remain firm allies of Saudi Arabia despite their willingness to butcher one of our citizens. Pakistan, another ally, gave shelter to Bin Laden where he was eventually tracked down and killed without the permission or knowledge of that country. American freedoms are not for sale. To destroy us, Bin Laden struck at what he believed were symbols of our greed, what he found in the aftermath were symbols of our courage and strength and the values that hold our civilization together.