How would Americans react to terror? - (sobering; requires reflection; self-analysis)

JEWISH WORLD REVIEW.COM ^ | APRIL 26, 2005 | DENNIS PRAGER

[CHARLITE]

During the worst of the Palestinian terror attacks on Israelis, I visited Israel and made a documentary ("Israel in a Time of Terror") about how Israelis regarded and lived with the murdering of their fellow men, women and children.

I will forever regard the Israelis of that period as achieving a rare level of national greatness: They were able to go on living normal lives, returning the next day to the same cafes bombed the day before, riding on the same bus line that the day before had its passengers blown up, blinded, maimed and brain damaged.

While making the documentary, I often wondered how we Americans would react if such terror came to our restaurants, malls and buses.

I think the evidence is mixed. I wish I could be entirely optimistic that we would react as befits a nation whose national anthem describes itself as "The home of the brave," but there is too much evidence that suggests a less than strong response.

I fear that unless a change in the American psyche and character takes place, car bombs as in Baghdad or terror as in Israel could unravel our society.

Why?

[JoJo Gunn]

You'd never see the likes of Collaborators in history as you would with the Left of today.

[Valin]

Panic has been induced by trivial health threats. Most Americans really believe they will die if they breathe in the vicinity of someone smoking. A people afraid of secondhand smoke, a health threat so trivial that "lie" is not too strong a word to describe the dangers ascribed to it


Don't me started on the health-nazis!
Rush, on a show years ago said (paraphase) that so many people think if they eat the right foods, live the right "lifestyle", do the right excercises, they'll never grow old.

[cripplecreek]

"I fear that unless a change in the American psyche and character takes place, car bombs as in Baghdad or terror as in Israel could unravel our society."


I saw how Americans reacted on 9/11. Even the far left behaved in a truly patriotic manner (for a few days anyway) A few years later in the midst of a massive blackout people again behaved honorably and brushed it off. I have faith in the American people.

[Blzbba]

"Why?"


Because America hasn't had to deal with terrorism as a daily part of life for the past 50+ years, unlike Israel. I salute the steadfastness of the Israelis.

[Cornpone]

Not sure the concern applies to the 40 plus million Americans who own legal firearms and train to use them.

[Alouette]

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[Alouette]

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[metalurgist]

I've often wondered why the muslim extremists haven't used their tactics of car bombs and exploding terrorists or the stunt the Chechnians pulled at the school in Russia here in America? We must have smashed their organization pretty good.

Or is it coming?

[longtermmemmory]

Consider what the left did after 9/11. The left just went into hiding. The MAINSTREAM reared its head like the sleeping giant and the Taliban fell.

What would Americans do? They will do what they ALWAYS do. The same after the Alamo, pearl harbor, 9/11, or any attack that enemies think will be a setback.

The leftists (and they are really just the democrat party) is really a enemy of the usa. They are not "loyal opposition" they are just opposition.

[Salem]

"Not sure the concern applies to the 40 plus million Americans who own legal firearms and train to use them."

Yep.

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[Eska]

I'm sure it would bring out the hatred & patriotism. Initial reaction by people on site would be surprising. The people that you would think would keep it together; completely lose it and cry like babies. The ones that you wouldn't think of as leaders are the ones that take control and help the survivors out. No joke.

[conshack]

I've often wondered why the muslim extremists haven't used their tactics of car bombs and exploding terrorists or the stunt the Chechnians pulled at the school in Russia here in America? We must have smashed their organization pretty good.
Or is it coming?

IMO, it's coming. Until recently, we had totally uncontrolled southern borders. We have MILLIONS of undocumented people in the USA today as a result of this. One could easily conclude that if the Islamofacists even considered a campaign like the one in Israel, we have made it possible for them to put their terorists in place in the US. Giving credit where credit is due, I think our government has taken several steps to improve the security of the US, but so much of these efforts have been negated by the open borders.
Again, if they have chosen to go this route, they've likely already put their murderers in place and awaiting orders to begin a campaign.
These folks may be fanatical, but are by no means STUPID. Just MHO.

[Alouette]

When I was in Israel last November I made a point of riding on the #2 bus, and eating supper at a café in Emek Refaim (across the street from one that was bombed).

Another thing is that Israelis are much more alert than Americans. Here in the U.S. people shuffle along, eyes unfocused, self-absorbed, while Israelis will notice any little thing that seems a bit suspicious. If someone notices a shopping bag left unattended on the sidewalk -- chefetz chashood! -- police will clear the area in a heartbeat.

[sport]

The main stream media and 98% of the American citizenary would demand that all privately owned firearms be immeiately confinskted and we be placed under marital law.

[af_vet_rr]

Panic has been induced by trivial health threats.

Unfortunately you hit the nail on the head, and the government and media have both encouraged this panic.

Examples:
Sharks in Florida a few years ago. Just about the same number of attacks as every other year, and for as many people as are in the water it's surprising it's not higher. It was a slow summer for news, so the media jumped on it, the government talked about it, and all of the sudden you'd think sharks were somehow crawling onto the beaches and pulling everybody in sight, into the water.

