the DON JONES INDEX…

 

 

 

GAINS POSTED in GREEN

LOSSES POSTED in RED

 

 

 

9/17/21…  14,360.48 

9/10/21…  14,357.47 

6/27/13…  15,000.00

 

(THE DOW JONES INDEX:  9/17/21…34,764.83; 9/10/21…34,879.38; 6/27/13… 15,000.00)

 

 

LESSON for September 17, 2021 – CHILDREN of the SAME FOUL SPIRIT!

 

America endured, if not enjoyed, the twentieth anniversary of Nine Eleven on Monday.  Important people made important speeches.  The names of the victims were read and old photographs and video footage (what they had in those days) was revived.  Foreigners commiserated (or, in the case of Afghanistan’s new dictators, thumbed their noses).  Pivoting off the recent disasters therein, most pundits agreed that American prestige and power slid into a decline that might never be reversed.  But the heroism of the first responders, at least, provided some measure of hope.

President Biden (and even the occasionally dissident Democrats) largely echoed the Ground Zero homilies, Shanksville sentiments and Pentagon platitudes of our peregrinatic President.  Old faces resurfaced from old newsprint.  Survivors remembered their family members, co-workers, neighbors and the rest of he lost.  Muslims, for the most part, found it a good say to stay at home and under the radar.  The usual trolls… and the King of Trolldom… trumpeted themselves and trashed their enemies.  Television stations aired commercials between the tears.

Words of wisdom, words of grief and words of… other thing… were offered up and consumed by a hungry public.  Here are a few of the more pertinent, uttered by more persistant personages, gleaned from various sources ranging from the usual (AP, WashPost, NY Times) to the partisan to some useful comments from Germany (dw.com) and India…

 

AMERICAN PRESIDENTS

 

“The days that’s followed September 11th, 2001, we saw heroism everywhere, in places expected and unexpected,” said President Joe Biden. “We also saw something all too rare, a true sense of national unity. Unity and resilience, the capacity to recover and repair in the face of trauma.”  (See Attachment One)

“We didn’t crumble after 9/11. We didn’t falter after the Boston Marathon. But we’re America. Americans will never, ever stand down. We endure. We overcome. We own the finish line.”
— Former Vice President Joe Biden (in 2020)

 

Looking backwards in reverse order of their administrations, America’s Presidents spoke of cabbages, kings and… well… other things.

Former President Donald Trump commemorated the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks by visiting a fire station and police precinct in New York, where he criticized his successor for the way he pulled out of Afghanistan last month and expressed surprise about why it hadn’t come up in other 9/11 memorial speeches. “It was gross incompetence,” he said of (Biden’s) exit.

"This is a very sad day," Trump said in the message, adding that September 11 "represents great sorrow for our country.  It is also a sad time for the way our war on those that did such harm to our country ended last week."  (Dw.com)

 

"One thing that became clear on 9/11, and has been clear ever since, is that America has always been home to heroes who run towards danger in order to do what is right,'' said former President Barack Obama. He also referenced the effects of climate change in his speech. (Dw.com)

 

Bill and Hillary Clinton were mostly tag-alongs to get along; Slick Willie having been smarting from the ongoing Monica Lewinsky extravaganza on American Crime Story, while Hillary is coping with the arrest of her attorney Michael Sussman.  Back in 2011, Clinton said: “With almost no time to decide, [your loved ones] gave the entire country an incalculable gift. They saved the Capitol from attack. They saved God knows how many lives. They saved the terrorists from claiming the symbolic victory of smashing the center of American government. … They allowed us to survive as a country that could fight terror and still maintain liberty and still welcome people from all over the world from every religion and race and culture as long as they shared our values, because ¬ordinary people given no time at all to decide did the right thing.”

 

The most poignant tribute came from a rather unexpected source - former President George W. Bush who, at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania, said: “We learned that bravery is more common than we imagined, emerging with sudden splendor in the face of death.”

Garnering bipartisan praise, W… who was president when the 9/11 attacks unfolded… said that today's disunity made him feel "worried" about the future of the United States. "In the weeks and months following the 9/11 attacks, I was proud to lead an amazing, resilient, united people," Bush said in Pennsylvania.

 

Jimmy Carter, 96, marked the anniversary in private and did not publicly on Saturday. “President and Mrs. (Rosalynn) Carter will be honoring the memory of the fallen on 9/11 with prayer and reflection privately at home in Plains,” spokeswoman Deanna Congileo told USA Today.

 

And also…

“So many in our nation -- too many in our nation -- have deeply felt the passage of time these past 20 years,” said Vice President Kamala Harris. “Please know your nation sees you and we stand with you and we support you.” (AP)

 

RETIRED AND FORMER AMERICAN OFFICIALS ACTIVE IN 2001

 

“You can be sure that the American spirit will prevail over this tragedy.”
—Former United States Secretary of State Colin Powell

 

“Nations are like people,” retired Admiral James Stavridis noted in Politico, “They get some things right, they get some things wrong. The measure of any nation is whether it learns both from the mistakes and the successes.”

 

“The attacks of September 11th were intended to break our spirit. Instead we have emerged stronger and more unified. We feel renewed devotion to the principles of political, economic and religious freedom, the rule of law and respect for human life. We are more determined than ever to live our lives in freedom.”
—Then-New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani  (2001)

 

And next, because he deserves it…

 

“Five years from the date of the attack that changed our world, we’ve come back to remember the valor of those we lost—those who innocently went to work that day and the brave souls who went in after them. We have also come to be ever mindful of the courage of those who grieve for them, and the light that still lives in their hearts.  The attacks of September 11th were intended to break our spirit. Instead we have emerged stronger and more unified. We feel renewed devotion to the principles of political, economic and religious freedom, the rule of law and respect for human life. We are more determined than ever to live our lives in freedom.”
— Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani (2006)


“Ten years have passed since a perfect blue sky morning turned into the blackest of nights. Since then we’ve lived in sunshine and in shadow, and although we can never unsee what happened here, we can also see that children who lost their parents have grown into young adults, grandchildren have been born and good works and public service have taken root to honor those we loved and lost.”
—Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg

 

PRESENT DAY PUBLIC OFFICIALS

To mark the 20th anniversary of 9/11, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed three pieces of legislation aimed at helping World Trade Center first responders apply for benefits, her office said in a news statement Saturday afternoon.

“The bills make it easier for WTC first responders to apply for WTC benefits, by both expanding the criteria for defining WTC first responders and allowing online submissions of notice that members of a retirement system participated in WTC rescue, recovery, or cleanup operations,” according to the statement. (CNN)

 

"First of all, we went there to go after the people who attacked America and to hold them accountable. We held bin Laden accountable. We significantly degraded the al Qaeda network. I would point to you the fact that no one has attacked the United States, and especially from that region, in 20 years. That's not an accident. That's the work of great professionals that are working together to make sure that they're tracking threat streams and sharing information with each other. That's a significant accomplishment," Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told CNN during a remembrance ceremony to mark the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, at the Pentagon

 

Clifford Chanin, the executive vice president at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum built at the site of the World Trade Center attack, said the anniversary would serve as a "moment of high emotion" for the country, a time to consider "where we've been and where we are headed."

"Of course, we are in the middle of another unimaginable event right now with the COVID pandemic, but if 9/11 brings us anything in terms of what happened here and at the other attack sites, it is a message of resilience," Chanin told reporters this week. 

 

“It was the worst day we have ever seen, but it brought out the best in all of us.”
— Then Senator, now Environmental Secretary John Kerry

 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi invoked the ghost of Abraham Lincoln, who cautioned against ‘the silent artillery of time’ – the harsh artillery of time eroding our memory.  “Today and always, we renew our vow: time shall not dim the memory of our fallen heroes.  We pray that the years might ease the pain of the bereaved, but never the luster of the deeds of the fallen.”  (See Attachment Five)  

 

“That day,” declared Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, “and the days that followed, we also showed the world how the greatest country in the world sticks together… stays strong… and stands back up.

“When routine flights became deadly weapons, ordinary passengers used their final moments to save more innocent lives… and quite likely this Capitol.

“When clear blue skies clouded with smoke, first responders rushed fearlessly toward the biggest calls of their careers — and for too many, their last.”  (See Attachment Six)

 

 

PRESENT DAY PARTISANS – stage left

 

"I was speaking to was the fact that as a Muslim, not only was I suffering as an American who was attacked on that day, but the next day I woke up as my fellow Americans were now treating me as suspect," Rep. Ilhan Omar said. (Business Insider)

"The son of one of the victims stood up and specifically called out language you had used in the past that he characterized as not respectful when referring to the 3,000 people who were killed by Al Qaeda.” – “Face the Nation" host Margaret Brennan to Omar

"For far too long we have lived with the discomfort of being a second-class citizen, and frankly I'm tired of it, and every single Muslim in this country should be tired of it. CAIR (the Council on American-Islamic Relations) was founded after 9/11 because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties." – Omar’s reply

 

“This story and this place remind us each day what it means to be an American.  In times of strife, we Americans, we come together. We comfort each other. We protect each other and we stand up for each other. This memorial is a powerful reminder of what we have lost. But it’s also a powerful reminder of the strength of the American spirit.” Gov. Tom Wolf (D-Pa) at Shanksville (AP)

 

“Today is a day of reflection. You know, the tragedies of Sept. 11 attacks and all our country has been through over the past 20 years still echo in our hearts…  As we honor the memories of those whose lives we have lost in 9/11, we have to remember, as we did then, we worked together through those tragedies."  – Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Ca)… the only member of Congress to vote against the authorization for the use of force in Afghanistan following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. (AP)

 

In October 2004, the organization 9/11 Truth released a statement, signed by nearly 200 people, including many relatives of people who perished on September 11, 2001, that calls for an investigation into the attacks. It also asserted that unanswered questions would suggest that people within the administration of President George W. Bush may have deliberately allowed the attacks to happen. Actor Edward Asner, recently deceased, former presidential candidate Ralph Nader, former congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, former assistant secretary of housing Catherine Austin Fitts, author Richard Heinberg, Enver Masud, founder of The Wisdom Fund, professors Richard Falk of the University of California, Mark Crispin Miller of New York University, Douglas Sturm of Bucknell University, Burns H. Weston of the University of Iowa College of Law and others signed the statement.

 

“Trumpism may have deepened this erosion of civil society. Yet the rise of Trumpism is, in part, a product of the 9/11 era. As Edward Luce put it in his FT reminiscence, “It is hard to imagine Donald Trump without Iraq, nor Iraq without September 11.” The compounding effects of these events and phenomena—the increasingly grating dissonances that they’ve etched on our collective consciousness—may be the most deeply consequential legacy of that day 20 years ago.”  Fred Kaplan in Slate, 9/7  (See Attachment Seven)

 

PRESENT DAY PARTISANS – stage right

 

“Biden has no business setting foot at Ground Zero on the anniversary of 9/11,” opinionated Marc A. Thiessen of the WashPost.  (See Attachment Eight)

 

Fox News Justice Jeannine Pirro hosted a forum featuring a gallery of Fox-y stars and constellations some of whose soundbites follow.  (See the entire show as Attachment Nine) 

“There is no other day on the American calendar that reminds us how vulnerable even the most powerful nation on Earth can be. September 11 -- 9/11 -- memories from that beautiful sunny day in 2001 are still haunting and palpable,” Pirro began.  “America was injured and in shock. Then our President came forward to speak to us…”

That President being W. (Attachments Four and Four A, above)

When Bush’s moment concluded, the good judge then scorched the subsequent Biden as “one of the most feeble, feckless, confused, and inept Presidents,” before allowing her guests to commandeer the microphone.  She did play a few soundclips from liberals like DHS Alexandro Mayorkas, Rep. Omar and DefSec Lloyd Austin, but only to set them up for more sarcasm and near-traitorous accusations.  Then, she rolled out her real role models…

 

DEBRA BURLINGAME, SISTER OF PILOT KILLED ON 9/11: This administration is now embracing a terrorist regime. The very people he is referring to are the ones that sheltered Osama bin Laden, the ones that provided him a safe haven while they practiced storming the cockpits and killing all the pilots.

 

JAKE BEQUETTE, RETIRED U.S. ARMY RANGER: “Well, first of all, it's a somber day and reflecting about these days, it's very interesting for me, and many Americans of my generation who joined the military after 9/11, I think, I speak for a lot of us, you know, watching those events unfold as a 12-year-old in seventh grade.

“I was (sad). I was angry, and I wanted revenge.

“And I think the first seed there was planted of the call for me to serve our country in uniform. But, you know, fast forward 20 years, we have a feckless incompetent administration, that you're exactly right is making us less safe than ever before.

“He treats the Taliban as an equal regime, which of course, they are not. They are a terrorist organization.

“Our enemies -- China, North Korea, Iran, the Russians -- they see this weakness and incompetence and fecklessness on the international stage and it makes America less safe. But I think more importantly, we are less safe at home domestically.

“This country tragically is full of Marxist radicals who want to destroy the very foundations of this nation. They want to root it out. They want to destroy it root and stem because every Marxist regime has to start from scratch.

“There can be no history, there only has to be a future.

“And so it's a very dangerous time for us in America today. I was just at a Razorback football game, there were great signs of unity. I hope that continues.”

LARA LOGAN, FOX NATION HOST, "LARA LOGAN HAS NO AGENDA": "Every Islamic terrorist is celebrating this victory over the U.S. while Afghan men and women are now left to fight this evil alone. It's hard to decide who's more evil. The terrorists murdering their way through Afghanistan right now, or you and those responsible for this?…  Well, you is "The Washington Post" journalists who have, you know, who wrote these sort of fawning profiles on Joe Biden today.  (Take that, Thiessen! – DJI)

 

SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS CHANNEL HOST:  “I lost friends that day. I was a pitcher in high school, the kid that was the catcher for all the years I pitched, him and his brother, they worked for Cantor Fitzgerald, they both died that day. I see his wife and church with these, you know, three or four beautiful daughters every single week, and it broke my heart.

It changed me because as the 9/11 Commission Report said, and I don't think I could say it any better. They were at war with us and we weren't at war with them.

And now, when you look at -- it's almost surreal where we are today, 20 years later, and Joe Biden is saying just a couple of weeks, oh, no, no, I will stay as long as we have Americans and then abandoning our fellow Americans behind enemy lines with the Taliban.

And now, of course, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will be a safe harbor for terrorists to plot, plan, and scheme.

 

REP. MARK GREEN (R-TN) questioned the loyalty of some of those Afghan evacuees who were flown out of Kabul recently.  “(T)hese are the folks that Antony Blinken allowed to get on our military aircraft and fly home. And of course, 30 percent of them we don't even have biometrics on. We don't know who they are.

“These were supposed to be interpreters and people who helped us, but they don't speak English. So, you know, we have no idea to who they brought home. And there are some Intel, of course, that says there could be some bad actors in this crowd.

“So, it's tragic. It puts America at risk. And it's all Antony Blinken's fault.”

 

Pirro concluded with short cuts on the California recall… guest LEO TERRELL stating that the race was close, but Democrats were collecting huge amounts of money from… guess who?… George Soros (!!!) while DR. MARC SIEGEL said, of President Joe: “He was shaming people. He was shaming big business. He was shaming people that don't want to wear a mask or can't wear a mask.”

(NB: the oil company executives will shortly appear, masked or not, before Congressional investigators regarding certain dirty tricks being played against dissenters. – DJI)

Former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker concurred with Pirro and her Friends of Fox.  “It seems that radicals want to rewrite history. Sadly, their efforts align with the words of the Taliban, who are now trying to claim that radical Islamic terrorists were not responsible for what happened on September 11th.  Rather, they are promoting the absurd claim that the United States is responsible for the attacks.”  (Rev. Sun Myung Moon’s Washington Times – see Attachment Ten)

 

Breitbart numbered President Joe among the testimonial testifiers – albeit tongue-in cheek, noting that Biden had declared Muslim-Americans to be “true and faithful followers of a peaceful religion.”  (See Attachment Eleven)

 

ISLAMIC SPOKESPERSONS  

"We will continue to be politically engaged and unapologetically so," said Ruwa Romman,  communications director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization. "Muslims are no longer willing to carry that burden. None of us committed 9/11. Why should we carry that burden?"

"This is a day for America, not for Afghanistan," Muhammad Alzoad, a bank clerk, told AFP. "This was nothing to do with Afghanistan, but it made us suffer."

 

THE SURVIVORS and Survivors of those who did not survive…

Mike Low, whose daughter was a flight attendant on the airliner that struck the North Tower, gave the first remarks after the moment of silence at the WTC memorial, describing the "unbearable sorrow and disbelief" experienced by his family over the past 20 years.

"As we recite the names of those we lost my memory goes back to that terrible day when it felt like an evil specter had descended on our world, but it was also a time when many people acted above and beyond the ordinary," he said.

