frankie's Journal: Remembering September 11

9-11 was a tragic day that we will remember for the rest of our lives. As we approach its second anniversary, I was inspired to read about other September 11th events.

For example, September 11 2001 was supposed to be a holiday sponsored by the United Nations: the International Day of Peace.

On September 11 1953, the USA declared support for the coup in Iran led by Shah Pahlavi. The CIA had spent over $5 million to overthrow elected Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadeq, because he had taken control of Iran's oil industry away from British Petroleum. The Shah's US-backed dictatorship led to the revolution of 1978 and the rise of Ayatollah Khomeini.

On September 11 1973, the CIA succeeded in its officially-sanctioned mission to overthrow Chile's popular elected President Salvador Allende. In the years that followed, tens of thousands of Chileans were tortured and killed under General Augusto Pinochet's US-backed dictatorship.

September 11 1983 was an average day, much like any other in the middle 1980s. Allies of the USA followed their appointed tasks as usual:

Saddam Hussein's US-backed dictatorship in Iraq continued its war against Iran. In 1983 Saddam began using poison gas against both enemy troops and Iraqi civilians who opposed him. Later that year, President Ronald Reagan sent Donald Rumsfeld to Iraq as a military advisor.

Meanwhile, Osama Bin Laden's US-backed mujahedeen rebels continued to harrass the Soviet puppet government of Afghanistan. Osama received CIA training in covert operations and assymetric warfare, necessary skills for attacking a superior military foe without being caught. The Soviet withdrawal in 1989 resulted in anarchy, which fomented popular support for the Taliban.

America learned important things on September 11 2001. Sadly, America had already forgotten important things from previous Septembers.