One Year Today

[Cocobolo]

I just wanted to take a minute to remember those lost in the attacks on September 11, 2001. Although a lot has happened this year, a lot has not happened and still needs to happen for us to truly say we are serious about defending ourselves. I hope some of the politics in Washington can be put aside so real moves can be made. Please feel free to post your experiences in this thread, or just your 2 cents. Let's never forget 9/11.

[ISK_Hatchcock]

Even if I?m not an American, I have very strong feelings remembering this day last year. These horrible pictures on TV are burned into many heads of people all over the world. The entire "free world" was forced to work together to fight side by side against terrorism. Let?s hope that something like the event of 9/11/01 will never happen again.
Hatch

[Raven2367]

Remember coming home from school getting ready to go to sport when my mum told me with a disbelieving look in her face that two planes crashed into the world trade center. CNN was showing the pictures live. I thought it was just an advertisement for a new movie cos something like that CANT happen. Heard shouts from downstairs calling "Its collapsing" ran downstairs and got the last glimpse of the first tower before it was gone. stayed and watched until I had to go to sport and saw the second tower collapse LIVE. the Titanic wasnt that much of a tragedy because nobody apart from the passengers saw it.

hope nothing like that happens again - ever  

[kazan]

Well i'm not American i thnink that 9/11 is one day i wont forget remember getting up a 6 in the moring an watching CNN i could'nt beleave what i was seeing i just hope the US an other countrys dont have to go through that again.

[masiro]

I was very shocked seeing it "live on TV". I stopped at a restaurant to eat, here it was about 2 pm, in New York it was about 9 am. I saw it all. Two weeks later I had to go to New York, from Spain , Europe. I travelled in an empty plane. I went to the place and talked with the people, everyone was scared and still looking at the sky.
I don't want that these terrible events end up in warfare against nations. This is a mistake, this terrorism is organized by well organized illegal groups and not by countries. An attack on countries will make people suffer and the bad guys escape.
Please do not approove blood revenge, to ghosts. I prefer the tactical intelligence interventions like in Germany or here in Spain, one by one active members of the terroristgroups are getting arrested. Those guys in the planes were not simple people like the Talibans or those idiots in Iraq. These guys were studiants on university, spoke several languages, like most of you don't.  They move within our society, in Europe and the USA.

I declare the US government partly responsable, for not beeing able to protect us inside the USA: The best militairy and intelligence power in the world has failed in a terrible way. I can't find excuse for that. I think taxes go to bunch of oil maffia fuckers, with a good propaganda like Adolf Hitler had in his days.

[PsYcO aSsAsSiN]

Sweet Jesus masiro. Do you realize how much crap the US intelligence gathers everyday? It is hardly a case of taxes going to "oil mafia fuckers" and more of how much intel can be sifted through each day. The only clues tipping US intel off to an impending attack came from the day before, and the terrorists were smart by increasing the terrorist attack chatter about overseas targets in the days up to 9/11 causing us to believe an attack was going to happen at a U.S. embassy (like what happened in Africa) or against a warship (USS Cole).

I woke up at 5:30am PST (8:30am EST) and was watching the local news when it interrupted the broadcast some 15-20 minutes later and showed the WTC on fire...then the second plane hit. As I continued watchng the TV, Jim Miklasweski (sp?) was reporting live from the Pentagon for NBC when the plane slammed into the e-ring (section of the Pentagon). I will forever remember this day for many reasons...my uncle worked on the 105th floor of World Trade Tower 2 and never made it out alive. Along with two of my cousins flying CAPs (combat air patrols) around Washington and I would say that my family as a whole was affected by this horrendus event.

No offense masiro, call me a dirty American or whatever you want, but I would prefer to see the likes of Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar hanging from a tree after U.S. Special forces or British SAS capture them (if they havent already been killed).

[Cocobolo]

I don't want that these terrible events end up in warfare against nations. This is a mistake, this terrorism is organized by well organized illegal groups and not by countries. An attack on countries will make people suffer and the bad guys escape.

Remember masiro, there are nations that fund terror activites, allow terror groups sanctuary, and offer support in other ways... Look at Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Arab Emirates, Lybia, Iran, Egypt, etc... They all have national media controlled by their "governments" which spread propaganda and support terror activities. Much if not most of the Arab world is supportive of terror, unlike nations in Europe, Or the western hemisphere. These Arab nations are, for the most part, dictatorships, fragile ones at that- and many have populations that are unhappy with their government. "Going with the flow" of popular opinion and supporting terror helps to appease their populations to an extent.

Psycho Assain: My condolences for the loss of your uncle. I was able to see the orchestra that was assembled on Liberty Island, and it was a fitting tribute to the fallen.

[masiro]

Please do not suggest again that I am calling you a dirty American. Don't hurt me.
Coco you seem to forget that terrorism is big business, as you write about support by nations to stimulate terrorist activity. The USA and Europe are supporters of international terrorism. I mean USA and Europe: the oil maffia fuckers so never american people, like you.
That is the big sh*t we have to deal with. The countries you name still have very nice bank relations with the USA and Europe.
Business  seems more important than human lives, all the money lost in Afganistan did not get back the victims of 11 sep with us. These incredeble amounts of money would have been very usefull in a garantee for a decent live for all americans , with the rest to be spend in a war against these assholes in Iraq, maybe every one in the USA can have it a bit better.
Terrorism is not to be solved by bombs, it is solved by gathering crap day in day out, like the sweet Jesus Masiro poster suggested. ( I feel very sorry for him and his family)(I don't like his forum name).

Terrorism is really hard to deal with, I live in a modern country and a friend got killed, shot in the head in prensense of his son by ETA terrorists. Damn I hate it all.
Bin Laden is very usefull for the oil fuckers, they need to keep him alive.
Put a million dollars in my bank account and give me use of contact with international intelligence and I'll track the guy and bring him to  court, but I'll get shot by the CIA before.

[Cocobolo]

Well masiro you definitely touched on a few issues, and many I don't disagree with offhand. It's true that money makes the world go-round, and this is blatantly illustrated by the fact that the US still claims Saudi Arabia as an ally, even though all 9/11 hijackers were from there and they openly denounce the US and support/sponsor terror, while refusing to allow our forces to use our bases there for operations in the middle east....

This is the clusterfuck. Juggling the economic reprocussions vs the reality of who our enemies are. Having a trade agreement for oil should not make a nation an ally, necessarily. In my opinion, this is where the US resolve to fight terror is compromised. Saying you're either with us or against us, then letting terror-sponsor nations "off the hook" because of business deals.

This is one of the reasons why Bush is having such a hard time selling an Iraq war. Too many contradictions in policy, even within his own cabinet. First the administration claimed to have evdence of Al-Qaida in northern Iraq, then changed the story after the CIA found no evidence of this claim. Disinformation has been spread about Iraq's weapons capabilities, and early on, a story about a lost pilot held hostage in Iraq was spread in the media... This bothers me because why would it make sense to spread all these stories if there was real motivation to take action? It weakens the argument enormously.

Sure Sadaam is a threat, but there are many threats in this world, some much more immediate than Iraq. The fact that a lot of military men, generals, disagree with the action disturbs me also. None of the hawks making all the noise ever were shot at...