9/11: Ignorance Was the Failure Then. It Can't Be Our Future Now

I wasn’t going to talk about this as I’ve written before online about my experience on 9/11/2001. 

But I’ve now heard several people on TV this week, today, being interviewed about their experience that day and I found it curious.

At 5:56AM, on 9/11 I was on the Bainbridge Island ferry, Tacoma, headed into Seattle’s Coleman Dock terminal. The M/V Tacoma has a maximum capacity of 202 vehicles and up to 2,500 passengers.

My wife was at home with our youngest watching TV.

I was sitting in the open area chairs at the point of the ferry when she called. She told me while they were watching TV a plane flew into one of the twin towers in NYC. I asked some questions, she answered.

I am not and was not a journalist. I am not and was not a journalist. I am a military vet, USAF. I did hold a secret level clearance for nuclear weapons. But I was a technical writer and had studied the Soviet Union for decades. In the 1990s I began to notice similarities between active measures by the KGB against America and others (certainly the UK who taught us a lot during WWII and the ABC coalitions about the Soviets).

My comment was that we were potentially and technically in a state of war now, with someone who had just attacked us. Though it’s still “possibly” and accident.

A few people sitting yards away from us, next to my friend I whom I sat with on the ferry sometimes, looked at me nervously and I could see them looking away, but leaning slightly in my direction.

A commercial passenger plane simply does not accidentally fly into the largest building in NYC. But still, it could be an accident. Accidents DO happen. But the coincidence here was remarkable to the point of ridiculousness.

And then she exclaimed aloud. I asked what happened.

She was silent.

Then she said while we were talking, another plane had flown into the other tower.

That was when I said, “Then we are technically and definitely at war with someone. We have just been attacked, twice. We just don’t know yet who attacked us. But it was an attack.”

I had said that louder than I meant to, but also louder because others needed to know, though not unreasonably. After I said it, I felt I should announce it. And yet, I did not. Information? Panic? On a passenger ferry? I was unsure the protocol. So I lowered my voice. Enolugh had heard me to look into it if they were curious enough and I was sure they would hear all about it once they arrived at work.

I looked at my friend next to me who had a very worried look on his face.

I looked around the large cabin and I could see people looking at me from yards away with concerned but questionable looks on their faces.

Were they wondering, ‘Was this guy on the phone nuts?’

I quieted down and considered my wife, our child home sick that day, my son at school, my position on a ferry and the tall building for work I was headed into and began to feel a little exposed. And worried.

I considered our house in the back of Suquamish, Washington, on a couple of forested acres in the woods just off Bainbridge Island. It is the small town where Chief Si'ahl of the Duwamish tribe—Seattle’s namesake, is buried.

I told her there was nothing to worry about as she was safe where she was, my older son (who has a different mother) was safe at school.

She asked if I was safe. I did not feel safe. I looked around the skies out the large ferry windows and saw nothing. I thought about the building I was headed into, not Seattle’s tallest but still a 16 floor building that stuck up higher than surrounded buildings and felt I was lying as I told her, “I’ll be fine, I’m sure I’ll be safe.” She asked me to turn around and come home. But I said I need to at least go into work to see how things were.

I ended up spending the day then many of his headed home a little early out of respect for our frightened families at home. Someone pulled a TV on a cart into our area at work and we had the news on all day.

During that day there were USAF fighter jets flying low over our building.

On the way home there was a Coast Guard RHIB—Rigid-Hull Inflatable Boats (sometimes RIBs) with a mounted .50cal. that followed us to port and remained there for some time every day going back and forth. It was a relief that first day or two but then began to be concerning, worrisome.

Why do I mention all this?

Because I was informed and aware when the planes hit, and I'm not saying that to brag. I've been hearing people talk this week about how clueless they felt in the moment, how they didn't know what was happening.

One person said that when the first plane hit, he was stunned but aware, and when the second one hit, he knew it was Al Qaeda. He was a journalist who'd been stationed in Afghanistan not long before.

My point is simple.

I find it strange that so many people didn't know, at least fairly quickly, that we were under attack, or even ask themselves who was doing it. I find that unsettling.

