from Matthew's Mom

[James Williams]

Gentlemen,

This is a little off topic. However since this forum has a number of active duty military, and they hear all of the garbage from the press both foreign and domestic, I thought that this might be an appropriate place to post .

James


An Article from England


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 brought 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 up 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 range 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.

[Budoka 34]

James,

Thanks so much for this post. I wish more of the world saw it this way.

:smilejapa

[Patrick McKee]

Thanks for the post, James.

I just finished "Among the Heroes" by Jere Longman, a book about Flight 93. I couldn't put it down; read it in less than 48 hours.

Here's a review from an Amazon customer.

An INCREDIBLE Story!, September 28, 2002
Reviewer: Lisa Trzepacz (see more about me) from Loxahatchee, FL USA
This book goes through every detail of Flight 93. Every passenger and the hijackers. It's amazing how many people had premonitions before they took that flight. Some had changed from a 10:00 flight to the earlier 8:00 flight. Some were afraid to fly. The author brings each person to life, to appreciate the tremendous loss of so many that day. Almost every passenger was a type A personality. There was immense talent and courage onboard and after reading the accounts of their lives, it's clear to see why they went down fighting. Every person's story was compelling from Todd Beamer's to Nicole Miller's. Nicole had tried to get on another flight that morning with her boyfriend as she was apprehensive about flying. His flight was booked so he tried to get on her flight but it was too expensive. The what ifs could drive you crazy. Warning: You won't be able to put it down. We've heard that saying "It's a small world," and the author proves it at the very beginning tying different passengers and their families together in unusual ways. The author has done a tremendous job of compiling facts and loved ones accounts to make this a book I will remember for a very long time.

Regards,

[tmanifold]

It makes a good point but post Sept. 11th any view that is not in line with the Americain view is often considered anti-american sentiment. In Canada we deal with this quite often becuase most of our day to day business is with the US. If people don't agree with the Softwood lumber dispute and think we should start adding a comparable duty on the energy we send them, we are being anti-american. If we think George W. is going to attack Iraq no matter what and disagree with that we are being anti-american. Oh yeah and don't forget, "If you are not our side (ie. The American Side) you are on the side of terror." (not really a qoute more of a paraphrase).

Now, I got no problem with someone killing saddam. Nor do I care if the Americian Gov't decides to attack in direct conflict with US resolutions. But don't get mad at us if we don't send troops. Because I will be going if we do and would rather go for a reason better than Jr. finishing daddy's war.

It is not that simple. Sometimes people are on their own side. Not for the US or against it.

My heart goes out to the victims of 9/11 and their families but is not justification for everything the US gov't wants to accomplish.

[Mitch Saret]

Tony....two questions for you.

One: What exactly would you consider justification?

Two: Who really wants to go to war?

Many peolpe say that ¤¤¤¤¤ will be finishing daddy's war. But if you recall, daddy did what he set out to do in the Gulf War. And he followed the U.N. resolution at the time. It did not provide for removing Hussein, just liberating Kuwait. Should we have gone all the way? Possibly. But we followed the rules at that time. To date, Hussein has quite obviously not. He has violated the terms of the cease fire from that conflict. He has continuosly hid his weapons assets, and he has tortured his own people.

I read an interesting AP article in our local paper today. It was about a native Iraqi that has been here since 1980 and lives and conduct business in near Rend Lake, in southern Illinois. This past summer he was able to travel and see relatives in Iraq. The story he brought back was that the Iraqi people can't wait for the U.S. come in. They hate Hussein. They want freedom and a change of what their culture currently is.

Now, the question remains, is this just pro-war propaganda? Again, possibly. But the AP is not noted for supporting Bush. I can't remember the gentleman's name, but the dateline I think, was INA.

Should you have to go to war, Tony, you will have my utmost supprt as a serviceman. I know that support was important to me when I served in Grenada, even though the injury I received ended up with my discharge medically.

Good luck to you, my friend.

[tmanifold]

The first war was never taken to the end that the American's wanted. I know because my Father in Law was at the meeting where the arab allies pushed the US to back down. However, my point is this. THe Americans are saying that if Saddam has anything to link him to weapons of mass destruction then they are going in. Funny, no one has more weapons of mass destruction than the US. So from my point of view, The Americans can not justify an invasion. Or at the very least they are on shaky ground when they try and pressure other countries to join in. However, if the UN decides, as a group, that Iraq should be taken down, then As a member of the UN Canada has to honor its comittments.

On a side note, I would not be adverse to seeing Saddam assassinated. Send in a long range sniper team or a SEAL assualt team and kill him. I got no problem with that.