A giant step for mankind

How quickly we forget how well appeasement worked. A non-violent policy with Hitler really worked. Terrorists operate at about Hitler's level, but they lack the organization. These people are not going to respond well to diplomacy or sit-ins or peace vigils. They will respond appropriately to being destroyed. We can expect them to hit back, but that is why we must strike as decicively as possible. If not stiking back would end terrorism, you would have a stronger argument. But passively taking it will give terrorists a license to do more. Your goal of protecting a civilized society is the correct one, but cannot be accomplished the way you propose because the people with whom we are dealing are not civilized and want to establish a primitive society (albeit one with modern weapons).


As for punishing the "wrong party", I am not sure what you mean. We already have grounds to destroy Bin Laden and his minions based on prior acts. If he's innocent of this one, well, whatever. But he's not, so we should respond before having a case that is perfect. We should also take the opportunity to destroy any terrorist group that we know of if we can. We need to have a solid idea of exactly what happened so we can hit those who harbored the terrorists. We can take a bit more time on this because it will involve declaring war on another nation. Nobody is advocating the wholesale slaughter of civilians, but when acts of war are committed on you, the response is not to be Mr. nice guy. This was an act of war. And our 20000+ innocent civilians count for something too.

Rounder,


Be quiet.


We need American dissent and cleverly worded pandering. It helps us achieve.


Don't give our apologists a bad name. Leave Angelo alone. Let his numbers grow....at least until we get weapons of mass destruction.


Until then,


Sleep well.

Mike, people are seldom brought around in their point of view by insult. We have to persuade people in the same manner that commercial laxatives induce bowel movements: gently.

Tommy, please rethink. There can be no excuse for mass murder.


I am an aetheist for intellectual reasons. But, I'm glad I am. How can (did) the suicide murders justify what they do (did)? Working the Will of the Almighty!!


Believers are unbounded in their behavior. Nonbelievers are stuck will simple morality. Believers scare me, all of them, regardless of persuasion. Which group makes you feel more comfortable?

Well, the Arabs certainly have enough undeveloped land to offer to the Palestinians, so if an offer hasn't been made who's at fault? The palestinians are the "untouchables" of the arab world. No one wants them unless they can use them as a rallying post on which to skewer the US and Israel.

Tommy Angelo did not condone the massacre. He considers that jingoism, intolerance, stepping all over the international law and total disregard for morality, innocent lives and human rights, is the same whether practiced under the Star & Stripes or the Islamic jihad green banner. Any objections?


You must think that saying this right on the aftermath of such a huge tragedy is uncalled for. You might find it blasphemous to debate right now whether the U.S. is the most "bigotry-free" country in the world or not. And you might be right in this. Nonetheless Tommy Angelo's point is right on target! A retaliation by the United States solely on the basis of "might makes right" brings America closer to the thinking of the terrorist criminals. The jingoistic cries for lynching other nations wholesale are echoing proclamations by rogue states. A Saddam would gladly adopt the rhetoric.


That free and righteours country you're rightly so proud about could get to be just a little less free and righteous.

This is quite likely true.


I am just suggesting that in the interests of overall peace, perhaps the U.N. could pay the Saudis and/or others for a small piece of land which could be given to the Palestinians as a homeland (less than ideal in the minds of the Palestinians, but probably far better than their current situation).

Your post is worthy of the convoluted best new philospohers' texts! (Lame joke.)


No, listen : things are simple than that.


1. If we accept relativism, then we cannot function as a society.


2. Without the ability to function as a society, we are incapable of living even for one moment. It is a matter of survival.


3. We believe they are totally wrong They believe we are totally wrong. Who is right? It is the side that can demonstrate the soundness of its arguments by reason and logic. A monotheistic fanatic who believes in the sanctity of women's virginity just because "it is written" cannot win the discourse against the enlightened western liberal who argues on the basis of biological, ethical and social reasons the opposite.


4. A suppporter of western liberal thinking (that includes most western democracies) could conceivable use some criminal means to convince those who hold opposite views - like, say, a crusade against the "barbarian natives" or the shooting down of a commercial airliner, etc. Automatically, that supporter is not to be trusted anymore and belligerent action must be taken against him.


5. Ergo, going after terrorists (of the right, the left, the middle, or the basement) is absolutely justified.


And relativism is just another word for not wanting to get out of the bed of terminal passivity. Relativism negates Enlightment and al l the advances in our thinking achieved in the last 300 years.

From what I read on www.msnbc.com, there are numerous bin-Laden terrorist cells already established in the U.S. and around the world just waiting for the commands to take action. Fascinating and sobering reading, I suggest everyone read about what terrorist cells are and how they operate.


We truly could be in danger of far worse than we have yet experienced. I see no reason why they could not smuggle nuclear bombs into this country (if all those drugs get in, so can nuclear material, perhaps right along with the drugs. bin-Laden's extreme wealth means he can surely purchase these materials somehow). These bombs could easily be detonated in vehicles in all our largest metropolitan areas, and the cells bin-Laden already has established in this country would surely carry this out on command.


For these and other reasons I believe the only prudent course is the decimation of bin-Laden's organization; the capture or death of bin-Laden and all of his leaders.