9/11 anniversary today.....your thoughts ?

Cressers

And while we're on the subject, here's something else worth remembering when it comes to the US and aircraft...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Northwoods

bompington

The most depressing thing about it all, as echoed in this thread, is that pretty much everyone has just adopted the 9/11 attacks, and their aftermath, to reinforce their own opinions and prejudices, and I'm talking about all sides here.

BigJimmyB

One bad thing to come out of it was Paul McCartney's 'Freedom' song.

YouTube it - it's truly dreadful.

This from the man who won't let you eat meat if you're 'lucky' enough to share a table with him at a glitzy do (i.e. award ceremony).

Hypocite.

Stewie Griffin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Brandywine

I would have thought that were over it by now.

KnightOfTheLongTights

One thing it all reveals yet again is our (as in western, Anglo-Saxon society's) increasing obsession with COMMEMORATION.

Every bloody anniversary of some event or other everyone's climbing over eachother to show their respects and arrange services and ceremonies and marches, or have silences at football matches, or make solemn films remembering this and that featuring Adagio on strings.

It's like people become fixated with grave tragedies to give meaning to their own dull lives. And I'm not talking about those who were bereaved, I'm taking about all the other professional breast-beaters.

Sorry to say that our American friends are the world champions at it.

Sometimes it's better to move on.

This Freedland bloke has it spot on, IMO:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree ... ber-11-era

Dog Breath

10 years after 9/11. What would the world be like now if US/UK had done absolutely nothing??

TuckerUK

My thoughts?

I'm thinking that the US 'War on Terror' has been going 10 years, yet I don't recall any of US citizens who supported, sponsored and/or funded IRA/PIRA acts of terrorism against innocent civilian men women and children in mainland UK being apprehended.

9/11 wasn't out of the blue, the US had been repeatedly warned about meddling in the Middle East. You need to watch the pre 9/11 documentary about the TWA 800 crash (if you can find an original one, new copies may have the pertinent parts edited out).

StillGoing

fast as fupp wrote:

philthy3 wrote:

fast as fupp wrote:

i think youll find it was our american "friends" who were the ones shooting down airliners-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_Air_Flight_655

but dont let facts get in the way of your prejudices- carry on!

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.

you obviously didnt bother reading the link did you?

never mind

I wouldn't even begin to defend a bunch of trigger happy Americans. Vietnam was a disaster as has been every conflict they've been involved in and they seem to have learned nothing. The answer to all their campaigns is overwhelming firepower and begger all tactics. I have no alliegence to or affection for America and I have relatives who are American. They are not the answer to all the world's problems and are the cause of many of them.

Ben6899

philthy3 wrote:

They [America] are not the answer to all the world's problems and are the cause of many of them.

... and they sponsored the IRA. But that was before their War On Terror(TM). You know, when they weren't directly affected. And people say that Americans don't get irony.

Frank the tank

Ben6899 wrote:

philthy3 wrote:

They [America] are not the answer to all the world's problems and are the cause of many of them.

... and they sponsored the IRA. But that was before their War On Terror(TM). You know, when they weren't directly affected. And people say that Americans don't get irony.

I alluded that very issue in my initial response to the OP.

Why thy fuss over the 60odd Brits killed in the twin towers, yet the innocents killed by the IRA are by and large forgotten by the wider community?

Ben6899

What happened on 11th September 2001, 7th July 2005 and in the IRA bomb attacks was atrocious and every single victim should be remembered as we as individuals see fit. I don't debate that for one minute. Me and my other half watched some of the BBC coverage on Sunday and I was moved by it.

I just find that when I look at everything as a whole; things are been forgotten, overlooked and generally brushed under the carpet. And that annoys me.

mark63

I was working on building sites around Ascot and Slough and that sort of area when the IRA blew up the band stand in Hyde Park, the next day not one of the Irish lads
came in to work, it took a few days for them all to come back to work, when you could actually get any of them to talk about such things, most of them were absolutely disgusted as were the rest of us, but what they feared the most was the repercussions from their "english" work mates.

Thought for the day....... one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter

I'm sure no one on here would have disagreed with the ANC's use of terror tactics against apartheid

I had the misfortune to go to school with a few yanks & their perspective on the world & it;s history was quite jaw dropping at times even for a zitty 13 year old, and wasn't it during the Blair presidency that we finished paying the debt off to the yanks for what they sold to us during WW2, and nearly bankrupted us in the process

timb64

The WWII "debt" was paid off in 2006 although we still officially owe them for WWI.
There's a good summary of the position here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4757181.stm

It puts the "Special Relationship" into some perspective although to be fair the loan terms were favourable to the UK.

Ben6899

mark63 wrote:

I had the misfortune to go to school with a few yanks & their perspective on the world & it;s history was quite jaw dropping at times...

This really interests me. Could you provide details or examples, mate?

Cheers.

verylonglegs

mark63 wrote:

Thought for the day....... one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter

I'm sure no one on here would have disagreed with the ANC's use of terror tactics against apartheid

The ANC, as well as other similar movements like the IRA, had a goal...a specified purpose, usually political. Part of the problem, as far as I can make out, is that no-one seems to really understand what some of these Al-Queda/Taliban/Jihadists want. (I couldn't even think of a word to call them!) I've heard quiet a few radio debates with Muslim academics and even they don't seem to be able to explain or agree on what their end game is..if indeed there even is one. It's why one of the reason's the response after Sept 11 was a cack-handed mess.

tailwindhome

philthy3 wrote:

I wouldn't even begin to defend a bunch of trigger happy Americans. Vietnam was a disaster as has been every conflict they've been involved in and they seem to have learned nothing. The answer to all their campaigns is overwhelming firepower and begger all tactics. I have no alliegence to or affection for America and I have relatives who are American. They are not the answer to all the world's problems and are the cause of many of them.

W W II?

Why thy fuss over the 60odd Brits killed in the twin towers, yet the innocents killed by the IRA are by and large forgotten by the wider community?

Scale and live TV.

Somewhere in the region of 3000 people died over the 25-30 year course of 'the troubles'. A similar number died, live on TV, in New York in 2-3 hours. It may not seem fair but that how it goes.....