That's what we think we heard on the 11th of September 2001 (When more than 3,000 Americans were killed) and 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 U. S. embassy set the stage for events to follow for the next 23 years. America was still reeling from the aftermath of the Vietnam 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 Vietnam 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 kidnapped 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 and 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 gate 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 interests are 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. Clinton treated 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 getting 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 needs to "Get out of Bed" and act decisively now. America has been 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 keep hitting the snooze button again and again and roll over and go back to sleep. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Admiral Yamamoto said "...it seems all we have done is awakened a sleeping giant." This is the message we need to disseminate to terrorists around the world. This is not a political thing to be hashed over in an election year this is an AMERICAN thing. This is about our Freedom and the Freedom of our children in years to come. Please copy this to as many people as you can especially to the young people and all those who dozed off in history class and who seem so quick to protest such a necessary military action. May GOD Bless America !!!
Mike- I agree. Unfortunately, I think the average American is desensitized to violence because there is so much of in our society and it gets trivialized. 3 shootings just last night here in KC, and a wrecked truck full of raw turkey got more airtime because it closed down the interstate. Hence, it seems our country tends to treat terrorists with the attitude of "if we ignore them long enough, they'll go away". I worry for us all. - Freed
I agree with you Freed. It's just that type of attitude and thinking people have that worries me as well. Obviously, we've ignored long enough. They haven't gone away.
The problem is, is we don't have the guts to go and finish this off like it needs to be. It's sad to see the U.S. armed forces negotiating with clerics who wants us all dead, just so there is peace and stability while we try and rebuild Iraq. We should've flattened all these bastards, but instead we cater to them. This whole country is going to hell as long as we keep pussy-footing around. We have to show who is in charge and it doesn't matter how many people die cause of it. If we don't show dominance, then we'll keep getting our asses killed. I've never seen a country fight with so much compassion as the U.S. If we don't start putting our foot down, we will lose this war. The next countries to strike are Iran and Saudi Arabia. Throw a few nukes over there and get the shovels to pick-up the remains. These countries don't give a damn about us, so why should we?
I have a few different feelings about "finishing it the way it should be." One is, it would work. Two is, in these politically correct times, it wouldn't happen. It worked in WWII with the two big ones. Problem is, how many hundred's of thousands did it kill? Innocent people that is? True, it did work. Nobody can dispute that. Peace followed and relations between European countries and Japan and the U.S. have thrived. Doesn't seem so bad. Maybe it actually "saved" lives in the long run. At this point, unless we do something drastic, we may just be mired in this for decades to come. Don't forget though, you have a few terrorists here, a few terrorists there, in countries all over the world. All the ducks are not in the same pond. You just can't turn the whole world into glass. It just isn't that simple as it used to be.
First, for those who plan on seeing fairenheit 9/11 read this to learn a little more about it and Michael Moore. Rob while I respect your thoughts, usung nukes just gives license for others to throw the same thing our way. However, that being said, I don't see anything wrong with letting the enemy set the standards of warfare. They use poison gas; we use poison gas. They behead innocent people, we do the same to their family members. Just make sure we know who is doing what and who they are related to.
Mike, I tend to agree, but you must realise without me pointing it out, that most Americans have completely fallen out of the mindset that it's OK for the USA to protect it's own interests. I have talked at length with people about this, and I have determined that basically we don't understand that the US has needs just as important as other countries' needs. There is no such thing as a gentle machine gun, and when another group or country attacks the US, it is an act of War in the traditional sense. War is not nice or friendly, and people die. Politicians want a spin on this, so the 'kinder gentler' use of force is a nice picture to paint. Then when the truth comes home to roost, it's a shock. The nature of protecting our interests has changed, but the methods remain the same: Diplomacy, or military action. When a group or nation uses violence to promote their own political agenda, Diplomacy often works against us, becuase a Stage is what they want, and anyway, they won't listen. SO a military answer is given, and we have been told that it's wrong, we don't do that. Tell the Barbary pirates that one! There is nothing wrong with the US looking out for the US's interests but we are using half measures and half-hearted attempts to save political face, which is nothing new. Anyone who advocates using the Bomb obviously is too young to really have a grasp of what they are saying.
