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Is it better to fight terrorists in public or in p
Guest
Are we giving them too much publcity?
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Is it better to fight terrorists in public or in private?
B
building babel
Guest
Re: Is it better to fight terrorists in public or in private
I'd like to wrestle a few of them, but not in public.
I'd like to wrestle a few of them, but not in public.
I
I must admit, some reports are disturbing.
Guest
I must admit, some reports are disturbing.
Anybody see that young Torontonian on CNN who used to work for Alqaeda and the CIA?
I wonder if 911 could have been prevented?
Even the New York Times has suggested no less: this report was emailed to me by a friend and it's very interesting:
www.geocities.com/dianech.../trust.htm
Anybody see that young Torontonian on CNN who used to work for Alqaeda and the CIA?
I wonder if 911 could have been prevented?
Even the New York Times has suggested no less: this report was emailed to me by a friend and it's very interesting:
www.geocities.com/dianech.../trust.htm
G
ganjavih
Guest
Re: I must admit, some reports are disturbing.
Many of the hijackers were known to be in the US illegally and suspected of being a part of a terrorist organisation. Yet, somehow they were allowed to take flying lessons and fly around the country. It was a failure of intelligence.
Many of the hijackers were known to be in the US illegally and suspected of being a part of a terrorist organisation. Yet, somehow they were allowed to take flying lessons and fly around the country. It was a failure of intelligence.
E
EnviroTO
Guest
Re: I must admit, some reports are disturbing.
I think the focus on shoes and now liquids is a failure in intelligence. Once again the whole response is simply reactionary rather than well thought out and proactive. I get even more frustrated when they quote someone at the airport saying "if this is what it takes to be safe then so be it". Of course "if that was what it takes" then I would agree but I don't think enough people ask "is this what it takes and is this justified". I'm wondering how the public will like the current threat response methods when someone finds a way to make explosive underwear or tampons. Either we roll out technology to scan everything on a person or we accept that it is impossible to be certain of safety. At some point we need to realize that we can be killed at any time and the best way to prevent yourself from being killed is to make sure nobody is out there at large that wants to kill you. Rather than figuring out how we can all live in a bomb proof and bullet proof bubble more effort should be spent on combating the causes of terrorism and finding ways to ensure people with mental problems end up in a mental hospital.
I think the focus on shoes and now liquids is a failure in intelligence. Once again the whole response is simply reactionary rather than well thought out and proactive. I get even more frustrated when they quote someone at the airport saying "if this is what it takes to be safe then so be it". Of course "if that was what it takes" then I would agree but I don't think enough people ask "is this what it takes and is this justified". I'm wondering how the public will like the current threat response methods when someone finds a way to make explosive underwear or tampons. Either we roll out technology to scan everything on a person or we accept that it is impossible to be certain of safety. At some point we need to realize that we can be killed at any time and the best way to prevent yourself from being killed is to make sure nobody is out there at large that wants to kill you. Rather than figuring out how we can all live in a bomb proof and bullet proof bubble more effort should be spent on combating the causes of terrorism and finding ways to ensure people with mental problems end up in a mental hospital.
S
spmarshall
Guest
Re: I must admit, some reports are disturbing.
Yeah. They certainly don't check every piece of checked baggage, though the safeguards are enough that people feel safe with them. They don't check trains, or buses, though a couple of bombs exploding on Greyhounds on the same day on Interstate 75 would certainly do the trick. It would be so easy to say blow up 42nd-Times Square MTA station, which would also do the trick, but it's safe to ride the subway. Too much attention and fearmongering about one mode of travel.
I am sick and tired of the fearmongering and the overreactions (as opposed to reasonable proactions).
But hey, the US midterm elections are coming up fast. The best Republican the GOP never had is in trouble in CT this November. Tony Blair and George Bush are in a world of shit in the polls. I'm not saying that this was thought up by Karl Rove, but the out-of-nowhere announcement and the sudden ban of all liquids and gels has people thinking about security again and 9/11 (Bush's answer to everything). I'm no conspiracy theorist, but it's hard not to be cynical.
Oh, and it's summer silly season and CNN and FOX need news. Middle East cooling down? Hey! Airline bomb scare and arrests in London!
That news is slowing down again, but great news! A '90s blockbuster's back for a sequel! Hurray! They arrested someone in connection to tha pretty white girl from Colorado, you know, the one with the TV-friendly dance video and the great "did the parents do it" angle?
