WTF?¿? Is it the US against the world now?

Saturday news coverage. I flip between CNN, Euronews and the German national news and this sinking feeling of despair lodges itself in my gut. One channel has Bush and Blair doing the saber rattle jingo two step on a sunny DC afternoon, helicopter and honor guard poignantly placed in the background. The next channel shows Shroeder and Chirac doing the hand wringing peacenik twist and bawl in a drizzling Berlin night in front of Gerry’s new drab middle class digs. By the time I get back to CNN Larry King is rerunning one year’s worth of celeb’s answers to the question of the decade “Where were you when the planes hit?” Every other sentence contains the words “Attack on America.”

Zap……… The Heidelberg debacle.

Zap……… Euronews is covering the poll that shows that a majority of Europeans think that the US foreign policy is largely to blame for 9/11.

Zap……… Israeli security forces are preemptively blowing up a car bomb.

Zap……… The assassination attempt on Karzai. Commentary involves criticism mixed with praise of American security forces.

Zap……… American flags in the wind with the dreadful sight of the North Tower collapsing in the background.

Zap……… Palestinian street urchins throwing stones at armored vehicles with IDF forces on foot in full Kevlar shooting them off with rubber.

Zap……… Some talking head on CNN is mulling over national pride after 9/11.

Zap……… Coverage from Thursday’s meeting between Swedish Premier Persson and Blair to discuss the terrorist threat and EU foreign policy in regards Iraq.

Zap……… Some green party official denouncing the US unwillingness to deal with the greenhouse effect inter-cut with Powell hand waiving at the Earth Summit.

Zap……… The apartment building where the Heidelberg idiots lived and played bomb making.

Zap……… The week in news on a German channel shows the arraignment of the Ryan Air gunman in Stockholm.

Zap……… Swedish father of “illegal combatant” prisoner at Gitmo locks himself up in a cage on the central city square in Stockholm and goes on a hunger strike.

Zap……… German special on flight 93 followed by a memorial for the German nationals killed in the WTC, hardly a word about the over 2 770 other nationals who died.

Zap……… CNN runs another segment vaguely centered on national pride and resolve.

Zap……… Some idiot newscaster on the local channel M-TV elaborates on how to spot a terrorist at the upcoming October Fest, he of course comments that we shouldn’t worry too much since “this is not America.”

Zap……… Rerun of segment with EU President and Danish Premier where the reporter desperately tries to wring a harsh condemnation of US environmental policy from him. He spoils her party by refusing.

Zap……… Iraqi official thrashes the idea of complying with UN resolutions since the US has decided to attack anyway.

Zap……… Heidelberg. Zap……… Gaza. Zap……… 9/11 reruns. Zap……… American flags burning in the ME . Zap……… Blair. Zap……… Chirac. Zap……… Poutin denounces the US Iraq policy. Zap……… Bush and the famous Axis of Evil idiocy rerun. Zap……… US hardware at work in Tora Bora. Zap……… US environmental policy denounced. Zap……… Heidelberg. Zap……… Ryan Air. Zap……… Schroeder.

Aaaaaarrrrghhh……

What in the name of all the piss stupid plague infested lemurs in Madagascar is up? Is it the US against the world now?

What ever fucking happened? A year ago terrorists attacked the free world by murdering some 3 000 people in the US. The whole world reacted as one to fight down this dreadful threat to our (as in every free person in the world) basic rights to freedom and security. A year later the terrorists are winning as the US drifts further and further into a position of opposition to the rest of the world, and not only at the fault of the US.

Has everyone lost their fucking minds on all sides of this story? The Russians, Germans and the French? HELLO even if you don’t agree… come up with some kind of fucking plausible alternative. The Americans? PULHEASE! Yes it was an attack on America, but every time you forget that it was also an attack on the free world you play into the hands of the terrorists. Same thing goes for the dumb fucking Europeans that seem to think that this is an American problem.

