The Real Way To Defeat Terrorism

Ahhhh... my point would be that if you have people with TNT strapped around their waists, the "hug" came a bit too late. Way, way, way too late. And by hug, I don't mean some empty gesture, but a significant change of behavior reflecting genuine care. Think about it: if we don't give a @!$%# about them, why would we expect them to give a @!$%# about us?

BTW, if those in the picture came at me with a hug, I'd strap some TNT around my waist. :)

That's not going to work unless we also blow down the legitimate reasons for the societies from which most of the terrorists emerge to hate or distrust us. Not unless we kill all of those people too. You focus on the terrorist, completely ignoring the larger context that bred them. We share some, though not all, responsibility for that context.

As too leaders, what makes you think ours are that much better? Sure, Dick Cheney will compare favorably with Saddam Hussein, but in my opinion that is circumstantial. I think if Cheney were an Iraqi, he would have rose to political power as a Saddam loyalist, and would have ranked high on the US's deck of 52 most wanted Iraqi leaders.

I think that the terrorists are terrorists because of their lifelong education to hate.... And the only way to stop them is to destroy the current ones and stop the education of the new ones.

The same can be said of racists. Shall we destroy all of them too?

The best way to deal with a psychopathic serial killer is probably termination, plain and simple. But a serial killer is an isolated anomaly. If we captured those involved in the 9/11 plot and executed them, that would have worked too. Nobody would have complained. The world, including Muslims, were generally accepting of America's attempt to root out the terrorists and terrorist harborers in Afghanistan. But the Iraq War and the bombing of Lebanon just add fuel to the anti-American and anti-Israeli anger that drives terrorist recruitment. Those Iraqis whose morals would never condone anti-American terrorism are forced to view American actions as anti-Iraqi terrorism.

History will show, I believe, that the US strategy for dealing with terrorism will have bred more terrorists then it destroyed.

We really should clean up your own house first. That would be the best hug we could ever give the world. As it is, right now, we're more interested in hugging ourselves.

You didn't say that it is ok to kill terrorists because they kill, you said it was "the only way to stop them". I was refuting that argument. Regardless, racism in America is more damaging to America than terrorism. Why shouldn't we approach anti-rascism with the zeal with which we currently approach anti-terrorism?

Not sure what your second statement is about. If you're implying that I'm afraid to say "kill", you're wrong. I get the sense that this dialogue is devolving.

That is just my point. I don't think the really good ones even exist by the time the election is over. If one or two good ones do squeak through they are chastised and harrassed by the remainder until their time in congress is nullified. Check it out. US representatives my have a few exception but I don't think there is one among the senators. (small letters intended) Joe Lieberman has doubled over backwards to not offend the Republicans, McCain has done the same from his side. Show me one Senator who tries to do what is good for America. If we can name one, then we should thoroughly investigate him or her and see if we are correct. That is what Newsvining should be about, among other things.

The reason there aren't any good politicians is that the people smart enough to do the job are smart enough to choose some other field. I cringe just thinking about how much I would hate being a politician.