Nice link Adam. It shows what is obvious to me. Michael Moore is a sad, frustrated joke-of-a human being.:moonu:
LOL! my boss is in his 50's and says it all the time (we won't get into his other character flaws) ou:
Adam, great article. The best part of it is that the author, Christopher Hitchens, is one of the most blatent liberals out there, and even he is calling Michael Moore for what he is, a lier, a propagandanist and someone who even the most hard core left thinkers don't want to associate with.
Very true, Mike. The problem is that we do not have anyone to fight against. It's not like you can go over there and pick the terrorists out of a lineup. Now, here in America, we might have a chance. I don't condone genocide, and that's not what I'm saying at all- just to clarify that up front. However, if someone here in this country is not a citizen and comes from one of these countries, why are we not sending them home? Why are we letting them stay in our cities and universities, even when they are outspoken against our system and way of life? These people need to be watched closely, if not sent away, for the security of the country. To say we should use the bomb is complete idiocy. I will be 29 tomorrow, and I have seen enough video and pictures of the results to know. If that doesn't rip your heart out to see the mutilation and destruction of innocent people, you need to take a long hard look at yourself. There should be no celebration for anything so completely evil, no matter how many American lives it saved. Often we put more value on the lives of our people over the lives of other people in the world. With that attitude, it's no wonder they hate us! The sad but interesting thing with all of this talk about the war and politics and religion is that the world really hasn't changed much since history has been written down. For all of our technology and knowledge (speaking of the world as a whole, not just our nation) we still are all out for our own interests at someone else's expense. I would venture to guess that it will be this way until the end of time; murder in the name of religion, war for profit or power, etc. So, where does this leave us? That is the question. In a perfect world, we could make peace with our enemies. That is not going to happen. But is war really the answer? Whoever lives by the sword will die by the sword. We need to consider that, as the world is becoming more and more industrialized, we might not always be the biggest kid on the block. There will come a time when other nations have caught up to us as far as technology is concerned, and then the one with the most resources wins! If we continue to respond to violence with violence, we WILL die a violent death (as a nation) at someone's hand eventually. War should always be the last resort after all other means are exhausted. This is why I believe we need to focus on homeland security- here at home. A careful plan to make this nation more self-sufficient will go a long way toward keeping it alive. We need to close the borders and concentrate on getting it together here, and let the rest of the world do as they will. We need to respond with force only when it comes to us, but be prepared to do so when it is absolutely necessary. We need to stop chasing terrorists and instead make sure that they do not get into the country to do damage! What I'm trying to say is that this whole administration's policy is completely backwards and is making us the fools to the rest of the world. It's a little boy's mentality that our problems can be solved by beating on the first easy target we see. Most of us learn in grade school that most problems can be solved in a better way, at least by the time we're adults. Those that don't usually end up in jail or dead. We need to be introspective at this point in our history more than ever- more so than looking at the rest of the world. There are enough problems here at home.
"Often we put more value on the lives of our people over the lives of other people in the world. With that attitude, it's no wonder they hate us!" I agree with being more self-sufficent and hopefully we will get out of the middle-east and use our own resources, but what is quoted is what every country feels about their own people. The reason why muslims hate us is it's taught to them at an early age. If you think getting out of the middle-east is going to solve the problems, it's totally false. These people want us dead period. There's no negotiating, that's why you see so many guys with their heads chopped off. I just heard they have a group of Halliburton employees held captive now and I guarantee they will die. It's sad, but true. These people don't think or act like us. If they did, they would be civil too and we wouldn't be in this mess. Alot of people disagree with the war, but I wonder if it's the war that's causing it? I feel it's the change of lifestyle that people don't want to follow that's causing all of this. After 9-11 the way we live our lives, it'll never be the same and I think people don't want to accept it. Either we get it done now anyway possible, or we're stuck in this like Isreael and Palestine for the next 3000 years.