Somehow the only people I can even begin to understand right now are the Iraqis and their neighbors who should naturally be less than impressed at the idea of having their backyard turned into a smart bomb fireworks fest once again. That’s just great, I understand the worst psycho regime in the world and I can’t even begin to follow the ideas going on in the heads of my own democratically elected leadership.

Chirac can wipe his ass with the Tricolor and Bush can reciprocate with the Star and Stripes while I’ll just lumber off and piss on the Stars on Blue. The Union Jack, the Russian Federation Flag and the Schwarz Gelb Rot? They need band-aids in Gaza, send those rags right over. The biggest fucking kick in the gut I save for the stupid squirming simpletons that call themselves journalists who are pleasurably rolling around in the nationalistic muck instead of just covering the fucking news.

Dammed! Look at the list of things going on; it’s a global problem. Get it? Global? As in everyone’s problem!

I tried only reading my newspapers this morning…. Same crap in print FUCK!

Sparc

Calm down. It’s just politics playing itself out. GWB started rattling his sabre in order to get the UN to snap to attention and hold Iraq’s feet to the fire. There is a contentious election in germany and of course they are bringing Iraq into the discussion. You have a failed leftist mining votes as best he can, and a coservative playing both sides against the middle.

it’s just politics. Bush of course never intended to invade Iraq alone, it’s just a political play to get the UN to crack down on Saddam.

I’m not so worried about the US invading Iraq all by it’s lonely zuma, and I do understand that the little piss head Schroeder is out trolling for votes, his opponent Stoiber is harping a tune of the exact opposite note.

What I’m pissed at is the rhetoric of dissent and quite frankly the support it’s getting from the public. It’s not GWB and Schroeder that really piss me off, it’s the dumb fucking journalists who seem incapable of reporting with any balance. In the long run it sows an environment of distrust and polarization, that is the exact one Mr. ibn Laden et al flourish in.

And then there is nationalism, a pet peeve of mine.

Sparc

Well, yes, assuming that Our Leader is a crafty, insightful master of realpolitik.

Bit of a stretch.

Bush might not be, but he is very good at listening to his advisors, and I’d say that Colin Powell, Dick Cheney, Don Rumsfeld, and Condoleeza Rice are about the best team you could hope for in dealing out realpolitik

The exact opposing note? Didn’t get this feeling. I just watched the Stoiber/Schroder debate on TV, and Stoiber managed to say essentially nothing about his position when the Irak issue was discussed. His most salient point was that Schroeder didn’t call Bush often enough on the phone or somesuch…It seems to me that Schroeder clearly expressed his opînion while Stoiber tries to avoid the topic like the plague, rather than taking the opposite stance…

Well I’ll tell you that at the CDU CSU rally on Saturday Stoiber wasn’t saving up on the pro action on Iraq salvos. My impression from the debate was that he was holding back because he knows that the public opinion is not with the hawks on this one. He needs those centrist votes bad and Schroeder would have thrashed him to pieces on it.

Sparc

Firstly, I don’t think the perception then or now was that there was an attack on the free world. You can describe it that way rhetorically, but everything I have read before or since that gives a hint as to the aims of the perpetrators seems to me to point to them having an irrational desire to hurt the US. Period.

Secondly, the whole world did not react as one. There were and are plenty who were disinterested, plenty who secretly were pleased, plenty who mouthed words of sympathy but didn’t really care that much (except to stay in US good books).

Against that background, immediate sense of crisis over, the world has reverted to it’s usual squabbling self, without even too much of the veneer that might have given the impression you express of solidarity.

What the fuck do you have against lemurs? Leave those adorable primates out of your rant!

Are the channels in Europe gonna do the non-stop 9-11 specials just like American TV?

No, it’s mostly normal programming with some documentaries (in the UK at least). I believe the non-cable channels are having a minute’s silence at 2.46pm.

Incidentally, I read that there will be THIRTY EIGHT shows on Australian television this week on 11 September.

Er, “concerning 11 September” I mean.

That’s how it was taken in my neck of the woods anyway.

