September 11th - Check the Date

I was an adult on September 11, 2001. I remember most of the morning of that day, but the afternoon became a blur as a bunch of co-workers and I started drinking with lunch. I’m pretty sure I fell asleep (passed out) by 8 pm that evening. I do remember thinking that the United States and the world had changed forever. I never had that thought again until almost 20 years later when 2020 came along with COVID, The Summer of George, and an openly stolen election. Then as I started to deep dive into history, I realized, whether completely by coincidence or not, that some dates seem to appear over and over again when it comes to major events.

I released an episode last night detailing the lead-up to the September 11, 1973, overthrow of the Salvador Allende regime in Chile by Augusto Pinochet-led forces. It was one of the few instances in the 20th century of communism being stopped in its tracks, which is why almost all progressives, leftists, and even people who consider themselves to be right-wingers have a disdain for Pinochet.

On September 11, 1941, in Arlington County, Virginia, construction began on what is now known as the Pentagon. Up until the recent construction of the Surat Diamond Bourse, the Pentagon was the largest "office building" in the world. After September 11, 2001, I began giving serious thought to the very existence of the Pentagon, which caused me to come to the conclusion that something that large was built for one purpose and one purpose only: to plan the waging of continuous war. War is sometimes necessary, but to build something of the scale and importance of the Pentagon signals to me that war is now part of who you are as a nation.

On September 11, 1926, an anarchist and anti-fascist named Gino Lucetti threw a bomb at Benito Mussolini’s limousine in Porta Pia, Italy. Il Duce was a controversial figure from the start. Unlike many leaders at the time, he was the kind of guy who would pick fist fights with people. He appeared to be more of a street ruffian than his counterparts in other countries. Benito survived that attack, but four people were injured. Lucetti was captured, tried, and sentenced to 30 years in prison. When Naples was liberated in 1943, Lucetti was either released from prison or escaped (it is unclear which). On September 17, 1943, Lucetti died on the island of Ischia when the Germans bombed it. I guess he couldn’t escape the fascists after all.

I could list several more events that occurred on September 11, going back centuries. The date appears over and over again. Here in the United States it will always be associated with 2001. In Chile when this day rolls around, they think of 1973. As I write this on September 10, 2023, my hope is that tomorrow is not a September 11th that is added to this list. However, if it is, may the event be in the favor of those who cherish the true, the good and the beautiful.