terrorism threat??

[iplaw]

I stand corrected by the Chicken!

[aoxamaxoa]

So, do we support this group in the executive branch to stop terrorism? Do you support these procedures?
http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?article_class=3&no=340571&rel_no=2

Seems unAmerican to support this type of rule...

[iplaw]

quote:
IMO, these bands of trrrrsts are plain criminals.  For all intents and purposes, Al Qaeda is just a bunch of thugs at this point...just like bank robbers, the mafia, and street gangs.  They do receive some support from theological nut jobs (which means the nut jobs are criminals, too), but they don't have open support from governments (anymore) and don't have open support from mainstream Islam.  

They don't need it.  Al-Qaeda may be just a bunch of thugs, but they are constantly planning events which would cause mass death if executed (I.E. UK plane event).  That doesn't even account for people like President Tom who has diplomatic ties to Russia/China and receives military equipment from them.  Someone who is actively pursuing the bomb, and has stated that Israel and the US should be wiped off the map.  How would you negotiate with him?

quote:
If we do better in the Middle East, then they do worse.  That's a policy problem.

The problem is, we can't negotiate with people who feel as these individuals do, there is no "policy" that will solve this problem.  We are not dealing with the Soviet Union who didn't want mutual annihilation.  These idiots worship the day that such a scenario comes.

quote:
As for combatting the gangs directly, I think you use the same kinds of methods that you do to hunt organized crime.  Go after the money.  Use informants.  Infiltrate.  Isolate them.  Protect the Public.

I agree that this is a large part of the picture, but by no means the whole.  Whenever we attempt to put in place programs to accomplish these means we are told that civil liberties are being violated.

quote:
Fear, while politically useful for both the trrrrsts and Cheney, is not helpful.  It hurts us as a nation and causes us to undermine the very foundation on which this country was built.  War, though it has a certain rhetorical flare, is not a productive strategy either.  

What one categorizes as fear, many including me, categorize as realisim regarding current events.  It was a laze faire attitude towards terrorism that allowed 9/11.  I'd rather not revisit that again.

quote:
Most of the throngs on the muslim "street" think that the US is warring on them.  Again, it helps the bad guys more than it helps us.

I think you are hyperextending your point.  I would highly doubt that most muslims in Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, UAE, and Saudi Arabia think that we are warring against muslims, Palestine maybe... If that was true, why are the Saudi's helping us formulate plans to deal with Iran?

quote:
Will we ever end up having to blow the sh*t out of some country again?  Maybe.  Afghanistan was the right move at the right time.  But military action is just one tool in the toolbox.  

Agreed.

quote:
Somehow, the US left the rest of the tools back at the house.  

What makes you think this?  Was it because we did use force?  I recall 17 different violations of the Iraq War cease fire that were violated.  Obviously Hussein was not interested in diplomacy anymore.  Those tools only work if your opponent engages in honest debate.

quote:
A small fraction of the money that is being spent on Iraq could be used to screen every shipping container that comes into this country.  

Agreed.

quote:
A tiny amount of that money could be used to bribe somebody into handing over Osama.

Already exists.

quote:
A fraction of that money could be spent on building up relations with countries where these goons hide out, isolating and marginalizing them.  Our bad.

Building up relations with whom? Iran, President Tom?  Musharraf? I thought we were friends with him.  Karzai?  I thought we were friends with him already.

Diplomacy only works with those who wish to engage in the process.  The US enaged in plenty of debate and diplomacy before GWII as we had ample reason to go in after the cease fire of GWI was violated the first time, let alone 16 more times.

Why aren't more people demanding that we should have engage the Taliban diplomatically?  Why are they so unlovable?

[aoxamaxoa]

^"Diplomacy only works with those who wish to engage in the process. "

That's not US!

[aoxamaxoa]

Surveillance of Soldiers' Blogs Sparks EFF Lawsuit
Defense Department Withholds Records About Army Blog Monitoring Program

http://www.commondreams.org/news2007/0131-01.htm


"According to news reports, an Army unit called the Army Web Risk Assessment Cell (AWRAC) reviews hundreds of thousands of websites every month, notifying webmasters and bloggers when it sees information it finds inappropriate. Some bloggers have told reporters that they have cut back on their posts or shut down their sites altogether because of the activities of the AWRAC. EFF filed its suit after the Department of Defense and Army failed to respond to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests about the blog monitoring program."


John Perry Barlow rocks!

This policing will be coming to a web site near you soon....perhaps even TulsaNow!