Kind of like Summer of the Shark and the Gary Condit newscycle of that summer of '01.
Yeah. They certainly don't check every piece of checked baggage, though the safeguards are enough that people feel safe with them. They don't check trains, or buses, though a couple of bombs exploding on Greyhounds on the same day on Interstate 75 would certainly do the trick. It would be so easy to say blow up 42nd-Times Square MTA station, which would also do the trick, but it's safe to ride the subway. Too much attention and fearmongering about one mode of travel.
I am sick and tired of the fearmongering and the overreactions (as opposed to reasonable proactions).
But hey, the US midterm elections are coming up fast. The best Republican the GOP never had is in trouble in CT this November. Tony Blair and George Bush are in a world of shit in the polls. I'm not saying that this was thought up by Karl Rove, but the out-of-nowhere announcement and the sudden ban of all liquids and gels has people thinking about security again and 9/11 (Bush's answer to everything). I'm no conspiracy theorist, but it's hard not to be cynical.
Oh, and it's summer silly season and CNN and FOX need news. Middle East cooling down? Hey! Airline bomb scare and arrests in London!
That news is slowing down again, but great news! A '90s blockbuster's back for a sequel! Hurray! They arrested someone in connection to tha pretty white girl from Colorado, you know, the one with the TV-friendly dance video and the great "did the parents do it" angle?
Kind of like Summer of the Shark and the Gary Condit newscycle of that summer of '01.
A
Antiloop33rpm
Guest
Re: I must admit, some reports are disturbing.
And just like that summer of '01 people will once again be totally blindsided if something tragic happens.
It is almost maddening what that day has been turned into. A myth. A justification for any foreign policy Bush so desires. It has prompted near sillyness like banning gels and liquids on planes while virtually ignoring the multitude of other ways that terror and death could be inflicted.
That day was in part caused because Americans and their government were so disconnected or unconcerned with what was going on around them. And incredibley, that day, and most daily activities in America have once again been disconnected from reality.
I am watching a documentary right now called "L'Homme chute en libre" and watching images of people jumping to their death as the towers burned. I wonder how many people actually believe that the 3000 people that died that day can say that their murders have actually been treated as such and that the American government has actually done all it can to find those who committed the acts? Or, and I would say sadly more likely, have these deaths simply become symbolic, nothing more than pawns in the empires military strategy?
And just like that summer of '01 people will once again be totally blindsided if something tragic happens.
It is almost maddening what that day has been turned into. A myth. A justification for any foreign policy Bush so desires. It has prompted near sillyness like banning gels and liquids on planes while virtually ignoring the multitude of other ways that terror and death could be inflicted.
That day was in part caused because Americans and their government were so disconnected or unconcerned with what was going on around them. And incredibley, that day, and most daily activities in America have once again been disconnected from reality.
I am watching a documentary right now called "L'Homme chute en libre" and watching images of people jumping to their death as the towers burned. I wonder how many people actually believe that the 3000 people that died that day can say that their murders have actually been treated as such and that the American government has actually done all it can to find those who committed the acts? Or, and I would say sadly more likely, have these deaths simply become symbolic, nothing more than pawns in the empires military strategy?
T
tudararms
Guest
Re: I must admit, some reports are disturbing.
Antiloop: Have you seen Bush's opinion polls? I think more people see through all of this than you realize.
Antiloop: Have you seen Bush's opinion polls? I think more people see through all of this than you realize.
L
lynnefoster2003
Guest
Re: I must admit, some reports are disturbing.
I think Bush and Harper make a nice couple.
I think Bush and Harper make a nice couple.
A
Abeja de Almirante
Guest
Re: I must admit, some reports are disturbing.
As mentioned in the latest copy of Macleans, there is little the west can do against Islamic terrorism (or any terrorism for that matter) as we have the tollerant, open society that is ideal for them to target.
As mentioned in the latest copy of Macleans, there is little the west can do against Islamic terrorism (or any terrorism for that matter) as we have the tollerant, open society that is ideal for them to target.
B
Bogtrotter
Guest
Re: I must admit, some reports are disturbing.
Intelligence is the greatest weapon on he West's side in thwarting attacks. From that perspective I imagine it is now significantly harder for terrorists to coordinate larger scale attacks such as 911 as the intelligence is much more accute. I've read that creating a sense of paranoia among terrorist groups through misinformation, bribes etc has also proved successful. Hard to coordinate an attack when you're not sure that your brother in arms hasn't been paid half a million to rat you out. But certainly it is hard to defend against a small band of radical/suicidal individuals from wreaking havoc in an open society- there are just too many ways that it can be done.
I'm less concerned about Bin Laden and pals, with the SAS on their tail they're already dead- they just don't know it yet. What's more worrying to me are these local cells- the 'British' guys that bombed London. Now that's worrying and hard to defend against.
Intelligence is the greatest weapon on he West's side in thwarting attacks. From that perspective I imagine it is now significantly harder for terrorists to coordinate larger scale attacks such as 911 as the intelligence is much more accute. I've read that creating a sense of paranoia among terrorist groups through misinformation, bribes etc has also proved successful. Hard to coordinate an attack when you're not sure that your brother in arms hasn't been paid half a million to rat you out. But certainly it is hard to defend against a small band of radical/suicidal individuals from wreaking havoc in an open society- there are just too many ways that it can be done.
I'm less concerned about Bin Laden and pals, with the SAS on their tail they're already dead- they just don't know it yet. What's more worrying to me are these local cells- the 'British' guys that bombed London. Now that's worrying and hard to defend against.
G
ganjavih
Guest
Re: I must admit, some reports are disturbing.
This may sound like a crazy idea, but how about addressing the issues the provide the motivation for terrorism?
This may sound like a crazy idea, but how about addressing the issues the provide the motivation for terrorism?
B
bizorky
Guest
Re: I must admit, some reports are disturbing.
I'm not sure I follow your line of thinking. Should we shut down our efforts to be an open and tolerant society because it supposedly makes us a target for terrorism? What do we replace it with and how would that be better?
As mentioned in the latest copy of Macleans, there is little the west can do against Islamic terrorism (or any terrorism for that matter) as we have the tollerant, open society that is ideal for them to target.
I'm not sure I follow your line of thinking. Should we shut down our efforts to be an open and tolerant society because it supposedly makes us a target for terrorism? What do we replace it with and how would that be better?
T
The Mississauga Muse
Guest
Re: I must admit, some reports are disturbing.
bizorky
I appreciate what you're saying and even how you're saying it "our efforts to be"...
I keep wondering if it's just me, but I see our freedoms (openness) shaved off one legislative-peel at a time. Worse, I see a society that is increasingly afraid of itself.
I fear we increasingly take first glance at someone new and within a second or two, have assessed --DIFFERENCES. And this "increasingly" is making the terrorists win.
Maybe an excellent exercise is for each of us to go around in a burqa for a couple of days. And experiment. Get around on transit. Sit about a busy mall. Go to a restaurant.
Oh sure, I can read what Muslims have wrtten about their personal experiences. But me? I need to look at people's eyes. The Truth is There.
A burqa. I've been really tempted --because I know that that's the only way I'll have half a clue about what it's like to be Muslim around here.
Signed,
The Mississauga Muse
bizorky
I'm not sure I follow your line of thinking. Should we shut down our efforts to be an open and tolerant society because it supposedly makes us a target for terrorism? What do we replace it with and how would that be better?
I appreciate what you're saying and even how you're saying it "our efforts to be"...
I keep wondering if it's just me, but I see our freedoms (openness) shaved off one legislative-peel at a time. Worse, I see a society that is increasingly afraid of itself.
I fear we increasingly take first glance at someone new and within a second or two, have assessed --DIFFERENCES. And this "increasingly" is making the terrorists win.
Maybe an excellent exercise is for each of us to go around in a burqa for a couple of days. And experiment. Get around on transit. Sit about a busy mall. Go to a restaurant.
Oh sure, I can read what Muslims have wrtten about their personal experiences. But me? I need to look at people's eyes. The Truth is There.
A burqa. I've been really tempted --because I know that that's the only way I'll have half a clue about what it's like to be Muslim around here.
Signed,
The Mississauga Muse
S
spmarshall
Guest
Re: I must admit, some reports are disturbing.
I'm at least as worried about officially sanctioned terrorism by the hegimonic power that is the United States.
Sorry, I just joined the Hugo Chavez Book Club and read Chomskey. It's amazing as to what lengths the US will go to to protect its economic interests.
I'm at least as worried about officially sanctioned terrorism by the hegimonic power that is the United States.
Sorry, I just joined the Hugo Chavez Book Club and read Chomskey. It's amazing as to what lengths the US will go to to protect its economic interests.