 

Relatives then began to read aloud the names of the victims, an annual ritual that will last four hours.

 

“I say something that kind of reminds me of her, and I’ll talk to her. Or something good happens to me and i thank her for her being with me,” said Larry Catuzzi, father of Flight 93 passenger Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas, who was pregnant when she perished. (AP)

 

"My dad was the embodiment of bringing light into the darkness.  He (was) the Mr. Mom. He was a kid at heart. Always brought so much joy to us. My favorite memory of him is going to the supermarket.  It’d be an hour-and-a-half trip because he'd be talking to everyone, asking how everyone was doing. He loved his family, loved the firehouse, calling it his second home," Cait Leavey, daughter of a New York City Fire Department captain killed on 9/11. (CNN)

 

“If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate.”
— Sandy Dahl, wife of Flight 93 pilot Jason Dahl, in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, in 2002.

 

“My older brother John lived [his life] in Technicolor. … When he walked in the door, the whole house lit up. And I’m sure heaven lit up when he got there too.”
— Anthoula Katsimatides at the World Trade Center site in 2005

 

“Captain Burke kept promising on the radio to meet at the brig. He said keep going, I’ll be right behind you, but he wasn’t,” Elizabeth Berry, the sister of Capt. William “Billy” Francis Burke, Jr., said at a chapel on the Guantanamo Bay Naval Station.  “I think he knew when he stayed behind, he probably would die.”

 

“Most people say, ‘Oh, you were part of 9/11’. I just tell them, 'You know what, 911 is part of me.’” – Tom Canavan, who was buried when the South Tower came down, dug his way free and became one of the fewer than two dozen people to survive the collapse.  (CNN)

"The fire stairwell that we were inside, the concrete bunker started to shake so violently from side to side, the handrails breaking away from the wall, the concrete spidering out, the steps were like waves in the ocean under our feet." 

 

Joseph Dittmas described a "heat ball blowing by as we smell jet fuel ... This thing [stairwell] is just rocking back and forth. It felt like forever, it was seconds, maybe a minute. When it settled, you would have thought there would have been pandemonium, but we responded with just a stunned silence."

He said those who got out are still haunted by the attacks, 20 years on:

"We see, hear, smell, feel this every day and it's something that's in our hearts and souls. In order to move forward, we have to manage it, we need to be strong and powerful as we can," he said.  (Dw.com, Germany)

 

"It is the most irrational act when people take their personal animus out on civilians," Lauren Manning, who was in the World Trade Center's North Tower when the first jet slammed into the building, told DW.

When United Flight 711 slammed into the tower, a fire engulfed Manning. She experienced 80% burns to her body.

"That I actually did survive was because of tenacity, resilience, luck," she said. "I knew as I watched bodies come pummeling to the ground that some of those were my colleagues, my friends from Cantor Fitzgerald [financial services company], and I had the slimmest chance to fight."

 

"I could see debris out the window. And then I heard the sound of people jumping and the connection of those people to the ground which I will never ever forget," said survivor Wendy Lanski.

 

“My father, Norberto, was a pastry chef at ­Windows on the World in Tower One. For 10 years, he made many fancy and famous ­desserts, but the sweetest dessert he made was the marble cake he made for us at home. … Whenever we parted, Poppi would say, ‘Te amo. Vaya con Dios.’ And this morning, I want to say the same thing to you, Poppi. I love you. Go with God.”
—Catherine Hernandez at the World Trade Center site in 2008

 

On Sept. 11, 2001, Deena Burnett Bailey, the wife of Flight 93 victim Tom Burnett talked to each other at least three times while he was on the plane, she said.

"He called again a third time and he told me that he put a plan together to take back the airplane. They were waiting until they were over a rural area to take back the cockpit. He said not to worry," she said.

"He was a little concerned in the last phone call but he also was very confident, he was very capable. He seemed that he was very, very much in charge of the situation and going to make a difference. I believed him when he said everything would be OK. Then his final words to me were 'don't worry, we're going to do something.' He hung up the phone, they went up the aisle and into the cockpit," she said.  (AP)

 

FOREIGN LEADERS and just plain foreigners

 

Britain's Queen Elizabeth said that her prayers remained with the victims and survivors.

"My thoughts and prayers — and those of my family and the entire nation — remain with the victims, survivors and families affected, as well as the first responders and rescue workers called to duty," the queen said in a message to US President Joe Biden.

"My visit to the site of the World Trade Center in 2010 is held fast in my memory."

"It reminds me that as we honor those from many nations, faiths and backgrounds who lost their lives, we also pay tribute to the resilience and determination of the communities who joined together to rebuild."

 

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "(W)hile the terrorists imposed their burden of grief and suffering, and while the threat persists today,” the jihadis had "failed to shake our belief in freedom and democracy. They failed to drive our nations apart, or cause us to abandon our values, or to live in permanent fear."

Sixty-seven British nationals were among those killed.

 

“When Osama bin Laden became an issue for the Americans, he was in Afghanistan. Although there was no proof he was involved” in 9/11, (Taliban spokesman Zabihullah) Mujahid told NBC News in an interview broadcast Wednesday. “Now, we have given promises that Afghan soil won’t be used against anyone.”  WashPost

 

“I still have the front pages of the newspapers from that time because it instantly felt like a moment from which everything would change,” she said. “I saw firsthand the shock and fear that goes hand in hand with terrorism.”  – New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (AP)

 

In a statement released by Moscow's diplomatic mission in Washington, ambassador Anatoly Antonov said Russia was grieving together with the US and proposed reviving cooperation on the fight against terrorism problems in bilateral ties. 

"We should put aside all contradictions and disputes and cooperate for the benefit of security and prosperity of not just Russia and the United States, but all of humanity," Antonov said.  (Dw.com)

The September 11 attacks occurred at a time when Putin “was interested in improving ties with the West,” Angela Stent, a former U.S. State Department and National Intelligence Council official who is a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution think tank in Washington, wrote in a September 8 article.

“Putin believed that the road to restoring Russia as a prosperous great power lay through enhanced economic cooperation with the U.S. and Europe,” Stent wrote. “The terrorist attacks provided an opportunity to partner with America and elevate Russia’s international standing.” Radio free Europe

 

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said the "shock of that day still remains as deep wounds in the hearts of so many'' and that "no violence can win against peace and inclusiveness.''

 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Friday that there should be no double standards in fighting terrorism and terrorists should not be defined on the basis of political self-interest or ideologies.

"Terrorists are terrorists. Defining terrorists based on political self-interest is essentially condoning terrorist activities, which seriously undermines the international counter-terrorism cooperation," said Zhao.

Two decades after the 9/11 attacks spawned the U.S. government’s self-declared “Global War on Terrorism,” the nation that responded to it with the most aggressive regulatory, policing and social policies is thousands of miles from Ground Zero.

China's ruling Chinese Communist Party exploited the international revulsion toward terrorism sparked by the 9/11 attacks to reframe state repression of Muslim Uyghurs in Xinjiang. And it did so with America's blessing according to Politico.

 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen paid tribute to "those who lost their lives" as well as "those who risked everything to help them." Dw.com (Germany)

 

French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted: "We will #NeverForget. We will always fight for freedom."  And then a French drone obliterated the leader of ISIS in the Sahara.

 

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg: “(The) Anti-terror fight will go on.”  Stoltenberg paid his respects to the victims of 9/11 and said the alliance would keep countering the threat of global terrorism. 

"The fight against terrorism will continue, and NATO will continue to play its part, as the only place where Europe and North America come together every day for our shared security," Stoltenberg said at a ceremony at the alliance headquarters in Brussels.

 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered his condolences and praised the heroes of 9/11. "Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives on September 11, 2001," he tweeted. "Twenty years later, we remember them, and the incredible sacrifice and bravery of the first responders. My thoughts are with the survivors and loved ones whose lives were changed forever that day."

"As we reflect on the tragedy of 9/11, let’s not forget all the people who stepped up and met the horror and heartbreak of that day with courage and kindness."

 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel admitted that the war on terror had "not achieved all our goals."

"That is why it is important for us on the German side to safeguard what we have been able to achieve, education for girls and the like, although we know that this will not be easy with the Taliban."

 

COMMENTATORS, CELEBRITIES, PUNDITS, PUBLICISTS and medial persons

 

"No one wants that kind of thing to happen again. Kids have to be reminded in school, what happens historically can happen again very easily. It happens in another form, but it's the same disease. That, to me, is the most important thing of 9/11: a reminder. Because 20 years is really not much time in the grand scheme of things.” – Robert de Niro on CNN.

 

“If I was on that plane with my kids, it wouldn’t have went down like it did. There would have been a lot of blood in that first-class cabin and then me saying, ‘OK, we’re going to land somewhere safely, don’t worry.’”

– Actor/singer/tough guy Mark Wahlberg NYM, 2012 (he subsequently apologized to the families of the victims)

 

 “What separates us from the animals, what separates us from the chaos, is our ability to mourn people we’ve never met.”
—Author David Levithan

 

“When Americans lend a hand to one another, nothing is impossible. We’re not about what happened on 9/11. We’re about what happened on 9/12.”
— Jeff Parness, founder of New York Says Thank You

 

“By one important measure the U.S. war on terrorism succeeded: neither al-Qaeda nor any other foreign terrorist organization has successfully launched an attack remotely approaching what happened on 9/11. By almost any other measure, the War on Terror has weakened the nation, leaving Americans more afraid, less free, more morally compromised, and more alone in the world."  Garrett Graff, The Atlantic

 

“September 11 wasn’t a sui generis event coming out of a clear blue sky. “It was the first warning that the 21st century would not bring boundless peace and prosperity.” George Packer, The Atlantic

 

“Bin Laden did change the world, just not in the ways that he wanted.” Nelly Lahoud, in Foreign Affairs

 

"I remember exactly where I was 20 years ago when a friend told me on my way to class what had happened, singer Carrie Underwood posted. "It was absolutely impossible to comprehend at the time the words that he was saying. To be honest, 20 years later, I still can’t comprehend it."

"We must never forget September 11 and how it changed us as a country," she added. "We must remember those that had their lives stolen that day and continue to pray for their families who are still grieving. And we continue to be thankful to those who were there to help…and are still here to help. God bless America."

 

Said Toby Keith, author of song that became a 9/11 rallying cry: ‘never apologize for being patriotic’.

 

Ryan Reynolds, who is Canadian, shared a post on his story paying tribute to the 26 Canadians who also lost their lives on the tragic day.

 

Reality TV star Kris Jenner shared a post that featured a photo comprised of headshots of victims from 9/11 with a shadow of the Twin Towers in the middle.

"20 years ago today," she wrote. "Take a moment this morning to remember and honor those who lost their lives, the families and friends who lost their loved ones, and the survivors of the horrific attacks on 9/11. We’ll never forget the sacrifices made by the firefighters, early responders and civilians who risked everything to help others in the most incredible and unforgettable display of heroism."

"I’ll never forget that day, and my thoughts are with everyone who lost someone they love," Jenner added. "Life is so precious and today is a reminder to me to cherish every single moment I have with those I love. We must show each other love, forgiveness, grace, and be thankful for the time we have together."

 

Reese Witherspoon shared two posts on her Instagram story highlighting the families that lost loved ones on 9/11. 

"My prayers go out to all the families who lost their loves [sic] ones on this day 20 years ago," Witherspoon wrote. "We will #neverforget. FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS."

 

Jennifer Garner also shared a tribute to her own Instagram story.

"To all who were lost, and to all of the heroes who tried to save them – we honor you," the actress wrote. "To every family member and friend, we honor your loss and promise to never forget."

 

Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres sent love to New York City on her Twitter account. 

 

Actress Mindy Kaling recalled what she was doing on this day 20 years ago in a post shared to Twitter.  Kaling emphasized how "scared" and "helpless" she felt on that day and how the feeling today is not the same.

"The people here rebuilt and recovered, but they will never forget," she wrote. "I love you, New York."

 

Model Gigi Hadid also shared a tribute. 

"My heart is heavy today thinking of all the lives lost on this day 20 years ago," she wrote. "I will never forget that day, and since then, NYC has become a city that has given me so much. Sending light and love to all the first responders, New Yorkers, those who lost loved ones, and those affected worldwide by the tragedies of 2001. I am proud of the resilient spirit of NYC, and proud to be amongst it. May God Bless all."

 

   And this…

 

CNN EXHIBITED A SITE DEPICTING HOW LOCAL NEWSPAPERS COVERED THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY

 

By Kerry Flynn, CNN Business  Updated 4:34 PM ET, Fri September 10, 2021

 

New York (CNN Business) Watch CNN's "Shine A Light," a commercial-free 9/11 20th anniversary tribute, hosted by Jake Tapper and featuring musical performances by Maroon 5, H.E.R., Brad Paisley, and Common on Saturday, September 11 at 8 p.m. ET.

The terror attacks of September 11, 2001 were centered around the East Coast, but its effect was felt in nearly all corners of the country. Ahead of Saturday's anniversary, newspaper editors around the US are publishing powerful front pages with unique stories that capture how local communities are still grappling with the tragedy 20 years later.

Tim Cotter, executive editor of The Day in New London, Connecticut, said that his staff reached out to people in the area ahead of the anniversary so they could feature their personal stories. The Day's front page on Friday included a story compiling many of those memories from the day of the attacks as well as a profile of a New London resident who had served as a volunteer construction worker at ground zero to clean up the aftermath.

"We wanted to hear from people," Cotter told CNN Business. "It's a moment that people will always remember where they were, what they were doing."

The Day plans to publish a story on Sunday about how the Muslim community in the area has been affected, Cotter said. The Daily Herald, a newspaper covering suburban Chicago, featured a story about that same topic on its Friday front page.

John Lampinen, senior vice president of Paddock Publications and editor of the Daily Herald, told CNN Business that his paper has been running a week-long series about the anniversary.

 

"[W]e wanted to teach or remind our audience what that day was like, how real and human it felt, how all of us as people responded — to teach or remind our audience that there was a time when the country came together; a time when the divisions disappeared," Lampinen wrote in an email. "And we wanted to teach or remind our audience that as universal as all this felt, there were some who felt left out — those in the Muslim community, in particular, even though they shared in the incredible heartache."

And here are (559) front papers of The Day, The Daily Herald and other newspapers in the US from September 10, 2021.

 

Three days after the Nine Eleven, California held its elections to 1) recall and 2) replace Gov. Gavin Newsome.  Part of the million-signature effort was simple revenge against a Democrat for the two impeachments of and stolen election from Republican hero and once and future President Donald Trump.  And Newsome stuck his foot (along with certain tasty delicacies) in his mouth by hectoring Californians against the plague and demanding universal mask and vaxx compliance and then running off to a swanky restaurant to wine and dine with campaign contributors.

Voters threw out a colorless and ineffectual Gov. Gray Davis back in the day and replaced him with Arnold Schwarzenegger.  But, this time out, the nearest they had to a celebrity was he/she celebrity Caitlin (nee Bruce) Jenner.  Also a man who campaigned with a live bear, a porn star and 43 other assorted California fruits and nuts… the likeliest of which was talk radio host Larry Elder.  Given this menu of alternatives, the voters returned Davis to office by a two to one margin, sending Elder back to his microphone and the rest back to from whence and wherce they came.

(See Attachment Twelve)

 

 

 

SEPTEMBER 10 – SEPTEMBER 16

 

 

Friday, September 10, 2021

 

Infected: 40,863,868

Dead:  658,992

Dow:  35,607.76

 

 

President Joe will do the 9/11 tour… New York, Shanksville, Pentagon.  Spies believe there to be no “credible threats” of anniversary terror.  New 9/11 museum will honor the unsung heroes… the dogs. 

   Republicans call Biden’s Covid plan “overreaching”.  Six states (red, anti-vaxx/mask, anti government all) out of ventilators and begging for Federal help.

   Post-Ida power back to 75% of Louisiana but watch out for Nicholas.  Olaf, meanwhile, batters Mexican resorts and, of course, the fires of California keep burning as the recall election nears.  And the plague keeps plague-ing

 

 

 

Saturday, September 11, 2021

 

Infected:  40,921,394

Dead:  659,691

 

 

           

 

It’s the 20th anniversary of 9/11.  Patriotic speeches ensue, wreaths and flags in abundance, bagpipes blow, “Amazing Grace” is sung and speculators speculate (see above).  The passing parade passes from Ground Zero, New York to the Pentagon to Shanksville, PA.

   At 9:46 there is a minute of silence and then the Young People’s Chorus of New York sings the National Anthem.  Then the names of the victims are read.  Former Presidents are appropriately sentimental… Donald Trump goes to a celebrity boxing match and tosses jabs at his enemies; Ex-Mayor, might-still-be Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani admits: “Yes, I had a Scotch.”

