The horror of Sept. 11th, 2001

I was actually in favour of intervention in Afghanistan long before 9/11. The Taliban were hideous, we should have supported Ahmad Shah Massoud before the Taliban murdered him.

You don't ever want to mess with the anointed ones of the US government. When hasn't 'hideous' been a necessary attribute for US installed rulers?

Yes, I agree, but it would have been nice if more people had paid attention to the horrors of the Taliban before 9/11.

Thank you because I couldn't find this and I kept looking

I started this thread to remember those who lost their life that day. They will not be forgotten. I watched the memorials on tv and President Bush, President Clinton, President Obama and VP Biden payed their respects. It was touching. I did not read all the comments on the previous pages. There were so many caring people, and still are, in the United States and to those that don't comprehend this too bad.

I have had the unique opportunity to speak to people in Iraq & Iran. What I asked them was why they hate us so much. They told me and it made me sad.....

To those that think I have not learned, you don't know me and have never taken the time to know me. My friends and my husband is a first responder. If you don't know what that means, please look it up as far as Homeland Security.

Now what made ya think that was about you? No names were mentioned, so why the guilt? It may well have had nothing to do with you at all.

Please share what you've learned with us, T2L.

They told me they hate us because they want what we have. A house, a pool, cars.....They are terrified of their govt.

What made me sad is that they are afraid of their govt.

What makes you think that I think you were talking about me? Do you think that I think that you think that I think you were talking about me?

I just think it's a bit ironic you calling anyone pompous. What do you think? Do you think about me thinking that you think that I think that you think I think you're thinking about me? I think not.

That made absolutely no sense.

A little more of my thoughts on corruption - I'm not sure if I have posted these recently or if I was just thinking about it.

I think I have noticed that there is apt to be more corruption when a country, or area, has a lot of change in rulers over time - like the italian peninsula - and the rulers are also milking the populace for money. With these two things in place, the people don't feel connected to their government, much more to their families, and they try to figure ways to get around government, both not reporting income re taxation and in bribery.

But, I don't know that my noticing non-connection to one's government is seeing a root cause or just a random observation of mine.

Anyway, I agreed with your post on corruption.

You think so?

So what? Harpy is just a word. It's origins go back to the Greeks and, if memeory serves, it refers to some mythological creatures having the characteristics of both women and birds who were inclined to steal and eat the food of others and defacate in what they didn't take. In later times it degenerated into an appelation for disagreeable women who like to spoil things for others. Some men do that too, and we generally call them assholes.

In the case at hand I believe the description was both apt and deserved.

Geeze, Gob1, do you have to expectorate all over? Haven't you ever heard of a kleenex?

Yes, I am well aware of the origins of the word "harpy", George. Which rather less colourful than your version.
I have no desire to go on & on about this & I'm hoping this will be my last comment to you about it. But I want to say this.

You may or may not have called some male an "asshole" in the process if this discussion. Some of whom have posted a lot more comments to this thread than I have & some of whose comments were expressed in a decidedly more blunt & robust manner than mine were.

But you singled me out for your special brand of aggression & told me to shut up & leave the discussion, & maybe leave this forum, I'm not sure ...
Go back & read what I've actually posted on this thread. Then consider why your response to me was so downright rude. I suggest it's because you were frustrated with the discussion & chose to vent that aggression on someone you considered an "easy target", who would not respond in kind ... and also probably because I am a woman & a "foreigner" with different political leanings to yours, who had the temerity to comment on matters US.

I usually don't make personal comments on A2k in the process of debate, but I will make an exception this time. Because this hardly first occasion you have attacked me in such a aggressive way. And for once I want to tell you what I think about it.
I think your nasty, personal outbursts do you absolutely no credit at all, George.
I think you are acting like coward & a bully when you behave in this way. If your intention is to intimidate, I am not intimidated. Rather, I lose all respect for you. Whetether you care or not, I don't give a flying fig.

