Message 16471142
To:Frank Pembleton who wrote (2524)
From: isopatch Monday, Oct 8, 2001 12:57 PM
View Replies (2) | Respond to of 2627
Exactly. We aren't fighting just a few fanatics hiding in caves.
There are millions in the ME that share their violent Anti-American views and consider themselves AT WAR with us. That's why the leaders of those countries do little more than pay lip service to the "coalition" Powell has tried to make the center piece of our policy. This so called coalition is in reality nothing but a house of cards and a dangerous illusion.
We are entering a new World War and the sooner America and her allies realize this and inform their people, the better.
Our only real allies are Britain, Canada, Australia, PERHAPS a few other NATO members, Israel and maybe a few others that will surface going forward.
I'm no expert on global politics. But it looks pretty obvious to me that the populations of most ME nations are dominated by the extremist mentality that wants to wage war on us. We should expect all the "moderate" ME regimes to be deposed and replaced by militant fundamentalists during the next several years.
It's not hard to fill in the blanks after that... What we've seen so far is just the tip of the iceberg. Sincerely hope I'm wrong. But sure looks to me like we've entered the opening "warm-up" rounds of WWIII.
Now that post is out of the way, anybody have any good jokes to tell?<g>
Isopatch
Message 16471778
To:isopatch who wrote (2533)
From: jim black Monday, Oct 8, 2001 2:33 PM
View Replies (1) | Respond to of 2627
No, Iso, no jokes...I think you are right, unfortunately. It is going to get ugly, uglier than most Americans
are willing to imagine. We have not yet the will as a nation to act pre-emptively, but the hatred is there for all to see. Bright-eyed optimists who would rather make money in markets that go forever upwards will not lower
their eyes to the horizon until another (God Forbid!) WTC event, or maybe even another. In my view the Islamic nations need tread carefully, not just us. Bi-Ladenfullofpiglard pretty well laid it out as a West (US and allies) against them (Islam) and our administration has taken full measures to distinguish between Islam and terrorists, but I see already in today's news, in Pakistan and elsewhere folks holding up bin*etc signs. Saudi Arabia could fall at a moment's notice as they(the country at large) are heavily infested with Wahabist sect of Islam, making Shiites
look moderate. One glimmer of hope is report out of Iran yesterday of students demanding freedom from cleric
dictatorships...May the Force Be with Us (not the dark Side)
Jim
Jim Black
Message 16473056
To:jim black who wrote (2543)
From: isopatch Monday, Oct 8, 2001 6:01 PM
View Replies (4) | Respond to of 2627
Thanks Jim Black. We are on the same page.
Many people are still in heavy denial about how much America is hated and resented by millions in the Islamic world. Many, like Saddam, aren't even religious fundamentalists. Because of the brutal savagery he's inflicted on his own people, Saddam couldn't unite this significant minority that's spread throughout the Islamic world. Bin Laden is exactly the kind of charismatic leader I've long feared would appear at some point to unite them against us.
Anybody who thinks there are only a few % in those nations who would go to war against the west is sadly mistaken.
I don't read Arabic. But my understanding is that there are newspapers with significant circulation across the Islamic world that are strongly Anti-American. Who's buying all those newspapers, if only 2% of the Islamic world want to destroy America and its western allies??.
Does anyone here seriously expect us to believe that 2% of the population of Libya is enough to keep Ghadaffi in power? Or only 2% of the Iranian population supports their Anti-American regime?
And, what's the thread's guess as to the % of Pakistanis who support the Taliban vs how many are strongly in favor of a strong military alliance with America against them? Anybody who thinks we'd win that vote is in la la land IMHO.<lol>
More likely, Pakistan is near the top of the short list of Islamic nations vulnerable to the next radical fundamentalist takeover. And Saudi Arabia is another. Tic toc.
As far as what comes next for us? We may see an interesting parallel to the onset of WWII in Europe develop in the months ahead.
Britain and it's key European allies declared War on Nazi Germany when it invaded Poland in early Sept 1939. Then, from the end of September until the following April, there was a period commonly known as the "Phoney War" when relatively little happened.
With the long time periods of inaction we've seen between previous large scale terror attacks, we could be in for another period of "Phoney War". If so, skeptics will grow in numbers and vociferously declare the threat is over. That we've effective plugged the holes in our domestic security. That'll be the time to hunker down, folks.
The FBI and other government security agencies have said there are probably about 1,000 people in the US with close ties to the terror network. It would make sense for them to lay low for awhile and wait for exactly that kind complacency to creep back into public and official thinking. All the easier easier to for them to mount the next major attack.
Hard to believe, but it might actually take another massive hammer blow or a complete cut off of oil from the Persian Gulf for Americans to finally wake up to the reality that this IS a World War not some low impact police action.
A few will call us paranoid, Jim. So be it. I've watched this coming for many years and have the historical background to be able to side step the wishful thinking that's still endemic in public opinion.
The only similarity to between this war and Vietnam is that we are being drawn into it a little at a time. Just a few surgical strikes with good intelligence and follow up strikes over a period of a year or two and we'll wipe out these isolated bands of trouble makers. Sure...
One of the worst mistakes that can be made is to underestimate an adversary. And that's exactly what I''m seeing. Even if we could wipe out all members of the current terror organizations, thousands more would immediately volunteer to replace them
This war will most likely be episodic and could last many years, becoming a lot bloodier on both sides before half of our people even have a clue as to what we're up against.
Isopatch |
