Mark Phillips: The American Question

9/1/02: Why "Nine-One-One"?

My mother believes the date was chosen from mockery, as if to imply, "All your power and technology can't prevent this emergency". There are probably many Americans who agree. I suspect it was chosen for reasons of political symbolism of which these Americans are unaware. On 9/8/01, the United Nations' World Conference Against Racism concluded in Durban, South Africa, after failing to condemn Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories for giving rise to racism. The United States had earlier walked out of the conference in a strongly symbolic action which can be interpreted as supportive of racism. 9/10 was Monday, and the international press was dominated by the Bush administration's justifications of its position. On 9/11 the news changed.

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