No really? Thank you Princhester, because I was under the impression that they wanted to attack Lichtenstein, but the US was easier, so… well. Of course the terrorists where purposefully targeting the US and that is exactly why the rest of the free world can’t afford the US to be singled out and isolated, since that is equal to letting them score. They might have attacked the US, but by doing so they attacked the foundation of what all free nations of the world stand for; democracy, self determination, equality of all people and all the other things contained in the UDHR.

What country did not condemn the terrorist acts? What countries with any remote capacity to do so - save Iran and Iraq - did not actively cooperate against the Taliban and Al Qaeda? Actually to be fair to Iran they did and do cooperate (although Bush spouting crap like Axis of Evil didn’t help), even if some people call it a show for the galleries. No matter, fact remains that the world reacted with unilateral outrage and even countries where the public opinion is strongly opposed to the West and the US in particular - read Pakistan - aided the war in Afghanistan materially, or did I miss something?

[quote]
There were and are plenty who were disinterested, plenty who secretly were pleased, plenty who mouthed words of sympathy but didn’t really care that much (except to stay in US good books).

[quote]
Perhaps a few if you’re talking countries, definitely pretty many if you are talking individuals. What is your point?

Well I can’t see that I am seeing too much relaxing going on in Europe in any case, we’re still cracking down on the terrorist networks and people are expressing very much concern about the threat - maybe it’s different far out on the corner where Terra Australis floats. More likely you’re just mixing up the war on Terror with action in Iraq, which has little public support even in the US. As for this being extended to the political diatribe you didn’t understand what my rant was about, obviously.

I think it’s rather expected to get some opposed opinion within the world community on these issues. Instead of trying to help the general population of the world to see through the political grandstanding the running news coverage is busy waiving flags and cheering on the facile conjecture that our public support hungry leaders spew around them. Journalism has a certain responsibility, but ever since the Gulf War I see media in Europe and America eating out of the hand of the politicians, fumbling in the dark, reporting what they are fed and swiping their analysis from the lead-in on of the government press releases only to most often end up regurgitating the simplest possible answer. The inside pages and the long reportages are sometimes, read sometimes above that, but then you see, everyman usually reads the front page and then skips to the entertainment or sport section. After which s/he also goes out waiving flags in the belief that this is about nationality.

Beyond that I think that our not always so worthy leaders are getting a little too caught up in the rhetoric to see that they are bludgeoning their own intended realpolitik (and yes I do believe that this is what it is) especially as regards the adverse effects it has in the Middle East. Then again, we’re only at the beginning of all this and Chirac came clear last night - maybe we’ll see more sense emerge as the events unfold over the next weeks.

Sparc

I want to give more of a reply but I’m late for work so I’ll just give one quick correction. Iran did help us in the war in Afghanistan by not letting Taliban fighters across their lines (well they stopped some of them at least) and there was an agreement, like in the Gulf War, that they would try to help rescue any allied pilots downed near them. The second never happened and both are more passive than active, but hey, it’s the thought that counts. That’s one of the complaints I have with Bush, Iran has a moderate leader who’s pushing for change and though I suppose they still require close watching couldn’t we have put them on Santa’s naughty list or something instead of tossing them in the Axis of Evil pile?

End of hijack.

I don’t really have the time to respond properly today. It’s probably true to say that my last post was not one of my most carefully aimed.

I should say that I have great sympathy with the sentiments expressed by you. Simply put, I think what I’m trying to say is:

[ul]1. My perception was and is that the seeming solidarity shortly after 9/11 was reasonably shallow. Many individuals outside of “the West” (and even in the West) probably had a “they had it coming” attitude etc as per my previous post. Add to that the fact that IMHO the greater public have the attention span of a gnat, and what you have a situation where politicians etc find it easier to get the public’s attention with grandstanding and flagwaving than with anything deep or intelligent on the subject.

  1. You are too busy being sarcastic over my point that the attack was on the US to see what I’m getting at. People have a very “I’m all right, Jack, so sod you” attitude. I think that immediately after the attacks, Joe Average, the whole western world over, was concerned personally. There was a feeling that the planes could be coming from anywhere. There were a bunch of crazies out there who could do anything to anyone. You weren’t safe even in Lichtenstein.

