Editor's note: The following column originally was published Sept. 12, 2001, in the opinion pages of the Tribune. At the time, Jim Ripley, now retired, was executive editor.
I may not know your name, but I know what bothers cowardly curs like you.
You can't stand the thought of a country where Catholic and Protestant, Jew and Mormon, Muslim and nonbeliever live, work and play side by side.
You think we're weak because men and women have the same freedom to make their own decisions about how they want to live their lives.
You're enraged by our economic success. Success that has ignited an era of progress unparalleled in history. Success that threatens your tyranny because the Internet is shredding the cloak of ignorance that empowers you.
You tremble in anger at our music and our art and our movies. Our culture is spreading over the world because it is rooted in freedom of expression and fed by the high-energy stew of Hispanic-America, African-American, European-American, Asian-American and Middle Eastern-American.
You shoot your pathetic rifles into the air in protest of our military might and fight from behind the cover of children and civilians who've done you no harm.
Well, you hurt us today. You killed thousands of American men, women and children. You destroyed a national landmark and monument to our success. Commerce, air traffic, even sports came to a halt across this great land.
You've taught us to look over our shoulders.
But you can't stop us. You can't destroy us.
Our airplanes will soon be back in the air. The markets will open and the business of America will resume.
Our artistic expression will be reshaped by the sorrow of Sept. 11, and in the end strengthened.
On the graves of the dead, flowers will bloom. You will be hunted down and destroyed. And our way of life will march on.
We'll show you what we're made of, you son of a bitch.
• Jim Ripley is the former executive editor of the East Valley Tribune. Contact him at jimripleyaz@gmail.com.
Cerulean posted at 10:11 am on Mon, Sep 12, 2011.
Dale,
[thumbup][smile]
Dale Whiting posted at 8:04 am on Mon, Sep 12, 2011.
Cerulean,
It would appear that but for you and I, the commenters on this site cannot distinquish between "religion" as expressed by doctrines, and actions undertaken by those who use religion as a justification for their actions.
We here in the US go forward blind to both. We undertake actions which offend those of a faith whose doctrines we do not understand. And when a few become offended by those actions sufficient to "radicalize" themselves and attack us, we blame the religion, not our actions which offended the faithful. Go figure!
Cerulean posted at 9:08 pm on Sun, Sep 11, 2011.
After reading Ripley’s column a second time, I see that he does not name bin Laden. In fact what he writes is “I may not know your name, . . .” but you can be identified because “You're enraged . . . You tremble in anger . . . You shoot your pathetic rifles into the air in protest . . .” I am not certain I understand who Ripley is talking about at all. He could be talking about Leon.
Anyway, the US is not despised because “Catholic and Protestant, Jew and Mormon, Muslim and nonbeliever live, work and play side by side.” These are qualities that are admired around the world. And it is not because we have these qualities that bin Laden brought to our attention his wrath.
Osama bin Laden wrote a letter to American in which he poses the question “Why are we fighting and opposing you?” He gives a long list, but his number one reason is “Because you attacked us and continue to attack us.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2002/nov/24/theobserver
Masterrogue666 posted at 5:14 pm on Sun, Sep 11, 2011.
Cerulean: As usual, you don't see too well versed in what you claim. It has EVERYTHING to do about religion. Here's an article:
http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/truth-be-told/2011/may/11/why-did-osama-bin-laden-hate-americans-jews-and-ch/
Here's a quote from the article: "His hatred toward the U.S. was solidified when American troops, instead of his Arab brothers, confronted Saddam Hussein during the 1990 Kuwait invasion."
So, not only did America assist his "brothers" in Afghanistan, but also in his home country of Saudi Arabia! He was mad because our armed forces were on their soil. Did it matter that we were wanted there by the Royal family? Reason: The Saudi's didn't want to end up like Kuwait! His anger should have been directed towards his country's leaders.
