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Noun 1. Terrorism - the calculated use of violence (or the threat of violence) against civilians in order to attain goals that are political or religious or ideological in nature; this is done through intimidation or coercion or instilling fear.
Using this definition, one could make a pretty strong argument that the terrorist on 9-11 did in fact accomplish their goals. As today the bulk of America or at least a good many Americans are in fact living in fear. Even though the threat of terrorism today in America is real, is the actual threat disproportionate to the perceived threat and resulting consequences?
America unequivocally has the world’s most powerful military, one that has more money spent on it than China, Russia, Japan, the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, India, South Korea, Israel, Australia, Brazil, Turkey, and Canada combined. Yet despite this, our entire national mindset has changed because of a single act of terrorism committed by 15 Saudi’s and 2 Egyptians. Yes there have been other acts of terrorism, but 9-11 was the one single act that changed the face of America.
America fought a prevailed during our revolution when average citizens had to take up arms against one of the worlds most well armed and best-trained military’s of the day. We fought a civil war of countryman against countryman that nearly tore the nation apart and threatened its very existence. We fought two world wars against arguably superior arms, yet we prevailed. We fought the cold war against a relatively equal nation that also had the capability to obliterate all life on planet earth, yet again we prevailed. During all these times our fears of these threats subsided in short order in relation to the actual threat they posed.
Is it because fear dislodged our comfort of security that we once had here in America, isolated by two oceans and disassociated with the contemporary realities that many in the rest of the world experience on a near daily basis? Is it denial that our foreign policies have an eventual effect even here on our homeland?
We strip search 80-year-old grannies and mommies with sippy cups, while 95% of a planes cargo goes unchecked. We speak of fighting them there so we don’t have to fight them here, yet the Chinese could march a million men across the Canadian or Mexican border unnoticed. We now have to use questionable surveillance tactics to listen in on the conversations of American citizens, yet our ports are nearly unguarded. If we perceive such a threat to our homeland then why is so little being done to protect it?
Our entire national perceptions and views of the world have changed, so again, I have to ask, did they actually achieve their goals?
I guess this is what irritates me about Rudy Giuliani's campaign - terrorism, while certainly an important issue, isn't nearly the MOST important issue in our society - or, more accurately, it certainly SHOULDN'T be. Realistically, terrorism is at most a minor irritant compared to the size and GDP of the entire country. And yet, if you voice this obvious fact, you get assailed for "forgetting" about September 11, or some such thing.
Actually, by remembering it accurately, it becomes easier to put the event into context, and to understand why "terrorism" shouldn't become a catchall bogeyman that distorts the normal course of our society.
Perhaps worst of all, cynical self-promoting "neoconservatives" managed to use terrorism as a catalyst for their disastrous program of reshaping the Middle East. White terrorism certainly required a military response in some form, the neocons managed to convince other conservatives that a particularized military response in Iraq was absolutely critical. I think, with hindsight, we can see how disastrously wrong this was.
Location: Sitting on a bar stool. Guinness in hand.
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Don't be scared be aware.
With Giuliani's campaign. I wouldn't sweat Giuliani's chances getting the nod as the republican presidential candidate. Why? Because Rudy decided to run on a 9/11 and/or terrorism campaign. But unfortunately for him the real heroes of 9/11 come out against him. That would be the firemen represented by the firemen union. Now I know that there will be people that say that since it was a union that came out against him that they must have some type of liberal agenda. But to be honest most firemen I met in the NY/NJ area are pretty Conservative. So that argument doesn't hold water with me.
With terrorism and have they won. Look. We are going to have to deal with terrorism in one form or another until the human race either destroys itself or we reach a new level of consciousness as a world where we can all just get along (I'm kind of doubt that one.) The best we can do right now on a individual level to combat the issue is to be aware of what is going on around us. If you see something strange going on report it to the proper authorities and they can take if from there. How do you think the cops broke up that possible attack in NJ a couple of months ago. A Photo clerk reported something weird he developed and reported it. The authorities took if from there and eventually busted a terrorist ring with plans to blow up a couple targets in NJ.
Now are we in overkill mode in our security precautions? Yeah probably. With the issue of searching the 80 year old lady. I think that a problem of racial profiling. I thing the government and/or companies don't want to take the chance to get sued for consistently pulling out an searching middle eastern men and women. I could be construed a harassment. With the not checking shipment across the US. How I see that is that it's almost impossible for carrier to check every single shipment around the country. It's just would cost too much and slowdown commerce to much. But I think we can secure our port at least. I would be willing to be taxed for that. At least you can try to keep any weapons at can be used against us out. Of course there are no guarantees.
