9/11 Terrorist Attack’s 8th Anniversary
Today is the 8th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York against the World Trade Center. On September 11, 2001 suicidal jihadists flew fully fueled airplanes into the World Trade Center, the pentagon, and other targets. America’s most gut-wrenching 21st century moment cost 3,000 lives, and permanently scarred the memories of New Yorkers:
In light of the anniversary, it’s worth spending some time to ask yourself “what has America done to make them hate us so much?” Consider the recent imperialist unjust wars fought in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yugoslavia and the illicit actions of the CIA around the world, or the hundreds of military bases we maintain in other countries. The aid dollars we dole out to dictators to preserve the status quo, our arbitrary tariffs and immigration policies that alienate foreigners, and the eroding of Americans’ own civil liberties in the name of “freedom” and the “war against terror.”
America was once respected as a nation of justice, wisdom, and opportunity. Perhaps over time the Obama administration can repair America’s reputation.
“So, let’s imagine how [the September 11th attacks] could have been worse for example. Suppose that on September 11, Al-Qaeda had bombed the White House and killed the President, instituted a murderous, brutal regime which killed maybe 50,000 to 100,000 people and tortured about 700,000, set up a major international terrorist center in Washington, which was overthrowing governments all over the world, and installing brutal vicious neo-Nazi dictatorships, assassinating people. Suppose he called in a bunch of economists, let’s call them the ‘Kandahar Boys’ to run the American economy, who within a couple of years had driven the economy into one of the worst collapses of its history. Suppose this had happened. That would have been worse than 9/11, right? But it did happen. And it happened on 9/11. That happened on September 11, 1973 in Chile. The only thing you have to change is this per capita equivalence, which is the right way to look at it. Well, did that change the world? Yeah, it did but not from our point of view, in fact, who even knows about it? Incidentally, just to finish, because we [the U.S.] were responsible for that one.” — Noam Chomsky.
NSA “True Feelings” Meme
From the day they tried to kill me comes this little meme, from the NSA INCOMPLETE SENTENCES form, which asks you to fill out your true feelings:
1. I always wanted to be a vegetable farmer
2. I can’t stop, won’t stop
3. If my father would only decipher a coded message and find the treasure
4. People think of me as sleepy
5. I suffer most from frailness
6. What upsets me most is totalitarian imperialist regimes
7. Most men are shorter than they want to be
8. My family treats me like a prized gnu
9. My greatest worry is how to balance work, life, and everything
10. Some members of the opposite sex have mysterious eyes
11. Most women have more pairs of shoes than me
12. I regret losing my blog’s dominance and audience
13. The main thing in life is love
14. Secretly I read poems
15. If my mother would only recertify
16. I don’t like people who can’t wink
17. I wish I could forget the time i drank too much rum
18. When troubled i sleep
19. It bothers me that I am sick today
20. What angers me most is the loss of innocence
If you like this meme, do it on your blog and hit me up in the comments with the link!
Air Force Exposed
Information about the Air Force One has been leaked onto the web by official military sites:
“It is not a good thing” for that information to be in the public domain, said Lt. Col Bruce Alexander, director of public affairs for the Air Mobility Command’s 89th Airlift Wing, Andrews Air Force Base, which operates the presidential air transport fleet. “We are concerned with how it got there and how we can get it out. This affects operational security.”
Information about Secret Service stations and anti-aircraft missile technology is considered especially sensitive. However, in the interest of public freedom of information, I’ve searched google for information about the VC-25, also known as the “Air Force One.” Here’s what I found:
Exploitable delicate areas of the VC-25:
Titled Aircraft Hazards, this document includes a description of where the Infrared Countermeasures (IRCM) unit is located, the temperature and noise levels of its four engines, where oxygen tanks are located in the plane, entry and exit points, emergency engine shutdown controls, and security placement.
Here are snapshots of the interesting slides, a visual guide to the Air Force One VC-25:
Basic facts about the VC-25:
A special transportation report gives a slide with basic information about the VC-25, such as airspeed, dimensions, range, and other statistical snippets. The photo is reproduced below:
None of this is classified, top secret, etc, but it could definitely be used negatively. For more information, please consider the following resources:
