extra medium wrote:I am so tired of the hysteria over terrorism that is taking over people's lives.
Here's a list of how many people die annually from various causes in US:
Tobacco 435,000
Poor Diet and Physical Inactivity 400,000
Alcohol 85,000 / 101,653
Microbial Agents 75,000
Toxic Agents 55,000
Motor Vehicle Crashes 43,000 / 26,347
Adverse Reactions to Prescription Drugs 32,000
Suicide 30,622
Incidents Involving Firearms 29,000
Homicide 20,308
Sexual Behaviors 20,000
All Illicit Drug Use, Direct and Indirect 17,000
Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Such As Aspirin 7,600
How many died in 9/11? Less than 4,000?
Lets face it, way more Americans will die this year from being fat, drunk, and smoking than from terrorism. Why aren't we more afraid of being fat? Why not more fear on the roadway? Come one, we gotta fear this stuff, people!
I know, lets stay inside, not exercise, have a big dinner, smoke a cigar, get drunk, and watch the latest on the Fox News terrorism report. Then have a heart attack cause we get so scared.
What do you imagine would be the result of a nuke detonated in a major American city, or a plague started deliberately in the US? My guess is that it would be rather larger than 9/11. Perhaps you believe the odds of terrorists doing this are vanishingly small.
From:
http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/07/09/alqaeda.statement/
"In a reference to possible future attacks by al Qaeda on U.S. targets, it said that 'Americans should fasten their safety belts.'
Abu Gheith has warned of the death of up to 4 million Americans, including 1 million children, through the use of chemical and biological weapons. "
OK Bran n' X-Med: Enuff suspense. Yea! We know- There are lies, damned lies and then there are statistics. We've been mugged by a clever query framer with trip-wire logic that look at facts and tend to mislead the unsuspecting reader into a briar thicket of "you can't get there from here" answers.
Ah! Polemics is alive and well! We will now gather at your sandaled feet and kiss the hem of your robes as you "make Light" of all this airy persiflage.
Perhaps we might start on lines of discourse that shatter the utility of "Stateside" and move past the "How many" smoke screen to considerations dealing with organized, deadly and proven intent. The "Marischino Cherry" can be added with a dollop of "If not if,then when?".
After we change our soiled pants, we can gather flower petals, blow kisses at you and praise you as the clarions you clever devils really are serving us and all mankind with your prescience!
Refreshments to be served afterwards.
From Britain's Electronic Telegraph newspaper, at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/08/17/uterror.xml&sSheet=/portal/2004/08/17/ixportaltop.html
Quote:Eight Terror Suspects Charged
(Filed: 17/08/2004)
Eight men arrested in anti-terror raids have been charged with conspiring to commit murder and launch radioactive or chemical attacks.
The men are being held at the high security Paddington Green Police station. One of them was also charged with having plans which could have been used as the basis for a terror attack on the New York Stock Exchange, the IMF in Washington and Citigroup in New York.
They are all charged with conspiring to murder "other persons" between Jan 2000 and Aug 4 this year.
The eight men are Dhiren Barot, 32, of Willesden, London, Omar Abdul Rehman, 20, of Bushey, Herts, Zia Ul Haq, 25, of Paddington, London, Abdul Aziz Jalil, 31, of Luton, Beds, Nadeem Tarmohammed, 26, of Willesden, London, Mohammed Naveed Bhatti, 24, of Harrow, Middlesex, Quaisar Shaffi, 25, of Willesden, London, and Junade Feroze, of Blackburn, Lancs.
Barot and Tarmohammed were also charged under the Terrorism Act in connection with an alleged plot to target financial institutions in the United States.
They are alleged to have been in possession of a "reconnaissance plan" of the Prudential Building in New Jersey which, according to the charge, was "likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism".
Barot was further charged with having "reconnaissance plans" for the Stock Exchange and Citigroup in New York and the IMF in Washington......
The MO in these rooms is readily identifiable. Paid agents and a network of stooges "banging" the terrorist's talking point drum. Intelligent souls see it and move on...with no need to engage an obviously stacked deck. At the appointed time each of you will be rounded up and dealt with. Thanks for being so dumb. We know where each of you are.
When I read the topic, I wondered: Who's terror? If you're talking about the terror the government is inflicting upon its own population. I think we've got a pretty big number.
extra medium, you forgot the mention how many people die of marihuana :p
The war on drugs was nice, Bill Hicks even suspected the next set of countries to invade would be located South of the US. of A. but it seems he was wrong and the the next fear factor was no longer drugs, but terror. When you look at it, it's only normal. The NRA could never supply more weapons to americans than its government could supply to other countries. The terror is best in some far away land, let's put people in possession away quietly if there's too much talk that that 'terror' is invalid. Let's move the terror threat some place distant. Remember citizens, work hard, millions of people on welfare depend on you. And don't forget to arm yourselves to the teeth. Spend! Consume! The enemy is out there! He's even amongst you. Work hard! Ooops, don't have a job? We'll make sure you get a lot of nice tax benefits, if you used to be a CEO that is. Fear will always be america's government biggest medium of control. People have already forgotten Iraq, I just wonder who's next on the list. And when the terror is 'over', WHAT's next on the list. There's always something. But instead of focussing on internal affairs, they're just looking away from the problems and creating fictional ones.
