War perspective

[turbo6bar]

I'm not arguing a side, more than passing along part of an email I received. I'll let you draw your own conclusion.

Jurgen

US. Navy Capt. Ouimette is the Executive Officer of Naval Air Station, Pensacola. Here is a copy of the speech he gave earlier this month. A wonderful and accurate account of why we are in trouble today.



America WAKE UP!

That's what we think we heard on the 11th of September
2001and maybe it was, but I think it should have been "Get Out of Bed!" In fact, I think the alarm clock has been buzzing since 1979 and we have continued to hit the snooze button and roll over for a few more minutes of peaceful sleep since then.

It was a cool fall day in November 1979 in a country going through a religious and political upheaval when a group of Iranian students attacked and seized the American Embassy in Tehran. This seizure was an outright attack on American soil; it was an attack that held the world's most powerful country hostage and paralyzed a Presidency. The attack on this sovereign US embassy set the stage for the events to follow for the next
23 years.

America was still reeling from the aftermath of the Viet Nam experience and had a serious threat from the Soviet Union when then, President Carter, had to do something. He chose to conduct a clandestine raid in the desert. The ill-fated mission ended in ruin, but stood as a symbol of America's inability to deal with terrorism. America's military had been decimated and downsized / right sized since the end of the Viet Nam war. A poorly trained, poorly equipped and poorly organized military was called on to execute a complex mission that was doomed from the start.

Shortly after the Tehran experience, Americans began to be kidnaped and killed throughout the Middle East. America could do little to protect her citizens living and working abroad. The attacks against US soil continued. In April of 1983 a large vehicle packed with high explosives was driven into the US Embassy compound in Beirut. When it explodes, it kills 63 people. The alarm went off again and America hit the Snooze Button once more. Then just six short months later a large truck heavily laden down with over 2500 pounds of TNT smashed through the main gate of the US Marine Corps headquarters in Beirut. 241 US servicemen are killed. America mourns her dead and hit the Snooze Button once more. Two months later in December 1983, another truck loaded with explosives is driven into the US Embassy in Kuwait, and America continues her slumber. The following year, in September 1984, another van was driven into the gates of the US Embassy in Beirut and America slept.

Soon the terrorism spreads to Europe. In April 1985 a bomb explodes in a restaurant frequented by US soldiers in Madrid. Then in August a Volkswagen loaded with explosives is driven into the main gate of the US Air Force Base at Rhein-Main, 22 are killed and the Snooze Alarm is buzzing louder and louder as US soil is continually attacked. Fifty-nine days later a cruise ship, the Achille Lauro is hijacked and we watched as an American in a wheelchair is singled out of the passenger list and executed. The terrorists then shift their tactics to bombing civilian airliners when they bomb TWA Flight 840 in April of 1986 that killed 4 and the most tragic bombing, Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in
1988, killing 259. America wants to treat these terrorist acts as crimes; in fact we are still trying to bring these people to trial. These are acts of war...the Wake Up alarm is louder and louder.

The terrorists decide to bring the fight to America. In January 1993, two CIA agents are shot and killed as they enter CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. The following month, February 1993, a group of terrorists are arrested after a rented van packed with explosives is driven into the underground parking garage of the World Trade Center in New York City. Six people are killed and over 1000 are injured. Still this is a crime and not an act of war? The Snooze alarm is depressed again.

Then in November 1995 a car bomb explodes at a US military complex in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia killing seven service men and women. A few months later in June of 1996, another truck bomb explodes only 35 yards from the US military compound in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. It destroys the Khobar Towers, a US Air Force barracks, killing 19 and injuring over 500.

The terrorists are getting braver and smarter as they see that America does not respond decisively. They move to coordinate their attacks in a simultaneous attack on two US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. These attacks were planned with precision, they kill 224. America responds with cruise missile attacks and goes back to sleep.

The USS Cole was docked in the port of Aden, Yemen for refueling on 12 October 2000, when a small craft pulled along side the ship and exploded killing 17 US Navy Sailors. Attacking a US War Ship is an act of war, but we sent the FBI to investigate the crime and went back to sleep.

And of course you know the events of 11 September 2001. Most Americans think this was the first attack against US soil or in America. How wrong they are. America has been under a constant attack since 1979 and we chose to hit the snooze alarm and roll over and go back to sleep.