   Second rescue flight leaves Afghanistan for Qatar but the rest are suspended because of an epidemic – of measles. 

 

 

 

Sunday, September 12, 2021

 

Infected:  40,955,201                 Dead:  659,970

                

 

 

9/11 ritual over for another few years… 5, 10, 30?… now, it’s National Grandparents’ Day.

   Speaking of families… Royal and other… process servers successfully run down and serve Prince Andrew with papers that will put him on trial for doing nasty deeds with Jeffrey Epstein.  QE2 is not amused. 

   Employers and unions unite in opposing President Joe’s vaxxing mandate.  New York closes its neonatal ICU because too many staffers quit rather than take the shot.  Alabama man turned away from 43 emergency rooms, so he dies.  Blacktivists complain that too many undertakers are dying of plague.

  Speaker-ers migrate from 9/11 sacred spots to Sunday news talk.  Surgeon General Murthy says “we cannot let this pandemic turn us against one another.”  Ex-Gov. Chris Christie blames politicization of vaxxes on Kamala Harris.  SecState Tony Blinkin defends himself before Congress, blaming Trump for the Afghan fiasco, refusing to resign and contending: “We inherited a deadline, but we did not inherit a plan.”  RINO Rep. Adam Kinzinger blames everybody.  George W. calls foreign and domestic terrorists “children of the same foul spirit.”

   Justin Bieber promises a ginormous Christmas Concert and a cat dangling from the bleachers at a University of Miami football game falls fifty feet into an American flag held up by patriots, leaving he/she/it with eight lives still to go.  So America is happy once again.

 

 

 

 

Monday, September 13, 2021

 

Infected:  41,221,266

Dead:  662,106                            Dow:  34,851.08

 

               

 

National Truckers’ Week begins.  FBI releases more declassified 9/11 documents scolding (but not exactly implicating) the Saudis, nor calling the Royal Family a gang of mother truckers.

   DHS relieved that half the battle (9/11) is over without significant incidents of foreign or domestic terror, though a man with swastikas painted on his truck is arrested in front of the DNC in DC for wielding a machete.  Machetes kill!  He says he was “on patrol”.  The razor wire will remain around the Capitol for the second half… next Saturdays’s pro-riot riot.   

   Another POThead pleads guilty to wanting to kill Nancy Pelosi – and saying so in a text sent to everybody including the police.

 

 

 

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

Infected: 41,439,256                    Dead:  665,282

Dow:  35,100.00

 

 

Cat One hurricane Nicholas drenches Texas with 18 inches of rain, then lumbers on to Louisiana, still flooded from Ida (and Laura and, for that matter, Katrina).

   Simone Biles (and three others) testify against lazy FBI for ignoring complaints about Larry Nassar by day, then, by night, goes to the Met Gala.  AOC attends the swanky affair in a graffiti gown: “Tax the rich.”  The rich smile and sip champagne.

   It’s a bad day for young people.  485,000 of them get it as school starts, and Dr. Fauci predicts a vaxx for kids by mid-October.  Maybe.  They’re not even safe in Kansas, where fraternity rapes draw U of K protests.  UNICEF reports that a million Afghan children are at risk of starvation.

   Yet another twilight of Trump book out… this one, “Peril” by heavyweights Bob (Watergate) Woodward and Bob Costas.  Gen. Mark Milley reveals that Djonald was so Unhinged after the one-six that he threatened a surprise nuclear attack on China, at which Milley and a horde of minions and military recoiled and sabotaged his “kinetic” moment of glory. 

 

 

 

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Infected: 41,627,946

Dead:  666,607

Dow:  35,031.07

 

 

California Gov. Newsome beats back recall by a 2 – 1 margin (above).  Democrats call it a template for 2022.  (Black) right-wing radio host Larry Elder leads alternatives with slightly less than half of the if not vote; Caitlyn Jenner busts the Republican celebrity template, gaining only 1.1% of the vote.  (See Attachment Twelve)

   Artsy people cite the “inspirational” return of live shows on Broadway as old favourites return… “Hamilton”, “Wicked”, “Lion King”, “Phantom” etc.

   The actual Inspiration (IV) rocket from Elon Musk’s Space X with four untrained civilians aboard lifts off and soars higher than Branson or Bezos, even higher than the International Space Station.  Mr. Musk starts promoting second homes on Mars for the uber-wealthy (the rest of us can rant or rent at Space B&B).

   Donald Unquiet reacts to “Peril” by ordering the attorney general to indict Milley for Treason (forgetting that he isn’t President anymore).  But the POTheads do garner a liberal scalp… Hillary’s attorney and campaign factotum, Michael Sussman is arrested for confabulating with Russia.  And former Speaker of the House (1999-2007) and convicted child molester Dennis Hastert (R-Il.) quietly settles child abuse lawsuit.

  

 

 

Thursday, September 16, 2021

 Infected:  41,785,903

 Dead:  670,000

 Dow:  34,879.38

  

 

 

Nicholas meanders through Louisiana in Ida’s footsteps, dropping more rain upon places that do not need it as opposed to those that do (California wildfires threaten thousand year old redwoods). 

   More “Peril”ous revelations… before hanging threat, VP Pence asked Dan Quayle for help in proving fraud.  “Mike, I live in Arizona,” said the former Hoosier.  “There’s nothing there.”

   Cute blonde Gabby still missing in Utah desert after reports of more disappeared females.  Either it’s a Mormon abduction plot or her shady boyfriend hiding out in his parents’ basement in Florida knows something… police promote him to a “person of interest” (one step below a suspect).  And S.C. cops investigating junkie suicide lawyer are now reopening case of his housekeeper who “tripped over a dog, fell down the stairs and died.”

   NoKo and SoKo swap threats and missile launches.  US promises to vex China by sharing nuclear sub technology with Australia even though President Joe can’t remember their PM’s name and calls him “the man from Down Under.”

   Usual year-end nice n’ naughty lists unspooling three months early… Time’s (unranked) 100 important people (Billie Eilish called a “disruptor”) and Rolling Stone’s 500 greatest songs of all time (Aretha Franklin’s Respect ranked Number One) are released.  (See Attachment action and reactions next Lesson.)

 

 

 

 

 

Another week of rising inflation and falling unemployment resulted in a veritable deadlock for the Don.  Americans remembered 9/11, gave notice to the upcoming One Six and then went back to their work, their schools and jobs with, of course bad weather (in some places) and the plague (particularly among the unvaccinated) hanging in there (like that stadium cat).

 

 

THE DON JONES INDEX

 

CHART of CATEGORIES w/VALUE ADDED to EQUAL BASELINE of 15,000

 

(REFLECTING… approximately… DOW JONES INDEX of June 27, 2013)

 

See a further explanation of categories here…

 

ECONOMIC INDICES (60%)

 

 

DON JONES’ PERSONAL ECONOMIC INDEX

 

(45% of TOTAL INDEX POINTS)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CATEGORY

VALUE

BASE

RESULTS

SCORE

SCORE

OUR SOURCES and COMENTS

INCOME

24%

6/17/13

LAST

CHANGE

NEXT

 9/10/21

 9/17/21

SOURCE 

Wages (hourly, per capita)

9%

1350 points

 9/10/21

   +0.50%

 9/24/21

1,469.68

1,469.68

https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/wages  23.95

Median Income (yearly)

4%

600

 9/10/21

  +0.025%

 9/24/21

673.68

673.85

http://www.usdebtclock.org/   35,642

*Unempl. (BLS – in millions

4%

600

 9/10/21

   -3.85%

 9/24/21

386.04

386.04

http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS14000000/  5.2%

*Official (DC – in millions)

2%

300

 9/10/21

   -2.98%

 9/24/21

451.91

465.37

http://www.usdebtclock.org/      8,392

*Unofficl. (DC – in millions)

2%

300

 9/10/21

   -0.78%

 9/24/21

374.73

377.66

http://www.usdebtclock.org/    15,342

Workforce Participtn.

     Number  

     Percent

2%

300

9/10/21

 

 +0.034%

  -0.016%

 9/24/21

 

318.05

 

318.56

In 153,195 Out 100,068 Total: 253,063

 

http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 60.54

WP %  (ycharts)*

1%

150

 9/10/21

  +0.16%

 9/24/21

152.48

152.48

https://ycharts.com/indicators/labor_force_participation_rate  61.70 nc

OUTGO

(15%)

Total Inflation

7%

1050

 9/10/21

+0.3%

 9/24/21

980.21

977.27

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm     +0.3

Food

2%

300

 9/10/21

+0.4%

 9/24/21

276.14

275.04

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm     +0.4

Gasoline

2%

300

 9/10/21

+2.8%

 9/24/21

262.35

255.00

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm     +2.8

Medical Costs

2%

300

 9/10/21

+0.3%

 9/24/21

286.20

285.34

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm     +0.3

Shelter

2%

300

 9/10/21

+0.2%

 9/24/21

288.77

288.19

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm     +0.2

WEALTH

(6%)

 

Dow Jones Index

2%

300

 9/10/21

  -0.33%

 9/24/21

378.70

377.46

https://www.wsj.com/market-data/quotes/index/DJIA 34,764.83

Home (Sales) 

   (Valuation)

1%

1%

150

150

 5/21/21

 +2.22%

  -0.94%

 9/24/21

174.07

181.13             

174.07

181.13             

https://www.nar.realtor/research-and-statistics

     Sales (M):  5.99  Valuations (K):  359.9

Debt (Personal)

2%

300

 9/10/21

 +0.02%

 9/24/21

270.93

270.87

http://www.usdebtclock.org/    65,064

 

AMERICAN ECONOMIC INDEX (15% of TOTAL INDEX POINTS) 

NATIONAL

(10%)

 

Revenue (trilns.)

2%

300

 9/10/21

 -0.21%

 9/24/21

329.67       

328.99       

debtclock.org/       3,847

Expenditures (tr.)

2%

300

 9/10/21

 -1.50%

 9/24/21

215.38

218.62

debtclock.org/       6,853

National Debt tr.)

3%

450

 9/10/21

+0.08%

 9/24/21

320.15

319.89

http://www.usdebtclock.org/    28,772

Aggregate Debt (tr.)

3%

450

 9/10/21

+0.10%

 9/24/21

367.85

367.48

http://www.usdebtclock.org/    86,043

GLOBAL

(5%)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foreign Debt (tr.)

2%

300

 9/10/21

 +0.04%

 9/24/21

290.31          

290.19         

http://www.usdebtclock.org/   7,235

Exports (in billions)

1%

150

 9/10/21

 +2.46%

 9/24/21

 189.01

 189.01

https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/index.html  212.8

Imports (bl.)

1%

150

 9/10/21

 - 0.18%

 9/24/21

 116.36

 116.36

https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/index.html  282.9

Trade Deficit (bl.)

1%

150

 9/10/21

 +1.43%

 9/24/21

 100.06            

   98.63            

https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/index.html    70.1

 

SOCIAL INDICES (40%)

 

ACTS of MAN

(12%)

World Affairs

3%

450

9/10/21

    +0.2

 9/24/21

383.65

384.42

NoKo SoKo swap missile launches, threats.  America and UK cut a profitable deal to provide nuke subs to Australia; France (who’d hoped for a big, fat contract) is outraged.

Terrorism

2%

300

9/10/21

    +0.3

 9/24/21

220.74

221.40

Second plane allowed to leave Afghanistan, two Americans escape overland.  French drones kill ISIS Gran Chef (Chief, probably) of Africa in the Sahara.

Politics

3%

450

9/10/21

    +0.2

 9/24/21

435.11      

435.98      

Biden promises to declassify 9/11 documents – Michael Moore cheers, Saudis sweat.  His economic team calls stalled stimulus an “inflection” (not inflation) point.   Gov. Newsome recall in California fails… loser Larry Elder cries “Fraud!” before the ballots are even counted.

Economics

3%

450

9/10/21

    +0.1

 9/24/21

406.69

407.10

Embattled Amazon offering tuition credits for (some) employees.  New line of phones has app for stock tips.  California Chamber of Commerce defends sweatshops paying sub-minimum wages, using the independent contractor dodge.  Grocers blame inflation on theft – say “It’s time for the consumers to pay!”

Crime

1%

150

9/10/21

     -0.3%

 9/24/21

240.42

239.70

Florida middle-school student’s Columbine-ish scheme fails.  Gunman shoots two, kills one at Pittsburgh’s Haunted Hayride.  Pregnant woman gunned down at her baby shower. Loony lawyer Murdaugh arrested for faking his”murder”, bungling his “suicide”.

 

ACTS of GOD

 

(6%)

 

Environment/Weather

3%

450

 9/10/21

      -0.3%

 9/24/21

401.66

400.46

Hurricane Olaf slaps Mexican resorts, Nicholas follows in footsteps of Ida, landfalls in Texas as Cat. One, then follows Ida’s trail towards New Orleans.  Out West, California wildfires threaten giant redwood trees.

Natural/Unnatural Disaster

3%

450

 9/10/21

      +0.2

 9/24/21

400.75

401.56

75% of Louisiana power back – for now.  California school crossing guard dies saving kid from car.  New book “Peril” says Gen. Milley saved China from first nuke strike by deranged Trump.

 

LIFESTYLE/JUSTICE INDEX   (15%)

 

Science, Tech, Education

4%

600

 9/10/21

  +0.2%

 9/24/21

680.02

680.70

School starts.  485,000 kids get it.  Apple phones found to be “iterative” not “innovative” and rife with Chinese spyware.  Inspiration 4 lifts off on its three-day tour as Elon Musk touts second homes on Mars. 

Equality (econ/social)

4%

600

 9/10/21

     +0.2%

 9/24/21

557.07

559.18

Gay black cowboy Lil Nas’ X soars at MTV video awards.

Health

     

          

            Plague

4%

600

 9/10/21

  -0.3%

 

 

 

  -0.2%

 

 9/24/21

494.24

 

 

 

- 103.12

492.69

 

 

 

- 103.33

WSJ calls Instagram “toxic to teenage girls” (especially the fat ones) as Facebook rolls out “Instagram for kids”.  What could go wrong with that?

 

Plague Czar Murthy: “We cannot let this pandemic turn us against one another,” as Ohio author and Senate candidate J. B. Vance calls for anti-mask and vzxx civil disobedience.  Other Republicans call President Joe’s plague plan “overreaching”.  Unions and employers unite against his mask mandates.  Six anti-vaxx states run out of ventilators – beg Feds.  Alabama man turned away from 43 full up ICUs, he dies.  NYC closes neonatal ICUs when staff chooses to quit rather than take the shot.  Dr. F. predicts kids’ vaxxes by October, maybe.  Nikki Minaj says a guy in Trinidad believes the shots cause swollen balls and impotence.

 

Freedom and Justice

3%

450

 9/10/21

  -0.2%

 9/24/21

     460.03

459.11

Amy Coney Barrett whines that evil people slander SCOTUS.  Djonald Unsatisfied demands Milley be prosecuted for treason.  AyGee Merrick smiles.  Four famous gymnasts accuse FBI of Nassar coverup – Simone Biles asks: “How much is a little girl worth?”  Process servers run down and serve Prince Andrew.  “Slender Man” killer teen released from prison.  Oath keeper breaks oath, rats out comrades for plea deal.

 

MISCELLANEOUS and TRANSIENT INDEX           (7%)

 

Cultural incidents

3%

450

 9/10/21

   -0.2%

 9/24/21

 527.75

 526.69

NFL opens with Tom Brady & Bucs in miracle comeback.  Emma Raducanu wins women’s US Open in teen thriller, Medvedev upsets Djokovich in men’s final.  RIP giant 80 year old gator Okefenokee Joe, Newport jazz and folk promoter George Wein, SNL comedian Norm McDonald.  RIH: Peruvian terrorist Abimael Guzman, ISIS Africa Gran Chef (above).

Miscellaneous incidents

4%

450

 9/10/21

   +0.2%

 9/24/21

 485.00

 485.97

Fans save falling cat with American flag at Miami football game.  Anti-vaxx refuseniks have a new Covid miracle cure – onions.  (Perhaps because your breath will facilitate social distancing?)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Don Jones Index for the week of September 10th through September 16, 2021 was UP 3.01 points.

 

The Don Jones Index is sponsored by the Coalition for a New Consensus: retired Congressman and Independent Presidential candidate Jack “Catfish” Parnell, Chairman; Brian Doohan, Administrator.  The CNC denies, emphatically, allegations that the organization, as well as any of its officers (including former Congressman Parnell, environmentalist/America-Firster Austin Tillerman and cosmetics CEO Rayna Finch) and references to Parnell’s works, “Entropy and Renaissance” and “The Coming Kill-Off” are fictitious or, at best, mere pawns in the web-serial “Black Helicopters” – and promise swift, effective legal action against parties promulgating this and/or other such slanders.

