Why is this all about America?

[Juspar Emvan]

OK, so this post is not going to be well written, I've been thinking along these lines for a while, but haven't put it together yet. And it will invite flames - flame away, I will ignore you. Offer constructive comment for debate and I will hopefully grow with you.



Why is this all about America?
I agree that the loss of America life is appaling and unacceptable, but lets look at the bigger picture. We have here radical terrorists who have flaunted thier disregard for human life, that means every single living one of us on the plannet. If it happened in America, it can (and does), happen in England, in France, in Canada, in the dozens of other places your friends at Literotica live.

Here is a chance for the people of the world to unite, and once again I see America and Americans getting high and mighty. Becuase they are so big and so strong, does not make them so right, and it does not make them above the rest of the human population of this world.

The tragedy here is the loss of human life. The insanity is the blatant disregard for human life of the perpetrators. Neither of those things have anything to do with any nation on this planet.

Lets mourn the people lost, not the fact that America has been attacked. Lets work on eliminating (and yes I'm happy to bomb the fuck out of every terrorist in existance) the programs that allow, hell encourage, the taking of innocent life as a reaction to disagreement. But whatever we do, let's do it together. Loose the flags, the eagles, the isolationism, these are real people. Real tragedies, real heros.

 

[bluntforcemama]

Exactly, I agree completely. Horrors are committed in Ireland every day... people bombing each other. The Palestinians and Israelis are constantly killing each other, a third of the population in Africa has AIDS.... this shouldn't be so self-centered.

 

[Angel]

High and mighty? We are TERRIFIED and We are ANGRY. We were attacked and people were killed. How would you like us to react?

 

[morninggirl5]

It's about America because they attacked US on our soil, with our planes, and killed OUR people.

It's been about us for years, terrorists railing against "The Great Satan." Well they have invited us to rain hell down upon them and we will.

WE WILL, we will handle this act against our country. We have sought support from NATO but this is our war, it's personal now.

 

[Dixon Carter Lee]

It's happening.

NATO has already used an unprecendent rule of proceedure that, in effect, says that any attack on a NATO nation is an attack on NATO, and gives organizational support to retaliatory strikes before they are conceived.

Bush has been building an international coaltion all day.

I think the free world clearly sees this as an attack on the democratic way of life. In fact, the last time there was such a clear cut attack on the very existance of the West was during the fascist regimes of World War II. I honestly don't see how this can be resolved by anything less than a world war involving NATO and the entire Arab world.

The world changed this week.

 

[Mischka]

Why is this all about America?

1. Because it happened only on American soil.
2. Because two symbols of the US were descimated because they represent the might of America.
3. Because countless thousands of American lives were lost.
4. Because the two largest American air carriers - American and United - were used to perpetrate these acts.
   [/list=1]
   Juspar, I know you may be trying to put this into a wider perspective, but the fact is that the US was specifically targeted because of what it represents. It is not myopic to concentrate on the US, and it is offensive for you to suggest that people remove their symbols of America.

 

[lavender]

 

[Problem Child]

I am starting to sense how the lines will be drawn in this thread....

 

[Juspar Emvan]

Like fuck!


Like everyting else, it was bigger and better when it happened in America. But this shit happens daily all over the world.

And the targets were based on the impact they would have not becuase ther are symbols, or perhaps I'm wrong. They have managed to bring a nation (at least) to a stand still for to days haven't they? Two buildings, friegtening.

Our people? How many internationals were killed here?

 

[bluntforcemama]

This kind of thing happens.... EVERYWHERE. Perhaps it wasn't expected in the US, but after the horrors that we have committed, we should try to be thoughtful and gain some understanding of what life in general means, not just American life. We are a super power, they did attack the base of our government, our ideals, our people. But we are not alone.

 

[Mischka]

Neither of those things have anything to do with any nation on this planet.

It has everything to do with a specific nation - the United States. No matter who is ultimately responsible for the terrorism, extremist groups were celebrating the fact that the US was hurt and blaming the acts on US policies in the Middle East.

Now our Allies will stand with us, as expected. But to declare this simply a slap in the face of humanity is overbroad. There is a reason they targeted the U.S. This does not make us "high and mighty." It has the opposite effect, and to suggest otherwise is beyond my comprehension. I cannot believe that you are accusing the citizenry of inflated egotism at a time like this.

 

[Silverlily]

If the intent had been to attack the world, then why not attack the UN building? Because that wasn't the intent. No one else's embassies were bombed, no one else's Navy attacked. The enemy in the minds of these terrorists is not democracy or freedom, it is the evil American Empire.

We have the right to focus on our own. We have the right to display symbols of our spirit. To imply that we do not is ignorant and insensitve. As often as America has come to the aid of the rest of the world, I think we are entitled to stand up for our own.

 

[Cheyenne]

Those people are dead in NY and Washington BECAUSE they were Americans, not because they were humans. This is personal for us now.

And I agree with Dixon. It has now gotten to the point where all nations will have to chose a side. No more fence sitting- if you aren't for us, you are against us. The world IS different.

 

[morninggirl5]

But we are not alone.

We are alone.

We, alone were attacked in this manner. We will be the ones to hunt them down and exact retribution.

At this point, we are the only superpower in the world and that is why we have been put into this position.

This isn't about anyone else except the United States and our policies.

 

[Dillinger]

I would have offered construtive comment if you had made a constructive statement.

I don't discount some of your points... but some of what you said was ill concieved.

