Free Republic

This was the day five years ago that war began between the US and Jihad, an unincorporated combine of Islamic nations, gangs, sects and tribes united in a campaign to harm, disable, defeat, and exterminate "infidel" Christians and Jews. There are various explanations for why this started. I have my own.       It's essentially an ecological crisis, conveniently pegged on an old religious beef. The population of many Islamic nations, fed by oil wealth, has reached critical overshoot. In particular, there are too many young men with no positions, no incomes, no prospects, and no hopes. Their glandular energies have...

He mentioned that an FBI agent slipped the idea that other box cutters were found, but that since the planes were grounded, they were not hijacked. He also mentioned that six weeks prior to 9/11, he identified four men on his flight from Boston and told the flight stewardess. Turns out two were actual 9/11 hijackers, but the report was dismissed as racial profiling.

Unbelievable! Stream video. Or check out NewsBusters' commentary, video, and transcript. The DUmmies think he's such the hero.

On the fifth anniversary of the 11 September attacks against the US, Europeans agree with Americans that terrorism inspired by Muslim fundamentalism is a big threat to their lives. That new fear, combined with alarm at the conflicts on Europe's doorstep in the Middle East and serious European doubts about US global leadership, means Europe as a whole is marking the anniversary in a mood of pessimism and uncertainty. That is reflected in the statements of European leaders on the anniversary. The government of Finland, which now holds the presidency of the 25-nation European Union, condemned all forms of terrorism,...

THE PRESIDENT: Good evening. Five years ago, this date -- September the 11th -- was seared into America's memory. Nineteen men attacked us with a barbarity unequaled in our history. They murdered people of all colors, creeds, and nationalities -- and made war upon the entire free world. Since that day, America and her allies have taken the offensive in a war unlike any we have fought before. Today, we are safer, but we are not yet safe. On this solemn night, I've asked for some of your time to discuss the nature of the threat still before us, what...

PARIS - The nations of the world joined Monday in solemn remembrance of Sept. 11 — but for many, resentment of the United States flowed as readily as tears. Critics say Americans have squandered the goodwill that prompted France's Le Monde newspaper to proclaim "We are all Americans" that somber day after the attacks, and that the Iraq war and other U.S. policies have made the world less safe in the five years since. Heads bowed in moments of silence for the 3,000 killed in the attacks on New York and Washington — while the No. 2 al-Qaida leader issued...

As horrified Americans watched the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, unfold on their television sets, Vice President Dick Cheney directed the U.S. government's response from an emergency bunker.

Cruise Family to Join Snyder at Redskins' Opener By Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts Washington Post Staff Writers Monday, September 11, 2006; 4:30 PM Landing a superstar for your owner's box? Mission possible! Dan Snyder asked Tom Cruise to join him at tonight's Redskins game at FedEx field -- and not only did Cruise accept, he's bringing along fiancee Katie Holmes, daughter Isabella, and son Connor. Even better: The Cruise family -- including baby Suri -- are staying at Snyder's Potomac home. Cruise isn't the only celeb tonight; also expected in the owners' box are actors Jamie Foxx, Peter Berg...

Bush: We're facing fight for civilisation By Alec Russell in Washington (Filed: 12/09/2006)US President Bush and first lady Laura Bush place a wreath to mark the fifth anniversary of the attack on the Pentagon President George W Bush last night linked the nuclear showdown with Iran to the fight against terrorism as he called on Americans to unite to spare their children a terrible future. In a speech from the Oval Office marking the fifth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, he told Americans they faced not a "clash of civilisations" but "a struggle for civilisation". "If we do not...

We're on the way to defeating Taliban By Patrick Bishop (Filed: 12/09/2006) Whatever doubts are being entertained at home about the war in Afghanistan, the Briton driving the Nato-led campaign is adamant that the good guys are winning. "The governor of Kandahar came up to me the other day with a huge grin on his face and hugged me," said Lt Gen David Richards, commander of Nato's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which is helping the Afghan government to establish its authority. "He said there is no longer any doubt down in the south that Nato can fight and win....

