Slashdot Mirror
One Year After September 11
One year ago today, at 9:12 eastern, we posted
World Trade Towers and Pentagon Attacked amidst the events of that day. Since Slashdot is really just a discussion site, I felt the most appropriate way to handle this anniversary is to simply do just that. I hadn't read those stories since the day it happened, and I really am at a loss for words. But I'm sure many of you won't be. And thanks to OSDN for turning banner ads off for the day.
Umm... have you read the comments about OSDN turning off banner adds, there's very little thanks to be had, the first posts neer the bottom of the page make for the best read.
thank God the internet isn't a human right.
Anyone else feel that it is wrong for the media to cover this story so in depth, and ultimately make money on those that died and their families. I have decided not to watch any coverage. I remember very well what happened. Is any station doing coverage without any comercials? Or at least, is there one that is donating the amount they're making above what they usually do?
Some thoughts on this day of "rememberance" ca be found here and here. Another interesting thing is that all the major networks have decided to not show advertisements out of "respect". The truth is that they can't sell the time so they put a nice spin on it.
This is a question I hear around the office all day long. How does the american public at large, or in this case, the slashdot community, feel about the response America has had to the attack on september 11th?
I personally feel we are continuing to provoke such things through our economic agenda, and that what bush's policy has been shortsighted and really retro-active. Others feel that the world climate is changing for the worst, and we simply need to start protecting ourselves more. What do you think?
Why stick up for big business?
Remembering 9/11 and what happened is important, and will continue to be important. However, the media in general seems to be back to it's same old self. Tons of 'tribute' and 'what happened' shows that won't do any justice to the events. Pick your own way to respect those past.
September 11th, 2001:
I was consulting at a company in Rockville, a few miles outside the district. I heard the first plane had hit while I was listening to WGMS, DC's classical station; figured it for a Cessna or something. After I hit my desk I knew something was wrong when I couldn't hit a major news site for confirmation of the story.
We switched the news on; we had a big TV with DirecTV on it in the company kitchen. I had stepped away to try and get word to friends about what had happened, using instant messenging apps, when the second plane hit.
The people in our kitchen reached the instantaneous conclusion that this was not accidental. We watched as the towers burned, saw them fall, heard about the Pentagon being hit. My company employed 65 people there; were they okay?
Workers left to take their children home. I left around 1pm, with F16s and helicopters covering the sky of the DC metro area.
I called my family. They were trying to reach me but couldn't get through due to circuits being jammed. They were terrified that I was there; too many rumors, too little verification that day for us all.
September 11th, 2002:
Last November, my company deployed me to the Pentagon. It started out as one of those "for a week" things, but I wound up involved in a COOP project - Continuity of Operations - directly related to making sure a second 9/11 cannot cripple our nation's defense infrastructure. I'm sitting at my desk, thinking of how much the last year has affected my life (too much work, constant stress, a divorce..) and knowing that the majority of the things that have happened to me of late can be directly traced back to 9/11; were it not for that attack, I would not be where I am now.
I do not know if things are for the better. All I know is that I have been called on to use my meager technical skills to help my country when it was sorely needed. I'm doing my part to make sure we make it through.
Would that we all could do the same.
After seeing that it would be a nice, pretty day, I left the TV on. I was watching when they broke into the Today Show to report a fire at the WTC. I stayed glued to the TV as they showed the second airplane crashing into the other tower, and the fires raging, and people jumping out of windows, and the towers collapsing, and the resulting images are forever graven into my mind.
Early on, I dialed up with my laptop. I wasn't one of the folks besieging Slashdot, but I did stay on IRC for hours, talking about what I saw. That turned out to be my only reliable communications channel. My cellphone was completely useless. I got more than a few phone calls from anxious relatives that I couldn't return because the lines were jammed. I finally asked a friend to call my parents in Houston and let them know I was fine and several miles away.
This past July 4 weekend, a friend and I visited Mount Rushmore. At the end of the day, we went to one of the Western dinner theater places out there. Most of the way through the show, they sang a song, "Where Were You When the World Changed?", about that day. I wound up having to leave in tears, as it brought back memories of that day, and how I couldn't get in touch with anyone except over the net. I don't know who wrote it (I asked, but have since forgotten the name - it was some country star), but he did a great job of capturing the feeling for the rest of us.
Disinfect the GNU General Public Virus!
