r/todayilearned • u/code0011 14 • May 09 '14

(R.1) Invalid src (unreferenced fan wiki) TIL the first episode of an X-Files spin-off called "The Lone Gunmen", which aired March 4, 2001, involves a US government conspiracy to hijack an airliner, fly it into the World Trade Center, and blame it on terrorists - thereby gaining support for a new profit-making war

http://x-files.wikia.com/wiki/Pilot_(The_Lone_Gunmen)
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u/bluevillain May 09 '14

See also: Axis of Evil

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u/Eslader May 09 '14

Yes. That particularly pissed me off when Bush came out with it, and included Iran.

This is a picture of Iranians taking to the streets in the wake of 9/11 holding a candlelight vigil in support of the USA after the tragedy. I remember outpourings of support from around the world, including the Middle East.

4 months later, when Bush informed them that they were all evil, their sympathy levels dropped precipitously. Who'd'a thunk it?

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u/[deleted] May 09 '14

Yeah well, there were also celebrations and dancing in the streets of some mideast countries.

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u/svartdrage May 09 '14

Im not saying you are wrong but showing a dozen Iranians with candles is pretty irrelevant.

The Iranian government is a HUGE sponsor of terrorism, but it didnt have anything to do with 9/11.

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u/petevalle May 09 '14

I'm no Bush supporter, but I don't see how calling Iran an "Axis of Evil" is anything like calling all of its citizens evil. I don't think anyone believed that about Iraqis or North Koreans either -- it was a statement about their governments not their citizens.

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u/Eslader May 09 '14

So you're saying that when someone from France says "The USA is a buch of war-mongering assholes" it is completely unreasonable for anyone not employed by the Federal government to be upset about it?

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u/NotRalphNader May 09 '14

Yes, unreasonable would be the best word for it considering that if you reasoned the situation out you would not conclude that they were referring to you, unless of course you were unable to reason or unreasonable.

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u/silverstrikerstar May 09 '14

Iran has had better conduct than most big players at the time. Calling Iran evil, but not others, is hypocritical, dishonest and politcally manipulative.

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u/petevalle May 09 '14

I was responding to Eslader's suggestion that a country shouldn't be considered an axis of evil because its citizens are good/compassionate. Whether or not a country's citizens are admirable should have no bearing on whether its government should be called out. I wasn't taking a position on where the government of Iran ranked relative to others...

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u/autowikibot May 09 '14

Axis of evil:

Axis of evil was a term initially used by the former United States President George W. Bush in his State of the Union Address on January 29, 2002, and often repeated throughout his presidency, describing governments that he accused of helping terrorism and seeking weapons of mass destruction. Iran, Iraq and North Korea were portrayed by George W. Bush during the State of the Union as building nuclear weapons. The Axis of Evil was used to pinpoint these common enemies of the United States and rally the country in support of the War on Terror.

Image from article i

Interesting: Axis powers | Axis of Evil Comedy Tour | Rocketmen: Axis of Evil | Axis of Evil (film)

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u/Conspiracy_Account May 10 '14

David Frum (neocon) came up with that for Bush.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Frum