Russia Handled Hostage Situation Correctly

[Bill Murphy]

"Government film of the aftermath showed dead female hostage-takers sitting in red plush theater seats, in black robes and veils, heads thrown back or bent over, indicating they may have been shot while unconscious. Precisely placed bullet holes could be seen in their heads. One had a gas mask on her face." (I wonder if Dubya would have the balls to set this sort of policy. He should start by executing, one-by-one, all 'non-cooperative' Guantanamo detainees. BTW note the use of female suicide bombers placed among the hostages.)

All terrorists neutralized[permanently] and 90% of hostages rescued=A+ for the Rooskies. Furthermore, Putin has nothing more to lose at this point by wiping out Chechnya completely w/tactical nukes, gas, etc.; and announcing that all future terrorist acts in Russia will be handled similarly, with reprisals extended to state sponsors.

Vlad the Impaler also needs to get with the program, join up with the team, and come in for the big win on Iraq. That would certainly make all the Osamas pause for a second or two.

Of course, it would probably also radicalize previously 'neutral' Muslims, which is why the US also needs to drop all trade barriers w/Muslim countries[why are we still protecting the textile & corp-agricultural industries? Oh yeah, their political contribs.]; 'Marshall Plan' Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, etc.; and very strongly lean on Mubarak & the Saudis to gradually introduce democracy & capitalism[no shock therapy].

It would be bloody of course, but it's going to be anyway. So were Dresden, Hiroshima, & Nagasaki[NTM the Indians, and the Caribs that ran into Columbus].

Were you happy with the long term results? Did the Germans & Japanese turn into radicalized terrorists who hate the US?

We're in WWIII, no matter how hard we want to deny it.

[B-Man]

Excellent post, Bill. All terrorists should be crushed. It's a shame innocent hostages had to die... but the fact that the overwhelming majority was saved from almost certain death justifies the means which were used. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

I'm sure the liberals and the doves will denounce the "targetted assasinations" of the terrorists who had bombs strapped to their bodies, and blame the Russians, rather than the terrorists, for all of the deaths, but the only party that is responsible for these deaths is the terrorists themselves. It's time people started holding terrorists fully responsible for violence, rather than denouncing government responses to terrorism.

[MMMMMM]

I think NATO should develop a special Anti-Terrorist Division, and use it to systematically kill/arrest every Islamic terrorist group in the world which hasn't yet been thoroughly dispersed. They could start with whichever Middle Eastern terrorist groups the US isn't presently engaged with, and take them down one group at a time---it would be pretty fast I think. The mopping up could then continue globally (as is being done at present) though this part would be a slow process. This strike force should be large enough and mobile enough to be capable of taking out, say (name any Middle Eastern or Pacific Rim terrorist group) in a week or so.