You Worry Me By: American Airlines Pilot - Captain John Maniscalco
"You worry me. I wish you didn't. I wish when I walked down the streets of this country that I love, that your color and culture still blended with the beautiful human landscape we enjoy in this country. But you don't blend in anymore. I notice you, and it worries me. I notice you because I can't help it anymore. People from your homelands, professing to be Muslims, have been attacking and killing my fellow citizens and our friends for more than 20 years now. I don't fully understand their grievances and hate but I know that nothing can justify the inhumanity of their attacks.
On September 11, nineteen ARAB-MUSLIMS hijacked four jetliners in my country. They cut the throats of women in front of children and brutally stabbed to death others. They took control of those planes and crashed them into buildings killing thousands of proud fathers, loving sons, wise grandparents, elegant daughters, best friends, favorite coaches, fearless public servants, and children's mothers.
So I notice you now. I don't want to be worried. I don't want to be consumed by the same rage and hate and prejudice that has destroyed the soul of these terrorists. But I need your help. As a rational American, trying to protect my country and family in an irrational and unsafe world, I must know how to tell the difference between you, and the Arab/Muslim terrorist.
How do I differentiate between the true Arab-Muslim Americans and the Arab-Muslims in our communities who are attending our schools, enjoying our parks, and living in OUR communities under the protection of OUR constitution, while they plot the next attack that will slaughter those very same good neighbors and children? The events of September 11th changed the answer. It is not my responsibility to determine which of you embraces our great country, with ALL of it's religions, with ALL of it's different citizens, with all of it's faults. It is time for every Arab-Muslim in this country to determine it for me.
I want to know, I demand to know, and I have a right to know whether or not you love America. Do you pledge allegiance to it's flag? Do you proudly display in front of your house, or on your car? Do you pray in your many daily prayers that Allah will bless this nation, that He will protect and prosper it?
Or do you pray that Allah with destroy it in one of your "Jihads"? Are you thankful for the freedom that only this nation affords? A freedom that was paid for by the blood of hundreds of thousands of patriots who gave their lives for this country? Are you willing to preserve this freedom by paying the ultimate sacrifice? Do you love America? If this is your commitment, then I need YOU to start letting ME know about it.
Your Muslim leaders in this nation should be flooding the media at this time with hard facts on your faith, and what hard actions you are taking as a community and as a religion to protect the United States of America. Please, no more benign overtures of regret for the death of the innocent because I worry about who you regard as innocent. And no more benign overtures of condemnation for the unprovoked attacks because I worry about what is unprovoked to you. I am not interested in any more sympathy...I am only interested in action. What will you do for America -- our great country -- at this time of crisis, at this time of war?
I want to see Arab-Muslims waving the AMERICAN flag in the streets. I want to hear you chanting "Allah Bless America". I want to see young Arab-Muslim men enlisting in the military. I want to see a commitment of money, time, and emotion to the victims of this butchering and to this nation as a whole.
The FBI has a list of over 400 people they want to talk to regarding the WTC attack. Many of these people live and socialize in Muslim communities. You know them. You know where they are. Hand them over to us, now!
But I have seen little even approaching this sort of action. Instead I have seen an already closed and secretive community close even tighter. You have disappeared from the streets. You have posted armed security guards at your facilities. You have threatened lawsuits. You have screamed for protection from reprisals.
The very few Arab-Muslim representatives that HAVE appeared in the media were defensive and equivocating. They seemed more concerned with making sure that the United States prove who was responsible before taking action. They seemed more concerned with protecting their fellow Muslims from violence directed towards them in the United States and abroad than they did with supporting our country and denouncing "leaders" like Khadafi, Hussein, Farrakhan, and Arafat. If the true teachings of Islam proclaim tolerance and peace and love for all people then I want chapter and verse from the Koran and statements from popular Muslim leaders to back it up. What good is it if the teachings in the Koran are good and pure and true when your "leaders" are teaching fanatical interpretations, terrorism, and intolerance.
