Remember
June 4, 2002
by Edward S. Pell
As you think about the September 11th film that recently aired on HBO....
Remember that George W. Bush has a long-standing business relationship with the Bin Ladens...
Remember that the only non-military plane allowed by the Bush Administration to take off immediately after the tragedy was the one that whisked members of the Bin Laden family out of the US before they could be interviewed by American investigators.
Remember that The Bush Administration is fighting tooth and nail to prevent any public investigation into the tragedy.
Remember that through both attacks in New York City, George W. Bush continued to read a book to kindergartners for a photo op, even after being notified.
Remember that George W. Bush ran and hid the day of the attacks, then lied for a week afterwards, pretending that he was personally in danger.
Remember that George W. Bush has publicly claimed TWICE to have seen the first plane hit the tower live on TV that morning, which he could only do by special feed if he was expecting it.
Remember that George W. Bush only went to New York City that Friday, after reporters began asking why he hadn't gone yet.
Remember that the GOP is currently peddling $150 photos of George W. Bush on a phone pretending to be presidential.
Remember that the Bush Administration received memos beforehand warning about the hijackings, diluted other memos and failed to try for a search warrant against the 20th hijacker, and then covered the memos up for eight months.
Remember that if George W. Bush had actually advised law enforcement in August, instead of lying about having done so last week, there might have been tighter security at the Boston and Washington airports... and the second World Trade Center tower might have been immediately evacuated when the first plane hit.
Remember that George W. Bush didn't let detailed warnings about hijackings interrupt his month-long vacation.
Remember that John Ashcroft stopped flying commercial and started flying only chartered jets at the end of July.
Remember that in the past week the Bush Administration have been caught in public lie after public lie about those warning memos.
Remember that although the Bush Administration says the warnings were too vague to act on to save lives, they commissioned detailed plans for the current "war" in Afghanistan (where their oily chums wanted to build a pipeline) BEFORE the attacks ever happened.
Remember that although we have spent billions, caused more innocent civilian casualties over there than the September 11th attacks caused here, and killed five of our own soldiers for every one that the Afghans killed, we now know less about where Osama is and what he's up to than we did on September 12th.
Remember that George W. Bush once thumped his chest and promised "Osama Bin Laden--Dead or Alive!" but now wants to pretend he's not a target because he's been marginalized.
Remember that the Bush Administration, which has been boasting for months that Al Qaeda has been marginalized, dispersed, and destroyed, now wants you to believe Al Qaeda could strike at any moment, but that it is just a smokescreen to divert public attention from George W. Bush's lack of action when warned last August and the cover-up that followed.
Remember that we are still holding a bunch of prisoners, none of whom are connected to the attacks, at Guantanamo in violation of the Geneva Convention, which even the Nazis in World War 2 followed.
Remember that 15 of the 19 attackers were Saudis, that all 19 got into this country via visas from Saudi Arabia, and that they were funded by Saudi Arabia; yet the Bush Administration has yet to give Saudi Arabia even a scolding look and the visas from this corrupt and repressive monarchy are still going through without scrutiny.
Remember that after the attacks, George W. Bush and the GOP fought tooth and nail to PREVENT airport security from being improved.
Remember that the Bush Administration has done nothing to make seaports, train and bus stations and the infrastructure safer; that they have done nothing to allow explosives to be better traced or weapons sales to be more closely scrutinized, that they have done nothing to tighten licensing for hauling toxic waste; and that they have done nothing to safeguard reservoirs and dams.
Remember that the Bush Administration has spent more than $19 billion on homeland security with nothing to show for it but a ludicrous color warning system; and that they are fighting hard not to have to explain to Congress where the money went.
Remember that George W. Bush promised $20 billion to rebuild New York City, then immediately tried to short the city on the money.
Remember that George W. Bush has been rambling around the country gloating about the attacks, "Lucky me, I hit the trifecta!"
Remember that the anthrax killer is still out there, too...and that the Bush Administration is dragging their feet on that investigation.
Remember.
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