Don't worry, eventually there will be another even more evil event that will bump 9/11 down the list. People suck; count on it.
Despite this site slowing to a crawl itself, thanks for posting the news early and allowing those not near a television to follow the tragic events.
---
interested in inventions?
It's an image ploy. It's kinda like offering "Shindler's List" without commercials a couple of years ago. Everyone thinks they're a nice network...so they're more likely to watch in the future. It sounds silly, but it is a common ploy in the media.
Our newspaper published today without any ads. A friend at the paper told me that its a nice thought, to the public...but to advertise for the next month, it's going to be much more expensive to "cover the costs of today's paper". In actuality...the paper makes out in the long run. I wouldn't put it past the TV networks to do something similar.
United We Stand...
Today more than ever should be a day where we realize that united we stand, divided we fall.
Not as a nation, not as a religious group, not as a terrorist organization.
Today we need to stand together as human beings.
We all live on this planet together and if we can learn to live together in peace, man to man, woman to woman, country to country, religion to religion, then there is nothing that we can't achieve.
We are one house and a house divided cannot stand.
42 - So long and thanks for all the fish.
You forget that the only sure "proof" of Saddam building/having weapons of mass destruction is USING those weapons. With Iraq's track record, they are not trustworthy.
I would rather get rid of him now than wait 5 years when a missile is in the air and we all say, "damn, I guess he really did have a nuke."
Moon Macrosystems. Sun's biggest competitor.
I happened to be in one of the towers on 9/11. I'm sick of hearing it; I think anyone in the towers at the time are sick of hearing about this. We'd like to move on, I'm watching CNN now and I'm just disgusted, this whole thing disgusts me. Nothing but leeches, money grubbers and people trying to take away my rights dwell on 9.11
I don't want a moment of silence; I'd like silence on the subject for a while; completely.
I felt like a zombie for the next few days. All of Slashdot's team worked together to update stories and struggle against traffic that spiked to 3 times our usual peaks. Spare boxes were stolen for the cause and brought online. Meanwhile we did our best to make sense of what was happening along with everyone else.
I'm still very proud of how we handled our tiny share of that day and the aftermath. I know that what we did helped some. And I seriously feel honored that I was able to help.
I've actually been on edge all week knowing that this story was going to be posted on Slashdot. It forced me to reread much of our original coverage. It forced me to relive those frantic first minutes, and the hours, days, and weeks that followed it.
I hope this story manages to help some others too. It has already helped me.
Pants are still optional, but recommended for you.
I purchased a red/white/blue ribbon from a fireman at a stoplight just a few days after the attack, and it is still on my car antenna, albeit a bit dirtier now. I don't need to wear red white and blue to work today, even though it was "suggested". I don't need some kind of mandated or suggested sign of solidarity.
I was really surprised at how soon Americans went back to their daily lives. Saddened, really. It wasn't long before I heard my first Bin Laden joke, or was emailed pictures of him with a building going up his butt, or saw a Tshirt with a target on his face. I was amazed, but not really surprised, at how quickly good ol' Americans returned to their stupid, over the top, to the EXTREME! ways. It was nice to see a flag on everyone's car. It was sad to see some cars with 30 flags on them. It was nice to see sentiments of freedom, sad to see such bravado and machismo. I kid you not, someone near where I work painted their house red, white, and blue, with big hand painted letters phrase "Justice will prevail".
Sometimes I am very proud to be an American, but sadly sometimes I am a little embarassed. Today, I am going to be proud. Proud of the fact that we do enjoy freedoms in this country. That we try to offer it to everyone. Even if it means that you can act like an ass sometimes. That we have clean water to drink, and plenty of food to eat. That I have a beautiful wife of 3 months. Sad that corporations are so greedy and controlling, and that money is such a driving force. Sad that so many people lost their lives because of ignorance and fear. Hope - that we can all get beyond what happened a year ago, and what atrocities happen every single day on this planet. If there is a God, may she bless us all.
My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.
My photos are here
also Here is New York has many good photos as well.
It's weird, I don't consider myself squeamish and I used to eat lunch while me and an old boss were checking out the latest additions to Rotten.com's gallery. But I swear to god everytime I see the footage of the planes hitting the towers I get this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. I've never had that happen before where some image has an adverse reaction on me and I cant even begin to explain it.
And I said it last year and I'll say it again this year... I'm still really pissed off about those palistineans dancing in the streets with joy while downtown Manhattan was busy getting covered in 2 inches of soot.
