The work of the Devil?
The most alarming fact about the 9/11 attack is that almost half the people in New York City think the Federal government knew about it before it happened. Roughly half the people in Europe think the same way. People even go as far as to say that the government was actually the instigator and the perpetrator.
Think about it; a city is viciously attacked and half the population of the city think it was carried out by their own government!
How can one defeat an enemy so diabolical that it can attack a country, and then convince half of the attacked countries residents that they actually attacked themselves?
It's obvious that things have changed a lot since World War Two. Some people think Roosevelt had prior knowledge about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and he then let the attack happen so as to get America into the war. It's hard for me to imagine him sacrificing the Pacific fleet so he could fight a war in the Pacific, but who am I to make such a bold commentary on international affairs? Accordingly, it's said that George Bush allowed the attack on New York City to happen so we could invade Iraq. The motive for invading Iraq, I suppose, was to get at the oil.
The difference between Pearl Harbor and the twin towers is that nobody accused Roosevelt of orchestrating the attack on the Pacific Fleet. Also, the country immediately became united in a fight against a very physical and easily identifiable enemy. Whereas after the attack on New York, the country is a far from being united, in fact, it's split right down the middle, and we declared war against an invisible, ghostlike, and, apparently, diabolically clever enemy.
The President declared war on Terror. I've never been very comfortable about that. One can oppose terror, but can one declare a war on it? I don't know, it's a bit like declaring a war on bombs. We may as well have declared war on the Devil. Then again, maybe we did.
The war began to find a real and observable enemy when we invaded Iraq. Sad to say; approximately forty percent of Americans still think that Saddam was behind the attack on New York City. Obviously these are the people that are juggling jobs, kids, and a mortgage payment. They managed to take their noses from the grindstone and look up when the planes flew into the twin towers, then they looked up again when we invaded Iraq. One thing obviously led to the other.
However the war in Iraq was won; victory was declared, but the war on terror continued. The real enemy was still incensed and terrified by our freedoms. They hated the idea of working two jobs, putting up with unruly kids motifvated by MTV, and the idea of being locked into make a mortage payment for thirty years so as to raise the brats sent them into convulsions. Giving freedom to Iraq, whether Iraq wanted it or not, incensed them even more. The real war, the one against a dibolicaly clever and ghost like enemy, took off in earnest.
We are told the war will go on for a long time, maybe even forever; I don't know why. I'm still trying to figure out the concept of fighting a war on terror!
The war on terror began when the enemy attacked New York City. Not only did the enemy ram planes into the twin towers, and the Pentagon by the way, no way was it a missile; they also managed to make the twin towers fall down like buildings do when they are being demolished. It takes weeks of careful planning to make a building fall down like that. Then to make matters even worse, a nearby building fell down like it was being demolished too; and this building wasn't even hit by planes.
What can one do against an enemy like that? What can one think about an attack like that? Can one really blame people for thinking that something about it all just doesn't compute?
We are told that things have changed, for ever. This is a war that may never end. We are being told about good and bad. We are good. The enemy is bad. I agree. Who wouldn't? We have always been good, and the enemy has always been bad, and who am I to argue with such a concept.
My problem is that I no longer have a clear picture of the enemy. It's a bit like Steinbecks novel "The Grapes of Wrath". In the book, a farmer has decided that he will not be evicted from his home because he owes money to the bank. He stands guard in the Okie dust bowl, with his shotgun, ready to kill anyone that tries to take away his home, his family, and his living. A man approaches on a bulldozer. He wants to destroy the farmers house. The farmer threatens the driver of the bulldozer with his shotgun. The driver says; and I paraprhase:
"It's not me. I'm in the same boat as you. Me and my family got evicted just last week. All I'm doing is trying to put food on the table. If you shoot me another man will take my place, and then you'll have to shoot him, then another one will come, it'll never end. It'll do you no good to shoot me."
"Then who do I shoot?" Asked the farmer.
Sounds a bit like what this war on terror is all about. They'll keep on coming for ever, and ever,
and I no longer feel a certainty about anything.
