Ten years...

[Ihateyoumike]

I can't believe today is ten years since the attacks on 9/11. It still seems so fresh in my mind and yet so much has happened since then. I still watch videos and can feel just what I felt watching the second plane hit live on tv. I can still remember being scared that there would be a draft and I would be forced to go to war. At 19, I was a prime candidate had a draft happened.

What an awful day that was. I just hope I don't see anything else happen that's as bad or worse than that in my lifetime.

[Sweetdeath]

There have been way worse terror attacks and tragedies, but I suppose America loves putting their stuff on top. >__>

[Tank]

There have been way worse terror attacks and tragedies, but I suppose America loves putting their stuff on top. >__>

I was born in '59 and I don't recall a terrorist attack on anywhere near this scale. In terms of the deaths of British citizens the 9/11 attack is still the worst in British history. In the 25 years of the 'Troubles' in Northern Island no one attack came anywhere near this. I don't think there ever has been such a successful terrorist attack in terms of loss of life or material.

[McQ]

There have been way worse terror attacks and tragedies, but I suppose America loves putting their stuff on top. >__>

Really? Would love to see you back all of this up with facts. Additionally, you have missed the point of the OP. Perhaps you might dig down and find a little of your humanity before spouting such rubbish.

[Sweetdeath]

Welp, it is an aweful thing that happened, but I am not here to get into a quarrel, so..

To each thieir own.

[McQ]

Welp, it is an aweful thing that happened, but I am not here to get into a quarrel, so..

To each thieir own.

Then you should probably keep inflammatory posts that have no basis in fact off the forum. Consider this an unofficial warning, as what you've posted comes very close to trolling.

[Asmodean]

I understand it is to be the last annual whatchacallit (EDIT: The word I was looking for was "memorial") this year..?

If so, I applaude that. Dwelling can easily backfire as hatred and intolerance if you do enough of it... Individual brains shaping memories and opinions and re-shaping them countless times while thinking about the act in question and some - many - just spiral downward... In my experience, little good comes of it.

[Sweetdeath]

Welp, it is an aweful thing that happened, but I am not here to get into a quarrel, so..

To each thieir own.

Then you should probably keep inflammatory posts that have no basis in fact off the forum. Consider this an unofficial warning, as what you've posted comes very close to trolling.

Are you serious?  I am just posting my opinion.  It was a terrible event, but I think americans dwell on it every year, so it's kinda annoying.  I'm sorry if you think my opinion is trolling.  I've been here long enough to know not to troll.

[Sandra Craft]

I understand it is to be the last annual whatchacallit (EDIT: The word I was looking for was "memorial") this year..?

If so, I applaude that. Dwelling can easily backfire as hatred and intolerance if you do enough of it... Individual brains shaping memories and opinions and re-shaping them countless times while thinking about the act in question and some - many - just spiral downward... In my experience, little good comes of it.

I agree with this -- dwelling is hardly ever useful, and I'd rather see more time, attention and money spent on the survivors of 9/11 than on memorials.

[Asmodean]

Are you serious?  I am just posting my opinion.  It was a terrible event, but I think americans dwell on it every year, so it's kinda annoying.  I'm sorry if you think my opinion is trolling.  I've been here long enough to know not to troll.

Sensitive matter, you see... Sensitive enough that you should use caution in wording even if your name happens to be Asmodean and you are not exactly known for sensitivity. 

[McQ]

Welp, it is an aweful thing that happened, but I am not here to get into a quarrel, so..

To each thieir own.

Then you should probably keep inflammatory posts that have no basis in fact off the forum. Consider this an unofficial warning, as what you've posted comes very close to trolling.

Are you serious?  I am just posting my opinion.  It was a terrible event, but I think americans dwell on it every year, so it's kinda annoying.  I'm sorry if you think my opinion is trolling.  I've been here long enough to know not to troll.

Yes, I'm serious, and if you have been here long enough, then you should have known better than to even ask that. I told you your post was missing the point of the OP and that it was inflammatory and baseless. You have yet to prove otherwise. If your post was inflammatory about any subject, it would be called out, just as this one.

Any further issues can be directed to me or any of the moderating staff via PM.

