9/11 was certainly bad. It's an act of inhuman cruelty to be condemned. However, it was Bush who made it more than that: he made it a warrant. He insisted that this was nothing less than one of the greatest travesties ever perpetrated.

2,819 people died in the September 11th attacks, and I regret that loss sincerely enough not to try to make it into some sort of political tool. (Although I feel very lonely in that commitment.)

However, allow us to put some perspective on this situation. The most galling point is that when America is attacked we are outraged, but when we attack another country we expect them to graciously accept their casualties.

Let us compare September 11th to some other...

9/11 was certainly bad. It's an act of inhuman cruelty to be condemned. However, it was Bush who made it more than that: he made it a warrant. He insisted that this was nothing less than one of the greatest travesties ever perpetrated.

2,819 people died in the September 11th attacks, and I regret that loss sincerely enough not to try to make it into some sort of political tool. (Although I feel very lonely in that commitment.)

However, allow us to put some perspective on this situation. The most galling point is that when America is attacked we are outraged, but when we attack another country we expect them to graciously accept their casualties.

Let us compare September 11th to some other notable bombings of civilians:

September 11th: 2,819

Nagasaki, 1945: 74,000 (+196,000 diseased or injured)

Tokyo Fire Raids: 100,000

Dresden Fire Raids: 135,000

Hiroshima, 1945: 140,000

Leaving WWII aside, consider the civilian death toll in America's aggressive wars since 1945:

Korea: 1,185,000 (North Korean civilians)

Vietnam: 65,000 (by US Bombing alone. Not including between 20,000 and 48,000 "political assassinations" identified by Chomsky, but classified as "legitimate targets.")

Cambodia: 600,000 (Total)

Laos: 250,000 (Total)

Panama: 600 - 8,000 (Propaganda anybody?)

The Gulf War: 333 - 157,000

Afghanistan: 300 - 3,400 (Aerial bombing alone)

Iraq: 75,000 - 82,000

Given these numbers, September 11th is definitely a tragedy, but we know nothing like

Who remembers Sept.12, 2001? nearly every paper in the country ran the picture of the "falling man". He was the sound guy at the restaurant on the 107th floor of one of the towers. He chose to jump rather than burn to death, along with more than 200 other poor souls (that jumped rather than burn). Just his one death was a tradgedy. The numbers aren't important- innocent lives were lost to the atom bomb and to the nazi's and to the IRA, but they weren't "more" important than the "falling man", nor were they any less. The point is, it was a tradgedy-
Civilian lives were lost- non combatents. What does the atom bomb or nazi's have to do with that? The death of one innocent gives men reason for...

Who remembers Sept.12, 2001? nearly every paper in the country ran the picture of the "falling man". He was the sound guy at the restaurant on the 107th floor of one of the towers. He chose to jump rather than burn to death, along with more than 200 other poor souls (that jumped rather than burn). Just his one death was a tradgedy. The numbers aren't important- innocent lives were lost to the atom bomb and to the nazi's and to the IRA, but they weren't "more" important than the "falling man", nor were they any less. The point is, it was a tradgedy-
Civilian lives were lost- non combatents. What does the atom bomb or nazi's have to do with that? The death of one innocent gives men reason for rightious indignation, but what degree of revenge? Thats what the point is, isn't it?

Yo Napster:

I didn't overlook anything. The Holocaust is in no way relevant to this issue, even though it's everyone's first recourse when they can't think up a sound argument.

My point is: America is not without sin, so how dare we cast stones? I can come up with numbers for France, Germany, Spain, Russia, the Netherlands, Belgium and any other country as well, if anyone should dare to think they are pure and free of guilt.

My point is not that one travesty justifies another, but exactly the opposite. Before we are so quick to anger we should remember our own transgressions first, and show the forbearance that we should beg of those we have transgressed against.

If Germany should ever j...

Yo Napster:

I didn't overlook anything. The Holocaust is in no way relevant to this issue, even though it's everyone's first recourse when they can't think up a sound argument.

My point is: America is not without sin, so how dare we cast stones? I can come up with numbers for France, Germany, Spain, Russia, the Netherlands, Belgium and any other country as well, if anyone should dare to think they are pure and free of guilt.

My point is not that one travesty justifies another, but exactly the opposite. Before we are so quick to anger we should remember our own transgressions first, and show the forbearance that we should beg of those we have transgressed against.

If Germany should ever join in another offensive war of indignation, it will have to answer to the Jews. If you wish to make an issue of the Holocaust, consider this: despite the millions of Jews killed by the Germans, Israel has sought no vengeance, and never attacked Germany. In response to the tragedy of the Holocaust, the Jews sought justice, and held certain diabolical individuals responsible.

In response to 9/11 the US has sought vengeance, bombing countries, toppling governments, and fomenting bloody chaos. Bush and his cohorts don't deserve to deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence. As the great leaders of Israel who found it in their hearts to break the cycle of retribution and respond to the Holocaust with peace and humanity.

Just so you are not too selective in your historical memory. I could produce realms of support but I believe this gentle reminder might restore some balance.

"A Protestant state for a Protestant people". No jobs, no housing, no anything for Catholics in an artificially created statelet, 6 of the 9 counties of historical Ulster, to produce a Protestant majority. Just look at the position of Co.Donegal on a map. Derry City, with a huge Catholic majority, produced Protestant rule through DeLay type gerrymandering.

When civil rights matches were attempted, the marches were repeatedly attacked by tugs and RUC in turn. Bloody Sunday was a civil rights march with NO guns on the Catholic side. Aft...

Just so you are not too selective in your historical memory. I could produce realms of support but I believe this gentle reminder might restore some balance.

"A Protestant state for a Protestant people". No jobs, no housing, no anything for Catholics in an artificially created statelet, 6 of the 9 counties of historical Ulster, to produce a Protestant majority. Just look at the position of Co.Donegal on a map. Derry City, with a huge Catholic majority, produced Protestant rule through DeLay type gerrymandering.

When civil rights matches were attempted, the marches were repeatedly attacked by tugs and RUC in turn. Bloody Sunday was a civil rights march with NO guns on the Catholic side. After that response and the subsequent cover up, then it was down hill all the way.

Peace came after the destruction of the new financial centre of London with 1 accidental death. A second such would have finished London as a financial centre. So lives - Irish or English - didn't count, but buildings did. And Bill Clinton looking over Blair's shoulder.