Network TV returns to its regular programming (West Wing is soooo important). NFL resumes this weekend. Baseball has already resumed. Plans are being made for "Holiday Season". (reserve your party rooms now!)

How long before the current unanimity unravels? How long til we are bored and irritated by "security measures"? How long before the media are once again hooked on Condit, Ann Heche and policy nitpicking?

Osama waits and watches, smiling. The West resumes its fiddling.

How long before we are clobbered again?

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), September 18, 2001

Answers

Well, Lars, I'll tell you.

As long as there are people with the state of mind I've seen on this board (Buff Body, Flanagan, just to name a couple)... Bin Ladin is going to enjoy himself immensely. And due to complacency, and self- righteousness... we are going to deserve being laughed at. And, if that happens, it won't just be Bin Ladin who will be laughing... it will be the whole world.

Super Power? Not if what I've seen here, is any indication.

Haven't been here in a long time, and just thought I'd drop by for a visit. Wish I hadn't now.

Jewel

-- Jewel (jewel_of_the_wind@yahoo.com), September 18, 2001.

"Jewel", this board is habitated by the dregs of society. You can't consider this a true representation of "real peOple". "Real people" are busy living their lives.

"I" and a few other intellectuals consider this entertain,,ment

I hope anyone from another country knows that.

-- (Na nu@na.nu), September 18, 2001.

Lars, they ran the coverage until their ratings dropped, and then switched to season premieres. Only because they care about this country, of course.

-- (Shuz@but.), September 18, 2001.

Nanu,

Then what the hell are you doing here? (and don't say you're writing a PhD thesis in Abnormal Psych).

-- (dreggy@WW.West), September 18, 2001.

Lars, they ran the coverage until their ratings dropped, and then switched to season premieres.

I'd agree with this, Lars. Maria seems to think that this tragedy will consume people through this year, next year, and indeed through the 2004 election. It's ONE thing to have a good, gossipy soap-opera on the news daily [which the FOX news channel enjoys, BTW], but folks don't typically want to dwell on death and recovery efforts.

-- Anita (Anita_S3@hotmail.com), September 19, 2001.

Do you really consider this to be a "gossipy soap opera"? We're in a war and it might be coming to a town near you.

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), September 19, 2001.

Do you really consider this to be a "gossipy soap opera"?

No, silly. I was contrasting this situation with the sex scandals.

-- Anita (Anita_S3@hotmail.com), September 19, 2001.

Anita, why don't you answer the question instead of berating my views?

Lars, Anita believes that in three weeks people will return to normal and even start asking the "HARD questions" such as why are the SS funds being depleted.

I find contempt with this attitude. Lower Manhattan is rubble. Millions of people no longer have an office. The entire city is directly impacted and will never be the same. That part of the city was the center of global markets, gone in an instant. While Anita is so isolated that she believes no one will notice in three weeks. No one wants to "dwell on death". As I wrote on the other thread that Anita won't response to, "I'm floored".

Anita, did you end up giving blood? I recall another thread where you bemoaned that your blood would be staying in Texas and not going to New York. Sorry, I have to question, have you ever given of yourself to some else in need? I find it hard to believe, but I guess that's just the view of liberals, so free with other people's money and not giving from their own. Sad.

-- Maria (anon@ymous.com), September 19, 2001.

You can't even make a single post without insulting another person. It seems you can't formulate an opinion of your own, you must use the framework of another person's opinion.

You must be a real happy person to be so well adjusted and stable.

LOL.

-- Geez Maria! (what@miserable.cunt), September 19, 2001.

Maria: Sorry if you thought I was "berating" you. I believe the question you asked on the other thread was, "Are you going to change your feelings in a month?" I don't remember expressing any feelings except that THIS was a time to stand together. My flag will fly for a month as the president asked.

Do I think people will start asking about the SS surplus being spent? They already are.

-- Anita (Anita_S3@hotmail.com), September 19, 2001.

The above exchange is an axample of what I fear may happen; ie, back to "normal", including divisive, irrelevant chickenshit issues. This is a war for chrissake. There will be deficit spending. LBJ proved once that we can't have guns and butter. We may even haul out Liberty Bonds again, a la WWII. There will be shortages. There will be body bags. And for the first time, there will be (more) domestic casualties.

Do the American people have the will to endure a protracted conflict? I think so but not if we insist our returning to our addictive junk culture, not if we devolve into blame-games. How many WTCs will it take?

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), September 19, 2001.

Anita, no you didn't express any feelings except for "THIS was a time to stand together". That's exactly what I meant by my question. Obviously you won't feel the same in three weeks. Your patriotism is astounding. Please continue talking about your salmon dinner.

