[Hound of the Baskervilles]

"But the real fear comes from the undisputed fact that no defense and no preventive measures can succeed against a determined suicide murderer. This has not yet penetrated the thinking of the Western World. "

It has penetrated my thinking. I have tried to figure out how in Iraq, "security" forces be they coalition or Iraqi can really stop suicide bombers. How can you know that the guy next to you in the market buying a bar of soap is a really a suicide bomber? How can you know that the woman at the restaraunt with the shopping bag has a bomb in the bag? I don't see how most suicide bombers can be stopped.

[paltz]

But the real fear comes from the undisputed fact that no defense and no preventive measures can succeed against a determined suicide murderer. This has not yet penetrated the thinking of the Western World. The U.S. and Europe are constantly improving their defense against the last murder, not the next one. We may arrange for the best airport security in the world. But if you want to murder by suicide, you do not have to board a plane in order to explode yourself and kill many people. Who could stop a suicide murder in the midst of the crowded line waiting to be checked by the airport metal detector? How about the lines to the check-in counters in a busy travel period? Put a metal detector in front of every train station in Spain and the terrorists will get the buses. Protect the buses and they will explode in movie theaters, concert halls, supermarkets, shopping malls, schools and hospitals. Put guards in front of every concert hall and there will always be a line of people to be checked by the guards and this line will be the target, not to speak of killing the guards themselves. You can somewhat reduce your vulnerability by preventive and defensive measures and by strict border controls but not eliminate it and definitely not in the war in a defensive way. And it is a war!

Don't Worry!!!!!... We'll be safe as long as they arre making us take off our shoes, give up our water bottles and coffee, and take out our laptops into plastic boxes to be x-rayed. There... feel better everyone?

[Dominic Harr]

I don't see how most suicide bombers can be stopped.

Actually, tho -- if this is the worst the war gets, we're getting off so easy it's a joke.

We lost 6000 dead, 20000 wounded in one month's fighting on Iwo Jima.

This attack is only a PR win. Militarily, suicide is useless. The japanese were the ones who pioneered the suicide run. Kamikazis.

And that strategy turned out to be a failure, for strategic reasons.

And it will again. They'll never win a battle, or take a country, with suicide bombers.