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The Bush and Obama Administrations have been trying hard to "fight terrorism" and "rid the world" of people they consider terrorists. But they are doomed to fail.
On Sept. 11, 2001, a small group of people armed with boxcutter knives took down the Twin Towers. No attempt at retaliation by the US, just a simple attack on the "most advanced country in the world," which left America in shame, and Americans speechless.
Since then, we've been bombing countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan in order to "defeat insurgents." But at the same time, we're also killing a lot of civilians. The other day it happened again: NATO Air Strike Kills 13 Afghan Civilians | Common Dreams
All of this thanks to "American Intelligence" and "high tech equipment."
Now they are saying that the TSA controls in airports aren't sufficient to protect people. What a surprise!! It takes nothing more than a bit of "low profile planning" to hijack a plane, and they proved it very well. All of the great technological strides we've made cannot change people. We are not robots. (At least, not yet.)
America is working around the clock to "find the enemy." And in the meantime, whoever happens to be in the wrong place at the right time will also risk getting killed. And apparently they don't care. Apparently to them, "what's a few dead civilians in order for US to feel safe??" But we are the minority on the planet, and mass killings in order to feel safer is no less than animalistic and barbarian. Innocent people are getting killed around the world by this "terrorist hunt," and we're making more enemies than we are finding.
So now that we've killed between 10,000 and 30,000 civilians in Afghanistan, and many many more in Iraq; does it surprise you that they now consider the US the real terrorists, and want us out of their countries?
The US will never be able to "eliminate" terrorists any more than they can eliminate mosquitoes. That's because the world is not something to "clean up." It's a place where there are differences, and that means tolerance and patience and acceptance.
It may surprise you, that not everybody agrees with American policy. Not everybody wants to watch Disney and eat McDonalds. Not everybody thinks that the US is the best place to live. In general, people stay in the places where they are born, they are usually protective of their lands, and they usually consider their homes the best place in the world. The French prefer France. The English are proud of England. The Italians consider Italy the top.
What America needs (and that means you and I) is to learn to use diplomacy, to discuss, to find agreements, to make peace treaties. And to accept other cultures for what they are: different. Violence can and does occur; unfortunately we are not out of that jungle yet. There is religious persecution, ethnic cleansing, territorial conflicts. But the "American Way" of using tanks and bombs to change other countries is NOT what people want. They don't like it, and neither would Americans like it if China or Russia came to the States with their military might in order to "root out Americans" whom they believe are against their country.
Americans are about 330 million people. That's less than 1/12 of the entire world population (which is now almost 7 billion). It might be hard to believe, especially when the rest of the world is separated from you by an ocean on either side. But that is reality. Most of the world is not American. Most of the world is of another nation, another flag, and most likely, another religion.
That's why we need to put the bombs away, and pull out the negotiating table. The world is a big place. There are many people who see things in different ways, and if we want to get along, we need to learn to understand and appreciate our differences, rather than get angry and launch missiles. Rather than building new types of weapons, man needs to learn to build new types of communication skills. Rather than hiring war marshalls, we need to hire more International Relations. We need to use less arms, and more ears. More help, and less hurt. More collaboration, and less aggression.
Wow, nice piece of revisionist history. Of course AQ has been decimated. Most of it's command and control have been killed. There hasn't been another attack on US soil.
It kinda hard to negotiate with folks who think the appropriate way to deal with journalists is to decapitate them or the way to deal with woman is to rape them. Your moral equivalence isn't bought here.
Wow, nice piece of revisionist history. Of course AQ has been decimated. Most of it's command and control have been killed. There hasn't been another attack on US soil.
It kinda hard to negotiate with folks who think the appropriate way to deal with journalists is to decapitate them or the way to deal with woman is to rape them. Your moral equivalence isn't bought here.
It is a naive post written by a child.
Cheers!
