{"id":68272,"date":"2021-09-11T10:12:31","date_gmt":"2021-09-11T14:12:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quotulatiousness.ca\/blog\/?p=68272"},"modified":"2021-09-11T15:15:37","modified_gmt":"2021-09-11T19:15:37","slug":"twenty-years-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quotulatiousness.ca\/blog\/2021\/09\/11\/twenty-years-on\/","title":{"rendered":"Twenty years on"},"content":{"rendered":"<p align=\"center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/quotulatiousness.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/NYC-area-September-11-2001.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/quotulatiousness.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/NYC-area-September-11-2001.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-68273\" srcset=\"https:\/\/quotulatiousness.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/NYC-area-September-11-2001.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/quotulatiousness.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/NYC-area-September-11-2001-480x480.jpg 480w, https:\/\/quotulatiousness.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/NYC-area-September-11-2001-640x640.jpg 640w, https:\/\/quotulatiousness.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/NYC-area-September-11-2001-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/quotulatiousness.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/NYC-area-September-11-2001-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/quotulatiousness.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/NYC-area-September-11-2001-120x120.jpg 120w, https:\/\/quotulatiousness.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/NYC-area-September-11-2001-50x50.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"854\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/64cUH3DeexU\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.steynonline.com\/11682\/the-years-we-wasted\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Mark Steyn<\/a>&#8216;s observations:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>We shall not resume our anniversary observances today. The war is lost, at home and abroad. On the domestic front, we doubled the rate of Muslim immigration to the west and began assimilating ourselves with Islam&#8217;s strictures on freedom of expression and the like. The decade-and-a-half since the Danish Mohammed cartoons has been one long remorseless surrender on core western liberties. When a school teacher gets beheaded in the street, there is no outrage at the act, just a mild regret that he should have been foolish enough to provoke his own fate. Even the milder jests from the immediate post-9\/11 era &mdash; the cartoon of the woman trying on new burqas in the changing room and wondering, &#8220;Does my bomb look big in this?&#8221; &mdash; would not be published today.<\/p>\n<p>In the broader society, our rulers quickly determined that it was easier to punish us than our enemies. The post-9\/11 security state surely helped soften up western populations for the Chi-Com-19 lockdowns, in which entire nations have been reduced to TSA-administered airports.<\/p>\n<p>As for the war overseas, it ended with a military that can do everything except win handing the keys to Afghanistan back to the guys who pulled off 9\/11 &mdash; and apologizing for the two-decade inconvenience by gifting the mullahs with some of the most expensive infrastructure on the planet plus an air force, approximately five assault rifles for every Taliban fighter, and express check-in for the forty-seven per cent of the Afghan population that apparently served as US translators.<\/p>\n<p>The position of the United States is far weaker than it was twenty years ago. Around the planet, the assumption of friends and enemies alike is that the American moment is over and the future belongs elsewhere. They are making their dispositions accordingly. It is not a question of wishing &#8220;the post-American world&#8221;, but of accepting the known facts.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.davidwarrenonline.com\/2021\/09\/11\/twenty-years\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">David Warren<\/a> reposted his thoughts from the fifteenth anniversary:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>A generation or more is necessary to see any large event in some historical perspective. That the fall of the Berlin Wall was a &#8220;large event&#8221; we could see immediately, but not what it portended. The political world would be transformed, but the New World Order that George Bush Senior foresaw was a mirage. Ditto with events since 9\/11.