News T-minus 10 Days (and Counting)

[trying2movefwd]

I wish there was no more war. Innocent lives were taken both ways. I admire the flight that went down over Pennsylvania. I think that's the way to handle these things better, meaning if bad guy is here trying to do something bad take care of business in that moment and stop with civilians and citizens. I understand lives were lost on that flight over Pennsylvania, but what an ethical example was set by them. . . The greater outcome for THE GREATER GOOD. Meaning more lives were saved, not taken or destroyed because of their sacrifice. Just my own opinions and thoughts.

 

[Lotis]

Very very tough day. Seeing it first hand and having family members and friends there at the scene during and after was hell.

~L

 

[Lotis]

@trying2movefwd I am not sure I understand what you mean:

I admire the flight that went down over Pennsylvania. I think that's the way to handle these things better, meaning if bad guy is here trying to do something bad take care of business in that moment and stop with civilians and citizens.

If war was not the answer then what was? The attacks on September 11th killed 2,996 people; more than 6,000 people were injured; millions effected. The attacks were done by terrorists - the USA went after those terrorists and justifiably so.

~L

 

[trying2movefwd]

I don't like that there were innocent people killed here (U.S.) or there. (Overseas) @Lotis
Im not including "terrorist" in this group. I see @EveHarrington 's point... about killing with killing.

 

[Lotis]

@trying2movefwd I understand that point about killing with killing. I am not an advocate of going to war or killing. I have family members in the ARMY and never want to see them in their first war or any war again. However, being so close to the attacks on Sept 11th, this is a very sore topic for me. In this case I feel going to war was justified. You will hear the same from many victims and first responders that I know.
~L

 

[joeylittle]

This is not a debate thread. This is in this particular forum because it pertains to news. I urge others who want to debate to start another thread. Thank you. (I can't handle the debate stuff, it's more of a discussion of after effects.)

I'm reminding posters in this thread of the OPs request to take debate elsewhere. @trying2movefwd and @Lotis - you've shared your points of view, clearly and amicably. Please re-direct to the discussion of the after-effects of 9/11. Thanks.

 

[EmmaOwl]

I'm reminding posters in this thread of the OPs request to take debate elsewhere. ...Please re-direct to the discussion of the after-effects of 9/11. Thanks.

joeylittle - Is there a possibility for a new board on this topic? Not just about this particular anniversary; there are more than enough experiences to go around. I would very much like to see posts from others who are non-military, yet have problems dealing with.. I don't know, the state of the world today. Victims and many many witnesses of terrorism, or similarly brutal events. "Political violence" might be a good way to put it - although I'm open to a better name.
No matter what it might be called - a specific place members might support one another, share their experiences and their coping mechanisms, without fear of controversial debate. People who don't want to discuss what is actually IN the news at the moment, but who want to deal with it in a safe way. Like: "Hearing the news makes me panic, but my father likes to watch it in the evenings. How to resolve that conflict?" Those who have witnessed or been affected by military actions, but are not members of the military. People who are having trouble dealing with the news, online or otherwise. People who wish to describe their personal experiences, as some have bravely done so far already. On and on. A place to discuss these types of issues, without fear of degenerating into political debate. It would be welcome addition to me, and I think also for many other members.
Just a thought.

 

[joeylittle]

People who don't want to discuss what is actually IN the news at the moment, but who want to deal with it in a safe way. Like: "Hearing the news makes me panic, but my father likes to watch it in the evenings. How to resolve that conflict?

Essentially, this is the sort of post that would either fit well into PTSD relationships (because it's about communication in the father/child relationship), or Discussions (because it's about general coping mechanisms). Since it's framed specifically as conflict resolution, I'd personally place it in Relationships.

Basically, members can post on any topic, anywhere - what determines the board it's on is based on the thrust of the question or problem/issue surrounding the topic.

