Like most civilized nations, the United States has had its fair share of external and internal conflicts.
In the 1800s, the Civil War split our nation into the North (Union) and the South (Confederacy). In the 1900s came two World Wars, the Vietnam and Korean Wars and the Gulf War.
One could say the reasons or arguments for American involvement in military or non-military conflicts are endless.
The attack on Pearl Harbor, which is still the homeport to the Pacific Fleet of the U.S. Navy, was one of the major factors that led the U.S. to enter World War II. Various historical accounts state that close to 2,400 military personnel along with nearly 60 civilians died that day.
The FBI was established in 1908, and certainly, there must have been some sort of intelligence or defensive measure that could have led to the prevention of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Or perhaps technology was not as advanced as it is now, but certainly someone in President Franklin Roosevelt’s administration could have utilized the FBI to predict or even prevent the Japanese attack.
Regardless of what President Roosevelt or his cabinet was thinking prior to Dec. 7, we owe our respect and gratitude to the men and women who died that day much like we do to the memory of the people who died Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001.
Tuesday marked six years to the very day that two commercial airplanes crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.
According to the U.S. Department of State Web site, more than 3,200 people died that day, most of which were at the WTC.
It is disheartening to think that so many innocent people died that day.
And how does our government show its gratitude to the victims and survivors of 9/11? President Bush decides our country needs to go to war with Iraq. Actually to be even more specific he decides to go after Saddam Hussein, a tyrant of a leader who may not have even been responsible for the 9/11 attacks.
Why are we not more thoroughly searching for Osama bin Laden? Has our government even looked for him since the attacks? He and his terrorist organizations continue to taunt the American government alongside rallying other guerrilla type organizations to rise against the U.S., by sending videos to media networks across the globe.
Yet people are still trying to concoct conspiracy theories, some which are really farfetched, in order to try to make clear and rational sense as to why 9/11 happened in the first place.
The U.S. International Information Programs has eight conspiracy theories listed on its Web site. Along with the theories are statements that could and probably do disprove most, if not all of the theories.
According to a Time magazine article, another conspiracy theory is that the WTC was destroyed by controlled demolition, which seems even more questionable than remote controlled 747s.
Besides, if it were truly scheduled for demolition, there would have been extensive press coverage and it would not have been occupied for several months. It would be an expensive liability for a demolition firm to demolish a building along with its inhabitants.
One other theory is that our government knew about the attacks well before the actual events of 9/11, much like the speculation that the government knew about Pearl Harbor.
Since our nation has grown industrially as well as technologically, it is almost impossible to believe that neither the FBI nor CIA could not have known or at least discovered something about the 9/11 attacks, before the tragic events that day.
But regardless of previous warning, the events of 9/11 still happened. We as people can try to understand what really happened and why but our conclusions are mere theories.
Instead of concocting theories, we as well as our government should be trying to ensure that something like this doesn’t happen again in the future.
Latimer, a post-baccalaureate in English, can be reached via [email protected]
