On 9/11, let's mourn all the victims

I mourn all the victims who died on the planes and in the twin towers on 9/11, all 2,977 of those who perished that day in New York City, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.

I also mourn 182,000 of civilian deaths in the war that the U.S. unleashed against Iraq falsely claiming Iraq was responsible for 9/11.

I also mourn 31,000 deaths in Afghanistan caused by the war the U.S. unleashed there, also falsely claiming that Afghanistan was somehow responsible for 9/11.

I mourn the injured, the loss of families, the devastation in Iraq and Afghanistan, caused by the unlawful U.S. invasion.

I mourn the deaths and injuries of young men and women in the American Arms Forces who had no business going to Iraq and Afghanistan to kill and maim and be killed and maimed.

In 2001, I lived in the U.S. and was attending an online law school in the U.S.

That online law school was attended by working professionals, older students, some with adult children, some with adult children in the military.

I still remember how many of my co-students, adult men and women, U.S. citizens, sent e-mails to the law school discussion board collecting signatures to "inspire" their adult children in the military to rain bombs upon Iraq and Afghanistan with "Remember 9/11" plus "[The Name of the School], Class of the [Year of Graduation]" painted on those bombs.

And I still remember how viciously I was attacked through e-mails by the future lawyers of America when I wrote four words in response: "NOT IN MY NAME".

When I see today the reports of mourning in America of only those who died on 9/11, I believe, it is wrong.

We must mourn all the innocent victims of 9/11.

But, we must also mourn, at the same time, those who died, were maimed or whose livelihood was destroyed by us as a result of our government inflaming us into allowing the government to use our collective resources to unleash wars in two countries on another continent that had nothing to do with 9/11.

Our money was used to kill and maim civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Our money was used to send thousands of our young men and women in the military to kill and maim in two countries that had nothing to do with 9/11.

We must mourn all victims, and make sure that we and our resources are not again used by our government as a tool of hatred against innocent people.   

Not again.

Not in our names.