Twenty Three Years On, A Day That Still Lives In Infamy

Some 3,000 people, most of them Americans, and 124 Canadians,  murdered in 9/11 terrorist attacks

A Brief Remembrance by Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper, followed by a Statement from Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau

Posted September 11^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

If you were over the age of 16 at the time, chances are you knew exactly where you were when you heard the news on September 11th, 2001.

That was the day that a handful of fanatics – most if not all of them Saudi Arabian nationals, hijacked then flew four commercial jets full of passengers into the Twin Towers in New York City, into the Pentagon just outside of Washington D.C. and into the ground in rural Pennsylvania.

As if the deaths that day weren’t tragic enough, that attack set the tone for many long dark years when the United States and its allies attacked Afghanistan, where the master mind of those attacks, Osama Bin Laden, was thought to be hiding, and Iraq, where the then U.S. George W. Bush administration spun falsehoods that “weapons of mass destruction” were being stored there.

Canada joined the invasion of Afghanistan, where 128 Canadian soldiers were ultimately killed and more than 2,000 others were injured. But fortunately, Canada’s then Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chretien and his government refused to become part of the so-called “coalition of the willing” in the war on Iraq.

There never were any weapons of mass destruction found in Iraq and Bin Laden was eventually hunted down where he was actually hiding out in Pakistan. He was  killed by U.S. Navy Seals in 2011 a raid ordered by the U.S. Obama administration.

The entire 9/11 affair and the response to it set the 21st Century off on a dark and very costly path and one can only imagine, with sadness, how much further ahead we would be in addressing climate change and other challenges closer to home if the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the wars that followed were prevented,  as many domestic security and foreign affairs experts have argued they could have been.

And now – especially in the United States – the most serious threat comes not from foreign terrorists, but from domestic terrorists egged on by the likes of Donald Trump and the MAGA wing of the Republic Party, with at least some support coming from the totalitarian leaders of outside nations like Russia and China.

Canadians cannot afford to feel aloof or  complacent about this though. 

We have our share of right-wing fanatics here who are finding some reason to feel encouraged with the rise in popularity of a Trump-like federal Conservative Party led by one Pierre Poilievre who is long on slogans and short on any real plans for policies for making life for the people of Canada better. 

All of this adds up to one more reason why my species disappoints me.

• Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

Now here is a Statement b y Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks –

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today (this September 11th, 2024)  issued the following statement to mark the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and the National Day of Service:

“Twenty-three years ago, the world watched in horror as the deadliest terrorist attack in the history of the United States unfolded. The images of this unthinkable tragedy remain etched in our memory.

“Today, we remember the lives of the nearly 3,000 people who were mercilessly killed, including 24 Canadians. We stand with those whose loved ones were taken away from them too soon, the thousands who were injured, and all those still living with the trauma. We also pay tribute to the first responders and community members who risked their lives to help others.

“Here in Canada, today also marks the National Day of Service, an opportunity for all of us to honour the countless Canadians who came together in support of our American friends, embodying the generosity and kindness that define our country. This includes communities like Gander, in Newfoundland and Labrador, where Canadians opened their homes and provided refuge and food to stranded airline passengers – helping those in need, when they needed it most.

“Today, we stand with our neighbours and friends in the United States in remembering the tragic events of 9/11.

And on behalf of the Government of Canada, I thank all Canadians who selflessly serve their communities each and every day. Thank you for your dedication and for your sacrifice.”

To read a related post from the back files of Niagara At Large, click on – Remembering and Reflecting On The Fallout From 9/11 Terrorist Attacks | Niagara At Large

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