Hey everyone,
You know... it's amazing what a few hours of sleep and not
starring at that mindless idiot box with the idiots on it can do for
someone.
Nukes aren't the answer... nor is blaming any one race, country, etc.
Someone did this and those someones will pay with the full might of this
great country of ours. Best thing we can do is back our country completely
and fully. (and to the guy who said "republicans, back your president...",
I suggust you get a copy of the Constitution and read up on election law...
you may not like him, but guess what? He's YOUR president too... get over
it!) This is no time for political squabbling and petty bickering... it's
time to get down to business, find these people who planned this operation,
and send them to hell with their kamikazi friends. As far as those
Palestinians cheering and partying... I think an airdrop of the Koran among
them would have a far better effect...
At any rate, you and I as "average citizens" aren't going to be party of
anything that really happens... support your government, hug your loved
ones, pray for those who were lost and those who were affected... Finally
work on and drive your roadsters! (imagine that, Roadster content going to
the roadster list!)
Eric
----- Original Message -----
From: Marc Sayer <marcsayer@home.com>
To: <datsun-roadsters@autox.team.net>
Sent: Tuesday, September 11, 2001 11:12 PM
Subject: Re: Tragedy in the USA
> Well Les and I have been watching the news coverage of the events all day
and
> trying to go on with our regular work, but it has been hard. While I do
have
> family in that immediate aream of the WTC, I am not close to them and can
not
> possibly comprehend what those who are from the area or have loved ones in
the
> area are feeling just now. A lot has been said on the list today, some in
> frustration, some in anger, and some in an attempt to refocus people. I
agree
> with the comments that called for restraint when painting entire ethnic or
> religious groups. We do not yet know for sure who was behind this and even
if
> our current guesses turn out to be right, the actions of these people are
in
> direct opposition to the Koran. While "Islamic fundamentalists" may
frequently
> hide behind their religion, they are not true practitioners of it. To
condemn
> all Muslims for their behavior would be a travesty.
>
> Having said that... I believe, and I chose that word rather than the word
feel
> for a reason, that the US needs to react to this event in a devastating
way. I
> believe that our response needs to be so horrific that no one would ever
> contemplate supporting this sort of act again. We need to find who was
> responsible and who aided, abetted, or gave any sort of support to them,
and we
> need to make the cost of doing this, or supporting those who did, so high
and so
> terrible that people will shudder at the thought of it.
>
> We must make the act of terrorism, be it direct action or simple support
and
> assistance, unthinkable and counterproductive. We can not maintain a free
> society and also prevent people who want to do something like this from
doing
> it. No amount of airport security etc., is going to work, and even if it
did we
> would lose our free society in the process. OTOH we can dissuade people
from
> wanting to do these sorts of things by making the results of them so
unpleasant
> it just isn't worth it.
>
> This is simple behavior modification. It works to train and retrain
animals and
> humans, and it will work for this. We as a society have been negotiating,
> placating, and being the compromiser for too long. It isn't working. Yes
in the
> short term placation and negotiation may avoid some unpleasantness, but in
the
> long run it leads to more and more situations where placation and
negotiation is
> needed. You can negotiate with a kidnapper and get one specific person
back, you
> can not fight kidnapping in general by negotiating with kidnappers. In the
US
> bank robberies are generally up. Why? because policy is to allow the
robbers to
> take the money and then worry about catching them afterwords. While this
does
> often avoid injuries and deaths on an incident by incident basis, it leads
to
> more and more people being put at risk because bank robbing has become a
> relatively safe crime for the criminal. The robbers know it and know they
almost
> certainly will not be shot during a robbery. Does this make bank patrons
safer
> in the long run? I do not think so.
>
> I believe we should nuke the country or countries responsible for
harboring the
> perpetrators, and nuke them into the stone age. We failed to fully
eliminate the
> source of the problem in the Gulf War and that was a mistake that has cost
> thousands of lives, both of US troops, and of Islamic and other ethnic
groups. I
> do not say we should retaliate with nukes in anger, or from a need for
revenge.
> I feel neither of those emotions. I say it because those countries are
> responsible for what happened as sure as if they had launched the attack
> themselves, and they must be made to pay an unacceptably high price for
their
> involvement. No effective terrorist group can function without the support
of
> the local government. You can't set up a functioning terrorist camp where
you
> can plan and practice for this sort of international terrorism unless the
> government at least turns a blind eye. We need to make it so costly to any
> government to do so, that they will refuse to support terrorists.
>
> The attack was clearly an act of war. In fact it was worse than an act of
war
> because it hides behind anonymity and because it was perpetrated on an
> unsuspecting civil population. Wars must be fought to be won as quickly
and
> decisively as possible. Yes there will be people who did not support their
> country's actions, but who will pay the ultimate price for those actions.
That's
> life. And the leaders can not be allowed to hide behind their populace.
Leaders
> can not be allowed to profit from holding their populace hostage.
Ultimately, a
> populace is responsible in a way for the actions of its leaders, and even
in a
> country as repressive as some of these countries are, the populace must
still
> pay for the actions of the country. It can't be helped, and allowing the
country
> to go unpunished would lead to far worse events and far more innocent
lives
> lost.
>
> Often people will say we can't retailiate because these terrorists want to
die
> and that they do not fear death. That by getting us to retaliate they will
win.
> Maybe so. I figure if they really are that rabid, and unfit for living
with
> others, then removing them from the planet is like killing off a cancer.
If we
> continue to allow them to attack the healthy body, more and more healthy
cells
> (or innocent people) will be killed. If we take our medicine some healthy
cells
> might die along with the cancer, but the cancer will be killed off too,
and no
> more healthy cells will be put at risk. We didn't create this situation,
we
> don't like being put in this position, but we damn well are in it and we
damn
> well need to start doing something about it. We all know the old saw, I
didn't
> start this fight, but I am going to finish it.
>
> One last thought. Why were the Palestinians celebrating in the streets
because
> of this? Aren't they the ones who keep complaining about the Israelis
attacking
> innocent civilian targets and condemning such actions as criminal? How do
they
> then celebrate the targeting of innocent civilians here in the US? The
case can
> be made that the Pentagon was a valid military target, but the WTC was a
> *civilian* target. Perhaps these innocent Palestinian civilians aren't
quite so
> innocent as they claim to be. Maybe instead of trying to negotiate a peace
> between the Israelis and the Palestinians we should instead be helping
Israel
> hold and defend its lands. The Israeli government may be repressive, but
it is
> not a supporter of international terrorism and its people do not rejoice i
n the
> streets at the deaths of innocent civillians in another country.
>
> Okay I am off my soapbox. :-0
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