By the second strike, and certainly by the Pentagon and Flight 93 (where the passengers themselves refused to let the terrorists finish what they started), there was no way this was an accident.

This wasn't rocket science. But it was a learning curve. Now we know. Europe had warned us for years how, if not this kind of attack could happen, we should be more prepared. We ignored them. We were America. Protected by vast oceans on either side. An anachronist view.

This wasn't rocket science. But it was a learning curve.

Now we know. We just weren't looking for it—we didn't think it could happen here.

We were wrong. Ignorance was the failure then. We cannot afford it now.

And yet we have an administration that doesn't fear ignorance—it depends on it. That's not incompetence.

That's autocracy. 

10 Commandments - If Enlightenment Were Involved

If Jews and Christians had attained a higher level of spiritual or philosophical enlightenment, the 10 Commandments could have been interpreted to embody universal principles of compassion, interconnectedness, and self-awareness. But they weren't. Why? 

IF they came from "God", why were they so...as they are?

A therapist might describe the personality who gave us the 10 Commandments as someone deeply concerned with moral boundaries, authority, and communal harmony, yet possibly struggling with guilt, rigidity, and a strong need for external validation.

Why is slavery being bad not mentioned? Why aren't many important moral issues not mentioned? Was it communicated from a "God" through a man, to his followers? Was it the ramblings just of the man who gave them to his people? At a time when they needed something like this to hold them together as they were drifting into unfocused popular beliefs?

Here's a possible interpretation of the 10 Commandments with a more enlightened viewpoint to them:

1. Honor the Unity of All Life

Recognize the interconnectedness of all beings and the divine spark within every aspect of existence.

2. Cultivate Compassion and Kindness

Practice empathy, understanding, and kindness towards all living beings, striving to alleviate suffering wherever it is found.

3. Seek Truth and Wisdom

Pursue knowledge and wisdom with humility, always questioning, learning, and growing.

4. Respect the Earth and Its Resources

Honor the Earth as a sacred home, using its resources with care and gratitude, and working to preserve it for future generations.

5. Live with Integrity

Be honest and true in your words and actions, aligning your life with your deepest values and principles.

6. Honor the Diversity of Beliefs

Respect and appreciate the different paths that others may take in their spiritual or philosophical journeys, recognizing that there are many ways to seek truth.

7. Foster Community and Cooperation

Work towards building strong, supportive communities that uplift all members and promote peace and cooperation.

8. Practice Forgiveness and Reconciliation

Let go of grudges and anger, seeking to heal and reconcile with those who have wronged you, and encouraging others to do the same.

9. Encourage Creativity and Self-Expression

Support the free expression of creativity in yourself and others, recognizing it as a vital aspect of the human spirit.

10. Live with Gratitude and Mindfulness

Approach life with an attitude of gratitude, being mindful of the present moment, and appreciating the beauty and wonder of existence.

These commandments would focus on universal values that transcend specific religious or cultural boundaries, aiming for a harmonious and enlightened way of living.

Good Citizens – Creating Enlightened Society
Thich Nhat Hanh July 29, 2021 

Buddha Mind, Buddha Body Walking Toward Enlightenment

Thich Nhat Hanh

Generating the Mind for Enlightenment

The Dalai Lama

Cheers! Sláinte! Anicca!

Science Fiction and Happy New Years 2019!

First off as this is so fitting a topic for the end of an old and start of a new year...

Wishing you all a great and better 2019! Cheers! Slainte!

Also, if you missed it, see my blog yesterday about the heroes in your life. It's so very fitting for an end of the year, pre-New Years consideration.

Now...

Science fiction and as well, speculative fiction, have always been about imagining what you do not normally imagine. About thinking ahead, around corners and about seeing what you need to see before you need to see it. Giving you time to be prepared. All while enjoying a unique and insightful experience into the possibilities of when, where, and how.

Sarah Snook as John in Predestination.

Science fiction is like journalists and comedians, a first front to what is now and what is coming. It seldom has received the attention and praise it deserves and has seldom been seen as the futurism it is.