-- Maria (anon@ymous.com), September 19, 2001.

Lars,

It's going to be a new kind of normalcy. This notice went out to all kinds of agencies yesterday:

"The FBI warning said fire and emergency services vehicles could be stolen by terrorist groups and turned into rolling bombs aimed at military bases or other government installations."

http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/09/18/inv.fbi.firetrucks/

-- flora (***@__._), September 19, 2001.

Get real Lars. Social Security is only a chickenshit issue if you lack the bandwidth to think about more than one issue at a time. And just because you call it a war doesn't mean it will be anything like previous wars.

-- Geez Lars (what@miserable.asshole), September 19, 2001.

It's a question of priorities friend

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), September 19, 2001.

PS - You're right, it won't "be anything like previous wars".

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), September 19, 2001.

Geez, life is tough. It's tougher when you're stupid.

-- Maria (anon@ymous.com), September 19, 2001.

Voice of experience?

-- Jack Booted Thug (governmentconspiracy@NWO.com), September 19, 2001.

Now now, kiddies.

-- (lars@indy.net), September 19, 2001.

Just as I thought. You've never had an original thought in your head, all you can do is work within the framework of others.

-- Geez Maria (what@miserable.cunt), September 19, 2001.

Maria is Betsy Ross.

Must suck to be you

-- (chupas@chupas.chupas), September 19, 2001.

Lars, they ran the coverage until their ratings dropped, and then switched to season premieres.

I don't see how "ratings" really had much to do with the reduction in news coverage. Neilsen didn't even release ratings last week since they would have been pointless. Besides, most of the news coverage on the stations I watched had absolutely no commercials, so I would think the networks were losing money hand over fist during this time.

As with all crises, everyone has a choice on how to handle them. Terrorism has always existed and will continue to exist, despite our "war." We can choose to live in fear of everything and everyone and never leave our prep-filled, ammo-laden bunkers, or we can try to continue living our lives, such as they are. I personally have no problem with increased security at airports, going to war, deficit spending, etc. If that's what it takes, then that's what it takes. But how much "news" about this is there really to report? How much "news" was there the day it happened? By that afternoon, CNN was interviewing every former govt official in existence about what they thought about the situation. Who the hell cares? To me, that's not news. If it's not coming from someone who's currently in government anywhere (be it US, Europe, Arab nation, whatever), then it's just filler. Updates about recovery in NY and Washington are great, updates about military/diplomatic responses are great, interviews with some former director of something about what he thinks are interesting but pointless. I'd rather watch football.

-- (what@i.think), September 20, 2001.

JBT, yeah and my experience sees you must have an extremely tough life.

Geez, "anything like previous wars." LOL You call this original? Ignorance is bliss, isn't it? And I can see that you are very blissful, giddy as a two year old.

Lars, I agree with 'what'; it has nothing to do with ratings. Did you notice no commercials during the first couple of days. The stations could not continue to operate that way.

-- Maria (anon@ymous.com), September 20, 2001.

Maria,

Does your experience include any knowledge of anything that occurred in the world prior to January, 1993? Do you actually think you "see" anything besides the Oak in front of your face?

Again, there are Elms and Birches right over there ->. Look around some time will you? It might help you have a more balanced view of the fact that this is a big country and people might have some ideas and opinions that differ from yours.

-- Jack Booted Thug (governmentconspiracy@NWO.com), September 20, 2001.

JBT, "…opinions that differ from yours" LOL when did I try to restrict anyone from voicing an opinion? Get your head out of the trees for a minute and come back down to earth. You keep posting questions and tree info but nothing about your point. Is your point that EVERYTHING in our past helped us get to where we are today? To a certain degree (a very very small degree), I agree with this. But I'll make an example to illustrate how incredibly shortsighted this is.

You punch Unk in the nose. Unk's nose bleeds. Do I blame you for Unk's nosebleed or do I blame both your parents for procreating? My answer is I blame you. Get it? (Sorry Unk :)

I'll directly answer your first question, as obtuse as it is. Yes I remember lots before 1993 including US involvement in Nam. I recall that we lost that conflict mostly because of our intelligence (or lack thereof) capabilities. I know for a fact that our military has learned much as a result of its mistakes there. I remember four years Americans were held hostage and a nation sat and watched. I remember Desert Storm and how we allowed a terrorist to live. Move to recent years, which directly influenced today's event. I remember the US 'humanitarian' efforts in Somalia and how it angered Osama to the point that his followers were observed dragging our soldiers through the streets. Do you think the president at the time could have done something about this? Or do you only know about forests?

-- Maria (anon@ymous.com), September 20, 2001.