I watched parts (most) of Inside 9/11 on the National Geographic channel, and like Rosemary says, it was very well done and not biased that I saw.
I'm thinking that I may see if I can buy it on DVD from National Geographic. It would be nice to show people years from now after history is rewritten.
It could have easily editorialized all the events that lead up to 9/11 and after. It didn't. There was no visible agaenda on the part of the producers. They laid out facts and allowed you to just absorb everything. There was no leading but there was a lot of learning. They could have tried to imply that it was Clinton's fault, as others have tried, for letting Bin Laden get away from the Sudan. They could have tried to imply that it was Bush's fault, as others have, for not acting on the PDB even though there was nothing specific. Everyone has a conspiracy theory and they could have tried to sway the information towards one of them. They didn't.
I always wondered what event made Bin Laden turn his sites on the U.S. and I always suspected it was something specific. It was more than just they hate us for our freedom. It was the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. That was the catalyst.
Bin Laden went to the Saudis and offered to protect the kingdom with his "holy warriors" because only they should do it. The Saudis said thanks but no thanks and welcomed George H.W. Bush and the U.S. military into the kingdom. That totally pissed him off and that was the catalyst that made Bin Laden target us and a jihad on the Saudi Royal family.
I lived right across the Hudson back then. Watched the 2nd tower fall looking out of my window, the incredible dust cloud was as surreal as not seeing the tower there anymore. Moved me, yes. An understatement, you might say. After the shock came rage. I'm still waiting for satisfaction.
Steven Malcolm Anderson 4 GodsSelfSex (mail) (www):
The event that inspired Osama bin Laden was America's pathetic defeat in Mogadishu. They do not hate us for our "imperialism" nearly as much as they despise us for our weakness, our softness, our Political Correctness, they see us as "paper tigers".
Bin Laden put it well when he said:
"Show people a strong horse and a weak horse, and, by nature, they will like the strong horse."
Thank you for that, Rosemary. It was a beautiful documentary and I agree with you completely. I did lose someone that day and it never, ever goes away. Not ever. I too felt there was no blame attached, and that was very healing. Pointing fingers does nothing. It never has. I've never understood it.
Steven
Going to war will not bring back my friend. Please don't fight for the people who died. Please. It's not wat the families want as a whole. It's just not.
OBL was raised by *us* to fight the Russians in Afghanistan. We supported his jihad. It was a good cause, and a good tactic. Let the Muslims take the fight to the Soviets, all it costs us is money, not lives or direct confrontation.
We inadvertantly gave an extremist the power that he would later use against us.
And he doesn't hate us for our weakness, or our freedom. He hates us for maintaining bases in the country most holy to Islam, Saudi Arabia. And now for our invasion of Iraq... And support to Israel. But I think we could have gotten away with support for Israel, if that was the extent of our presence in the ME. Having bases in his holy home country is a different matter.
Mind you, I'm not debating whether the presence of those bases was a good or bad idea. I just contend that they are the source of his decision to turn the direction of the jihad to us...
Steven Malcolm Anderson 4 GodsSelfSex (mail) (www):
Ron:
Obviously you and I are never going to agree on any of this.
Alex:
You think they would have wanted us to surrender? Nobody is to blame? You think those terrorists seized those planes and flew them into buildings by accident? Was Pearl Habor an accident, too? We're not going to War, War came to us.
Please don't attack me. I merely said there's no reason for you to generalize. I lost someone very dear during 9/11, and he would not have wanted you or anyone to speak for him. So, fight the way you need to, but don't do it in the name of people you don't know. That's all I'm saying. I'm not an appeaser, I'm a friend who lost someone. That's all.
I believe we all lost someone in that tragic event. As an American I wept and wept over the loss of innocent, good and decent Americans. I still have the newspaper showing each and everyone of the firemen and policemen lost on that day. I have watched every documentary I have heard of about that day. I am still weeping. The brave souls on flight 93 had the courage to fight and die to save the country from losing the symbol of our government - the US Capitol Building.
I respect your feelings of loss. But this event happened to our country - the entire country not just those who had family and friends who died a horrible death. I feel that our grief surpasses such boundaries. It was not just an accident that affected 3000 American families and their friends. It affected 300 million Americans.