We start tonight with the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers beginning the defense of their championship at home against the Miami Dolphins. Thursday September 7, 2006 Miami 0-0 (Road: 0-0) 8:30pm ET Pittsburgh 0-0 (Home: 0-0) NBC Sunday September 10, 2006 Atlanta 0-0 (Road: 0-0) 1:00pm ET Carolina 0-0 (Home: 0-0) FOX Baltimore 0-0 (Road: 0-0) 1:00pm ET Tampa Bay 0-0 (Home: 0-0) CBS Buffalo 0-0 (Road: 0-0) 1:00pm ET New England 0-0 (Home: 0-0) CBS Cincinnati 0-0 (Road: 0-0) 1:00pm ET Kansas City 0-0 (Home: 0-0) CBS Denver 0-0 (Road: 0-0) 1:00pm ET St. Louis 0-0 (Home: 0-0) CBS...

9/11 Remembrances -- Chicago area journalists share their recollections of 9/11 five years after the devastating attacks which took the lives of thousands of innocent men, women and children in New York, Washington, D.C. and in a rural field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Touching, riveting and emotional--these individuals expose their inner feelings about one more day that will live in American infamy. Read the thoughts of Charlie Wojciechowski--NBC 5 Chicago; Phil Ponce--host, Chicago Tonight WTTW (PBS); Chuck Goudie--ABC 7 Chicago; Mike Flannery--CBS 2 Chicago; and Michael J. Waters--publisher and editor, Daily Southtown. * * * * * * * * *...

Address to a Joint Session of Congress and the American People delivered 20 September 2001(click to listen) Mr. Speaker, Mr. President Pro Tempore, members of Congress, and fellow Americans: In the normal course of events, Presidents come to this chamber to report on the state of the Union. Tonight, no such report is needed. It has already been delivered by the American people. We have seen it in the courage of passengers, who rushed terrorists to save others on the ground -- passengers like an exceptional man named Todd Beamer. And would you please help me to welcome his wife,...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush, marking five years since the Sept. 11 attacks, said Monday the war against terror is nothing less than "a struggle for civilization" and must be fought to the end. He said defeat would surrender the Middle East to radical dictators with nuclear weapons. "We are fighting to maintain the way of life enjoyed by free nations," Bush said in remarks prepared for a prime-time address from the Oval Office. Two months before November elections, the president attempted to spell out in graphic terms the stakes he sees in the unpopular war in Iraq and the broader...

The terrorists of 9/11 had bigger plans than just killing people and blowing up buildings. They hoped that the attacks would send shock waves through the American financial system and severely harm the U.S. economy. In December 2001, Osama bin Laden said that the attacks had "shaken the throne of America and hit hard the American economy at its heart and its core." The economy was already in recession on 9/11, and was theoretically vulnerable. At the time of the attacks, industrial production had fallen for 11 consecutive months, new orders for durable goods were down 8.5% from the previous...

Five years after the worst terror attack in U.S. history, President Bush said Monday night the war against terrorism is "the calling of our generation" and urged Americans to put aside differences and fight to victory. "America did not ask for this war, and every American wishes it were over," Bush said. "The war is not over _ and it will not be over until either we or the extremists emerge victorious." Bush, in a prime time address from the Oval Office, staunchly defended the war in Iraq even though he acknowledged that Saddam Hussein was not responsible for the...

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar Reported Captured The commander of Hezb-i-Islami and al-Qaeda ally detained during a raid in eastern Afghanistan On the day of the fifth anniversary of the 9-11 attack, Coalition forces score a high value target in Afghanistan. Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the commander of Hezb-i-Islami and ally of al-Qaeda and the Taliban, has been captured during a joint U.S. and Afghan Army raid in “eastern Afghanistan.” Hekmatyar, contrary to his rhetoric gave up to the Coalition forces without a fight. Hekmatyar's arrest is said to be part of an 'ongoing operation.' Hekmatyar has been designated by the U.S. Department of State...