BOSTON SUCKS!
before they nuke us. Saddam own mistress believes they are working on nuclear weapons. What would have happened if we had just let Hitler sit back and develop an arsenal of mass destruction?
Capitalism: unequal distribution of wealth
Socialism: equal distribution of poverty
Sunday, I was watching the history channel and saw a special on 9/11 One year later. It gave details to how all the events played out. Things that happened months later, And while I truly appreciate them only showing the buildings on fire once, It still brought chills over my body, and almost tears to my eyes, as SO many people became only memories on that day. I remember sitting in my office (computer helpdesk for law firm) and having one of our attorney's from the NY office on the phone with me and she said "did you hear, a plane just hit one of the trade towers". At that point, I didn't honestly believe it. I was in more of a bit of shock then anything else. So as the true geek in me, I message my boss and apparently inform him of it for the first time as well, at the same time open up a web browser to the NYtimes and there it was a picture of the burning building. It still didn't look real as if it was something in a movie. This was about ten minutes after the first plane hit. Our team (helpdesk) was not sure what to do/think- Accident, terrorism/ real/fake ( although we all knew it was real, just hard to believe) shortly after the second plane hit, we were all watching TV at this time ( computer connections to the websites were well Slow) we all saw the second plane, and (hard to type) [ devastation ]. We then shortly heard there after about the Pentigon and it was really hitting close to home as the office is about 3 to 4 miles from it. There was an office staff meeting, and it was still not apparent as to just HOW serious this was. There was a Muslim guy in there, and jokingly said "I promise, I have nothing to do with it" America under attack. Finally the towers collapsed, and I have seen that video so many times, I honestly wish to NEVER see it again, it is awful to believe and imagine that SO Many good people died on that day. My thoughts and prayers out to the not just the victims, or their families and friends, but to the entire world, because on that day as the entire world was affected, Not just the USA. What was the point of this post, It started because of the drive with your lights on, on 9/11 thread. Maybe I just want to remember all those that lost their lives on that day, and to those that lost loved ones on that day. No comments or words will ever bring that loved one back, but you can always cherish their memories and remember the good times with them.
www.oobersworld.com - For those that ride.
Have you posted your story on wherewereyou.org?
I discovered the site about a month and a half ago, and the posts are mostly interesting glimpses of other people's lives as feces met fan blades on America's Bad Day. I revisit the site every few days to read the newest posts, and found that posting my own account of where I was and what I did and felt, was oddly therapeutic.
~Philly
My eyes are watering as I type this - it's coming back a little too clearly. I'll never forget that day, though, when I learned exactly how big our community is, and how close it can be.
God bless all of you today. Hug someone today and tell them that you love them. Be with family. Live to post another day.
Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
I won't ask that you put aside your political differences in this time of national mourning. I'm not.
I won't ask that you give up your rights quietly because 9/11 shows that those rights will be our downfall if we continue to have them. I won't and I don't buy that.
I won't ask that you give up fighting because 9/11 shows that nothing can be solved by war, and that only peace will succeed in making the world a safer place. Far better and more righteous people than I have tried to end war and have failed miserably.
I won't ask you to rise up against the US government for its brutality and evil around the world that caused us to be attacked. Every other nation is just as evil, and has just as horrifying skeletons in their closet. America is just happening now. No amount of wrong done excuses what the hijackers, and those who helped plan and fund the hijacking did.
I won't ask you to condemn or absolve Muslims as a group for the actions and beliefs of some that called themselves Muslim.
I won't try to convince you that the lives of those murdered were in any way more or less important than the lives of Israelis killed in suicide bombings, the lives of Palestinians killed by Israeli solders and civillians, the lives of Vietnamese women and children murdered by American soldiers at the Mi Lai Massacre, those that died when nuclear weapons were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, those that died at the Battle of Pearl Harbor, or any other life lost. They aren't. A life is a life, whomever's it is.
All I ask is that you remember the dead. In the end, that's the best any of us can hope for after we die in this world. No amount of war or peace will bring them back to life. Whatever existence is or isn't waiting after life ends, memory is all that is left of the person in this world. Remember the dead, and be glad you are alive, because it could have been you on those planes, in the World Trade Towers, or the Pentagon. Remember the families and friends and their loss, because it could have been your friend, or brother, or sister, or mother, or father who died that day. Remember their loss and throw a party, and hang out, get drunk, play touch football, talk until the wee hours, play video games, watch movies, argue, or whatever you enjoy doing with them, because most of us will die before we're tired of this life.