It matters little how good Islam SHOULD BE if large numbers of the world's Muslims interpret the teachings of Mohammed incorrectly and adhere to a degenerative form of the religion. A form that has been demonstrated to us over and over again. A form whose structure is built upon a foundation of violence, death, and suicide. A form whose members are recruited from the prisons around the world. A form whose members defended Johnny Cochran and O. J. Simpson after the latter butchered his wife and murdered an innocent friend. A form whose members (some as young as five years old) are seen day after day, week in and week out, year after year, marching in the streets around the world, burning effigies of our presidents, burning the American flag, shooting weapons into the air. A form whose members convert from a peaceful religion, only to take up arms against the great United States of America, the country of their birth. A form whose rules are so twisted, that their traveling members refuse to show their faces at airport security checkpoints, in the name of Islam.
Do you and your fellow Muslims hate us because our women proudly show their faces in public rather than cover up like a shameful whore?
Do you and your fellow Muslims hate us because we drink wine with dinner, or celebrate Christmas? Do you and you fellow Muslims hate us because we have befriended Israel, the ONLY civilized democratic nation in the entire middle-east? And if you and your fellow Muslims hate us, then why in the world are you even here?
Are you here to take our money? Are you here to undermine our peace and stability? Are you here to destroy us? If so, I want you to leave. I want you to go back to your desert sandpit where women are treated like rats and dogs. I want you to take your religion, your friends, and your family back to your Islamic extremists, and STAY THERE!
We will NEVER give in to your influence, your retarded mentality, your twisted, violent, intolerant religion. We will NEVER allow the attacks of September 11, or any others for that matter, to take away that which is so precious to us: Our rights under the greatest constitution in the world.
I want to know where every Arab-Muslim in this country stands and I think it is my right and the right of every true citizen of this country to demand it. A right paid for by the blood of thousands of my brothers and sisters who died protecting the very constitution that is protecting you and your family. I am pleading with you to let me know. I want you here as my brother, my neighbor, my friend, as a fellow American. But there can be no gray areas or ambivalence regarding your allegiance and it is up to YOU, to show ME, where YOU stand."
Until then ... you worry me.
Posted by Raw Cadet (Member # 725) on :
No, I am not worried; fortunately, for my cross-country flight next week, I have chosen to fly United.
Posted by Thoughtcancer (Member # 480) on :
I'm worried. I have a scab that won't heal, because it is always being picked at.
I named it September 11th.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
I am not as talented as, well, almost everyone, but I think the flaw here can easily be drawn out by changing a few names. To protect the innocent, of course.
You Worry Me, Captain John Maniscalco, because I assume you are a white middle-class American male. by Jane Q. Average
"You worry me. I wish you didn't. I wish when I walked down the streets of this country that I love, that your gender still blended with the beautiful human landscape we enjoy in this country. But you don't blend in anymore. I notice you, and it worries me. I notice you because I can't help it anymore. People of your gender and race, professing to be good citizens, have been raping and killing my fellow citizens and our friends for more than 20(0? 00? 00000?) years now. I don't fully understand their grievances and hate but I know that nothing can justify the inhumanity of their attacks.
On September 11, MEN JUST LIKE YOU raped or tried to rape 841 women. They ruined the lives of thousands of proud mothers, loving daughters, wise grandmothers, best friends, favorite coaches, and fearless public servants.
So I notice you now. I don't want to be worried. I don't want to be consumed by the same rage and hate and prejudice that has destroyed the soul of these rapists. But I need your help. As a rational American, trying to protect my country and family in an irrational and unsafe world, I must know how to tell the difference between you, and the white male rapist.
How do I differentiate between the true white males and the white males in our communities who are attending our schools, enjoying our parks, and living in OUR communities under the protection of OUR constitution, while they plot the next attack that will destroy those very same good neighbors and children? The events of September 11th changed the answer. It is not my responsibility to determine which of you embraces our great country, with ALL of it's religions, with ALL of it's different citizens, with all of it's faults. It is time for every white male in this country to determine it for me.