I'm tired of everyone hating American. I say that we stop assisting so many other countries, and just help those countries that help us, and to take care of our own people. What are the Saudi's going to do once oil isn't needed as much anymore....
Masterrogue666 posted at 5:06 pm on Sun, Sep 11, 2011.
It took about ten years, but Osama bin Laden's "sleeps with the fishes", and his soul burns in the hottest corner of Hell.
I have to admitt that it was probably a good idea what they did, because I probably would have done far worse than utter a curse at his gravesite.
Slabside posted at 2:42 pm on Sun, Sep 11, 2011.
"The attack on the world trade center had nothing whatever to do with Religion."
Oh no cerulean, radical Muslim terrorists attacked us because we cancelled thier subscription of Life magazine. These nuts view America as the great Satan and as soon as blind fools like yourself and Dale realize that the better off you will be.
"If the United States had not put her nose where it did not belong, bin Laden would have remained content in Saudi Arabia."
Here we go again... America is bad and evil...the rest of the world has every right to hate America.
Cerulean, there are flights leaving the United States daily. Please do all of us a favor and move to a country whose dogma mirrors your own like North Korea, Iran or Cuba.
Cerulean posted at 2:21 pm on Sun, Sep 11, 2011.
Jim Ripley
The attack on the world trade center had nothing whatever to do with Religion. You are ignorant to suggest so.
Our culture is not spreading over the world because it is rooted in freedom of expression. This newspaper blog consistently edits my posts for “profanity” when I have not spoken such. That is the antithesis to 'freedom of expression'.
We evangelize our culture. We take our culture on missions to push on poor and the vulnerable. We use our wealth to impress our culture on others and we are not above torture, violence and political manipulations to destroy those who do not follow in step.
If the United States had not put her nose where it did not belong, bin Laden would have remained content in Saudi Arabia. It was all for oil and we are worse off in SO MANY WAYS – still, people are calling for vengeance.
Slabside posted at 2:11 pm on Sun, Sep 11, 2011.
Well said Leon.
Leon Ceniceros posted at 1:34 pm on Sun, Sep 11, 2011.
About time there was some "patriotism" being shown by our Media. I was watching the disgusting display of Liberal/Progressive TV moderators on C-Span, CNN and MSNBC. The "CAN'T WE ALL JUST FORGIVE AND FORGET"...East Coast/West Coast ..."Quislings" (look it up if you don't know what it means".
Blaming Bush, Blaming Cheney, Blaming Rumsfeld, Blaming Rice......THE USUAL ..."WHAT'S WRONG WITH AMERICA" CROWD (we have the..."WHAT'S WRONG WITH ARIZONA" crowd on PBS-ASU KAET CHANNEL 8 "HORIZON" AND IT'S LA RAZA "HORIZONTE" shows).
What's wrong with America ???? ..I'll tell you...or kids are being taught by ...ANTI-AMERICAN left-wing Liberal teachers and professors who tell the kids ...HOW EVIL AMERICA IS....HOW EVIL CAPITALISM IS...HOW EVIL WALL STREE IS.
Thank God...that He decided....ENOUGH WAS ENOUGH...and gave America the ....TEA PARTY MOVEMENT...
HE just got sick and tired of seeing the Nancy Pelosi's, the Harry Reid's, the Sheila Jackson-Lee's and Maxine Water's of this World dragging...AMERICA....into the ....3RD WORLD.
Rich posted at 11:27 am on Sun, Sep 11, 2011.
"Where have all the flowers gone" Jim?
shrinkingviolet posted at 11:10 am on Sun, Sep 11, 2011.
And yet bin Laden is at the bottom of the ocean, and our planes fill the air.
Dale Whiting posted at 10:06 am on Sun, Sep 11, 2011.
Jim, what a set of sad thoughts! "you can't stop us. You can't destroy us." Quite correct! We shall stop and we shall destroy ourselves! A decade of useless war, a set of budget and trade deficites that would sink the Titanic 1000 times over. Right now we are all but dead in the water.