Most everyone remained too shocked and scared from the attacks of 9/11, the lesser ensuing scares like the anthrax attacks, and the endless propaganda such as the color-coded terror threat meters, etc. Being outspokenly skeptical of the official narrative was difficult in those years. Heck I was only able to express my doubts online, save for my closest family and friends. I'm reminded of how similar conditions have been with Covid and the jab. My point is, I remember only a few people ever agreeing with me politically back then. You weren't as vocal as others about current affairs, but you certainly didn't come to my aid either haha. So I'm assuming you either tried to focus on football related content for the site or you supported the Bush Administration, albeit perhaps not as enthusiastically as others on the board. Is that a fair generalization of you?
My first reaction to 9/11 was a knee jerk reaction. I was out biking and had stopped by a pawn shop just to see what was there. I saw the second plane video and the first words out of my mouth were "they need to be bombing someone."
A couple of days later I was in an argument with myself, debating language: "is this retaliation or retribution?" I came to the conclusion it was both. Admittedly, I was okay with the retribution motive until ...
A key part of retribution? A vengeful response to a criminal act. Now, a few weeks following 9/11 I'm hung up on "vengeance."
<Here's where
@ElephantStomp would label me as a far-right extremist ...
"quotin' the Bible" Stomp, this is also why I said it's an individual thing with scriptures, not a group identity.>
Vengeance is mine, I will repay.
I don't take that literally any more than I take "turn the other cheek" literally. But my interpretation of that verse years earlier led me to where I landed on the military action and political policy.
I see the lesson being taught in that verse as one involving how you react. It's not saying "don't react," but cautioning to be careful before you act: think about it for a minute.
11/11. Now I am pessimistic about decisions being made through the lenses of vengeance. By the time we saw boots on the ground, when we saw congressional action with the Patriot Act, at that point I'm of the opinion the country needed to be in full reverse.
"We need to get the hell out of there."
January, 2002. I wouldn't say I'm part of the status quo.
You mention "focus on football related." Remember, that was 2002. I spent 95% of the time on the football board, not non-sports. And, if you'll recall, it wasn't here.