Henrik wrote:
There are no "rogue"states - only rogue leaders and/or fanatics
Tris wrote:
Well, you can put as fine a point on it as you want, Henrik, but the
bottom line is that terrorists harbor themselves physically in and
are abetted (morally, financially) by just such rogue regimes as we
find in various parts of the world. These regimes reside in and
exert their power and influence from actual cities, no doubt teeming
with innocents, and there's just no way around any of that. The hard
case is that the only way to get effectively at these people and
their undesirable activities is to eradicate them, and to affect
this it will be necessary to maneuver in such fashion that
inevitable occupation of these sites becomes the reality. To occupy
the capital city of a country clearly dictates that entire country's
occupation, the invasion of that country with sizeable military
force. All of which speaks to war.
This is war. Make no mistake. I don't know how it will shake out,
and I have little confidence in our country's present
administration, if you care to know. But any half-measures are
doomed to utter failure, will lead only to further attacks and of an
escalating nature. Soon enough loaded airliners on kamikaze missions
will seem passe to these terrorist cells and soon enough nuclear
devices will begin to light off in such places as Los Angeles,
Paris, London, Rome . . . you name the city, if it is large enough,
well-known enough, if its ruling government is the least sympathetic
to America's interests, then it will be on the potential hit list.
Deal with that if you can, and then tell me again all about how
"measured" the civilized world's reaction needs to be in dealing
with this situation. It is not always possible to deal rationally
with an irrational man. When that irrational man points a gun to
your head my counsel would be to take direct, forceful preventive
action.
Tris
Tris, don't misunderstand me in the sincere horror I feel towards
this happening. I loathe everything that has to do with blind terror
and violence. What I wanted to say is just that the civilian people
of a nation very seldom make up the nations problems. There are many
around the world, and many in Europe, who consider USA to be the
worst and most powerful "rogue state" of all, because a lot of the
worlds terror and oppression originate from there. That is not the
debate here, it's just an example; who is really to judge and punish
a whole people or religion for something that a few morons do?
Another example: take away Saddam instead of starving the Iraquis.
Henrik
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