With scaring American to death with terrorism. You know what really funny. I currently live about 15 - 20 min (of course without traffic) drive tops from Manhattan. And if a Terrorist did get a rather large nuclear weapon in there I would probably be vaporized by it. But am I scared? No. not really. Because I know this simple fact. When my number's up, my number's up and I can't do much about it. All I can do is just live my life now and enjoy. And I think a lot of NY'ers think the same way. Otherwise I don't think they would be in NYC anymore. You know what is also funny. I've met people that don't even live even near major city and they are scared of terrorist. What is up with that? Guys get real. The likelihood of a terrorist attacking a place like Kansas City is remote at best in my mind. Can It happen? I guess so. Is it likely? No.
Come on, thousands die from smoking every year, few die from terrorism, forget it the odds are in your favour, more chance of being struck by lightening.
Make friends in the world they'll love you for it.
Come on, thousands die from smoking every year, few die from terrorism, forget it the odds are in your favour, more chance of being struck by lightening.
Make friends in the world they'll love you for it.
Famenity of course your observation is correct, but you're discounting (1) America's historic insularity, and (2) the tendency of any human being to attach great psychological significance to the "circumstances", rather than raw numbers, of death and tragedy.
It's well known that having a loved one raped, murdered and dismembered, possibly by a miscreant who's even now enjoying his TV set in the Prison day room, working on an appeal with his lawyer, will affect one in an entirely different way than losing a loved one to a fatal.car accident.----
Being beaten or abused by the police can, and does, elicit a sense of outrage, helplessnes, and betrayal far different than the same treatment at the hands of the local ruffians....
I think it's easy to see how acts of terrorism, carefully planned by "someone", yet appearing at "random" to the victims (as it is INTENDED they should) can have a devastating effect far out of proportion to numbers alone.
I read somewhere that Israel has a very high rate of stress-related ills and personal and domestic violence issues, presumably from living a theoretically "normal" existence, in a society that one is SUPPOSED to see as being at peace, when actually, terrorism can, and does, happen quite often, "just down the street", and has become a modern-day reality. Somehow this isn't the same as living with unsafe highways or a heavy smoking rate.....
I do compliment you on your optimistic outlook, and hope that it is borne out in the future.....
Famenity of course your observation is correct, but you're discounting (1) America's historic insularity, and (2) the tendency of any human being to attach great psychological significance to the "circumstances", rather than raw numbers, of death and tragedy.
It's well known that having a loved one raped, murdered and dismembered, possibly by a miscreant who's even now enjoying his TV set in the Prison day room, working on an appeal with his lawyer, will affect one in an entirely different way than losing a loved one to a fatal.car accident.----
Being beaten or abused by the police can, and does, elicit a sense of outrage, helplessnes, and betrayal far different than the same treatment at the hands of the local ruffians....
I think it's easy to see how acts of terrorism, carefully planned by "someone", yet appearing at "random" to the victims (as it is INTENDED they should) can have a devastating effect far out of proportion to numbers alone.
I read somewhere that Israel has a very high rate of stress-related ills and personal and domestic violence issues, presumably from living a theoretically "normal" existence, in a society that one is SUPPOSED to see as being at peace, when actually, terrorism can, and does, happen quite often, "just down the street", and has become a modern-day reality. Somehow this isn't the same as living with unsafe highways or a heavy smoking rate.....
I do compliment you on your optimistic outlook, and hope that it is borne out in the future.....
Locking horns is all very well but in the long term one or both of the combatants is usually expired.
Force as a measure to save our necks may not work.
Can you sense that we might isolate ourselves.
Your Isreal point; Stress must also be suffered here and in the States, if ever you needed proof that toughing it out was not the best solution listen to the emerging diatribe from Isreal.
Unless we mend our ways our children could inherit a worthless burnt out world, after her civilised peoples have displayed such ruthless savagery.
I wonder why we didn't catch Osama? Oh wait, the U.S. government hired him to pull off an "attack" to scare the American people into submission. That's probably why we are in Iraq; to distract us from Afghanistan and Osama.
If you are serious please see all my posts under politics and other controversies.
My answer to the OP is that I am not at all scared of terrorists, they have never done anything to me or anyone I know personally. They don't scare
me at all, why should they? Who are they really, were are they?? They
are the imaginary friend of the NWO/NAU.
In the one supposed attack here in recent history (9/11) there is far more
evidence showing our own government attacked us. They are the only
one who stand to gain from people like you being afraid for no reason, of
our supposed enemy. Anyone who takes the time to look and face the truth
will agree. The plans that the evidence points to them slowly carrying out are the reasons there are all the questions and frustrations people constantly complain about. Put all the pieces together and it is quite easy to understand.
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Don't be scared be aware.