Comments, complaints, donations (especially SUPERPAC donations) always welcome at feedme@generisis.com or: speak@donjonesindex.com

 

ATTACHMENT ONE – From rev.com

JOE BIDEN SPEECH TRANSCRIPT 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11

Joe Biden: (00:00)
On this 9/11, like every 9/11, I’m thinking about my friend Davis, who I grew up with in Delaware. On this day 20 years ago, he and his family had just passed the first year without their youngest of three sons, Teddy, who died in a boating accident at age 15. And his eldest son, Davis Jr., was just six days into the new job, on the 104th floor of the South Tower, the World Trade Center. Davis went straight to ground zero to search for his son. They searched deep into the last inning of hope, as he put it. A few days later, I spoke with Davis, and talked as fathers who know. I was on my way to speak to the students at the University of Delaware about what to make of the new world we were in. He told me to tell people, quote, “Don’t be afraid.” He said, tell them, “Don’t be afraid.”

Joe Biden: (01:02)
The absolute courage it took after two unimaginable losses is extraordinary, yet the most ordinary of American things. To know life can be unfair and uncertain, a cruel twist of accident or deliberate act of evil. But, even in darkness to still be the light. To the families of the 2,977 people from more than 90 nations killed on September 11th, 2001 in New York city, Arlington, Virginia, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and the thousand more who were injured, America and the world commemorate you and your loved ones, the pieces of your soul. We honor all those who risked and gave their lives in the minutes, hours, months, and years afterwards. The firefighters, police officers, EMTs and construction workers and doctors and nurses, faith leaders, service members, veterans, and all of the everyday people who gave their all to rescue, recover and rebuild.

Joe Biden: (02:14)
But, it’s so hard whether it’s the first year or the 20th. Some of them have grown up without parents, and parents have suffered without children. Husbands and wives have had to find ways forward without their partners in their life with them. Brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts, loved ones and friends that have had to celebrate birthdays and milestones with a hole in their heart. No matter how much time has passed, and these commemorations bring everything painfully back, as if you just got the news, a few seconds ago. And so on this day, Jill and I hold you close in our hearts and send you our love.

Joe Biden: (02:57)
For people around the world that you’ll never know who are suffering through their own losses who see you, your courage, your courage gives them courage that they, too, can get up and keep going. We hope that 20 years later, the memory of your beloved brings a smile to your lips, even while still bringing a tear to your eye. The days that’s followed September 11th, 2001, we saw heroism everywhere, in places expected and unexpected. We also saw something all too rare, a true sense of national unity. Unity and resilience, the capacity to recover and repair in the face of trauma. Unity and service, the 9/11 generation is stepping up to serve and protect the face of terror, to get those terrorists who were responsible, to show everyone seeking to do harm to America, that we will hunt you down, and we will make you pay.

Joe Biden: (03:58)
That will never stop, today, tomorrow, ever, from protecting America. Yet, we also witnessed the darker forces of human nature: fear and anger, resentment and violence against Muslim Americans, true and faithful followers of a peaceful religion. We saw a national unity bend. We learned that unity is the one thing that must never break. Unity is what makes us who we are, America at its best. To me, that’s the central lesson of September 11th. It’s that at our most vulnerable in the push and pull of all that makes us human and the battle for the soul of America, unity is our greatest strength.

Joe Biden: (04:44)
Unity doesn’t mean we have to believe the same thing. We must have a fundamental respect and faith in each other and in this nation. We are unique in the history of the world because we’re the only nation based on an idea, an idea that everyone is created equal and should be treated equally throughout their lives. That is the task before us, to once again, lead not just by the example of our power, but by the power of our example, and I know we can. For I know hope is not simply an expectation. Hope is a conviction. Hope allows us to act with courage, to act and honor those we lost 20 years ago and those who have given their whole souls to the cause of this nation every day since. To act and build a future, not a reactionary one or one based on fear, but a future of promise, strength, and grace worthy of their dreams and sacrifice. And to act and keep the faith that while life is fragile, it is truly something wonderful.

Joe Biden: (05:54)
We find strength in its broken places, as Hemingway wrote. We find light in the darkness. We find purpose to repair, renew, and rebuild. And as my friend told me that September 20 years ago, we must not be afraid. May God bless you all. May God bless the lives lost on September 11th, 2001 and their loved ones that were left behind. May God protect our troops.

 

 

ATTACHMENT TWO – From the NY Post

Trump makes surprise visit to New York police and firefighters on 9/11

By Jon Levine, Joe Marino, Larry Celona and Tina Moore

September 11, 2021 2:50pm 

Former President Trump made a surprise visit with New York City police and firefighters Saturday to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks.

In remarks to assembled guests, the former president sharply rebuked President Biden and the US pullout from Afghanistan.

“It was gross incompetence and I hate to talk about it on this day,” Trump said.

Trump praised New York’s Finest, telling the crowd, “if they let you do your job you wouldn’t have crime in New York!”

As some in the crowd nodded their heads, The Donald jokingly warned them to “just stand and just be perfect.” Trump wrote “I love you all!” in the logbook.

“Don’t nod, because if you do nod, you’ll get in trouble, OK?”

Then someone asked if Trump would consider running for mayor of New York City.

“I would love that! I’d say, ‘Fellas good luck, go to town,” before apparently referencing an uptick in violence in the five boroughs. “It’s hurting our city very badly.”

He squeezed in for a photo with the crowd, earning another round of laughs when he quipped, apparently in reference to COVID-19, “I’m not catching anything from you. If I do, I’ll come back and blame you!” 

He also signed the stationhouse log book, writing, “I love you all!” 

Trump left the NYPD’s 17th Precinct in midtown just after 1:40 pm. He exited to cheers and applause, with one well-wisher screaming, “Thank you for keeping us safe.”

“I’ve been given so much support by the people who do what you do,” Trump told the friendly audience. “We love the blue. I’ll say it loud. You know, you’re not supposed to say that. We love the blue.”

Officers lined up outside the stationhouse in formation to greet the former President. Trump shook hands and posed for photos before walking next door to Ladder Co. 2, where he also signed autographs.

AND, from the Hindustan Times

Trump uses 9/11 anniversary to attack Biden, says he was made to ‘look like a fool’

Trump lamented the chaotic withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan last month which led to the killing of 13 US service members and dozens of Afghans in a suicide bombing outside the Kabul airport.

 

By hindustantimes.com | Written by Kunal Gaurav  PUBLISHED ON SEP 11, 2021 08:16 PM IST

 

Former US president Donald Trump on Saturday used the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks to accuse his successor, Joe Biden, of surrendering “in defeat” by withdrawing from Afghanistan. In a campaign-style video message, Trump lamented the chaotic withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan last month which led to the killing of 13 US service members and dozens of Afghans in a suicide bombing outside the Kabul airport.

"This is a very sad day," Trump said in the message.

"It is also a sad time for the way our war on those that did such harm to our country ended last week,” he added.

Trump was referring to the US’ Afghanistan invasion in 2001 to eliminate Al Qaeda in the wake of the 9/11 attacks and the chaotic withdrawal after two decades that saw the return of the Taliban in the war-torn country. The United States had toppled the Taliban regime in a bid to find Al Qaeda leaders, especially their chief Osama bin Laden, who had planned the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.

The former US commander-in-chief, whose administration oversaw the withdrawal deal with the Taliban last year, said that Biden was made “look like a fool”, stressing that it can never be allowed to happen. Trump blamed the chaotic withdrawal on "bad planning, incredible weakness and leaders who truly didn't understand what was happening."

"Joe Biden and his inept administration surrendered in defeat," he continued. "We will struggle to recover from the embarrassment this incompetence has caused."

 

AND EVEN MORE, FROM FORBES

FOX NEWS CUTS AWAY FROM TRUMP’S 9/11 VISIT AFTER HE SAYS ELECTION WAS RIGGED ‘WHICH IT WAS NOT’

 

By Mark Joyella, Sep 12, 2021,11:37am EDT|

 

As part of Fox News Channel’s coverage of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the U.S., the network aired former President Donald Trump’s visit to an NYPD police precinct in Manhattan, which featured Mr. Trump pivoting from reflecting on the terror and heroism of that day 20 years ago to his unhappiness over losing the 2020 presidential election.

“We’re going to break away now,” said FNC anchor Arthel Neville, saying of Mr. Trump “he did not miss any opportunities to air grievances including claiming that the election was rigged, which is was not,” Neville said. “It has been proven in court multiple times. It has been proven that the election was not rigged by elected election officials.”

As former presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush attended formal 9/11 ceremonies—Obama and Clinton alongside President Biden at the World Trade Center site, while Mr. Bush spoke at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania—Mr. Trump’s appearances included providing live commentary at a boxing match in Hollywood, Florida.

Appearing at the 17 Precinct in midtown Manhattan, Mr. Trump also happily bashed President Biden’s Afghanistan exit and took shots at the news media, pointing out the “fake news” in attendance to cover the story. Trump was asked if he would run again and he said “that’s a tough question. Actually for me it’s an easy question. I mean I know what I’m going to do...I think you are going to be happy, let me put it that way. I think you are going to be very happy.”

 

AND, further – From the New York Magazine Intelligencer

TRUMP GUEST-HOSTING A BOXING MATCH ON 9/11 WAS A VISION FROM AN ALTERNATE REALITY

By Matt Stieb, FLORIDA SEPT. 11, 2021

 

On September 11, 2001, Donald Trump honored the then-unknown number of dead in lower Manhattan by pointing out that the collapse of the World Trade Center meant that he now owned the tallest building downtown. To commemorate the event’s 20th anniversary, he visited a fire station and police precinct in New York City before flying back to Florida to guest-host a novelty pay-per-view boxing match with his son.

The former president, a promoter at heart, mostly stuck to vague bromides that couldn’t get him in trouble as he provided color commentary during four underwhelming bouts at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. “I think tonight’s card is going to be very successful,” he said, when asked about his expectations for the evening. “He is like a totally different fighter,” he said, seconds after a co-host made the exact same observation. “I like to do that,” he said, when asked if he liked to eat lobster. Perhaps the most shocking aspect of the night is that Trump hung on for the whole undercard without getting visibly bored.

Though he largely behaved himself, a few non-boxing jabs inevitably came through. When asked at the beginning of the broadcast about 9/11, Trump said that the anniversary was made even worse because of a “very bad week” from President Joe Biden. He praised the state of Florida for the way they “ran the election clean.” Describing the way that referees decide boxing matches, he said, “It’s like elections: It could be rigged.” Donald Trump Jr., during a particularly boring moment in the first bout, said that “right now, the audience likes politics better.”

It was an astute observation: During the first two fights, the only real noise from the crowd came during outbursts in support of the former president. Cardboard banners dotted the casino arena: “Bring back #45” and “Trump won.” (“I’m watching the signs,” said Trump.) The home audience that paid $50 to stream the fight also got access to a live chat in which viewers talked about QAnon, Hunter Biden, Joe Biden sucking, Pepe the frog, Trump actually winning the 2020 election, and Jeffrey Epstein not actually killing himself.

There’s a reason the boxing wasn’t really the main event: Celebrity fights, of the sort featuring aging heavyweights, jacked influencers, and retired NBA players, are a sideshow of the sport itself designed purely to make money. (Other than Anderson Silva’s first-round knockout of Tito Ortiz in the third bout, many of the boxers on Saturday night spent more time trying to avoid boxing than actually boxing.) Into this world enters President Trump, a man who’s never been afraid of a weird opportunity to make money. His presence was a perfect addition to the resurgence of novelty fighting: a domain full of shady financing; alleged sexual assaults; aging stars who are trying to mount a comeback; and guys who really like Florida.

In some ways, he never really left the sport. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Trump hosted several marquee fights in Atlantic City, including Mike Tyson vs. Larry Holmes and Evander Holyfield vs. George Foreman. Since the ’80s, Trump has been friends with World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Vince McMahon and once shaved his head in the “battle of the billionaires” at WrestleMania. McMahon’s wife, Linda, served as the head of Trump’s Small Business Administration and worked on his 2020 campaign, while Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White is also a close friend. If his observations on Saturday night weren’t particularly insightful, it was clear that this world claimed him as one of their own. To his credit, Trump’s best moments were his recollections of his Atlantic City days, and he seemed genuinely animated when Jorge Masvidal, a UFC champ who campaigned for him in south Florida, stepped into the announcer’s box.

After his year of almost nonstop assaults on American democracy, it’s very strange to watch Donald Trump talk boxing, enjoy himself, and be in charge of absolutely nothing for a few hours. This bizarre appearance on a mostly tedious three-hour stream felt like a peek into another reality: one in which the 45th president accepted his electoral loss last November, and instead of flirting with a second run, he spent his time chasing quick cash in man-o-sphere appearances — events that can be outrageously fun and stupid if you choose to engage and completely inconsequential if you do not.

As the night wore on, it got more absurd. Before Evander Holyfield got in the ring with former UFC champ Vitor Belfort, the audience was asked to observe the anniversary of 9/11 for a ten-count of the bell. The silence was broken up by a woman yelling, “Feel that fuckers!” “Shut the fuck up!” the crowd screamed back. The memorial bell tolled as the audience booed and a woman in short shorts walked around the ring with an American flag.

Once the fight started, Belfort more or less beat the pulp out of the 58-year-old Holyfield until the sad display was called off before the second round. (Holyfield wasn’t actually supposed to fight: He was subbed in after Oscar de la Hoya got COVID at the last minute; his last opponent was in a charity “fight” against Mitt Romney in 2015.) When he was interviewed after the fight, Belfort called Jake Paul a “bitch” and demanded that the celebrity-boxing moneymaker fight him for $25 million on Thanksgiving. Trump, after avoiding the crowd’s chants requesting he give a speech, closed out the event with an address to his many supporters in the casino. “This is like a rally,” he said. “We love you all. We love this country.”

 

ATTACHMENT THREE   – From CNN

OBAMA REFLECTS ON 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11: AMERICAN HEROES 'RUN TOWARDS DANGER IN ORDER TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT'

By Rachel Janfaza, CNN

Updated 7:16 AM ET, Sat September 11, 2021

"We reaffirm our commitment to keep a sacred trust with their families -- including the children who lost parents, and who have demonstrated such extraordinary resilience. But this anniversary is also about reflecting on what we've learned in the 20 years since that awful morning," Obama said in a statement early Saturday morning.

"That list of lessons is long and growing. But one thing that became clear on 9/11 -- and has been clear ever since -- is that America has always been home to heroes who run towards danger in order to do what is right."

When they think back on September 11, 2001, Obama said, he and former first lady Michelle Obama aren't left only with lasting images of two planes flying into the twin towers of the World Trade Center or the wreckage at the other attack sites, but also with the courage of the first responders who acted on that day and in the following weeks and months.

"It's the firefighters running up the stairs as others were running down. The passengers deciding to storm a cockpit, knowing it could be their final act. The volunteers showing up at recruiters' offices across the country in the days that followed, willing to put their lives on the line," the former President wrote.

That same selflessness, Obama said, has been on display "again and again" over the past two decades.  “We saw it a decade ago when, after years of persistence, our military brought justice to Osama bin Laden," said Obama, whose administration finally tracked down bin Laden, who was then killed during a Navy SEAL raid in May 2011.

"We're seeing it today -- in the doctors and nurses, bone tired, doing what they can to save lives; the service members, some of whom weren't even born 20 years ago, putting themselves at risk to save Americans and help refugees find a better life; the first responders battling roaring fires and rising waters to bring families to safety. They represent what is best in America, and what can and should bring us together," he said.

"9/11 reminded us how so many Americans give of themselves in extraordinary ways -- not just in moments of great crisis, but every single day. Let's never forget that, and let's never take them for granted," Obama added.

Obama on Saturday will join President Joe Biden and former President George W. Bush in commemorating the tragedy, bringing together all the US leaders of the post-9/11 era except former President Donald Trump, who instead is providing commentary on a boxing match Saturday night -- though a person familiar told CNN that Trump will visit some sites and that he had recorded a video to be played at the "Let Us Worship" prayer event on the National Mall that is being held Saturday.

Each of the former post-9/11 presidents played a role in the US response to America's longest war.

Since Biden's withdrawal of the last US troops from Afghanistan last month, Obama has said little about his view of the decision, keeping his thoughts on how the war ended closely held.

 

. 

ATTACHMENT FOUR – From CNN

FORMER PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH'S SPEECH AT THE FLIGHT 93 MEMORIAL SERVICE

Updated 12:49 PM ET, Sat September 11, 2021

Thank you very much. Laura and I are honored to be with you. Madam Vice President, Vice President Cheney. Governor Wolf, Secretary Haaland, and distinguished guests:

Twenty years ago, we all found -- in different ways, in different places, but all at the same moment -- that our lives would be changed forever. The world was loud with carnage and sirens, and then quiet with missing voices that would never be heard again. These lives remain precious to our country, and infinitely precious to many of you. Today we remember your loss, we share your sorrow, and we honor the men and women you have loved so long and so well.

