They will never be fogotten

[scaredyclassic]

from the 70’s…

Paper Lace
Billy Don’t Be A Hero lyrics

The marching band came down along main street.
The soldier blues fell in behind.
I looked across and there I saw Billy
Waiting to go and join the line.
And with her head upon his shoulder

His young and lovely fiancee.
From where I stood I saw she was cryin’
And through her tears I heard her say:

Billy don’t be a hero
don’t be a fool with your life.
Billy don’t be a hero “Come back and make me your wife”.
And as Billy started to go she said “Keep your pretty head low”
Billy don’t be a hero “Come back to me”.
Thesoldier blues were trapped on a hillside.
The battle ragin’ all around.
The sergeant cried “We’ve gotta hang on boys

Wegotta hold this piece of ground
I need a volunteer to ride out
And bring us back some extra men.”
And Billy’s hand was up in a moment
Forgetting all the words she said. She said:

Billy don’t be a hero
don’t be a fool with your life. . . .
I hard his fiancee got a letter
That told how Billy died that day
The letter said that he was a hero
She should be proud he died that way
I heard she threw fhe letter away.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Arraya]This semi-religious observance is irrevocably poisoned because of that. And we know that in our hearts.[/quote]The saddest part of all of this psycho-religious observance is that most Americans are far too ignorant to understand that 911 and Pearl Harbor were both direct responses to the USA acting as the world’s bully.

The naive masses act as if we have never bombed and killed innocents and yet we routinely kill more innocent people than what died in either incident.

We don’t fight for freedom, we fight for corporate interests and access to commodities and goods to sustain our way of life.

Our government froze Japan’s assets and enacted an extremely harsh embargo forcing Japan to retaliate, all to get into WWII. Nobody talks about the millions killed in the Japanese “holocaust”.

We’ve overthrown numerous democratically elected governments around the world, supported tyrants in horrendous wars against our enemies, and support Israel’s apartheid and war crimes all while acting like innocents claiming “they hate us because of our freedoms”.

If only the ignorant pollyannas could show a sliver of objectivity and recognize horrible actions for what they are, regardless of which side you are on.

If the USA continues to be the world’s bully then expect more pearl harbors and 911s. We will continue to reap what we sow.

P.S. Too bad Stalin and Pol Pot’s victims don’t have more power in Hollywood, or we could have big budget dramas on the atrocities they suffered every year too. Selective propaganda at its best. But the ignorant masses eat this crap up.

[KSMountain]

If you read the quotes from the phone calls placed from that flight – it is quite remarkable. Multiple folks, independently, male and female, tell their loved ones “I have to go. We’re going to do something now”. It is really quite inspirational.

I understand the backlash against the commercial schmaltz.

I have seen many comments say 9/11 pales in comparison to the atrocity of say, our actions in Iraq. Well, point me to an instance where we intentionally and successfully killed thousands of civilians, intentionally, in a single act. There is no analog, in my view.

[KSMountain]

Uh Mr. Ogre.,

Are you aware of *why* we might have tried to block Japan’s access to oil at that time?

Was it just imperial hubris? Or say, if you were president at that time: might you have done the same thing? Think before answering, and ask yourself: why has Obama continued many of the policies of the supposedly retarded and evil Bush? How could that possibly have happened, when objectively speaking, coming in to office, Obama was one of the smartest and most left-leaning politicians in some time? Ponder that for a moment.

You talk of ignorance, are you sure you’re up to speed on what was going on in that part of Asia in ’36-’41? And what happened ’41-’45? Educate me: is there a case where the U.S. has institutionally done a rape of Nanking, or a Korea comfort worker situation? Or a Bataan death march? What I think of is My Lai, which was much much smaller and we certainly examined ourselves over that and prosecuted folks. Abu Ghraib doesn’t even pass the laugh test as far as comparable mal activity.

Moral equivalence is mental sloth.

[Anonymous]

[quote=KSMountain]I have seen many comments say 9/11 pales in comparison to the atrocity of say, our actions in Iraq. Well, point me to an instance where we intentionally and successfully killed thousands of civilians, intentionally, in a single act. There is no analog, in my view.[/quote]

So it’s ok to kill thousands of civilians many times over, just as long as it isn’t in a single act?

Nothing about the invasion of Iraq was justified. Nothing.

Iraq was never a threat to the United States. Our leaders knew that and yet still proceeded to kill tens of thousands (if not more.)

Moral equivalence is mental sloth.

[scaredyclassic]

A politically weak alcoholic w a chip on his shoulder looking like a one term president; that was bush prior to 9-11. It’s dangerous to have a weak president looking to prove himself. If bush’s presidency had been going great, or he’d had a better youth, maybe he couldve held back the war machine.

Because Obama continues the war machine doesn’t mean it’s right just that it’s politically expedient. Being already in a war is different than starting it. Bring it on is different than bring them home.

