The search is over

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I heard on the news this morning that more search and rescue teams will not be going to Iran. Why? Because the Iranian government plans to stop looking for survivors of the Bam quake today. This highlights an interesting contrast in how two cultures deal with disaster and loss of life. After the attack on the World Trade Center rescue workers from around the country spent months searching the ruins. They knew they probably weren't going to find anyone alive after the first few days but they kept looking anyway. Right now rescuers are searching for missing people caught in California mudslides and snowboarders caught in Utah avalanches. In America we don't stop looking until we find a survivor or a body.

Conspiracy thought of the day
I wonder how many Iranian dissidents will become "victims" of this earthquake.

Culture of death
I have always found it interesting how cultures in the Middle East view life as so dispensable. It has always perplexed me that so many cultures produce suicide attackers willing to kill themselves and as many people as they can get to simply to have things done their way or to make a point. In contrast, Americans expect to fight only as a last resort and with lots of rules. Our warriors are expected to fight with honour and then come home to their families. Those who kill women and children deliberately are sent packing, dishonoured and never allowed to fight for us again. Meanwhile in so many other cultures those who kill old men and women and children are considered heroes.

I will never forget the scenes of Palestinian villagers celebrating after the 9/11/01 attacks on the US. Nor will I forget the funerals of the young men sent off to sacrifice themselves by their "leaders". What is wrong with you people? Are you so demented as to rejoice at others suffering? Are you so desperate for revenge that you sacrifice the best and brightest of your sons on the altar of hate? In recent days as more suicide attacks occurred I thought about the mothers of these attackers. They must live in fear that some power hungry militant will sink his claws into their young sons and send them off to die. I can’t help but think that if I were a Palestinian woman I would pray for only daughters in the hope that the power hungry fools would let them live.

When will you stand up and fight for your children to live rather than let the cowards you call leaders send them off to kill themselves. How far would Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the like get if parents fought them tooth and nail for the lives of their children?

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