Kindergartners from left, Arlene Carranza, Micah Tubbs, Sanoe Marsh and Hayden Cook lead students, teachers and parents from Ware Elementary School as they march through a residential area of Fort Riley army post in Kansas Sept. 11, 2006. The school held a freedom walk to mark the fifth anniversary of the 2001 terrorists attacks. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11, 2006 – A Taliban suicide bomber detonated an explosive strapped to his body today during the funeral ceremony for the late governor of Afghanistan’s Paktia province, Mohammad Hakim Taniwal, U.S. military officials reported. As family, friends, colleagues and government officials paid their last respects to Taniwal in Khowst province, the suicide bomber approached the funeral and detonated the explosive, killing six people, including two Afghan National Police officers, and injuring more than 35 civilians. Religious leaders condemned the attack, officials said. Coalition forces responded immediately and transported the injured to the Khowst hospital, where they are being...

JAKARTA - On the fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, the status, leadership and future of Southeast Asia's main alleged al-Qaeda-linked terror group, Jemaah Islamiya (JI), is under question. The United States has identified JI high on its list of global terrorist organizations, and since September 11 the shadowy radical group has been the target of US-guided assaults in the southern Philippines, clandestine Central Intelligence Agency-led counter-terrorism operations in Thailand, and a US-trained and financed counter-terrorism crack force in Indonesia. Last week, three alleged JI members were among the 14 detainees who were moved...

On the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, New York City is doing extraordinarily well -- an outcome that was predicted by very few analysts on Sept. 12, 2001. Today the city is thriving, as the standard economic indicators show. People are pouring in from all corners of the world, increasing New York's permanent population by at least 134,000 since 2000. Tourism and travel are up, with hotel occupancy at 84.7%, according to PKF Consulting. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York's index of coincident economic indicators (payroll data, earnings, unemployment, and hours worked) climbed...

The conspiracy theorists were also out in force, wearing black T-shirts saying "Investigate 9/11" and holding up signs saying "Dissent is patriotic". "The investigation so far has been a cover-up," Brad Gordon said. "I'm not saying controlled-demolition this or Dick Cheney that," he added. "But we don't know what really happened." Some at the scene shouted out their support for the protesters, while others called them crazy in the strongest possible terms, and one shouted "take a one-way trip to Afghanistan!"

The fifth anniversary of September 11th 2001 is upon us. It is fitting that the day should see both a solemn remembrance of the dead and the renewal of a cold-hearted resolve to win the war that was declared on us. There is however, another September 11th that we should also remember, and from which we can take heart in our own struggle. It is September 11th 1565; the scene was different and so were the actors too, but the nature of the battle was all too familiar. On that day, a small force of European knights and the entire...

For Immediate Release September 11, 2006 Fact Sheet: The Fifth Anniversary of September 11, 2001 Today, President Bush Remembered The Innocent Who Lost Their Lives And Paid Tribute To The Courageous Heroes Who Gave Their Lives So That Others Might Live. The President Also Discussed The Nature Of The Threat Still Before Us, What We Are Doing To Protect Our Nation, And The Building Of A More Hopeful Middle East That Holds The Key To Peace For America And The World. On this solemn anniversary, we rededicate ourselves to the cause of freedom. Five Years Ago, 9/11 Was Seared...

With every anniversary of the September attacks the Arab media reserve wide space to cover the commemoration of the terror attack with visible assertion from the media that what happened in 9/11 was a terror attack and no channel or paper would use a different description. Sounds good so far? I find myself compelled to follow the responses from Arab media and commentators in the hope that I could find a change, a review of calculations or a rereading of facts that is different from the previous. But the media is keen to disappoint me every single time because after...

