alternatives (Score 1)

"As for those mothers in Iraq. It's not our fault that they live in a country lead by a madman."

I'm sorry, but I disgaree rather strongly with this statment. There is overwhelming evidence--documents, statements, wires, etc--that the US is more than a *little* responsible for the fact theat their country is lead by a madman. Not only did we support him when he first appeared (the opposition was feared to be more pro-soviet), we armed him. When portions of 'his' own population attempted to rebel (I am thinking of the kurds in the 80s), he proceeded to use these weapons to murder as many as he could.

Of course, this leads to a complex debate concerning the cold war...Let's ignore it for now. After the Gulf war, we could have acted differently, however. It is inconceivable that an economic embargo would get rid of Saddam, given the kind of society he has shaped...he's about the only person who I would expect to be immune from the general carnage such an embargo mnust produce. the predictable result: thousands+ people who hate the US for effectively starving their children.

The US has a history of not removing security threats, but rather exacerbating them. Am I preaching Assassinatoin? Maybe. But more than that, we need to not arm dictators in the first place!

How is this relevant? my earlier intent was to state that many of the threats to natoinal security, terrorist and otherwise, are products of US policy. In many cases, these policies were not designed with the intent of protecting americans. Instead, they have been crafted for political palatability (read:stuff that makes the policy-makers get re-elected) or to satisy the short-term greed of corporate interest (Like the trade policies in Africa that have caused widespread economic devastation. Many there are unhappy with the US as well). If we want to fight terrorism, we will ultimately need to destroy the causes. In some cases, this means that we will need to change current policies and think quite a bit about how we design those policies (i.e., who determines US policy, accountabililty, etc)

This is not a new statement, and has been repeated even here many times. Sorry if I sound a bit redundant; just want to make sure you understand me. Hope the day improves for us all and that nightfall finds you and yours in safety.

Matt