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Time to move on

Head Rambles Posted on by

I always feel a sense of unease about this date.

Nine years ago I was at work when the word spread of the events in New York.  I was horrified at the time, as was the rest of the world.  Like everyone else, I mourned for the dead and was disgusted at the perpetrators of the mass slaughter.

I have since discovered that a namesake of mine was killed in the tragedy, which somehow made it more personal.

But that was nine years ago.  Since then, a futile and bloody war has been fought and lost and countless more have been killed in the name of retribution.  The casualties since that day in 2001 far outnumber the original victim count.

Back in 1974, Ireland had its own terrorist attack.  Thirty three died when bombs exploded in Dublin and Monaghan without any warning.  Thirty three may not sound very many, but in proportion to the population, it was a significant number.  If you scale the number up it would be equivalent to around 2,700 Americans, so the parallels are quite close.  Did the Irish demand war on the North, or the UK?  No.  We grieved for the dead, and have not forgotten them, but we carry on our lives.  We didn’t give the event a tacky name – it is just remembered as the Dublin Monaghan Bombings.  I doubt that the majority of Irish could even hazard a guess at the date.

I abhor the American habit of giving military sounding names to events.  In particular I abhor the expression “Ground Zero”.  It is born out of the nuclear tests of the last war, and should be confined to that period.  The expression “911” has always irritated me too.  Apart from the fact that in Europe, 9, 11 is the ninth day of November, it has become a rallying cry for America’s own fundamentalists and fanatics.

Constantly harping on about an event that is now history only serves to stir up hatred and desire for revenge.  Quietly remember the victims and mourn, but stop this fucking flag waving, sabre rattling and hyped up patriotism.  It only serves to incite hatred.

I wonder what my namesake and the other victims would think of all this hype?  Would they be happy with those thousands that were killed in their name?

I doubt it.

 

Comments

Time to move on — 20 Comments

  3. Well said GD.  I couldn’t agree more. It has been said that as long as war is profitable, America will always be at war.

  5. “But to be fair 9/11 sounds better than Bloody Sunday“

    I couldn’t agree more, and have never referred to Bloody Sunday.  But then over here we have heard of “Bloody Friday” and “Bloody Monday” and every other Bloody day of the week so it’s significance is kind of lost anyway.

  6. People and governments will like to focus on atrocities perpetrated by ‘the enemy’. Of course ‘our’ atrocities are always accidents, collateral damage or justifiable revenge, often with interest, against a morally inferior enemy. Playing football with atrocities makes many people, and governments, happy. Your atrocities were much worse than ours. You started it all, so you got what was coming to you. We believe in freedom and you believe in postponement of freedom in favour of a better collective future; but since your better collective future is dubious and kills present freedom, our massive violence is morally superior to yours. We believe in democracy, as long as other democratic governments play our economic game. If undemocratic governments don’t endanger our economic or geopolitical game we’ll lessen our moral disapproval of them. Structural violence oppresses the underdogs, so anti-structural violence against the overdogs is justified, even if the anti-structural violence itself becomes oppressive against the underdogs.
    Who is innocent? What liberators have not become oppressors? Which lecturing governments have no compromising interests?

  8. Ah but the Criminals In Action group are tasked with keeping all Americans not in that tiny group of people terrified and therefore under control which makes it easy over tax them so they will keep 911 reverberating around the world for as long as possible.
    The Irish on the other hand don’t seem to have any equivalent of Criminals in Action and as far as I am aware are more than capable of being lead up the garden path, as a nation, by people like buffalo Cowan without an atrocity or two to scare the shit out of them.
    Forgive me if my interpretation is out of kilter but I’m new here and am just getting a handle on your leanings as it were.
     

  10. Ah, I’m in. I said (three times previously lol) …

    “Powerful stuff, Grandad. Excellent, thoughtful article.”

  11. An excellent point – If you want to contol the people, give them a common enemy.  If the enemy is external, then all the better as it gives the government freedom to impose massive taxes and restrictions on its own population.  Just look at the massive and extraordinary powers granted to the Washington government in the name of freedom?

    Here in Ireland, we too have a common enemy, but our enemy is our own government.

    Dick – Of course I have moderation, but only to keep out the spammers.  Contrary to a some people’s expressed opinions, I have never cut out any comment that I disagreed with.

  12. Well said GD. I remember being in an office reception in London that morning, and apart from the security guy at the desk and a guy i was with, everyone else walked past the TV screen too busy to notice (don’t think it was sinking in with many at the time).
    The three of us concluded America would go to war, but with no real idea of the consequences. Wouldn’t normally link to another article here, but this one in the Independent is worth a read…
    http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/nine-years-two-wars-all-the-dead-nothing-learnt-2333680.html

  13. Thank You Grandad.

    This was the Act that brought on the War on Terror, so they have to keep rehashing it as a reminder of why the government is taking our freedoms. Not just here. Everywhere.

    By the way, in your name, I have burned a fact-filled research book. I won’t say what it was here, as to not put anyone in danger. And yes, the believers are protesting.

  14. I might agree more if this was an isolated attack, but people forget this was the second attack against the towers, not to mention the attack on USS Cole and the various embassy bombings.
    I certainly don’t agree with everything my country has done, but any who attack it have earned my enmity for life. I took an oath to defender her and I will whenever and however I can.

  15. Remember the ‘WMD’ mantra – the method by which most were sucked in. No WMD in Iraq as it turned out, and no confirmed link to the tragic events in New York.

  16. Mick – That is one strong article.  It seems I’m not alone?

    Quiet Reader – Ah Jayzus!!  You can’t come up with a statement like that and then leave me in suspense.  At least drop me an email!  What was the book?  Koran?  Bible?  An Inconvenient Truth?

    Jim C – You have a point, BUT compare the number of deaths before and after the WTC attack?  Bombings, suicide squads and general mayhem have increased ten-fold?

    Mick – I don’t think they ever seriously blamed Iraq for the WTC attack, did they?  That was just an excuse to follow their own agenda.

     

  19. Beautiful Grandad, simple and beautiful !

    Another one that pisses me off totally is the expression, “The International Community”. Like there is some shower of truly benevolent like-minded countries waiting in the wings to organise and selflessly give. Running hand-in-hand with the so-called International Community, is every countries “Self Interest”. Guess which tips the scales ??

  20. Quiet Reader – I’m always a bit wary about conspiracy theories.  I think they are all a conspiracy.

    Thanks, John, and welcome.  The one that terrified me was Bush’s call that anyone who was against the “war on terror” had to be for the terrorists.  It was a frightening form of moral blackmail, and a terrifying abuse of his position.

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