Some different views on the world
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This Week's Commentary:
What actually happened on September 11, 2001? We were attacked by terrorists? Yes! We realized that we were not not as safe and protected as we were lead to believe we were? Yes! Was the act despicable, cowardly, ruthless and inhuman? Without a doubt! But what else did you notice about September the 11th and later. What actually happened? Four airplanes were hijacked at nearly the same instant and were turned, rather dramatically, and aimed at different targets. Air Traffic Controllers noticed the changes in courses, and did what? Obviously very little. From the time these planes were taken over, until the time they crashed, this country was, and for all intent and purposes, totally unprotected. That to me is scarier then the actual terrorist attack! Can you imagine what damage would have been done had those planes hit the streets?
Sure the terrorists were responsible but they were not the only ones. What about our Security Services? Why weren't the FAA rules and regulations being enforced or even observed? How did these 19 terrorists, and that still is not a positive number, get on board with these weapons? Based on a phone call one of the passengers made, our government has assumed that all the terrorists were armed with "boxcutters". But they are not positive. For example chemicals can't be ruled out either, and no traces of either of these "weapons" has yet been found. How did they get them on board? The conspiracy theorists have come off the bus for this one, clearly demonstrating how they could have gotten these supposed "boxcutters" past the metal detectors, and if true, these metal detector operators, airport security, and the airport authorities should also be the targets of our bombing campaign! Most people don't realize that it is the airport's and airline's responsibility for security. The theorists also showed just how sorry our security services are how they are so least concerned with our security, but when this happened on September 11th, they showed us how greatly they were concerned with theirs, when they went hiding!
Since the attacks, our government and National Security Services have identified, at least somewhat, all the hijackers. They have arrested or detained, most without formal charges, hundreds of others even remotely responsible for these attacks, and the top 21 leaders of Osama Bin Ladin's terrorist organization, and without I might add, the help of all these special laws and powers to stop terrorists that they have asked Congress for. But I have yet to see any of the people (Airline and Airport personnel) in this country responsible for allowing this, to be arrested or prosecuted or even mentioned publicly! Does the our Government realize that some of these people might have had something to do with the terrorist having such an easy job of it; duh? And yet the Conservatives have the gall to question the patriotism of those like me who question the government? I mean what could more unpatriotic then not doing your job which directly involves the safety and security of millions, and as a result of your incompetence, allow person or persons to take the lives of thousands of innocent Americans, who by virtue of trusting you, have no knowledge of security issues and were not being paid to do it? Talk about aid and comfort to the enemy? And if that's not misguided enough, we give money to the Airline industry because they were the "most affected"? They were also the most responsible!
Later our President goes immediately to the jugular vein of Osama Bin Ladin with words describing him and his organization as "cockroaches" and evil, and classifying the impending war as the "classic battle between good and evil" and "dead or alive", which I thought was too illiterate even for him, but I have to understand what a conflict to thought Bush poses. I don't normally blame politicians for what they do, because people vote them in, but in Bush's case, that didn't really happen either! I want so much to ask him why, if he knew so surely and quickly that Osama was to blame, then it is only reasonable to also assume that Bush and the Government suspected him anyway; then why did they not pay closer attention to his activities? This "war" on terrorism, I hope will not become like the war on drugs; that is to say go on forever with no results.
While I understand the "freezing" of suspected terrorist assets, and while I understand, although I certainly do not agree with, this need for expanded (less stringent) surveillance and detention standards, I cannot understand why did we not do these same things in relation to drugs dealers, gun runners, and our domestic terrorist (militia) groups? Could it be that in the other previously mentioned criminal organizations that White, Wealthy, Republicans are involved and responsible? Probably! It has long been known that the Drug trade for example, survives because of people like these White, Wealthy, Republican bankers and business owners who launder the Drug Money! It is a group of people, that although the Government may criticize time to time, never touch legally or publicly unless they don't payoff or payback as expected.
So now look at us. We tell the people of Islam and Afghanistan that we are not at war with them, while our bombs are falling in their country and killing their people. While we stop bombing we drop food to them and allow them to eat what could very well be their last meal, because of the bombing that will surely resume! We say we are humanitarians? Are we serious? We drop bombs on people, chasing them from their homes, then drop food to them either in desolate areas we may bomb later, or at the borders where they are massing to die slowly from disease and famine, while we applaud the Pakistani Government, who is keeping them out, for helping us! What kind of sick game is this?
So let's put this in a nutshell, so to speak. Terrorists plan for, train for, and go totally unnoticed for at least a year, hijack 4 airliners and crash 2 into the World Trade Centers, one into the Pentagon, and the other which was obviously headed for the Capitol Building, not the White House of Air Force One, as was reported. President Bush has been office for nearly 9 months, apparently not long enough to be responsible, or so his supporters say. So now, we are bombing a country already bombed beyond repair, to kill or capture a relative handful of terrorists and to topple the government we think is responsible for supporting the terrorists, who we think are responsible for such a terrorist act! The Bush Administration thinks this will satisfy and pacify critics about their "war" on terrorism, when in fact all we are doing is inflicting some of our own. So once again we destroy a government to put one sympathetic to us in place. This is nothing more than the Cold War 21st century style! The Taliban must go because they will not do what we ask when we ask. The Taliban must go because they require proof of what Osama has done. The Taliban must go because we say that they are a brutal government. So to fix this we commit one of the most de-stabilizing acts any government or gang could do; we support the enemy of the ones we seek to destroy. Never understanding or realizing that in almost every instance where this has happened in the past we have had to fight or go to war Cold or Hot, with that "enemy"! Russia and Iraq just to name a couple!
The most dangerous thing that has happened as a result of these attacks is this mindset of total and complete belief and support in our President and Government, and in the attempts to crush and opposition to either. Even the news media is affected. There was a reporter from the NY Post on the Fox Channel explaining why he was totally upset with certain Hollywood celebrities who were openly critical about this "war". One of the Fox reporters made the comment that; "if these anti-war believers were to win, think of how this would destroy the United States"? They gave the distinct impression that those who voiced any opposition toward the President was somehow unpatriotic or even criminal. To them, to hell with Constitution, free speech, or any other part of our government! The people who fought in the War of Independence were idiots according to these fools! Apparently all we succeeding in doing was to fight tyranny from England, just to live under it here over 200 years later.
Moral of this story; We have no right or responsibility to bomb and kill innocent people because someone did it to us! We do have a responsibility to protect our own citizens! We talk of justice. What justice? If we brought Osama and his entire gang here, how could they get a fair trial? It is nothing more than legalized murder. It would be like; "Bring the guilty SOB here, give him a fair trial and hang him!". That is not justice. I fear that with these acts, we have become nothing more than any other two-bit dictatorship hell bend on revenge! Revenge is not justice! Revenge is murder! That's what was committed against us on September 11, 2001, and that's what we are committing in October of 2001 against the people of Afghanistan! And no show of patriotism, no amount of flag waving, and no amount of tough talk is going to justify what we are doing!
K. Roper 10/13/2001 Author
"LET US ALL SAY A PRAYER IN REMEMBRANCE OF THOSE WHO LOST THEIR LIVES ON SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2001. WE SHOULD NEVER FORGET THE LIVES THAT WERE NEEDLESSLY AND SENSELESSLY SNUFFED OUT BY THOSE WHO SOUGHT TO DESTROY THE UNITED STATES THAT DAY.
AND WE SHOULD NOT IN REVENGE, TAKE INNOCENT LIVES OURSELVES, FOR THEN WE BECOME NO BETTER THAN THEY." K.ROPER 2001-A United States Citizen