Do you the thing makes me most furious about the Iraq War? It's a selfish thing...

[sibelian]

It's a private admission I'll make here. It's a strange thing to admit.

I saw it coming, all the lies and hypocrisy, I live outside the United States so all the noise before the war started was seen by me as just noise.

I was among the huddled few on 9/11 that thought "Oh my god what are the stupid evil bastards going to bring in on the back of this" when the planes hit. 2000+ dead Americans.... what will that buy them? Well, it bought them quite a lot.

I remember staring out through new eyes, my previously loud liberal voice suddenly silenced. Occasionally in the staff room at my workplace I was able to be talk down a few staff members who wanted to nuke Palestine. That was it.

Every single lie they told was transparent to me. And my ability to see through them made NO DIFFERENCE AT ALL.

So my ability to analyse politically turned me into Cassandra. It was worthless. It didn't change anything.

Any analytical qualities of mine that could have been used by the world, sharred with the world for its benefit, were completely ignored so that everyone could get their blood-soaked boots on and feel grunty and emotional. They made my instinct for seeking the truth WORTHLESS.

I have to say it was probably the most alienating thing that ever happened to me. When I was younger I was (unconsciously) very keen on myself for my ability to feel the psychological structures underlying political propaganda machines. I'm not so keen on myself anymore.

[Warpy]

1. When I got up that day and saw the nonstop coverage in NYC

I was angry mostly that someone had done something horrific enough to allow the Republican gang to cement their power. Stupid's approval ratings were in the toilet and falling fast until those punks just had to grandstand by crashing airplanes into buildings. I knew after that, nothing the gang wanted would be denied them. I knew about the PNAC. I knew that eventually they would blame the one country in the Middle East that was inhospitable to terrorists: Iraq.

I, too, saw the whole thing unfold. I asked people why they were listening to a bunch of Washington gasbags who weren't anywhere near Iraq instead of Hans Blix, who was, and got called a lot of nasty names. I watched as Democrats managed to get conditions placed on Stupid's ability to start shooting that he simply ignored and I watched as our government failed to work the way it was supposed to and remove him and his gang from office.

I've come to the conclusion that in the land of the blind, the one eyed man has got to be suicidal. I nearly was during those miserable years.

[Sherman A1]

2. When I heard the news of that day from NYC

I simply worried about my daughter who lives in the area. I am afraid that not too much else was of a great concern at the time.

[sibelian]

7. Yes I had very dark thoughts also.

Sorry for taking so long to respond, I actually forgot about this thread.

You were not alone in your near-suicidal ideas.

[LiberalLoner]

3. I feel that way too. Deeply alienated from society because I see and tell the truth.

[sibelian]

8. Most people see reflections of things in themselves.

Even well meaning lefties were not immune...

[Warren Stupidity]

4. The missing verbs?

[Ganja Ninja]

5. My thought as I was watching the towers come down was..

"Who the fuck are we going to kill now?"

I don't know how anyone could think that attack wouldn't turn into just what it turned into. A war, killing mostly people that weren't responsible.

[peace13]

6. I thought that from the message from the media and talking heads 'Be afraid, Americans' ....

That it could not be true. If we were attracted why did they make us afraid. Why not empower the people? Why not encourage communities to prepare for future disasters? Instead they said to get the duck tape, get the plastic, cover your windows. It was then that I knew the enemy was ourselves.

I was lucky. The people that I am close to saw it the way that I did. I learned very quickly to keep opinion on this issue to myself. This is still true today.