[Sir Gawain]

-

[jwalsh07]

The best defense against terrorism is offense.

[cactusSharp]

the best defense against terrorism
is vote republican.....pure and simple

[BOBTHENAILER]

I have listed threats to humanity in the order that we usually fear them,

1. Tom Daschole
2. Hillary Clinton
3. Osama bil Clinton
4. Any other rabid RATS

[Political Junkie Too]

All too often human beings waste the most time fearing the least important danger.

Everyone knows that lightning strikes are rare, but you still don't stand under a tree in a thunderstorm. Terrorism tries to make you afraid to go to the mall, even though you know the chance of a terrorist attack is rare.

-PJ

[realpatriot71]

The best defense against attacks or natural disasters of any kind is a free society.

Say it isn't so! We can't have people running around . . . being free . . .

[tpaine]

A rational response to terrorism will not only protect against terror attacks, but far more importantly will strengthen civil society against the major threats.
Any rational response is going to have to flow from civil society; governments benefit from terrorism too much.
__________________________________

As one can see, we will get little rational response from the uncivil society being roused here.

[m1911]

Good points, if a little overextended. All we have to do is empty the cities, tear down the skyscrapers, make huge leaps in technology and voila! No more terrorists.

[Motherhood IS a career]

"Natural" problems like aging and disease, caused by lack of wealth and technology, have always killed the majority of human beings.

So what this says is that most people have been dying of old age. I don't really see this as a problem. I'm willing to live with the risk of dying of old age or even disease, no help needed from terrorist, thank you.

[Motherhood IS a career]

If American politicians insist on interfering in every nation's conflicts while steadily making our own country more vulnerable, then terrorism may indeed become a major killer in the 21st century.

This sounds an awful lot like "we deserved it, we had it coming."

Every politician, whether President, congressman, or mayor, who supports measures to increase central control and take away freedom is making the next terrorist attack more destructive.

This sounds even more like "we had it coming". And frankly I'm sick of hearing this, like some kind of symptom of battered wife/child syndrome. When it comes to national security, I have no objection to taking away the freedom of a person who is a threat to this country, be it a terrorist threat, or something less cowardly but just as harmful.

While we may not be able to take away the freedom of someone who makes "jokes" in a public restaurant about "bringing down" another building or bridge on American soil (though a part of us wishes we could), we certainly can do more to restrict the freedom of those we have reason to believe are a threat. And there is nothing uncivilized about that.

[Motherhood IS a career]

It makes little sense for a terrorist group to take over an aircraft in a suicide attack when they could do far more damage with no risk to themselves.

Hmm... pure genius. Tell it to the gaping hole in the ground in lower Manhattan. And to the thousands of victims who died in an act that didn't make sense.