October 2004: 9/11 Commission Report

Post date: Jan 06, 2010 7:56:11 PM

Though not everyone had finished reading the whole 9/11 Commission Report (it was easier for government and history majors, it seemed), the discussion reflected passion and amazement, frustratration and inspiration on October 15th in Betsey's living room. We were pleased that it was so readable; impressed at the depth of explanation about Muslim culture and history; frustrated that so many uncoordinated agencies of our federal government harbor suspicions and hold on to power so that sharing of information is next to impossible; appreciative of the credible conclusions of the committee; and appalled that we see no progress in enacting the recommendations that conclude the report.

No smoking gun is revealed, but the report poses lots of questions as to who really is responsible for what and how decisions come about. Several members present decided to write (snail or email) to our representatives in Congress about the urgency for Congress to act on the Commission's report. Accordingly, Jane Robinson wrote the following template letter which can be modified in any way the writer sees fit.

Dear Senator Boxer,

We are writing to ask your support for the enactment of the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Report. We, members of the Smith College Club of the East Bay, have just read the report in its entirety and we feel that implementation of its recommendations is crucial.

Sincerely,

Smithie name

Many thanks to Betsey Warrick for hosting!

You can download the 9/11 Commission report for free in PDF format if you prefer to read it online. Printing it all out would probably cost more in paper than buying the book.

See http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/index.htm

The 9/11 Report

by National Commission on Terrorist Attacks

636 pages, St. Martin's Paperbacks; (August 2, 2004) $6.99 list

This is the New York Times edition, which supposedly includes nearly 70 pages of NYT articles on the formation and activities of the Commission (but it doesn't include end-notes).

The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States

by National Commission on Terrorist Attacks

516 pages, W.W. Norton & Company; (July 22, 2004) $10 list