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War on Terror
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| Shakka |
This is an excerpt that essentially conveys the main reason I am a true supporter of the "War on Terror" or whatever you want to call it.
| quote: | That's what we think we heard on the 11th of September 2001 and maybe
it was, but I think it should have been "Get Out of Bed!" In fact, I
think the alarm clock has been buzzing since 1979 and we have continued
to hit the snooze button and roll over for a few more minutes of
peaceful sleep since then.
It was a cool fall day in November 1979 in a country going through a
religious and political upheaval when a group of Iranian students
attacked and seized the American Embassy in Tehran. This seizure was an
outright attack on American soil; it was an attack that held the world's
most powerful country hostage and paralyzed a Presidency. The attack on
this sovereign US embassy set the stage for the events to follow for the
next 23 years.
America was still reeling from the aftermath of the Viet Nam
experience and had a serious threat from the Soviet Union when then,
President Carter, had to do something. He chose to conduct a
clandestine raid in the desert. The ill-fated mission ended in ruin,
but stood as a symbol of America's inability to deal with terrorism.
America's military had been decimated and downsized / right sized since
the end of the Viet Nam war. A poorly trained, poorly equipped and
poorly organized military was called on to execute a complex mission
that was doomed from the start.
Shortly after the Tehran experience, Americans began to be kidnaped
and killed throughout the Middle East. America could do little to
protect her citizens living and working abroad. The attacks against US
soil continued. In April of 1983 a large vehicle packed with high
explosives was driven into the US Embassy compound in Beirut. When it
explodes, it kills 63 people. The alarm went off again and America hit
the Snooze Button once more. Then just six short months later a large
truck heavily laden down with over 2500 pounds of TNT smashed through
the main gate of the US Marine Corps headquarters in Beirut. 241 US
servicemen are killed. America mourned her dead and hit the Snooze
Button once more. Two months later in December 1983, another truck
loaded with explosives is driven into the US Embassy in Kuwait, and
America continues to slumber. The following year, in September 1984,
another van was driven into the gates of the US Embassy in Beirut and
America slept.
Soon the terrorism spreads to Europe. In April 1985 a bomb explodes
in a restaurant frequented by US soldiers in Madrid. Then in August a
Volkswagen loaded with explosives is driven into the main gate of the US
Air Force Base at Rhein-Main, 22 are killed and the Snooze Alarm is
buzzing louder and louder as US soil is continually attacked.
Fifty-nine days later a cruise ship, the Achille Lauro is hijacked and
we watched as an American in a wheelchair is singled out of the
passenger list and executed. The terrorists then shift their tactics to
bombing civilian airliners when they bomb TWA Flight 840 in April of
1986 that killed 4 and the most tragic bombing, Pan Am Flight 103 over
Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988, killing 259. America wants to treat these
terrorist acts as crimes; in fact we are still trying to bring these
people to trial. These are acts of war! The Wake Up alarm is louder and
louder.
The emboldened terrorists decide to bring the fight to America. In
January 1993, two CIA agents are shot and killed as they enter CIA
headquarters in Langley, Virginia. The following month, February 1993,
a group of terrorists are arrested after a rented van packed with
explosives is driven into the underground parking garage of the World
Trade Center in New York City. Six people are killed and over 1000 are
injured. Still this is a crime and not an act of war? The Snooze alarm
is depressed again.
Then in November 1995 a car bomb explodes at a US military complex in
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia killing seven service men and women. A few months
later in June of 1996, another truck bomb explodes only 35 yards from
the US military compound in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. It destroys the
Khobar Towers, a US Air Force barracks, killing 19 and injuring over
500.
The terrorists are getting braver and smarter as they see that America
does not respond decisively. They move to coordinate their attacks in a
simultaneous attack on two US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. These
attacks were planned with precision, they kill 224. America responds
with cruise missile attacks then goes back to sleep.
The USS Cole was docked in the port of Aden, Yemen for refueling on 12
October 2000, when a small craft pulled along side the ship and exploded
killing 17 US Navy Sailors. Attacking a US War Ship is an act of war,
but we sent the FBI to investigate the crime and went back to sleep.
And of course you know the events of 11 September 2001. Most
Americans think this was the first attack against US soil or in America.
How wrong they are. America has been under a constant attack since 1979
and we chose to hit the snooze alarm and roll over and go back to sleep.
In the news lately we have seen lots of finger pointing from every
high official in government over what they knew and what they didn't
know. But if you've read the papers and paid a little attention I think
you can see exactly what they knew. You don't have to be in the FBI or
CIA or on the National Security Council to see the pattern that has been
developing since 1979. The President is right on when he says we are
engaged in a war. I think we have been in a war for the past 23 years
and it will continue until we as a people decide enough is enough.
America has to "Get out of Bed" and act decisively now. America has
changed forever. We have to be ready to pay the price and make the
sacrifice to ensure our way of life continues. We cannot afford to hit
the Snooze Button again and roll over and go back to sleep. We have to
make the terrorists know that in the words of Admiral Yamamoto after the
attack on Pearl Harbor "that all they have done is to awaken a sleeping
giant."
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I believe that in this crazy world that has only become more crazy, at some point someone's got to stand up and take action, start kicking a little ass where need be and restore a little bit of order to our fragile civilization. There's only so much "passing the buck", beaurocratic nonsense, and political feet dragging going on that allow for fundamentalist extremists to take advantage of a situation and cause a little global havoc. I respect the men and the administrations gloabally that had the balls to take a leadership role and not settle for the status quo.
I realize that there will be plenty who say, "Yeah, but violence only begets more violence" or "Bull, the U.S. is an imperialistic country that is only trying to throw her weight around"... You're certainly entitled to your opinion, though no dictator would ever allow you to have one.
Sorry for the rant, just felt like getting that off my chest. |
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| Izzy |
| quote: | Originally posted by Shakka
This is an excerpt that essentially conveys the main reason I am a true supporter of the "War on Terror" or whatever you want to call it.
I believe that in this crazy world that has only become more crazy, at some point someone's got to stand up and take action, start kicking a little ass where need be and restore a little bit of order to our fragile civilization. There's only so much "passing the buck", beaurocratic nonsense, and political feet dragging going on that allow for fundamentalist extremists to take advantage of a situation and cause a little global havoc. I respect the men and the administrations gloabally that had the balls to take a leadership role and not settle for the status quo.
I realize that there will be plenty who say, "Yeah, but violence only begets more violence" or "Bull, the U.S. is an imperialistic country that is only trying to throw her weight around"... You're certainly entitled to your opinion, though no dictator would ever allow you to have one.
Sorry for the rant, just felt like getting that off my chest. |
i agree completely... its funny how people turn these acts of terror agianst america and say its all their fault, no wait... its all bush's fault :rolleyes:. it is obvious that they can not be dealt with in a peaceful manner, it seems like the only resort left is put forth a strong front and say that terrorism is not the way to bring results, be civilized. and if that requires starting wars to prove the point, then through all irony aside and show them how to behave... like grown-ups parenting their children. i dont think we should tolerate, rationalize it and have to live with it in fear. pull the freaking bandaid off and get over it |
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