Was Kerry right about terrorism being a law enforcement issue?

[KyuzoGator]

I'm starting to feel that the use of overwhelming military force to respond to the (relatively speaking) "nuisance" of terrorist acts isn't really accomplishing anything. This isn't "our army" vs. "your army"...from what I can tell, it's essentially large-scale gang warfare.

I'm the type of person who looks for other options when what I'm doing isn't working. Maybe that's why I can't be a politician.

[DYouth]

1. Terrorism has ALWAYS been a law enforcement issue

Defining it as a war term has been Bush's greatest victory as far as changing the paradigms of the world. He can now seize any interest or resource overseas with bombs and armies claiming to fight terror.

[sweetheart]

4. Agreed, but not his *greatest* victory

That i'd say was his convincing that they did not deliberately throw the 2000 election
and that his entire presidency has been a fraud from the outset.

[wtmusic]

2. Yes. Please don't put it in those terms, though

because laws have a nasty tendency of applying to everybody.

[Kagemusha]

3. But blowing up tanks and capturing soldiers is not "terrorism".

It is, rather, war. War by a non-state entity, certainly, but it is a form of war, not terror...

Assymetrical war.

[TahitiNut]

7. Nonsense. Vandalism and kidnapping.

The news media are even FULL of quotes from many sides calling the 'capture' of soldiers a "kidnapping." The Likuddites and Bushoilnis love the claim of "war" -- until the Laws of War are applied and then they scurry away like the moral cockroaches they are.

War criminals!

[Solly Mack]

5. Terrorism is a criminal act

and should be dealt with accordingly

[jwirr]

6. Of course he was. You have 19 individuals who terrorize the

people of this country by destroying the WTC. They are not part of any specific military unit from any specific nation. They had connections through religion and family to some nations but they were not acting in the name of any nation. They were acting in the name of their religion. This is not a military problem nor a reason to attack a specific country. It is a law enforcement problem for organizations such as the FBI, CIA, Interpol. This war is only making more individuals who hate us and may act as terrorist in the future.

[TahitiNut]

8. Agreed.

[rucky]

9. Think about how we handle gang problems here.

Law enforcement knows who they are and where they live, but they can only go after individuals for crimes they've committed. We don't go wiping-out the neighborhoods where gangs are, for obvious reasons.

[vogonjiltz]

10. Yes and no, but the current bunch in power...

... have totally screwed the pooch. I think that we can agree that Iraq is bullshit and not an appropriate theater for fighting terrorism. Afghanistan was an appropriate place to invade. The de facto government and al-Qaeda were pretty much one and the same. However, we screwed that up. If our government were in more competent hands we wouldn't be out there proving everyones worst conceptions about who we are. As far as tracking down potential terrorists, the FBI, CIA Interpol etc are the proper tools.

[Warren Stupidity]

11. Kerry was speaking specifically about Al Qaeda

And he was absolutely right, but then he got bad advice and never spoke about it again.

[Just Me]

12. It's really about U.S.A. foreign policy for the last 60 years or so.

We've economically oppressed people's across the world and, when met with resistance, waged destruction and violence.

Does such things amount to criminal matters? Yes!!! Only, the guilty are not prosecuted,...only the innocent are convicted without due process,...immediate death penalties.