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'United 93' and why we took the war to Iraq
Star Newspapers - Chicago ^ | Sunday, May 7, 2006 | Michael Bowers, Star columnist

Posted on 05/07/2006 7:26:55 AM PDT by Chi-townChief

Last weekend in Chicago Ridge I saw "United 93." It's outstanding. The violence is not gratuitous. "Let's roll" is more an offhand comment than a battle cheer. Considering the subject, the movie is extremely restrained. This makes it more powerful, not less. The events of the day speak for themselves. They don't need added theatrics.

My strongest emotion was dread, knowing what was going to happen to these passengers before they ever had a clue. Once they found out, the dread dissipated and all that was left was to watch a desperate death match. I almost wanted it to hurry up and be over, because I didn't want to see the passengers suffer anymore. Everyone's last, weeping phone message was the same. "Tell my family I love them."

But this doesn't mean "United 93" is a bad movie. It's superior from start to finish. It hurts, but you must see it anyway. We mustn't forget what these horrid creatures did to innocent Americans. And all the while, they truly thought God was smiling upon them. For me, the movie is a needed reminder of why we invaded Iraq.

(Excerpt) Read more at starnewspapers.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Government; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Illinois; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 911; 911wtc; alqueda; bush; iraq; islam; moviereview; muslims; terrorism; united93; wot
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To: sionnsar

No one is seeing it. The revenue numbers and attendance are horrible. Shame on American and Americans! Shame on Republicans! Shame on Conservatives! Democrats and their left-wing vermin America haters loved the slaughter of American innocents. Shucks, they brought it about!!! They ain't gonna go see it!!! They want 911 to happen again and again!!!


21 posted on 05/07/2006 8:57:51 AM PDT by JLAGRAYFOX
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To: sionnsar

I saw it yesterday as well, its an excellent movie, done very well. I went to a matina(sp)and there were probably about 40 people in the theater. At the end, everyone just sat still...not saying a word. I stated to my hubby that everyone should see this, a needed reminder at why we are at war.


22 posted on 05/07/2006 9:01:55 AM PDT by Laverne
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To: Chi-townChief

Bump.


23 posted on 05/07/2006 9:25:38 AM PDT by Freedom of Speech Wins
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To: Chi-townChief

bump


24 posted on 05/07/2006 9:27:17 AM PDT by facedown (Armed in the Heartland)
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To: Chi-townChief
This movie was very powerful. At first I didn't want to see it. I thought it was too soon and they should have waited longer before making this movie. I am so glad my friends forced me to go and see it. It reminded me exactly why we are at war and why these terrorists must be stopped. The movie is also very respectful and was not turned in to a typical Hollywood show. I STRONGLY encourage all to go and see this movie.
25 posted on 05/07/2006 9:34:57 AM PDT by AmericanR76
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To: Darkwolf377

I wonder about that myself but a lot of it stems from the need to "take on" the president and establish your independence - which is OK as far as it goes but I, too, would draw the line at putting the rats in power.


26 posted on 05/07/2006 10:08:00 AM PDT by Chi-townChief
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To: JLAGRAYFOX

America is not doomed. True, many have forgotten 911. But the enemy is losing big over there and they can’t do anything over here. If they do, they will get it ten times worse because hitting us at home brings out the fight in us. That means we hurt them bad (let them try something really stupid—we won’t hesitate to use our ultimate military options) and we vote conservative. There’s no way they’ll try anything before the upcoming elections (unless they just go completely nuts, which is quite possible), because that would put more Republicans in office.

Remember bin Laden’s campaign speech for Kerry about a week before the 04 elections? Al Quaeda needs to get Democrats elected.

And the Democrats need the Republicans to be divided. It’s the primary strategy of Democrats this election. They are proceeding covertly on this.

I will never desert Bush or the Republicans. Especially not in this war.


27 posted on 05/07/2006 10:08:01 AM PDT by reasonisfaith (Leftists will never stand up like men and fight for their true beliefs.)
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To: roses of sharon

I could not agree with anyone more than I do with you in this post.


28 posted on 05/07/2006 10:10:25 AM PDT by Radix (Stop domestic violence. Beat abroad.)
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To: Radix