[Tank]

Are you serious?  I am just posting my opinion.  It was a terrible event, but I think americans dwell on it every year, so it's kinda annoying.  I'm sorry if you think my opinion is trolling.  I've been here long enough to know not to troll.

Sensitive matter, you see... Sensitive enough that you should use caution in wording even if your name happens to be Asmodean and you are not exactly known for sensitivity. 

Asmo speaks words of wisdom.

[Sweetdeath]

Are you serious?  I am just posting my opinion.  It was a terrible event, but I think americans dwell on it every year, so it's kinda annoying.  I'm sorry if you think my opinion is trolling.  I've been here long enough to know not to troll.

Sensitive matter, you see... Sensitive enough that you should use caution in wording even if your name happens to be Asmodean and you are not exactly known for sensitivity. 

Asmo speaks words of wisdom.

Alright , sorry.

[Asmodean]

Thing is, and this is an answer to your first post in this thread, Sweetdeath, that you can't really blame people for dwelling on an event like 9.11 - even if this very dwelling is not only not constructive, but potentially harmful. It is still fresh in memories of survivors, families, friends and coworkers of those who didn't make it and many others who feel directly or otherwise touched by the tragedy. Nor can you blame Americans for potentially blowing this event out of proportion - it hit them on their soil. It's different when that happens.

Sure, more people died in pretty much any war deserving of the name you can think of but I suppose for many Americans those wars seem distant - even some wars US troops take part in, just like most wars of today seem distant to me. 9.11 was not distant to them at all.

As stated, I think dwelling is wrong and I think ending organised annual memorials here is a good idea, but I also think it is important to recognize the emotions at work here.

[Gawen]

Some people get worked up over this...others do not. It is no different than any other tragic terror event. Consider when JFK was killed, or Reagan shot or MLK killed. Some felt those losses deeply, others not...and many in between.

If one considers the London Blitz as terror bombing (as I do because the target was switched from military targets to civilian targets) then one can say that over 76 nights of terror, 40,000 were killed.

If one considers the bombing and fire bombing of Dresden (and other German cities) as terror bombing - which is exactly what the Bomber Barons and higher-ups in the American and British governments had in mind - by the RAF and the USAAF between 13 February and 15 February 1945 in the Second World War. More than 3,900 tons of high-explosive bombs and incendiary devices were dropped on the city in three days resulting in a firestorm that destroyed 15 square miles (39 square kilometres) of the city. One must remember that German defense of the air was nearly dead at this point. At any rate, revised estimates of the death toll does not go over 25,000. And to let you all know, it did nothing to shorten the war and only served to harden German civilians against the Allies.

9/11 death toll surpasses Pearl Harbour by 650 persons (68 were civilians) or thereabouts. I consider Pearl Harbour a terror attack as well because there was no formal declaration of war.

Some may say the above instances are different; during time of war. But are they? And if they ARE considered acts of terror, then there are "way worse terror attacks and tragedies".

Now, I wasn't part of either raid (above). But I have to ask, to bring home the points - after 10 years, what did the Londoners and British people in general and the people of Germany and Dresden think of these raids? What did they do ten years later? How many dwelt on it and in what way?

Trying to put this in perspective...well, it's difficult at times. Just thinking of "terror" in this way - if one considers these Heads of State as terrorists, here's the death tolls (all averaged from several sources)...
Mussolini: 300,000
Idi Amin Dada: 300,000
Sadaam Hussein: 600,000
President of Indonesia Suharto: 800,000
Genghis Khan: 2.5 million
King Leopold The II of Belgium: 8 million (most in the Congo)
Stalin: 23 million (I think this toll is much too small)
Hitler: 23 million
Mao: 60 million

Compare the above with a fundy religious leader-
Osama Bin Laden: 4,000

So what's this to do with 9/11? Hell, I don't know. All I know is that people will deal with it in their own way, whether it's a single one person incident, terror bombing through war, attack without declaration of war, gas attacks in the subway or something as unique and sinister as 9/11. And when remembering 9/11, try to remember all the dead millions from days past that died horribly through terror and those that will die in the future. It ain't just us Americans....it's all over the world.