h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The USA will not sit around doing nothing. But how far should this go?

~Teenage Girl in New York

In my own opinion....

Whatever it takes to punish these people. As far as it needs to be.

Again,

Direct,forceful,international union of military forces, and deadly use of force.

MaW, obviously threat of deadly force isn't a deterrent to suicidal zealots, but then not much else is either. If someone believes it is God's immutable will that they kill Americans, there's precious little America or anyone else can do to change their mind.

This post has been removed.

Weren't arguments supposed to be in other threads?
I though that this thread was for peace.
Please take arguments elsewhere...

¦M¦

I wasn't intending to start an argument, but clearly I have, which is unintentional. I still don't think military action is the correct alternative - certainly not the kind that immediately springs to mind. Yes, it may be necessary, but it should not be the only thing that is done.

An argument takes more than one person. It wasn't just you.

(Yeesh, I sound like a mum or teacher)

¦M¦

I just hope that this isn't used an excuse to start a major war.

So does, I suspect, most of the world...

¦M¦

I certainly do.

I posted some comments earlier which have ben removed by the moderators, and subsequent attempts to repost have been blocked. The comments I made expressed a left-wing viewpoint of the recent attack on the USA and expressed support for the attack as well as heavily criticising acts of war by the US government over the last fifty years. The only reason that these comments were removed was their political content. That is, they were censored because they expressed a view that the BBC in its position as promoter of only the prevailing political outlook, wished to deny. Clearly the BBC, in accordance with the British government's policy does not allow any vies that are blatantly left-wing to be broadcast. As such the BBC has violated the law with respect to its right to have a licence to broadcast.

I believe that they were removed, not because of their content, but because this is neither the time nor the place to make them. Have your opinions. Share them. Just not while people are still grieving. It is inappropriate and cruel. Its like walking into a funeral and spitting in the face of the deceased.

It is my opinion that attacks like this *anywhere* and at *anytime* are wrong. Violence is *not* an appropriate medium for getting a point across. It can only lead to *more* violence - and the last thing this world needs is *more* violence.

Please understand that I am not undermining your right to your feelings or views. However I will protect those who are hurt by them in whatever way that I can. There's been enough pain and suffering in the past 72 hours that the last thing that *anyone* should be doing is adding to it.

Thank you.

G7

*applause*

How can anybody believe that merely putting people in jail is anywhere near enough to dealing with this?!
I wish you were right.
Those people are beyond politics or any kind of logic. They don't play by any rules that have been in existence for more than half a century by now.
Why is it that this could happen in the most powerful nation on earth?
Because never ever would anybody have thought such a thing possible.
This is something new. And I'm afraid we do not just have the right, but the responsibility, to take the gloves off.
Think of the people out there who did this. Think of all those who sympathize with them. Do you really believe they will stop after this?
We must do anything we can to make sure nothing like this will ever happen again. And as long as those people - or anybody who helps them, gives them any kind of assistance - still exist, more catastrophes are going to happen.
Again, I wish you were right. I'm a staunch opponent of capital punishment. I don't like the idea of retribution.
But this is something else entirely. This isn't just a horrible horrible freak crime.
Why was NATO so fast in its response? Why did every single European country, and others, pledge their unconditional support within 24 hours?
Because they know that what we are facing, within a few hours, is a new world.
This is not being overly dramatic.
I don't like Bush, I don't like many aspects of American foreign policy, but all this is secondary now.
I understand emotions are running high at this point. Mine are too. I almost would have lost my sister, who just happened to be in Washington to do some research for her goddam doctoral thesis. She was pretty close to the Pentagon the moment it happened, had been in there several times, and could have gone there yesterday, too. She was out on the streets when it happened, she just heard a loud bang and then saw all this smoke up in the sky. When I got through to her she was still crying. She just wasn't able to grasp the fact that it was by pure chance that she is still alive.
I know the west has made terrible mistakes, we are responsible for many problems the middle east faces (though not for all of them, and we didn't start it all), but none of that comes anywhere near to what happened yesterday.
The idea is not just retribution. My family came close to a catastrophe, but I still do not believe in revenge.
I don't know what Bush will do. But going after these people and getting them, all of them, by any means necessary, is what needs to be done, to make a point, to punish, but most importantly: to keep them from doing it again.
I don't want anybody to die. I don't want war. But this needs to be done to keep even worse from happening again.
And I want to say this: if it is finally proven that Bin Laden is behind this, I pray for the Afghan people. I pray they will not have to suffer even more.

researcher, please. while you are entitled to your opinion, this is neither the time nor the place for it. please, G7 and i are asking you to let people grieve in peace. the US isn't perfect, i disagree with a lot of what we have done, but no one deserves 20,000+ civilians dying in one day.

please. we're asking you nicely. don't do this.

Welcome to the Moderate world of h2g2, 184310. The balance between the ownership of the BBC and the right to freedom of speech has been an issue on this site for a while. However this is not the thread to discuss it.

I suggest that if you wish to repost, you start a new thread from the same page. Click on the page title at the top of your window, read the text there and use the "start a new conversation button".

Sometimes individuals who find content offensive will use the grey-faced icon to 'yikes' a post. If it is found to be offensive the moderators will remove it.

Once more, this is NOT the thread to have this discussion.

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a girl called Ben

My guess is that the post was removed because it fell foul of the ban on posting stuff they could be seen as promoting racial hatred.

In most civilized countries freedom of speech runs second to the right to not be abused because of your race.

Thanks to all of the people of good hearts that are on this site. There are people that feel the need to prove their point and ideology oblivious of the fact of the pain they cause. That is dangerous to not know how your words affect others. However, at this exact moment,it is irrelevant...... In this horrible time of wasted human life, I just received an email from my niece in New York, with one simple sentence "I'm ok". That has become the most beautiful line I've ever read.

Thanks to all the good Karma from everyone that aided in this. I hope everyone out there who has not yet connected up with loved ones gets that same beautiful line.

I have read reports that the Red Cross has already received over $1 million in donations since yesterday. I am continually reminded of the goodness in people's hearts.

What really touched me was hearing about those trapped in the towers, facing death, who took the time to phone their families and tell them they loved them

That kind of courage gives me hope for our sorry species

Peace