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Re: More thoughts about



I'd intended to comment on another post that touched on this, but the way 
posts have been flying, I'm not sure I can find it--might have been on O&S, 
even.  But this one provides a starting point.

These terrorists groups have been at war with the US for some time now, but 
we haven't noticed.  Everyone has gone about their business and their lives 
without realizing there was someone out there who wanted to fight a war with 
us, if they could just get the weapons into position.  It would be great if 
we could launch some kind of terrific offensive and end the threat (now that 
we've noticed), but it's unlikely that will happen.  As several people have 
pointed out, it will be nearly impossible to get all the people who are 
fighting this war, and any mis-aimed attempt to do this will only add to the 
enemy's forces.  This means the threat will remain.

It is required that we provide some answer, and I'd say Kevin McC has 
outlined the likely scenario fairly well.  However, the US people should 
spend a little time thinking about what has caused the situation, rather 
than just reacting.  For one thing, without any opposition from a major 
world power, the US has had a tendency to ride rough-shod over the expected 
rights of other countries and their citizens.  (Note the plight of political 
prisoner Dmitry Sklyarov as an example.)  Might does not make right.  The 
result of this in the face of huge disparities in power will always be 
terrorist raids.

Next, we have made an error in not noticing that there was a war going on, 
and so have not maintained the proper defenses.  Tuesday's events are a 
clear demonstration that the security systems in place were insufficient to 
protect the American public.  This is not something we can blame on other 
people.  We're used to peace and security and so failed to react properly to 
the attack, even after it had taken place.  (Assured that everything was 
safe, some residents of the towers even went back to work.)  It's clear that 
we need better defenses, but this will be at the cost of civil liberties, 
which will cause domestic unrest.  There is always a trade-off between 
liberty and safety, and we should be thinking about how much we actually 
want to trade.

Last are the economic issues.  Sklyarov is in jail because of the copyright 
issue.  The Middle East is a trouble spot because of the oil resources.  The 
Palestinians have grounds to be pissed because a group of stronger nations 
took their land and gave it to somebody else.  Our governments is full of 
special interest groups out for their own gain.  What governments say 
they're doing is quite often propaganda, and should be scrutinized carefully 
by the voting public.  We need to improve our defenses not only against 
foreign threats, but also against threats from within.

Be safe, everybody.


keets



> >Let's be clear about the nature of those who did this.  They want
> >nothing positive for themselves; they want us destroyed.  Issues
> >such as whether or not there is a Palestinian state or who oppressed
> >whom last Thursday are completely beside the point; the very
> >existence of America and what it stands for is a moral affront to
> >them that must be wiped off the face of the Earth.  Western movies
> >and television they want abolished.  They want you on a prayer rug
> >facing Mecca; if you wish to express your thoughts they want you
> >muzzled; if you are a blasphemer they want you executed. If you are
> >a woman, they want you wearing a veil and enslaved to your husband
> >or father. If you are a homosexual, they want you dead. If you value
> >your life and happiness they want you subjugated.


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