We Americans are used to dealing with other countries by bombing them. "Revisionist" or not, how do you know that AQ has been "decimated?" The numbers tell us that we have killed more civilians than anyone else, and Obama is not leaving Afghanistan anytime soon. In fact, more military has been pumped into that region since he was elected than before him!
I know that some people are hard to negotiate with. That's why there are people who learn and study how to do it. Dropping an atomic bomb is not the solution.
Repeat: 11/12 of the world are not American. That means that America is in the minority, even though we have cable TV. The rest of the world does things in a different way that us. Most people see the world in a different way than us. We can't go around setting up governments in other countries, and killing its civilians. It's not realistic. And above all, it's not right.
If that makes me a child, oh well. Personally, I see fighting as more childish than learning to negotiate.
We Americans are used to dealing with other countries by bombing them. "Revisionist" or not, how do you know that AQ has been "decimated?" The numbers tell us that we have killed more civilians than anyone else, and Obama is not leaving Afghanistan anytime soon. In fact, more military has been pumped into that region since he was elected than before him!
I know that some people are hard to negotiate with. That's why there are people who learn and study how to do it. Dropping an atomic bomb is not the solution.
Repeat: 11/12 of the world are not American. That means that America is in the minority, even though we have cable TV. The rest of the world does things in a different way that us. Most people see the world in a different way than us. We can't go around setting up governments in other countries, and killing its civilians. It's not realistic. And above all, it's not right.
If that makes me a child, oh well. Personally, I see fighting as more childish than learning to negotiate.
We need to get into reality. Not hide from it.
330,000,000 Americans.
6,600,000,000: all the rest.
For every 1 American, there are 11 non-Americans.
Peace,
brian
We know AQ has been decimated by the number of high ranking members we have killed or captured.
Well it is completely silly to claim that the US deals with the world by bombing them. War is the last resort but sometimes neccessary.
Again. your naivete is showing. Islamic extremists want conversion to Islam or death to the infidels. You simply can't deal with people like this.
You seem hung up on the fact that American's are the minority in the world, so what? Being the minority doesn't make us wrong.
Look, your a kid with little experience. As you grow up, you will see the world as it is, not as you hope it will be. You will look back on exchanges like this and cringe.
We know AQ has been decimated by the number of high ranking members we have killed or captured.
Well it is completely silly to claim that the US deals with the world by bombing them. War is the last resort but sometimes neccessary.
Again. your naivete is showing. Islamic extremists want conversion to Islam or death to the infidels. You simply can't deal with people like this.
You seem hung up on the fact that American's are the minority in the world, so what? Being the minority doesn't make us wrong.
Look, your a kid with little experience. As you grow up, you will see the world as it is, not as you hope it will be. You will look back on exchanges like this and cringe.
Cheers!
If Islamic extremists are such a problem, then what do you propose? Blow up the entire middle east, just to "get" a few "extremists?"
"War is a last resort" doesn't cut it. Obama is currently attacking 5 countries, all of which are not harming the US at all. No voting on the part of the public, just his own decision to attack.
Yes, America is a very small minority. This is reality. It doesn't make you wrong, but it should make you think.
Since you are so "wise" and "experienced," please share with me your profound understanding of the situation, so that this kid can learn. After all, I want to learn, so that I don't "cringe" later on.
If Islamic extremists are such a problem, then what do you propose? Blow up the entire middle east, just to "get" a few "extremists?"
"War is a last resort" doesn't cut it. Obama is currently attacking 5 countries, all of which are not harming the US at all. No voting on the part of the public, just his own decision to attack.
Yes, America is a very small minority. This is reality. It doesn't make you wrong, but it should make you think.
Since you are so "wise" and "experienced," please share with me your profound understanding of the situation, so that this kid can learn. After all, I want to learn, so that I don't "cringe" later on.
Thank you.
Peace,
brian
I think we are on the right track. Dry up their funding, kill their leaders and bring stability to rogue states.
Well of course rogue countries harm us and the rest of the world.