In the news lately we have seen lots of finger pointing from every high official in government over what they knew and what they didn't know. But if you've read the papers and paid a little attention I think you can see exactly what they knew. You don't have to be in the FBI or CIA or on the National Security Council to see the pattern that has been developing since 1979. The President is right on when he says we are engaged in a war. I think we have been in a war for the past 23 years and it will continue until we as a people decide enough is enough.

America has to "Get out of Bed" and act decisively now. America has changed forever. We have to be ready to pay the price and make the sacrifice to ensure our way of life continues. We cannot afford to hit the Snooze Button again and roll over and go back to sleep. We have to make the terrorists know that in the words of Admiral Yamamoto after the attack on Pearl Harbor "that all they have done is to awaken a sleeping giant."

Thank you very much.

[Aurel]

Sept 11 has been organized by the CIA, in order to start a sate of permanent war in the middle east, which only goal is to seize oil, or more exaclty the oil money.
The weapons of mass destructions was a big bluff, nothing significant has been found so far. And as far as freeing the iraqui people, all they have to say now is:

Get the hell out of here !

So, YOU wake up, dude !

Aurel

[island911]

Dude, no. .. you got it wrong . .it was *actually* organized by the brain sucking aliens from outerspace.

Quick get the tinfoil hat on before its too AHAHHAHHHHH

[tabs]

Originally posted by turbo6bar

We have to be ready to pay the price and make the sacrifice to ensure our way of life continues....

"Ensure OUR WAY OF LIFE CONTINUES"......... I think this speaks to the seriousness of the war on terrorism.....

If the USA goes under......the world will be plunged into a new dark ages where chaos will reign.....and France will not SURVIVE... the world economy is interdependent........ the reserve currency of the world is still the $$$$$$ bill.... so Aurel you might as well decide if U like driving your Porsche and having all those other luxurys that a modern society provides.....or would you rather go back to using a outhouse to take a dump in...... Cause thats basically what it comes down to......

[Aurel]

Tabs, you are perfecltly right. This war is about maintaining the growth rate of the global economy. The war on terror thing was just to get all the sheep onboard. Maybe if the true objectives had been stated upfront, the US would not look like a big liar to the rest of the world. I like driving my porsche, but I do not like to know that innocents have been killed for that, by other innocents who had no clue what they were really fighting for.

Aurel

[tabs]

Aurel it's a forest for the trees issue.....not many people can grasp the global implications of an Islamic Jihad......the threat is very real.... I think it was Charles martel at the Battle of Tours that understood the issue...

[CamB]

Its been mentioned on another thread, but it continually amazes me how angry many people throughout the world are with the US.

I am guessing US foreign policy tends to engender this ill-will. I mean, it annoys me, but then again I never feel any urge to bomb anything because of it

[CJFusco]

While I am not a serious conspiracy theorist, I have to admit that the September 11 attacks provided just the motivation that most Americans needed in order to support this latest corporate war.

Just as aside, Aurel, did you hear the title of Michael Moore's next movie:

FARENHEIT 9-11: THE TEMPERATURE AT WHICH FREEDOM BURNS

(love the Bradbury reference, btw)

[island911]

Originally posted by CamB
. . it continually amazes me how angry many people throughout the world are with the US.. . .

You then, would likely be AMAZED how many people are "angry" with Bill Gates too. (even though they continue to give him money for product)
You may even be AMAZED how many people are "angry" with New Zealand.
So what are you tyring to say? . . .you're easily amazed, living in utopia, where no one is working hard to exterminate you?

[island911]

CJ, how is the latest war a "corporate war" ?

Also, re; non-serious conspiracy; are you implying Bush is actually a mastermind & actor, just pulling the New Zealand wool over our eyes?

[CamB]

Originally posted by island911
You then, would likely be AMAZED how many people are "angry" with Bill Gates too. (even though they continue to give him money for product)
You may even be AMAZED how many people are "angry" with New Zealand.
So what are you tyring to say? . . .you're easily amazed, living in utopia, where no one is working hard to exterminate you?

I'm pretty sure I'm not trying to say that.

Not that it is relevant, but other than Bush, few people are angry with NZ (I guess few people even know its here). He is apparently really pissed off because our Prime Minister said in an interview that she thought that Sept 11 under Gore wouldn't have ended up in an invasion of Iraq, and made the observation early in the war that it didn't appear to be going to plan.

