So many factors contributed to the tragedy of that day in 2001.

When a child turns out badly, it’s easy to put the blame on others. Your spouse. The schools. Society. Family background. His or her chosen friends.

Recently, an article in a local paper placed the blame for the Sept. 11 disaster on, of all people, the terrorists. A sensible response to that opinion might be, “Well, du-uh!! News flash? Like tell me something I don’t know.” (Hopefully worded better.)

Holding a similar opinion to the author’s, I wouldn’t place the blame on the United States’ immorality, economic or international policies either. The writer was upset with those U.S. citizens who pointed fingers at their own country. That opinion, as spouted by college professors, is likewise unacceptable to me. It’s wrong. But let’s look deeper into the terrible events of September 2001. Maybe we can level the blaming field. What follows are a few more facts that may not be widely known. Understanding them may allow us to see deeper into the causes of this unique tragedy.

First, fundamental Islam, as practiced by many Muslims worldwide, and its offshoot, radical Islam, historically uses violence and coercion as a means of spreading its theocratic doctrines. Osama Bin Laden, along with five other Islamic caliphates, signed a fatwa declaring war against the United States on the Feb. 23, 1998. Part of the religious decree says, “The ruling to kill the Americans and their allies – civilians and military – is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it …” They base this duty on their strict interpretation of Quranic verses.

Second, extreme environmentalist lawyers threatened to sue the builders of the Twin Towers during their construction from 1966 to 1973. The reason for the threat? The use of asbestos in coating the steel beams inside the towers. Asbestos, though not absolutely immune to the degree of heat generated by tons of jet fuel, offers much more heat resistance than the material used subsequent to its removal from the towers.

Due to the dishonesty rampant in society, it will be debated forever how much asbestos was removed after 1971 and to what floor the structural steel was initially coated. Some say all the floors below the 64th had asbestos. The planes, sadly, hit above that floor where the lesser material was used. It also will be debated how much more time the asbestos coating would have given the occupants to evacuate before the steel softened to the point of collapse. The point remains that asbestos is a far better protective substance. The fact that the wet-spraying method used to apply it was very safe for workers remains. It is also clear that the lawyers’ threat of litigation caused the fire protection to be diminished.

Third, in Boston and Portland, where some of the terrorists boarded the planes, red flags went up when they checked in at airport security. After all, they were Middle Eastern men flying first class, in one direction, with no luggage. The red flags caused security to send the men’s documentation upstairs for further scrutiny. These officials, fearing threats of legal action for racial profiling, tragically decided to let the terrorists on the planes.

Fourth, it is documented that President Clinton had a clear opportunity to deal with Bin laden in the fall of 1998 but refused to act. The FBI, the CIA and our military intelligence, which had all been weakened to varying degrees during the Clinton era, did not do their homework efficiently leading up to Sept. 11.

The radical Muslim world must be given credit for getting one thing right, however despicable and evil their actions against us. We are a nation full of bad people. We have many bad habits. We do a lot of evil things, to each other, to the environment and occasionally (though rarely) to other nations. We import, export and wallow in sexual immorality. Most of us have too much stuff, and we care way too much for it. Too many of us give little thoughts to God and things eternal. We overeat. We talk too much. Yet as we continue dumbing-down, especially in national and world history, the talking we’re doing makes little sense. To this add the envy of our success. That is why they hate us.

So who’s to blame for Sept. 11? On one level, the 19 men and their network primarily bear the guilt, and those terrorists who remain need to be sought out and eliminated. It was not New York lawyers, airport security officers or Clinton cronies that piloted those jets. Yet it appears on a deeper level that there is enough blame to include many more of us.

As for your problem child? Primary blame: You. Secondary blame: The corrupted “village” in which you live. But don’t expect the village to save them.

William Van Tassel lives in Turner.