9/11 minute's silence

[Barney]

Well, call my thoughts unpopular but what the hell. Personally I am sick of silences for just about anything these days. I am sick of self indulgent media people boosting their own egos by telling me who I should remember, when I should remember it and how I remember it. These silences achieve nothing other than reminding the terrorists just how successful they have been.

For years, we managed with one silence, once a year and were happy with it, though I didn't indulge myself. Now, we have them it seems every week, with the only criteria being that it made big news. Lots of people die tragically without making the news, and they deserve just as much respect, but in private.

OK, I've said it now.

Not often I agree with a Lanky!

[Keitht]

I am in the camp of those that think the number of 'silences' is becoming excessive. What criteria have to be fulfilled before an incident is 'worthy' of a silence? How many people have to die 10, 50, 100, 1000, 5000? People are being killed on a daily basis in Iraq and it seems to be almost a daily event for UN troops in Afghanistan.
Every life is valuable and every death is tragic. Every death is devastating to a family somewhere. 11th November is used as a single date for remembrance of those who have died in wars so why is a seperate day required for each incident involving civilians?
I'm not suggesting that the deaths don't matter, simply that the 'silences' are getting out of hand.

[robc]

Bing Bong..."Will those people who do not think about nor consider the victims of the 9/11 attacks in New York for the other 525 948 minutes of the year now please stand and be silent to remember those people you never met and dont think about. Thank you...Bing Bong.

The idea is daft - why do you have to have an organised silence to remember what happened? If it means something to you, you will remember and / or commemorate it in your own way - and most likely far more often than for one minute a year.
And if it really means something to you, you wouldnt need a tanoy in your office to remember that it is time to think about it.

I reckon the reason most people are silent is simply so they are not the jerk who breaks the silence - I know that was the case in my office last year. For most it is just going through the motions.

And yup, time to move on.

[Keitht]

One thing I hadn't realised when I made my original response was that there were 4 'silences' in the New York. One at the time each building was hit and one at the time each building collapsed. That seems a particularly unfeeling way to commemorate the events. Did those with direct involvement have to choose which to observe or did they have to go through the additional stress of an accentuated countdown to the time which most affected them?

[scm]

If we had a minute's silence for each death in Iraq since Bush and Bliar "made the world a safer place" the world would be a much quieter place.

[gouranga]

Why?

Do we have a minutes silence for all the dead from all the IRA bombs?

Surely (as Jeremy Vine was saying this morning of Radio 2) we're just giving the terrorists more publicity.

(playing devils advocate here)

I was going to reply with that very same comment! And what a good show it was (as always) too!!!!!!!

[Keitht]

Why?

Do we have a minutes silence for all the dead from all the IRA bombs?

Surely (as Jeremy Vine was saying this morning of Radio 2) we're just giving the terrorists more publicity.

(playing devils advocate here)

I was going to reply with that very same comment! And what a good show it was (as always) too!!!!!!!

A question and situation that is all the more ironic when consideration is given to where much of the IRA money came from.

[Fen]

A question and situation that is all the more ironic when consideration is given to where much of the IRA money came from.

And you could say the same for the Taliban/Al-Queda.

American funded and trained to fight against the Russian invaders. When Russia pulled out they turned around and bit the hand that fed them.

They're still using someof the weapons that the Americans supplied them with!

Irony?

[TheFatControlleR]

Same with Saddam!

[bradalax]

Lets face it, if the Americans just stopped selling/giving away weapons the world would be a much quieter place.

Everyone they give the bloody things to seem to use them against the States eventually!

Afghanistan, Iraq, Latin America..............

[bagpuss]

American imperialist foreign policy...

*sticks gaffer tape over mouth*

[TheFatControlleR]

Perhaps if the administration stopped and thought for a minute they, as a nation, wouldn't have to stop and pray for a minute.

[BigWill]

Perhaps if the administration stopped and thought for a minute they, as a nation, wouldn't have to stop and pray for a minute.

I saw a photo of George junior once and it actually looked like he was having a real honest to god thought of his very own.......................no wait.................I'm reliably informed that it was just trapped wind!

BigWill