Agree. All that flag waving idiocy is what allowed our corrupt scumbag politicians to get us into these horrific wars with incredible loss of life, misery, and national treasure not to mention the destruction of our rights. I spent most of my life in the Marine Corps with multiple combat tours and enough wounds to finally require a medical discharge. I've never seen anyone wave a flag on a battlefield. There are other ways to remember the dead of 9/11 without more foolish nationalism. Those of us who have fought and are fighting these wars have had enough of the sunshine patriots and the chickenhawks.
Originally Posted by
jackb
Before we get cariried away with "flying old glory," consider that as a result of the 9/11 attacks, the USA invaded, illegally and unprovoked, a sovereign nation, Iraq, killing over the next several years hundreds of thousands of peope who had nothing to do with 9/11 or the fanatics who planned and executed those attacks. That the 9/11 attacks were horrible, detestable, and downright evil is not in doubt. What is in doubt is all this "remembering" that we're supposed to be doing while ignoring our own culpability in our international policies. How many innocent people, to include women, children,and the elderly, has the USA killed in Iraq and Afghanistan under the pretext of "defending" freedom. While the people who died in the 9/11 attacks did not do anything to deserve their fate, neither did a far greater number of people in Iraq and Afghanistan.
It appears to me that the media is turning this ten year anniversary (and what's so special about ten years as opposed to eight or nine?) into some kind of sentimental, patriotic circus. I'm sure the TV will be showing plenty of closeups of people with tears in their eyes. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do when I see this. The televised broadcasts of people who are truly emotionally upset to the point of tears seems to me a cheapening of that emotion, appealing to some voyeuristic impulse in those who watch. The media ought to exercise a little taste for a change, but as usual, emotions attract viewers, and that's what TV is all about.
A quiet, dignified ceremony honoring those who lost their lives on 9/11 might be more appropriate. It would certainly be in better taste.
The best thing that the USA can do to honor those killed on 9/11 is to uphold those values upon which our country is supposedly founded. Truth and justice for all are two that come immediately to mind. We have a lot of housekeeping to do right here at home with these two values, not to mention in the international arena. And perhaps we should demonstrate a true respect for those killed by not turning the anniversary into some national media event.
The true patriot is not the one who falls into line by accepting government propaganda as truth or who advocates the governments policies simply becuase they are the government's policies. The true patriot is the one who examines policies and actions with critical intelligence, approving or disapproving as the case demands.
I, too am saddened by what happened on 9/11, but there is nothing that I can do about something that has already happened. What I can do is live in such a way that contributes to the building of a world based on fairness, justice, kindness, and peaceful coexistence.