But yeah obama probably wouldve taken us to war in 01 also. Gore wouldn’t have though. Well, maybe. Nader mightve done the right thing…

Actually forget it. I have no opinion really. All I know is I don’t like this war. Our actions in Iraq are worse than 9-11 because 9-11 was perpetrated by some batshit crazy spoiled rich douchebag Saudi. Our war was done by a clearheaded sober nation. And by sheer numbers the civilian body count in Iraq wins.

I’ll try to separate out 9/11 from the war so I don’t get in a tizzy anymore.

But even the hero stories are subject to propaganda and military bullshit. Just ask pat tillmans family.

[scaredyclassic]

It’s really bad to get yourself all revved up over big crazy things you have zero input on.

If you were inspired by the pat tillman story prior to the truth coming out, was it still an inspirational hero story afterward? Did it leave a bad taste in your mouth about the military?

[NotCranky]

I guess a lot of people don’t have a problem with the exploitation and denial accompanying the remembrances. They see that stuff as normal?”Go team!” In the end I think we are denying our collective culpability in the deaths in the towers.

I know many people for all practical purposes believe that all this warfare,standing armies, constant game changing, and theft we wage on others is a natural survival need or a right we have borne of special providence. My conclusion is that paybacks for it, are a bitch. We are spamming much of the globe with moral turpitude while at home wallowing in a lost innocence farce and getting mad at anyone un-american enough to pull the covers off that bull. People who can not take criticism should not be pulling man cards. It’s ignorant to not properly see who is fighting for a better America.

Play moral equivalency games in justification of half the things we have done,specifically as it relates to the actual geopolitical region in question, is just side stepping the issues. Perhaps it would have been Russia if not us, but then would we cry if the Kremlin had been blown up?

[scaredyclassic]

I read everything Jon krakauer writes because he moves me, so I read his pat tillman book, and kindve know more than I ordinarily would about pat tillman.

If anyone had an heroic spirit it was pat.

So utterly used, distorted and screwed with by his own country.

[NotCranky]

I was wondering when Thunderdome was going to be mentioned. What are you saving for next year, Walter?

[scaredyclassic]

I’m not saving anything; first I have toget ready to rail against Columbus Day.

Then there’s that goddamned thanksgiving. What an irritating farce. Just celebrate genocide why dontcha?

Christmas. A commercialized nightmare. Sickening spectacles of consumption.

New years eve. As if we have a monopoly on which day the new year will start.

And don’t get me started on valentines day.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=walterwhite]I’m not saving anything; first I have toget ready to rail against Columbus Day.

Then there’s that goddamned thanksgiving. What an irritating farce. Just celebrate genocide why dontcha?

Christmas. A commercialized nightmare. Sickening spectacles of consumption.

New years eve. As if we have a monopoly on which day the new year will start.

And don’t get me started on valentines day.[/quote]

Don’t be such a scrooge, scaredy. There are ways you can enjoy these holidays without “consuming.” Just think of them as time off from work. In that context, they can’t be all bad, can they? :=]

[njtosd]

[quote=walterwhite]I’m not saving anything; first I have toget ready to rail against Columbus Day.

Then there’s that goddamned thanksgiving. What an irritating farce. Just celebrate genocide why dontcha?

Christmas. A commercialized nightmare. Sickening spectacles of consumption.

New years eve. As if we have a monopoly on which day the new year will start.

And don’t get me started on valentines day.[/quote]

And I have to ask again – you’re joking, right?

[briansd1]

[quote=Zeitgeist]I think giving the 9-11 families one day a year is not going to kill anyone. Why don’t you ignore this thread if it is so bothersome to read about what some of us consider heroic actions?[/quote]

They got 1 day per year and more. Remember that they got $ millions in compensation.

My problem is that the looking back and the grieving is holding us back as a country. We have to look to the future.

[briansd1]

[quote=walterwhite]8.4 Million New Yorkers Suddenly Realize New York City A Horrible Place To Live
‘We’re Getting The Hell Out Of This Sewer,’ Entire Populace Reports
SEPTEMBER 2, 2010 | ISSUE 46•35

[/quote]

New York is a state of mind. You don’t live in NYC if you want the comforts of suburbia.

I have a friend who is a transplant to NYC but he’ll never leave. He came as a student at NYU, got his PhD and is never leaving. All through the years, I heard about trash outside so he couldn’t open the windows, the terrible summer heat with bad air-conditioning, the 1-bedroom apartment where the living room was converted to a second bedroom, the stench of neighbors cooking weird stuff, the cheap landlord of the dilapidated multi million dollar brownstone that burned down because they wouldn’t make repairs, etc…

Now that my friend has a good job, he’s waiting for a promotion to move to the Upper Westside.

[Author]

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