In the end, what you do and what you believe doesn't matter to me, and I expect you feel the same about me. Just remember for those people, that went out of this life in a way few of us would choose to, and don't forget that we're all lucky to be alive.
That's it, I guess...
Right. Because those countries didn't do anything do deserve it?
The same US that left the Kyoto accord cause it was BS, and didn't pressure anyone to follow suit?
You think that when someone is starving, they can tell the difference between geneticaly modified food and food that's not? You think that the starving children who go to bed with a full stomach wake up in a sweat because the food they ate was geneticaly modified?
Time for you to wake up, you coward.
"Thoughts are more powerful than any weapon, and I don't even let my people own guns." --Joseph Stalin
There is a huge difference between the death toll at the WTC and the death toll in India during the big earthquake. The earthquake was a natural act. This doesn't make it a good thing by any measure, but you cannot hold a person or group responsible for the death toll. The WTC attack, while having a much lower death toll (but still a staggering figure) was a cold and calculated attack against innocent victims. This was a senseless act of mass murder, and individual people can be held totally accountable for the death toll. Natural disasters are tragedies, too. But they are part of nature's cycle. The WTC attacks were anything but natural. Try to keep things in proper perspective.
I remember that morning.. was on my wat to work in Westchester NY and was on 9A which parallells the Hudson for a bit... I dont remember the order of things, but I know I saw a plane swoop down kinda low,.. wobble back and forth a few times, and then go off at an odd angle... a plane never caught my attention like that as I was driving before, and since they did follow the Hudson as a guide, I just kinda have a feeling that it was one of them.. Was listening to Howard Stern that morning too... and when he broke in with the story, I remember the whole road came to a stop. I got to work and pictures and video were already flying through the network.. couldnt get a phone line for anything.. military jets and helecoptors just screamed over the area... days like that arent easy to forget, and they shouldnt be forgotten anyway.
Today at our school is read-white-blue day. Well, I'm wearing my libertarian T-Shirt of the bill of rights (Void where prohibited by law).
My classes are starting to read the Crucible (by Arthur Miller.) Many see it as an over-hyped play about the salem witch trials. However, it is a chronicle of how our country (always) seems to over-react to things that may be contrary: Witches, Africans, Commies, Aids Victims/Gays, Terorists, [insert other items here].
The discussions so far today (I'm having my prep period now -- Probably I'll get reprimanded by the administration for using the computer for personal use. Side note: The district has gone Big Brother with computers and cameras (we are a small district in a town of 1500 people), and yes, big brother is here watching.) As I was saying...
The discussions today have been remarkable. Students don't seem (at least by their comments - We're talking Juniors in high school here.) to want to live in a society that the government seems to be pushing us.
Take Miller's Comment in the text of his play: And throw in this AP story Anyway, I'm a bastard for talking bad about america at this moment. Hopefully, I'll still have a job tomorrow.
al
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"First things first -- but not necessarily in that order"
-- The Doctor, "Doctor
Both.
When I was a small child, I was taught to not approach the cute little bear cubs that would sometimes wander close to my parent's vacation home in the spring time. Yes, it was our property, and yes, bears can be destructive, but the cub was doing what cubs do, which, in and of itself, was not harming anything. Mama bear, of course, was expected to be close behind.
So it is when dealing with the affairs of others. OBL attacked the U.S. ostensibly because of American presence in Saudi Arabia, which he repeatedly denounced.
Executive Summary: When your government, put in place either through your winning electoral choice, or your acceptance of a democratic process pisses someone off, you increase your risk of dying.
Right or wrong, heinous or noble, justified or not -- such words vulnerable to the winds of propaganda matter didly squat to your corpse rotting at the bottom of a pile of rubble.
So, you must chose carefully, those acts in which you, or your representatives engage, for you will be faced with the burden of defending against their consequences. This does not mean that one should cower and hide in the face of those who disagree with what you believe are your rights, but it does mean you should pick wisely when chosing what's worth risking death at the hands of those you enrage.
Somehow, I have a hard time believing any sane American who values his or her freedoms would accept that U.S. interests in Saudi Arabia were worth the loss of some 3000 lives or the liberty-suspending measures purported to to be able to prevent such a loss in the future.
