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Thoughts in remembrance of 911

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40hz:
I'm not trying to be heartless -- I'm not begrudging anyone or trying to take away anyone's pain.  It just seems like yet another example of how reactions to this event have not been rational or proportionate given all of the other cases of death and suffering, both inside and outside of the US.
-mouser (September 10, 2011, 01:26 PM)
--- End quote ---

It isn't rational. No more than the fact that 100+ Americans die in auto accidents each day with nothing more than an occasional aside, but one airliner crash that nets 80 victims is immediately treated as front page news.

I suspect a lot has to do with the initial rather than the aggregate number of victims. Somehow, 3000 all at once is perceived as more tragic than the same number in 30 days. It's just something our human brain does.

I think a lot of the motivation for  victim compensation for 911 came out of a combination of the desire to "do the right thing" and a sense that somehow the United States had failed these people. Especially since 'securing domestic tranquility' is one of the core functions of government. Ironic when you consider that this same government is relatively comfortable with the knowledge that millions of its citizens unnecessarily go hungry and lack basic medical care, since for the government to do otherwise would be "shockingly socialistic" and "send the wrong message."

Having a large pool of seized and frozen assets to pay this compensation out of also probably had a lot to do with how willing the government was to do so.

Either way, it was well-intentioned even if it does create yet another surreal contradiction for our government.

Politic aside, my condolences to all affected by the events of 911 - be they citizens of the United States  - or Afghanistan or Iraq.

Because once again, the common people are all paying the price for the decisions and actions of the few. And that remains true whether they're self-appointed or elected leaders.

May whatever is Holy forgive us for that.  :(

cmpm:
To me it's a symbol of just how insane this world has become.
Money was the target, Governments lust after it, mine too.
No honor for the human soul and lives are expendable.
And they have no shame or remorse, it's a show.

This is a war that's been going on for a long time,
worse in the last 60 years.

The war with Arab factions and Governments is never ending.

Many direct casualties and loss of life for more then 20 years now.
Because of deployed troops. On all sides.
Just to pick a fight.

steeladept:
@40Hz et. al. -

I have VERY strong feelings about this that will lead to no good if I ranted here, so I will stop short of that.  However, I do strongly object to trying to equate this or any other event to car crashes, starving people, etc.  It truly is a tragedy that these events do not get the attention they deserve, but please do not detract from the events that do.  What I feel makes this and other similar events so critical to point out above and beyond car crashes and other events is that this was a purposeful event - something planned and deliberately executed against their fellow humans (assuming you consider someone so deranged as human in anything more than form).  Crashes, starvation, and other more common forms of tragic deaths are mostly unavoidable and unpreventable to one level or another.  Terrorism, assassinations, and other deliberate forms of extermination are, however; and their evilness should be brought to light and preferably to justice.  Regardless of you views on what justice is in this case and whether or not it is being persued in this case is irrelevant to me.  That point is only a red herring regardless of your view on it, and does not change the fact that it needs to be brought to light.

Because of the views and feelings I have on this issue, I am going to ignore this thread from this point forward, I just thought I should point it out before I do.

mouser:
Good advice from steeladept.

A good rule for these kinds of threads is everyone gets to post once and then move on; I'm going to follow that rule after this post.

Ath:
Killing each other is evil, period.
-rgdot (September 10, 2011, 11:14 AM)
--- End quote ---

IMHO, that says it all.

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