David Sirota: 10 Years Later, It’s Time to ‘Broaden the Context’

[marmar]

from truthdig:



10 Years Later, It’s Time to ‘Broaden the Context’

Posted on Sep 8, 2011
By David Sirota


Ten years ago this week, I, like many living in Washington at the time, was fleeing my office building. In those minutes of mayhem, I knew only what the police were screaming: Get out fast, because we’re being attacked by terrorists.

In the years since 9/11, we’ve learned a lot about that awful day—and about ourselves.

We’ve learned, for instance, about the attack’s mechanics—we know which particular terrorists orchestrated it and how many lives those mass murderers tragically destroyed. We also know about 9/11’s long-term legacy—we have health care data showing that it created a kind of mass post-traumatic stress disorder, and we have evidence that it generated a significant rise in anti-Muslim bigotry. And, of course, we’ve learned that our government can turn catastrophes like 9/11 into political weapons that successfully coerce America into supporting wars and relinquishing civil liberties.

Yet, despite all of this new knowledge, we still don’t know how to explain 9/11 to the next generation. As the magazine Education Week reports, “Fewer than half the states explicitly identify the 9/11 attacks in their high school standards for social studies”—and the relatively few schools that do discuss 9/11 often spend just a few minutes on it. ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/ten_years_later_its_time_to_broaden_the_context_20110908/

[xchrom]

1. Recommend

[Blue_Tires]

2. Even back then I was really hoping people would take a critical look

at U.S. foreign policy over the decades and how it laid the foundation for that day...

No chance...We got the "they hate us for our freedoms" -meme and people stopped asking questions...

[dog_lovin_dem]

8. 9-11 is what woke me up

to the policies of this country. After the shock and sadness came an overwhelming urge to know why anyone would want to do this to the "greatest country in the world". That search led me to many truths I wish often that I hadn't discovered; but also led me to this forum. I signed up after the 2004 election, though I had been reading DU on a regular basis for a long time before. This place, and the people who wrote here, kept me sane in an insane world.

[Politicalboi]

3. Because we still don't have answers

We need a real investigation. I think even kids today question fire as the cause of two 110 story buildings and one 47 story falling 10 stories a second due to fire. The official story doesn't make sense.

[Martin Eden]

4. "coerce America into supporting wars and relinquishing civil liberties"

That, in my opinion, is the biggest legacy from 9/11. Wars that cost trillions of dollars and from which we have yet to extricate ourselves. Superficial flag waving patriotism in place of critical thought, enabling war criminals like Dick Cheney to drag our nation down for a pack of lies.

Gives me mixed emotions about displaying the flag this Sunday, because the Bush cabal draped it around themselves while those who are now teabaggers saluted.

[DirkGently]

5. I feel the same. Empathy & national unity sacrificed on the altars of power & hate.

[Uncle Joe]

6. Kicked, but too late to formally recommend.

Thanks for the thread, marmar.

[swilton]

7. 9-11 has shown that

our government is designed to manufacture and control fear - other than that it is incapable of dealing with the fundamental problems facing Americans (health care, jobs, etc.) and the planet (global warming, clean air, water, food, peace).