Sometimes, it IS better to let the bully have his corner of the sandbox -- if you're willing to fight him lest he cross some arbitrary line in the dirt, let him pick the line and see if it is all that unreasonable. Then you can defend both your turf and the moral high ground.
P.S. You know, as an aside, I chuckle about the semantic hack OBL pulled: the U.S. can't declare "war" war against an individual, only a nation, and so can't legally muster the "war-mode" enabling powers it otherwise could. Yet it clearly faces a situation that any sane person would clearly interpret as an "act of war". Heh, doublespeak bites the usual government mouthpiece on the ass. I'll leave it to the gentle reader to decide whether that's adding insult to injury or poetic justice, dripping in bloody irony.
You could've hired me.
Who do you think is the largest exporter of oil to the United States?
Its not who you think it is.
most people would say Saudi, Iran or Kuwait.
WRONG.
The largest exporter of oil to the United States is Mexico. Followed by Columbia and Venezuala. Ever heard of the FTAA? Wonder why the Americans seem to want it more than anyone else?
Oh and lets look down the list to.. NUMBER SIX- IRAQ. Isnt that funny? And who is doing the importing of oil from Iraq? a little company called Haliburtant, chaired by our honourable friend Dick Chaney.
Is anyone else finding this odd?
look it up. http://www.google.com
and while you're at it, look up the Carlyle Group.
EDUCATE YOURSELF. Sometimes what you dont know is staring at you right in the face, you've just been traind not to look.
I leave you with this:
We all know why the US went to war with Iraq. They've told us quite often, because Iraq invaded Kuwait.
But why did Iraq invade Kuwait?
look it up. It might surprise you.
-- "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains." Jean Jacques Rousseau
>> That Iraq is able to scoff at international law, kicking out the U.N inspectors and rebuilding their weapons of mass destruction [yahoo.com] while the rest of the world(except the U.S.) turns a blind eye.
Countries with nuclear weapons (confirmed):
USA
Russia
UK
France
India
Pakistan
Countries with nuclear weapons (suspected):
South Africa Indonesia
Israel
Countries with chemical warfare capability:
Countries with biological warfare capability:
USA (confirmed development of Anthrax)
UK (has tested)
Probably others.
Countries the US need a pretext to attack:
Iraq
Please don't fall for the current propaganda about Iraq. Try putting yourself in their shoes - wouldn't you seek a means of defending yourself against aggressive bullies?
Face it, the US want to attack Iraq, and they'll pick any excuse they can.
Incidentally,
>> That so much hatred could be directed toward what is undoubtedly the worlds freest country.
I hadn't realised people were directing so much hatred at Canada and Sweden.
If you think America is free, please explain wtf is happening in Guantanamo Bay (sp?), why the people of Afghanistan have had to suffer an American invasion, why the people of Iraq are building air raid shelters, why most black people in America live in poverty.
I'll hush now.
~Cederic
Last year on this day, as normal, we were conversing on IRC on our company IRC server and had recorded the channel. Today, as our way of remembering the event, we have replayed the IRC logs from last year in real time. It has been very moving.
http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/2002/09/05_S tepford.html
September 5, 2002
Stepford Citizen Syndrome: Top 10 Signs Your Neighbor is Brainwashed
by Maureen Farrell
Though much of the world is convinced the 2000 election was a coup d'etat, and many believe we're being lied to regarding 9/11, we Americans are unaware of how numb we seem. Not only are we being coerced into World War III, but at this very moment, unnamed souls are secretly locked away, the Army's drafted plans for civilian detention camps and there's a shadow government buzzing beneath our streets. And yet, we continue to ignore the oily elephant in the living room.
The administration's Iraq war dance is likewise baffling, particularly when Dick Cheney says Saddam can't be trusted -- even though, not too long ago, he was trusted to the tune of $73 million during Halliburton/Iraq transactions. Moreover, newly discovered memos reveal that Cheney was also involved in a 1975 cover-up involving the CIA's mind-control experiment, MK-ULTRA. Back then, the government paid $750,000 restitution to Army biochemist Dr. Frank Olson's family, after admitting the CIA slipped Dr. Olson LSD days before his 1953 fall from a New York City building. When the Ford administration finally came clean, they promised they'd revealed everything. Yet according to an article in the "Mercury News," (Scientist's death haunts family, August 8, 2002) key officials, including White House aides Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld pushed to continue to conceal information.
