[tw]

Originally posted by Undertoad
We are in a difficult position right now. We have a ton of built-up rage and no clear target for that rage.

Exactly the point of the original post. Undertoad has probably said much more than he realized.

NBN has accurately displayed our greatest enemy with multiple, foul language posts. Emotion, especially right now, will create disasters larger than anything small like a WTC collapse. It is time to start taking stock of who are the extremists, who are the moderates, and who really is the enemy. IOW now more than ever is the time to start thinking dry, boring, and logical. Now is the time for leaders to act more as leaders.

Bush has made a difficult decision - he had committed us to declaring war on someone if that 'someone' nation can be defined. It is the stunning, backbone chilling statement equivalent to one made during WWII - we will accept nothing short of unconditional surrender. To the emotional, that WWII statement and Bush's cabinet meeting decisions today means little. To the emotional, Bush's statement was only stating the obvious - it appeared redundant. Bush's statement is not obvious if one really understands the extend of what he has said.

He may have declared the US as attacked which means Nato, OAS, and other unilateral alliances with Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Pakistan but to only name a few may also have to do same - or dissolve their once cordial US relationships. If so, Bush will test all the goodwill and great relationships that Bill Clinton constructed throughout the 90s. Remember that most of the world regards Israel as a racist nation who is using legal nicieties to destroy a people with US approval. Calling in the cards on so many other nations may come with a price (although it will happen) - pulling out support for a right wing extremist and racist government in Israel - which actually would be a good thing for the US.

Again, this assumes that the attackers are Middle East. But then it is only in the Middle East that the US supports extremists. In other parts of the world (the Balkans, Myrammar, S America, etc), the US provides no support or comfort for extremists. Look to where we have supported extremists to find the most likely suspects.


It is rediculous to think that we have become too overextended. We are involved in most every nation whether we like it or not for many reasons: 1) we need the commodity trade, 2) we conduct business with those countries, 3) we promote concepts such as Human Rights, humanitarian aid, etc, 4) we need support of those countries neighbors just to operate things such as basic intelligence or even a pre-emptory raid. In short, it is not excessive involvement with those other nations that makes us a target.

What makes us a target is when we support extremists. The most glaring example: Rabin's Israel would have been a great ally and friend. It is possible that Sharon's Israel may have detected the coming attack but preferred to stay silent since Sharon's Israeli government prospers by creating instability. (Why not - remember the USS Liberty? Sharon was also operating in the area then.) Sharon's Israel are extremists that can result in more terrorist attacks on the US. We need to be careful of supporting extremist like Sharon at the expense of moderates such as Peres. We may have in lower Manhatten an example of what happens when we support extremists with genocidal histories.

Dry, hard, boring logical though is what we need today - not the foul language, repetitive rhetoric of the emtional.


Bush's statement of war may define a whole new direction for the new world order. Many countries may reassess the dangers of being an US friend and ally if Bush screws this up. It is an unstable condition - a condition that extremist love and profit from. Emotional tirades only give aid and comfort to extremists. Instability using emotional responses only helps extremists.

Appreciate the danger of emotional extremist rhetoric; simply look at Sen Santorum's (PA) comments in Congress today. He calls for war and to disregard justice. IOW he calls for a lynching both of the suspects and of the concepts that built America. Again, Santorum's remarks demonstrate the danger of emotional responses. Those people are dead. Those 3 towers are gone. Bury with them the emotion so we can recognize what are good logical responses. Don't waste good internet bandwidth with useless four letter comments. They only demonstrate the low intelligence of its extremist author.