And then as more and more information about OBL came out it seemed to indicate that his madness was fairly specifically directed. His target was the Great Satan. If you were in Lichtenstein you were safe.

And so outside of the US, the public temperature cooled and now it’s hard to get them excited etc.[/ul]

You may well be right. But do you seriously expect the average man in the street to feel this way? I mean, it’s all a bit high falutin’, isn’t it?

“They flew some planes into buildings in America, because they are a bunch of towel head moslem crazies who hate Americans” would be more like the usual level of discourse, wouldn’t it?

And no I am not confusing anything to do with Iraq with the 9/11 situation. Don’t be so goddamned arrogant. You say that all countries assisted with the war on Terror. Yes. They did. But they did so with varying levels of enthusiasm, and with varying levels of underlying popular support. And (as above) as the memories fade etc, now we are seeing attitudes changing.

I am also sick of the baseless canard that we lemurs are plague infested. For the last time, MANGE IS NOT PLAGUE. Yes, we are infested with a sickening skin disease. But not plague. Please get your facts straight.

Before Chula, Gnat866 and the RSPCG roast me alive can I just say I meant no offence to gnats. I’m sure that for a creature their size, they have a really good attention span. Sorry.

Oh, so sorry then… but tell me Lemur is it Demodectic, Cheyletiella, or Sarcoptic mange?

Sparc, may I be the first to compliment you on a well done rant.

I watch the news pretty much all the time and it seems that on the US channels ( CNN and Fox, plus local) that if we ( US) don’t do something about Iraq, we are all going to pay.

Then the important men in dark suits with the proper credentials are trotted out one after another to tell us that " We have the evidence, we just can’t show you now. Wait until September 12th at the UN."

God, I hate that.

Then I flip over to International News and the CBC ( I love Canadians.) and they are covering ( it seems) every other story in the world at the moment but the Iraq and the Weapons of Mass Destruction or they are skirting the issue.

God, I hate that.

I, too, also get that sinking feeling that America is going to be going at this alone and frankly, being that I live in Michigan and we have the largest Arab/ Iraqi/Iranian population outside of those sectors of the world and it will be a mess here. ( Thank God I live in the sticks.)

I certainly don’t want that to happen.

If everyone ( UK, France, Germany, etc) are against going in on Iraq I get this sinking feeling that *something must be seriously wrong * that the world leader’s will not tell us, the stupid public about because, frankly,American’s want serious retribution on the sonso’bitches behind the terrorist attacks on our soil and well, a) elections are coming up in many places b)they can’t go after Saudi Arabia because it’s like hitting your sister even if she is a bitch and, c) and OBL is either taking a dirt nap or way under the radar until he can resurface again in a few years.

If the US doesn’t go after some bad guy/country it will make us look weak to the world and well, we can’t have that, we are the purveyors of democracy and all things good. We might be the great Satan but we gave the world Baywatch and Starbucks.
I can only hope that whatever GWB has up his sleeve is convincing evidence ( I want to see pictures/video of what ever it is they got .) and if it is truly convincing that the whole world either jumps on the boat with us and we all go in on this together or…those countries have to pay back immediately * all the fucking money we have loaned them over the years * and are not entitled to a cent more again, ever. (Which would probably turn those countries into terrorists themselves.)

I really don’t have much confidence in GWB, not that he is bad, not that he is good. I think he is doing a better job than Gore ever would have, but to me he is just *Daddy’s Revenge Against The Clinton Admin. * He’s got a good staff surrounding him.

I would feel more secure if Barbara Bush and a reanimated Queen Mother were running our country. No shit would be taken, I tell you, sir.

I think there will be a war against Iraq, I think it will start sometime in early winter and I think it will be mostly over within a year or so, before elections get under way, to help keep GWB in office another four years and help the Democrats cull their herd to find someone who isn’t so fucking droid like like Gore.

I conclude this rant.