But not only has the government tried to control people's minds, they've copped to controlling the media, too. Operation Mockingbird, the CIA's plan to infiltrate America's newsrooms, was such a success that former CIA director William Colby boasted, "the Central Intelligence Agency owns everyone of any major significance in the major media." Carl Bernstein substantiated this, revealing that hundreds of journalists and news organizations were involved in this subversion. And though officials have admitted to planting fabrications in the past, it seems they're still at it. Remember the story about the terrorist's passport surviving the fiery crash into the World Trade Center? What could that be but government-issued pabulum? And what else but full-scale public brainwashing accounts for the rash of Stepford Citizen Syndrome spreading throughout the country?
Which brings us to the case in point. Researchers have identified the following symptoms. If you overhear anyone making the following statements, assume they've been brainwashed and intervene immediately:
1) "George Bush is a decent man."
Abraham Lincoln once said, "[I]f you want to test a man's character, give him power." If he steals power, however, the nature of his character is no longer in question. This week's out of court settlement with the NAACP over Florida's foray into election fraud confirms BBC's Greg Palast's report that the election was rigged. Yet pundits ignore this travesty, while referring to Dubya's decency in much the same way our ancestors spoke of Earth's flatness. Overlooking our thrice-arrested president's blatant disregard for civil rights, human rights and the environment, they continue to downplay scandals and downgrade their role as protectors of the public trust. But with oft-repeated quips like, "lucky me, I hit the trifecta" and "if this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier," G.W. offers a glimpse at his indecent inner frat boy. Especially revealing was a Talk Magazine interview, in which he mimicked death row inmate Karla Faye Tucker. "Please," Bush whimpered, mocking Tucker's plea for clemency, "don't kill me." Gallows humor is only funny when those telling jokes don't have the power to save people from the gallows.
2) "I have faith in our system of checks and balances."
Certainly, the uproar over Operation TIPs and recent court decisions on FBI abuses and secret deportation hearings are healthy signs. Except, of course, that controversial findings against Ashcroft's Justice Department will most likely be appealed before the same felonious five who handed down the 2000 selection. Chief Justice Rehnquist has already warned that, "in times of war, the laws are silent." Then, too, though the Constitution grants Congress the sole right to declare war, since 1948, America has been involved in approximately 250 military incursions without one single declaration of war. The Bush regime has already said they don't need Congress' approval on Iraq. So much for checks and balances.
3) "We have to defend ourselves, and the war on terrorism is the only way to do that."
Anyone who believes this war is simply a drive to eradicate terrorism must be brainwashed. The U.S. has been building military bases along proposed oil pipeline routes, and has its eye on the oil and gas reserves in the Caspian Sea region. All anyone need do is read Zbigniew Brzezinski's "The Grand Chessboard" or brush up on the Wolfowitz Doctrine to understand the not-so-hidden agenda behind U.S foreign policy. In a recent appearance on Crossfire, Insight Magazine's Jamie Dettmer deftly addressed America's aim to control the oil fields in Iraq. "Nobody has suggested the United States is going into Iraq to control the oil," Tucker Carlson asserted, leaving some to wonder if Tucker's bow tie isn't too tight. "Let's not be unsophisticated about this," Dettmer replied, warning that, "in the end, if America doesn't restrain itself, [it's] going to provoke groupings of countries which will restrain America instead."
4) "Since September 11, George Bush has shown strong leaderships skills."
Since September 11, George Bush has led us away from progressive policies and alienated us from the rest of the world. British papers describe the biggest rift between Europe and the U.S. in more than 50 years, 85 percent of Germans no longer trust America, and veteran reporter Helen Thomas bemoans how, "friends and allies wonder what's happened to the United States." Our $7 trillion surplus has followed the president's example and gone AWOL, while unemployment, crime and intellectual numbness are on the rise. Under Bush's "leadership," the U.S. Has become the kid who picks his nose in class. Those of us who love America are embarrassed; others are repulsed.
5) "Europeans don't agree with us because they're effete appeasers."
Europeans don't agree with us because we're wrong. They understand the geopolitical motivations behind this war, as their press isn't as censored. In America, however, stories about Enron's involvement in the proposed oil and gas pipeline though Afghanistan were squashed, and if you wanted to know about the Taliban's trip to Texas, you had to learn about it in the National Enquirer rather than on Meet the Press.