For those too young to recall that clear September day, it is hard to describe the mix of feelings we experienced. There was horror at the scale -- there was horror at the scale of destruction, and awe at the bravery and kindness that rose to meet it. There was shock at the audacity -- audacity of evil -- and gratitude for the heroism and decency that opposed it. In the sacrifice of the first responders, in the mutual aid of strangers, in the solidarity of grief and grace, the actions of an enemy revealed the spirit of a people. And we were proud of our wounded nation.

In these memories, the passengers and crew of Flight 93 must always have an honored place. Here the intended targets became the instruments of rescue. And many who are now alive owe a vast, unconscious debt to the defiance displayed in the skies above this field.

It would be a mistake to idealize the experience of those terrible events. All that many people could initially see was the brute randomness of death. All that many could feel was unearned suffering. All that many could hear was God's terrible silence. There are many who still struggle with a lonely pain that cuts deep within.

In those fateful hours, we learned other lessons as well. We saw that Americans were vulnerable, but not fragile -- that they possess a core of strength that survives the worst that life can bring. We learned that bravery is more common than we imagined, emerging with sudden splendor in the face of death. We vividly felt how every hour with our loved ones was a temporary and holy gift. And we found that even the longest days end.

 

Bottom of Form

Many of us have tried to make spiritual sense of these events. There is no simple explanation for the mix of providence and human will that sets the direction of our lives. But comfort can come from a different sort of knowledge. After wandering long and lost in the dark, many have found they were actually walking, step by step, toward grace.

As a nation, our adjustments have been profound. Many Americans struggled to understand why an enemy would hate us with such zeal. The security measures incorporated into our lives are both sources of comfort and reminders of our vulnerability. And we have seen growing evidence that the dangers to our country can come not only across borders, but from violence that gathers within. There is little cultural overlap between violent extremists abroad and violent extremists at home. But in their disdain for pluralism, in their disregard for human life, in their determination to defile national symbols, they are children of the same foul spirit. And it is our continuing duty to confront them.

After 9/11, millions of brave Americans stepped forward and volunteered to serve in the Armed Forces. The military measures taken over the last 20 years to pursue dangers at their source have led to debate. But one thing is certain: We owe an assurance to all who have fought our nation's most recent battles. Let me speak directly to veterans and people in uniform: The cause you pursued at the call of duty is the noblest America has to offer. You have shielded your fellow citizens from danger. You have defended the beliefs of your country and advanced the rights of the downtrodden. You have been the face of hope and mercy in dark places. You have been a force for good in the world. Nothing that has followed -- nothing -- can tarnish your honor or diminish your accomplishments. To you, and to the honored dead, our country is forever grateful.

In the weeks and months following the 9/11 attacks, I was proud to lead an amazing, resilient, united people. When it comes to the unity of America, those days seem distant from our own. A malign force seems at work in our common life that turns every disagreement into an argument, and every argument into a clash of cultures. So much of our politics has become a naked appeal to anger, fear, and resentment. That leaves us worried about our nation and our future together.

I come without explanations or solutions. I can only tell you what I have seen.

On America's day of trial and grief, I saw millions of people instinctively grab for a neighbor's hand and rally to the cause of one another. That is the America I know.

At a time when religious bigotry might have flowed freely, I saw Americans reject prejudice and embrace people of Muslim faith. That is the nation I know.

At a time when nativism could have stirred hatred and violence against people perceived as outsiders, I saw Americans reaffirm their welcome to immigrants and refugees. That is the nation I know.

At a time when some viewed the rising generation as individualistic and decadent, I saw young people embrace an ethic of service and rise to selfless action. That is the nation I know.

This is not mere nostalgia; it is the truest version of ourselves. It is what we have been -- and what we can be again.

Twenty years ago, terrorists chose a random group of Americans, on a routine flight, to be collateral damage in a spectacular act of terror. The 33 passengers and 7 crew of Flight 93 could have been any group of citizens selected by fate. In a sense, they stood in for us all.

The terrorists soon discovered that a random group of Americans is an exceptional group of people. Facing an impossible circumstance, they comforted their loved ones by phone, braced each other for action, and defeated the designs of evil.

These Americans were brave, strong, and united in ways that shocked the terrorists -- but should not surprise any of us. This is the nation we know. And whenever we need hope and inspiration, we can look to the skies and remember.

God bless.

 

ATTACHMENT FOUR (a)   – From the Washington Post

OPINION: GEORGE W. BUSH REMINDS US THAT REPUBLICANS ONCE BELIEVED IN DEMOCRACY

 

by Dana Milbank, September 13, 2021 at 6:16 p.m. EDT

In his first inaugural address, Thomas Jefferson forecast that the young nation would “unite in common efforts for the common good” after the bitter election of 1800.

“Every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle,” he said in the new Senate chamber. “We have called by different names brethren of the same principle. We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists.”

Americans have, at our best, upheld that creed over two centuries. We are all republicans. We are all democrats.

George W. Bush reminded us of those sacred ties in his magnificent speech Saturday contrasting the warm courage of national unity after the 9/11 attacks with the domestic terrorism Donald Trump has unleashed.

“We have seen growing evidence that the dangers to our country can come not only across borders, but from violence that gathers within,” the 43rd president said from the Pennsylvania field where Flight 93 crashed. “There is little cultural overlap between violent extremists abroad and violent extremists at home. But in their disdain for pluralism, in their disregard for human life, in their determination to defile national symbols, they are children of the same foul spirit. And it is our continuing duty to confront them.”

The days of post-9/11 solidarity “seem distant from our own,” Bush continued. “A malign force seems at work in our common life that turns every disagreement into an argument, and every argument into a clash of cultures. So much of our politics has become a naked appeal to anger, fear and resentment. That leaves us worried about our nation and our future together.”

On cue spoke the Malign Force himself. Trump, rejecting invitations to attend 9/11 memorials with other former presidents, used the solemn anniversary to stoke resentment. “We won the election,” he told firefighters in New York. “The election was rigged.” He lashed out at President Biden — “surrender,” “disgrace,” “total embarrassment” — and Democrats: “They only do bad stuff. You wonder whether or not they love our country.”

Even Fox News cut away, as the anchor noted that Trump was “claiming that the election was rigged, which it was not. It has been proven in court multiple times.”

On Monday, Trump issued a written response to Bush. “So interesting to watch former President Bush, who is responsible for getting us into the quicksand of the Middle East (and then not winning!), as he lectures us that terrorists on the ‘right’ are a bigger problem than those from foreign countries that hate America,” he wrote, with trademark misrepresentation and vitriol. “Bush led a failed and uninspiring presidency. He shouldn’t be lecturing anybody!”

It was a stark reminder of how the Grand Old Party has corrupted itself over the past 20 years: from Bush to Trump, from a party of conservatism to a violent faction that refuses to honor free and fair elections and the rule of law.

Jefferson could not have imagined this. The 1800 election was animated, he said in his inaugural address, “but this being now decided by the voice of the nation, announced according to the rules of the Constitution, all will, of course, arrange themselves under the will of the law.” Warning against a despotic “political intolerance,” Jefferson boasted that, in the United States, “every man, at the call of the law, would fly to the standard of the law, and would meet invasions of the public order as his own personal concern.”

Now we have a former (and aspiring future) president, leader of a major political party, who is himself invading the public order and rejecting the standard of the law. He is neither a democrat nor a republican.

There’s much I disliked about Bush’s presidency — contorting intelligence to justify the Iraq War, politicizing the war on terror, making the rich richer — but I never doubted that Bush believed in democracy and a civil society. He was also, in those frightening early days after 9/11, a force for unity.

“At a time when religious bigotry might have flowed freely, I saw Americans reject prejudice and embrace people of Muslim faith. That is the nation I know,” Bush said Saturday. “At a time when nativism could have stirred hatred and violence against people perceived as outsiders, I saw Americans reaffirm their welcome to immigrants and refugees. That is the nation I know,” he continued.

This America, Bush said, “is the truest version of ourselves. It is what we have been — and what we can be again.”

Embracing Muslims? Welcoming immigrants? This is the antithesis of Trump’s Republican Party. Bush, the only Republican to win the presidential popular vote in 32 years, has no place in that party. Neither does Dick Cheney, nor Liz Cheney — nor anybody else who still believes that being a Republican also means being a democrat.

 

ATTACHMENT FIVE   – From speaker.gov

 

TRANSCRIPT OF PELOSI REMARKS AT CONGRESSIONAL REMEMBRANCE CEREMONY MARKING 20 YEARS SINCE THE TERROR ATTACKS OF SEPTEMBER 11TH

 

SEPTEMBER 13, 2021 

 

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi participated in a Congressional Remembrance Ceremony marking 20 years since the terror attacks of September 11th, 2001.  Below are the Speaker’s remarks:

Speaker Pelosi.  It is my sad and great honor to welcome Members of Congress and the Congressional community to the remembrance observing 20 years since the terror attack of September 11th.  That day, we suffered loss we could not fathom and witnessed heroism we will never forget.

Today and always, Americans are united in grief for those who lost their lives and for their families, and gratitude for the heroes of the day.  May their memories always be a blessing.

* * *

Thank all of you for being here this morning.  I want to especially thank Brian Lozano and the U.S. Army Band Pershing's Own quartet for leading us with our National Anthem this morning.  I want to thank the members of the leadership – Mr. Schumer, Mr. McConnell, Mr. McCarthy – for their beautiful remarks.  And I thank Steny Hoyer, member of the leadership, for being with us, as well as other Members of Congress from all over the country.

I wanted to (share) some thoughts with you about this weekend.  Over the weekend, we've had some sad observances of what happened that day.  On Friday, we began here with Flight 93, with flight attendants and – and pilots talking about their friends who were on that flight that was destined for the Capitol – supposedly destined for the Capitol – Flight 93.

As I think about everything we heard then, and in New York at Ground Zero at the ceremony on Saturday, ‘three’ is a number that now I want us to remember so that we never forget.  Flight 93 headed for the Capitol – bravery, courage on that flight spared us that tragedy.  In New York, 343 firefighters lost their lives.  I'm not talking about other consequences following.  I'm talking about 343 firefighters lost their lives that day.  31 members of the New York Police Department.  Ninety three.  Three hundred forty three.  Thirty one.  Thirteen of our young people in the last days of Afghanistan.  So, let the number three be a way for you to remember and never forget what happened.

On Saturday, we heard speeches for – presentations were only made by family members, which was beautiful and appropriate.  We had little grandchildren saying, ‘I never met you, Grandpa, but I know you're a guardian angel up in heaven.’  People filled with faith.  Moms talking about their children, looking like their dads or acting like their dads.  The connection.  The connection is so beautiful, but faith-filled – because praying to them as they remembered them.  Just comrades on the battle – in the battle there, talking about the friends that they lost demonstrated faith in God, faith in each other, faith in America.  It was a very, very – it has been a very unifying time, as it was right from the start with President Bush's beautiful remarks that day, and this weekend, as well as President Obama.

President Lincoln cautioned against ‘the silent artillery of time’ – the harsh artillery of time eroding our memory.  Today and always, we renew our vow: time shall not dim the memory of our fallen heroes.  We pray that the years might ease the pain of the bereaved, but never the luster of the deeds of the fallen.  

When we visit the memories of September 11th, we tread on sacred ground.  As we all know, twenty years ago on that clear Tuesday morning, America was forever changed by an act of terrorism.  In a moment, nearly 3,000 lives were taken, and the innocence of a generation was lost.  

Yet, at our darkest moment, America showed the world our greatness: in the heroism of the first responders who rushed into danger, in the strength of strangers bonded by the loss, in the courage of a nation that found unity in our agony.  

As Americans across the country marked this solemn day over the weekend, we recommit to our sacred promise to never forget: both what we lost and the unity and strength that we found.

May God bless the families of those who lost their loved ones, those who helped those families, and may God bless America.

Now, I invite all of you to join us in a moment of silence.

 

 

ATTACHMENT SIX   – From Mitch McConnell, @republicanleader.senate.gov

 

ICYMI: MCCONNELL REMARKS AT CONGRESSIONAL REMEMBRANCE CEREMONY MARKING 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF SEPTEMBER 11TH

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today steps regarding the twentieth anniversary of the September 11th attacks. See below for the transcript, or click here to watch the full address:

“Twenty years ago, the United States of America was reeling.

“Our initial shock was settling into deeper pain. Early confusion was becoming lasting anger.

“But as the stories of September the 11th began to be told and heard, one thing became clear:

“In the long run, that evil day would not be only remembered as a time when America was briefly laid low.

“No. That day, and the days that followed, we also showed the world how the greatest country in the world sticks together… stays strong… and stands back up.

“When routine flights became deadly weapons, ordinary passengers used their final moments to save more innocent lives… and quite likely this Capitol.

“When clear blue skies clouded with smoke, first responders rushed fearlessly toward the biggest calls of their careers — and for too many, their last.

“As families grieved and cities mourned, citizen volunteers piled up prayers, donations, and patriotism into mountains of goodwill even higher than the piles of rubble.

“And, for twenty years, thousands of our bravest deployed to the lands from which this evil was launched… to make our refrain, ‘Never Again,’ into reality.

***

“The attacks of September 11th have directly stolen the lives of about 3,000 of our people.

“For thousands of families and friends, this anniversary will forever be deeply, terribly personal.

“And over two decades of fighting back against terrorist killers, thousands more newly-minted Gold Star families have been dealt their own life-changing sorrows because of this day. 

“Know that your country still stands with you. Your fellow citizens will  your grief.

“Not one American’s sacrifice has been in vain. We renewed our commitment that we will never be broken. We ensured our unity and resolve runs even deeper than our sadness.

“Our job, is to keep that resolve. Preserve our vigilance. And never surrender to the tempting but mistaken myth that evil left alone by America will leave America alone in return.

“Today we solemnly remember the day we said Never Again. Let us also remember what it takes to keep that promise.”

 

ATTACHMENT SEVEN   – From Slate

KNOW ON 9/11

I was at the twin towers that day. It was obvious that the world would change—but I never imagined how.

BY FRED KAPLAN  SEPT 07, 2021 6:00 AM

On Sept. 11, 2001, I was in my seventh year as the Boston Globe’s New York bureau chief, spending much of my time writing fun features and profiles, a welcome respite after three years as the paper’s Moscow correspondent and, before that, a decade as its military affairs reporter. Those seven years were my own variation on the “holiday from history” that much of the nation was enjoying. At 8:50 a.m., my editor phoned, telling me that an airplane had crashed into one of the twin towers. I got dressed and turned on the TV in time to watch the second plane hit the other tower. This was no sightseeing pilot’s accident—my initial assumption—but a plot, an attack.

I dashed to the subway. On the ride from Brooklyn into Manhattan, I could see black smoke billowing from the buildings, streaking the clear blue sky like an oil spill. It looked like a Hollywood special effect. I arrived at the World Trade Center station, one of the last people to cross its turnstiles for many months to come, and ran up the steps. A large crowd had gathered to watch the towers burning. I found myself standing next to a reporter friend, and we wondered how long it would be before anyone would go back into those buildings.

Then, at 10 a.m., came the rumbling, which sounded and felt like an earthquake. The first tower began to collapse, and everyone ran, including me. Odd calculations raced through my mind: The tower was a little more than a quarter-mile high. I was a little less than a quarter-mile away. Should I run straight and hope to outrace the building’s fall, or should I dart down some side street to dodge its trajectory? It didn’t matter. I glanced back to see the tower crumble where it stood, like a sandcastle in the tide.

Everyone was in a state of horror. I talked with several people walking away from the disaster, some coated with ash. One man, a Xerox executive who worked a block from the towers, told me he’d seen “pieces of fuselage and body parts falling from the sky” and “strewn all over the street.” This was the first moment I realized that the weapons in the sky hadn’t been small prop engine planes, perhaps rented by saboteurs; they were passenger jetliners, hijacked by terrorists.

The subways were closed down. Cellular networks were mangled. I walked uptown toward the apartment of my Globe colleague Elizabeth Neuffer (a tenacious reporter who would die two years later in Iraq). The streets were empty and quiet, except for the sound of news broadcasts blaring from car radios and bars. At each one, and there were several on every block, dozens of people gathered around to hear the latest. Rumors were rife that planes had also attacked the Pentagon, the State Department, and the Capitol. (One of those reports was true.)

Over the next few days, the city was transformed. Popular depictions of New Yorkers as rude and rowdy had always been exaggerated, but the civility, courtesy, and mindfulness that washed over nearly everyone was astonishing.

It gradually became clear that the fresh breeze of unity—the notion that 9/11 brought us all together—did not extend to everyone.

