I'm a Horrible Person

[FlyingRhenquest 1]

Yeah the 9/11 attack was bad and all, and I don't mean to denigrate the people who died that day, but we lose ten times that many people to gun violence and ten times that many people to automobile accidents on a yearly basis and shrug it off.

Checking the list of things that are likely to kill you, the numbers for "accidental fall in your residence" sits somewhere between 15000 and 30000 per year for the USA. I actually just lost a co-worker to a household accident this year.

Since 9/11 we've put billions of dollars into preventing terrorism without a whole lot of justification that those measures are actually achieving anything. Perhaps there are some lower-hanging fruit we should be going after.

And yeah, I know saying that makes me a horrible person.

I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

[normiss 867]

Not even considering the future potential that was lost that day.

Danny Lewin

His algorithm running cache servers are still humming away on the internets backbone today.

[Backintothesky 0]

You're not a horrible person, you are right to question 1 relatively small event - in the history of human cruelty 9/11 is nothing. It's also worth remembering how many other lives has 9/11 taken in the last decade. The 2 wars, americans, british, french, afghan, iraqi and everyone who has fought, died or simply been murdered because of one attack?

I think the reason it sticks in the US psyche is because it was so shocking and the first large scale foreign attack on US soil since Pearl Harbour.

There is less of a "thing" about 7/7 in the UK because

1. It was smaller

2. more importantly we have been dealing with this shit for a long time. We had the IRA try to kill us and I remember as a young boy growing up under the threat of bombings on the mainland. The evacuations, the closing down of the grand national, the murders of members of our parliament....

You guys haven't really had to deal with any of that, so 9/11 was a bit out of the blue for you.

That said, 9/11 was a horrible event and my heart goes out to all those lost and their families. Horrible horrible event and I can still remember where I was when I heard and watching it go down on t.v.

But you are right to suggest that perhaps the response has been a bit "over the top" in the last 10 years costing many more lives (inc. lots of American lives). I think we are starting to see the backlash from that in public opinion (and now British political opinion) re. Syria.

FlyingRhenquest

Yeah the 9/11 attack was bad and all, and I don't mean to denigrate the people who died that day, but we lose ten times that many people to gun violence and ten times that many people to automobile accidents on a yearly basis and shrug it off.

Checking the list of things that are likely to kill you, the numbers for "accidental fall in your residence" sits somewhere between 15000 and 30000 per year for the USA. I actually just lost a co-worker to a household accident this year.

Since 9/11 we've put billions of dollars into preventing terrorism without a whole lot of justification that those measures are actually achieving anything. Perhaps there are some lower-hanging fruit we should be going after.

And yeah, I know saying that makes me a horrible person.

[weekender 0]

FlyingRhenquest

Yeah the 9/11 attack was bad and all, and I don't mean to denigrate the people who died that day, but we lose ten times that many people to gun violence and ten times that many people to automobile accidents on a yearly basis and shrug it off.

Checking the list of things that are likely to kill you, the numbers for "accidental fall in your residence" sits somewhere between 15000 and 30000 per year for the USA. I actually just lost a co-worker to a household accident this year.

Since 9/11 we've put billions of dollars into preventing terrorism without a whole lot of justification that those measures are actually achieving anything. Perhaps there are some lower-hanging fruit we should be going after.

And yeah, I know saying that makes me a horrible person.

I suppose your point is that we should give more attention to other issues. that does not make you a horrible person IMO.

Today i walked past the WTC site and had to take a detour because of all the film crews. it is terribly annoying and i grumbled that they dont need to stand in front of the WTC to report on 9/11. i dont think that makes me horrible. it was 12 years ago and i think the tv news people try to milk it for all its worth. I'm not saying we should forget it but i am cynical about their motives.

We can pay our respects to the 9/11 victims and still have plenty of compassion and concern for gun violence and house hold accidents. I dont believe there is a limit to your ability to care about others.

"The point is, I'm weird, but I never felt weird."
John Frusciante

[DaVinci 0]

Quote

Yeah the 9/11 attack was bad and all, and I don't mean to denigrate the people who died that day, but we lose ten times that many people to gun violence and ten times that many people to automobile accidents on a yearly basis and shrug it off.

I don't shrug it off. Gun deaths are tragic.... I just know that making citizens jump through hoops are not really going to stop them. Mental health services might, better reporting might. I fight for those things while fighting against laws that will do nothing but make some people feel better.

Driving accidents. I don't shrug those off either. I don't drink and drive, and I tell others not to do it. I wear my seat belt and I recommend others to do it. I support police when they stop reckless drivers.

9/11 was different than the other events. Just like people get upset about mass shootings, they should also get upset about a terrorist attack. The trick is to do the correct things, not the feel good things and not to violate the Constitution in the process.

[CygnusX-1 43]

Quote

...not the feel good things and not to violate the Constitution in the process.

You mean like illegal search & seizures say for instance when you only want to get on an airplane?

[turtlespeed 226]

Absolutely!

I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

[OHCHUTE 0]

Cheney milked it.

[airdvr 210]

Once again this year I found myself watching the events of 9/11 unfold in real time on PBS. I get what you're saying but gun violence and traffic deaths effect a much smaller circle individually. This was shocking on an international level. Even when I know what's coming it's still shocking and, for me it will be like that forever.

Please don't dent the planet.

Destinations by Roxanne