By Walt Garlington, an Orthodox Christian living in Dixieland. His writings have appeared on several web sites, and he maintains a site of his own, Confiteri: A Southern Perspective.
The 25th anniversary of 9/11 has resulted in a quite a mix of thoughts, from Trump’s bland repetition of the Official Narrative, to the more perceptive understanding that the US have been transformed into an unsleeping surveillance state, to Rod Dreher’s insight that 9/11 represents a shift towards catastrophe for the States, to Michael Hoffman’s thesis of 9/11 as an alchemical re-creation of US citizens by a demonic elite.
The first is ridiculous. There are a number of ways to disprove the Official Narrative: that a handful of Muslims alone were responsible for the carnage of Sept. 11th. One in particular that casts doubt is the cell phone technology available at the time. The state of that tech on 11 Sept. 2001 did not allow calls to be made at normal flying altitudes (over 8,000 feet). And yet somehow calls like Todd Beamer’s (of ‘Let’s roll!’ fame) not only got connected to the ground but stayed connected for long periods of time. What seems more likely is that at least some of those transcripts are Hollywood scriptwriting (and there are long-standing connections between the US military/intelligence agencies and Hollywood).
Professor Michel Chossudovsky closes one of his essays on 9/11 with this analysis (bolding in original):
‘A large part of the description, regarding the 19 hijackers relies on cell phone conversations with family and friends.
‘While a few of these calls (placed at low altitude) could have got through, the wireless technology was not available. On this issue, expert opinion within the wireless telecom industry is unequivocal.
‘In other words, at least part of the Commission’s script in Chapter 1 on the cell phone conversations, is fabricated.
‘According to the American Airline / Qualcomm [2004] announcement, the technology for cell phone transmission at high altitude will only be available aboard commercial aircraft in 2006. This is an inescapable fact.
‘In the eyes of public opinion, the cell phone conversations on the Arab hijackers is needed to sustain the illusion that America is under attack.
‘The “war on terrorism” underlying the National Security doctrine relies on real time “evidence” concerning the Arab hijackers. The latter personify, so to speak, this illusive “outside enemy” (Al Qaeda), which is threatening the homeland.
‘Embodied into the Commission’s “script” of 911, the narrative of what happened on the plane with the Arab hijackers is therefore crucial. It is an integral part of the Administration’s disinformation and propaganda program. It constitutes a justification for the anti-terror legislation under the Patriot acts and the waging of America’s pre-emptive wars against Afghanistan and Iraq.’
The official celebrations themselves were bizarre and show just how empty this day has become, with Trump appearing to fall asleep during the Pentagon memorial service and Mamdani and AOC sharing a nice laugh during the WTC memorial. The physical memorials at the three sites struck on 9/11 are themselves testimony to this hollowness.
The Shanksville, Pennsylvania, site resembles the pagan Nazca lines in Peru:
The Pentagon’s 9/11 memorial is downright bizarre:
The World Trade Center memorial is vapid as well:
The whole week of 9/11 had a strange feel to it – 9/11 remembrances by the Trump regime and others on 8 and 11 Sept., the raucous RNC midterm convention complete with Trump’s vote-buying proposal on the days in between, and major geopolitical upheavals involving the Houthis and Saudi Arabia throughout. News organizations and their readers/viewers are growing less interested all the time in a sustained, thoughtful discussion of events than in simply experiencing the thrill of being swept up in the rapid, non-stop succession of new stories. We appear to be heading for what was described for us in Dan Simmons’s predictive programming Hyperion sci-fi series of books: a population that gets a high from tapping into the never-ceasing light, sound, and motion of the datumplane/cyberspace via a direct link to the brain.
And yet people still hunger for meaning. Many have turned 9/11 into a kind of religious experience. Ruston, Louisiana, serves as a good example:
‘Before sunrise on the morning of September 11, the rhythmic thud of running shoes against concrete and the heavy breathing of dozens of climbers cut through the quiet of Joe Aillet Stadium.
‘Echoing over the stadium’s loudspeakers were original dispatch recordings and radio transmissions from first responders in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001.
‘For years, local firefighters and first responders have gathered at the Louisiana Tech University football stadium to perform an annual memorial stair climb. This year, for the first time, university students were invited to join them step-for-step.
‘Participants set out to climb the equivalent of 110 stories—matching the height of the World Trade Center towers. Before taking their first step, each climber selected the name of an emergency worker who died in the attacks, committing to carry that individual’s memory to the top.
‘Student Government Association President Maygen Jackson, who served as lead student organizer, said the goal was to help a generation born mostly after 2001 connect with the significance of the day.
‘“I was just nervous about students actually understanding the whole process of it,” Jackson said. “Once it all started and I saw people walking down the stairs to join us, I just was in so much joy and I was like, people genuinely do care.”
‘As the climb progressed, the physical toll mounted. With students juggling morning academic schedules, participants began passing along their tags so no fallen hero was left behind.
‘“Some of them weren’t even able to finish because they had to go to class and everything,” one student participant said. “And they gave me like the rest of the names… they were like, ‘Hey, I wasn’t able to finish it for them, but I understand—here’s the stack. You should finish it for them.’ And so like being able to do that was like so important because that means students were able to understand like the reality of it.”
‘For local emergency personnel, sharing the steps side-by-side with college students created a shared bond and served as a reminder of what the physical struggle represents.’
What is illustrated in Ruston and in events like them is a desire to replicate the ascetic feat of an Orthodox pilgrimage, but those students and others are undertaking them for the sake of a secular purpose, which will not bring lasting satisfaction. Few of the official memorials will do that, for all they are capable of is re-opening old emotional/psychic wounds without bringing any hope for healing. Thankfully, some of the Orthodox bishops (Metropolitan Tikhon (OCA), Metropolitan Sebastianos (GOA), and others) offered more meaningful remembrances, including not simply the repetition of names of those killed but prayers for their repose with God in Paradise and the linking of suffering with the Resurrection to come.
This 25th anniversary of 9/11 once again seems to confirm that the United States are hurrying on toward a dissolution. Little unity was displayed during the ceremonies; none was achieved. Those who lust for power and wealth will try to keep the American Project going for a little while longer, but the rest of us would do well to try to prepare for the coming breakdown of the union by rebuilding the local cultures and neighborhoods of which we are a part, the very ones that the cult of Americanism has done its best to destroy. As one Southern lady put it recently:
‘Take care of your own, become as independent as you can, and do your best to make your home a beautiful refuge for you and your loved ones. Develop and refine practical skills. Read things that grow your mind, avoid brain-rot, savor simple pleasures, take joy in what you build. And when you can’t help but worry, when it feels like too much and you can’t quite banish the anxiety: pray.’
Sources
https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2026/09/10/9-11-gave-us-the-war-on-terrorism-racket/
https://roddreher.substack.com/p/911-the-torn-flag-and-a-disintegrating
https://michaelhoffman.substack.com/p/deconstructing-the-sept-11-2001-terror
What Happened on the Planes on September 11, 2001? The 9/11 Commission “Script” Was Fabricated
https://hyperioncantos.fandom.com/wiki/Datumplane
https://uoj.news/news/metr-tikhon-issues-message-on-25th-anniversary-of-9-11/
https://uoj.news/news/metr-sevastianos-reflects-on-9-11-and-the-exaltation-of-the-cross/
https://www.reckonin.com/jessamine-lee/lessons-from-the-bronze-age
Images are from the following web pages:
Visit Arlington County and The National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial
https://generationvoyage.fr/activites/memorial-11-septembre-a334654/