Star Wars, Superheroes films, and stories are not science fiction. They are its more exciting and yet more ignorant forms. However, they too have their place. They too do serve a function.

True science fiction (even hard science fiction) gives us a glimpse of what is coming up, concerning to us and what needs to be concerning for us. It has become diluted in today's world because of the popularity of what is most entertaining...and profitable.

Still, that is a form involved in the maturation of SF in understanding it is a form to reckon with and to pay attention to.

And so we see now in its future it's coming into its own. More succinctly, more impactfully. Like a surgeon's blade cutting on the bad, exposing and leaving the good that is there, that can be there and that should be there. No matter how hard it is for some to look into that snapshot of humanity. No matter how it disturbs or cajoles.

Dystopian stories have become popular as they always do during years of difficult times. The show us the horrors of our potential futures and make us consider, should we avoid that? The Handmaid's Tale, is one of those. It speaks to us saying, "It doesn't have to turn into this horror, if we just act to keep it from becoming so."

It is a form of education we need and gives little thought to. That includes things like Transgenderism is one of those subjects.

As one article says about that:

"Transgender people have always been part of science fiction and fantasy, but the past few years have seen a whole new generation of trans creators bursting onto the scene. Why are so many trans people flocking to SF and what kind of stories are they telling? Also, we delve into the controversy over Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria, and explain why so many people are questioning the science behind this concept. Why can't teenagers shape their own identities without being accused of some mysterious new malady?}

Science fiction has given us real astronauts and scientists, computers and devices. One example is all that came from a single offering in the Star Trek TV show of the 1960s and as well, its descendent shows and films, comic books and novel and so on.

So many childhood fans grew up into careers they first learned about in a science fiction show. They created devices that now exist because they were first imagined by these kids when seen on Star Trek. All because they were first made aware of the possibility and then grew to become their future inventors.

It was a show ignorantly canceled due to concerns of profit, when the service it was performing should have been seen as the news back then, a loss leader sorely needed by our society and humanity at large. The costs of that show were minimal to what benefits we have since reaped from them.

How many astronauts today can say they wanted to be an astronaut because of watching Star Trek shows? From the article:

"When "Star Trek" first aired, on Sept. 8, 1966, the American human space program was only four years old. NASA was practicing rendezvous, docking and spacewalks in the agency's Gemini program. The Apollo moon landings were still three years away, and the space shuttle was only just being designed.

"It was an exciting time for future American astronauts, including Virts, Tom Jones and Mike Massimino. All three would become shuttle and space station astronauts, and they told Space.com that the 1960s space program highly inspired them as children. "Star Trek" was a lesser influence, they said."

We are today living our realities from the science fiction of those past days.

I could go on and on about all the shows and books and various media types of science fiction. All we need to know is though, it is a useful tool we should pay attention to and better utilize. It is forward thinking. It creates and invents as it goes and its goal really, is to make our world and universe a better place, for all. Not just humanity. But intelligent life everywhere.

Appreciate it. Pay attention to it. Support it.

And we will all be the better for it.

Our Internet Today... and Yesterday

Nuts. I'm not 100% loving Facebook, but it's nice nationally and internationally to have a platform from which to easily and at least somewhat usefully do so. To do what? All that Facebook kind of stuff. Obviously.

Graphic from ITPulse

I started on the internet back in the late 80s.

I was involved in it, took classes in it, worked in IT (Internet, intranet technologies and...information technologies) in a variety of ways, jobs, levels and orientations.

It's amazing to see how far we've come. For that matter, how far I've come, as I've retired from IT and now am a full time author and filmmaker with at least ons screenplay in hopefully the right hands in Hollywood.

I even wrote a short sci fi story about America, the internet and media titled, In Memory, Yet Crystal Clear. It is recently available as of June 2018 as an audiobook as well as ebook. It was my first fiction sold to a horror quarterly back in 1990 and is the first story in my book of my older sci fi and horror fiction, Anthology of Evil. I have a sequel coming out of my newer writings, many of which have been published in magazines or anthologies with other authors.

