If one were to list the events that had the greatest impact on the United States and the world in the first decade of the 21st century, it had to be 911. On September 11, 2001, several terrorists chose the ironic day when the United States called the police. They hijacked four passenger planes and launched suicide attacks in several places. Except for United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed on the outskirts of Shanksville, Pennsylvania, due to passenger resistance, the other three planes accurately hit their targets: the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, DC.
This disaster changed the lives of Americans. From then on, there were a lot more inspection procedures when flying. If you made a joke about a plane crash or a bomb, you would be immediately asked to go somewhere else. This was an airport with a relatively good attitude. It was common for security guards to directly press people to the ground. Of course, for a tycoon like Adriaan, who owned more than one private plane, this was not a problem at all.
Other than that, various bills to strengthen the government's power were introduced one after another. The United States began to get involved in the quagmire, which indirectly led to the rise of the other side of the Pacific Ocean. In addition, after the deep pain and dissatisfaction with the government's policies, all kinds of conspiracy theories emerged. Some blamed the government's slow response, some said that the government had long received the intelligence but tacitly allowed all this to happen, and some simply said that the government had created this terrorist incident.
In Adriaan's view, according to the intelligence obtained in his previous life — mainly this life — the middle theory was the most likely. Since even the big shots on Wall Street could more or less get some intelligence, there was no need to be too detailed. As long as they got the key words, it was enough to deduce the whole story. Otherwise, Uncle Anderson would not have hinted to Adriaan to stay at home and not go anywhere. He even asked Victor to go to Canada for a vacation, and his godfather also asked Claude to stay by his side for a few days.
This was not the first time the US government had done this. The USS Maine, Pearl Harbor, it was almost certain that they had received detailed intelligence before the start, but they chose to let it go. In the end, they finally got an excuse to start a war and used the other party as a stepping stone. There was even a lot of evidence that the USS Maine incident was planned by the US government itself.
There were enough benefits for the financial groups behind it to promote, such as large arms deals, keeping the dollar pegged to oil, attacking the rising euro, and so on. The other side of the Pacific Ocean might be a suitable target after the Red Empire, but they liked to be turtles. No matter what kind of provocation, they could pretend not to see it, and it was difficult for them to bite. Now that there was a chance, why not use it?
However, it would be too stupid to say that 911 was self-directed by the US government. If the government planned such a terrorist incident, it would definitely take a few years. They had too many things to consider, and this kind of matter that involved many aspects and had to be kept confidential was easy to slip up. Once it was leaked and there was solid evidence, the foundation of the US would be completely shaken. The USS Maine was a possibility because it was in Cuba, not the US mainland. Doing such a thing in the US mainland, if it was completely proven, it would not be simple to describe it as a public outcry.
Don't say that the big financial groups did not care. That was the stupidest idea. For the 1% of the people in the US, making the rules and then using the rules to the greatest extent was the correct approach. Completely destroying the foundation of the rules was something they would not do unless it was a very special situation. 911 was not a special situation. Although there seemed to be a lot of evidence a few years later, the evidence was basically based on some contradictory inferences, or indirect evidence that was difficult to prove. There was not even direct evidence, let alone irrefutable evidence — this was the advantage of not being suspected of a crime.
Of course, Adriaan was not that kind of absolute person. Although the possibility of the government planning it was less than 1%, it did not rule out that there were always a few crazy people. However, before there was more concrete evidence, he would only accept the second scenario.
In the end, the twin towers collapsed. Although it lasted for more than ten minutes, the impact was delayed to 8: 50 pm, but in the end, it was not canceled. At the request of Adriaan and Claude, the CNN reporter on the scene was able to clearly film the scene from a distance. The scene of how the building collapsed and how the dust rolled up into the sky was broadcast to the world.
This was so frightening and devastating that it could even be clearly heard through the TV that someone next to the reporter was crying. The reporter himself, who was broadcasting, choked with sobs as he reported. This was an unprecedented huge blow to the confidence of the Americans. That night, throughout the United States, Europe, and parts of Asia, countless people lit candles in outdoor squares and prayed for the victims.
Adriaan also did the same. He led a large group of people to light their own candles on Sunset Boulevard. However, although he expressed sympathy for these victims, he did not feel pity for them. Very simply, there were not many innocent people among them.
There was no need to explain the cause and effect of the whole thing. Although extremists were crazy, it was interesting to know why extremists became extremists. As a citizen of this country, since they enjoyed all the benefits provided by this country and received the dividends from the war, they naturally had to bear the price that came with it.
