[Henry Longmore]

Let's look at the options:
1) we can just sit back passivly, and try to talk with the terrorists:
"Why did you do this?  What did you hope to accomplish?  Are you
sorry?  Do you feel remorse?  Promise you won't do it again?" (the
people who planned it obviously have no qualms about killing people,
why would they stop because we ask them to?)
2) we can say, "we've got to stop being such an open society...every
flight must have an F-15 escorting it.  Every lake, stream, pond and
reservoir must be gated, with armed guards surrounding it to prevent
contamination of the water supply.  Every public facility must be
guarded as if it were a military instillation.  Every backpack, every
piece of luggage, every U-Haul must be thoroughly inspected--including
going through boxes of personal belongings.  We're not going to let
this happen again." -- hello 1984.
3) We can use pschological strategy and say, "Look, you haven't scared
us.  You know we're bigger and stronger than you, and we're coming
after you."  And other nations can join us.
4) We can let this happen again and again until the US is desolate.
Then the jihad or drug war or whatever will spread to other
nations...who would be next?  the UK?  France?  Or maybe India?

I vote for #3.

Henry K.

 }Not a fucking chance.  We have been attacked, and like a cornered animal, we
 }will fight back with unprecedented ferocity until this threat is
 }erased--PERIOD.  What would you have us do with these fucking psychopaths?
 }Use harsh language?  Hold hands and sing them to death?  So next time they
 }can set off a U-haul full of C-4 during the World Series and kill another
 }50,000?  America, like any other country in her position, will protect
 }herself to any extent necessary to ensure her safety.  She will do it
 }swiftly and precisely, but most importantly, she will do it with the rest of
 }the world at her side.
 }
 }Brian

 }Biggest load of crap i have ever read.  Who says no one else cares?  Who are
 }you to mention all those countries and stereotype them as terrorist breeders
 }and harbourers?  As if America is squeaky clean?  Come on mate, surely you
 }are mature enough to realise that revenge here is only going to kill tens
 }maybe hundreds of thousands more people, or even worse, start a nuclear war?
 }Would you like to see that?  Would that put a smile on your face?  And I
 }thought the one common thing we all had on this list is the fact that we
 }love a band called Midnight Oil, and we associate with its values.  These
 }comments hardly seem in line with the Oils' values.  Stand proud America?
 }Absolutely!  But stand proud without your guns.
 }
 }Andrew