I never subscribed to this thread, but wanted to say how surprised I was to find over a hundred replies to my original post about a possible conspiracy theory and the Pentagon hit on 9/11/2001. I really posted it as a matter of interest, but with no personal opinion on the subject. I also wanted to say that I knew people that died in the Trade Center, and that knowing a lot of firemen who frequented an Irish bar I used to stop at, those guys each lost dozens upon dozens of lifetime friends.
Sad as that is, and as idealistic as we might want to be, the world is a screwed up place I think run by special interest, ($$$), groups. It's dissapointing that what was once known as the American Dream, passed by us all when the indians were rounded up and herded onto reservations. A friend of mine in the neighborhood died last week who was in WWII, and I used to tell him often that the world is much different then it was in his lifetime.
I don't doubt that with the garbage on TV and in the movies, that there are religious and political factors that want the U.S. out and as far away as possible, both in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. However, from neither side of the debate it should be thought of as "us" and "them". Sting wrote a good song about the Russians in the 80's, and said, the Russians loved their children too. I find it hard to understand how there can be so much chaos in the world, while still believing we all want basically the same decent and unselfish things. The 50's movie, "The Day the Earth Stood Still", and an old Twilight Zone episode also, suggested we were all out of control and probably needed some intergallactic space agency to eliminate us all.
I watch a lot of science on TV and enjoy shows about astronomy. The Earth is really a small place, and you'd think with all the inability to live together, we've shown that there might be some development somehow to move away from past mistakes. I just don't see any real intelligence in politics, and maybe someday we won't all be subjugated to the futility of it all. Watched a good documentary today on the Sundance Channel, "Unconstitutional", which showed the pain of those affected by the chaotic changes in U.S. security since 9/11.
I'm really disturbed about the climate of the times, "Zeitgeist", and am starting to not be able to imagine a future 20 years from now. Indeed, there are soothsayers, predicting the end of history in 2023 or something of the sort.
:2 cents: