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

Bush is not in the same speaking class as Blair and Clinton. Thank goodness for Powell who is able to convey his ideas and passion so much more than Bush!!

i checked the cnn website right now - the logo has changed from "america under attack" to "america's new war"...
i find it really hard to get any real information - do you know any good resources? i mean sources that don't just retell cnn stuff.
today a friend of mine heard from his sister in l.a. that there had been indeed more than 4 planes, and that the ones we don't hear about were shot down by airforce. is that true? do you have any information?
be careful about the media (remember golf war II)

krysostorus

Don't forget that this, according to Falwell, is also the fault of the Teletubbies. Falwell's a moron. The sooner he's no longer on TV, him and Pat Robertson, the better for the rest of the country.

More than four planes? Well, that's--let's see, you to us, your friend to you, your friend's sister to your friend, whoever told your friend's sister--at least 3rd or 4th hand information. I shall automatically not believe it unless I hear it actually confirmed by multiple sources or in a live press conference. Nothing against you, you understand, but I'm trying to make a point about the danger of information like that. I suppose it is possible, but I find it relatively unlikely that anymore planes were taken.

Oh, what do you mean by "gulf war II"? I don't believe I've ever heard any recent US military action referred to like that.

hi a-girl-called-ben,

yep. well said. i think breaking out of the universe of violence has something to do with regarding every human being as a human being. not as an enemy, muslim, jew, foreigner, american or whatever goddam abstract group there is - this would make it much harder to kill for the "just cause". and then you wouldn't believe "collateral damage" is ok. be human and don't let "them" fool you (ha! see?)
anyway, the news and speeches make me feel sick.

hi asterion!

the fact that i don't have reliable information about if there were more planes is the reason i put the question here! that was a question, not a statement! i think it hard to believe myself, so i'd like to know if these rumours do have a background and what you think about it. sorry if this lead to a misunderstanding.
as for gulf war II: i referred to "operation desert storm" 1990/91, where media coverage was heavily censored and biased.

I hope those comments ruin whatever credibility Falwell and Robertson had for the rest of their lives, and the people will no longer have to listen to their inanities. Ever. People who are using this to further their own political agenda are simply evil.

If you're looking for a Christian response surely the best has to be that if we want to be delivered from evil, then we must not be led into tempation (revenge) but must admit and seek forgiveness for our trespasses, and perhaps even forgive those who have trespassed against us.

sorry. misread the punctuation. but it's still important for everyone not to trust information like that. good that you don't.

Funny how the American determination to stamp out terrorism was less in evidence during the 1970s and 1980s, when the IRA were fundraising in the States. Perhaps there is some difference between nail-bombing bandsmen and crashing planes which I haven't fully appreciated.

70s, 80s ... I do not believe they ever stopped fundraising in the USA; they certainly have not stopped the bombing campaigns (as the bomb in Ealing last month demonstrated).

The IRA enjoys a lot of financial support from America. That's because we have a large population of Irish-Americans whose forefathers and mothers fought for Irish independence. If we are officially having a "war on terrorism" does that mean Americans and their allies are going into Northern Ireland? Peru? Mexico? Sudan? Sri Lanka? Where does a war on terrorism stop? Surely, if we are determined to stamp out terrorism, we won't be stopping with the Middle East. And that's what scares me the most...

Agreed, Fraulein. There is probably not a country in the world which doesn't have one or more people in a house, plotting some sort of terror activity. Terrorism is frightening, war is frightening, and so is the concept of conscription and curfew.

Hoping and wishing for Peace without segregation

x x Fenny

What? Falwell is still going? That is a surprise!

Yes, I am with you, autist, forgiveness and non-retaliation is absolutely key.

Yes, and don't forget the Basque separatists, Chechens, Greenpeace....

Last night I watched two documentaries about the 11th.

The first lasted 5 or 10 minutes and was shown at the end of the C4 news, the second was 30 of 45 minutes and was a full edition of BBC's Correspondent programme.

What I found very interesting was that there was no narration on either of these films. There was only the sound picked up by the cameras when the filming was done, though the BBC may have dubbed on some of the news being reported at the time what was being shown was filmed.

A new style of reportage.

Interesting stuff.

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a human being called Ben

What bugs me a lot about some of the CNN reporting was that they said that the attack on the WTC was, among other things, an attack on 'Capitalism'. So, it is our duty to make sure that 'Capitalism' recovers from the blow and become strong again, or else we're letting the terrorists win. The WTC is of course a 'Symbol of Capitalism'.

Well, I say nuts to frigging Capitalism!

What is more important to us - an economical ideology, or the lives of human beings? Is it more important to us that the prestige of 'Capitalism' was harmed, or that people were killed?

I have been and still am opposed to capitalism anyways. I believe it is something that detracts from human life quality on a large scale and over the long term. I will not say that there is nothing good about it. But I will say that I am more opposed to capitalism than to Islam or Christianity. I am more opposed to terrorism than to capitalism though.

We must stop killing people whom we disagree with. We must also stop living only for the sake of money and possessions, we must stop admiring people based on their wealth, we must stop enriching ourselves at the expense of others, we must stop exploiting people, we must stop thinking only of our own lifestyles and our own personal enjoyments. We must also cease and desist from 'economic darwinism' - in other words competitiveness whereby the financially successful survive and the unsuccessful are allowed to perish. Unrestrained competetiveness of that nature does *not* lead to 'excellence' or improvement - it only leads to bullying whereby the 'fortunate' use brute force to enforce their continued good fortune.

The enemy of my enemy is not automatically my friend. Just because 'capitalism' has come under attack from terrorists it does not mean that I now have to support capitalism because I disapprove of terrorism.

What I am really not pleased about is that George W. Bush and other supporters of Institutionalised And Sanctified Greed are probably now going to try and trumpet 'Capitalism' as part and parcel of the 'American Way of Life' that their 'War' is supposed to be 'defending'.

I agree with you, Grief, about capitalism. My son (14) said he thought right after it happened, that he thought it was "all about the money". Capitalism indeed, the WTC wasa monument to capitalism - bizarre footage of the opening of the NY Stock Exchange, after. It was like some kind of religious ceremony!

Hello Grief
Para 1 - agreed
Para 2 - agreed
Para 3 - agreed
Para 4 - agreed
Para 5 - agreed
Para 6 - agreed
Para 7 - um... er... agreed

*sigh*
a polarised capitalist called Ben