HOUSTON – NASA commemorated the five-year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States Monday with a video recorded by Expedition Three astronaut Frank Culbertson, who was aboard the International Space Station (ISS) the day of the 2001 tragedy. Culbertson, who commanded Expedition Three, had been aboard the ISS for a month with Russian cosmonauts Vladimir Dezhurov and Mikhail Turin when the 9/11 attacks took place. The ISS crew learned of the attacks during a radio conference with flight surgeons, prompting Culbertson to record the Earth as the station passed over the northeastern United States. “We just had...

LITTLE ROCK, Ark., Sept. 11, 2006 – Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee led Little Rock’s Freedom Walk today, marking the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the United States. The Freedom Walk was established Sept. 11, 2005, as an opportunity to reflect on the lives lost Sept. 11 and to honor U.S. military members past and present and pay tribute to emergency responders who put their lives on the line every day. Little Rock’s Freedom Walk was among more than 130 local Freedom Walks being held today and this past weekend throughout the United States. Huckabee, joined...

COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- The acrid, awful, haunting smell of charred flesh still returns sometimes, without warning. They're phantom smells, five years old, but that doesn't make them any less real to Mark Dodge. Same with the nightmares, which are less frequent now but no less jarring. "Certain nightmares will always probably be there," Dodge said. When you have been where Mark Dodge has been, seen what he has seen, smelled what he has smelled, you don't forget. When you have bagged incinerated bodies and carried them to a morgue truck, the experience lingers. When you have spent days raking...

Proving that he has learned absolutely nothing, Frank Griswold reflects on the fifth anniversary of 9/11: On a brilliantly clear Tuesday morning five years ago the peace and security many of us took for granted were suddenly shattered. Even as the tragic events of September 11, 2001 ended the way we had looked at the world, they challenged us to see ourselves in a new way. Mass murder "challenged us to see ourselves in a new way."  Thanks for that insight, Frank. We remain threatened – as last month’s foiled airline plot reminded us – by a well-organized and unpredictable...

Yesterday the President participated in 9/11 ceromonies in New York including attending a memorial service. Today he attended a ceremony at the Fort Pitt Firehouse on the lower east side of Manhattan afterwhich he travelled to Shanksville, Pennsylvania to lay a wreath at the Flight 93 crash site. He and the First Lady then went to the Pentagon to lay another wreath at the crash site there as in Shanksville the President and first lady met with families of those who lost their lives after the wreath laying ceremony. Yesterday the Vice President appeared on the Meet the Press. Today...

TORONTO - A sellout crowd at the Toronto International Film Festival gave a warm reception to the British TV movie "Death of a President," which centers on a fictionalized assassination of George W. Bush. The audience applauded at the end and several more times during a question-and-answer session with the filmmakers. ADVERTISEMENT "I really liked it. It seemed very real. It was hard to believe the people were acting. I found myself mesmerized," said Linda Walsh, a real-estate broker from Mill Valley, Calif., who said she is not a Bush supporter. "I'm always hoping when anything like this comes out...

A team of researchers are developing an anti-hijack technology that will enable planes to steer themselves away from tall buildings and even land by remote control if terrorists threaten or kill the pilot. Microphones will eavesdrop on passengers’ conversations while computerized CCTV will detect suspicious movements so that hijackers can be caught before they go into action. The September 11, 2001, attacks in the US triggered the development of this technology by a consortium including BAE Systems, Airbus and the European commission. It is estimated to cost £22 million (Rs 1.9 billion) to develop. The anti-hijack system’s first “components” are...

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., Sept. 11, 2006 – Servicemembers from around the Hampton Roads, Va., area came together at Mount Trashmore Park here today to remember the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Sailors from the Naval Coastal Warfare Squadron 4 stand at attention while the national anthem plays at Mount Trashmore Park, in Virginia Beach, during the 9/11 Hampton Roads Remembers ceremony. More than 1,200 people attended the event to help construct a human flag and remember the tragic events that took place Sept. 11, 2001. Photo by Seaman Kiona McKissack, USN  '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The servicemembers, along...

