It's not about blame - it's about finding the problem and fixing it. It's about taking a good hard honest look in the mirror to make sure that you are not part of the problem...and if you are that you change your actions into becoming part of the solution.

It's about seeing the big picture and not trying to spin it into something that makes one side look better or worse than they are in reality.

It's about winning...you have heard the saying about keeping your friends close but your enemies closer haven't you? If you understand that saying you might understand what I mean when I say it's always smart to understand your enemies.

I visited Washington DC for a very limited time yesterday. I was at once awestruck, and saddened. Awestruck by the symbols of this great nation. And saddened by our limited access to them today. With each magnetometer, concrete barrier and rooftop sniper I encountered, my mood darkened. And the anger rose.

Anger at those who have done so much to change our lives. And anger at those who want to appease them and give them even more reason to think they can defeat us.

There is only one way we can win the WOT, and that is for every loyal American to join in the fight. And that fight includes taking on those who would weaken us from within. The constant naysaying and partisan attacks serve only to undermine our ability to overcome our enemies. Those enemies may not be large in numbers, but they are determined. And patient.

We can spend our time and energy nitpicking and backstabbing each other, or we can come together and unite against our enemies. There is such a thin line between challenging our policies and undermining them. The WOT is not a war that will ever be fought, or won or lost, in the traditional sense. It is a way-of-life.

Personally, I hope to see us measure each and every step we take in terms of the impact it will have on the quality of life here at home. That is going to be my own personal yardstick. We no longer have the luxury of making things better for the rest of the world. Or for policing it. We must take care of business here at home first.

So when I hear Americans saying things like 'we need look for the root causes of terrorism', I want to know what they expect to find. There is no hidden cause for it. It's staring you point-blank in the face, and you refuse to see it. There is a hard-core group of people who hate us. Not for anything we've done, but simply because we do not believe as they do. Each time we kill or capture a member of this group we gain ground in the fight. Each time we turn the heads and hearts of another country towards supporting us in this battle we gain ground. Each time we sway the thinking of another loyal American to understanding that our nation's prosperity is nothing to be ashamed of we gain ground.

America is the greatest and most powerful country in the world. It is up to every one of us to see that we stay that way. And for those who only want to tear us down, I say leave. Or prepare to fight. The choice is yours.

Who put up those barriers? Of what nationality are the snipers? For all their visible impact, would either be any good against (for example) an attempt to poison our water supply? IMO you need to think a little more about who's changing our lives, and whether those changes are really anything to do with winning the WOT. Are our actions leading to victory, or doing the terrorists' work for them?

How are you supposed to fight something so vast that resides virtually everywhere?

If it was a country that was threatening the US, it would be easy to stop them with an invasion; although that is not always the best way, it would neutralize the threat.

Terrorists however, reside in every country of the world, and more join them all the time. Attacking countries that support them is not only ineffective - it may stop a few, but in doing so it will increase the hatred directed towards the United States - it will give them more of a reason to attack.

By far the most effective part of the WoT so far is probably the increase in security that it has prompted, which is a better deterant against terror attacks, and better way of preventing them, without making the country a more promenant target.



Does that mean people who exercise their right to protest against the WoT and the way it is being conducted? The same right that we supposedly invaded Iraq to give to the Iraqi people?

One way is you keep ahead of them. You share intell on threats and info on what you know about possible cells that have connections with other cells

Also, capturing individual leaders will result in the capture of worldwide cells and prevent plots from being carried out.




No. More like domestic terrorists. ELF, Milita groups, Al-Queda cells, etc

That type of intelligence is good for stopping individual attacks, but not for stopping international terrorists in the long term.



That's not what it sounded like in Passion51's post.

When I read between the lines, it sounds to me like you are angry at those who do not think the way you do. Or perhaps I'm mistaken?



There is only one way we can win? Absolutes rarely make good arguments.

Interesting use of the word "loyal," it seems to be insinuating that those who do not agree with your perspective are somehow disloyal to America.



The fight includes taking on those who would weaken us from within? Perhaps you'd like to expand on that one?



And where is that line drawn? I take it you're confident you know where it is, so you can let others know that they've gone from having their own opinion to being disloyal.



There isn't much in that statement beyond a conclusory assertion. If someone tells you the truth is X, its staring you in the face, and you refuse to see it, their argument is as simple as insisting "I'm right, you're wrong, and you're in denial."



So in your opinion, we haven't done anything to aggravate the middle east and the Arab world.

A friend of mine often uses the following cliche: "There are three sides to every story in a conflict. Yours, mine, and the truth..."



Sounds very nationalistic. Our individual responsibility to maintain our power and global dominance, requiring us to view the enemy as irrational beings who hate us solely for our beliefs.



Because it's your country, and if they don't agree with you, they're not Americans?

Passion51 post illuminates what the majority of Americans are thinking now. People who oppose this corporate driven, Bushite and abstract “War on Terror” are traitors and “unamericans”. They have no rights and should leave their country, or soon face growing repression and violence. This WOT is part (in practise based) on a determination to sustain American financial and geopolitical hegemony over the world, and the seizure of the second-largest oil reserves in the world was crucial in this campaign.

Traditional American values, free speech, civil liberties are to be sacrificed on this great jihad, which will make FBI Hoovers repression of internal “subversives” seem like the action of choirboys. Anybody who opposes, however constructively places himself in Passion51 black-and-white worldview as part of “Them”, like the French in their anti-war position. This frankly neo-fascist paradigm is based on contempt and hatred for normal democratic discourse, the right to contrary viewpoints and the glorification of the military, the Commander-in-chief.

Thomas, don't turn this into a personal issue with Passion51. In fact, I would advise everyone not to comment on Passion51's very unconstructive and off topic post. This thread is to deal with the success or perceived success of the War on Terror.

Let's stick to the actual issues. Thanks.