I want to know, I demand to know, and I have a right to know whether or not you love America and respect its women. Do you pledge allegiance to it's flag? Do you proudly display it in front of your house, or on your car? Do you pray in your many daily prayers that Allah will bless this nation, that He will protect and prosper it and keep its women from harm?
Or do you pray that Allah will bring some unsuspecting young woman your way, for you to attack? Are you thankful for the freedom that only this nation affords? A freedom that was paid for by the blood of hundreds of thousands of patriots who gave their lives for this country? Are you willing to preserve this freedom by paying the ultimate sacrifice? Do you love America? If this is your commitment, then I need YOU to start letting ME know about it.
Your white male leaders in this nation should be flooding the media at this time with hard facts on your gender, and what hard actions you are taking as a community to protect the women of the United States of America. Please, no more benign overtures of regret for the death of the innocent because I worry about who you regard as innocent. And no more benign overtures of condemnation for the unprovoked attacks because I worry about what is unprovoked to you. I am not interested in any more sympathy...I am only interested in action. What will you do for women at this time of crisis, at this time of war?
I want to see white males waving marching in support of groups like RAINN. I want to hear you chanting "A woman's body is her own". I want to see young white males willing to die to enforce our laws. I want to see a commitment of money, time, and emotion to the victims of this butchering and to this nation as a whole.
Law enforcement agencies have lists of thousands of people they want to talk to regarding rape cases across this nation. Many of these people live and socialize in white male communities. You know them. You know where they are. Hand them over to us, now!
But I have seen little even approaching this sort of action. Instead I have seen an already closed and secretive community close even tighter. You have disappeared from the streets. You have posted armed security guards at your facilities. You have threatened lawsuits. You have screamed for protection from reprisals.
The very few white male representatives that HAVE appeared in the media were defensive and equivocating. They seemed more concerned with making sure that the United States prove who was responsible before taking action. They seemed more concerned with protecting their fellow white males from violence directed towards them in the United States and abroad than they did with supporting our country and denouncing "men" like Bernardo, Homolka, Bundy. If the true teachings of manhood proclaim tolerance and peace and love for all women then I want to see concrete examples. What good is it if the teachings are good and pure and true when your "men" continue to attack us?
It matters little how good men SHOULD BE if large numbers of the world's men AREN'T, demonstating time and again a policy of hatred and violence.
Do you and your fellow men hate us because we proudly show our faces in public?
Do you and your fellow men hate us because we drink wine with dinner, or have careers? And if you and your fellow men hate us, then why in the world are you even here?
Are you here to take our money? Are you here to undermine our peace and stability? Are you here to destroy us? If so, I want you to leave. I want you to take your vicious urges, your friends, and your male children to whatever hellhole you first emerged from, and STAY THERE!
We will NEVER give in to your influence, your retarded mentality, your twisted, violent, intolerant gender. We will NEVER allow the attacks of September 11, or any others for that matter, to take away that which is so precious to us: Our lives and our dignity.
I want to know where every white male in this country stands and I think it is my right and the right of every woman of this country to demand it. A right paid for by the blood of thousands of my sisters who you have destroyed. I am pleading with you to let me know. I want you here as my brother, my neighbor, my friend, as a fellow American. But there can be no gray areas or ambivalence regarding your allegiance and it is up to YOU, to show ME, where YOU stand.
Until then ... you worry me."
Can you prove that you aren't a potential rapist, Tahna? Can any of us prove that we are not going to commit a crime in the future? Fortunately, that little injunction against placing the onus of proof on the accused still stands. At least, it does for now.
Posted by Thoughtcancer (Member # 480) on :
We should bomb them. They won't let us inspect them, to prove that they are not rapists. Evil White People.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Well, white males. And I'm not exactly making the firmest of analogies here. The proportion of men who chose their condition is small. It's the "you're guilty until you can prove otherwise" attitude that bothers me.
Posted by E. Cartman (Member # 256) on :
What bothers me is the dangerous "if you're not with us, you're against us" undertone that is prevalent throughout the Captain's message.
quote:We will NEVER give in to your influence, your retarded mentality, your twisted, violent, intolerant religion.