I have a vivid memory of walking across Third Avenue at East 33rd Street three days after the attack. A man in front of me sneezed. A cop, who was guiding traffic at the intersection, looked him in the eye and said, “Bless you.” The pedestrian looked the cop in the eye and replied, “Thank you.”

That afternoon, a friend in Tribeca approached a police officer on the sidewalk and asked, “How are you?” (Many were asking strangers this question with genuine concern.) The officer broke down in tears.

To be a New Yorker in those days was to be stamped—proudly—with a special identity. One lunch hour, I wandered around Bryant Park, the small midtown cloister near the public library, to ask people if they were thinking about leaving the city. They all insisted that they were not. One young man with a Bronx accent replied, “What am I gonna do—move to Lincoln, Nebraska? That’s what the terrorists want me to do.”

All over the city, mimeographed sheets were taped or stapled on every available surface, especially subway station walls—photographs of the missing, with their names, their descriptions, and phone numbers to call if anyone saw them. People gathered to look at the photos, study them, read them carefully, as if they were memorizing their details. It was clear by this time that none of the missing would be found, not alive anyway. Yet people kept looking, out of respect—for the dead and for their loved ones who had posted the photos. The act was observed as a social obligation, a civic ritual: a moment of immersion into d grief, a way to feel and affirm a sense of community and humanity that the attack had sundered but that its aftermath had strangely strengthened.

For a while, anyway. It gradually became clear that the fresh breeze of unity—the notion that 9/11 brought us all together—did not extend to everyone.

Two months after 9/11, an airplane crashed in Far Rockaway, a beachside community in Queens. Everyone feared—or just assumed—that it was another terrorist attack. (It turned out to be “just” an airplane crash, the product of wake turbulence and pilot error as a passenger plane pulled up and away out of the nearby JFK International Airport.) I took the long subway ride to the crash site to interview authorities and witnesses. A Globe colleague who happened to be in New York rode with me. The reporter was of South Asian descent. Not long after we divvied up the territory, he approached me to say he was very uncomfortable with the way people were looking at him—as if he were a terrorist, as if he’d had something to do with the plane crash. He feared for his safety. (We agreed he should leave.)

Sometime before 9/11, I’d written a story about the soaring number of Pakistani immigrants in New York. They’d leased or bought wide swaths of business properties along Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn; the area’s councilman, also Pakistani, was emerging as a real political force. After 9/11, many of the neighborhood’s residents left town; many of the businesses shuttered; the politician, a charismatic community leader, lowered his profile.

President George W. Bush and Mayor Rudy Giuliani, to their credit, urged people not to take out their anger on American Muslims. But as more was learned about the attackers, and as we wreaked revenge on the attack’s planners, the feelings—and a broad emerging hawkishness—were hard to control.

“September 11 warped American culture,” Edward Luce, a Financial Times columnist, wrote in a recent reminiscence. “I had lived in the US until a few weeks before the attacks and returned five years later to a more paranoid, xenophobic and martial society.”

The attacks distracted everyone’s attention from other looming threats that may in the end do us more profound harm than that which was wrought by the terrorists.

Spencer Ackerman, in his new book, Reign of Terror, argues that “the 9/11 era destabilized America and produced Trump” (as the book’s subtitle puts it).

Donald Trump was hardly the first president to exploit the xenophobic streak in American culture, and 9/11 did not mark the first time a foreign attack sparked rampant fear of foreigners in the United States. (See, for instance, the Japanese internment camps during World War II.) But the spark this time was different; the threat was both more amorphous (a handful of hijackers with box knives) and more real (not even imperial Japan had attacked an American city)—and, as a result, more unnerving. The next attack could come anytime, anywhere, without notice; and the attacker wouldn’t be an army, navy, or air force; it might be that strange-looking man carrying a suspicious-looking object while walking down the street.

In that sense, al-Qaida turned America into a more skittish country; if the goal of terror is to terrorize, the 9/11 attacks were a success.

Within a few months, of course, U.S. forces fought back, toppling the Taliban, decimating al-Qaida’s ranks, and eventually killing bin Laden himself. But as recent events have shown, this triumph too was short-lived. In the 20-year interim, the nation—some of its leaders, nearly all of its legislators, and a majority of its citizens—took on an overly blunt view of “national security,” seeing myriad terrorist groups as a monolithic threat, when they weren’t monolithic (a shrewder strategy would have been to play some off the others) and most weren’t threats, not to our security anyway.

The 9/11 attacks provided the legal basis and the political selling point for several military adventures—not least the invasion of Iraq, the most serious foreign blunder in U.S. history. They also distracted everyone’s attention from other looming threats—strategic, political, economic, and especially ecological—that may in the end do us more profound harm than that which was wrought by the terrorists on two airplanes.

In one sense, 9/11 may have been less pivotal geopolitically than 11/9—i.e., Nov. 9, 1989, the date when the Berlin Wall fell, which led to the unraveling of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. The Cold War was a horrific era, but it was also a system of international security, and its end spawned not only the spread of democracy (in places, for a while) but also the dispersion of power, the crumbling of political blocs, the weakening of central authority in already-weak states, and the loosening of historically dubious borders. If the two superpowers had held a grip on their respective spheres of the world for another decade, it is likely that one of them, or both, would have crushed or at least contained an outfit like al-Qaida before it swelled in strength and ambition.

But 9/11 did mark a shift in our thinking about the world—about the likelihood, and randomness, of peril that it poses. The nature of this shift—and the degree of anxiety about the randomness—have been shaped and modulated by other political currents coursing through these long two decades. Even in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, at a time when America’s politics could still funnel disputes in relative calm and good order, the common new threat in our midst served as a unifying force only up to a point. Now that the elasticity of our politics has snapped, as myriad chasms—of race, party, class, and geography—seem increasingly unbridgeable, threats from outside (real or exaggerated) have intensified our disagreements, made consensus on even basic understandings harder to form.

Twenty years ago, citizens all over the country embraced New York in its hour of need and hung s in a display of national unity. Would so many citizens do so today? Many among us have turned a pandemic—the classic case of a common threat from a faceless enemy—into a partisan battlefield. They’d likely respond in the same way to another terrorist attack.

Trumpism may have deepened this erosion of civil society. Yet the rise of Trumpism is, in part, a product of the 9/11 era. As Edward Luce put it in his FT reminiscence, “It is hard to imagine Donald Trump without Iraq, nor Iraq without September 11.” The compounding effects of these events and phenomena—the increasingly grating dissonances that they’ve etched on our collective consciousness—may be the most deeply consequential legacy of that day 20 years ago.

 

 

ATTACHMENT EIGHT – From the Washington Post

OPINION: BIDEN HAS NO BUSINESS SETTING FOOT AT GROUND ZERO ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11

 

Opinion by Marc A. Thiessen  September 7, 2021 at 2:51 p.m. EDT

 

President Biden says he will visit Ground Zero, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pa., on the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Here is a better idea: stay away.

Biden has no business setting foot in those sacred places on that hallowed day. I take no joy in saying this. As a general rule, I believe that when a president attends a ceremony on behalf of the American people, he is not representing himself but the office of the presidency. We respect that office, even if we do not respect the man who occupies it.

But this is different. Joe Biden is the president who surrendered to the enemies who attacked us on 9/11. He not only surrendered but did so with dishonor — leaving stranded behind enemy lines American citizens, legal permanent residents, and the majority of our Afghan allies who risked their lives to help us. Not by accident, mind you. Intentionally. He ordered the last U.S. plane to take off from Kabul knowing that he was leaving them behind — even though he pledged not to leave until every American was out. He forced our NATO allies — who were in Afghanistan only because America was attacked on 9/11 — to do the same to their nationals and Afghan allies. This is a stain on the honor of our nation. At the very moment the bells ring at Ground Zero on 9/11, U.S. citizens and allies will be hiding from Taliban death squads because of Biden’s shameful decisions.

In carrying out America’s retreat, Biden knowingly put the safety of U.S. service members securing the airport in the hands of the Taliban and the Haqqani network — a U.S.-designated terrorist organization — by refusing a Taliban offer to let the U.S. military secure Kabul while we evacuated. The Taliban set up checkpoints where it prevented many Americans from reaching the airport, but it allowed a suicide bomber to get through — killing 13 Americans and injuring 18 more. On Saturday, those who died as a result of Biden’s blunder will rest in freshly dug graves, while those who survived will watch the ceremonies from hospital beds with injuries they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

As the evacuation took place, Biden repeatedly lied to the American people. He said no Americans were having trouble getting to the airport, which was blatantly untrue. He said the United States had no interest in Afghanistan because al-Qaeda was “gone” — when in fact al-Qaeda is deeply embedded with the Taliban. He claimed no allies were questioning the United States’ credibility, when many of our allies were aghast at his display of weakness and publicly pleading with him to extend his artificial deadline. He said that none of his military advisers had recommended leaving a residual force, when some had. He even asked the Afghan president to lie about how the fight against the Taliban was going, urging him to project a different picture “whether it is true or not.” And after it was all over, he still declared his Afghan debacle an “extraordinary success.”

Worst of all, Biden explicitly chose to time his withdrawal to the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. There was no military justification for this. If operational considerations had driven his decisions, he would never have withdrawn U.S. forces during the summer fighting season. He pulled U.S. forces out when he did because he wanted to use the 9/11 commemorations as a political prop — so he could bask in the glory of having ended America’s longest war by the anniversary of the attacks that necessitated it. Instead, his incompetence is turning this solemn day of remembrance into a victory celebration for the terrorists. Last week, the Taliban — our new Afghan “partners” — broadcast a video crowing that America brought 9/11 on itself by our “policy of aggression against the Muslim world.”

By his dereliction of duty, Biden has abdicated his right to commemorate the anniversary of 9/11. The president who surrendered Afghanistan to our terrorist enemies has no business setting foot in Shanksville, where the heroes of Flight 93 launched the first American counterattack. The president who lost 13 American service members by putting their security in the hands of terrorists has no business laying a wreath at the spot where Flight 77 hit the Pentagon. The president who left our citizens and allies behind in Afghanistan and lied to the American people has no business at Ground Zero. His presence would insult the memory of those who died in that sacred place — and those who gave life and limb to deliver justice to the enemies who struck us that day.

 

 

ATTACHMENT NINE   – From Fox News

 

JUSTICE' ON BIDEN'S LEADERSHIP 20 YEARS AFTER 9/11

This is a rush transcript from "Justice with Judge Jeanine," September 11, 2021. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

 

JEANINE PIRRO, FOX NEWS CHANNEL HOST, JUSTICE WITH JUDGE JEANINE: Hello, and welcome to JUSTICE, I'm Judge Jeanine Pirro. Thanks so much for being with us tonight on this 20th Anniversary of September 11, as we remember the fallen and the lost.

We will never forget.

And now to my open.

There is no other day on the American calendar that reminds us how vulnerable even the most powerful nation on Earth can be. September 11 -- 9/11 -- memories from that beautiful sunny day in 2001 are still haunting and palpable.

America was injured and in shock. Then our President came forward to speak to us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can't hear you.

GEORGE W. BUSH, THEN PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I can hear you.

[CHEERING AND APPLAUSE]

BUSH: I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you and the people --

[CHEERING AND APPLAUSE]

BUSH: And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon.

[CHEERING AND APPLAUSE]

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PIRRO: It wasn't scripted. It wasn't on a teleprompter, but it was moving, comforting, and captivating. Even to this day, it still gives me chills.

When President Bush spoke, America found what she needed, a leader who brought us a sense of unity, not words; a leader who focused on our similarities, not our differences. And suddenly, because of his strength, America was one against those who wanted to destroy us.

We found our strength, courage, fearlessness, and the unequivocal belief that the United States of America is exceptional.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CROWD: (Chanting U.S.A.)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PIRRO: After that, we were able to stand tall and united to confront the massive violence and hate from radical Muslim extremists who came after us in our own country, our homeland -- to kill us.

I remember that day. As DA, I was in New York City for scheduled meetings. My security detail insisted I leave the city immediately and returned to Westchester.

All the phones were down. Only police radios worked.

People were desperate looking for loved ones. My own daughter, Kiki, was with the Rye Country Day class that day visiting The Pentagon. No one could reach any of the children.

I called through a police phone. I called Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik, and hours later, we were able to tell the headmaster at that school and the families that all of those kids, all of those children were fine.

I set up a center and the DA's office for families of the victims. We collected DNA and offered counseling. We offered help from the Surrogates Court.

The family members who came every day, looking worse and worse as time went on started to realize that their loved ones were not going to be found, that they weren't coming home, confirmed by the hundreds of empty cars left at train stations throughout Westchester.

Yes, they took much from us that day, and the ripple effect is still with us.

What have we learned in 20 years? Are we any safer now? Are we still vulnerable? Sadly, I believe we're more vulnerable.

There is a deficit of leadership today, the kind we need to vote protect and chart a course for America's safety. You don't even have to look at a poll to know instinctively that only 39 percent of Americans approve of Joe Biden, his lies, his ineptitude, and his determination to choose politics and ideology over the safety of America and her citizens. It is evident day after day.

On this, one of the most sacred days on the American calendar, we are left with one of the most feeble, feckless, confused, and inept Presidents. One day, he says we won't leave Americans behind, and on the next, proudly admits he lied. And since he left only 10 percent of the Americans behind, then sadly, his brainwashed minions come out and stick up for his lies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, SECRETARY OF U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY: I am confident and we are far stronger and more secure now than we were 20 years ago.

We once again are rising in prominence around the world as a place of refuge. We're being celebrated. We're leading.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PIRRO: Mr. Secretary, when the British Parliament condemns the United States, and when we vacate Bagram Air Base at night without telling our allies, we're not being celebrated and we're not leading. Are you just stupid/

Now, we have to rely on real American veterans and heroes going into Afghanistan, risking their lives yet again to get Americans out.

And while the administration tells us the Taliban is kinder and gentler, they shoot women who don't cover their faces in the street, and they go door to door looking to shoot anyone working with Americans, and they beat reporters.

Meanwhile, Democrats like Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib announced a resolution on the eve of 9/11, no less, to condemn the hate, discrimination, and racism, and xenophobia that Arab Muslims and Sikh communities across America face. Lies, constantly, come out of our White House.

Days after Americans were incensed about the death of our 13 service members, the Biden puppets decided to tell us they launched a drone to kill our enemies. In reality, that drone killed seven children. They hit the wrong car. They lied to us and said they took out Taliban facilitators.

Look, the satellites we have are so sophisticated, you can read a license plate from outer space. The same people who allowed terrorists with suicide vests to be frisked are the same people who targeted the wrong car killing seven innocent children.

And this administration stands in front of the American people and lie and say they went after the enemy that killed our servicemen? Despicable.

But despite that, you and I have to keep fighting for the America we know and love.

In honor of people like Todd Beamer who saved countless lives by foiling al-Qaeda's plot to crash Flight 93 into another U.S. target, the White House or the Capitol Building.

Listen to this from the father about the last conversation Todd had with his wife.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID BEAMER, DAD OF FLIGHT 93 HERO TODD BEAMER: So, Todd was able to have that conversation with her, provided reconnaissance information, prayed together and asked her to send his love to his family.

And he said we're probably not going to make it out of this. But then his last words, you know, "Are you guys ready? Let's roll."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PIRRO: Todd Beamer and those who charge the cockpit are real American heroes. We must never forget.

Another was Chic Burlingame whose sister has been an advocate for 9/11 victims over the last two decades. She sat down with our Martha MacCallum to reflect on the last 20 years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEBRA BURLINGAME, SISTER OF PILOT KILLED ON 9/11: This administration is now embracing a terrorist regime. The very people he is referring to are the ones that sheltered Osama bin Laden, the ones that provided him a safe haven while they practiced storming the cockpits and killing all the pilots.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PIRRO: Today, I was at Citi Field before the Mets and the Yankees game, and I felt unity and patriotism again. I felt the Americans all around me.

I am so tired of all this woke nonsense, the creation of division. Our own so-called Commander-in-Chief pitting groups against each other. I'm tired of defunding police and wasting my time and energy trying to fight those who hate America and hate our flag.

It is time for us to drown their voices out. It is time for the silent majority to stand up at the Star Spangled Banner and decry those who take a knee.

I want to live in a country that understands that we are lucky to be in this experiment of democracy together. And no one -- no one can ever divide us.

And that's my open.

Let me know what you think of my Facebook and Twitter, #JudgeJeanine.

Here now with reaction to my open and much more as we remember the 20th anniversary of September 11th, retired U.S. Army Ranger Jake Bequette and FOX Nation host and investigative journalist, Lara Logan.

Thank you both for being here tonight. The way I see it, guys, what we had was the Taliban running Afghanistan in 2001, and here we are 20 years later, the Taliban is running Afghanistan armed to the teeth with all of the military supplies that we left them and now, we're trying to bring them into nation saying they're cooperative and business like in their negotiations.

