Chris Hayes’ “All In” show on MSNBC went all in yesterday, showing the direct link between US political incompetence, racism, and 2001/9/11.  A twenty year war was rationalized on the deaths of a scant few corpses while the results of rightwing ideology are three thousand times worse.

Two thousand nine hundred and ninety six people died in New York’s World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001, almost 20 years ago.  Thanks to the US response to the attack, there are “officially” over 37,000 military dead from Iraq and Afghanistan (combat and suicides, not counting other losses), more than twelve times the deaths of that one terrorist attack.  The two illegal wars have cost US$6.5 trillion dollars in interest alone, not counting principal. And that’s without counting the mental health issues, economic loss, and loss in political standing over twenty years while China’s rose.  With nothing to show for it.

Doing nothing definitely would have been better for the US.  And Iraq and Afghanistan would likely be no worse off than they are now.

Hayes also points out the number of US deaths from COVID-19 and the rightwingnut ideology that put clowns in place like Trump, Desantis, Abbott, Roem and others, how the inmates are now running the asylum prison-state.  Religious-driven fascism, racism and fanaticism are only one step away from taking over, and the democrats seem intent on making the fanatics electable for the last time (after which there won’t be elections).  They’re labelling the refugees and allies from Afghanistan “terrorists”, and the ignorant racist rabble will swallow it without a second’s thought.

 

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I looked at the numbers.  The “official” death toll of COVID-19 in the US between March 25, 2020 and August 25, 2021 is 648,350 (which does not include those not counted and those falsely listed as dying of other causes).

That time span is 518 days or 74 weeks.  The US has averaged 8761 deaths per week.  For the past seventeen months, more people die in the US of COVID-19 every two and a half days due to incompetent national and state “leadership” than on one day in September 2001.

Those whining about “freedumb!”, who oppose wearing masks and oppose vaccination, are undoubtedly also those who had no objection to forfeiting civil liberties under the “patriot act”.

 

Just imagine where the US would be if George Bush had not retaliated against the terrorist attacks, had just sat on his hands and done nothing for eight years, and didn’t sign all those tax breaks and vetoed the repeal of Glass-Stegall. It would have been one of the most financially successful two term presidencies in US history, the “crazies” (as Karl Rove described them) wouldn’t be in power, and the US would be in an even stronger financial and military position than it was in 2000.

The US stuck its hand through a fence got scratched by the swipe of a claw. Instead of bandaging the wound and learning not to do that again, it jumped over the fence to “teach that animal a lesson” and got mauled, barely escaping.  And wants to pretend it was the winner.

I think we can no officially declare Osama bin Laden the winner.  Some might say “The US went home empty handed” but that’s not true. The government and military’s collective ass was handed to them.

To quote Rush, from their song “Between the Wheels” (1984, full lyrics below):

We can go from boom to bust
From dreams to a bowl of dust
We can fall from rockets red glare
Down to "Brother can you spare?"
Another war another wasteland
And another lost generation

"Between the Wheels" (1984):

To live between a rock
And a hard place
In between time
Cruising in the prime time
Soaking up the cathode rays

To live between the wars
In our time
Living in real time
Holding the good time
Holding on to yesterdays

You know how that rabbit feels
Going under your speeding wheels
Bright images flashing by
Like windshields towards a fly
Frozen in the fatal climb
But the wheels of time
Just pass you by

Wheels can take you around
Wheels can cut you down
We can go from boom to bust
From dreams to a bowl of dust
We can fall from rockets red glare
Down to "Brother can you spare?"
Another war another wasteland
And another lost generation

It slips between your hands like water
This living in real time
A dizzying lifetime
Reeling by on celluloid

Struck between the eyes
By the big time world
Walking uneasy streets
Hiding beneath the sheets
Got to try and fill the void

You know how that rabbit feels
Going under your speeding wheels
Bright images flashing by
Like windshields towards a fly
Frozen in the fatal climb
But the wheels of time
Just passed you by

We can go from boom to bust
From dreams to a bowl of dust
We can fall from rockets red glare
Down to "Brother can you spare?"
Another war, another wasteland,
And another lost generation