Ahhh..Chuckster!.I hear the sound of Nazis in your post...the Choiman accent as Goebbels promised the Jews their comeuppance. If you don't leave this forum I will. There's no room for me and your sinister threats here.
Is this somehow, not clear? There is room for everybody here, as long as there is room for your mind. If you cannot imagine or grasp anothers perspective, fine, disagree with it, ok; but don't ban it. Welcome it, as what it is, a thought, nothing more, it doesn't have to be you, or yours, it just has to be there, if it wishes to be. For what it is, a thought.
A kiss is still a kiss. A dead horse? Is it still a good smoke? That may not be clear in Belgium. But then...
As long as we're all on the same tolerant intolerance page here
Edit: Together with understanding and acceptance to back it up, THE tools to a society without terror, I might add.
Who can realistically say who, where, or how many will die from terrorism in a year? We would have to own a crystal ball to figure that one out. I'm not sure if this post was to make fools out of Republican voters or not.
Don't be stupid and think terrorism is a non-issue. Maybe it wasn't to the US until 9/11, but it is very real around the globe and should be taken seriously, by all, no matter what party affiliation you choose to be.
I firmly believe that the current actions taken are nothing more than an invasion of rights, in the name of eliminating terrorism, to the individual. It is one of those things, like someone breaking into your house. Get an alarm system, guard dog, or put bars on your windows. If someone really wants in, they will get in, no matter what steps you take to prevent it.
Homeland Security is doing nothing but taking rights of illegal search and seizure away from American people, of all races. I see something drastically wrong with this. I have to wonder if our own government had everything to do with 9/11, just to take away rights of American citizens and gain more government control. I am not the only one who wonders about this at all.
What have we been told, truthfully, about? I have heard nothing to justify the invasion of Iraq, which I once supported. No WMD were found. We hear reports of faulty intelligence. We hear many versions that completely conflict. We are paying for this war and have every right to know exactly what our hard earned cash is buying. Is it buying new laws to invade another country? Is it buying the right to change laws, out of fear, to exempt government from illegal search and seizure? It may be!!
wildflower
A government of a certain sort (leaning towards tight control of its population) can be expected to UTILIZE chance events in a police-state manner.
When we see them moving this way after some event, we don't have to make the assumption they themselves instigated that event.
You two dance divinely repeating Anti-US talking points and banging the tired worn-out, left wing cliches aimed at presenting this country as the aggressor and perpetrator of all this "global turmoil" and not the victim of organized,documented World Terrorism. Who do you possibly hope to convince with these deliberate out and out lies? Each other? Anyone can search news sources on these "points" and find factual accounts of what has transpired. The silliness about the invasion of civil rights is just that. There are no credible accounts of anyones rights being violated. This amounts to deliberate fear mongering and attacks on public morale in a time of war using our freedom of speech against us. It's not working kiddies. No one's listening.
Nah chuckie. Wrong all around, as ususal. How many people were on the streets in New York the other day? Quarter million or so.
Would you please define 'talking point' for us.
Talking point: America. Believe in it? Vote? Bush.
Was I assumed to be a liberal? Actually, I have never voted Democrat, in my life. The next election, I put in a protest vote.
I disapprove of the amount of money spent on Iraq invasion. I do not feel that the people of this country, who work and foot the bill, have been given anything but excuses. I feel that we deserve better. I honestly believe that Kerry offers no real difference, to the US.
If these are the two canidates, I alter my vote. I will go with any nut case who wishes to run for president, before voting for ether one of these guys. It is about lies, to the American people, and corruption.
Protest vote!!
You will never be personally asked to approve our govt. actions. Did you take civics in school? Your elected leaders have the responsibility and authority to undertake such matters. We liberated Iraq in order to effect a regime change. Don't you read the papers or watch the news? If you can't tell the difference between the candidates at this point
maybe you may want to sit out this election. Maybe your "chooser" is broken.
Meanwhile, you might say a prayer for your President. He's doing his best to protect your freedom.
Well, his best ain't making the grade, which was fairly predictable. Still, I send a prayer winging forth. It's a sincere prayer, from the heart. "Dear Jesus...please drag that stupid bugger through the eye of a needle, then have him spend a few years in the household of Ishmael, after which he ought to be buried up to his neck just to watch Carl Rove throw the first stone, then get him familiar with the term 'hubris' before his spanking. Amen."
This amounts to simple name calling. Not a very strong argument. About what I'd expect.
Who's doing the name calling? It went over my head. It wasn't me, was it?
I agree with Chuckster's statement about government not being designed to answer to any single person. We aren't talking about singuar individuals. We are talking about masses of Americans that demand answers, asking the same questions.