6) "George Bush's administration is filled with solid, foreign policy pros."
Aside from Colin Powell, George Bush's cabinet is swarming with neo-conservative ideologues who'd be clamoring for an attack on Iraq even if the atrocities of 9/11 hadn't occurred. Despite the chorus of countries opposed, Dick Cheney unilaterally forges ahead, while Donald Rumsfeld says he's certain America will receive backing from the international community. Meanwhile, the international community scratches its head and wonders what's become of our once great nation.
7) "George Bush is doing an excellent job in the war on terror."
Given limited media coverage, how would anyone know? Unless one digs through foreign press and alternative media reports, there's little to go by. When one reads reports from journalists like Seymour Hersh, however, a different picture emerges. Stability in Afghanistan is but a myth, warlords carry out atrocities without intervention, and the State Department is forced to guard President Karzai. Meanwhile, many warn that Bush's plans for Iraq could lead to Armageddon. Yet "Bush is doing an excellent job in the war on terror?" How?
8) "People who say the Bush administration 'let 9/11 happen' are conspiracy nuts."
Forget the president's odd behavior on September 11. Ignore that jets weren't scrambled from Andrews Airforce base, or that the FBI reportedly thwarted investigations. Pretend there are no connections between the Bushes, bin Ladens and the Saudis or that Bush #41 doesn't profit from this war through his connections with the Carlyle Group. Imagine, for a moment, it doesn't matter that those heading the closed-door investigation into 9/11 met twice with the former Pakistan intelligence chief, who reportedly helped finance Mohammed Atta. And never mind that, despite warnings, only 14 planes were defending our mainland on September 11. These oddities could be explained through coincidence and incompetence rather than complicity.
That said, remember this: After World War II, the CIA recruited Nazi scientists to share information later used in the aforementioned MK-Ultra program. In the '60s, the Pentagon drafted plans to kill American citizens and blame it on Castro as a pretext for war with Cuba. And Army-based concentration camps aren't merely a gleam in Ashcroft's eye. The brainwashed are conditioned to hear "conspiracy" and shut down, however, immediately deducing information isn't true and the messenger is daft. But even Bill Clinton reportedly asked Webster Hubbell to find answers to two questions: "One, who killed JFK? And, two, are there UFOs? " He never found out. And odds are we won't either. Even so, it's not crazy to demand an independent investigation into 9/11. Nor is it nuts to wonder why the administration is doing everything in its power to make certain we never uncover what went wrong.
9) "The media is liberal."
Ann Coulter complains about the liberal media through the "liberal media," where she's regularly given a forum, yet Michael Moore has appeared on less than a handful of shows, though his book's been a bestseller for six months. During the election, the corporately-controlled media portrayed Al Gore in a negative light, while touting Bush's phony ranch-hand charm, and according to a report in F.A.I.R (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting), 75% of the dominant sources of opinion on all three major networks are Republican. Yet the brainwashed continue to believe the media has a liberal bias. Go figure.
10) "Saddam has weapons of mass destruction!"
This phrase has replaced, "Saddam gassed his own people!" as the #1 mantra of war-mongering dittoheads. But despite former weapons' inspector Scott Ritter's assertion that there's no proof Hussein has amassed weapons of mass destruction, Dick Cheney says there's "no doubt" he's got them and plans to use them. During the Cuban missile crisis, John F. Kennedy relayed photographic evidence proving the Soviet Union was up to no good. Where's the proof now? Why hasn't the administration won over our allies? Why do so many doubt there is "no doubt?"
Latest polls indicate that nearly half of all Americans believe the First Amendment "goes too far," proving that Stepford Citizen Syndrome is now a national crisis. We have an obligation to rouse our loved ones out of their stupor. If we don't, the thugs who've stolen America will steam-roll right over us. And if you can't see that, chances are, you're brainwashed.
Just because you can mod me down, doesn't mean you're right. Shoes for industry!
Does anyone know why the terrorists chose September 11? I haven't seen it discussed anywhere. I really don't think it is to do with the emergency phone number. I also don't think it had to be that day for logistical reasons. The date is likely to have religious significance. I have my own theory, Read verses "9-11" revelations chapter 14. http://www.awitness.org/biblehtm/re/re14.htm I'll summarise it. "Any who worship the beast will be tormented by fire...and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever" Now read this http://www.lis.net.au/~dbird/ifanyworshipbeast.htm
Note that the website was created before 09/11/2001, it explains that "the land of the beast" can be interpreted as the USA.
