Can we ever forgive ourselves?

Who is really the terrorist?

post some video of the towers falling and you'll have your answer.
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Procrastinate now, don't wait until later.

Hey Beth, have you been fitted for your Hijab yet? Remember, in islam women that are raped can be executed for adultery.
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Carl Sagan:
"I don't want to beLIEve. I want to know."

No not yet. Osama says he's working on it.

We shall know Hell on Earth for allowing this to go on.

Bush is the real terrorist but we'll all pay for his sins.
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My favorite quote? "I donno, was it something I said, maybe?" -Billy Jones

We aren't terrorists in general, but the things we do in "War" can be equally as bad and end up producing the same mentality in people that terrorism instills in us. "War is hell" is not just a saying.

We are certainly blame for the travesty we are in now for not demanding a more appropriate response as a nation after 9/11. Afghanistan was a just response to the attack, but we never finished the job, and only went at it half arsed at that. Going into Iraq was simply a fools errand.

Billy the blogging poet is right. Our actions after 9/11 will bring us a lot of pain for a very long time, and I don't mean just from Islamic terrorists.

We had such an opportunity to get a lot right with the world and go after the real threats, but we squandered it. We played right into the hands of those that hate us. Why? Because we as a nation have memories which are short, we are typically reactionary, and we have this sui generis attitude (in our 'defense' historically typical of a single world superpower).

This action is exaclty what those who hate us have been told by their parents we do, and told thier kids we will do. Years of us sticking our noses into a region and conflict to suit our own purposes, using the govt and people, then dropping them when we get what we want have not helped us. Now we have solidified it with our latest action and have given ammunition to a people and culture that has a great amount of patience and a looong memory with which to hold a grudge. Oh, and they are religious fundamentalists to boot. Oh, and thanks to 9/11 our own brand of fundementals have taken hold and risen to the surface, both sides clammoring to fight the 'final battle'.

Not a good recipe for our future. If it wasnt for the oil, we wouldnt care a bit about the middle east Im afraid. It's a dangerous place to play.

I agree with a lot of what you said but this:

What is your definition of terrorism? Sorry, I had a Bill Clinton moment there. Terrorist try to break our will through fear. We break their will through destruction of their means. In many ways that includes instilling fear in them. You notice the lack of terrorist acts inside the US since 9/11? They understand that every terrorist act will leave a paper trail and when we find the end of that trail we will destroy it. It worked for WWII and it will work for terrorists.

There will always be people who hate the US no matter how nice we try to be, so the pansy approach will not work. Our only chance to survive, be free, and be secure is to suppress terrorism and disuade countries from condoning it. Saddam and the Taliban not only condoned it, but supported it. We are also trying to influence countries in to adopting tougher policing strategies to prevent it.

Our success in Afghanistan and Iraq has already begun to take its desired effects elsewhere. Did every liberal in America forget about Libya? Why does nobody talk about it. They had an active nuclear program as advanced as Iran and N. Korea but voluntarily surrendered it upon our invasion of Iraq.

Seriously, it has been 5 years since the third attack on the US on American soil. First was Pearl Harbor. The second was WTC1 which was met with little consequences and only spurred a larger attack plan to begin in 1996 (4 years before Bush took office). Clinton had 7 years after WTC1 to do something and failed, but WTC2 is Bush's fault after having an entire 8 months in office?

Bin laden publicly stated that the "true cowardice" of America was displayed when we pulled out of Somalia after Black Hawk Down. Cut and Run only spurrs terrorism.

Nobody expects a war president to be a popular one, especially in a country where peace and freedom are expected and taken for granted. If we were to lay down after 9/11 as we did before 9/11 we will be seen as weak and an easy target. Thank You President Bush.

By the way, if we were only in it for oil why would we go for Iraq? Kuwait has the larger supply, or Saudi? One of our largest suppliers is Venezuela, why not go after Chavez? Because it's not just about the oil, you liberals are just looking for a whipping boy and a motive and that sounds the best. Kings of propaganda, same tactic Hitler used, you should be proud.