<\/p>\n<p>Several thousand were killed on that day in 2001 \u2014 the anniversary of the Ottoman defeat at the Gates of Vienna. This was a comparatively small number, by modern standards. The rich symbolism of this Islamist operation was lost on the West, which no longer cares for history or legend. A brilliant assault of &#8220;asymmetric warfare&#8221;, it fulfilled all of its objectives. The torch has since been passed from the more moderate <em>al-Qaeda<\/em> to the more fanatic <em>Daesh<\/em>, and will be passed again in due course. Osama bin-Laden personally lost face by being hunted down and killed like a rat, but his vision of a restored Islamic Caliphate survives him. It inspires still the young in heart and mind.<\/p>\n<p>The immediate intention was to humiliate the &#8220;Great Satan&#8221;; to awaken the sleeping giant and make him blindly thrash; to goad him into self-destructive behaviour as he struck against an enemy he could neither locate nor understand. Beyond this: to expose him as a paper tiger, tilting a balance of power, and transferring initiative from the mightily-armed &#8220;Crusader&#8221; to the nimble &#8220;Jihadi&#8221;. Within the Muslim world: to show that only the radical Salafist faction could get results, could change the direction of history and, as it were, &#8220;make Arabia great again&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>As I suggested above, we are still too close to this event to grasp its full significance; but after fifteen years we in the West are in a much worse position than we were on the 10th of September, 2001. We showed, as the Islamists predicted, that we did not have the stamina to prevail, even against weak adversaries; that America and allies could only fight &#8220;Vietnams&#8221;. Our will is shaken, and to Salafist delight, we have by now expressed contrition for fourteen centuries of Christian defence against Islamic aggression. We bow respectfully, as our culture is insulted, and as versions of Shariah are imposed. In disregard of our own security, we have thrown our borders open to massive Muslim immigration. We follow, at every junction, the course of sentimentality, and adapt to the certainty of defeat. After each hit we call for grief counsellors.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>On <em>MeWe<\/em>, Byron Clark reposted a transcript of the call Todd Beamer made from United Airlines flight 93 that morning:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Todd: Hello \u2026 Operator \u2026 listen to me \u2026 I can&#8217;t speak very loud. \u2013 This is an emergency. I&#8217;m a passenger on a United flight to San Francisco. We have a situation here \u2026 Our plane has been hijacked \u2026 can you understand me?<br \/>\nLisa: (exhaling a deep breath to herself) I understand \u2026 Can the hijackers see you talking on the phone?<br \/>\nTodd: No<br \/>\nLisa: Can you tell me how many hijackers are on the plane?<br \/>\nTodd: There are three that we know of.<br \/>\nLisa: Can you see any weapons? What kind of weapons do they have?<br \/>\nTodd: Yes \u2026 they don&#8217;t have guns \u2026 they have knives \u2013 they took over the plane with knives.<br \/>\nLisa: Do you mean \u2026 like steak knives?<br \/>\nTodd: No, these are razor knives \u2026 like box cutters.<br \/>\nLisa: Can you tell what country these people are from?<br \/>\nTodd: No \u2026 I don&#8217;t know. They sound like they&#8217;re from the mid-east.<br \/>\nLisa: Have they said what they want?<br \/>\nTodd: Someone announced from the cockpit that there was a bomb on board. He said he was the captain and to stay in our seats and stay quiet.<br \/>\nHe said that they were meeting these men\u2019s demands and returning to the airport\u2026 It was very broken English, and\u2026 I\u2019m telling you\u2026it sounded fake!<br \/>\nLisa: Ok sir, please give me your name.<br \/>\nTodd: My name is Todd Beamer.<br \/>\nLisa: Ok Todd \u2026 my name is Lisa \u2026 Do you know your flight number? If you can&#8217;t remember, it&#8217;s on your ticket.<br \/>\nTodd: It&#8217;s United Flight 93.<br \/>\nLisa: Now Todd, can you try to tell me exactly what happened?<br \/>\nTodd: Two of the hijackers were sitting in first class near the cockpit. A third one was sitting near the back of the coach section. The two up front got into the cockpit somehow; there was shouting. The third hijacker said he had a bomb. It looks like a bomb. He&#8217;s got it tied to his waist with a red belt of some kind.