While the United States pays tribute and mourns the September 11 terrorist attacks on its homeland, it must be remembered that there are people in this world who are even now actively plotting acts more deadly and terrible than anything before. They want to see America brought to its knees and are doing everything they can to see this happen.

The not-so coincidence of Khatami’s speaking tour on this symbolic day as well as video releases by Al Qaeda are things that are to be expected. However, something that is not being widely reported on is the opening of the weeklong Non-Aligned Movement summit in Havana, Cuba, starting today, September 11. Such luminaries as Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Presidents Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Bashar al-Assad are attending, whipping the crowd into an anti-American frenzy.

Accordingly, they will denounce U.S. imperial aggression and cheer member countries to work toward a world devoid of its influence. Posters showing President Bush with vampire teeth running with blood are all the rave in Havana this week.

HAVANA (Reuters) – The Non-Aligned Movement of developing nations began a summit in Cuba on Monday with speeches that made no reference to the fifth anniversary of the September 11 attacks in a sign of animosity to the United States.

Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque called on the movement’s 116 members to close ranks in the face of the threat of military strikes by the world’s most powerful nations.

The six-day summit, labelled by critics as a left-over of the Cold War with little diplomatic relevance, is expected to denounce the Bush administration for assuming the role of global policeman in its war on terrorism since the 9/11 attacks on the United States.

Visiting leaders are greeted in Havana with billboard posters opposite the U.S. diplomatic mission that show a President George W. Bush, called a terrorist by Cuban leader Fidel Castro, with vampire-like fangs dripping with blood.

In his opening statement, Perez Roque condemned the brutal aggression” against Lebanon and the “daily genocide” committed against Palestines.

He also criticised mounting pressure by the United States and its allies on Iran to abandon its nuclear energy program.

“Other Non-Aligned countries are threatened with preventive wars and aggressions. That is why it is indispensable that we close ranks in defence of our rights,” he said.

This is just par for the course in Cuba, however. In April, 2005, when the Community of Democracies was meeting in Santiago, Chile, Castro and Chavez held their own parallel summit in Havana aimed at blocking attempts at democratization and free trade in Latin America. Now they’re expanding their reach. Chavez’s famed embraces with dictators all over the world has pulled them into Cuba where they are making one of the most upfront declarations of intentions I have ever heard.

If the United States and the West in general doesn’t understand the threat posed by this renegade bunch, it may be too late. While we remember September 11, we must also remember that there are people less than 100 miles off our southernmost coast who are aching to see this country destroyed.