[Media-watch] 911 & Hiroshima

[antony_wright at blueyonder.co.uk]

For many Westerners 911 was the most appalling act they had ever witnessed. Amongst popular broadcasters the sense of shock and awe was uniform and profound. Not since the death of Diana had Radio 2 disc jockeys spoken with such an air of gravity, the same chilling footage playing over and again in their minds. 

Over the days that followed many attempts were made to rationalise what had happened. For those with scant appreciation of the West’s role in the world one conclusion stood out. Clearly such an act of barbarity could not have been committed by civilised Westerners – atheists, Christians and Jews. Only ‘medieval’ Islam could supply a perverse enough world-view to drive humans to commit such an act of depravity. 

In a sane world this nonsense could be countered with one word: Hiroshima. Similar method of delivery to 911, bar the suicides, but with a payload that extinguished a full 75,000 innocent lives. Twenty-five 911s in one hit, perpetrated by well-fed well-heeled western heroes. End of argument? 

The fact that it rarely is demonstrates the lengths some go to maintain contradictory beliefs. At first asking, those who ‘blame Islam’ will often argue with conviction that the slaughter of three thousand innocents in ANY situation is deeply and transparently wrong. Morally unjustifiable regardless of the context. My stance entirely. 

However, as soon as you mention Hiroshima many back-pedal from this moral obviousness. Suddenly circumstances do matter: 

To read the rest go to: http://www.globalecho.org/view_article.php?aid=1410 <http://www.globalecho.org/view_article.php?aid=1410> 

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