Friday, December 07, 2007

Compare and Contrast

The old Pearl Harbor:


The new Pearl Harbor:

Discuss.

12 comments:

TomCat said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
TomCat said...

Sorry for the typo.

Hi DG. First, thanks for your visit and comment at Politics Plus, and apologies for taking so long to visit you back.

In both 1941 and 2001, many lives were lost because our government failed to sufficiently heed the warning signs that the attack was going to take place. In 1941, we suffered a conventional military attack from a foreign government. We responded correctly by declaring war against the government that attacked us and winning. In 2001, we suffered a non conventional attack by criminals from a terrorist organization, which we had helped found by investing $300 million to enable them to perform terrorist attacks against the USSR. We responded incorrectly by attacking a country that had nothing to do with the attack against us and are in the process of losing that war. How's that?

Anonymous said...

Well put, Tomcat. To this day I cannot bear to look at pictures of the towers. They bring instant tears every time.

I was working at Red Cross that day, as a receptionist, and the way people responded was mindboggling. We had lines way out the door for a week of people wanting to give blood, and the phone literally ringing off the hook nonstop.

I had a bad feeling about that reaction at the time, but over the years I've tried to suppress it. People wanting to give blood - how can that be bad? But more and more I've come to understand, I think, what disturbed me about it. I think it showed the way Americans react to problems. We don't think. We do.

Everyone was so eager to DO something in reaction to the WTC attack, that they came to the blood banks all across America. Even when it had become evident that there were more than enough people giving blood by several factors, they STILL kept coming. There was no sense of proportion about it, about thinking AND doing. People had to DO soemthing, and they had do do it right away.

W tapped into that. And he's driven us deeper and deeper into our myopia and our obsession with DOING somethng.

Doing is important, of course. But so is knowing, and thinking. When doing is always in the driver's seat, sooner or later, a cliff awaits.

Right now, I feel certain that the doers will ratchet up the rhetoric on Iran, while flying sorties in and near Iran's territory, trying to make Iran SO fearful that an attack is imanent, that Iran will (if the plan I envision is the actual plan) develope more and more of a hair trigger.

Put yourself in Iran's place. Iran knows the US and Israel would like to attack it. Iran knows that the US and Israel can penetrate its air defenses. Iran knows that the US and Israel will take out as many of its missles as they can in the first waves of an attack. Iran knows it's only hope is to get those missles off the ground before they are destroyed in the event of an attack, which means it has to have a - hair trigger.

Now add to the mix the kind of ratcheted up sortie program that we tried on Saddam prior to invading Iraq and I think the result is an almost inevitable Third Pearl Harbor, where the US sacrifices maybe a ship or two to Iranian missles, but gains a green light (speciously) to unload all the ordnance it has on that country.

I hope I'm wrong, but that's my guess as to the script being discussed in israel by the US Joint Chiefs of Staff and the IDF.

Randal Graves said...

Shit, after those comments, I feel bad putting up something snarky! I can't help but agree with fillip. They want war, they're going to get it and they'll use any pretext (especially one they help foster) to push their insane agenda.

Dr. Monkey Von Monkerstein said...

Zing!

Fran said...

A very provactive post indeed. Being pressed for time that is all that I will say right now.

Randal Graves said...

Verily, I must tag thee.

TomCat said...

Fillip, I hear you. There was still a long line at the Red Cross blood bank here in Portland two days later when I went.

dguzman said...

WOW, what great comments! Excellent summary, tomcat, and a sad reminder of BushCo's idiocy.

Fillip--you know I think you're right on target (sorry) with your Iran logic. That's a fascinating take on the do vs stop and think for a second. I think it's very American to just react like that, not bothering to ponder the entire situation and all options. It's always just "shoot first and ask questions later." And as you say, sometimes the response is noble (giving all that blood) but the motives are nonetheless somewhat disturbing. A lot to think about in your comments.

Randall, I posted those pics feeling pretty snarky myself; who know these geniuses like tomcat and fillip would give it context and meaning?! I'll check out your tag and act accordingly, sir!

Fran, I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this topic.

Monkey-love ya!

Fran said...

Late to the event, but finally here.

This is a tough one for me because as you may recall, I was in NYC that day. No- not down near the WTC, but about 5 miles away.

Even just writing those words caused my heart to speed up a bit.

This whole tragic and evil moment in history has been completely coopted by yet a greater evil.

In reading Filip's words about the Red Cross that day, my eyes teared up.

In NYC that day, people did the same thing, the hospitals, in particular the near to the WTC St. Vincent's, all prepared to receive the wounded.

Folks mobilized, volunteering, bringing supplies, bottled water, face masks for the dust.

We are sickeningly shown images of Rudy running towards the disaster (our, ahem so called hero). Let me tell you, it was the zillions of ordinary people who wanted to do something who did the same thing and then stayed in it, at great risk that mattered. That matter still.

And in the end, what we end up with is the clusterf*ck that is the current admin. The world in shambles around us, as if the falling of those towers were simply a precursor for what was to come.

As I wrote recently on my own blog when I finally made my way to Ground Zero in November, the first time since 2001... If the dead were to return, what would they see?

Cellphones, blackberries, iPods, more nail salons, bank branches and Duane Reades than they could count. And fear, irrational fear all around them.

Of if the dead could speak, what they might tell us.

This all makes me feel a combination of sadness and rage.

And a longing for peace and healing.

dguzman said...

Oh Fran, your posts about that day were so incredibly moving.

I really like your comments about what the dead would see and think if they could return. I wonder that too.

Claire said...

I just tagged you! Hope you don't mind!