Costs Be Damned

The ten-year remembrance ceremonies with all the attendant reminiscences, stories of personal anguish and loss, interviews and regrets are now concluded. Governments in Canada, the U.S., Europe and elsewhere like Australia, New Zealand and Japan whose citizen bore grave compassion at the horrible and gruesome events of 9/11 had their ceremonial events where everyone gravely commiserated once again.

The sheer horror and virtual unbelievability of the atrocities have been imprinted in the minds and memories of those who witnessed the events as they unfolded, through the constant replay of videos that still haunt those who watched, incredulous that such unspeakable events could occur. The scope of the cold-blooded plans and their executed viciousness along with the destruction that consummated the triumph of the fascist-Islamist vision of conquest stunned the West and thrilled the East.

But all that is history, a regrettable calamity that could not be avoided, it seemed. Mostly because of the utter unprovoked and unexpected bestiality of human nature, of those within society whose collective anger, hatred, need for purported vengeance and commitment to a 'cause' seen to be divine in nature led them inexorably to committing the ultimate in horror. One might argue that dropping an nuclear prototype on an unsuspecting population is roughly commensurate.

Both of these events occurred at a time of war. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were targeted, it was said, to halt the continuation of a war already lost, though the aggressor-protagonist would not admit to it, other than in the face of a complete and utter human disaster. And the events that occurred in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania too occurred at a time of war, but only the aggressor was aware of that war, the target had no idea it was involved in a life-and-death struggle, despite previous catastrophic events.

Neither Japan nor the United States "deserved" to be the recipients of such unspeakable attacks. But it is instructive to the orderly mind to think back and review events leading up to those attacks. It has been remarked upon ad infinitum that Saudi Arabia initiated a viral spread of fanatical Islam through funding, building and opening madrasses whose specific purpose was to teach fundamentalist Wahaabism, and with it the need for jihad to prosecute Islam's supremacy.

Those madrasses were the crucible of committed fanatical Muslims who went from school to jihadi training camps. Saudi Arabia also produced Osama bin Laden, and the Saudis handsomely and continuously funded bin Laden and his terrorist enterprise whose purpose it was to spread fundamentalist Islamic ideology, on the way to which conclusion murder and mayhem was inevitable. Saudi Arabia is the great good friend of the United States, for oil is important as an energy source, and those who control that source are honoured.

Both presidents Bush were involved in the oil industry, lobbied for it, worked within it, enjoyed their great good friendships with Saudi royalty, although the younger Bush revealed an intention to curtail that fatal need. Yet it was under his watch that immediately after those dread episodes of mass murder, Saudi royalty were spirited out of the United States to the safety of their own country, despite closed skies, and because they might be accused of funding the conspiracy that led to the atrocity.

When Barack Obama who would lead the United States to a new compact with the rest of the world, decided to turn the United States to a different direction, and spoke directly to the world of Islam from a pulpit in Egypt, he denied that his country was at war with Islam. Of course, it was not, although Islamism was at war with his country. President Obama was pleased to accept a gold medallion on his state visit to Riyadh from the venerable hands of King Abdullah.

Here's the conundrum: America (and Europe) hugely funds Saudi Arabia through its dependence on Saudi and other Middle Eastern sources of petroleum products. The vast treasury that the Saudis and other Middle Eastern countries like Iran, Iraq and the Gulf States acquire from largely Western sources enables them to live garishly luxurious lifestyles in the middle of a desert environment, while honouring Islam and plotting against infidels.

Of course, civility at all costs. Despite the costs. Beyond the costs. Costs be damned.