 

[Problem Child]

I don't know what you guys are drinking, but before this is all said and done we will probably be talking about 20,000 people dead.

That shit doesn't happen every day. This is the worst terrorist attack in HISTORY.

Try and work up a little perspective. And if you don't like us gettin all "high and mighty" about the equivalent of a small town being eradicated from the face of the earth, then please, just fuck off.

 

[Mischka]

And the targets were based on the impact they would have not becuase ther are symbols, or perhaps I'm wrong.

You are wrong. The World Trade Center is the heart of the US financial world. The Pentagon is the symbol of the entire fucking military. The last plane was either headed for Camp David - on the anniversary of the Camp David Peace Accords - or the White House. And you don't see the symbolism of these targets?!

 

[Angel]

Like fuck!


Like everyting else, it was bigger and better when it happened in America. But this shit happens daily all over the world.

And the targets were based on the impact they would have not becuase ther are symbols, or perhaps I'm wrong. They have managed to bring a nation (at least) to a stand still for to days haven't they? Two buildings, friegtening.

Our people? How many internationals were killed here?

Because this board has a large population of Americans on it maybe? Huh?

I can't believe you're saying this. My country was attacked. My state was attacked. I am outraged, angry, shocked, depressed, and fucking terrified. Each and every person living in this country's Life is changing whether it is noticable or not. I sat here all day and night trying to get in touch with someone I know who works down there. I sat here fucking crying for hours wondering where a whole hell of alot of people are. My country will most likely go to war because of this and you're telling us it is WRONG for us to band together as a nation? Fuck that Juspar.

Of course it happens everywhere. And now it's happening to us. And we're fucking supporting our goddamn Nation and our freedom and our fucking way of life.

 

[WriterDom]

We will loose the flags and the eagles!

We will unite the good. The evil will be destroyed.

 

[bluntforcemama]

It's personal for everyone, isn't it? When we see the horrors of children having stones thrown at them because of their religion, isn't that personal? Even if we're thousands of miles away from it, it's still personal to us. All life is precious. Every kind of life, no matter what religion, what nationality, or culture. Humanity is a whole. It's not America, and then the rest of the world. Patriotism for the world, not just one country.

 

[lavender]

 

[morninggirl5]

To paraphrase,


I'll lose my flag when they pry it from my cold, dead fingers.

 

[Silverlily]

Patriotism for the world, not just one country.

You are completely wrong. According to Merriam Webster -

Main Entry: pa·tri·ot·ism
Pronunciation: 'pA-trE-&-"ti-z&m, chiefly British 'pa-
Function: noun
Date: circa 1726
: love for or devotion to one's country

 

[celiaKitten]

Lavender is Correct

How dare you? And give me an example of this type of terror visited in this manner anywhere else? Was a jumbo jet loaded with innocents deliberately flown into any other important centers of business??? Why not Tokyo??? Read this 20 year old editorial and it might begin to help you understand how WE feel.

America: The Good Neighbor.

Widespread but only partial news coverage was given recently to a
remarkable editorial broadcast from Toronto by Gordon Sinclair, a
Canadian television commentator. What follows is the full text of his
broadcast.

"This Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the Americans as the
most generous and possibly the least appreciated people on all the
earth.

Germany, Japan and, to a lesser extent, Britain and Italy were lifted
out of the debris of war by the Americans who poured in billions of
dollars and forgave other billions in debts. None of these countries is
today paying even the interest on its remaining debts to the United
States.

When France was in danger of collapsing in 1956, it was the Americans
who propped it up, and their reward was to be insulted and swindled on
the streets of Paris. I was there. I saw it.

When earthquakes hit distant cities, it is the United States that
hurries in to help. This spring, 59 American communities were flattened
by tornadoes.

Nobody helped.

The Marshall Plan and the Truman Policy pumped billions of dollars into
discouraged countries. Now newspapers in those countries are writing
about the decadent, warmongering Americans.

I'd like to see just one of those countries that is gloating over the
erosion of the United States dollar build its own airplane. Does any
other country in the world have a plane to equal the Boeing Jumbo Jet,
the Lockheed Tri-Star, or the Douglas DC10? If so, why don't they fly
them? Why do all the International lines except Russia fly American
Planes?

Why does no other land on earth even consider putting a man or woman on
the moon? You talk about Japanese technocracy, and you get radios. You
talk about German technocracy, and you get automobiles.

You talk about American technocracy, and you find men on the moon - not
once, but several times - and safely home again.

You talk about scandals, and the Americans put theirs right in the
store
window for everybody to look at. Even their draft-dodgers are not
pursued and hounded. They are here on our streets, and most of them,
unless they are breaking Canadian laws, are getting American Dollars
from ma and pa at home to spend here.

When the railways of France, Germany and India were breaking down
through age, it was the Americans who rebuilt them. When the
Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central went broke, nobody
loaned
them an old caboose. Both are still broke.

I can name you 5000 times when the Americans raced to the help of other
people in trouble.
Can you name me even one time when someone else raced to the Americans
in trouble? I don't think there was outside help even during the San
Francisco earthquake.

Our neighbors have faced it alone, and I'm one Canadian who is damned
tired of hearing them get kicked around. They will come out of this
thing with their flag high. And when they do, they are entitled to
thumb
their nose at the lands that are gloating over their present troubles.
I
hope Canada is not one of those."

Stand proud, America!



I understand what you're trying to say - but you cannot expect us not to collectively mourn for people we've lost, for the country we love.

 

[bluntforcemama]

It may not have been said in the most couth manner, but it's understandable.