Graphic from Zcorum

This Internet today is simply not what we wanted, in what we're seeing today. Like the Internet of things. Though it has surpassed the imagination of what many of us has conceived. We had wanted an internet free for everyone, where information was free to all... and open.

Much has even disappeared from online, or has become a fee based access situation. Overall, the Internet has benefited us all, if only we can get back some of our original orientation, if only we could counter some of the for profit issues and get back to the betterment of humanity.

At first for us it was, "information is free!" It should be Free! "The Internet is for Humanity!" Not big money! Not big business. Certainly not for Russia to alter our national elections!

Back in the 80s, if someone tried to sell something in the newsgroups back then in the beginning, or the middle, the late 80s, where we had mostly text based newsgroups, FTP, Telnet, Gopher, whatever text based stuff, they were crushed. Ostracized.

When the graphical internet, the World Wide Web, WWW, what came to be known as the internet as the dark parts sunk into the dark web...money started creeping its way in. A few of us pushed to keep it out until (I for one) realized that it was far bigger than us and far too powerful (money's like that) and that it could serve a good purpose. But then would obviously take a darker course. Simply because...it's inevitable.

Eventually I got it, as did others, but it worried me\us.

 I learned, I got educated about it, I took many classes. I worked in IT. First as a technical writer, then deeper and deeper into the mechanics of it all. Which led as it has to, to security. Something I'd been into before at a more physical level.

Graphic from Latest Internet News

I had stumbled into something awesome. Something that led to Internet security people and police as well as intelligence people at all levels and the government. Something I was headed into before. The great Soviet had died but that education and those skills were all still relevant.

Now here we are. We need a place for everyone to use. Not fractured, but cohesively. Not to polarize, but to feel to feed ourselves intellectually and other ways. To share with like, but also unlike minds.

We need this. It protects us. It also attacks us. Sometimes from those we elect or pay to protect us. Openness, transparency. THAT protects us. That and being able to share and openly so.

I don't care if it's Facebook or not. Or as I proposed in my above mentioned story, In Memory, Yet Crystal Clear, where the United Nations builds its own "Facebook" social media platform. Using experts from around the world to build it, all the best minds. It replaces Facebook. Everyone the world over uses it.

Photo from Daily Maverick

So that when any dictator or government shuts its people off from it, the UN pays attention, and immediately sends in moderators, "blue hats", to protect the people and stop more abuse as we've seen so much through the end of the last century and the beginning of this new one.

It became what it could become, as with Facebook or Twitter in the Arab Spring, or other national travesties. I had done my best back in 2011 to support that movement in Egypt and some did use my blog back then for updates to information their government was trying hard to keep them from. It was a hopeful time, that devolved into mediocrity, much as America has with the election of Donald Trump as president.

Before Facebook it was MySpace, which has changed into a music platform. Before that, there were others. Before that there were the BBSs, the Bulletin Board Systems you used a modem to dial your phone and PC up to.

Before that...well, it's been around for a while. This ability to communicate world wide. In the late 1960s when I was in jr. high and had a radiotelegraph license and could run a ham radio. I talked to other countries and wrote it all down as is normal procedure for hamm operations.

Before that it was telephones and before that, the telegraph. Although that technology was by a select few of trained and paid individuals, a kind of subculture grew up around it and telegraph stations across the nation. There are even very interesting books on that culture.

But we don't do that anymore. Though, we kind of do. Don't we? Everything now is recorded and saved, somewhere. And, we need that. For history, for our protection. For our coming together. For humanity growing closer, rather than continuing to take advantage of those less knowledgeable, less powerful, less whatever. But we're seeing humanity growing more apart. Why? We need to work on that, and turn things around, to be sure.

In that way we can make those others and ourselves, more than. Not less. Because as we're seeing, too many are trying to make us all, less than we can be. I'd really prefer to be more, for us ALL to be more than we are. Even if I don't always win. Even if I don't become rich. Even if I can't, have everything.

Graphic from WordlessTech

Just enough really is enough. That alone, would make me happy. For us all to better ourselves and come together. To be more informed, more aware, more proactive. More caring for all others as well as ourselves.

Especially if those around me, are happy too.