September 11th and December 7th. Days that will live in infamy...

...days that galvanised the world. From The New Republic here...
There will have been many words uttered by day's end. Respectful words, dignified words, mordant words, words of fright, words of bravery and resilience. Here and there from the Middle East we may also notice words of regret and even shame. But not many such words. In the Arab world and the Muslim Crescent blame is not usually taken on oneself. This is a culture adept at exporting responsibility for harm and loss, even tremendous harm and loss, directly on those who have suffered them. The more conspiratorial the more believable.
From Syria this...
and from a patriot, this...
First, ave atque vale. Second, the data cited by tep should be sobering to us all. It should sober us that so many citizens of our closest allies, democratic countries with a free press, are comfortable with ignoring facts, those stubborn things noted by John Adams, in favor of ideology. It should sober us that the attitudes reflected in the far-flung muslim world have moderated so modestly. Third, we should, at least today, be enormously proud that the fierce, and continuing, debate about how to react to 9/11 and how to continue to react, is here, in America. The Europeans aren't debating much; they just want to make a euro and muddle through. Same with the Japanese and the South Koreans. Neither are the muslim countries engaging in much spirited debate; there, as a general proposition, the ruling autocrats, or oligarachs, are mainly interested in keeping a lid on the volcano. Americans are the people at each others throats. Bully for us. We care, passionately, and differently, each from each. That smells like strength and vitality to me. Our story is by no means over. Our early political history was characterized by fierce and brutal political struggle. We got through it; later, other political struggle almost tore the nation apart, and, when resolved, left wounds that lingered for a century. We survived that too. I have no doubt whatsoever that today's divisions will eventually be resolved. God bless America on this painful anniversary.
Read in full here...