Joe Cook has long since apologized for what he said last summer. Although he is director of the Louisiana chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, and strenuously opposed to anything resembling prayer in public schools or God in public life, he says he wasn’t speaking for the ACLU – or, curiously, even for himself – when he said what he said. He said it about some teachers, students, and school board members in Tangipahoa Parish who, on infrequent occasions, have offered public, “sectarian” prayers in their classrooms, at school banquets, or to open board meetings. “They [the Christians] have...

Harper, Bush link 9/11 to struggle against terror in two unpopular wars Mike Blanchfield and Sheldon Alberts CanWest News Service Monday, September 11, 2006 OTTAWA/WASHINGTON -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper and U.S. President George W. Bush took to the airwaves on the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks to remember the tragedy and in an attempt to bolster support for two unpopular battlefronts - Afghanistan and Iraq. Harper lauded the Canadian "heroes" in Afghanistan for standing up against the "menace of terror" in the deserts of Kandahar as their forefathers did in two world wars, while...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11, 2006 – Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld talked about the nature of terrorism as part of Radio Day at the Pentagon today, the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Sept. 11, 2001, was the greatest loss of American life from a single attack in U.S. history, he said. The death toll that day was nearly 3,000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. But the purpose of terrorism isn’t to kill, but to terrorize, Rumsfeld told Charlie Brennan of St. Louis’ KMOX. Fear causes people to alter their behavior, the secretary said. “As free...

Fort Stewart Freedom Walk Sustains Spirit of 9/11By Pat YoungSpecial to American Forces Press Service FORT STEWART, Ga., Sept. 11, 2006 – Soldiers and families of the 3rd Infantry Division, representatives of Fort Stewart, the city of Hinesville and Liberty County, and more than 1,000 other guests displayed their unity at twilight yesterday to observe the fifth anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, with a commemorative Freedom Walk. Soldiers, civilians, emergency responders and volunteers help set up the site for the Sept. 10 Freedom Walk along Fort Stewart, Ga.'s Warriors Walk. Photo by Pat Young  '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image...

I just found this very touching video and thought I'd pass it along. The singer/song writer, Kristi Nelson, has a beautiful voice. Click on : Watch Mama Will Hold Me video at the link above (I couldn't get it to work in cable mode but it worked in 56k mode) It's been a tough day. Never Forget.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11, 2006 -- Pentagon employees gathered here today to remember those lost Sept. 11, 2001, as well as those serving in uniform today in the global war on terror, with prayer, reflection and a musical tribute by Selah, a contemporary Christian group. The Pentagon’s chaplains hosted the nondenominational Pentagon employee memorial service, encouraging those in attendance to remember those killed at the hands of terrorists five years ago today and to seek healing in their faith. “Your presence here pays tribute to those who lost their lives on September the 11th of 2001,” said Army Chaplain (Col.)...

Dozens of people gathered Sunday in Downtown Louisville to show their patriotism and to support the troops. They also remembered the victims of 9/11. A local boy scout troop helped unfold a massive flag to carry through Downtown Louisville. After the Pledge of Allegiance, people of all ages, participated in the America Supports You Freedom Walk. This is the first time Louisville has participated in the nationwide walk...Full story and link to the news video HERE.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11, 2006 – Tears flowed freely under the gray sky as family members of those killed in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, gathered outside the Pentagon today to honor the memory of their loved ones. “Five years ago, Sept. 11 forever ceased to be an ordinary date on the calendar,” Vice President Richard B. Cheney said at the Pentagon memorial observance for family members. “So we gather once again to recall events that still have the power to move us and always will. And we honor the men, women and children whose lives were taken so...

