Ustwo,
I think the argument you are trying to make is that we are within our rights to fight as dirty as our enemy, but then the question becomes, where does it stop? What level of cruelty or inhumanity is necessary for people to draw the line? If you're constantly taking an eye for an eye, it's only takes so long before everyone is blind and angry. If you aren't willing to be the change you want to see in the world, people will see yours and countless others examples and will also not change. This is the reason Israel and Palestine will always be bitter enemies--because someone always has to get revenge, which in turn spawns only more revenge.
While I am not saying our government is horrible, I AM stating that is moving towards a conslidation of power, and this centralized power is also becoming less and less reliant upon democratic mechanisms to keep it in check. We think it's impossible...because this is America...but who knows where we could be 50 years from now? We could be living with Big Brother. Or perhaps not--but the point is, the erosion of the protections which prevent government organizations from becoming corrupt, self serving, self regulating agencies is NOT a good thing no matter how you slice it. Using the protection of the American people as a justification, and supplementing this with all different kinds of scare tactics (which is nothing new--look at the cold war and the old communist scares--has anything really changed now? Back when anyone accused of being a commie was imprisoned or interrogated and surveiled by the FBI? We've already SEEN this country turn into big brother. Anybody remember Joeseph McCarthy? Is terrorism really any different? Different subject, identical human response from the American Public), what are people supposed to think? The sky is falling?
Seaver,
Bin Laden's plan has ALWAYS been to manipulate the cowardice of the American public. Oh no, we're in a bloody war we can't cleanly win, spending billions of dollars! My son might get shot in the head, AND my retirement plan might collapse, I'm AFRAID. Oh no, a nuclear bomb may go off on my kid's schoolbus, I'M AFRAID! Oh no, Osama just sent in another video tape making vague comments referencing semi-recent events, meaning he is still alive and well and planning more terrorist attacks, OH NO I'M AFRAID WE'LL NEVER BE SAFE!!
Everything Osama does is aimed at influencing the American public, and because he will never conqeur us, he instead will twist us until the men he hates will see their dream fester and die from the distrust and fear caused by bin Laden's actions.
__________________
Dont be afraid to change who you are for what you could become
Last edited by kangaeru; 02-21-2006 at 08:09 PM..
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