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Lostdog
New member
No matter what your views on President Bush's statement of upcoming
war,
>this, from an English journalist, is very interesting.
>
>Just a word of background, for those of you who aren't familiar with
the
>UK's Daily Mirror. This is a notoriously left-wing daily that is
normally
>not
>supportive of the Colonials across the Atlantic.
>
>*************************************************************
>Tony Parsons
>
>Daily Mirror September 11, 2002
>
>One year ago, the world witnessed a unique kind of broadcasting -- the
>mass murder of thousands, live on television. As a lesson in the
pitiless
>cruelty of the human race, September 11 was up there with Pol Pot's
>Mountain
>of
>Skulls in Cambodia, or the skeletal bodies stacked like garbage in the
>Nazi concentration camps.
>
>An unspeakable act so cruel, so calculated and so utterly merciless
that
>surely the world could agree on one thing - nobody deserves this fate.
>Surely there could be consensus: The victims were truly innocent, the
>perpetrators truly evil. But to the world's eternal shame, 9/11 is
>increasingly seen as America's comeuppance. Incredibly,
anti-Americanism
>has increased over the last year. There has always been a simmering
>resentment
>to the USA in this country; too loud, too rich, too full of themselves,
>and so much happier than Europeans - but it has become an epidemic. And
it
>seems incredible to me. More than that, it turns my stomach.
>
>America is this country's greatest friend and our staunchest ally. We
are
>bonded to the US by culture, language and blood. A little over half a
>century ago, around half a million Americans died for our freedoms, as
>well as their own. Have we forgotten so soon? And exactly a year ago,
>thousands
>of ordinary men, women and children - not just Americans, but from
dozens
>of countries, were butchered by a small group of religious fanatics.
Are we
>so quick to betray them? What touched the heart about those who died in
the
>Twin Towers and on the planes, was that we recognized them. Young
fathers
>and mothers, somebody's son and somebody's daughter, husbands, wives,
and
>children, some unborn. And these people broght it on themselves? Their
>nation is to blame for their meticulously planned slaughter? These days
>you don't have to be some dust-encrusted nut job in Kabul or Karachi or
>Finsbury Park to see America as the Great Satan. The anti-American
alliance
>is made
>up of self-loathing liberals who blame the Americans for every ill in
the
>Third World, and conservatives suffering from power-envy, bitter that
the
>world's only superpower can do what it likes without having to ask
>permission. The truth is that America has behaved with enormous
restraint
>since September 11.
>
>Remember, remember -
>
>Remember the gut-wrenching tapes of weeping men phoning their wives to
>say, I love you," before they were burned alive. Remember those people
>leaping
>to their deaths from the top of burning skyscrapers. Remember the
hundreds
>of
>firemen buried alive. Remember the smiling face of that beautiful
little
>girl who was on one of the planes with her mum.
>
>Remember, remember -
>
>And realize that America has never retaliated for 9/11 in anything like
>the way it could have. So a few al-Qaeda tourists got locked without a
>trial
>in Camp X-ray? Pass the Kleenex... So some Afghan wedding receptions
were
>shot up after they merrily fired their semiautomatics in a sky full of
>American
>planes?A shame, but maybe next time they should stick to confetti.
AMERICA
>could have turned a large chunk of the world into a parking lot. That
it
>didn't is a sign of strength.American voices are already being raised
>against attacking Iraq - that's what a democracy is for. How many in
the
>Islamic world will have a minute's silence for the slaughtered
innocents
>of 9/11? How many Islamic leaders will have the guts to say that the
mass
>murder of 9/11 was an abomination?
>
>When the news of 9/11 broke on the West Bank, those freedom-loving
>Palestinians were dancing in the street. America watched all of that -
and
>didn't push the button. We should thank the stars that America is the
most
>powerful nation in the world. I still find it incredible that 9/11 did
not
>provoke all-out war. Not a "war on terrorism." A real war. The
>fundamentalist dudes are talking about "opening the gates of hell," if
>America attacks Iraq. Well, America could have opened the gates of hell
>like you wouldn't believe.
>
>The US is the most militarily powerful nation that ever strode the face
of
>the earth. The campaign in Afghanistan may have been less than perfect
and
>the planned war on Iraq may be misconceived. But don't blame America
for
>not bringing peace and light to these wretched countries. How many
>democracies
>are there in the Middle East, or in the Muslim world? You can count
them
>on the fingers of one hand - assuming you haven't had any chopped off
for
>minor shoplifting. I love America, yet America is hated. I guess that
makes
>me
>Bush's poodle. But I would rather be a dog in New York City than a
Prince
>in Riyadh.
>
>Above all, America is hated because it is what every country wants to
be -
>rich, free, strong, open, optimistic. Not ground down by the past, or
>religion, or some caste system. America is the best friend this country
>ever had and we should start remembering that. Or do you really think
the
>USA
>is the root of all evil? Tell it to the loved ones of the men and women
who
>leaped to their death from the burning towers. Tell it to the nursing
>mothers whose husbands died on one of the hijacked planes, or were
ripped
>apart in a collapsing skyscraper. And tell it to the hundreds of young
>widows whose husbands worked for the New York Fire Department.
>
>To our shame, George Bush gets a worse press than Saddam Hussein. Once
we
>were told that Saddam gassed the Kurds, tortured his own people and set
up
>rape-camps in Kuwait. Now we are told he likes Quality Street. Save me
the
>orange center, Oh Mighty One!
>
>Remember, remember, September 11 - One of the greatest atrocities in
human
>history was committed against America. No, do more than remember; never
>forget!
war,
>this, from an English journalist, is very interesting.
