old europe wrote:Quote:The United States would strive to eliminate all terrorist networks, dry up their financial support, and prevent them from acquiring weapons of mass destruction. The goal was the "elimination of terrorism as a threat to our way of life."
That's exactly what I find disturbing about the idea that the London terrorists might not have had any connection to al Qaeda except for the ideology.
Disturbing because, even if all the terrorist networks were destroyed, if all their financial support would be dried up, and if they were prevented from acquiring weapons of mass destruction, it would
still not "eliminate terrorism as a threat to our way of life."
It would not, because this kind of terrorism doesn't need networks. It doesn't need financial support, and least of all does it depend on weapons of mass destruction to cause terror and destruction.
If the terrorism is as you characterize it, a terrorism that doesn't need networks, financial support, and at least conventional ordnance (which is quite capable of mass destruction), AND if it were also a ubiquitous terrorism, I would be disturbed too. In fact, I'd be scared youknowwhatless. If not ubiquitous I would expect conventional justice systems to keep it under acceptable control.
For now, let's assume the truth of the horrifying idea that such terrorism as you described is, or is allowed to become ubiquitous. What could be done about it? The same thing humankind did about it more than two thousand years ago. Yes, we would of necessity regress to barbarism. Millions maybe billions would murder each other. Then at least as slowly as before, our posterity (what's left of it) would begin the excruciating process of re-civilizing themselves. They may or may not succeed.
As I see it, a necessary way to prevent that catastrophe, is to prevent that
malignancy from becoming ubiquitous; is too exterminate it as fast as we encounter or otherwise detect it.
Others say no. They say understand its causes first. Then eliminate those causes. Then the
malignancy will stop metastasizing and die out.
I say let's do both. I say we will not survive doing either alone.
In the laboratory, we seek to discover the cause or causes of cancer. Simultaneously, we strive to cure those suffering from cancer by attempting to exterminate that cancer in whatever way we can. In all humanity, both must be done.
Incredible 
Where do they get off wanting anything 
Bunker busters 
Who do they think they are, seeking to defend their lives against those who want them to die for no other reason than to gain entrance into paradise also? Clearly, the decent thing to do is to cooperate and allow the early paradise seeking people to kill them as fast as they can. 