Most of the justification for this invasion was based on faulty intel that said Iraq had WMDs. Since none were found, Bush has to save face. Never mind that Saddam had many times over violated the terms of the UN resolutions he agreed to to get us out in 1991. Bush's other goal was to get Saddam. Since this was accomplished, what next? I'd say the goal now is to establish a government, one that will prosecute and control criminals. Pulling out without leaving a government system in place will just promote lawlessness and the rise of another Saddam. We can't pull out, however we can't kill hundreds of thousands of civilians. Every country in the world would hate America and Americans. It would get worse, not better. Rob- Thank God you don't have your finger on the nuclear button. Nuclear arms are only a deterrent now, not a weapon to be used agressively. The consequences of using extreme force are often more dire than not using it. Our president is doing the best he can without riling up every nation in the world and losing any more of America's credibility. Steve- The problem I see with closing the borders and letting the rest of the world do as they will is that we need the rest of the world to survive. There are American interests in almost every country in the world. We help them and they help us. In return, they vote our way most of the time. Look at the support America got regarding Kuwait. Wouldn't have happened if we didn't help other countries. And we ARE "responding with force when it comes to us". John
Did I ever say that? Do you think being there is going to solve anything? If so, you're fooling yourself. If anything, it aggravates a bad situation. You can assume anything you want, but that doesn't mean it's true. You have a good point- we definitely don't want to change our ways. The war is an easy out for a president that doesn't want to focus on our problems here at home. It's a knee-jerk reaction to a serious problem that requires much more thorough analysis. Any president that pushes people out of their comfort zone will not get elected again. If we were smart, and were willing to sacrifice a lot of our comforts, we would put limitations on how much oil we are using, and get rid of our ties to the middle east. Yeah, those days are definitely over... that is for sure! But answer this: What are we accomplishing over there? If you can tell me what there is to gain, I will agree with you 100%. Until then, I have no choice but to speak out against this war. It's just doesn't make any sense at all to be there. No one yet has said what there is to gain from this situation! A free Iraq? How does it benefit us. Give them a few years, and they will still be sending terrorists over here. We can't take out every government in the middle east.
John, That's a good point, and I have considered that. I think we have an obligation to help anyone that is truly in need and asks for our help. What we shouldn't do is jump into every conflict on the globe and try to police the whole world. There is a difference. Like anything else of importance, it requires a careful balance and a lot of thought before action. As to responding with force; It's not only important to respond at the appropriate time, but also toward the appropriate people. In this case, who is that? Iraq? They were just an easy target to get the American people off of Bush's back. It was a pacifier for angry (rightfully so) people who wanted action without considering the price of that action. We wanted blood- plain and simple. Should we stay with that course of action, even if it was wrong? I agree- set up the government and stabilize it as much as possible. We have to clean up our mess. If we want a fighting chance to avoid 9-11 again, we need to work on a good defense and cutting our ties to the middle east.
I totally and wholeheartedly agree. Couldn't have said it better myself. Our foreign policy is exactly why they hate us. However if we stop all aid and cut all ties, they'll hate us for that too. Damned if we do, damned if we don't. John
Yep, no matter what, we're screwed. If someone had the perfect answer they would be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. This is all new territory we're exploring with warfare and I guess we need to do the trial and error process. Watching the news Russia's president Putin (sp?) said Iraq had plans of attacking us towards the end of last year, I believe. It was when we had the UN come and investgate Iraq was when their plans were cancelled. Terriorists are all over and it's easy for them to move from country to country. We are weakening them and winning, but it's taking alot of time to do so. Once Iraq gets on it's feet and the people see how good democracy can be, they'll have a reason to protect it. John, I'm sure I wouldn't be throwing nukes left and right if I was at the controls, but people are so pessimistic over the war that I'd rather see it done and over with. There are plenty of good reasons to be over there right now and not only did we get a dictator out of power, but we're giving humanitarian aid to the people who need it. I support Bush and everything he's doing, because he has the balls to get things done instead of the democrats who tend to solve all our problems through polices and sanctions. Clinton is a perfect example on how democrats act towards these types of problems. I wish the Armed Forces would be alittle more aggressive instead of negotiating with the clerics and insurgents that occupy the region. Even though I would like to help people out, sometimes you just need to put your foot down. Just remember, these people have no rules in war, where we agreed to be a part of the Geneva Convention. The one thing I hope to see is people not taking this thread too personally. I'm just stating my opinion and I can tell you I'm far from perfect. No matter what we say here, it's not going to change the world.