<br \/>\nLisa: So is the door to the cockpit open?<br \/>\nTodd: No, the hijackers shut it behind them.<br \/>\nLisa: Has anyone been injured?<br \/>\nTodd: Yes, they \u2026 they killed one passenger sitting in first class. There&#8217;s been lots of shouting. We don&#8217;t know if the pilots are dead or alive. A flight attendant told me that the pilot and copilot had been forced from the cockpit and may have been wounded.<br \/>\nLisa: Where is the 3rd hijacker now Todd?<br \/>\nTodd: He&#8217;s near the back of the plane. They forced most of the passengers into first class. There are fourteen of us here in the back. Five are flight attendants. He hasn&#8217;t noticed that I slipped into this pantry to get the phone. The guy with the bomb ordered us to sit on the floor in the rear of the plane \u2026 oh Jesus. Help!<br \/>\nLisa: Todd \u2026 are you ok? Tell me what&#8217;s happening!<br \/>\nTodd: Hello \u2026 We&#8217;re going down \u2026 I think we&#8217;re going to crash \u2026 Wait \u2013 wait a minute. No, we&#8217;re leveling off \u2026 we&#8217;re ok. I think we may be turning around \u2026 That&#8217;s it \u2013 we changed directions. Do you hear me \u2026 we&#8217;re flying east again.<br \/>\nLisa: Ok Todd \u2026 What&#8217;s going on with the other passengers?<br \/>\nTodd: Everyone is \u2026 really scared. A few passengers with cell phones have made calls to relatives. A guy, Jeremy, was talking to his wife just before the hijacking started. She told him that hijackers had crashed two planes into the World Trade Center \u2026 Lisa is that true??<br \/>\nLisa: Todd \u2026 I have to tell you the truth \u2026 it&#8217;s very bad. The World Trade Center is gone. Both of the towers have been destroyed.<br \/>\nTodd: Oh God \u2014 help us!<br \/>\nLisa: A third plane was taken over by terrorists. It crashed into the Pentagon in Washington DC. Our country is under attack \u2026 and I&#8217;m afraid that your plane may be part of their plan.<br \/>\nTodd: Oh dear God. Dear God \u2026 Lisa, will you do something for me?<br \/>\nLisa: I&#8217;ll try \u2026 if I can \u2026 Yes.<br \/>\nTodd: I want you to call my wife and my kids for me and tell them what&#8217;s happened. Promise me you&#8217;ll call.<br \/>\nLisa: I promise \u2013 I&#8217;ll call.<br \/>\nTodd: Our home number is 201 353-1073 \u2026 You have the same name as my wife \u2026 Lisa \u2026 We&#8217;ve been married for 10 years. She&#8217;s pregnant with our 3rd child. Tell her that I love her \u2026 (choking up) \u2026 I&#8217;ll always love her \u2026 (clearing throat) We have two boys \u2026 David, he&#8217;s 3 and Andrew, he&#8217;s 1 \u2026 Tell them \u2026 (choking) tell them that their daddy loves them and that he is so proud of them. (clearing throat again) Our baby is due January 12th \u2026 I saw an ultra sound \u2026 it was great \u2026 we still don&#8217;t know if it\u2019s a girl or a boy \u2026 Lisa?<br \/>\nLisa: (barely able to speak) I&#8217;ll tell them, I promise Todd.<br \/>\nTodd: I&#8217;m going back to the group \u2014 if I can get back I will \u2026<br \/>\nLisa: Todd, leave this line open \u2026 are you still there?<br \/>\nLisa: (dials the phone) Hello, FBI, my name is Lisa Jefferson, I&#8217;m a telephone supervisor for GTE. I need to report a terrorist hijacking of a United Airlines Flight 93 \u2026 Yes I&#8217;ll hold.<br \/>\nGoodwin: Hello, this is Agent Goodwin \u2026 I understand you have a hijacking situation?<br \/>\nLisa: Yes sir, I&#8217;ve been talking with a passenger, a Todd Beamer, on Flight 93 who managed to get to an air phone unnoticed.<br \/>\nGoodwin: Where did this flight originate, and what was its destination?<br \/>\nLisa: The flight left Newark New Jersey at 8 A.M. departing for San Francisco. The hijackers took over the plane shortly after takeoff, and several minutes later the plane changed course \u2013 it is now flying east.<br \/>\nGoodwin: Ms. Jefferson \u2026 I need to talk to someone aboard that plane. Can you get me thru to the planes phone?<br \/>\nLisa: I still have that line open sir, I can patch you through on a conference call \u2026 hold a mo \u2026<br \/>\nTodd: Hello Lisa, Lisa are you there?<br \/>\nLisa: Yes, I&#8217;m here. Todd, I made a call to the FBI, Agent Goodwin is on the line and will be talking to you as well.<br \/>\nTodd: The others all know that this isn&#8217;t your normal hijacking. Jeremy called his wife again on his cell phone. She told him more about the World Trade Center and all.