War on Terror Terror Financing Perpetrators and the 9 11 Attacks

¶ … doubt whatsoever that September 11, 2001 will forever remain one of our country's darkest days. On this day, terrorists successfully launched one of the worst terror attacks the world has witnessed in modern times. In an attempt to come up with a reliable account of the background of the terror attacks, a commission was set up. This came to be referred to as the 9/11 commission.

The Major Interest Groups Surrounding the 9/11 Commission

From the onset, it is important to note that "family members of 9/11 victims were instrumental in the creation of the 9/11 commission" (Bolton, 2008, p. 240). They, therefore, constitute a key interest group in this case. These were people who lost and had their loved ones injured. In addition to ensuring that they got closure, they also needed safeguards and assurances that what had befallen their loved ones would not happen again -- one of the commissions key agenda was to come up with proposals on how future attacks could be averted. In essence, the Commission was lobbied into existence by family members of the 9/11 victims. The commission, therefore, had to accommodate their views -- with some of the said views being largely outrageous. For instance, there were those who, like most victims, were convinced that the 9/11 was a "government project." As a result, they were of the opinion that the government was out to bungle up investigations into the same. It is for this reason that this particular interest group kept pressuring the commission and the government to maintain independence. Indeed, as Marrs (2006) points out, "bereaved Americans found themselves in Washington lobbying for a truly independent inquiry."

According to Marrs (2006), it was due to public pressure that President Bush increased the Commission's funding to further enhance its ability to investigate the 9/11. It is also important to note that quite a number of family members of victims have expressed their dissatisfaction with the Commission's work. Some have even gone as far as accusing the government of complicity in the events leading to the attacks. Many victims were to later on submit reports that contrasted scientific findings -- thus effectively delaying/compromising the commission's investigations. Patriotsquestion911.com contains some of the survivor accounts of the terror attacks. Some survivors in this case claim they reported basement explosions prior to the airplane blasts. The official findings of the Commission was that there were no such explosions and what brought the towers down were explosions from the jetliner's jet fuel.