I have been trying to point out to you in these posts where you are off track. You can dismiss them or try to understand. It is up to you. It isn't a knock to point out you are young and niave, you are no different than most kids. But as you grow up and experience life you will realize theier are some very bad folks in this world who have no desire to sing kumbaya with you.
The war in general is not a failure but many of the lessons of combating irregulars and recent modern terrorists by other nations were and still are being ignored. Add in a bit of hubris and self righteousness as well on our gov'ts part.
People can hate us so long as they do not have the means to attack us on our shores. Anyone who works overseas does so at own risk, whether public or private.
Terrorism has been successfully defeated in the past by espionage, infiltration and select assasination.
If we kill the brains, intercept their communications and track their money they cannot harm us.
Anyone can hate us all they want but if they not have money they cannot purchase. If they have money but no communications they cannot coordiante. If they have money and communications but no brains then they cannot plan properly.
Rank and file are a mob unless they are directed by others higher up the chain of command.
Brian- Thank you for a thoughtful and sane proposal.
Not that I consider some other ways acceptable. IMHO Sharia Law is an abomination and completely unacceptable. I also realize that without killing ALL its adherents it will be around for quite a long time.
The way we will overcome this culture is not through force but through example. We must maintain an actual, and not just nominal, society with real freedom for all. They can see through our “Freedom for those that can afford it” farce better than we are able to do.
Shorebaby - Thank you for post as well. Indeed the extremist Muslims do not live or fight by our rules. The fact that the "Leadership" of al-Qaida has been killed will not reduce their effectiveness. IMHO they are just waiting for us to destroy ourselves in our anti terrorism which hunts. We are actually hurting ourselves by sending our military, not to fight terrorism, but to protect the international oil cartels from having their access to oil reserves restricted by nationalist governments.
If terrorism stopped existing our warmongers would have to create something to replace it. They are making far too much money to let the gravy train dry up.
I think we are on the right track. Dry up their funding, kill their leaders and bring stability to rogue states.
Well of course rogue countries harm us and the rest of the world.
I have been trying to point out to you in these posts where you are off track. You can dismiss them or try to understand. It is up to you. It isn't a knock to point out you are young and niave, you are no different than most kids. But as you grow up and experience life you will realize theier are some very bad folks in this world who have no desire to sing kumbaya with you.
Cheers!
My impression from reading your posts, is that you believe that there are people "out there" who "want to get you." I'm sorry you feel that way.
As for me, no one is "out to get me." I've done nothing to offend anyone, and I don't feel the need to "defend" myself or others.
In reality, it is we who are the ones invading them, and we are killing mostly civilians. Now, in a civilized country, people who are accused of a crime are brought to trial, and the evidence is evaluated. But that is not what is happening now. We are invading countries who do not want us there, and we're making more enemies than friends.
So that is why the "war on terrorism" won't work. Invading other countries is not the solution. That is precisely why we need to learn to negotiate.
- Maybe some people can't get along in the world without an enemy to attack..
The war in general is not a failure but many of the lessons of combating irregulars and recent modern terrorists by other nations were and still are being ignored. Add in a bit of hubris and self righteousness as well on our gov'ts part.
People can hate us so long as they do not have the means to attack us on our shores. Anyone who works overseas does so at own risk, whether public or private.
Terrorism has been successfully defeated in the past by espionage, infiltration and select assasination.
If we kill the brains, intercept their communications and track their money they cannot harm us.
Anyone can hate us all they want but if they not have money they cannot purchase. If they have money but no communications they cannot coordiante. If they have money and communications but no brains then they cannot plan properly.
Rank and file are a mob unless they are directed by others higher up the chain of command.
Very interesting post!
It almost sounds as though you're saying:
"If you keep everyone poor, they can't harm you!"
Brilliant!!
Why are you ok with everyone hating you? Doesn't that tell you something? In the real world, we need to learn to get along. Otherwise we may as well live in a cave with a bat.
But since we aren't cavemen, we need to learn why people hate us, and work to make amends.
Just like back on the playground.
Peace,
brian
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