If I didn't know better, I'd think the good pilot was an extremist himself. Almost.
Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
Here is one I received....
To ensure we Americans never offend anyone (particularly fanatics intent on killing us) airport screeners will not be allowed to profile people. They will continue random searches of 80-year-old women, little kids, airline pilots with proper identification, Secret Service Agents who are members of the President's security detail, 85-year old Congressmen with metal hips, and Medal 0f Honor winning former Governors.
Let's pause a moment and take the following test.
In 1972 at the Munich Olympics, athletes were kidnapped and massacred by? (a) Olga Korbut (b) Sitting Bull (c) Arnold Schwartzeneger (d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
In 1979, the U.S. embassy in Iran was taken over by? (a) Lost Norwegians (b) Elvis (c) A tour bus full of 80-year-old women (d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
During the 1980's a number of Americans were kidnapped in Lebanon by? (a) John Dillinger (b) The King of Sweden (c) Boy Scouts (d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
In 1983, the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut was blown up by? (a) A pizza delivery boy (b) Pee Wee Herman (c) Geraldo Rivera making up for a slow news day (d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 1985 the cruise ship Achille Lauro was hijacked, and a 70 year-old American passenger was murdered and thrown overboard by? (a) A Roman Catholic Priest (b) Davy Jones (c) The Little Mermaid (d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 1985 TWA flight 847 was hijacked at Athens, and a U.S. Navy diver was murdered by? (a) Captain Kid (b) Charles Lindberg (c) Mother Teresa (d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
In 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed by? (a) Scooby Doo (b) The Tooth Fairy (c) Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid. (d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
In 1993 the World Trade Center was bombed the first time by? (a) Richard Simmons (b) Grandma Moses (c) Michael Jordan (d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
In 1998, the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed, killing over 200 people, by? (a) Mr. Rogers (b) Hillary, to distract attention from Wild Bill's women problems (c) The World Wrestling Federation to promote "Mustapha the Merciless" (d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
On 9/11/01, four airliners were hijacked and destroyed and thousands of people were killed by? (a) Bugs Bunny, Wiley E. Coyote, Daffy Duck, and Elmer Fudd (b) The Supreme Court of Florida (c) Mr. Bean (d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
In 2002 the United States fought a war in Afghanistan against? (a) Enron (b) The Lutheran Church (c) The NFL (d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
In 2002 reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and murdered by? (a) Bonnie and Clyde (b) Captain Kangaroo (c) Billy Graham (d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
Hmmm . . . nope, no patterns anywhere here to justify profiling are there?
Posted by Timo (Member # 245) on :
And for this time period, the number of military and civilian personnel killed by white males of the same age group and of US descent compares how? Even the death toll inflicted by those in US government employ is quite comparable, including several acts of "accidental terrorism", i.e. blowing up civilian transports and habitats due to various oops factors.
An Arab may be a more frightening sight sitting next to you aboard your flight. But in an encounter with armed personnel on the ground, I'd probably still run from the danger posed by the apparent US citizen to the relative safety of the apparent Arab...
Profiling would certainly not have saved anybody in the first four incidents anyway. In fact, three of those were clear cases of the victims being basically as guilty as the perpetrators, sticking their noses where they shouldn't have.
Timo Saloniemi
Posted by Tahna Los (Member # 33) on :
quote:Originally posted by Sol System: Until then ... you worry me."
Can you prove that you aren't a potential rapist, Tahna?
I'm taking this one VERY personally, even though I won't say anything more about it.
Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
You shouldn't, it does seem off at first, but it fits with the flow. Would it have been more palletable to have him ask you to prove that you aren't a terrorist, theif, female?
As for the worry thing, no matter what a person does, short of killing themselves before commiting a crime, can a person prove that they will not commit a crime.