I'll start with you first, what say you, Jake, about all this?

JAKE BEQUETTE, RETIRED U.S. ARMY RANGER: Well, first of all, it's a somber day and reflecting about these days, it's very interesting for me, and many Americans of my generation who joined the military after 9/11, I think, I speak for a lot of us, you know, watching those events unfold as a 12-year-old in seventh grade.

I was said. I was angry, and I wanted revenge.

And I think the first seed there was planted of the call for me to serve our country in uniform. But, you know, fast forward 20 years, we have a feckless incompetent administration, that you're exactly right is making us less safe than ever before.

He treats the Taliban as an equal regime, which of course, they are not. They are a terrorist organization.

Our enemies -- China, North Korea, Iran, the Russians -- they see this weakness and incompetence and fecklessness on the international stage and it makes America less safe. But I think more importantly, we are less safe at home domestically.

This country tragically is full of Marxist radicals who want to destroy the very foundations of this nation. They want to root it out. They want to destroy it root and stem because every Marxist regime has to start from scratch.

There can be no history, there only has to be a future.

And so it's a very dangerous time for us in America today. I was just at a Razorback football game, there were great signs of unity. I hope that continues.

But look, it's a very dangerous time for all Americans, both domestically and internationally.

PIRRO: Well, I really think that you know, baseball game football games, and obviously, you're formerly an NFL player, but Lara, I want to go to you, and you tweet a lot. And one of your tweets today says that "Every Islamic terrorist is celebrating this victory over the U.S. while Afghan men and women are now left to fight this evil alone. It's hard to decide who's more evil. The terrorists murdering their way through Afghanistan right now, or you and those responsible for this?" Lara, who is "you"?

LARA LOGAN, FOX NATION HOST, "LARA LOGAN HAS NO AGENDA": Well, you is "The Washington Post" journalists who have, you know, who wrote these sort of fawning profiles on Joe Biden today. And you know, citing the moment that he knew about all of this and how he vowed that they would never win.

And, you know, Judge, the thing that I just cannot -- I just cannot understand how we can be doing this. I cannot understand how you can have Afghan women beaten, and some of them murdered, how you can have your enemies, the people responsible for 9/11, right, on this very day, they're going through the Panjshir Valley in Afghanistan, and they are taking 12- year-old boys and above, and they're disappearing.

These are the people that have extended a hand of friendship to the United States for decades, right, without them, nothing we've done over there would have been possible. And as Jake will tell you, you know, what you've done here is obliterate your human intelligence capability, because nobody trusts the United States anymore. And why would they?

We literally took the lists of American citizens, and also green card holders, and special interest visa holders, and any other Afghan who worked with us and was vulnerable and at risk. And we gave it to the Afghan al- Qaeda to hunt them down and murder them.

And then every time a handful of Americans gets on a plane for the theater of the Taliban, we all celebrate. What we've done is given victory to al- Qaeda on the 20th anniversary of 9/11. And I don't believe it's incompetence, because there's way too many indications that we know exactly what we are doing.

Every standard operating procedure from whether it's disintegrating machines that are supposed to destroy our data, to the attack planes, and all the military equipment that we have in place. There's 400 million things that we could be doing right now to change the outcome.

We do not have to leave weapons in the hands of the terrorists responsible for 9/11.

PIRRO: Well, there is no question.

LOGAN: And let's this stand with a few lies, yes. Some of the lies, Judge.

PIRRO: Quickly.

LOGAN: AND I was very moved by, by your opening, by the way. Thank you for including us.

There are still Afghans fighting today, Special Operations Forces that never gave up. The democratically elected leader of Afghanistan, the acting President Amrullah Saleh is still fighting today, and we have chosen to side with terrorists, and we are intending to fund them with U.S. taxpayer money, which is the greatest disservice to every American.

And Jake is right, we have never been more vulnerable. We've never been more isolated. And for some insane reason. We're breaking the law negotiating with terrorists, supporting terrorists. We were even going to give the Air Force any sensitive Intelligence capabilities that are in Uzbekistan right now from Afghan pilots who fled. We agreed to give those to the Taliban.

Not just leave the weapons they have in their hands, but give them more. So our own forces are equipped with that technology. So, what you're doing is a death sentence for everyone wearing an American uniform.

PIRRO: Well, there's no question, Lara, and you say it well.

And, Jake, I'm out of time. But do you agree with Lara, that, you know, this isn't about incompetence? This is another agenda. You -- quickly -- do you agree with that?

BEQUETTE: No, that's a great point. I mean, nothing could be more foolish than abandoning Bagram Air Base, which led directly to the deaths of 13 brave people.

PIRRO: But is incompetence? Is it incompetence?

BEQUETTE: That's what I'm saying, it defies explanation. We're dealing with the Taliban with strongly worded statements. But the only conclusion here is the Biden administration and the radical left are purposefully weakening America.

I think Lara is exactly right, it's necessarily incompetence, it is purposeful.

PIRRO: You both are.

BEQUETTE: They have to destroy this country, that's what they're doing.

PIRRO: Jake Bequette, Lara Logan, thank you both very much for being with us on this special evening.

Next, the one and only Sean Hannity joins me on this solemn day in America as we remember 9/11 twenty years ago. Don't go anywhere.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PIRRO: An emotional day for all of us as we remember those who lost their lives 20 years ago. I spoke with Sean Hannity about his 9/11 memories and much more. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PIRRO: Sean, thanks so much for being with us. I'm excited to have you on JUSTICE. And as you know --

SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS CHANNEL HOST: Judge, hang on. I'm honored to be on with you. And I watch your show -- I try to watch it every week, and you're killing it and your monologues scare me. But these are scary times.

PIRRO: These are. These are, Sean.

HANNITY: I mean, just like a great, brilliant Judge closing arguments, you lay out the facts. I love watching you every night, every time you're on. It's great. And it's an honor to be on. Thank you for having me.

PIRRO: All right. Well, obviously I feel the same about you, which is why it's so important to get your thoughts on this show.

Look, September 11th is as far as I'm concerned, one of the most important days on the American calendar. And as we come up to the 20th anniversary of September 11th, I think a lot of us have a lot of you know, feelings that are coming out again, especially on the 20th anniversary.

I remember being the DA, being in New York City at the time, my security detail telling me, we have to go back because the second plane hit the World Trade Center. My daughter, 15 years old, being at The Pentagon that day, all the phones went down. It was a crazy day.

Where were you on 9/11? And how has 9/11 changed your life, Sean?

HANNITY: You know, I'll give you a roundabout answer. Where I was, was, my son now graduated from college, I was taking him to nursery school. My best friend from third grade, John Gomez calls me and says, "Are you watching this," I'm like, "What?" And I go home and like everybody else, I turn on the TV and just watched in horror.

I had to -- you couldn't get into the city at that point. I was able to get my radio show up and running, thanks to a Garden City radio station. We have five different stations, they got up, and by the way, that's something radio stations never do and they did it on 9/11 because it was that important for all of us to be on the air.

And look, I lost friends that day. I was a pitcher in high school, the kid that was the catcher for all the years I pitched, him and his brother, they worked for Cantor Fitzgerald, they both died that day. I see his wife and church with these, you know, three or four beautiful daughters every single week, and it broke my heart.

It changed me because as the 9/11 Commission Report said, and I don't think I could say it any better. They were at war with us and we weren't at war with them.

And now, when you look at -- it's almost surreal where we are today, 20 years later, and Joe Biden is saying just a couple of weeks, oh, no, no, I will stay as long as we have Americans and then abandoning our fellow Americans behind enemy lines with the Taliban.

And now, of course, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will be a safe harbor for terrorists to plot, plan, and scheme.

PIRRO: I want to talk about that later -- and we can both talk about that later because we both feel the same way. But I want to focus on something that you said and that is that, you know, we were Americans and you know, we were stunned.

I mean, it was the homeland. They attacked us in the United States, the homeland.

HANNITY: Right.

PIRRO: I mean, people of our generation, that never happened. I mean, the last thing was Pearl Harbor. We are talking about 3,000 people here.

HANNITY: Yes.

PIRRO: So we have this President who gets up, and he says, you know, I hear you and they're going to hear from us. And we had a leader who stood up and he comforted us and he focused us -- he focused America for the first time on the fact that there were people who wanted us dead.

How long did America take to kind of understand the hate that people have for us?

HANNITY: There was this period where it was it was nice, actually, it was a miracle. I think what happened on 9/11, I define it as pure evil -- 2,977 of our fellow Americans were slaughtered. It defines evil.

And out of that rubble came incredible kindness, unity. Unity of purpose, too. And part of that was getting the people that did this and making sure it never happens again. And I mean, I'll never forget.

I mean, Campbell's Soup for example, they opened up the soup lines. You know, restaurants were feeding any first responder that was down there for free. Everybody got on board. The whole country united together and it was a good period for the country in that sense. Good came out of the evil.

But we've taken our eye off the ball, and now we've abandoned Afghanistan, and that's where now we've left it.

Beyond the fact that I never in my lifetime, Judge, we've been friends a long time. I never, ever, ever in my lifetime, thought we'd ever leave our fellow Americans hostage behind enemy lines, their lives based on the whims of known terrorists. This will now become a safe harbor for the next plotting, planning, scheming of the next 9/11. That's just a fact.

PIRRO: Well, there is no question about that, but I just want to focus for another minute on the America that evolved as a result of what happened on 9/11. And today, we have kids in college who are saying that the 9/11 education apparently is not being focused on in schools today. They're saying we should avoid placing blame and leave out the gruesome details, because it might lead to extreme nationalism, according to college students.

What has happened to the children who should have understood what this was all about?

HANNITY: My daughter who is now in college was born just days before 9/11 and she didn't grow up knowing about 9/11. She knows about it now and we've watched videos of it together, and we've talked about it. And it was a whole -- there is a whole generation or generations now of Americans that really don't understand the magnitude of this.

Look, we are not a perfect country, Judge. I'll be the first to say that. But as the great Barry Farber -- late great, Barry Farber, one of the great pioneers of talk radio would always say, there's never been a country on the face of this Earth that accumulated more power, abused it less -- I add to that and used its power to advance the human condition, and we share everything with the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PIRRO: More of my interview with Sean Hannity coming up. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PIRRO: As my interview with Sean Hannity continues, we take a closer look at the threats that still exist to America 20 years later.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PIRRO: Sean, because you hit the nail on the head, you said that real Americans never leave anyone behind. And I want you to listen to his Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin. Take a listen to this. I want to hear what you have to say.

HANNITY: You bet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LLOYD JAMES AUSTIN III, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: The whole community is kind of watching to see what happens and whether or not al-Qaeda has the ability to regenerate in Afghanistan.

The nature of al-Qaeda and ISIS-K is that, you know, they will always attempt to find space to grow and regenerate whether it's there, whether it's in Somalia, whether it's in any other ungoverned space.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PIRRO: Okay, so --

HANNITY: That just frustrates me.

PIRRO: I know. Go ahead. Hit it. Go.

HANNITY: It frustrates the living hell -- and I'm going to tell you something. If you don't know your enemy. You know, I mean, I watched Tony Blinken this week and I know you've been talking about it, and he's going to lecture -- let's see, not enough inclusivity to end wokeness in the new Taliban government.

I'm like, you jackass. You can't be that ignorant and stupid.

PIRRO: He is.

HANNITY: Because -- well, he is -- because these are the people that allow Taliban fighters to take young women as sex slaves. These are the people that when they were in power, didn't let women go to work, didn't let women go to school. They are second class citizens. Not even close.

PIRRO: And now with these grown men to bring child brides here to the United States, but not the SIV holders, and they're not -- and the Americans are left behind. These people do not belong in those positions.

But I want to get your position. The Taliban ruled Afghanistan in 2001. And they hid al-Qaeda, they defended al-Qaeda when al-Qaeda hit us, all right. Now, it is 20 years later, the Taliban is ruling Afghanistan again. Now, with what? $85 billion in military equipment. We put them in a better position than we left.

HANNITY: You have to think about this. What frustrates me and, first of all, leaving Americans behind, seeing 13 of, I call, our national treasure. You think of all the lives lost in Afghanistan, all the people that came back with these lifelong debilitating injuries, blown up legs, you know, missing legs, missing arm.

PIRRO: Our blood and treasure.

HANNITY: Okay, you think about the carnage of the sacrifice that they had. And rightly, a lot of our vets are saying, why? Their families are saying why? Why did we send our national treasure there?

Now, you think about it in this sense. We keep showing -- I've been showing for two weeks this map.

PIRRO: I've been watching. Yes.

HANNITY: And all it is, is the Taliban on the march.

PIRRO: How they are coming in. I got it.

HANNITY: Okay. In July now, what Joe Biden is telling us, one of the best trained militaries in the world. They even have an Air Force.

PIRRO: He lies.

HANNITY: He lied because by that point, they had already squashed the Afghan military that he is bragging about. And then now, we got him on tape telling the Afghan President, the guy that fled with the millions of dollars according to reports.

PIRRO: Yes, whether it is true or not.

HANNITY: Right, now, they're saying, well, lie -- why don't you lie and just say it is okay because we've got to change the perception. Everybody knew that they were getting their asses kicked. Everybody knew that they were losing and rolling over and the Taliban was advancing.

Now, the Trump plan included the first factor. It was if you don't follow every dotted I crossed T, every period, every comma, I'll obliterate you like I did al-Baghdadi and associates.

PIRRO: And that's why --

HANNITY: Like they did Soleimani.

PIRRO: They didn't touch an American for 18 months.

HANNITY: The Caliphate. Eighteen months, the last year of the Trump presidency, not one American died.

Now, when they were on the march and they only had 20 percent of Afghanistan, why didn't they A, use the drone strategy that Trump used to defeat the Caliphate, right?

PIRRO: Because they don't care. Sean, I'm going to tell you why.

HANNITY: You tell me.

PIRRO: Because they are going to the U.N. asking the U.N. to tell us how racist we are. That's what Blinken is doing and that's why Biden is trying to issue a vaccine mandate. These people are not right for America.

HANNITY: Let me tell you something, every American now behind enemy lines that dies, they have blood on their hands.

PIRRO: Absolutely.

HANNITY: They had all the time in the world.

PIRRO: Shame on them.

HANNITY: They could have pushed them back with drone strikes the way Trump defeated the Caliphate, and they could have -- they could speed up the withdrawal, get out every American safely while they had control, every Afghan allies safely.

PIRRO: Exactly.

HANNITY: And we could have taken our military equipment home, our Apache helicopters, our Blackhawk helicopters, our C-17s, our munitions and everything else.

PIRRO: And you know what's worse? You know what makes me crazy, and I have to end it here. It makes me crazy seeing the Taliban wearing a United States uniform, a combat -- a uniform of the United States.

HANNITY: Unbelievable.

PIRRO: They're fools.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PIRRO: And a big thanks to my friend, Sean Hannity. As always, we love having him on.

And just ahead Secretary of State Blinken blasted over reports that Afghan evacuees are hiring Ubers to leave U.S. military bases.

Congressman Mark Green is here next with the latest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PIRRO: Explosive allegations this week from my next guest as he seeks information from the State Department and Secretary Blinken over Afghan refugees in the U.S. although, I think they're Afghan evacuees.

Congressman Mark Green, a combat veteran who served in both Afghanistan and Iraq joins me now with more.

Okay, so we're talking about Afghan evacuees. They're not even refugees, right? They haven't even gotten refugee status, correct?

REP. MARK GREEN (R-TN): That's correct, Judge. They are technically evacuees. They haven't even been granted refugee status yet.

PIRRO: Who are they? Who brought them here? Why are they at Fort Bliss? Is it Fort Bliss? Is it correct?

GREEN: Well, these are the folks --

PIRRO: Fort Pickett. Pickett.

GREEN: They are in Fort Bliss, Fort McCoy. Fort Pickett, they're at a number of different locations, and yeah, these are the folks that Antony Blinken allowed to get on our military aircraft and fly home. And of course, 30 percent of them we don't even have biometrics on. We don't know who they are.

These were supposed to be interpreters and people who helped us, but they don't speak English. So, you know, we have no idea to who they brought home. And there are some Intel, of course, that says there could be some bad actors in this crowd.

So, it's tragic. It puts America at risk. And it's all Antony Blinken's fault.

PIRRO: Okay, so while we leave 10 percent of Americans behind, while we bring in these people that we don't have biometrics on and they don't speak English, which shows you right off the bat, they're not interpreters. They're getting Ubers or family members are coming in and taking them off base and that's the end of it.

We bring them here, and then the interpreters we are leaving over there and the journalists, this is crazy.

You're in Congress. I mean, me give me an adverb. Give me something that describes this. This is un-American.

GREEN: It's humiliating to the United States of America that Americans were left behind, and people whom we don't really even know were evacuated when our own friends and allies were left there hanging behind enemy lines. It's humiliating, and it's a disgrace.

