“No wonder 9/11 happened, we bombarded and invaded other countries, maybe the United States is the terrorists and if that is the case no wonder we are marked as objects of terrorism” said Howard Zinn, a historian and political scientist, during his lecture on the history and current wars in the Middle East in the Lipke Auditorium on April 4.

Zinn, known for his radical fringe ideas said that, “9/11 was an incident that was done as a result of the super power known as the United States, continuing involvement in other countries affairs. The war on terrorism was not really a war at all.”

Zinn, who also criticized the media and its responsibilities to the citizens, spoke openly about the government’s involvement in the concerns of other countries. “The news’s media is delinquent in their responsibility as a news forum and should be questioning the facts that the government is telling her citizens,” he said.

“In order to understand and make decisions regarding our government’s policies,” Zinn said, “people must learn about the history of their own country. The citizens of the United States have been lied to by the government, in order to get involved in the wars past and present.”

“According to the Declaration of Independence we as a people have the right to either uphold or abolish the laws of the United States,” Zinn said, while he claimed that in order to succeed, citizens must become aware of their history and the knowledge that comes from its past mistakes.

When it comes to the ending of the war in Iraq, he said, “As a people we would eventually have the power to end the war or cut and run if we as a people, would speak our minds and apply our historical knowledge to educate the people as we educate ourselves.”

At the conclusion of his speech, Zinn asked the question, “Why is there no any anti-war movements in our country?”

“There is a movement, but it is not bold enough to impress the media,” he continued. “If there is a demonstration where there are 100 anti-war and a 1000 pro-war protestors, the media will only give 30 seconds to each side, and that would be the end of the story.”

Zinn stressed that it is important that the American people know there are anti-war movements throughout the country, and that it is important “not to be discouraged and it is important not to think you are powerless.”

Howard Zinn is the author of more than 24 books. He is a professor emeritus of political science at Boston University, and lives with his wife Roslyn in the Boston area, near their children and grandchildren. His lecture was sponsored by the William Joiner Center for the Study of War and Social Consequences.