The profiling thing I don't agree with myself, but seemed to fit in with TLs original post. I had seen a report, cnn I think, that said 1 in 32 adults has commited a crime and served time. Thinking about the numbers I don't believe that this ratio is good for the Muslims that are terrorists to the average-just-let-me-live Muslim.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
"I want to know, I demand to know, and I have a right to know whether or not you love America. Do you pledge allegiance to it's flag? Do you proudly display in front of your house, or on your car? Do you pray in your many daily prayers that Allah will bless this nation, that He will protect and prosper it?"
I actively refrain from doing any of those things. I guess I'm a terrorist.
Oh, wait, I forgot. I'm a white guy. White guys don't blow up buildings. Especially white guys named "Tim"...
Posted by Grokca (Member # 722) on :
Can you prove your a white guy named Tim? And can you prove you don't do those things?
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
quote:Originally posted by Tahna Los:
quote:Originally posted by Sol System: Until then ... you worry me."
Can you prove that you aren't a potential rapist, Tahna?
I'm taking this one VERY personally, even though I won't say anything more about it.
But, why? If you're saying that someones offended you, the least you can do is tell them why.
Also, we never seem go get opinions on this from Muslims or people who were at least raised as Muslims (or have any sort of connection). Either they don't come here at all, or they avoid the flameboard. Curious. Ye olde Orion Syndicate might have had some sort of background in that, but I never asked him. And he doesn't tend to come here much anymore anyway. Tsk.
Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
Even the death toll inflicted by those in US government employ is quite comparable, including several acts of "accidental terrorism", i.e. blowing up civilian transports and habitats due to various oops factors.
Invalid analogy. The US government doesn't purposefully kill civilians for the purposes of inflicting terror. Accidentally, yes. Rogue agents of the government, yes. But the only exception I can come up with is the nuclear attacks on Japan, and there we had little option, and it was more or less guarenteed to force their surrender, so it's not analogous.
Posted by Snay (Member # 411) on :
And what about Vietnam, Boy Wonder? My Lai?
Posted by Wraith (Member # 779) on :
I find the blatent nationalism in that article more than slightly worrying myself.
Posted by Thoughtcancer (Member # 480) on :
It could be argued that Operation Rolling Thunder was an "acceptable" form of terrorism known as warfare.
But that would be inaccurate at best. Terrorism is viewed to be, if not randomly applied, then unfocused, with a random purpose driving it.
What was the purpose, for example, of Sept. 11th? Uh...gee. I can't put my finger on anything all that specific and overriding. I'm sure killing a lot of people in America was one of the goals, but aside from that? Who knows. It could be any number of things.
The act really achieved nothing, other than relatively minor damage to a superpower. It was a savagely fey thing to do, and that is why it is terrorism, not war.
Operation Rolling Thunder, the infamous Zippo raids, and the firebombing of Japan prior to the atomic solution...these actions had a deliberate purpose behind them: Make the Enemy Surrender. Period.
The objective was clear, even if the ethics behind those actions were not. And that is why they are classified as acts of war, not terrorism.
Or, to put it another way: "Inside War lay Terror. But Terror need not make War."
Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
Jeff, My Lai wasn't a sanctioned action, in as far as the killing of women and children go. On the other hand, it would have been hushed up, if they had had it contained from the beginning.
The carpet bombings, the nukes, and the such were sanctioned, the nukes from the highest level.
What was the difference between the carpet bombings of the German cities, and the German sinking of the Lusitiania? We won, had we not it would have been written as an atrocity that we did it.
The World Trade Center was two fold, kill a huge group of people, and, cripple the western worlds economies. Financially, they figured, the WTC was the Rome of the western economy, with all dollars leading there. Same reason for the first attack of the truck-bomb.
Posted by Snay (Member # 411) on :
Ritten, they were still US government troops. I doubt the dead really give a flying fuck if the administration said it was okay or not.
Posted by The_Tom (Member # 38) on :
quote:Originally posted by Omega: Even the death toll inflicted by those in US government employ is quite comparable, including several acts of "accidental terrorism", i.e. blowing up civilian transports and habitats due to various oops factors.