<br \/>\nGoodwin: Hello Todd. This is Agent Goodwin with the FBI. We have been monitoring your flight. Your plane is on a course for Washington, DC. These terrorists sent two planes into the World Trade Center and one plane into the Pentagon. Our best guess is that they plan to fly your plane into either the White House or the United States Capital Building.<br \/>\nTodd: I understand \u2026 hold on \u2026 I&#8217;ll \u2026 I&#8217;ll be back \u2026<br \/>\nLisa: Mr. Goodwin, how much time do they have before they get to Washington?<br \/>\nGoodwin: Not long ma&#8217;am. They changed course over Cleveland; they&#8217;re approaching Pittsburgh now. Washington may be twenty minutes away.<br \/>\nTodd: (breathing a little heavier) The plane seems to be changing directions just a little. It&#8217;s getting pretty rough up here. The plane is flying real erratic \u2026 We&#8217;re not going to make it out of here. Listen to me \u2026 I want you to hear this \u2026 I have talked with the others \u2026 we have decided we would not be pawns in these hijackers suicidal plot.<br \/>\nLisa: Todd, what are you going to do?<br \/>\nTodd: We&#8217;ve hatched a plan. Four of us are going to rush the hijacker with the bomb. After we take him out, we&#8217;ll break into the cockpit. A stewardess is getting some boiling water to throw on the hijackers at the controls. We&#8217;ll get them \u2026 and we&#8217;ll take them out. Lisa \u2026 will you do one last thing for me?<br \/>\nLisa: Yes \u2026 What is it?<br \/>\nTodd: Would you pray with me?<br \/>\nThey pray: Our father which art in Heaven<br \/>\nHallowed be thy name,<br \/>\nThy kingdom come, thy will be done<br \/>\non earth as it is in heaven.<br \/>\nGive us this day our daily bread,<br \/>\nAnd forgive us our trespasses<br \/>\nAs we forgive our trespassers,<br \/>\nAnd lead us not into temptation<br \/>\nBut deliver us from evil<br \/>\nFor thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory<br \/>\nForever \u2026 Amen<br \/>\nThe Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want \u2026<br \/>\nHe makes me to lie down in green pastures<br \/>\nHe leads me beside the still waters<br \/>\nHe restores my soul<br \/>\nHe leads me in paths of righteousness<br \/>\nfor His name\u2019s sake<br \/>\nYea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death<br \/>\nI will fear no evil, for thou art with me \u2026<br \/>\nTodd: (softer) God help me \u2026 Jesus help me \u2026 (clears throat and louder)<br \/>\nAre you guys ready? \u2026<br \/>\nLet&#8217;s Roll \u2026 <\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mark Steyn&#8216;s observations: We shall not resume our anniversary observances today. The war is lost, at home and abroad. On the domestic front, we doubled the rate of Muslim immigration to the west and began assimilating ourselves with Islam&#8217;s strictures on freedom of expression and the like. The decade-and-a-half since the Danish Mohammed cartoons has [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35193,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,13],"tags":[321,256,257],"class_list":["post-68272","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-history","category-usa","tag-nyc","tag-september11","tag-terrorism"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/quotulatiousness.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/favicon.png","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2hpV6-hLa","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quotulatiousness.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68272","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quotulatiousness.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quotulatiousness.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quotulatiousness.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quotulatiousness.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68272"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/quotulatiousness.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68272\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68282,"href":"https:\/\/quotulatiousness.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68272\/revisions\/68282"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quotulatiousness.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35193"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quotulatiousness.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quotulatiousness.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quotulatiousness.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}