Never Forget

[WilliamPitt]

...that vengeance is a loser's game, that killing to prove killing is wrong is a suicidal Mobius loop, that someone is looking to make money off your killing rage and will do so if you let them, that the dead here and there and everywhere are not anecdotes or metaphors but are flesh and blood and tears just like you, and that we all inhabit this small planet, we all breathe the same air, we all cherish our children's future, and we are all mortal.

Never forget.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. EXACTLY right, my dear Will...

You are on fire today!

Bravo!

[Autumn]

2. I was taught that at a young age. I will never forget.

Recommended

[Journeyman]

3. "Violence does even justice unjustly." ~ Thomas Carlyle . . .

[kelliekat44]

4. I'm down for this! You are so right. nt

[onethatcares]

5. thanks,

I needed that.

[Zorra]

6. +1

[eissa]

7. Ay-men! nt

[rug]

8. Oft have I heard that grief softens the mind, and makes it fearful and degenerate;

Think therefore on revenge and cease to weep.

Henry VI, Part Two, (Act 4, Scene 4)

[oberliner]

9. "we all cherish our children's future"

How can you write that BS on 9/11 of all days?

[WilliamPitt]

10. This place is fucking insane.

[oberliner]

11. Amen to that

The level of ignorance about the world is staggering at times.

[daleanime]

22. Tell us about it....

Your the expert.

[oberliner]

23. Not everyone cherishes their children's future

There are people in the world who don't give a crap about their children's future. There are people who are abusive to their children and worse.

Do you disagree?

[daleanime]

27. Redirect....

although your leap from ignorance to our children's future does provide a chilling insight into your personality.

[oberliner]

28. Not at all

My response was to the line in the OP which read:

"we all cherish our children's future"

I wrote that I thought that was BS - and that it was ignorant to think otherwise.

I'm not sure what "chilling insight" that provides into my personality. I would think it would be self-evident (that not everyone cherishes their children's future).

[HughBeaumont]

26. Actually, the poster's kind of correct on that.

For all of our bluster and smoke-blowing about how "our children are our future, so let's leave them a great one", you have to concede that America isn't really doing a great job of "walking the walk" in that regard. The costs we're leaving them and the wages we expect them to pay these costs with are greatly insurmountable.

The one thing that's positive is that this up-and-coming generation of voters standardize a Republican presidency with that of this guy:

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

43. Typical right winger, worry about costs and wages.

Not the ability to exist in a overpopulated, polluted world, without resources.

[L0oniX]

33. OFFS ...geeze ...pffft. n/t

[oberliner]

36. Ignorance is bliss

For me, personally, it's important to recognize that not everyone "cherishes their children" and such.

Pretending otherwise is counterproductive in my opinion.

[Maedhros]

39. The point is that when one of our missiles explodes

and sends a child flying through a wall, breaking a number of bones and causing severe internal bleeding, that child's parent will experience the same excruciating sense of horror and loss as even one such as you might in a similar situation.

[oberliner]

44. No argument with that

My point, though, is that there are people in the world who do not care about the lives of others, not even their own children.

[Maedhros]

45. Yes there are.

And if we could somehow magically guarantee that our missiles and bombs only kill those horrible people then maybe we could discount the OP and the "hard men making hard decisions" meme would be justified. Maybe.

Sadly, we know from tragically abundant experience that our attempts to deliver retribution via ordnance always include innocent bystanders on the butcher's bill. Shrugging off those innocent deaths as the cost of doing business is damaging to our collective national soul and counter-productive to our objectives. Killing those bystanders on purpose is simply collective punishment and prohibited by the Geneva Convention.

[oberliner]

46. Agree with all your points

It was just that one phrase that rankled me because - and you seem to agree - it simply is not true.

Just as it is foolish to think that missiles and bombs can be magically guided towards horrible people, it is equally foolish to think that "everyone cherishes their children's future" when there is very clear evidence in the world that this is not so.

I reiterate that it is foolish to think there aren't people in the world who do not care about anyone's future, even that of their own children.

[Maedhros]

47. I think the OP would agree with your line of reasoning as well.

Of course I can't read his mind, but I suspect the OP was considering the context of the innocent people caught in the crossfire.

[Duval]

12. I can always count on

you to give me the necessary insight and truth. I'm quite a big fan!

[marble falls]

13. Getting even hasn't seemed to work yet. I really appreciate your writing.

[Owl]

14. Amen.

Thanks Will.
K&R

[Hydra]

15. An eye for an eye rarely works

Especially since the people most responsible for what happened walk free, never to worry that their treason will bring them low.

[SalmonChantedEvening]

16. K&R

[longship]

17. Great one, Will.

JFK would undoubtedly approve.

[grahamhgreen]

18. "killing to prove killing is wrong is a suicidal Mobius loop", well said!

[Uncle Joe]

19. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, WilliamPitt.

[Catherina]

21. Thank you Will. You're at your best these days. n/t

[michigandem58]

24. Obtuse, meaningless, and factually incorrect

But sounds pretty. Expect lots of recs.

[L0oniX]

34. Chance of serving on a Jury: 0% ...that figures. n/t

[Maedhros]

40. Is it so hard to have empathy for the victims of OUR bombs? [n/t]

[Scuba]

25. ...

Thanks WilliamPitt, for the sanity.

[Dawgs]

29. Almost. Not everyone has "children", and not sure how anyone could be excited about their future.

[WilliamPitt]

30. Blame JFK.

[Dawgs]

31. Why? Does he post on DU now? n/t

[WilliamPitt]

32. The quote

"...we all inhabit this small planet, we all breathe the same air, we all cherish our children's future, and we are all mortal" is from his Peace speech in 1963. Pretty iconic, actually. I'm surprised you didn't get the reference.

[snooper2]

35. plagiarizing again eh?

LOL

[Dawgs]

37. Fine, but my point still stands. n/t

[Bernardo de La Paz]

41. Every member of society has children. If you care about society, you care about children:

If you care about society, you care about children.

If you don't care about children, you have no time or heart for society and should become a recluse so that society doesn't have to carry you.

A person who doesn't care about children will be cared for in their old age and their dotage and their medical dependencies by the children they didn't care for, who will none the less care for (in the sense of feeling for) the person.

"It takes a village to raise a child," but also, it takes a village to care for an elder.

[Crewleader]

38. Thanks William

[LanternWaste]

42. You know Will, you're doing something right when the best, most insightful criticism...

So now, the criticism is not with the actual point you've made, but rather digging into the bowels of the sentiment to petulantly pick out, "not everyone in the world cherishes their children."

You know Will... you're doing something right when the deepest, most insightful criticism that can thrown at the wall is an Aunt Sally.