bttt


29 posted on 05/07/2006 10:24:39 AM PDT by Guenevere
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To: Savage Beast
"And Michael Bowers is quite correct that the paramount culprits are not foreign lunatics but self-hating, delusional Americans--the decadent Left--who are the enablers of America's enemies and their fifth column."
~~~~~~~~~
Michael Bowers has convinced me that in spite of the fact that viewing "United 93" is bound to be painful, it is something I must do. Bowers' movie review is excellent, one of the best I have read. Even more important is his recognition that the enemy from within, hate-filled, agenda-driven, dangerously partisan left wingers are a (perhaps unwitting) threat to our nation and our citizens. Terrorists are bound to seize that hatred and to convert it to their own evil cause. Are our homegrown hate mongers so naive that they believe they will be spared the destructive forces they have helped spawn? What fools they must be!
30 posted on 05/07/2006 10:31:56 AM PDT by OkeyDokeyOkie
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To: Chi-townChief
From the article:

As the rubble of the Twin Towers smoked, President Bush knew he must destroy this segment. He was not the only American who thought so. So also did Thomas Friedman, one of the world's foremost experts on the Middle East, who writes for the New York Times, and who is no conservative.

In January 2004, Friedman wrote: "The real reason for this war — which was never stated — was to burst what I would call the 'terrorism bubble,' which had built up during the 1990s.

"This bubble was a dangerous fantasy, believed by way too many people in the Middle East. This bubble said that it was OK to plow airplanes into the World Trade Center, commit suicide in Israeli pizza parlors, praise people who do these things as 'martyrs' and donate money to them through religious charities.

"This bubble had to be burst, and the only way to do it was to go right into the heart of the Arab world and smash something -- to let everyone know that we, too, are ready to fight and die to preserve our open society. Yes, I know, it's not very diplomatic — it's not in the rule book — but everyone in the neighborhood got the message: Henceforth, you will be held accountable.

Bubba left the bubble smashing up to others; he was too busy tooting his horn..............vote Hillary out of her seat in the Senate and then vote both Hillary and Bill out of the White House forever!

31 posted on 05/07/2006 10:36:42 AM PDT by yoe (Proud member of Coop’s GCA !– ( Gruntled Conservatives of America))
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To: reasonisfaith

I will never desert GW Bush or the Republicans either, even though I disagree with them on a number of issues. I'm much more conservative and consider myself an objective student of war history, particularly the American wars. There is no substitute for total victory. History teaches that quite clearly. But, my fear is that America, now fast asleep at the wheel will bring the Democrat Party back into power. And....that my friend, will destroy America as we know it from any one of a number of parameters. Whether it is war, homeland security, taxes, immigration, social security, medicare, same sex marriage, etc. the Democrats will turn the country, first into a socialist nightmare, then into a secular nightmare, and finally they will open up our borders, not to illegal immigrants, but terrorist Nukes. A few years from now millions of American families will be mourning their loved ones, and asking how could this have happened. 911 tells the whole story of how Bill Clinton and his Democrat Party failed to protect America from attack. Americans are in denial about 911 and the events that led up to it. History will repeat itself. The USA is going down unless the American public and voter wakes up to reality, which they won't. I, with all my heart, wish it was otherwise, but it isn't.


32 posted on 05/07/2006 10:38:11 AM PDT by JLAGRAYFOX
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To: AmericanR76

Good post. Personally, I wanted to see it since I first heard about it. It was good that no big name actors or actresses were cast in in, because the ones that were in it looked like ordinary Americans. Ordinary Americans who were going about their own business, whether it be business persons conducting business, a smiling older couple doing crossword puzzles or a flight attendent talking about spending more time with her children.

One of the things that made me the angriest was when the terrorists killed the older (like me) flight attendant. Because I starting thinking, what if that was my wife who is probably about the same age as the actress who portrayed the attendant. the movie made me realize how short life is and how it can end at any moment.


33 posted on 05/07/2006 10:38:42 AM PDT by texasmountainman (Remember the heroic men and women of Flight 93-go watch United 93.)
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To: Chi-townChief

Thomas Friedman: "Why Iraq, not Saudi Arabia or Pakistan? Because we could — period."

Nailed it!
It was the only country that, quite frankly, we had any excuse to invade. It put us on the chessboard, right where we need to be. From there, we can jump in all four directions.


34 posted on 05/07/2006 10:48:52 AM PDT by Excellence (Since November 6, 1998)
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To: Darkwolf377

FWIW, in-fighting in the Canadian right gave us 13 straight years of Liberal misrule. A united front gave us a Conservative government (albeit a minority one, with a tenuous tenure).


35 posted on 05/07/2006 11:04:19 AM PDT by USFRIENDINVICTORIA
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To: JLAGRAYFOX

Don’t worry, the islamofascists can’t win. Not by either of their two options.

Option one, active military engagement: they lose because the more active they become against us (meaning trying to fight us at home) the more hawkish Americans will become. You could say our hawkishness is right now at 30%, so imagine an American public with an 80 or 90% fighting spirit. No political leader could oppose such a unified citizenry.

