9/11, it's aftermath, and the failed war on terror

In two days the papers, airwaves and twitter will be filled with memories of 9/11. We will be told again and again of how innocent Americans fell victim to the greatest war crime in the history of terrorism.

Let me place on record the following

A) Areas where I categorically agree

• Many innocent people died in the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center (and the other attacks on the same day).
  
• Acts of violence whether subjective or objective are inexcusable
• Nobody and I mean nobody deserves to die at the hands of another human being. (Whether he be a commuter on Mumbai suburban or a resident of Manhattan)
  

B) Why I disagree with a whole lot of other issues

• 9/11 was no excuse to attack Afghanistan
  
• Fear mongering is no way to justify a war against any country. In fact there is no rational reason for a war.
  
• Supporting genocide in Palestine is wrong, wrong wrong!
  
• American intelligence agencies and the American government are not what one could describe as innocent sheep. They knew that they had proliferated enough terror, know-how, hate, weapons and fear to guarantee a counter-attack on American soil (it was "when" and not "if").
  
• America has refused to learn it's lesson. If you (read Govt of USofA) spread terror through military oppression there are people as evil as you who will not hesitate to strike back.
  
• American has killed 100,000 civilians in Iraq, stood by in silence as Gaza was stormed and continued to drop bombs on NWFP in Paksitan, and have "built-up" troops on Afghanistan's soil. I hate to say this, and it is an unfair reality but these will eventually come back and bite them. America too will lose innocent civilians through terror as direct result of it's action post 9/11.
  
• An environment of terror prevails in many parts of the world. This environment of terror has been created partly by the neo-liberal capitalists of the world, partly by right-wing religious fundamentalists (across all religions) , partly by the media who profiteer through fear, partly by gullible citizens who very easily believe that the sky will fall on their heads, and partly by the chaos of having all these players interact one-way or another.
  
• As I write this piece, news channels will be selling ad-space for 9/11 memorials. Suicide bombers will be in training for another bombing, the US will continue to use drones in remote AfPak regions, children in Gaza will not have access to food, clothing and shelter, defense budgets will continue to expand and 800 million farmers in India will continue to live on less that a dollar a day.
  

Beat it MJ!

• Why do I, as an Indian citizen have to be a victim of American Voyeurism?
• I find it repulsive that all Indian news channels should carry a live feed of his funeral procession and memorial concert.
• The event was not worthy of the attention it received and did not it merit the coverage that it got on Indian channels.
  
• MJ had little or no impact on the lives of a majority of people in this nation
• The coverage allowed the "pro-rich" Indian budget to be brushed under the carpet and critical issues that the budget raised were forgotten to make way for an American recluse that represented the worst possible problems with the malady of consumption. This problem was glorified and we were being sold the idea that he was the greatest artist ever.
  
• If American want to mourn him, that is their democratic right. I do not want to mourn him and I do not think that the people of India should be forced to feel a sense of loss. I find him nothing more than a piece of cheap entertainment. The media would want us to believe otherwise.
• MJ himself would have been distressed at how his death being used for profiteering.