| U. S. S. INDEPENDENCE |
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| The scenes are gut-wrenching and heart-breaking. They make Me want to round up every damn flag-burner and throw them out of tall buildings. That was the most horrifying spectacle of all. The rest is somewhat abstract-the damn buildings just fell down. Most of the lower floors were evacuated but there was no exit above the impact areas. Kudos to the NYPD, FDNY and the Port Authority personnel for that one, at least. The estimate of a normal working Day is 20,000+ occupancy. That was not the first attempt to demolish the WTC. The Truck Bomb in the Garage was intended to topple at least one of the Towers. The Suspects were found, tried and convicted. Would it have made any difference if the Tower had fell? It could have happened. Oklahoma City is another example. A Building demolished with great loss of Life. The Perpetrator found, tried and convicted. The hunt for Ossama Bin Laden is valid. The upheaval of Afghanistan is justifiable considering the absolute refusal of the Taliban Government to extradite Those considered suspect. They would have received a fair trial. We did not depose the Taliban Government. We simply offered assistance to Forces already engaged. They did all the fighting. This business with Iraq and Saddam Hussein has nothing to do with 9/11. It's all SOS with a bold new twist. The most likely avenue of escape for Ossama and His Henchmen was Pakistan. And there have been numerous credible accounts of overt and covert assistance to the Taliban and Bin Laden on the part of the Pakistani Government. Despite the fact that the United States had been seeking Him for several Years. Prior to 9/11 US Special Forces were on the ground in Afghanistan with orders and authority to capture Bin Laden-dead or alive. Many World Leaders speak evil of the United States. And some possess nuclear weapons along with chemical and biological agents. That alone does not justify overturning those Governments. And it is more likely that the Saudis knew of possible plots of Ossama Bin Laden than the Iraqis. I can't help but wonder when Fidel Castro will become the focus of the New World Order. Like Saddam, He is also a source of frustration to US Foreign Policy. That way Kids like Elian Gonzales can visit Disney World and watch Captain Kangaroo. The brutal repressive Regime in Cuba can finally be crushed. The arguments for keeping Father and Son apart took those tones. Crushing Iraq will be an easy task. Our Aircraft fly unopposed and routine bombing of Iraqi facilities maintains a quantum US Military advantage. Saddam Hussein is an easy target. We can't do any better than that? We sure can't win the War on Drugs. We don't seem to be doing a whole lot better with the War on Terror. But, at least, Heraldo Rivera can stand atop Iraqi ruins and console the Victims of 9/11. Seems to work well as a substitute. |
| U.S.S. INDEPENDENCE ROSTER Mike Tavers Frank Votra |