[Hyderabadi]

malkers, on Sep 12 2007, 03:53 PM, said:

9/11 was an act of terrorism which took the lives of some 3000 people.

26th December 04 was (apparently) an act of God which took some 130,000 people.

Which one gets remembered most?

noflylist, on Sep 12 2007, 04:44 PM, said:

If we forget the past events, how can we guard against future tragedies!

At first, totally surprised that this thread could be a potential controversy, but other POV is equally valid.

The website that I am linking to could be absolute junk. Even if there was a 10% margin of truth, which of these do we remember and what are the lessons learned, if I may ask?


http://www.swivel.co...adsheet/2038648


PS:NFL bhai, koi controversy nahi hai. Sirf discussion.

If I smell a controversy brewing, I will quit posting here and  worse, I will do satyagraha by posting pictures of food  and make the rest of you suffer. I have a 20gb drive full of such photos and I add on.        

Does that sound like terrorism too?

[dzibead]

noflylist, on Sep 12 2007, 01:44 PM, said:

If we forget the past events, how can we guard against future tragedies!

At first, totally surprised that this thread could be a potential controversy, but other POV is equally valid.

I think there's a difference between being mindful of history's tragic lessons and wallowing in them sentimentally or exploiting them for cynical political ends.  I think that's all people are saying, so I don't think there's really a controversy.   Unfortunatley, we've repeatedly seen the memory of 9/11 put to very bad use in this country (e.g., as a justification for the war in Iraq), and if one of my loved one's had died in the event, I'd be pretty ticked off at the way some people have exploited it (and are still exploiting it).  In fact, quite a few relatives of NYC firefighters and cops who died that day are disgusted at the way Rudy Giuliani is trying to capitalize on it by touting his supposed "leadership" that day and in the aftermath -  take a look at some of the videos here, for example:  http://therealrudy.org/

[dzibead]

Hyderabadi, on Sep 12 2007, 02:14 PM, said:

If I smell a controversy brewing, I will quit posting here and  worse, I will do satyagraha by posting pictures of food  and make the rest of you suffer. I have a 20gb drive full of such photos and I add on.        

Does that sound like terrorism too?

Ooo!  "Food hacking"!  Is that a threat or a promise?

[Shiver me Timbers]

Hi guys, just back from a month in Morocco......

I think living here in Ireland, I'm kind of detached from the emotional baggage associated with this date in the US. However, I still think 9/11 deserves to be specially remembered, perhaps in a different context.

For those of you who lived through the Cold War, 9/11 may not seem as significant an event as it would to someone my age.

I grew up in the 90's, a time of relative peace and ease, somehow, my generation thought it had always been, and would always remain that way.

For me and other people my age, 9/11 very much defined the world we live in today, no matter what your politcal standpoint (I think most of you can probably guess mine....) . For this reason, it's a date I'll always reflect on.........

Just my thoughts right now......

[Sudheer Poppa]

NFL - Kalashnikov says that he invented the AK 47 for peaceful purposes but others had a different idea on it. Serious discussions can come out on a wide array of topics. The poor thread starter would really get bewildered on the way it develops.. talking from personal experience mate

Hyd - as per that website 2006 was the bloodiest year in the history of terrorism with almost 12000 death.. in other words just three months on that year equated to 9/11 in some fashion or we had 4 9/11's distributed across the board over that year... and my guess is atleast three of them in Iraq!

I agree with Conor that it certainly changed the view and outlook of a generation, for me it did for sure. But on the other hand, the question here is about the pompous and airtime remembrance which is more touting a US vs Them mentality. Which I believe is the effect of these ceremonies where the laurels on the fight against terrorism is being pompomed, but the other side cost in worlds outside of USA is not considered relevant!

[Judi]

Noflylist - I don't think anybody is saying that the past and its events shouldn't be remembered, just that mawkish public displays serve no purpose -neither in providing comfort nor in healing wounds.   Of course all lessons are only learned from past events (if only we ever actually did learn   ) and I believe you are totally right when you say we have to remember things ..... but maybe just not in the flag waving 'Us & Them' way.

(btw: and totally off topic ....... is it only me that sees the irony of the United States being written as US ????? Just a thought ....... )

[Sudheer Poppa]

Judy.... I thought about 'US' a few mins when I typed it... but then left it for the members to intrepret based on their convictions ;-)

[iwanttogoback]

conor

that's an interesting observation about people of your generation and their response to the wtc events.

i guess i did grow up in the cold war, but living in possibly one of the most peaceful places on earth it's all so far away, however, the idea of terrorism and terrorist attacks was not new. i certainly remember the crisis of hijackings in the 70s, and the effect that had on air travel. up until then you could go out onto an open viewing deck overlooking the airstrip at the perth airport (domestic and international in one), and stand behind a simple glass and metal barrier to farewell and greet travellers as they walked through it to the waiting planes! hard to imagine when you look at the airport now and all the security.

i was certainly rocked by the twin towers, i woke my son up to watch with me because i couldn't watch alone, but i couldn't not watch either. the time zone i am in put the events mid evening so most people i knew had seen most of the events in ny live - the next day at uni was surreal, and probably the only time in my course where it was ok to say that you hadn't finished homework because you had been watching tv.

however, rocked as i was, i agree with the posters above about the need to not only move on, but to stop using the event for political purposes.

[Hyderabadi]

iwanttogoback, on Sep 13 2007, 07:05 AM, said:

........ up until then you could go out onto an open viewing deck overlooking the airstrip at the perth airport (domestic and international in one), and stand behind a simple glass and metal barrier to farewell and greet travellers as they walked through it to the waiting planes! hard to imagine when you look at the airport now and all the security.

I remember the day my Dad went to Japan in 1969, we actually drove across the runway taking a 'shortcut' to get to the terminal. Matter of fact, the road cutting across the runway had manned gates, much like a railway crossing.

Years later, I had the opportunity to witness cows and goats being driven off Rajahmundry airport runway by policemen in a jeep so old that itself may have been a hazard.

[iwanttogoback]

the last time i remember low security was leaving denpasar in 1980. i looked out the window and idly remarked to my mother that there was a dog on the runway, but that someone was chasing him.

she had a fit.