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

To be honest I really don't know how to respond to the events of the last few days. I can't seem to get a proper word in on the already ongoing threads because I'm not really very rational about this and a lot of people in the threads are unbelievably rational(relatively speaking). For this I applaud you, but I can't do it. Every time I stumble upon a more or less 'rational' discussion I hear "Unknown number of casualties" in the back of my head and I see this :

[pressrelease]
Partial list of those killed in Tuesday's attacks :
-- Christine Hanson, 2, Massachusetts.
[/pressrelease]

To put it mildly : I am p*ss*d off like you wouldn't believe.

Yes, that's right : I am a lifelong pacifist who is really mad as H*ll. If they can provoke that response from me, then let the responsible idiots be extremely afraid of what the U.S.A. is going to do next.

IMO what happened on tuesday is the start of something entirely new. I am not talking about the retaliation that will undoubtedly follow at some time or another. I'm talking about the fact that the rules of warfare have now radically changed.

For years I have been critical of any aggression of one state or group against another. Even the U.S.A. could count on a critical word from me(for whatever that is worth by the way), if they used their military power. I did not gloat when Iraq was bombed, I did not agree every time that Israel bombed the westbank, and neither did I applaud the use of violence by *any* terrorist-group, left- or right-wing, religious or not. I opposed Neutron-bombs in Europe and in those days I even used to write the odd protest-song about it.

But the rules were simple : a state, especially the USA, would retaliate whenever they were attacked. And have a way out to make it possible to say "O.K. we have responded. This was it. We have achieved our 'goal'".

This is now history. The most stupid thing that anyone could have done just happened. A target was picked that has no direct military value whatsoever but instead held *tens of thousands* of civilians.

The ONE reason that the U.S.A. had to limit their response was the opinion of reasonable people in the western world. But what do I say to the americans now when they decide to bomb Afghanistan, Iraq or whatever country ? You are being uncivilized ? Not really. Not anymore. No one has a valid response any longer. The U.S.A. will simply point at the New York skyline and say : "Look mommy, no more Twin Towers".

This was not a terrorist act, this was indeed an act of war. As far as I know an unprovoked attack directly aimed at the heart of a nation is an act of war. And nothing else.

What makes me the most angry is that I now have no arguments left to defend 'a moderate stance'. I can't, because I keep hearing ""Unknown number of casualties" in the back of my head and I see :


Partial list of those killed in Tuesday's attacks :
-- Christine Hanson, 2, Massachusetts.


TM.