I just find this all too much of a coincidence. No other group of verses in the revelations fit as perfectly as 9-11.
btw I am not religious at all I just decided to do some research into the significance of the date and came up with the above.
---Japan had a long history of agressive & atrocious behavior---
If by "long" you mean more than simply that regime during WWII, then that statement seems wrong. Japan was on the side of the Allies in WWI. In fact, nationalism only exploded in Japan after the WWI Treaty in which Japanese moderates we dealt a telling blow by people like President Wilson, who not only refused to honor their contributions, but rejected Japans' proposed treaty language condemning racism and wars of racial superiority (boy, was THAT shortsighted of us!).
The Japanese moderates tons of face over this, the hardliner racist facists took over, and Japan basically decided that if the West would never accept them as equal partners, and there could be no truce against racial rivalry, then the West wasn't going to be allowed to belittle it anymore, or treat it as trivial.
---It's a good point to note: tit for tat leads to ongoing conflict, while massive retaliation generally gets the message across more succinctly and saves lives in the long run.---
So why wasn't Iraq's gassing of the Kurds, most of whom were rebelling at the time, just good policy? It sent a message (just as we sent a message in Japan) that stopped the fighting in its tracks and certainly saved a lot of lives. Do you at least appreciate how easily this principle could be abused? Do you at least see that, however warped, this was EXACTLY the stated rationale of Osama: that if they caused enough damage in one blow, that we'd reconsider and get out of the Middle East, thus saving them the trouble of having to start a war there?
Am I the only one who's completely tired of the 'news' coverage of this event? I mean, for over a year now I've had people telling me I need to 'remember' and 'pay tribute' to our 'fallen heroes.' Almost invariably, the best way to do so is by buying some memento which they're conventiently selling for the low price of $19.99.
I think I'll spend the day commemorating with one of the over 150 books written about 9/11. Which one should I choose? Maybe 'Let's Roll' or 'Above Hallowed Ground.' Or there's the ones featuring children's art, or the impact of terrorist attacks on the gay community. At last check there are some 911 books on amazon.com dealing with the subject.
When I tire of reading a book I can browse some of the thousands of pictures taken that day, or perhaps just kick back with the 'special edition' of any given newspaper filled with pages of 'stories' which are little more than people complaining and wondering what rationale there is for such an attack. Or I could watch the six-hour special today show, or check out Barbara Walters as she sits in on grief conseling sessions with the families. If that's not enough I can check out the Spike Lee special with films 'inspired' by the events of 9/11. As if the normally anti-establishment Spike Lee getting in on the action isn't enough, even ESPN is trying their hand at news and covering 9/11 with a documentary about flight 93.
In short, I'm sick of the sensationalist propoganda surrounding what was certainly one of the nation's worst tragedies in history. I'm tired of people hawking 9/11 commemorative pins as if a pin will make a difference. I don't need an FDNY t-shirt, thank you. I refuse to take part in a 'moment of silence' or wear red white and blue to work. I refuse to purchase any publication with any sort of special edition or expanded coverage. I will not watch people crying on TV over their lost loved ones. I won't look at pictures of the orphaned babies who are somehow more worthy of our attention than the thousands of others orphaned in the year since 9/11. I will not let terrorism change my life as it has apparently changed everyone else's for the past year. I won't give in to the pressures of a society which is apparently hated by a good portion of the world.
We allow our capitalism to destroy the message of what really happened and why, and then the next time we'll wonder why anyone could despise us so greatly. Ratings, Money, Stock prices, these are our Gods. The tragedy of what happened is only a means through which we come closer to them. What kind of people would take part in an attack on innocent civilians? Clearly evil ones. What kind of people will spend a year making money off that in an orgy of patriotism and memorial gone wrong? I'll leave that to you to decide.
This really is a holy war, but maybe it's less about Allah and more about Dollahs.
(end rant)
It's the fact that american citizens don't give a damn about what are doing outside the USA their goverment or corporations. Sweatshops? Well, they are better than without work, isn't it? Puppet goverments and dictators in the middle east or Latin America? Well but they are our allies, aren't they? Oh! they are killing people! well, they must be killing comunist or terrorist freaks, rigth?
Mexico: 100% conservative's America now!