>
>Just a word of background, for those of you who aren't familiar with
the
>UK's Daily Mirror. This is a notoriously left-wing daily that is
normally
>not
>supportive of the Colonials across the Atlantic.
>
>*************************************************************
>Tony Parsons
>
>Daily Mirror September 11, 2002
>
>One year ago, the world witnessed a unique kind of broadcasting -- the
>mass murder of thousands, live on television. As a lesson in the
pitiless
>cruelty of the human race, September 11 was up there with Pol Pot's
>Mountain
>of
>Skulls in Cambodia, or the skeletal bodies stacked like garbage in the
>Nazi concentration camps.
>
>An unspeakable act so cruel, so calculated and so utterly merciless
that
>surely the world could agree on one thing - nobody deserves this fate.
>Surely there could be consensus: The victims were truly innocent, the
>perpetrators truly evil. But to the world's eternal shame, 9/11 is
>increasingly seen as America's comeuppance. Incredibly,
anti-Americanism
>has increased over the last year. There has always been a simmering
>resentment
>to the USA in this country; too loud, too rich, too full of themselves,
>and so much happier than Europeans - but it has become an epidemic. And
it
>seems incredible to me. More than that, it turns my stomach.
>
>America is this country's greatest friend and our staunchest ally. We
are
>bonded to the US by culture, language and blood. A little over half a
>century ago, around half a million Americans died for our freedoms, as
>well as their own. Have we forgotten so soon? And exactly a year ago,
>thousands
>of ordinary men, women and children - not just Americans, but from
dozens
>of countries, were butchered by a small group of religious fanatics.
Are we
>so quick to betray them? What touched the heart about those who died in
the
>Twin Towers and on the planes, was that we recognized them. Young
fathers
>and mothers, somebody's son and somebody's daughter, husbands, wives,
and
>children, some unborn. And these people broght it on themselves? Their
>nation is to blame for their meticulously planned slaughter? These days
>you don't have to be some dust-encrusted nut job in Kabul or Karachi or
>Finsbury Park to see America as the Great Satan. The anti-American
alliance
>is made
>up of self-loathing liberals who blame the Americans for every ill in
the
>Third World, and conservatives suffering from power-envy, bitter that
the
>world's only superpower can do what it likes without having to ask
>permission. The truth is that America has behaved with enormous
restraint
>since September 11.
>
>Remember, remember -
>
>Remember the gut-wrenching tapes of weeping men phoning their wives to
>say, I love you," before they were burned alive. Remember those people
>leaping
>to their deaths from the top of burning skyscrapers. Remember the
hundreds
>of
>firemen buried alive. Remember the smiling face of that beautiful
little
>girl who was on one of the planes with her mum.
>
>Remember, remember -
>
>And realize that America has never retaliated for 9/11 in anything like
>the way it could have. So a few al-Qaeda tourists got locked without a
>trial
>in Camp X-ray? Pass the Kleenex... So some Afghan wedding receptions
were
>shot up after they merrily fired their semiautomatics in a sky full of
>American
>planes?A shame, but maybe next time they should stick to confetti.
AMERICA
>could have turned a large chunk of the world into a parking lot. That
it
>didn't is a sign of strength.American voices are already being raised
>against attacking Iraq - that's what a democracy is for. How many in
the
>Islamic world will have a minute's silence for the slaughtered
innocents
>of 9/11? How many Islamic leaders will have the guts to say that the
mass
>murder of 9/11 was an abomination?
>
>When the news of 9/11 broke on the West Bank, those freedom-loving
>Palestinians were dancing in the street. America watched all of that -
and
>didn't push the button. We should thank the stars that America is the
most
>powerful nation in the world. I still find it incredible that 9/11 did
not
>provoke all-out war. Not a "war on terrorism." A real war. The
>fundamentalist dudes are talking about "opening the gates of hell," if
>America attacks Iraq. Well, America could have opened the gates of hell
>like you wouldn't believe.
>
>The US is the most militarily powerful nation that ever strode the face
of
>the earth. The campaign in Afghanistan may have been less than perfect
and
>the planned war on Iraq may be misconceived. But don't blame America
for
>not bringing peace and light to these wretched countries. How many
>democracies
>are there in the Middle East, or in the Muslim world? You can count
them
>on the fingers of one hand - assuming you haven't had any chopped off
for
>minor shoplifting. I love America, yet America is hated. I guess that
makes
>me
>Bush's poodle. But I would rather be a dog in New York City than a
Prince
>in Riyadh.
>
>Above all, America is hated because it is what every country wants to
be -
>rich, free, strong, open, optimistic. Not ground down by the past, or
>religion, or some caste system. America is the best friend this country
>ever had and we should start remembering that. Or do you really think
the
>USA
>is the root of all evil? Tell it to the loved ones of the men and women
who
>leaped to their death from the burning towers. Tell it to the nursing
>mothers whose husbands died on one of the hijacked planes, or were
ripped
>apart in a collapsing skyscraper. And tell it to the hundreds of young
>widows whose husbands worked for the New York Fire Department.
>
>To our shame, George Bush gets a worse press than Saddam Hussein. Once
we
>were told that Saddam gassed the Kurds, tortured his own people and set
up
>rape-camps in Kuwait. Now we are told he likes Quality Street. Save me
the
>orange center, Oh Mighty One!
>
>Remember, remember, September 11 - One of the greatest atrocities in
human
>history was committed against America. No, do more than remember; never
>forget!