Anthrax from 2001. At some point the media found out that cattle can and do get anthrax. They about **** themselves and along with the government, managed to scare a whole lot of people who apparently weren't too scared about it going through our postal system . Those of us who grew up on farms and ranches were scratching our heads wondering just what the hell they were so worked up about - if you've worked around cattle for large portions of your life, you've probably had to deal with it at some point.

Auto racing accidents. Dale Earnhardt was killed, and within a short time a few other drivesr were killed or seriously injured. All of the sudden, various levels of government started talking about the safety of racing, the media was right in the middle of it, etc. You'd think that all of the sudden it got dangerous and that it had always been safe. Guess what? Strapping yourself into a hunk of metal and flying around a racetrack at 150mph is dangerous. Did they not get the memo that many people have been killed or injured since somebody first had the idea to race to internal combustion powered vehicles? Why did they ignore the fact that if a NASCAR drive is in a wreck, he has a better chance of surviving than you probably do, due to the fact that their cars are built a lot safer, and they could literally have world-class medical attention within a minute or two.

Our favorite, our nearest and dearest - kids and firearms. You have a few isolated incidents, some children are killed at a few schools, and all of the sudden we have an epidemic and we have *gasp* children being exposed to firearms. The government and media is scaring the crap out of everybody, causing parents to think about homeschooling their kids, etc. and you have gun control being talked about. No talk about holding parents responsible for ignoring the fact their kids had a nice little cache of firearms and dangerous chemicals in their bedrooms, no sir, not going to do that. Got to do something about those evil guns.

If your wondering why I've picked several unrelated topics, I'm actually arriving at a point.

My point is - if we suffered attacks similar to what Israel has went through, the United States of America would pretty much cease to exist. The government and the media have scared the **** out of people over simple things, and whether it's to get ratings or to justify their budgets, they have gotten very good at it. If we had a couple of buses, supermarkets, malls, whatever bombed, the government and media would whip the public into a frenzy, and you would start seeing checkpoints literally everywhere, the government (pick your level - city, county, state, federal) would start looking at anybody who bought or read anything that could be somehow used in a terrorist act (regardless of whether or not whatever attacks spurred this had anything to do with said reading materials or items) and confiscation of things deemed dangerous would probably begin.

The ironic thing is, if you said "wait a minute, the terrorists want to induce a suspension of rights, because that's the only way they can destroy us - by causing us to self-destruct", you would probably be labeled a traitor or terrorist.

[Howling Patriot]

I am neither Jewish by extraction nor religion. I have to say that, because when I speak of the Middle East, people assume I am an Israeli, or Jewish. I was a product of American schools, so I was trained what to think and not HOW to think. But as I began to be keenly interested in the Middle East after losing several of my Marine friends in the Beirut Airport bombing, the veil fell away from my eyes. I used to be fervently in favor of a Palestinian homeland. Sadly, or maybe justifiedly, any sympathy I had for the Palestinian cause died on September 11th, 2001, crushed with my Uncle at Ground Zero. I watched CNN footage of Palestinians dancing in the streets and handing out candy. (Which their media and PR bulldogs VOCIFEROUSLY denied despite proof.) The Palestinians love of terror has become an Albatross around their neck. I fear what the Palestinians would do with a country that has an economy, an industrial base, and technology. I once worked for an Officer in the U.S. Marines who was born and raised in Lebanon. He once told me Americans would never understand the Arab mind. I DO understand the Arab mind. I understand the currency of fear, the motivating contact of the lash, the powerful images of the hung, the stoned, the tongueless, the disappeared. I think the Arabs will never understand the American mind. They cannot figure out why we support Israel. They make paranoid claims that every newspaper, every bank, every level of government, apparently every American thing is controlled by mysterious "jews". We back Israel because it comes down to who we would want as our neighbors. Who deserves a country at this point? Even with the USS Liberty incident, the Israelis have killed far less Americans than Muslims and Arabs have in the name of Palestine. I'm going with the Israelis. Especially since the Israelis do not practice systematic religous and political platforms based on killing as many innocents as they can, like the Palestinians do. Still, I don't know how the Israelis live through it all. I don't know how they bury, grieve, rebuild and move on so quickly. They bounce back every time.Yes, Israel makes mistakes. America does too. But we at least make an effort to learn from our mistakes. The Palestinians don't seem to learn from the mistake of Terrorism. They try to Justify it. They try to get us to beleive the murder of women, children, the innocent and unrelated is all pertinent, relevant, germane, and cardinal to acheiving and deserving a homeland. Even Americans like me aren't that stupid. So who doesn't understand who's mind? If the kind of terrorism that Israel suffers comes to America that would be the worst mistake the Palestinians could ever make. It won't unravel this country... it will quite simply unravel the world... I guarentee it.

[sheik yerbouty]

Keep in mind some things. "What is best in life?" To crush the jihadists, to drive their collaborators before you, and to hear the lamentations of the mullahs! Allahu fubar!

[TMSuchman]

If & when we did end up in this situation, I would first make sure that my family were safe & I would go hunting, I might reactivate the old "regulators". You must look into your old west history to get this one. As the song goes "they call for a rope in Texas and an tall oak tree"

[SweetCaroline]

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