What ever possessed the man to declare a war on terror? Did the Devil make him do it?
Think about it; a city is viciously attacked and half the population of the city think it was carried out by their own government!
How can one defeat an enemy so diabolical that it can attack a country, and then convince half of the attacked countries residents that they actually attacked themselves?
It's obvious that things have changed a lot since World War Two. Some people think Roosevelt had prior knowledge about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and he then let the attack happen so as to get America into the war. It's hard for me to imagine him sacrificing the Pacific fleet so he could fight a war in the Pacific, but who am I to make such a bold commentary on international affairs? Accordingly, it's said that George Bush allowed the attack on New York City to happen so we could invade Iraq. The motive for invading Iraq, I suppose, was to get at the oil.
The difference between Pearl Harbor and the twin towers is that nobody accused Roosevelt of orchestrating the attack on the Pacific Fleet. Also, the country immediately became united in a fight against a very physical and easily identifiable enemy. Whereas after the attack on New York, the country is a far from being united, in fact, it's split right down the middle, and we declared war against an invisible, ghostlike, and, apparently, diabolically clever enemy.
The President declared war on Terror. I've never been very comfortable about that. One can oppose terror, but can one declare a war on it? I don't know, it's a bit like declaring a war on bombs. We may as well have declared war on the Devil. Then again, maybe we did.
The war began to find a real and observable enemy when we invaded Iraq. Sad to say; approximately forty percent of Americans still think that Saddam was behind the attack on New York City. Obviously these are the people that are juggling jobs, kids, and a mortgage payment. They managed to take their noses from the grindstone and look up when the planes flew into the twin towers, then they looked up again when we invaded Iraq. One thing obviously led to the other.
However the war in Iraq was won; victory was declared, but the war on terror continued. The real enemy was still incensed and terrified by our freedoms. They hated the idea of working two jobs, putting up with unruly kids motifvated by MTV, and the idea of being locked into make a mortage payment for thirty years so as to raise the brats sent them into convulsions. Giving freedom to Iraq, whether Iraq wanted it or not, incensed them even more. The real war, the one against a dibolicaly clever and ghost like enemy, took off in earnest.
We are told the war will go on for a long time, maybe even forever; I don't know why. I'm still trying to figure out the concept of fighting a war on terror!
The war on terror began when the enemy attacked New York City. Not only did the enemy ram planes into the twin towers, and the Pentagon by the way, no way was it a missile; they also managed to make the twin towers fall down like buildings do when they are being demolished. It takes weeks of careful planning to make a building fall down like that. Then to make matters even worse, a nearby building fell down like it was being demolished too; and this building wasn't even hit by planes.
What can one do against an enemy like that? What can one think about an attack like that? Can one really blame people for thinking that something about it all just doesn't compute?
We are told that things have changed, for ever. This is a war that may never end. We are being told about good and bad. We are good. The enemy is bad. I agree. Who wouldn't? We have always been good, and the enemy has always been bad, and who am I to argue with such a concept.
My problem is that I no longer have a clear picture of the enemy. It's a bit like Steinbecks novel "The Grapes of Wrath". In the book, a farmer has decided that he will not be evicted from his home because he owes money to the bank. He stands guard in the Okie dust bowl, with his shotgun, ready to kill anyone that tries to take away his home, his family, and his living. A man approaches on a bulldozer. He wants to destroy the farmers house. The farmer threatens the driver of the bulldozer with his shotgun. The driver says; and I paraprhase:
"It's not me. I'm in the same boat as you. Me and my family got evicted just last week. All I'm doing is trying to put food on the table. If you shoot me another man will take my place, and then you'll have to shoot him, then another one will come, it'll never end. It'll do you no good to shoot me."
"Then who do I shoot?" Asked the farmer.
Sounds a bit like what this war on terror is all about. They'll keep on coming for ever, and ever,
and I no longer feel a certainty about anything.
What ever possessed the man to declare a war on terror? Did the Devil make him do it?
posted by WaltsWorld at
4:23 PM
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