 Our next speaker is Chris Agee, and Chris Agee is his father was Phil Agee. CIA, he renounced his time in the CIA in 1968 for what he saw in the organization in the company and ended up passing away in Cuba. And I just want to say, Chris, that I met your dad on his 70th birthday and such a kind kind man. And I want to thank you, thank him through you for everything he did for Latin America for stepping up. So Chris Agee is an adjunct professor in the greater New York metropolitan area. He teaches a variety of courses in sociology and political science. And he's the editor and publisher of covert action magazine. Take it away, Chris. Thank you very much. Can you hear me? Yes. Great. Thank you so much, Rachel. And thank you. A solid one. That was a very powerful testimony as, as were all the testimonies we've heard so far. And thank you, Emily, Rachel, Frank and everyone who has organized this event. And thanks for everybody who's showed up and for giving us all the opportunity to share our thoughts on this commemoration. So I'm the executive editor of covert action magazine and teach sociology at CUNY and SUNY. I'm the son of Philip Agee as Rachel mentioned. And who, you know, my father helped start the magazine called covert action magazine. Back in the late 1970s with Lewis Wolfe, Ellen Ray, Bill Schapp, Michael Ratner, William Kuntzler and others. And a covert action magazine we strive to carry on their work and provide hard hitting facts, facts based and well footnoted analysis of US foreign policy and domestic policy. We are blowing the whistle on US imperialism and plutocratic interests worldwide. Together with Jeremy Kuzmer off our incredible managing editor, and our talented editorial board. We strive to do this online through various publications including articles videos webinars and podcasts, as well as in person events, all available at our website at covert action magazine. So please reach out if you want to get involved and or submit articles we're particularly looking for writers and margin from marginalized communities in the United States to those in the global south, all of whom are bearing the brands of class warfare and US imperialism, much of which is carried out through various forms of covert action broadly defined. So on this day, the 20th anniversary of 911. For example, we just published the first part of an excellent three part series by Aaron good, our new editor at large, Ben Howard and the great Peter Dale Scott, entitled the 20 years shadow of 911 us complicity in the US imperialism. Part one focuses on how the US has used radical Islam and 911 to advance imperialism and override the Constitution. It provides a reevaluation of 911 in light of startling new evidence that undermines the official government story of this traumatic and defining event, which is so tragically direct US policy. In this first installment Aaron Ben and Peter, examine how the US has for decades utilized Islamic terrorists as assets for its own ends, bringing about so called unintended consequences, or blowback, as I will comment later and as a side commented earlier. In part two we will run on, which we will run on Monday, they look at how CIA figures actively prevented other government agencies from exposing the Al Qaeda presence in the United States prior to the attacks. And in the final and the third and final installment, the authors explore the deep political and historical implications of the US government's emergency powers in order to offer some conclusions about 911. So check those articles out as they come out over the next couple of days. The first one is already up. These articles and the work many are doing in different organizations and at different outlets as well as the testimonials and analysis that we have heard here today have been excellent. And I would like to add a few comments here and some suggestions for action. First of all, the whole concept of never forget, right. Yeah, as you know, as assault mentioned, it's very important. It has as the testimonies have shown us. But in my experience this sort of the as the flyer for this event points out. Never forget it is sort of about it's sort of a rallying cry you know 911 and never forget. Understanding 911 is unfortunately not about never forgetting. The reality is, is that most never knew, and still don't know about what's what happened. Now we're still in the popular consciousness. This 911 and never forget is a rallying cry for more war unfortunately, or a don't mess with us because we won't forget and we're going to go after you for revenge. Unfortunately, what we need to never forget and remember is quite the opposite as I saw was mentioned. What we need to do is set the record straight, and then we need to learn from it. So as to not forget and change our ways. So, 911 for me is a great example of blowback. Right. It's a CIA term is Chalmers Johnson taught the business book published in 2000 and updated with material in 2004 on 911. 11 Johnson penned the following definition in the nation. Blowback, and I quote, is a CIA term first used in March 1954 in a recently declassified report on the 1953 operation to overthrow the government of Mohammed mosque deck in Iran. It is a metaphor for the unintended consequences of the US government's international activities that have been kept secret from the American people and that was the whole quote. So Johnson, and the CIA call it unintended consequences, perhaps a better term is misunderstood repercussions. He is also pointing out, Johnson, is that most Americans don't know or understand what is going on behind the scenes and what the US is really doing and and understanding why are we receiving these repercussions attacks like the 911 are responses to US imperialism responses to overt military, political and economic imperialism and domination, as well as covert activities, including paramilitary operations clandestine economic warfare, election meddling and assassinations and kidnapping torture and the like, all of which serve to advance US corporate interests at the expense of local populations, interests in access to cheap resources, cheap labor markets and geopolitical control. Another term, in addition to blowback, I'd like to borrow the term from Naomi Klein. Can you still hear. Sorry, can you still hear me. Yes. Okay, so, sorry. Technical difficulties. Interrupt me. Alright shock doctrine. Okay, to to borrow Naomi's term right enforcing economic oppression through neoliberal policy changes in the midst and wake up crises. This can also be applied to using pretext like 911 to launch wars and curtail civil liberties. It's important to note that 911 gave the US government carte blanche to implement what it was already doing covertly, but now had become law of the land, as john, he got who has well pointed out and, you know, took a stand on that. I went public about the official terror torture policy that they've been doing all along even before 911. So we're talking about the US government uses these crises to carry out a hidden agenda of military aggression and crackdowns, including things that we've all talked about today widespread surveillance, curtailments of civil liberties torture kidnapping assassination secret known legal illegal prisons including Guantanamo widespread drone warfare programs, the cost trillions of dollars is David Swanson and and Medea Benjamin have point so well pointed out suggestions. What do we need to remember right what should we never forget. Many of us are doing good things in different ways. This event is an exact excellent example, but we have to figure out how to reach more of the American people obviously it's great that this event has brought in so many young people, but this is still a puzzle yet to solve. Firstly, we need to continue to ramp up and disseminate fact based information, developing a critical consciousness on the way. We need to realize platform traditional platforms but also emerging and innovative ones. We need to look at successful historical examples of people organizations and leaders like Harriet Tubman Martin Luther King Malcolm X Rosa Parks, Howard Zinn Oliver Stone, including my father who were successful in their activities and getting their messages across we need to figure out what they did and what they are doing right. Secondly, we need to engage in direct action code pink is a perfect example of that engage in an organized marches and organizations. So we need to mobilize resources and nurture political opportunities and some we need to educate, agitate and organize. Many here already, agitators and organizers others here, or watching online, need to educate yourselves and express and and who are here to express solidarity. This is great, but convert yourselves and your activities. If you have not done so already into educators, activists agitators and disseminate information engage in direct action and finally, it's all hands on deck. The mission to avoiding millions and more casualties and deaths climate change is likely to bring about an increase in temperature closer to two degrees centigrade and the military is one of the greatest contributors to carbon dioxide emissions. We are already experiencing the repercussions as David Swanson Medea Benjamin and others so well demonstrated we need to eradicate the military budget and use those funds for deploying alternative renewable sustainable sources of energy and food. We need to take advantage of this opportunity to engage in what needs to be done. Thank you for listening to me. Thank you. Not profit for the 1% as Mickey Duff pointed out. And on this 20th anniversary of 911. We need to take advantage of this opportunity to never forget and engage in what needs to be done. Thank you for listening to me. Thank you. Thank you, Chris. Chris and friend. Thank you so much.