Originally posted by RFBurns
Terrorism can come in many forms. Not just in a bombing or blowing something up. Economical terrorism would do far more damage than any bomb. Environmental terrorism can make our water and air unusable. More devistating than a bomb. Inject a poison into a city's water supply and you can wipe out an entire populace in one sweep, more effective than a bomb.
True, but not terribly easy. Remember that group in Tokyo
that tried to gas the subway? It was a miserable failure.
That's why terrorists tend to prefer conventional weapons:
1. Cheaper, easier to acquire, less easily trackable.
2. Requires less expertise.
3. *Relatively* less dangerous to the user. You can
die from dynamite, but not from a drop spilled on your
skin.
But let us ask the real reasons why terrorism exists in the first place. The US goes around and forces a way of life on peoples we have no right of doing to begin with, hence the people of the targeted country hate us. To bomb a city or a countries defenses just to preserve some big corporations oil interests is not a good way to improve overall world peace. Who are we to tell some country you cant fly in certian areas of your own country? A dictator like Saddam Insane does need to be taken out of power, but when you throw young american soldiers into a battle that has nothing to do with securing our own territorial boarders is dead wrong.
Well .. that's assuming that your country's interests stop
at your territorial borders. This means that you will not
protect your nationals who travel overseas. If you read
about the "Barbary Pirates" in US history, you'll see what
comes of that -- your people are kidnapped, held hostage,
murdered, and forced into slavery.
It's also assuming that you and your people are willing to
stand idly by while evil happens in the world. While
big countries destroy small ones. While Serbs kill Kosovans
and vice versa. If you stand idly by while evil happens,
does it not make you complicit in it?
Finally, one of the lessons we Americans have learned is
that we can ignore the world -- but it won't ignore us.
We withdrew from world affairs after WWI, and WWII was
the partial result. It's a mistake we won't make again this century.
Who benefited from the Desert Storm anyway?
The people of Kuwait, who got their country back and were
able to be free of the looting/torture that was occuring there.
The people of Saudi Arabia, who had a dangerous neighbor
reined in and an invasion threat disposed of.
The people of Isreal, who saw Iraq's nuclear program (aimed,
of course, at them) set back several years.
The entire world, since the world's oil supply remains
in the hands of peaceful countries, and not in the grip
of a single dictator.
Ask yourself this: Would you really want Saddam Hussein
to control the world's oil supply? If not, what will you
do about it?
Saudi Arabia is the jugular of the western world. It's
more than the price of gas at the pump -- it's fuel for
tanks, aircraft, ships, and all the other paraphernalia
of war. Should a major war ever break out again, it is
imperative that this oil remain in friendly, or at least
neutral, hands. And the time to ensure this is NOT
five minutes before the next war breaks out, but now.
The Price of Freedom.
Its counter-productive. And all we are doing is creating the enemy when we want world peace! Cant have it both ways.
So ... you think that if America just put down its weapons,
destroyed our arms, and withdrew behind our borders, there
would be universal world peace?
I disagree. I think, if we did, the war in Yugoslavia
would still rage. I think Saddam, seeing how he got
away with Kuwait, would set his eyes on larger, more
profitable conquests. I think the world is a dangerous,
violent place and that we do more good by going out into
it and actively restraining evil than by huddling behind
our thousand-mile moat. And if we did turn our backs
on the world, I suspect many of the same people who curse
us for poking our noses into things would instead curse
us for not helping people who need our help. Witness
Rwanda: we didn't intervene there, and we were roundly
condemned for not stopping the genocide. We DID intervene
in other places, and we are condemned as warmongers.
Can't win
.
Respectfully,
Brian P.
. 
