911 families say lashing out is not the answer ( Al Jazerra exclusive)

Al Jazerra ^ | 04/03/03 | Habib Battah and Adam Porter

[goldstategop]

We don't want to inflict pain on any one else, right? That's the attitude that brought us 9-11 in the first place. By not answering the bad guys when we could have cause we were all sooo touchy feely. And wound up having 3,000 dead on our hands. I quite frankly don't give a damn if they like or don't like a connection between 9-11 and the war on Iraq or not. What I do care is that we don't have another day like 9-11 ever again in this country and if that means riding roughshod over some survivors' politically correct sensibilities so be it. We're paying tribute to those who died in on that day by making this a safer world for the American people AND the rest of the planet.

[halfdome]

Many people feel that the proper response to terrorist acts is to go after the terrorists themselves, not declare war on a country and subject that country's citizens to the same horrific violence that we underwent. Our government says we should be prepared for more terrorist acts against us as a result of the war in Iraq. It will be interesting to see if the world's reaction to next act of terrorism against us is different than it was the last time.

[ricpic]

It is becoming increasingly clear to me that that Mister Bush person is not a nice man. When someone hits him.....he hits back! That's not nice.

[NCLaw441]

Do these lefties believe that what was occurring in Iraq prior to the arrival of coalition forces was PEACE? What is being brought to Iraq NOW is peace. Perhaps these "peace advocates" prefer the use of human shredders, meathooks, electric shock, rape, crucifixtion and murder to liberation from same..... to each his/her own, I guess, but WE ARE RIGHT, and we are showing the world that we are right.

[Bubba_Leroy]

The 9-11 victims and their families constituted a broad cross section of America. They included every imaginable group, every race, color, creed, and socio-economic class. It is inevitable that a group that large and broad would include some idiots.

[Keith]

I don't give a flying f**k what the rest of the world "thinks" next time we get hit. It's a huge mistake to expect anything rational from the world of appeasement. Since when did the opinions of the spoiled, who have been protected from evil for 50 years by American might, have any weight?

We saw who our friends were in the last several months...we know whose opinion we respect...but frankly, we don't tell them who they HAVE to listen to...they have elected leaders for that. So do we. WE can either throw them out, or re-elect them.

Dubya is constitutionally charged with PROTECTING AMERICANS from all enemies, foreign and domestic. Our troops in Iraq are doing that now...and freeing the Iraqi people at the same time. A pretty good daily double.

I have finally figured out that I shouldn't be surprised that so many Americans think we shouldn't do things that other countries oppose. In a country where kids now are expected to play baseball games where no one keeps score because "the losing team might feel bad", it's no surprise that we wouldn't go to war to protect ourselves from weapons of mass destruction because "we might hurt the Kofi Annan's feelings."

the analogy, as strange as it seems, applies.

[tessalu]

Just because one woman had a nephew killed in 9/11 does not mean that she has to have good sense.

[Verginius Rufus]

No doubt Lucznikowska would have been much happier with Al Gore's response to 9/11, if he had been President.

Would Martin Luther King, Jr., have told Abraham Lincoln "We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means" in 1863?

[UCFRoadWarrior]

Yes, I agree. I think that 9/11 was done because they thought Bush would continue the policies of appeasement and weakness of Clinton....ie, the terrorists thought they could get away with it

They have been sadly mistaken, now

[SendShaqtoIraq]

"Many people feel that the proper response to terrorist acts is to go after the terrorists themselves"

And those who harbor and support them!

"not declare war on a country and subject that country's citizens to the same horrific violence that we underwent"

Would this be the horrific violence that Saddam has imposed on Iraqi civilians for over 20 years? Gassing them, cutting out their tongues, torturing children in front of their parents?
Saddam and his regime deliberately kills more citizens EVERY DAY than we will accidentally kill in the whole war.

From under which rock did you crawl?

[OldFriend]

The attack was on the very essense of America. That individuals were killed was secondary to the murderers. They wanted to attack the WTC and the Pentagon as symbols.

Pretending that all will be well if we just be nice is not exactly rational.

Each family has the g-d given right to their own feelings and I would never deny that. However, we have a responsibility to our country to make sure that we prove to the world we will not stand by and be attacked again without a response. Eight years of that brought us to today.

[Bobby777]

Al Jazerra exclusive

when you see this statement, you know it's worthless information ... but no doubt revered by certain masses as "journalism" ...

[Campion]

Many people feel that the proper response to terrorist acts is to go after the terrorists themselves, not declare war on a country and subject that country's citizens to the same horrific violence that we underwent.

What if the chief terrorist also happens to be the head of state of a country? How do you propose to go after the head of state of another country without going to war?

Being the friend or relative of a 9/11 victim does not automatically grant anyone any particular wisdom in knowing how to respond to terrorism, by the way. And I will point out to you that we tried mild responses to terrorist acts for 8 years. It led only to bigger and bigger terrorist acts, culminating in 9/11. The appeasement of evil has never worked, and will never work.

[butter pecan fan]

What a freaking idiot. Observe the two obvious lies:

Lie: "The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are all about revenge."

Truth: The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are about eliminating the otherwise certain threat of multiple September 11ths in the future.

Lie: "They're attacking us because of a 'cycle of violence.' We did something to hurt them, so they hurt us back. If we hurt them again, that will only cause them to hurt us again."

Truth: We are facing evil people whose avowed purpose is to rape, plunder and kill us just as much as we will permit them to. Like Hitler, appeasement will only lead to further aggression against us. It is not possible to bring peace by singing Kumbayah with these people, because if we do, as soon as the song is over, they will rape, torture, murder and otherwise dominate all of the 'peace-loving' folk. And laugh all the while.

[peteram]

Re: Post #7 -

You hit the nail square on the head, sink.