I recently made an idiot of myself dumping on a college I have no real gripe with. However, as Western Michigan University is NIU’s homecoming opponent, it is my duty as an American, and an idiot, to bring to light the shocking involvement of this school with international terrorism.
"Among the airlines that contract with the training center are … Aer Lingus and British Airways.
“Some international students are ``self-sponsored,’’ Thomas said, but most are Dutch.”
Florida. Michigan. Canada. Ireland. England. Holland. The web widens.
Acually, I’m scoffing at the attitude in this country this week that going off half-cocked is okay under the circumstances; that we should “carpet nuke” Afghanistan, killing untold innocents because because their government is harboring bin Laden. Scoffing at a lot of things because a lot of things need scoffing.
The way terrorists work is by being among us. New York and Washington DC were not the targets of people operating outside the USA. If a place as resolutely “middle American” as Battle Creek, home of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes fercryinoutloud, can be connected to this mess then anywhere can.
On one hand, this can be used as a valid argument for paranoia. On the other, it also means that the people who can indulge their terrorist tendencies can also be exposed to the good of America. Perhaps through our good works they can be turned.
For my part, I understand exactly the point he’s making. Listening to the current rationalisations for planned attacks on Afghanistan, I know that the same arguments would have led to the bombing of Ireland by the UK in retaliation for IRA atrocities in England. Being Irish, I am glad they did not choose that course of action.
Gee, hibby, I’m real glad you got it because I thought at the time that I originally posted it was solely a lighthearted dig at WMU and an admission that I wasn’t as totally immune to intermural rivalry as I might have said. It wasn’t until Rilch challenged me to explain myself that I realized I really DID have a point I wanted to make.
This week I have kept going back to the Cuban Missle Crisis of '62. At the time, Castro was urging the USSR to retaliate. I still get chills thinking how the only thing that stood between me and death was Nikita Kruschev’s cooler head.
The IRA has bombed and hijacked planes, but they didn’t purposely crash them into office buildings and government complexes. Their actions could have led to a call to war, but no one thing the IRA has done has been a call to war.
When I posted, drop, I wasn’t arguing, just asking for clarification. I was processing a lot of info at once and didn’t understand what you meant.
I do understand your and hibernicus’ logic. But other circumstances can’t be compared to this. What happened on Tuesday was an act (I’m looking at it as one singular act) of pure inhumanity, on a grander scale than has ever been seen in the modern world.
Maybe ever.
It is necessary for cool heads to prevail. But only to insure that the actions that WILL be taken will be the most effective.. There is no question of whether we will retaliate, only of how we will. The actions of Tuesday demand it.