Option two is political shenanigans like the current tactic of manipulating our media and taking advantage of our collective guilt syndrome (as described by Shelby Steele recently), they need a lot more time to destroy us—decades—and by that time most of their younger generations will be westernized enough from global expansion of western culture so that islamofascism will dry up from the inside.


36 posted on 05/07/2006 11:06:48 AM PDT by reasonisfaith (Leftists will never stand up like men and fight for their true beliefs.)
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To: OkeyDokeyOkie
"the enemy from within, hate-filled, agenda-driven, dangerously partisan left wingers are a (perhaps unwitting) threat to our nation and our citizens.

Terrorists are bound to seize that hatred and to convert it to their own evil cause.

Are our homegrown hate mongers so naive that they believe they will be spared the destructive forces they have helped spawn? What fools they must be!"

Very well said.

And this is in itself ample reason for Middle America to vote Republican this November, despite the failings of the Republican Congress.

The Democrat Party is the Political Machine of these Left Wingers just as the Mainstream Newsmedia is their Propaganda Machine.

These people MUST NOT be allowed to seize power.

To vote against the Republicans or to refuse to vote (which is the same thing) and therefore to vote for the Democrats would be as foolish as the behavior of our home-grown hatemongers of the Left--in fact, would be merely to empower them!

37 posted on 05/07/2006 11:54:21 AM PDT by Savage Beast (The Spirit of Flight 93 is the Spirit of America!)
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To: originalbuckeye

Never forget! Other than the email addresses, this has not been altered. He sent this when he was 17. Three years later, he was completing his training and was subsequently deployed to Iraq. He did what he could.

From: karl@zzzzz.net
Sent: Tuesday, September 11, 2001 11:11 AM
To: rlinn@zzzzz.com
Subject: Terrorism
Dad-
I'm typing this at school during lunch. I went through the webmail backdoor, because the school isp blocks most communication sites. If you don't already know, a bunch of planes, passengers and all, were hijacked and made kamikaze runs. First one plowed into the World Trade Center, causing one tower to collapse. A second plane, looked like a 737 or something slammed into the second one shortly thereafter. A little after 1030 we got to a classroom that was picking up the news, and right after that we saw the second tower go. Titus pulled the cable, doesn't want the school panicking, but word is moving faaaaast. Also, a commuter plane hit teh pentagon, all key government officials are being evacuated, bush is on his way home. Unconfirmed reports state that a car bomb went off outside the state department. FAA has grounded everything and fighters can be seen scrambling. A few hijacked planes are still missing, another jet crashed earlier in the day a short distance from the airport, but no one is sure whether or not its related. 1 palestinian group has so far claimed responsibility, but they all try to be proud and stupid. The real perpetrators would know that once the US finds out, they would be incinerated into the stone age. This is an amazingly well coordinated attack, focusing on the major symbols of the free world, all within 1 hour. All the history teachers have studied and have known that there is gap in recent years that should be filled by a war, not just a little gulf war. Even I knew it was coming, but I never expected such a violent and unprecedented attack. This could easily erupt into a holy war if there are enough zealots in palestine and elsewhere, and could cause a huge conflict that could spell the end of the muslim faith. I hope it doesn't get that global, but you can be sure the world will not let this one go unpunished. This is without a doubt the biggest, most vicious act of terrorism (if not an act of war) in modern times, if not the history of mankind. Looks like Bush and the military will be getting those funds to finish research on all those new weapons and fighters scheduled for the next 8 years. Well, I'll see what's going on when i get home, most of the news sites here are normally blocked anyway by the school isp. Just let you know that we heard it too. Now that I'm done, there could have been another attempt at something, although national security forces probably would've intercepted. Nonetheless, the nation has been really jarred, and while I fear what's going to come, most of it is channeled into anger in knowing that something will happen. Take care, and buy more ammo.
-Karl


38 posted on 05/07/2006 12:51:49 PM PDT by USMCPOP (Proud father - USMC LCpl. Karl Linn, KIA 1/26/2005 Haqlaniyah, Iraq)
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To: Darkwolf377
When I read this I thought "What the heck are these 'Throw Out the Republicans Over Immigration" FReepers THINKING? Are they INSANE?!

They are not insane at all. The only way to get the Republicans to take the steps necessary to stop massive illegal immigration is to threaten to throw them out of office. That threat has to be credible or they will just look the other way while the country is overrun by millions of illegals. Regrettably, Bush has been a total failure on this issue, which is also a national security issue. If the U.S. grants amnesty to 20 million illegals and then lets 60 or 80 million of their relatives join them the United States as we know we be destroyed.

39 posted on 05/07/2006 12:59:22 PM PDT by Norman Arbuthnot
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To: Chi-townChief
--- Second, and much more important, is the twin Declaration of Jihad on the United States and Great Britain from Saddam and bin Laden at the beginning of 1999.---

Hi,

Do you have a link to this 1999 declaration by Saddam? I am aware of Osama's famous 1998 fatwa but not aware of a declaration by Saddam in 1999. Thanks.

40 posted on 05/07/2006 2:21:29 PM PDT by avacado
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