Of course, there would definitely be people who would refute this. Even if they enjoyed the profits from the war, it was not even a ten-thousandth of what Adrian, a great capitalist, had received. Even if there was a price to pay, it should be paid by the vampires first!
Yes! That's right! That's right! This is simply the truth! But … when have you ever seen such a fair thing?
The strong always got more and paid less. Just like the presidential election, the winner always took all. The so-called equivalent exchange, the so-called how much you get, how much you pay, was just an idealist's dream. Whether a society was stable or not depended more on whether the rules of the game and morality prevented the strong from taking the last piece of bread from the weak, and whether the weak had enough efforts within the scope of the rules to become the strong. It was not democracy or freedom.
Therefore, such a thing as fairness was always relative. Adriaan, who had evolved into a big capital, used this incident to promote himself with a clear conscience.
In addition to what he said to Claude that day, he also mobilized many people to publicly condemn this terrorist act and support the government. Many activities related to this incident in Hollywood were initiated by him. Of course, the scale of these activities was very small. They either accepted interviews to condemn the terrorist activities, comforted the injured, or prayed for the victims in special programs and mourned for the victims. When the whole nation was immersed in grief, holding large-scale activities was undoubtedly courting death.
Although his team was not prepared, Adriaan had planned it long before this. Otherwise, he would not have called CNN to rush over that day — although their reporters had already received the news and rushed over — and asked them to stick to the end. He had one of the best teams in the United States, coupled with the resources of AC Media, it was not difficult for him to dominate Hollywood activities. Other media groups did not have a huge influence in film production like Adriaan, so even if they were not willing to be led by AC Media, they could not do anything for the time being. Who asked them to be the sun at high noon?
Then, after more than a week had passed and the pain of the people had finally eased, some larger activities with the theme of comfort and encouragement finally began. Adriaan also made his move again.
The charity gala named "America: Salute to Heroes" did not have a fixed location. It was a marathon gala led by ABC, with the participation of the four major television networks and various cable TV stations. It was broadcast in Los Angeles, New York, and London in rotation. Celebrities from all over the world participated. Even if they could not be there in person, they still gave speeches in various ways.
The venue was decorated solemnly. There were candles all around, and the celebrities who appeared in front of the cameras wore solemn expressions. Other than giving some touching speeches, they recited poems full of hope. The atmosphere was solemn, but also a little dull. Fortunately, there was a singing session.
That night was destined to be the time for the singers to shine. Whether it was Madonna, Mariah Carey, or Jennifer Lopez, everyone was extremely devoted to singing the song of grief and hope. They tried their best to dress up as encouragement and comfort for the families who had been hurt by the disaster. The effect was indeed good. They won a lot of applause both at the venue and all over the United States. That was until Britney and Christina appeared.
"When I am down and, oh my soul, so sad …" When Christina sang the first line, a different vibe emerged.
It was a little sad, but it was more of encouragement and gratitude. It was very melodious. Coupled with Christina's extraordinary singing skills, it seemed to reach the hearts of the listeners.
"You raised me up, so I can stand on the mountains …" When Britney began to harmonize, her emotions suddenly became high. The gratitude and encouragement brought the whole song to another level.
It had only been less than 20 days. Most of the singers sang old songs with themes that were closer to the current atmosphere. They only changed some of the lyrics and rearranged the music. Although a few of them wrote new songs for 9/11, they were a little short on time and the quality wasn't very high. Therefore, when the song was released, it instantly attracted most of the attention. In addition, the two super popular idols were wearing light makeup. They were dressed in simple, pure white outfits, which was very suitable for the melody of the song. Originally, there were still low voices at the scene, but as the song reached its climax, everyone couldn't help but hold their breath and listen.
'You Raised Me Up' was the name of the song. The song was supposed to be released next year and it was very well received. Countless people covered it and it eventually became one of the 9/11 commemorative songs. Although there were many commemorative songs about 9/11, this was the most popular and the most successful. It wasn't released in the United States, but it was played countless times on demand. It was obvious how popular it was.
Without a doubt, this was Adriaan's doing. Since he wanted to make use of the incident, he made full use of it. Not only did he ask Norton and the others to change the lyrics, but he also rewrote the script to make the song more "choir-like". Now, he even arranged for Christina and Britney to sing together. In fact, if it wasn't for Christina's much better singing, he would have asked Britney to be the lead singer. But it was fine as well. News of him supporting Britney and causing several changes in MTV's senior management had spread throughout the music industry before 9/11. However, Christina didn't show much of a reaction, which satisfied Adriaan, so he allowed the arrangement to highlight her.
