Frederic J. Fransen is president of Amerion College in Huntington, West Virginia. He here gives us a lightning history of terrorism in the context of 9/11 without once mentioning or even coming close to mentioning the actual ideology of the 9/11 terrorists themselves. He says they wanted to destroy American values, yet gives no hint of who they were or why they targeted the U.S. Why not? Fear, of course. He is afraid of being called “Islamophobic,” or possibly of the jihadis targeting him. But we will never be able to defend American values from this attack if we’re afraid to name the enemy and study his motives and goals.
“The real target of 9/11-style terrorism is American values,” by Frederic J. Fransen, Daily Independent, September 7, 2026:
OPINION — Virtually everyone in their mid-30s or older remembers where they were when they heard that an airplane struck the World Trade Center in New York on Sept. 11, 2001. I was in a hotel gym in Slovakia; it took two weeks to get home.
That was the goal of the terrorists: to destroy the ability of the American people to live their lives normally.
The concept of terrorism as a useful strategy emerged during the French Revolution. On Sept. 5, 1793, France’s National Convention declared that “Terror is the order of the day!” The government would henceforth use violence and intimidation to advance the revolution.
Until then, terror was universally understood to be wrong — a tool of despots. Republics’ driving force, by contrast, was “virtue.”
By calling for terror, the French revolutionaries transformed the shameful tool of despots into a badge of honor for themselves. And they did so with a vengeance.
During the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror (1793-94), Maximilien Robespierre and the “Committee of Public Safety” oversaw the killing of 30,000 to 40,000 people, about half by guillotine, historian Donald Greer reported in his authoritative 1935 monograph, “The Incidence of Terror During the French Revolution.” For almost a century thereafter, terror was primarily a tool of governments.
That changed suddenly in 1878, when Vera Zasulich, a Russian revolutionary, shot and wounded (but didn’t kill) the governor general of St. Petersburg, Dmitri Trepov. When asked at her trial why she didn’t finish him off, Zasulich replied, “I am a terrorist, not a murderer.”
Suddenly, “terrorism” meant not state-operated violence to intimidate the people, but individual actions to destabilize the state. Helped enormously by the invention of dynamite, anarchists, labor activists and communists adopted a new tactic….
Taffy says
I never heard of Frederic J. Fransen or Amerion College before, and his comments have little weight. Also, I’m sure that he spoke in sound bites, rather than presenting a scholarly dissertation on the causes of 9/11 and Islamic jihad.
If someone were defending his PhD thesis or “somebody did something” Omar or Mamdani omitted this key information, then fire all criticism at them, guns broadside. But why bother criticizing an unknown president of a nondescript college?
ploome says
you write
“………. individual actions to destabilize the state. Helped enormously by the invention of dynamite, anarchists, labor activists and communists adopted a new tactic….”
and helped enormously by the media
Walter Sieruk says
It’s best when speaking and welting to be clear and specific , on burh accounts this President of West Virginia is not on the subject of the murderous and destructive jihadist attacks which occurred on September 11th 2001 Shame on him.
Furthermore, with this twenty-fifth anniversary of those murderous jihad affronts which occurred on September 11, 2001 is there very appropriate to post some lyrics of a rather old song that was written way before the murderous jihad affronts which occurred on September 11, 2001. That many apply to this current late decade of this twenty–first century.
The title of that song to “Try to remember…”
Some of the lyrics to well apply to now are “Try to remember the kind of September when life was slow and ho, so mellow… Try to remember the kind of September when you were a tender and callow fellow…Try to remember the kind of September when life was tender that no one wept expect the willow… Try to remember the kind of September when love was a ember about to billow…”
Yes, that was the past and the somewhat as it was pre- 9/11 Septembers before those Islamic terror murder attacks on that specific day.
Now viewing things as they are .Life is no longer slow of mellow. For all patriotic Americans need the be fast and keep up with news and information regarding Muslim terrorist activities. Now men can’t be so tender and callow. Men need to keep strong vigilance for things, items and individuals the appear suspicious and it’s no longer good be naïve. Likewise the lyrics of the song further went “Try to remember the kind of September when life was so tender that no one wept expect the willow…” Now many people have wept because of the heinously vicious murdering actions commit by Muslim terrorists. In addition, the old song lyrics further are “Try to remember the kind of September when love was an ember about to billow…” Now love instead of being and “ember about to billow” the sad and tragic reality is vicious hate by jihad-minded Muslims now pose a danger. Nevertheless, people of the West need to reject hate as to not be of the same vicious mindset as the jihadists have.
Walter Sieruk says
Those murderous jihad affronts, which occurred on September 11, .2001 was an outright abomination and a sin unto God. Those horrendous Islamic terrorist attacks were the result of jihadist Muslims obeying the instructions found in Islam’s ‘holy book” the Qur ‘an for the use of violence and killing for the advancement of Islam. As found in, for example, 2:191. 5:33. 9:5, 111.123. 47:4. Therefore Islam is a false, dangerous, demonic and deadly religion.
Walter Sieruk says
All those murderous actions that those Muslim terrorists of a Qaeda committed on September 11th 2001 did those horrendously evil mass murderers not because they were following a “hijacked” or “warped” form of Islam, They engaging in straight from the Qur’ an , non – watered down Islam.
For example, in Surah 47:4. the Qur’ an instructs “Whenever you encounter the disbelievers strike off their heads until you make a great slaughter among them…”
The terrible reality is that using jet passenger planes, as missiles will make a greater “slaughter among them” than a sword can.
Walter Sieruk says
When speaking or writing it’s best to be clear and specific. This is something that this President of the West Virginia college has ,so terribly fa8led to do , regarding those murderous jihad terror attacks that occurred on September 1th 2001. Shame on him.
Dr. Sabastian Gorka , made himself clear , in contrasts to that West Virginia college president, because Dr .Gorka well, understands that the root cause of the ideology of Islamic terrorism which is based on Islam. For in his book which is entitled DEFEATING JIHAD explained about the jihadist –Muslims on page 132 which reads “The enemy’s center of gravity is ideology of holy war against the infidel…”
This is, of course, the ideology of Islam’s jihad [Islamic terrorism] is based on the Quran,5:33 4:89 9:111,123.47:4 ,in which the jihadists are in this war against us for the victory of Islam over us.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Close to 3000 people were killed, but all he can say is that our values were attacked?
ploome says
AND
…doesn’t name their ideology or goals
must not offend the muslims
Rick Gordon says
This college president is obviously an embarrassment. If you know the information and do not pass it on in a situation that calls out for it, you should resign from the position and the institution. Period.
Frank says
The college president is a wimpy pathetic excuse for an administrator, and an ineffective limp wristed speaker.
Islam and the Quran are straight from the pit of hell and should be condemned and treated as such. Such evil should be opposed by all means necessary to defend our country.
OLD GUY says
The President of this college represents the major problem in American education. Sugar coating history and facts in the class room to protect Islam. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other islamic countries have bought their way into our education system and are promoting ISLAM and spreading islamic propaganda to our children over the past 25 years.
The Islamic attack on 9/11 was just the beginning. These islamic countries know they can NOT defeat our military so they use their petro-dollars to buy political and media support. Then they take advantage of a political open border migration invasion of mostly young men who are now on our school boards, media, political offices.
It is time to get these invaders out of our schools, media and political offices. Stop this invasion and deport these islamic invaders.
gravenimage says
West Virginia college president says 9/11 terrorists attacked American values, doesn’t name their ideology or goals
……………………………………………
And yet, this pathetic vaporing is *far* from the worst I have heard in the past couple of weeks…