Madrid Bombings & the Aftermath to Come

Post by **Zephalephelah** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 2:36 am

If you haven't heard al-Qaida has bombed Spain 10 times over, killing hundreds of people.

Here's what will happen. President Bush will make a speech & reiterate that America and it's allies are at war with terror. He will make plans to hurt al-Qaida. People will be happy about this. Spain will stand behind us of course.

Then after a few weeks, people will begin asking why we are at war again. Because people are quick to forget, to their shame. If September 11th or March 11th is in the recent past, then it is on the minds of the public. But the public blinks and forgets what happened. Then it will ride a media wave against the government that took action on their behalf.

I wonder about us sometimes. If I were president, I would kill 100 al-Qaida members for every terrorism death that they caused. The action would be swift & merciless. If women, children, old people, crippled people had to die, then that's the way it would be. I would put 500,000 infantry in Afghanistan & Pakistan and kill every al-Qaida member found, without trial, without mercy. The message would be strong. It would be, if you cause people to fear to live in peace because a bomb might explode while they are carrying on their day-to-day activities, your country will suffer the violence of war from all the world's major powers and your people will be put to death with extreme prejudice.

And everytime the media started some whiny crap about how the war is wrong, I would have a made for television movie ready, a documentary or something, to bring their minds back to March 11th or September 11th, to remember the tears, the confusion, the questions of why, and the knowledge that we were attacked without provocation in our homelands against an enemy we did not incite for war that took out its frustrations against our civilians in secrecy and sudden-strike cowardice.

Post by **dANdeLION** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 11:56 am

Amen. This is the absolute truth, guys, whether you like it or not. All the world seems to hate us, and we flip-flop on all sorts of issues, just like an unpopular high school kid who just wants to fit in. Personally, I think we should stick to what we know is right, and if we're hated for our resolve, so be it. I'd rather be hated for being a man in a world of children than being the least popular child any day.

Post by **Edinburghemma** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 2:53 pm

Oh s*****. Feel the love.Well, I think talking like this straight after the event is pretty damn appalling Zeph. Like me saying "oh, there you go, that's what you get for backing the US! Ho hum". For goodness sake. I presume you would also like to kill all members/supporters of ETA? Or does that not count, because it isn't in your own back yard? AH

Post by **dANdeLION** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 3:10 pm

Was the ETA blamed for this? I heard it was al-Qaida. In any event, terrorism cannot be ignored, and if it's possible, wiped out completely.

Post by **hierachy** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 3:36 pm

That, is a dream, it's never going to happen. And killing all the terrorists you can find wont help either, it will just incite more anger, push more of them into action. They wontbe scared by it, these people are prepared to die for their cause. What you are saying is not the answer, it is nothing more than shooting yourself in the foot.

Post by **Worm of Despite** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 3:38 pm

Stopping terrorism completely is like stopping drug trafficking completely.

Post by **dANdeLION** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 3:42 pm

And yet, not stopping it is bad too. I say we nuke the whales then.

Honestly, saying "It can't be done" is tatamount to giving up. We don't know if it can't be done; we just know it hasn't been done yet.

Post by **Worm of Despite** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 3:50 pm

I don't know about the rest of the world, but nobody here is giving up. Things must be done, of course. There should always be a swell to push back the flood of terrorism. If we can stop it to a tiny trickle, then good. I believe there is no completely stopping it, personally. I'm not hopeless to completely stopping it, but I just don't realistically see it. I feel there will always be an outbreak of terrorism, just like there will always be a group of people who will tell you the Holocaust never happened.

I don't see how it can be completely stopped unless humanity as a whole, the minority and the majority, agree for once without indifference. In today's society, that's impossible. Maybe in the future. Maybe.

Post by **hierachy** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 3:57 pm

I'm not saying it's impossible, although I do find it VERY unlikely. What I'm saying is, war and killing is NOT the answer, that most certainly is not the way to stop it.

Philosophical Crony · Post by **Philosophical Crony** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 4:06 pm

Excerpt from David Gemell's 'The Sword In The Storm'

"But now we come to the crux of the question. I am not saying do not fight. I am saying do not hate. It is not war that leads to murderous excesses, but hate. Whole villages, cities, peoples wiped out. Hatred is like a plague. It is all-consuming, and it springs from man to man. Our enemies become demons, their wives the mothers of demons, their children infant demons. You understand?..... Our hearts turn dark, and, in turn we visit a terrible retribution upon those we now hate. But hatred never dies... We plant the seeds of it in every action inspired by it. Kill a man, and his son will grow to hate you and seek revenge. When he obtains that revenge, your son will learn to hate him....."

"There are only three ways to deal with an enemy. Destroy him, run away from him, or befriend him. The man who has come to hate you will never befriend you."

Thought this might add to this conversation....

Post by **dANdeLION** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 4:09 pm

Yeah, but I seriously doubt those terrorists will ever be my friend.

Post by **hierachy** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 4:12 pm

dAN, Zeph, do you hate those terrorists? Do you think they deserve to die?

Post by **Baradakas** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 4:14 pm

Crony said:

The man who has come to hate you will never befriend you.

I think thats what he was trying to say, my friend dAN.

Post by **dANdeLION** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 4:18 pm

No, I have a lot of anger about innocents being killed, but I know I can only 'hate' terrorism as a thing, not a group of misled people. I honestly just want to end terrorism because in a lot of ways it's the epitome of hate. I'm afraid that what I want the US to do most is defend it's borders. But I felt as much shock and outrage about what happened yesterday as on 9/11, giving that now, thanks to 9/11, I'm a bit less surprised by this sort of thing.

Post by **Baradakas** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 4:21 pm

Then again that Crony can be downright confusing at times. I mean, didn't he call all of us arrogant, or something?

Post by **dANdeLION** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 4:24 pm

Slaymaker Prime wrote:Crony said:

The man who has come to hate you will never befriend you.
I think thats what he was trying to say, my friend dAN.

What I'm trying to say is that once one side chooses to hate, the options of the other side become severely limited, as in fight back or die.

Post by **Baradakas** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 4:28 pm

Yeah, I've got no argument there.

Post by **dANdeLION** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 5:05 pm

Good, it's settled then. I hope I don't come off as too harsh, but no matter what the US or Spain does, it's my belief that terrorism is only going to get worse, partly because recent success will embolden terrorists, and partly because they have always believed in their cause. I'd rather not sit around and pose for the crosshairs, guys.

Post by **hierachy** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 5:43 pm

No, dAN, it's not settled, it's far from settled. Declaring war on terrorism and killing and hunting them down will NOT stop it, it will only breed more hate and ultimately increase terrorism. Unless you plan on killing many many million of people.

Post by **dANdeLION** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 5:59 pm

I plan on nothing, Monkey. I am a computer draftsman in Tampa. I have never held a public office, much less the presidency. I have killed no one. I have never done one damn thing to you, or any of those people who seek my death. And I doubt you have, either. So don't sit in front of your pc and tell me what will increase terrorism, because neither of us knows.

Kevin's Watch

Kevin's Watch

Madrid Bombings & the Aftermath to Come

Madrid Bombings & the Aftermath to Come