Putting terrorism in perspective: More American's will die.

[Meldread]

This is the fact that everyone knows is true but refuses to accept. No matter how many freedoms you give up, no matter how many layers of bureaucratic security you put into place, another terrorist attack will happen. It is unavoidable.

However, here is the reality:

- You are more likely to die in a car crash.
- You are more likely to be eaten by a shark.
- You are MUCH more likely to lose everything you own then die from preventable causes due to our poor health care system.
- You are more likely to be killed in some type of freak accident while walking down the street.

Those are just facts. The likelihood of you personally dying from a terrorist attack is insanely small. Terrorism is all about fear, and when people begin to panic, they stop being rational. The above is the reality. Nothing the government does will ever make us "more safe" because we're in constant danger each and every day.

We cannot defeat Islamic extremism or even terrorism in general. It's an idea, and the people involved are stateless. No matter how many nations you invade, they will just relocate to another. There are terrorist cells in the United States right now plotting to carry out attacks.

Our nations focus should be on gathering intelligence on these groups and individuals, and preventing weapons of mass destruction (nuclear, biological, or other) from entering their hands. This war is not about us... it's about Muslim Moderates and Liberals who want to embrace aspects of the West and Muslim Conservatives who want to drag every Muslim Nation (then the world) back into the Dark Ages. America and the West need to step back and allow the Moderate and Liberal Muslims to confront the Conservatives. Right now, they're just sitting back.

Until we see the type of outcry in the Muslim world that we saw as a result of Danish Cartoon's then we're in big trouble. Getting in the middle only empowers the extremists because there is nothing we can do to help. This is a battle for the heart and soul of Islam itself.

[seabeyond]

1. No matter how many freedoms you give up, .... yup. it is a huge duh, ignored out of fear

i agree

[havocmom]

2. I STILL believe 'terra terra terra' is a big circus to divert our attention from the real killers...

corporate control of governments and economies.

[Desertrose]

4. My question is...who has the most to gain from this latest

"terrorist attack" (which, by the way, was never completed)??

This sure can be spun to a lot of different advantages*...none of which includes the average American.


On edit, perhaps "uses" is a better word.

[havocmom]

10. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar

and a half assed (now) idiot is just an idiot.

[timeforpeace]

3. You simply cannot speak for Muslims, who you claim want to confront the terrorists among them. Got

any evidence of that?

[TheBigotBasher]

5. How about Christian extremists

who want to drag the World back to the stone age? Uganda for a start.

[Meldread]

7. I never said they wanted to confront terrorists among them.

That in and of itself is the problem.

The majority of Muslims in the world are not violent people who plot terrorist attacks. Yet, until they stand up and roundly condemn, ostracize, and begin dealing with extremists in their own communities then we're going to have this problem. ...and they themselves are going to risk being lumped in with them, because in this case silence is consent.

You saw world wide protests over a cartoon. Don't you at least think there would be world wide Muslim protest over Al Qaeda attacking Muslims (if not innocent civilians in the West)? There isn't.

This is why the West and the United States should try and disentangle itself from the whole mess. In the end, the war is between those in the Muslim world who want to embrace aspects of the West and those who do not. Once we are out of the middle, the extremists will turn their sights on their own fellow Muslims, and they will either be forced to take a stand or be dominated by the extremists. It'll be up to them, but it's their fight - not ours. In the same way we can't introduce democracy at the end of a gun, it has to come from the will of the people itself, we cannot change the minds of people who have no interest in listening to us... but they may listen to their more moderate neighbors, friends, and family. ...and if not, then the moderates could at least establish a close working relationship with our intelligence community so we can monitor, observe, and handle threats as we see them begin to arise.

[Thickasabrick]

6. One problem there.....our media wouldn't cover it. Goes against

the "muslim are terrorists" meme.

[Goldstein1984]

8. Terror is about fear

The terrorists create fear of terrorism. Our ruling elite exploits fear of terrorism.

We overreact and spend trillions of dollars swatting at a nebulous enemy.

We ignore the rule of war that the terrorists know well: No nation ever benefited from a protracted war.

That rule should be amended as: The citizens and soldiers never benefited from a protracted war, but the terror-military-industrial complex does very well.

[spanone]

9. car accidents = 42,000 deaths per year...FORTY TWO THOUSAND

[Greyhound]

11. Indeed. As long as we keep reacting to it, they will keep pushing that fear button

as long as they have fingers, and then they'll use their toes.