Back to the song. Unlike before, after Adriaan found Norton to write the song and the lyrics, he signed his name in the songwriter's column without hesitation, but it was behind Norton and the others. At the same time, he asked Norton to make preparations. After Christina and Britney sang at the memorial party, the song would be released as a single.
One could imagine what kind of wave it would cause if the song resonated with a wide range of people.
But that was not all he had prepared. Signing his name on the song was just a small step, and the most important thing was tonight...
"Even though it's been around ten days, my heart is still heavy. The horrifying and painful scenes keep flashing before my eyes." Standing in a circle of candlelight on the stage, Adriaan walked up to the stage to give his speech with a solemn expression no different from the others. "I don't want to say too much. No amount of words can express one ten-thousandth of the pain of a broken family. There's only one thing I can do."
Here, he made a long pause. "In view of some things that happened in the past few days, I will personally donate 100 million US dollars to establish a brand-new foundation! This foundation will be used entirely to help the families and all the heroes who died in this disaster. At the same time, I will invite the Congress to participate. Every expenditure will be recorded and made public to make this foundation more transparent! "
Hearing this, everyone was shocked. After the disaster, the American people who felt the same were generous. So far, the donations received by various charity funds and the Red Cross Association, together with the donations of various celebrities who participated tonight, had raised almost 400 million US dollars in ten days. Who knew that Adriaan would directly donate almost a quarter of the money in one go. This would probably be the largest individual donation ever. It was … really generous!
At this moment, Adriaan was still making his impassioned final statement. "We were not beaten, we still stand on this land in pain! There are the most tenacious, the noblest, and the greatest people here. We will definitely rebuild our home! God bless us, God bless the United States! "
These were words that could make people's blood boil, especially with his excited expression. Even the calmest person could not help but feel emotional. Coupled with the 100 million donation, the warm applause was not only from the audience, but also from the people watching the show on the free big screen in the outdoor square.
"We need such a patriot!" The next day's newspaper published such a headline.
Yes, a patriot. A person who could immediately contact celebrities to condemn the terrorist attack, who could take the lead in organizing activities such as "America: Salute to Heroes" to mourn the victims and appease the people, and who could donate 100 million US dollars to set up a charity foundation for the families of the victims of this incident. It was not an exaggeration to call him a patriot.
This was the effect that Adriaan wanted. Although he was very low-key most of the time, he was absolutely not careless when it was time to be high-profile, such as fully displaying himself in this incident. In any case, he still had one foot in the front stage. Unless he completely stopped caring about the film production, he had to show himself. Moreover, he had never thought of withdrawing this foot. His goal was the whole of Hollywood.
No matter what he wanted to do, no matter what problems he had, such as having four or five children, it was definitely a good thing to use this opportunity to put on a layer of a patriot's coat.
100 million US dollars was nothing. He used this opportunity to short the US stock market and made a net profit of 1 billion. If he was not worried about the FBI, he could even make a few more billion like he did during the IT bubble last time. 1 billion was just the right amount. There were many people who made more money than him in the stock market, and they would naturally attract the attention of the FBI. It was not inappropriate to use 10% of it to set up a charity party.
In addition, the American Red Cross Society was also in a mess. Just the day before the show "America: Salute to Heroes", the Red Cross Society was exposed to a scandal. Not all the money raised was used for the victims' families, and some of it was used for other purposes. According to the person in charge of the Red Cross Society, this part of the money was used to deal with possible future terrorist incidents. Of course, although the American people were not smart, they were not stupid to this extent.
That was why Adriaan announced at the party that for some reason, he would set up a new charity foundation. There was no doubt that he had deliberately made this leak. From the beginning, he had people watching the Red Cross Society's accounts. No matter which country, the Red Cross Society was not clean. The only difference was whether their hands were clean or not. Without Adriaan, they would have been exposed sooner or later if they dared to tamper with the charity funds that shocked the United States.
In this way, as long as they found a way to step on the Red Cross Society to expand the influence of this foundation, Adriaan's reputation would be even better. Of course, almost 99% of the people would not know that the money came from shorting the stock market, and that it came from them. This was normal. When Buffy was doing charity, he would never mention the people who listened to him and were cheated. This kind of method was very common in the United States.
As for the other purpose of the foundation, tax avoidance, there was no need to worry. There were other ways to do it. As long as they focused on being transparent and fair, the coat of patriot would be more firmly worn.
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