As I was traveling with my granddaughter to her soccer game in Alameda Saturday, all the American flags along our route were flying at half-mast.
It was the 20th anniversary of 9/11, but she is only ten years old and therefore only dimly aware of what happened back then. She was much more concerned that we get to her game on time.
As was to be expected given the date, politicians went to meaningful sites and said meaningful things. The only one who caught my attention was George W. Bush, who compared the domestic rioters of January 6th to the foreign terrorists who struck the U.S. 20 years ago.
That is a remark worth pondering, especially for Republicans who voted for Donald J. Trump.
Given my professional skillset, I twice joined in certain investigative efforts that followed the 9/11 attacks. Once was during brief stint as an interim investigative editor for The Nation magazine in New York.
The other was as a paid investigator for lawyers representing the families of 9/11 victims who sued the U.S. government seeking answers to how much various branches of the government knew about the attacks beforehand.
The first of some of the declassified documents are starting to come to light now, and the focus of attention is on how much the Saudi government may have been involved in supporting the 9/11 terrorists, the majority of whom, including Osama bin-Laden, were Saudi citizens.
In neither of the investigations I participated in did I see any evidence whatsoever of a conspiracy involving American officials in the attacks. I doubt any such evidence exists and I don't buy that theory.
The Saudis, however, are another matter. And there may have been some foreknowledge by certain foreign intelligence agencies as well.
As we say in journalism, more TK (to come) on that one...
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Democrats are pulling out all the stops to save California Gov. Gavin Newsom from the effort to recall him. Biden, Harris and Obama have all come to the rescue in the final days before the election on Tuesday.
The latest polls indicate a tighter escape than would have been optimal, but Newsom should survive. According to polling site 538, Newsom will prevail by a margin of 56.2 percent to 41.6 percent -- a margin of around 15 percent.
That is not a landslide but it is decisive. The next step will be for this state to figure out how to disable its stupid recall system entirely. It wastes time and money and is a distraction from the important work we need our governor to be focusing on.
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The women's final round of the U.S. Open featured the very best of what the next generation offers the world. Winner Emma Raducanu is 18, from Britain and has Romanian-Chinese parents. Leylah Fernandez is 19, from Canada with Ecuadorean-Filipino parents.
They are lovely walking advertisements for how the blending of previously separate human ethnic and racial groups improves the outcome for everybody.
In a world still too riven by violence, war and hatred, their ascendance to the top of their sport is a reminder that piece, tolerance and love represents our better selves.
Only one could be crowned the champion this time around but they are both winners in the only game that truly matters.
***
THE HEADLINES:
Raducanu, Fernandez mark depth of women's game, signal enticing future (Reuters) <https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/raducanu-fernandez-mark-depth-womens-game-signal-enticing-future-2021-09-12/>
* Why There Hasn’t Been Another 9/11 --The U.S. remains a chief target for jihadists, but measures including drone strikes, special operations and intelligence sharing have kept terrorism at bay. (WSJ)
* Did the CIA stop an FBI detective from preventing 9/11? (New Yorker)
* George W. Bush compares ‘violent extremists at home’ to 9/11 terrorists in 20th anniversary speech (WP)
* FBI releases first declassified 9/11 document after Biden order (Reuters)
* Phony Diagnoses Hide High Rates of Drugging at Nursing Homes -- At least 21 percent of nursing home residents are on antipsychotic drugs, a Times investigation found. (NYT)
* The Haqqanis are on U.S. most wanted lists. They’re also in Afghanistan’s Taliban government. (WP)
* Newsom, GOP rivals seek votes in recall’s final weekend (AP)
* Newsom’s Strategy for California Recall: It’s Me or the Abyss -- Ahead of the vote on Tuesday, the governor is running not so much on his own policies as against the influence of a certain former president. (NYT)
* Covid-19 Could Become Like Flu if More People Get Vaccinated (WSJ)
* Chinese city with coronavirus outbreak stops buses, trains (AP)
* At-home testing is becoming part of Biden’s plan for managing the pandemic (WP)
* How Europe's doors are slamming shut for Americans due to Covid (CNN)
* Vaccine Resisters Seek Religious Exemptions. But What Counts as Religious? -- Major denominations are essentially unanimous in their support of the vaccines against Covid-19, but individuals who object are citing their personal faith for support. (NYT)
* Vaccine mandates are hard. So is covid. (Editorial Board/WP)
* At Pro-Taliban Protest, a Symbol of America’s Lost Influence: Faces Obscured by Veils -- Several hundred women wore the head-to-toe garments at a pro-Taliban demonstration on Sept. 11. The march was a reminder of how after years of war, Afghanistan’s women are again at the mercy of the militants. (NYT)
* 6 Months After Riot, Capitol Police Face Multiple Crises -- The department that protects Congress is damaged and depleted following the Jan. 6 assault, with funding, staffing and operational problems plaguing a deeply demoralized force. (NYT)
* Nation Could Really Use A Few Days Where It Isn’t Gripped By Something (The Onion)
***
"You Take My Troubles Away"
By Rachael Yamagata & Dan Wilson
And so now we begin
Calling on the fortunate son
Stand tall taking everything in
Gliding with the feathers you've won
I can't live dreaming of a future alone
Hold tight please, don't let the memory go
You take my troubles away
You take my sirens away
You keep my sorrows at bay
Take it all, take it all away
You take my running away
You take my battles away
You take my breath away
Take it all, take it all away
Old words when there's so much to tell
And I don't know when I'll be there again
In life when you're driven away
Will you recognize the one who returns?
Sweet one, the beauty that you are in the dawn
Dear love, all I ask is that you hold on
You take my troubles away
You take my sirens away
You keep my sorrows at bay
Take it all, take it all away
You take my running away
You take my battles away
You take my breath away
Take it all, take it all away
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