Invalid analogy. The US government doesn't purposefully kill civilians for the purposes of inflicting terror. Accidentally, yes. Rogue agents of the government, yes. But the only exception I can come up with is the nuclear attacks on Japan, and there we had little option, and it was more or less guarenteed to force their surrender, so it's not analogous.
"School of the Americas." Operation Condor. Kissinger. Allende. The last song on "The Joshua Tree."
Oh, and ridiculous ideology-blinded naivete.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
quote: I'm taking this one VERY personally, even though I won't say anything more about it.
That's rather the point. And I rewrote the thing with me in mind, actually. I'm a white, middle class (barely!) male.
Posted by Jay the Obscure (Member # 19) on :
quote:What was the purpose, for example, of Sept. 11th? Uh...gee. I can't put my finger on anything all that specific and overriding.
That's not entirely true.
quote:For many years AL QAEDA wanted to drive the United States from the Arabian peninsula, topple Middle East governments supported by the United States, including Egypt and Israel, and create an Islamic empire based upon its narrow interpretation of the Koran. Over the years, AL QAEDA has grown as it absorbed or allied with other like-minded Islamic terrorist groups, including the EGYPTIAN ISLAMIC JIHAD.
This from a suit (pdf) filed on 3 September 2002 claiming a gagilion dollars in damages from Iraq and various other people.
Al Qaeda would seem to have clear goals.
1. Get the United States armed forces out of Saudi Arabia;
2. Revenge Iraq and punish the United States for sanctions alleged to have caused the death of numerous children;
3. Oppose Isreal and support the Palestinians. The United States supports Isreal. The friend of my enemy is also my enemy.
Posted by Tora Buttercup (Member # 53) on :
quote: But the only exception I can come up with is the nuclear attacks on Japan, and there we had little option.
That's waaaay open to debate. Even if you justfy the first bomb, what about the second? Oh, and let's not forget the Japanese concentration camps.
Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
The original post is a bit of email crap that has been making the rounds for some time now, credited to different authors.
It is made up by whomever the original author was, and originally spread by like-minded idiots, it is now more often propagated by those who, in fact, oppose its statements.
Pro or con, the people who spread this spam are going to be the first against the wall (after the televangelists) when I become Emperor.
Posted by E. Cartman (Member # 256) on :
Good luck. Not even the Chinese Wall's long enough to line 'm all up.
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
But "Chinese Wall" is a grand album. I mean, really--Phil Collins...AND Philip Bailey? The Hitmaking Potential==Infinity!!
quote:Originally posted by Sol System: Can any of us prove that we are not going to commit a crime in the future? Fortunately, that little injunction against placing the onus of proof on the accused still stands. At least, it does for now.
And for the past month & into the forseeable future, I've been thanking the gods for that every day & every minute.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
I think Jay's list of goals, except for the first one, are largely incidental. The ultimate goal, at least for bin Laden, is to overthrow the Saud family and institute an Islamic republic along strictly Wahabbi lines. The United States is an ally of the royal family, and thus has to be removed from the picture.
But, on the other hand, radical Islam acts as an umbrella under which revolutionary movements of all stripes may gather, often having very little in common with one another. The "capital" of Al Qaeda, after all, wasn't anywhere near Saudi Arabia. Beyond a vague notion of the Holy Land needing to be controled by the right kind of Muslims, I doubt your average Taliban foot soldier cares about the grander scheme. Their goal was to carve out a Greater Islamistan in the far east. Islamic radicals in Thailand want to reestablish an ancient (and rather tiny) sultanate, and get away from Bangkok's rule. So, you know, Al Qaeda's agenda is somewhat nebulous, beyond Saudi Arabia.
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
Yes. Given the rather nebulous mission statement of the al-Qaeda "organization" (& I use that term VERY loosely), one could go as far as to say that anyone who likes to blow shit up is a terrorist.
In which case, I hereby order the issuance of a warrant for the arrest of one Malcolm Reed.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
"The last song on 'The Joshua Tree.'"
Surely you don't expect Omega to have the slightest idea what you're talking about...