At last something on which we can agree.

Oops, I accidentally posted before completing & editing my comment.
Here's the whole post.
Disregard the first one. :


Yes, I am well aware of the origins of the word "harpy", George. A rather less colourful version than yours, though.
I have no desire to go on & on about this & I'm hoping this will be my one & only comment about it. But I want to say this.

You may or may not have called some male an "asshole" in the process of this discussion. Some of whom have posted a lot more comments to this thread than I have & some of whose comments were expressed in a decidedly more blunt & robust manner than mine were. Go back & check.

But you singled me out for your special brand of aggression & told me to shut up & leave the discussion, & maybe leave this forum, too, I'm not sure ...
Go back & read what I've actually posted on this thread. Then consider why your response to me was so downright rude. I suggest it's because you were frustrated with the discussion & chose to vent that frustration on someone you considered an "easy target" & who would not respond in kind with personal abuse... and also probably because I am a woman & a "foreigner" with the opposite political leanings to yours, who had the temerity to comment on matters US.

I usually don't make personal comments about posters on A2k in the process of debate, but I will make an exception this time. Because this is hardly first occasion you have attacked me in this way.
And for just once, I will tell you what I actually think about your personal abuse.
I think such outbursts do you absolutely no credit, George.
I think you reveal yourself to be coward & a bully when you behave in this way.
If your intention is to intimidate, I am not intimidated by you.
Rather, I lose all respect for you.
Whether you care or not about that, I honestly don't give a flying fig.
And I wish, just for once, you had the decency to apologize for the offense caused by your aggression.
But I won't be holding my breath.

There. I feel much better to have finally gotten that off my chest. I should have done this a long time ago.

Please excuse this digression, all.
Back to the discussion, anyone?

Well I'm glad to learn that you feel better.

If you look hard you will indeed find a few cases in which I have used very direct and critical language toward other posters here whom I assume to be male. I try to avoid those things and to be both factual and restrained in my reactions, reserving such pointed criticism them only for occasions in which I am seriously offended - and I was indeed seriously offended by the self-righteous exaggerations and summary moral judgments with which you polluted a thread nominally created to remember a rather tragic event here that took the lives of thousands of innocent people, and which has profoundly affected us since it happened.

There were many other better venues readily available to you for your exaggerations and moralizing. That you (and others) chose to do so was offensive. That you are not from this country made the offense worse. There certainly was nothing in any of your highly judgmental posts that suggested you had considered the isssue from the perspective of Americans or in relation to other far worse evils that exist in today's world.

Its not the end of the world, and I don't want to "make a federal case out of it" (as the saying goes). However, I believe that my charactization of your behavior and contribution to the thread was appropriate, effective and entirely accurate.

You became annoyed with me earlier on the whaling thread because of some posts of mine intended to reduce the highly elevated moral issues you were raising there to some practical, realistic alternatives that reflect the reality of how nations and international conventions really work. I submit they were indeed important and relevant aspects of the issue which you were not adequately addressing. You were very quick to take offense to what I wrote then. In that context I find it surprising that you didn't grant us the right to the same kind of sensitivity that you exhibit about issues which concern you.

Right.
You don't want want to make a federal case out if it, but told me to shut up & buzz off, pretty directly .....

Could you point me in the direction of a few posts which demonstrate some examples of my "inappropriate behaviour", George, which apparently was so much more offensive to you than anyone else's .... & which caused to single me out for your special treatment?
Maybe, just maybe, it's all in your head?


And now, sadly, as much as I would love to continue, I have a lunch date & must go.
Back later in the day.

True. That's about it. I wrote what I wrote thoughtfully and for good reason, but I have no interest in furthering the matter.

No. I don't want to rehash it. Let's just say that your remarks were sufficiently more pointed and self-righteous and sufficiently less sensitive to the perceptions of many Americans to warrant my action. I would do it again.
Undoubtedly some of it is. However it is my head and the only one I'll ever have.