Just a short reminder to remember the cowardly attacks on 9/11/2001. Long Live the USA!

It seems that when things are at their worst, the American people are at their best. ( maybe its a general human trait; not limited to Americans--but on that day WE were the ones attacked, so maybe we get some bragging rights.)

Many selfless heroes on that day, as well as thousands of victims.

__________________
1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags

On Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs
- Dave Grossman


..............The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, can not and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheep dog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours.

Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn't tell them where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports in camouflage fatigues holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, "Baa."

Until the wolf shows up. Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog....


Look at what happened after September 11, 2001 when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Remember how many times you heard the word hero?

Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed right along with the young ones.

Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, "Thank God I wasn't on one of those planes." The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, "Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference." When you are truly transformed into a warrior and have truly invested yourself into warriorhood, you want to be there. You want to be able to make a difference.

***

May all the sheep and sheepdogs who perished that day rest in peace.
May the wolves burn in their own special circle of hell.

Perspective:

9/11 deaths: ~3000

Since then, the estimates of civilian deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan due to the war:

Iraqi deaths: 30,000-110,000

Afghan deaths: 8,000-12,000

Go USA!

Let's also celebrate the myriad civil liberties lost since then, that continue to this day. Many would state, this is a far greater loss than the original tragedy.

So, no thanks...I'd prefer to forget 9/11 ever happened.

Those are low, low numbers. Iraq is likely well over 1 million, most are women and children. Not even counting the torture and rape. Yeah, if there is a God the last thing he's doing is blessing this land.

thanks for your compassionate comparison.

Da Nag's right about Iraq, but I don't think 9/11 is the time for focusing on that. 9/11 is not about George Bush. It's about an evil attack on our countrymen in New York, Arlington, and Shanksville. Bush, apparently, never figured that out, but that doesn't mean that we don't honor those we lost and the people who rushed in to help.

If someone wants to start their own thread then that is what they should do. Not dishonor the memory of innocent men and women who lost their lives through a horribly cowardly attack.

And if you know someone in the military shake their hand and thank them for their service to our country, same for police or firefighters!

Today is about remembering and reverence.

Just taking the time to remember what once was and those that were part of it...then, in a few short hours, all of that was taken from us by no more than 19 sad, sick individuals.

Fingerpointing and *****ing? Nope.

Leave that off here...make a different thread and vent there...thank you...

__________________

M. G. Burg
'10 - Dakota SXT - Daily Ride / ≈ 172.5K
.'76 - 450SLC - 107.024.12 / < .89.20 K
..'77 - 280E - 123.033.12 / > 128.20 K
...'67 - El Camino - 283ci / > 207.00 K
....'75 - Yamaha - 650XS / < 21.00 K
.....'87 - G20 Sportvan / > 206.00 K
......'85 - 4WINNS 160 I.O. / 140hp
.......'74 - Honda CT70 / Real 125
.
“I didn’t really say everything I said.”
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ~ Yogi Berra ~

98% of all statistics are made up, yours is firmly in that 98%.

How can we ever forget, I'm going down to the city tonight for dinner.

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

September 11th 2001 was a horrible day, the world trade center towers were awesome and I never got to go on them! Not to mention all the people who lost their lives in the attack.. I was watching some archive video and it was really sad.

It's sad to see pictures of NYC without the towers in the skyline, or when you watch old movies from like the eighties and they're there it's just like "siiigh" damn terrorists.

America is seriously the best country in the world, there ain't any other place I'd rather live. GO USA!!!!!!!!

__________________
2007 BMW 328XI

I've great compassion and empathy for all those who have suffered from this tragedy. I just don't limit such feelings to those on our soil.

So far, it's been a defeat for the America I used to know. These guys must have known us better than we know ourselves. A president who used the tragedy to wage an unjust war worthy of fascists that would make real all the lies Al Queda told about us, enriching his pals as he furthered the strange and twisted neo-con idealogy instead of destroying the man who did this. A nation willing to sell out it's principles over fear. We will soon be withdrawing in defeat from Afghanistan, where a man sworn to destroy us by the city-full was left to connive onward while we murdered school children with cruise missles in Iraq. The entire thing has worked out better for our enemies than it has for us, as they stand poised to take over a nation equipped with atomic weapons. The US economy in ruins. The US dollar, shattered. Trillions of dollars that should have went to further our greatness, evaporated in the sands of a nation that will collapse as soon as we walk out the door. And all the while instead of committing ourselves to Total War the way our forefathers did, sacrificing and waging war as a nation, we instead gave tax cuts to those who should have been called upon to sacrifice. May God help us. Whereever Ozama Bin Laden is, he is smiling.

All it can say is no further attacks on American soil since 9/11.

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200