She apologised for causing offennce to Bush after the US overreacted - "You're either for us or ag'en us"

But not 'till she was quoted as saying she had only stated "the bleedingly obvious". I'm surprised he bothered getting pissed off - he should have had other things on his mind.

[CJFusco]

By "not a serious conspiracy theorist," i meant that I think conspiracy theories are cool and interesting, but I don't necessarily believe them.

And i should have left off that bit about the corporate war, that was just my editorializing attitude taking over... i really meant to be non-partisan in this post but the itch is just too tempting.

[island911]

Cam, sounds like your Prime Minister is an idiot. She's Monday-morning-quaterbacking when she wasn't even getting a clear signal on the game. . . so to speak. Or does NZ have a fleet of satilites tasked on Iraq, to allow your your Prime Minister full access to how the war was going? . . . maybe a crystal ball too, with Al Gores 'what-if' future? . . . idiot PM.

[speeder]

Island, EXACTLY!! Only Americans, and really only ones who watch FOX news, know how the war is really going! You keep on giving it to those foreigners, can't believe the nerve of some of them, questioning our foreign policy. Maybe NZ should be next on our *****-list. GRRRRRRR........

[CJFusco]

so it never entered your mind that maybe the rest of the civilized world is right and you're the one that's wrong?

[island911]

speeder, you missed my point. To spell it out a bit more;
It's one thing for us (on this board) to bat around the information we have from various sources. THe NZ PM, however, shouldn't be babbling on about 'what ifs'. . . .it makes her look like a Dan Quale. (if that helps you understand)

and, no, NZ is not the next on my *****-list.

[island911]

Originally posted by CJFusco
so it never entered your mind that maybe the rest of the civilized world is right and you're the one that's wrong?

right and wrong about what?
Are you saying France & Russia were "right" to want to keep Saddam in place JUST so they could keep their cash flow up?

Are you saying Saddam should have been allowed to continue, keeping food from the Iraqi populus? Hey it was only 4000 kids dying due to malnutrition each year. I suppose the rest of the world was right, and the US was wrong.

Then there is the outright killing/torture machine of Saddam. Yeah, "the rest of the world" is so right to just look the other way.

Has it ever entered YOUR mind that maybe leftist will SELLOUT anybody(ies) to cover their latent desire for people in other countries to comit genocide? especially if it means putting down the Bush admin at the same time.

Atleast the left gets to play the part of "peace seeking" good-guy. . . .and nobody sees what *that* game is. In fact I;m just all warm and fuzzy just thinking about how right "the rest of the world" is to want to have left Saddam alone.

After all, it's all about warm-fuzzies .. . sometimes you just have to look the other way to keep them. (warm & fuzzy)

[hoff944]

Hot damn island. Well done. France and Russia, after arguing forever to lift sanctions on Iraq, now oppose lifting sanctions on Iraq after the war is over and Saddam is out of power. France and Russia argued that the children of Iraq were suffereing because of the sanctions. The oil for food program shows you what Saddam got the people of Iraq. Now Iraq needs to rebuild and it has oil to sell and France and Russia don't want to lift sanctions? How messed up is that? It just shows you who is really in it for the oil! FRANCE AND RUSSIA!

[CJFusco]

"Has it ever entered YOUR mind that maybe leftist will SELLOUT anybody(ies) to cover their latent desire for people in other countries to comit genocide? especially if it means putting down the Bush admin at the same time. "

are you insinuating that liberals actually want people murdered? wow.

btw, I agree with your points on France and Russia; I don't think anyone disputes this. However, we also must recognize that the U.S. involvement in Iraq is not as lilly-white as the current administration wants it to seem. This is been discussed in detail in other threads in the OT forum, so I won't go into it... suffice to say that both sides have their points, both positive and negative. Now, as far as the "rest of the world," popular sentiment in governments other than France and Russia (including England, our comrade-in-arms) was that U.S. involvement in Iraq was just another case of American imperialism and capitalist security. Other Western civilizations had almost as much to gain with the U.S.'s involvement in Iraq, for they rely on the same world economy that we do... so one might ask, why was the majority of world population against this war? Personal reasons? Business interests?

[hoff944]

How do you know it was the majority of the worlds population? There is no way to prove that.