9/11 anniversary today.....your thoughts ?
Anonymous
Posts: 79,667
10 years on and we have.......
Iraq struggling to get it together from an invasion that was illegal, not to mention immoral.
Afghanistan, why exactly have we, the west, have troops there, fighting and dying ?
Terrorists who gladly blow themselves up for what hat filled cause ?
Countries line Iran and N Korea demonized by the western press at America's behest.
Suspicion in the N hemisphere of most things Muslim, and in the UK an increase in BNP support/awareness.
Not good, sad day, just thinking of what happened and how a decade has reformed the world from that 1 day.
What do you all think ?
Iraq struggling to get it together from an invasion that was illegal, not to mention immoral.
Afghanistan, why exactly have we, the west, have troops there, fighting and dying ?
Terrorists who gladly blow themselves up for what hat filled cause ?
Countries line Iran and N Korea demonized by the western press at America's behest.
Suspicion in the N hemisphere of most things Muslim, and in the UK an increase in BNP support/awareness.
Not good, sad day, just thinking of what happened and how a decade has reformed the world from that 1 day.
What do you all think ?
0
Posts
One positive to come out of it was, overnight, funding of the IRA by American citizens dried up and help bring about the uneasy peace now maintained in Northern Ireland.
Truely shocking scenes and THE standout thing (other than the massive loss of life) was we all saw it unfold on our TVs rather than it just be an after the event news report which is the case in most terrorist attacks.
The above post may contain traces of sarcasm or/and bullsh*t.
- @ddraver
The irony of the supposed war on terror is we are now less free although not because of terrorism but because of our own leaders (think electronic monitoring and the abuse of RIPA) although it could have been a lot worse (remember car tracking and the National ID scheme).
The war on terror was never really about tackling terror but about the West imposing its will on others and gaining access to resources we want and as long as we continue to support terrorists (or rebel organisations when we fund their war) in such pursuits then we create the situation where those affected by Western imperialism will want to rebel.
I was going to take the bait and make some glib remark about radical milinery, but then this email arrived in my inbox. I thought I'd post it here as it's reassuring to find something genuinely positive amongst all the bleakness, the conspiracy theories and the tedious mantras of insipid apologists. If you've never heard of meetups, here's the link.
Fellow Meetuppers,
I don't write to our whole community often, but this week is special because it's the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and many people don't know that Meetup is a 9/11 baby.
Let me tell you the Meetup story. I was living a couple miles from the Twin Towers, and I was the kind of person who thought local community doesn't matter much if we've got the internet and tv. The only time I thought about my neighbors was when I hoped they wouldn't bother me.
When the towers fell, I found myself talking to more neighbors in the days after 9/11 than ever before. People said hello to neighbors (next-door and across the city) who they'd normally ignore. People were looking after each other, helping each other, and meeting up with each other. You know, being neighborly.
A lot of people were thinking that maybe 9/11 could bring people together in a lasting way. So the idea for Meetup was born: Could we use the internet to get off the internet -- and grow local communities?
We didn't know if it would work. Most people thought it was a crazy idea -- especially because terrorism is designed to make people distrust one another.
A small team came together, and we launched Meetup 9 months after 9/11.
Today, almost 10 years and 10 million Meetuppers later, it's working. Every day, thousands of Meetups happen. Moms Meetups,Small Business Meetups, Fitness Meetups... a wild variety of 100,000 Meetup Groups with not much in common -- except one thing.
Every Meetup starts with people simply saying hello to neighbors. And what often happens next is still amazing to me. They grow businesses and bands together, they teach and motivate each other, they babysit each other's kids and find other ways to work together. They have fun and find solace together. They make friends and form powerful community. It's powerful stuff.
It's a wonderful revolution in local community, and it's thanks to everyone who shows up.
Meetups aren't about 9/11, but they may not be happening if it weren't for 9/11.
9/11 didn't make us too scared to go outside or talk to strangers. 9/11 didn't rip us apart. No, we're building new community together!!!!
The towers fell, but we rise up. And we're just getting started with these Meetups.
Scott Heiferman (on behalf of 80 people at Meetup HQ)
Co-Founder & CEO, Meetup
New York City
September 2011
Just a question, are you saying N Korea is rather benelovent and is just the victim of mis-representation?
Not the biggest supporter of the good ole us of a . about time they got a grip
The response by the USA was cack-handed from the beginning. From the word "crusade" to the botched Taleban diplomacy to letting OBL and co escape to Pakistan to forgetting about Afghanistan altogether in favour of invading Iraq (because he was mean to my Daddy), then going back and trying to foist democracy on a clan-based medieaval society. That ignoring the lies, illegalities, wholesale trampling of our liberties and industrial scale collateral damage .
We all know how Iraq was botched: favouring Pentagon neo-cons over the State Dept who knew the situation on the ground and actually had a plan.
I guess its not that easy running a global mega-power but really.
C-minus: could do better.
Fixed.
Not really.
Are you suggesting they shouldn't have held it today?
Is reachable from here.
Believe in miracles
And cures and healing wells
Why? Naturally I feel sorry for the victims and their families, but why should we have to commemorate 11/9 and not, say, Srebrenica or Rwanda? They were humans too, and their lives were just as valuable as those who were murdered in the USA.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_Air_Flight_655
but dont let facts get in the way of your prejudices- carry on!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... r-jet.html
Or the Ruskies shooting down a KAL 747
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Air ... Flight_007
http://app.strava.com/athletes/30000
Apologies
You weren't quite saying in your OP what I thought you were.
A minutes silence or something similar before the ride started would have been entirely appropriate.
Is reachable from here.
Believe in miracles
And cures and healing wells
Yes you're right; two South Korean Marines fired on an airline that was out of range with rifle fire after mistaking it for a North Korean plane. Tensions at the time were high following two attacks on South Korea by the north.
And less of the childish "prejudice" remarks.
Or will it even get an inside page by-line?
Sad though it was, more people are killed in America by Americans every year.
The hypocrisy that followed the event and the stage managed response was truly mind blowing, without any thought as to what would happen after 'winning' in Iraq.
Do you have advance warning or a well developed psychic sense?
Contrast also the financial cost .It's estimated the US directly spent $845 Billion on the Iraq war and the global response to the Tsunami was $14 Billion in humanitarian aid.
Natural disaster - terrorist attack.
It's pretty different.
you obviously didnt bother reading the link did you?
never mind
Twitter
Flickr