There are many things we did not learn from 9/11 and the wars we started based on lies. How is Trump’s misadventure any different?
On 9/11 about 2,977 Americans died that day. We were attacked by extremist terrorists who mostly originated from Saudi Arabia, yet instead of putting sanctions on that country we attacked the Taliban in Afghanistan and Iraq. Over 7,000 American soldiers have died and as of 2019 we have spent $6.4 trillion.
It seems we have been down this path before; lies & miscalculations are costing Americans lives and capital, and what do we have to show for it? Millions unemployed, without healthcare, around 200K dead and millions infected, yet we keep steaming down the Sadaam Hussein path. When will we learn from history? When we lie to the public it costs us, dearly.
The difference is, that because of 9/11, you can’t get on a plane anymore without taking off your shoes. While because of the pandemic, Taco Bell is no longer offering the Mexican Pizza.
( and Woodstock adds: “Or is it because of the Wall?”…)
Leading Causes of Death
Heart disease: 647,457.
Cancer: 599,108.
Accidents (unintentional injuries): 169,936.
Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 160,201.
Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 146,383
We still let people eat fast food and get fat and die. Most of us drive cars and they don’t shut down the entire country for those people dying in cars.
There were no Taliban in Iraq. There were no Al Qaeda in Iraq. There was only a personal vendetta/grudge held by “W” against Saddam in Iraq.
The similarity is that “leaders” make government into a tool for accomplishing their personal (or ideologic) agenda – not for the betterment of everyone’s lives.
The George W. Bush Administration ignored intelligence warnings about Bin Laden’s extra-curricular activities, because they wanted to use such potential successful activities as a justification for invading Iraq, in my opinion.
The only problem with that strategy, or attitude, however, was that 9/11 was greater than the GWB Administration could imagine, and then next, they found themselves in the paradox of two potential wars.
Trump ignored warnings about COVID-19, because he didn’t want it to ruin his economy, or re-election, and was hoping it was like the flu and would “magically go away”.
But it became more serious then he imagined, which then found Trump ruining his own economy to deal with the virus, and then trying to use the politics of the virus, in turn, to strike fear, in order, to get re-elected. Just as Bush used the beneficial political fear, from the underestimation of a potential 9/11 and its eventual results, to get re-elected in 2004.
The big difference between Bush and Trump, however, with 9/11 and the pandemic, is that Bush’s strategy of fear had a logical continuum for the average American, or the appearance of one at least, while Trump’s strategy is at odds with the reality of the virus like imagining Bush being at odds with the fear of 9/11. And it is this distinction, which is imperative for Democrats to develop as a final argument as to why Trump should not be re-elected, because his fear does not protect Americans, but rather further harms them and only benefits Trump.
( and Woodstock adds: “Yah, and one could say that Trump’s Cheney is actually Putin, too”….. “And I wonder if Putin has an ‘undisclosed location’ as well?….” )
Yeah, “Welcome back-you were missed!” Good correlation and conclusion. Anyone who’d vote for Trump after these 3 3/4 years of chaos own him and shit-show he rode into town on and are responsible if he somehow avoids the law (coming after him) and is re-elected by the Electoral college.
hey – welcome back – those are numbers for an entire year for those other causes. So far we have had SARS Cov-2 around since March. That’s 6 months, and it’s been getting worse – despite the “shut down” and other extraordinary measures. Imagine what the numbers would be if we were all like you and just didn’t give a f///.
Comparing COVID to war in the Middle East is hardly deserving. War has always brought patriotism and a strong economy. COVID has distanced us socially and threatened the economy into a serious recession. The epidemic has brought about isolation and separatism. There’s hate for lack of leadership and government mistakes. Police disrespect has caused a mini revolution. Treatment of minorities and inferior protection are evident. Rebuilding of faith and respect in police must happen before inner city succession like for Portland tears us apart from the democratic seams.
Daily – police need to be focused on actual crimes and not mental health issues, drug addiction and the like. They have no training, no expertise, not particular insight and no particular interest in gaining those qualities in regard to those issues.
There’s an old adage – give a man a hammer and everything looks like a nail that applies here. Give a cop a badge and everything looks like a crime. Give a cop a gun and every “criminal” deserves to die.
It’s not a matter of citizens needing to show more “respect” It’s a matter of cops needing to be relieved of seeing crime in all things.
We used to worry about waterboarding foreign nationals.
Now, we need to worry about American protestors being gunned down in their hometown, or someone – egged-on by a politician – punching you at a political rally. #ChronicKentState