<HTML>ISHMAEL,
I suppose your response is no more than I expected. You seem to see personal attack in anything anybody writes on this subject and you have no respect for any alternative views. All I made was a call for tolerance and an appreciation from you that you should do as you say rather than ranting about a subject you know sweet FA about.
You seem determined that the US should thrust itself head first into war but do not seem willing to commit to the fighting yourself. How about an acceptance that people will actually die and many innocent lives will be lost should forces invade Afghanistan? How about admitting that whatever forceful means are used they may not be sufficient to result in the capture and arrest of Bin Laden? Will Bin Ladens impending martyrdom be sufficient to rid the world of terrorism? What will you do to appease his millions of supporters in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Chechnya and elsewhere in the Arab and moslem world? Once he's deposed will you also propose we hunt down and kill them so they do not attempt to avenge his incarceration or execution?
We all agree that action must be taken to bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice but you fail to realise that terrorism thrives on its martyrs, tit for tat exchanges of unnecessary force and the loss of innocent lives by both sides.
> Whatever you want, matters not. You are not responsible for
> the safety of the citizens of the United States and they will
> not accept the passive options that have been outlined by
> many posters to this board. Without a swift and severe
> response, America's citizens will be outraged.
But Americas citizens are already outraged. America just woke up to the fear that the rest of the world already lives under - nobody can consider themselves safe from terrorism. The US can no longer isolate itself from the effects of its foreign policy. If you endorse warfare and the weapons of mass destruction there are extremists that are prepared to sacrifice their lives in retaliation.
> Come spend some time here. You have no idea how furious the
> population is. But you'll soon get an idea.
You seem to believe the rest of the world is somehow detached from what happened in the US last week. 500+ UK citizens are also still missing following last weeks tragedy. The death toll from 30 years of IRA atrocities exceeds 3,500. If you think we don't know about anger, frustration and sadness you are very much mistaken.
When the SAS assasinated known members of the IRA in Gibraltar in cold blood which nations supported the British govt.'s decision? Did that use of force lead to an end of IRA operations? Even with a US backed peace process we have the formation of splinter organisations such as the real IRA who will continue the senseless violence it would seem whatever the politicians decide.
> As for your comments regarding my personal future, I cannot
> believe you have the audacity to make such allegations. You
> have no idea what my intentions are. Your "assumptions" are
> nothing less than a childish attempt to force me to reveal
> what I have already said I will not. What happens to me is
> irelivant to an objective discussion of how to solve the
> problems facing the United States and its allies regarding
> terrorism.
Spell it out then Ishmael - what are your intentions exactly? If you're not prepared to volunteer your own life towards the war you're promoting I think you had better just shut up on this issue.
Duncan</HTML>
