Soul Raven
Member
Registered: Dec 1999
Location:
Posts: 239 |
 Rant
Well, either I am on everyone's Ignore list, or my posts just don't inspire people to reply, so I am just going to rant here for a bit because I think I can get away with it (although it may just be the Jolt and Ding-Dongs talking)
quote:
Originally posted by Toby
They're a great idea, if you want the US to turn into the Cold War-era USSR. "Where are your papers? Who authorized you to be here?"
This was my thought exactly. What sort of freedoms are we going to, or willing to, give up for safety? What sort of safety are we willing to give up for freedom?
I have been listening for a week now to the government talk about tracking down and finding those responsible for these most recent attacks. Now don't get me wrong, I am as patriotic as the next person, I served in the military, and want my country defended from it's enemies, both foreign and domestic. Some of the things I am hearing, though, give me great concern. "This is a global war against terrorism," they say, "it does not stop at Afghanistan." That's great! we say, let's hunt down the dogs that killed all these Americans and bring them to justice and/or kill them. I would think most Americans at this point have no problem with sending armed troops to Afghanistan to stop terrorists, but if "it does not stop at Afghanistan", where does it stop? Pakistan? Turkey? What if we get a lead that there is a group in Paris, do we now have armed American troops walking the streets of France? Of England? I am sure those countries would just love that.
Oh, some will say, that will never happen. We would obviously work with the other countries, and their soldiers would take care of it. Would they? Many countries have given us their political support, but when reporters asked if that meant military support, ground troops, bullets, they whistled and stared at the collective ceiling, shuffling their collective feet. President Bush has stated that America "will stop at nothing" to stop terrorism. Strong words for the man carrying the biggest stick on the planet. What happens when Spain won't extradite someone we think is a terrorist because they don't think we have prove enough? We will make no distinction between those who are repsonsible for these attacks, and those who harbour them, right Mr. President?
What about here at home? Congress has already given wider lee-way for search and seizure of private property of suspected terrorists. That great, isn't it, if someone is planning a terrorist attack, we want to be able to go in stop them, right? What if it's your neighbor? What if someone sends in an anonymous tip that YOU are a terrorist? No, you aren't a terrorist, but now your house is trashed, your name in the papers, and your neighbors all look at you out of the corner of their eyes. It just seems to me that we have spent the last 200 years refining laws preventing exactly this kind of witch-hunt, and we are on the brink of throwing it all away over a relatively small, albiet emotionally charged, incident.
Why did they ban knives on airplanes? I know, I know, that's what the terrorists used last week to take over the planes, but they also used the threat of a non-existant bomb and the promise that everyone would be let go later (I guess in one way, that part was true  ). My point is: we know that trick now. The folks on the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania figured it out, and prevented the terrorists from reaching their intended destination, unless that was a particularly offensive corn field. I am just sorry they figured it out after they were all herded to the back of the plane. I can only imagine that if 4 people on an airplane today jumped up and brandished knives, stating they were taking over the plane, the other 200 people on the plane would jump up and beat the living crap out of them. I have heard a lot of people on the news saying that they will never fly again, it's too dangerous, and they are going to take a train or bus or just drive their own car. Now call me crazy, but have you seen the security, or lack there of, on trains and buses? I can believe anyone could believe that is better than at the airport. And driving? Flying was already much safer than traveling the freeways of our great country, and with the increased focus on security and maintenance, it's only going to get safer. I am not sure I want to fly on a plane without my Leatherman. It has a knife blade on it. Two, in fact. I had friends and family flying over the weekend, and I wasn't concerned about knives or forks or any type of flatware. I was concerned when they flew out of Dallas, but that was because of rain and lightning. Yes, my Leatherman has a knife. It also has a pair of pliers, screwdrivers, and a few other things. A few other things that I would like to have in case of an emergency like getting hit by lightning or sliding off a rain-soaked runway. As it has been said before, anything can be a weapon. I can strangle someone with a shoelace. I have seen some women wield a dangerous high-heeled shoe. Do we now ban footwear? Ties? Belts? Yes, we need to stop terrorism, but I am not willing to turn the United States of America into a police-state to do it.
I dunno. I guess I just live in my own little world. <sigh> You're welcome to join me, and you won't need a passport to get in (although I would like to see some photo ID  ).
__________________
Soul Raven - "Sm� hjerne, stor gl�de"
Wherever you go, there you are.
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09-17-2001 10:40 PM
that he broke with those Christian 'leaders' and actually prayed for the souls of the terrorists. He must have a different version of the New Testament than they do. I know they have Bibles for kids, women, teens, fathers, etc... I just didn't know that they had a version for rascist, mysoginist, hate-filled reprobates. Must be published by that venerable publishing house, The Beezlebub Press.
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