For just a while, in the aftermath of the attacks five years ago today, old-fashioned patriotism flourished. Remember? We were indeed one nation for a while, remember? But it didn’t take long for the return of political divisiveness. We were even one nation under God again for a while, remember? And there was no protest from militant secularists because at times like that they have nothing to offer. So members of Congress stood shoulder to shoulder, linking arms and singing “God Bless America.” Remember? As congressional leaders, Supreme Court justices and former presidents filed into the National Cathedral for a...

Horrors of 9-11 will forever be remembered by crew members of the USS New York, whose hull contains more than 20 tons of recycled steel taken from the World Trade Center. The amphibious transport vessel is being built at Northrop Grumman's New Orleans location. Miles away in Pascagoula, the U.S. Coast Guard's National Security Cutter CGC Bertholf, is being built. The Bertholf is the first of two National Security Cutters being built in Pascagoula in a joint program with Lockheed Martin. The partnership will build six other ships as the Coast Guard replaces an aging fleet. The deal is worth...

Victims of 9/11 remembered in shadow of ‘war on terror’ NEW YORK: As the United States tearfully remembers Monday the nearly 3,000 people killed in the September 11 attacks five years ago, worldwide sympathy was tempered with sharp rebukes for the “war on terror” that many said had left the world a more dangerous place. Under the shadow of war in Iraq and new al-Qaeda threats, somber ceremonies were held in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania at the sites of the suicide plane crashes that shook the world and led to a dramatic shift in American foreign policy. US President...

ABOARD USS ENTERPRISE, At sea (NNS) -- Aircraft assigned to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 1 stationed aboard USS Enterprise (Big E) (CVN 65) provided their busiest day of support to International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops on the ground as part of Operations Medusa and Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, Sept. 8. According to Capt. Mark Wralstad, CVW-1 commander, the air wing’s success is the result of great teamwork and coordination between the CVW-1/Enterprise team and the ISAF forces on the ground. “In an operation like Enduring Freedom, it is critical to be able to provide exactly what the ground forces...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11, 2006 – Immediately after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the nation was thrown into a war-time mode, and the public got a glimpse of the culture inside the Pentagon and the quality of the people who work there, Vice President Richard B. Cheney said here today. “We saw a great deal to make us proud. Suddenly, our nation was at war, and the switch to a war footing here was immediate,” Cheney said at a Pentagon memorial observance for family members of Sept. 11 victims. “Everyone seemed to rush forward to help. Minutes after the...

Nine-Eleven" has entered the English language as a metaphor, an abbreviation even bigger than a millennial milestone: 9/11 broke through Fortress America, turning it into another country. George W. Bush has tried to turn the planet into another world. And failed. AP On the day that changed everything, the sky was painted a rich blue, like a shade from Monet's palette. Bathed in sunlight, the leaves shone vibrant red. Shadows flickered like soft brushstrokes on America's East Coast that September day. Not a breeze was stirring. The world that Tuesday morning: beautiful and perfect and peaceful, an ode to autumn....

BAGHDAD, Sept. 11, 2006 -- Multinational Corps Iraq held a 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony at the Al Faw palace here today, reminding everyone in attendance why servicemembers stand on foreign ground today. Members and senior leaders of Multinational Corps Iraq pause for a moment of silence during a memorial ceremony Sept. 11, 2006, at Al Faw palace, at Camp Victory, Iraq. Photo by Sgt. Joe Battle, USA  '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. On Sept. 11, 2001, America was attacked by terrorists, resulting in the death of 2,973 people. “I will not forget the wound to our country and those...

(AgapePress) - As the nation remembers and reflects on the five-year anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, one woman recalls how God prepared her for a pivotal role in the event. On that fateful morning, Lisa Jefferson was the Verizon supervisor on duty who spoke with United Airlines Flight 93 passenger Todd Beamer during the final moments of that flight.The Boeing 757-222 from which Beamer called that that day was one of the four planes hijacked as part of the September 11, 2001 attacks -- the only one of the four aircraft that failed to reach its intended target....