And it really -- I think it really lies on the State Department. The DoD was telling State all along during this drawdown, Blinken, yes, we're drawing down, start moving these people out. And the State Department failed to move. And then the President had the audacity to say, well, they didn't really want to come here.

Well, there were 90,000 applications pending when the President of the United States said, oh, they don't want to come here. I mean, it's all a farce. It's a lie. And it's all the Secretary of State and the President of the United States' fault.

PIRRO: All right. Well, when you bring Blinken before Congress, I know you're on the Foreign Affairs Committee, let's just hope that when he swears to tell the truth he does, although I'm not quite sure if he ever does.

Congressman Mark Green, thanks so much for what you've done and for being with us tonight.

And just ahead, are Newsom's days as Governor of California coming to an end? We're going to break it all down with Leo Terrell and Joe Concha, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PIRRO: President Biden is heading to California on Monday to try and carry Governor Gavin Newsom's desperate campaign across the finish line.

Joining me now to react, FOX News contributors Leo Terrell and Joe Concha.

All right, Joe, I'm going to start with you.

The California election is on Tuesday, and Gavin Newsom is saying that the Republicans are weaponizing the process. Why couldn't they wait until the election next year? Why did they have to do it now? And everybody is coming in and giving him money. What say you?

JOE CONCHA, FOX NEWS CHANNEL CONTRIBUTOR: I say the President of the United States has actually decided to not go to the southern border, which he has not done yet since he took office, flying over there, right, Judge, and going right to California shows you his priorities in terms of his political stature at this point.

And polls for what they're worth, you know, I mean, they are not worth very much on the state level particularly -- appear to show Newsom surviving in this deep blue state at this point, but perhaps Democrats are seeing and sensing something different in terms of their own internal polling or what they're feeling on the ground because why else would every other major Democrat fly to California to stump for him?

You have Biden, Harris, and Obama. Are Gary Hart and John Evers going to show up? You have expecting JFK and FDR to pull up Patrick Swayze and do the same, right?

So, win or lose, Judge, the fact that the Democrats have to spend this much time, this much money, this bunch of political capital to defend the state Joe Biden won by something like I don't know, three points shows you how dire things are for the blue team at this point, Judge.

PIRRO: Right. And you know, Leo, when we talk about this much capital from what Joe said, I hear that Soros is dumping a fortune into this campaign as well, as well as Hollywood and you know, all of the woke crowd. What say you?

LEO TERRELL, FOX NEWS CHANNEL CONTRIBUTOR: You're absolutely right. Soros dropped another half a million dollars, making it a total of a million dollars. But the reason why the Democratic big boys are coming in is because they are afraid, Judge.

This is a potential tidal wave, a perfect storm, a chance to get rid of one of the most incompetent governors ever. And it was not just by Republicans. Democrats and Independents signed this petition.

And I'll tell you right now, the problem is that Newsom is scared. Larry Elder represents the best and the brightest of taking over California in a deep blue state. And you know what, Judge, I want to be very clear, the most racist, racist political campaign ever.

Larry Elder is a black man. A black man, and yet a woman in a white gorilla suit assaulted his staff and threw things at him.

If he was a Democrat, they would be calling it a hate crime.

There was no police report. This woman is still out there and what the Democrats are afraid -- I want people to understand that the Democrats believe they own black people, and they are afraid that a black Republican, destroy their narrative, and that they are afraid that blacks will follow Larry Elder.

I left the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party do not own black and brown people, and black and brown people need to wake up and leave that party. It is corrupt.

PIRRO: Yes, well, you know what, Joe? Larry Elder and I can't play all the sound because we don't have enough time. He said: "They're scared to death. God forbid this kid from the hood who went to public school breaks this Jedi mind tricks stranglehold the Democrats have over black and brown voters. They are so afraid."

And I think there's a lot of truth to that, because Larry Elder was doing very well. And you know, when you see a white woman wearing a gorilla mask, which in itself is something that's outrageous, and then they are cursing at Larry Elder, and then when someone goes over to tell her to stop throwing eggs at Larry Elder, she punches him. It's like there is no law and order. They have no values. It's about them, only them.

CONCHA: And Judge, imagine if this was Stacey Abrams. Imagine if this was Cory Booker, in that exact video that you're playing right now being accosted by somebody with a gorilla mask.

The Apocalypse in terms of the media coverage would be over whelming. Right?

But of course, we're barely saying anything about it. It is "The Silence of the Lambs" at this point. Let's talk about priorities for a second, shall we? Because the President of the United States will travel to California, as you said on Monday to speak on behalf of Gavin Newsom at a campaign stop.

But Joe Biden could not be bothered to give us a live speech today to honor nearly 3,000 dead -- the firemen, the police, the EMTs, the volunteers who exposed themselves to God knows what in the case of New York when the fires and smoke were prevalent for weeks. Instead, you have the President, what appears to be an edited video released on September 10th, the day before. How can any sane American Democrat, Republican, Independent, apolitical -- I don't care -- isn't shaking their head right now and saying this is so shameful. It's embarrassing.

Defend the absentee President at your own peril, Judge, because how he didn't give a speech today because I guess, a prompter wasn't available. You know, that says -- that speaks volumes, Judge.

TERRELL: They don't care. They don't care.

PIRRO: They don't care and Leo, we're going to end with that because we're running out of time. They don't care. And it's all about them and winning. Leo Terrell, and Joe Concha, thank you.

I'll start with you next time, Leo.

Still ahead Biden's new COVID mandates and the battle over masks in schools, Dr. Siegel weighs in next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PIRRO: Biden's new vaccine mandates coming under fire. FOX News medical contributor, Dr. Marc Siegel joins me to weigh in.

Good evening, Dr. Siegel. Very quickly, the President when he gave his, I believe, divisive speech about, you know, mandating masks which he said they wouldn't do, talked about rapid tests. What can you tell us about those rapid tests?

DR. MARC SIEGEL, FOX NEWS CHANNEL MEDICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Judge, I agree with you. He was shaming people. He was shaming big business. He was shaming people that don't want to wear a mask or can't wear a mask.

He was shaming people that won't take the vaccine and warning that there are risks to those who have the vaccine, which isn't true because the vaccine works. And the one thing, if the vaccine works, by the way, you're not going to go in the hospital even if you encounter someone that hasn't been vaccinated, right? He made it all about shaming and arrogance and looking down at people.

The one thing that I was looking for that he didn't say that's really important is to keep schools open, Judge, let's break news tonight, you need a re a free rapid test in every household in America, so we can see if your child has COVID or not.

We don't want them in school, if they have COVID. You know where they're doing that, the National Health Service in the United Kingdom of all places, and guess where those tests are coming from? The very country that's gamed us from the beginning here, China makes those tests, Judge, and these tests need to be here and we need to make them in America and they need to be free in every household so we could tell if a kid is sick or not.

Yes, I encouraged mask. Of course, everyone should be vaccinated to protect those around you. But as usual, purely political speech, Judge, nothing medical or public health about it.

PIRRO: Well, you know, one of the problems is that we don't make enough of our medicines in the United States. They are all coming from over there. Every administration says they are working on it, but if this rapid test that Biden was talking about, it is coming from China, is that what you're telling us?

SIEGEL: That is where a lot of it is made, and that's where the United Kingdom is getting it from, and the ones that are available here cost too much. The ones that they're selling in the pharmacies cost too much.

So he said, okay, we're going to put some money towards them, but I want them to be purely free. That's what the Defense Production Act is for, for free. And by the way, you're right, China is gaming the system, they made a crummy vaccine that they tried to push around the world.

Luckily, we caught on to that. The vaccines that were made here in the United States, Moderna vaccine way better than what came out of China. The same with the Pfizer. Again, China has throughout not only caused a pandemic, but also has tried to benefit off of it.

Free testing in every household in America, rapid test to see if your child is sick with COVID or has been exposed to COVID or not. That will keep the schools open, Judge.

PIRRO: All right. Dr. Marc Siegel, thanks so much for being with us tonight.

And thanks to everyone. Don't forget to set your DVRs so you never miss a show. Catch more via cameo.com/judgejeanine.

Thanks so much for watching. I'm Jeanine Pirro advocating for truth, justice, and the American way.

 

 

ATTACHMENT TEN – from the Washington Times

YOUNG PEOPLE NEED TO BE REMINDED ABOUT 9/11

By Scott Walker - - Saturday, September 11, 2021

 

We need to tell young people about what happened on 9/11. We need to tell them who did it to us. And we need to tell them why they did it to us.  

As we commemorate the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, it is important to remember that nearly all children in school today were born after that day. Generation Z only knows what others tell them about what happened on September 11, 2001.  

Considering the radical indoctrination that most young people are subjected to these days, we should be concerned that entire generations may not fully understand the significance of what took place on September 11th. We have to tell them the truth. 

With that in mind, Young America’s Foundation (YAF) puts on the 9/11: Never Forget Project each year. We help students put up 2,977 American s on campus at their college or high school. Each  represents one of the innocent lives lost that day at the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Virginia, or over the fields of Pennsylvania. 

Since the program began in 2003, YAF has helped students put up more than 12 million s all across the nation. In addition to campuses and schools, this year, there are  displays on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., along the beaches of Santa Barbara, California, near the Reagan Ranch Center, and in Dixon, Illinois, adjacent to the Reagan Boyhood Home. Each will be a moving tribute to the innocent lives lost and the heroic actions of our first responders.  

Remembering what happened twenty years ago should be one of those rare things that unite the country. Sadly, the woke left is even undermining this obvious tribute. 

YAF recently exposed a webinar titled “Culturally Responsive and Inclusive 9/11 Commemoration,” hosted by the Virginia Department of Education. It featured Amaarah DeCuir, a lecturer at American University in the School of Education. She told teachers to focus their lesson plans on the “social, emotional needs of Muslim students” and discouraged them from talking about the details of what happened that day because it would be “harmful and damaging to the needs of our students.”

DeCuir began by undermining the United States. “We’re also not going to reproduce what’s understood as American exceptionalism. This understanding that America is a land at the top of a beautiful mountain and that all other countries, nations, and people are less than America,” she said. She then continued, “We’re not going to reproduce notions that American history and American experiences are more significant than the experiences or histories of other people.”

This anti-America woke crap is undermining our country. Fact check: More than 1 million people legally immigrate to the United States every year.  Our country has more foreign-born citizens than any other country globally—the next closest is about four times fewer. People come here because of the promise of America that all people are created equal and endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights. That is what makes us exceptional. And that is what we must fight to protect.  

Over the years, students organizing the 9/11: Never Forget Project have also run into resistance from radical voices on campus. Amazingly, one of those places was Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Texas. They tried to push the display of the 2,977 s off of Dallas Hall Lawn. YAF exposed their efforts, and they reversed their decision after the press coverage. 

Students at Lake Forest High School in Illinois were told to move their memorial display off of school grounds. Students at Stetson University had their 9/11 memorial chalked with anti-American rhetoric. Administrators at Maryville University oddly told the students in the Young Americans for Freedom chapter that they could only put up 500 of the 2,977 s in the memorial. The students put them up anyway.  

It seems that radicals want to rewrite history. Sadly, their efforts align with the words of the Taliban, who are now trying to claim that radical Islamic terrorists were not responsible for what happened on September 11th.  Rather, they are promoting the absurd claim that the United States is responsible for the attacks. 

Twenty years ago, I never envisioned a time when people would not remember the chaos, the tragedy, the pain, and the terror. I yearn for the days that followed when Americans set aside our differences and focused on our real foes: the radical Islamic terrorists. 

We knew then, as we should now, that they attacked us because of our freedom. New York represented our economic freedom, and Washington, D.C. represented our political freedom. Oppressors are threatened by freedom. Now, more than ever, we must learn from our past so we can protect that freedom. 

• Scott Walker was the 45th governor of Wisconsin.

 

 

ATTACHMENT ELEVEN – from Breitbart

JOE BIDEN MARKS 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11 CRITICIZING ‘DARK FORCES’ IN AMERICA AGAINST ‘PEACEFUL RELIGION’ OF ISLAM

 

By CHARLIE SPIERING  10 Sep 2021

President Joe Biden marked the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks by criticizing Americans for the anti-Muslim anger that occurred in the United States after the attacks took place.

“We also witnessed the dark forces of human nature.  Fear and anger.  Resentment and violence against Muslim-Americans — true and faithful followers of a peaceful religion,” Biden said in a prerecorded video published for the occasion.

The president said that the principle of “unity” in the country was endangered by the attacks but ultimately prevailed.

“We also saw something all too rare, a true sense of national unity,” he recalled. “Unity and resilience – the capacity to recover and repair in the face of trauma, unity in service.”

Biden released his pre-recorded video, as the White House confirmed Friday he had no plans to address the nation on the 20th anniversary of the attacks.

He began by recalling a friend of his who lost their son in the attacks in New York City and sympathized with the families who lost loved ones in the attacks.

“America and the world commemorate you and your loved ones, the pieces of your soul,” he said.

Biden also recognized the fallen first responders and members of the military who lost their lives in subsequent years.

“It’s so hard, whether it’s the first year or the 20th,” he said.

Biden concluded by citing one of his favorite poets, Ernest Hemingway.

“We find strength in its broken places, as Hemingway wrote. We find light in the darkness, we find purpose to repair, renew, and rebuild,” he said.

 

ATTACHMENT TWELVE – From WashPost

California governor recall election: Voters reject recall of Gavin Newsom

 

California voters decided Sept. 14 not to recall their governor from office. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) avoided the fate of former governor Gray Davis (D), who was replaced by Arnold Schwarzenegger in a similar 2003 vote. Voters, who started casting ballots weeks ago, were asked two questions: Do you want to recall Newsom? And if the governor is recalled, who should replace him?

Newsom will retain his office, as 50 percent or more have voted against the recall. If Newsom had been recalled, the winner on the second question would become governor, even if the votes against a Newsom recall outnumbered those for the top alternative candidate.

Newsom retained his office, meaning the results of the second question do not matter. Most of the alternative candidates were Republicans. The leading alternative candidate was radio and television commentator Larry Elder, who is trying to persuade liberal California to vote for a conservative Republican statewide for the first time since 2006. He has been trailed by more-establishment Republicans such as former San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer. Well-known Democrats stayed out of the race. The highest-ranking Democrat in early polls was YouTube financial adviser Kevin Paffrath.

Votes received and percentages of total vote

Candidate

Votes

Pct.

Larry Elder GOP

2,373,551

46.9%

Kevin Paffrath DEM

497,376

9.8

Kevin Faulconer GOP

436,070

8.6

Brandon Ross DEM

284,623

5.6

John Cox GOP  the MAN WITH THE BEAR

223,110

4.4

Kevin Kiley GOP

159,900

3.2

Jacqueline McGowan DEM

146,160

2.9

Joel Ventresca DEM

134,829

2.7

Daniel Watts DEM

117,529

2.3

Holly Baade DEM

66,117

1.3

Patrick Kilpatrick DEM

64,653

1.3

Armando Perez-Serrato DEM

57,950

1.1

Caitlyn Jenner GOP

55,797

1.1

John Drake DEM

46,680

0.9

Dan Kapelovitz GRN

44,991

0.9

Jeff Hewitt LIB

34,848

0.7

Ted Gaines GOP

33,289

0.7

Angelyne NPP  National PORN STAR

26,444

0.5

David Moore NPP

20,831

0.4

Doug Ose GOP

18,564

0.4

Michael Loebs NPP

17,722

0.4

Anthony Trimino GOP

17,709

0.4

Heather Collins GRN

16,729

0.3

Major Singh NPP

14,721

0.3

Denver Stoner GOP

14,392

0.3

David Lozano GOP

14,167

0.3

Steve Lodge GOP

12,617

0.2

Sam Gallucci GOP

12,224

0.2

Jenny Rae Le Roux GOP

10,758

0.2

David Bramante GOP

7,981

0.2

Diego Martinez GOP

7,745

0.2

Sarah Stephens GOP

7,714

0.2

Robert Newman GOP

7,298

0.1

Dennis Richter NPP

7,235

0.1

Denis Lucey NPP

5,792

0.1

Daniel Mercuri GOP

5,205

0.1

James Hanink NPP

5,055

0.1

Chauncey Killens GOP

4,934

0.1

Leo Zacky GOP

4,528

0.1

Kevin Kaul NPP

3,886

0.1

David Hillberg GOP

3,411

0.1

Rhonda Furin GOP

2,998

0.1

Adam Papagan NPP

2,754

0.1

Nickolas Wildstar GOP

2,644

0.1

Jeremy Marciniak NPP

2,081

0.0

Joe Symmon GOP

1,733

0.0

An estimated 69% of votes have been counted.

 


The 46-person field was actually much smaller than it was in 2003, when 135 candidates ran to replace Davis.