Steven Malcolm Anderson 4 GodsSelfSex (mail) (www):
The fact is that no one can possinly speak for each and all of the 3,000 who were murdered on that day. Perhaps some such as your friend would have wanted us to forgive their murderers, to grant them mercy. Others would have wanted us to avenge them, to seek justice. Had this been a hurricane, earthquake, tornado, fire, or other such natural disaster, there would be no questions about mercy vs. justice, nobody to forgive or to punish. In that case, however, these 3,000 human beings were consciously, deliberately, cold-bloodedly murdered by other human beings, terrorists, motivated by an evil ideology. These terrorists intended to kill as many Americans as possible. They made war against the entire United States of America. Yes, they hate our freedom, our way of life. Since they made war on America, America must make war on them, not only to avenge the 3,000 who were murdered as the towers fell, but also to prevent thousands or millions more from being murdered again by these same terrorists. That is why we fight. That is what this war is all about. Our brave soldiers are fighting for the very survival of America, of Western civilization, of human freedom. We must fight until we win. Nothing less will do. That is where I stand.
You make good, good sense Steven. This was a day none of us will ever forget and a day in which we must teach our children about so that, God willing, something this catastrophic never happens again.
No, Joey would not have wanted us to go to war. He would have wanted us to find Osama, as does his family. Most of the families feel that way. But....you have very strong convictions, and I don't mean to poo-poo them.
I hate poo-pooing by nature.
You do what you need to do. Joey's family will do what they need to do. And I have Joey's memory (and his baseball cap) to remember what kind of guy he was. And how sensless this entire thing is.
We are at War. We must fight to win.
I'm thinking that I may see if I can buy it on DVD from National Geographic. It would be nice to show people years from now after history is rewritten.
Could you provide examples of how the show might have been biased (but wasn't)?
I always wondered what event made Bin Laden turn his sites on the U.S. and I always suspected it was something specific. It was more than just they hate us for our freedom. It was the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. That was the catalyst.
Bin Laden went to the Saudis and offered to protect the kingdom with his "holy warriors" because only they should do it. The Saudis said thanks but no thanks and welcomed George H.W. Bush and the U.S. military into the kingdom. That totally pissed him off and that was the catalyst that made Bin Laden target us and a jihad on the Saudi Royal family.
Ron
Bin Laden put it well when he said:
"Show people a strong horse and a weak horse, and, by nature, they will like the strong horse."
Absolutely true. We must be the strong horse.
Steven
Going to war will not bring back my friend. Please don't fight for the people who died. Please. It's not wat the families want as a whole. It's just not.
We are at opposite sides again, it seems :)
OBL was raised by *us* to fight the Russians in Afghanistan. We supported his jihad. It was a good cause, and a good tactic. Let the Muslims take the fight to the Soviets, all it costs us is money, not lives or direct confrontation.
We inadvertantly gave an extremist the power that he would later use against us.
And he doesn't hate us for our weakness, or our freedom. He hates us for maintaining bases in the country most holy to Islam, Saudi Arabia. And now for our invasion of Iraq... And support to Israel. But I think we could have gotten away with support for Israel, if that was the extent of our presence in the ME. Having bases in his holy home country is a different matter.
Mind you, I'm not debating whether the presence of those bases was a good or bad idea. I just contend that they are the source of his decision to turn the direction of the jihad to us...
Ron
Obviously you and I are never going to agree on any of this.
Alex:
You think they would have wanted us to surrender? Nobody is to blame? You think those terrorists seized those planes and flew them into buildings by accident? Was Pearl Habor an accident, too? We're not going to War, War came to us.
I have had with you appeasers.
Please don't attack me. I merely said there's no reason for you to generalize. I lost someone very dear during 9/11, and he would not have wanted you or anyone to speak for him. So, fight the way you need to, but don't do it in the name of people you don't know. That's all I'm saying. I'm not an appeaser, I'm a friend who lost someone. That's all.
I believe we all lost someone in that tragic event. As an American I wept and wept over the loss of innocent, good and decent Americans. I still have the newspaper showing each and everyone of the firemen and policemen lost on that day. I have watched every documentary I have heard of about that day. I am still weeping. The brave souls on flight 93 had the courage to fight and die to save the country from losing the symbol of our government - the US Capitol Building.
I respect your feelings of loss. But this event happened to our country - the entire country not just those who had family and friends who died a horrible death. I feel that our grief surpasses such boundaries. It was not just an accident that affected 3000 American families and their friends. It affected 300 million Americans.
You said exactly what I was going to say, only better. Thank you.
No, Joey would not have wanted us to go to war. He would have wanted us to find Osama, as does his family. Most of the families feel that way. But....you have very strong convictions, and I don't mean to poo-poo them.
I hate poo-pooing by nature.
You do what you need to do. Joey's family will do what they need to do. And I have Joey's memory (and his baseball cap) to remember what kind of guy he was. And how sensless this entire thing is.