Normally, this thread would be more appropriate to Social, since it's specifically not asking for debate. However, due to the highly political nature of the topic, I agreed with the OP that it made a little more sense to place it here, and I've recently introduced a concept to the News, Politics, Debates forum that specifically allows the OP to request non-debate in a news-oriented thread. This became important as we have found ourselves discussing more and more acts of terrorism world-wide; it's easy for those to turn into debates, and sometimes, that's not the actual purpose of sharing the news story.

You can read more about that, here: Politics And This Forum: Update, 9 August 2016

People who wish to describe their personal experiences, as some have bravely done so far already. On and on. A place to discuss these types of issues, without fear of degenerating into political debate.

We also have the Trauma forums - and if the OP had started this thread in trauma, miscellaneous, it would have belonged there as well. Members are always free to shape the direction of their thread, and the clearer they can be in their OP, the better. Sometimes, it takes a few responses to figure out that the thread is going in the wrong direction; members can report a post at that time, or ask that the thread be brought back on-topic, and report if that becomes a problem.

Anyone is always free to disagree with any premise, express those disagreements freely - having one's beliefs challenged sometimes looks like debate, but it's actually therapeutically productive. When the topic is potentially hot, allowing the OP to frame the focus - just as you did in your example that I quoted up top - that's really all that is needed to keep something away from the wrong kind of debate.

And staff intervene as necessary.

I hope that's helped clarify things. If not, please feel free to start a support ticket; I don't want to let this thread go too far off-topic more than I've already taken it.

 

[trying2movefwd]

@joeylittle My apologies. I never intended on it being a debate.

 

[EmmaOwl]

Sometimes, I wonder that if 9/11 didn't happen, would I have ended up with PTSD. I've always had anxiety an...

hodge: I get this entirely. I had PTSD basically all through my teens, not really treated in any way, but I was 21 and Sept. 11th was the start of my senior year of college.
I struggled with PTSD, I had a cruddy unhelpful therapist and a psychiatrist who threw benzos and ambien my way.... but I managed. I got it together just enough... and I wonder if I could have continued writing, teaching, grad school, if it was just the the trauma of CSA without this second trauma.

I always got into my head when I was trying to write papers, or any other bit of pressure, my first three years of college...and I wonder, could I have stood up to the stress if it was "only" the trauma of CSA and that september 11th hadn't happened. Maybe I could have limped along.

I had a 2 year gap... I limped through my senior year, then I slacked off at a couple of jobs - one I did so well they asked me to do MORE which led me to quit. I know, I know. But that's one little clue that didn't make sense to me - or my parents - at the time, but now I realize it was the pressure building in me. Grad school was too difficult - I didn't adjust well from my undergrad days when I did a lot of my own research but didn't spend much time on coursework. I was working as a freelance writer and that takes a lot of initiative to get something published.
It is all a moot point. I wonder, sometimes -well NYU had been a college choice for me. What if I'd been entering my senior year THERE in lower Manhattan? It could have been worse for me to be there...but it could have been better...because I got this notion in my head that I was supposed to literally "be there" for my city. And yeah, my city. More than one person has told me I have survivor's guilt for the *city*, that I left New York behind in shambles.
I can't tell you how I love new york and always have and it's gone, the city died. Call me crazy.... but that's what goes through my mind.
I'm sorry about all these long posts and turning to my own stories...these are things I have never told anyone other than my therapist, and that was a long time ago, too. Thank you, hodge, and everyone contributing to these threads, for providing this place, where I am feeling safe to post this mess that is always going through my mind. My real intention, hodge, was simply to empathize with you and the great big "what if's".
but now that I've written all this.. I don't want to just delete it.

 

[EmmaOwl]

Essentially, this is the sort of post that would either fit well into PTSD relationships (because it...

Thank you, joeylittle, for explaining this to me so well! It makes sense and I am glad to understand more about how this place works.

 

[EmmaOwl]

on that flight over Pennsylvania, but what an ethical example was set by them. . . The greater outcome for THE GREATER GOOD.

I think of it more as bravery more than ethics.... But I suppose it doesn't matter what it's called. It's all gut-wrenching.